Chapter 71 - Chapter 11: Sword Duke #2
There were no formal disciples of the sword duke.
Except for the demon king, Mitra, there was no one who he taught properly. Even the sura, Gallehed, the strongest among the five captains, had only sparred with him a few times.
Moreover, it had been the sword duke who offered his teachings first.
It was unheard of. None of the children of the demon king had ever been recognized like this.
However, he was now offering it to In-gong.
Felicia’s mouth dropped open while Karma’s eyes shone. Carack also let out an impressed cry.
The sword duke was laughing, but his eyes weren’t smiling.
Deep blue eyes... It was like there was a hidden darkness in his blue eyes that saw through In-gong.
In-gong swallowed his saliva. Although he had been anticipating this a little bit, his chest pounded wildly at the offer.
The strongest presence in the Demon World said he would teach In-gong.
This was a hidden event and it was really happening!
"It doesn’t mean that you will become my disciple.”
The sword duke said with a smile. Carack blinked with confusion while Felicia snorted.
However, the sword duke didn’t pay attention to the two of them. He was only looking at In-gong.
"I can’t afford to nurture a disciple. Furthermore... Prince has already learnt Divine Beast Authority. There is no need to learn my sword.”
In-gong had never fought in front of the sword duke. He had only confronted the man carrying a spear with his white aura. However, the sword duke had intervened after that, so it was impossible to know the type of martial arts In-gong used.
However, that didn’t make a difference to the sword duke.
The sword duke’s blue eyes stared into In-gong’s red eyes. Unlike his laughing expression, the sword duke’s eyes didn’t show any pleasure at all.
In-gong sensed it intuitively.
Even now, he was reading information about In-gong. He didn’t know whether it was magic or an innate talent to see a person’s ability. In-gong felt like he was being disassembled.
Then there was a person who exclaimed belatedly,
"Wait, Divine Beast Authority? Not Beast Authority but Divine Beast Authority?”
Felicia stared at In-gong with shock, but her astonishment didn’t last long.
Felicia understood.
There was an oddly deep bond between In-gong, Chris and Caitlin. Even Chris, who usually disliked the other children of the demon king, was concerned about In-gong.
He had taught In-gong Divine Beast Authority that was normally only passed down through the royal family of the lycanthropes. It was foolish for Felicia to not know what it meant.
Felicia felt frustrated and disappointed, but she didn’t express it and In-gong couldn’t afford to look at Felicia.
The sword duke continued to speak,
"Prince’s body contains Divine Beast Authority and a mixture of other powers. Even I can’t see all of them... It is really interesting. Moreover, the many forces aren’t pushing against each other. They are cooperating nicely.”
What were the powers that the sword duke read? Did it include Conquest?
"I think that Prince has just managed to learn Divine Beast Authority. At most, it has been a few months. However, this achievement is really amazing.”
In-gong felt a cold sweat forming. The sword duke showed no apparent hostility toward In-gong. Even now, he was only expressing admiration and curiosity. However, In-gong couldn’t help feeling tense. How many things could those eyes see through?
"The reason why the demon king showed interest is probably different from me. When 2nd Prince was born, the Demon World had instinctively sensed his strength... He was born with a crazy innate talent, but even then, the demon king didn’t express any interest.”
In-gong felt lightheaded.
The sword duke’s evaluation of Zephyr was beyond his imagination. A strong existence that the Demon World had instinctively felt when he was born. What on earth? He couldn’t even figure out what level it meant.
Moreover, the talk about the demon king...
The sword duke assumed that the demon king’s interest wasn’t due to the various powers inside In-gong.
Then why had the demon king shown interest in In-gong? Was it because he endured the demon king’s gaze at the first court gathering?
The sword duke raised his body. In-gong’s gaze naturally followed the sword duke who shrugged and said,
"Anyhow, I am interested in Prince. I would like to convey some enlightenment to Prince, so what do you think?”
In-gong closed his eyes. He drove all questions from his mind and only focused on the sword duke.
The sword duke’s teachings...
There was no reason to refuse.
He wasn’t In-gong’s enemy. The sword duke’s gaze was penetrating, but it wasn’t hostile.
In-gong took a deep breath and looked at the sword duke with a stiff expression. He stared straight into the sword duke’s eyes and said with an awkward smile,
"Please teach me.”
Carack clenched his fists. Felicia sighed with relief and smiled.
The sword duke also smiled. He raised his hand to In-gong’s shoulder.
"I came to Prince to teach you an aura management technique and a few skills. I will leave them to Prince’s talent to learn.”
“I understand.”
The most common situation was for the conversation to stop here. In order to learn aura management techniques, some conditions were needed.
However, that wasn’t the case for the sword duke.
“Then let's begin."
Felicia, who had thought she couldn’t be confused anymore, was surprised by the sword duke’s words.
The sword duke stretched out two big hands and grabbed In-gong’s head. He closed his eyes and triggered his aura.
In-gong also closed his eyes. His sharp instinct urged for compliance instead of resistance.
The aura of the sword duke was a brilliant gold. Just as when Caitlin had first taught In-gong about aura, the sword duke’s golden aura led In-gong’s aura. It was a completely different path from Divine Beast Authority.
[The S rank technique, Sura Heart Law Lv1, has been learnt.]
As always, In-gong instantly incorporated the new technique. There was an elusive smile on the sword duke’s face as his golden aura started to invade every inch of In-gong’s body.
In-gong realized that the aura in his body was activated in a different way. His breathing method was also changing.
As he acquired knowledge. Images flashed in his head. It was the appearance of the sword duke displaying some techniques.
They were the skills that the sword duke had promised.
One was a new movement. If Divine Beast Authority was explosive movement, the new method taught by the sword duke was the wind. It was fast and light, and sometimes rough like a gale.
The other was a spread out technique rather than a punch. It was a pushing technique, not one that destroyed the enemy like Gigantic Piston. In-gong was given an impression of the power that spread from the sword duke. It felt like he had actually learnt the techniques in reality.
The last one was a feet technique, Involving kicking at a simple, not flashy pace. However, it was quick and powerful.
[Sura Heart Law - Wind Style Lv1 has been learnt.]
[Sura Heart Law - Great Mountain Lv1 has been learnt.]
[Sura Heart Law - Lightning Lv1 has been learnt.]
Sura Heart Law and three other techniques were transferred to him.
In-gong admired the method of transferring techniques, but the sword duke was even more impressed.
In-gong had acquired the skills too quickly. Although the sword duke had used a direct injection method, the speed exceeded what he had expected.
'A genius comparable to 2nd Prince?’
No, it wasn’t like that. There was talent in combat, but not so much towards learning techniques.
Then what was this speed? Had the sword duke misjudged the talent of the 9th Prince? It wasn’t somebody else but the sword duke himself who had made a mistake?
Then it was good. It was a pleasant mistake. The sword duke laughed and finishing injecting the techniques happily.
However, he couldn’t. It wasn’t because In-gong rejected it, nor was there a problem with the transfer process. The transfer technique was done properly and In-gong learnt all the techniques that the sword duke wanted to teach.
However, the changes in In-gong weren’t over.
A white aura flashed like fire from In-gong’s entire body. Carack, Karma and