Chapter 75

Gulp—

Theo unconsciously swallowed dryly.

‘The Dark Dragon’s sword…’

Theo’s target had always been his father Kyle’s sword.

However, the person who made him resolve to walk the true path of the sword was Julius.

It was by following the trajectory Julius carved that Theo could draft the framework for the .

And now, that very same Julius, the Dark Dragon, was about to teach him.

Theo tried his best to suppress the tension rising within him, but—

Thump, thump, thump!

His heart refused to calm down.

It showed just how much this moment meant to Theo.

Hoo—

Theo took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

There was something that had always come to mind whenever he thought about Julius’ sword.

“I believe the Dark Dragon’s sword is ‘violence.’”

Ho?

Julius looked at him, his face showing unexpected interest.

“And why do you think that?”

“Because that is the essence of ‘Demon’.”

A short answer.

A brief silence descended over them.

Then—

Pffft!

Julius let out a bitter laugh.

“…I think I now understand why the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace made such a suggestion about you. Your insight is truly exceptional.”

It was at that moment.

The world around Theo and Julius suddenly changed.

Whoosh—

A glass-like space enveloped them.

Julius had opened his signature technique.

Theo found himself standing in the midst of a world reduced to ashes and ruins, everything burned black.

At first glance, it seemed similar to the world of the Black Dragon, which reeked of death.

‘No, it’s different.’

Theo’s eyes could see that this was not the case.

Its very essence was different.

The Black Dragon’s world, after all, still adhered to the laws of nature.

But this place was different.

Demon.

It was a world where everything had been twisted into chaos.

A world that could not, should not exist.

“You’re right. The essence of ‘Demon’ is just that—violence, destruction, annihilation, the end… Darkness that engulfs humanity in fear and anxiety.”

Suddenly, Julius appeared, a sword in hand.

Shhh—shhhh—

He lightly swung his sword through the air.

The path it cut was utterly simple.

“How did you find the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace’s sword?”

“It was splendid and beautiful.”

“That’s right. Her sword holds the essence of ‘Life.’ The process of a seed sprouting, growing tall, and eventually blooming into a magnificent flower is a reflection of life itself. It’s gentle and swift. That’s why her sword techniques are composed primarily of curves and circles.”

Julius continued his explanation.

The speed of his sword strikes gradually increased.

“But my sword is the opposite. It consists solely of straight and diagonal lines. There is no circling around. There’s no dodging or deflecting. When it clashes, there’s only one outcome. Either it breaks the opponent, or it breaks itself.”

As his sword strikes grew faster, they carried a heavy force within them.

Theo’s skin began to sting slightly from the intensifying pressure.

“That’s why my sword demands greater and more overwhelming strength. It unleashes everything at once. There is no retreat, ever.”

Theo was suddenly reminded of the slogan used by the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

Indomitability. No retreat.

That teaching was already embedded in his swordsmanship.

“This is the Dark Dragon’s sword.”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Julius’ sword began to shimmer with light and fragment.

Spectral Light.

It looked as if the light itself was splitting into dozens of tiny pieces.

Flash! Flash! Flash!

Rumble— Rumble— Rumble—

Each flash of light was accompanied by a deafening thunderous roar, powerful enough to shake the ground, leaving behind overwhelming destruction.

The earth was carved out, revealing deep gorges, and hills were split open, leaving only craters behind.

It was as if the end of the world had descended upon them.

Julius, now surrounded by a jet-black dragon, exuded a terrifying aura.

“…!”

Theo instinctively recoiled in shock, stepping back.

The friendly and kind image of Julius he had seen so far was nowhere to be found.

Only a malicious god who wielded violence and destruction stood before him.

Rumble…!

The pitch-black aura exuded by the Dark Dragon now covered the crimson sky.

Theo wondered if he might suffocate to death at this rate when—

Paahhh!

Suddenly, a portion of the Shadow Demon Poison still lingering in his body stirred, clearing his mind.

And with that, a new vision came into focus.

‘…What is that?’

Theo began to see Julius’ sword strikes more clearly, and they seemed oddly familiar.

Though the momentum and destructive power were different, it resembled the common secret technique he had seen countless times during his mission with the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

“…!”

As Theo muttered to himself, the Dark Dragon’s rampage came to a halt.

Paahhhh—

A cloud of dust swept over where Theo had stood.

Julius sheathed his sword and smiled.

“It seems you’ve grasped the essence of ‘Demon,’ and now you’ve seen this as well. It’s called .”

“Wasn’t that ‘Flurry of Sword Strikes’?”

“That’s correct, too.”

His words were somewhat cryptic.

But soon, Theo understood the meaning, and his eyes changed.

“‘Flurry of Sword Strikes’ was the foundation of the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon.”

Julius shook his head.

“No, it’s the opposite. The Six Arts of the Dark Dragon are the foundation of the Flurry of Sword Strikes.”

“…!”

Julius seemed to find Theo’s reaction amusing, as he let out a small chuckle.

“This is what the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon look like without mixing in magic power.”

Swish, swish, swish—

Julius demonstrated several slashes with his sword again.

Only straight and diagonal cuts filled the air—nothing more than the basics of swordsmanship.

“The Six Arts of the Dark Dragon are like a shell. The shape changes depending on what you put inside it. The men of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry pour their own swordsmanship into it, turning it into the Flurry of Sword Strikes.”

“…”

Theo swallowed hard.

Julius spoke as if it was nothing, but that was far from the truth.

‘He just handed over a technique he spent his whole life creating to the entire unit?’

In most martial families, that would be unimaginable.

“Is it strange to you that I gave away my sword technique without asking for anything in return?”

“Yes… It’s just that there’s never been a precedent for it.”

“Just because there’s no precedent doesn’t mean there’s a law against it.”

Julius’s mischievous smile grew wider.

“In fact, it’s not just me. The entire White Armored Dragon Cavalry does this.”

“…!”

“If it’s not a secret that must be guarded to maintain the family or sect, most of the members freely share their techniques and insights like this. Rather, they discuss the barriers they’ve hit and work together to find new solutions. Sometimes, they even receive unexpected external stimulation and explore new paths.”

“…”

“A technique shouldn’t simply be hidden away. It needs to be shared, discussed, debated, analyzed, and improved by finding problems and solutions. And through that process, we come to know each other more deeply.”

“Ah…!”

“The Six Arts of the Dark Dragon were created as a foundation for that kind of exchange. Each member incorporates their own insights into it and then shares those insights with others. That’s how the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon continue to evolve, and the Flurry of Sword Strikes always triumphs. This is the reason the White Armored Dragon Cavalry remains invincible.”

Theo felt like he’d been struck hard on the back of the head by something heavy.

– Sharing a technique.

It was a concept he had never even considered.

A sword technique was supposed to be a swordsman’s life’s work, something not even shared easily between parent and child… That was common sense.

‘But perhaps because they share their lives like this, they’ve built such strong camaraderie.’

In a way, every member of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry was both Julius’s child and his disciple.

Theo let out a dry laugh.

“…Aren’t you worried about betrayal?”

“Why? Because someone might leak our techniques, and a countermeasure to defeat us could be developed?”

“Yes. It’s possible, isn’t it?”

“Well, we haven’t had any traitors so far… But if it happens, let it happen. By then, the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon and the Flurry of Sword Strikes will have evolved into something entirely different. In fact, we might even welcome it since it could push us to further improve thanks to the countermeasures. And besides.”

Julius flashed a playful smile.

“Just because someone has the secret recipe doesn’t mean they can instantly become a great chef, right?”

It was confidence—or rather, arrogance—that even if all their secrets were exposed, they would never lose.

No matter how kind Julius might be, in the end, he was still the swordsman representing the House of Ragnar.

“That’s precisely why I rejected the offer from the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace in the past.”

The Mistress of plum Blossom Palace’s offer?

What could that be about?

“She suggested this to me once. She proposed that we make you our shared disciple.”

“…!”

Shared disciple. It meant taking on a disciple jointly.

In other words, the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace had suggested that Theo become a mutual disciple of both her and Julius.

“You were already under my care, practically my disciple and family. So, what was the point? It would’ve only disrupted the order within the unit. So, I told her if she really wanted you as her disciple, she should do so separately.”

“Then, the reason One Plum Branch came to me is…”

“You already received Full Blooming Plum Blossom, didn’t you? I merely mixed in what I originally intended to pass down to you on your path to mastering the 24 Movements of the Plum Blossom Sword. Of course, with the two of us putting our heads together, it must have deepened in ways that are unique. That’s your fortune.”

Thump, thump, thump…!

Theo’s heart pounded violently.

Even though Julius claimed otherwise, passing down One Plum Branch was practically an agreement to make Theo the shared disciple of both him and the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace!

Julius gripped his sword again.

“Starting today, I’ll teach you the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon for an hour each day. But be cautious. Delving into the essence of ‘Demon’ will be an extremely arduous task.”

Theo nodded heavily as he lifted Drake’s Blade.

This, too, was an unexpected opportunity.

No matter what, he wanted to master Julius’s sword technique.

“‘Demon’ is so ferocious that sometimes, it can even consume its master.”

As soon as Julius finished speaking,

Paahhhh…!

A pitch-black aura began to swirl around Julius.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

Theo tightly gripped Drake’s Blade, igniting a resonance of magic power. It seemed clear that this training was going to be far from easy.

* * *

An hour later.

Theo staggered out of Julius’s office, utterly exhausted.

“Are you alright?” Evelyn asked.

Theo shook his head weakly, his energy drained.

“I feel like I’m dying…”

“The Captain’s training can be pretty harsh. He even seems to enjoy it sometimes, so you’d better brace yourself for the future.”

It was true. Julius often looked delighted when Theo struggled during their training. If this was just the first session, how much harder would it get in the future?

Theo let out a dry laugh without realizing it.

‘Still… I’ve grasped the basics of the Six Arts of the Dark Dragon. Even the parts that didn’t make sense before are starting to clear up.’

Despite the physical exhaustion, his mood was incredibly good.

More than anything, Julius’s words from the training kept echoing in his mind.

– Why do you go to such lengths?

– Why do I go to such lengths…? Hmm, I’ve never really thought about it that deeply. I’m just following what I learned from the Patriarch, doing exactly what he did.

This was Julius’s answer when Theo had asked if there was a reason he shared his technique so freely.

‘I never expected him to mention his father…’

– Everything I have came from the Patriarch. I’m simply returning it to where it came from.

Julius’s gentle voice had been filled with absolute trust and loyalty toward Kyle.

‘I can’t help but feel envious.’

Theo couldn’t help but think.

In the distant future, when he was seated on a throne of power, would he meet someone like Julius?

Would he be able to earn the same kind of trust and loyalty?

‘I’ll have to work harder if I want to meet such a person.’

Fortunately, it seemed like he had already met someone worthy of that trust.

His very own First Sword was standing right by his side.

“But Theo,” Evelyn interrupted, steering the conversation to a more pressing issue, “I did as you asked. I’ve locked up the prisoners in the underground cells without any interrogation. Are you sure we should leave them like that?”

She was referring to the agents of the Central Intelligence Bureau captured at Blanky Fortress.

The White Armored Dragon Cavalry had yet to uncover their true identities.

After all, Sidra and the agents had meticulously hidden their affiliations from the start.

Interrogating them was the obvious course of action.

But Theo had opposed it.

“Just leave them be and keep watching. You’ll see something interesting soon enough.”

“As expected. You know who the culprit is, don’t you?”

Theo simply smiled without answering.

Evelyn let out a deep sigh, as if the ground beneath her had given way, and pressed her temple with her index finger.

“What in the world are you thinking…? Fine, I’ll follow your instructions for now. But don’t take too long. The members won’t be able to make sense of it for too long.”

“You don’t need to worry. They’ll take the bait within three days at most.”

Theo’s eyes sank deeply.

‘There’s no way Soaring Dragon would leave anything that could be a potential weakness unattended.’

Theo was certain that Ed would make a move soon to clean up the situation.

That’s when everything would truly begin.

The power struggle between Theo and Ed.

‘Before this political battle kicks into full gear, I’ll need to solidify the support of the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace as well.’

– Once my swordsmanship training is over, head straight to Plum Blossom Palace. The Mistress of plum Blossom Palace must be quite restless by now.

Theo still couldn’t forget the spectacle of the Sky Flower Rain that the Mistress of plum Blossom Palace had shown last time.

Just as he was about to make his way to Plum Blossom Palace—

Ding!

Suddenly, several messages flooded his vision.

[Tutorial Quest #18 has not yet been completed. Please proceed to complete it as soon as possible.]

[If the quest is not completed, it will be marked as a failure, and a penalty will be applied.]

[In case of failure: ■■]

[Player authority has increased, revealing previously hidden information.]

[Failure penalty: Death]

“…!”

Theo’s eyes widened in shock.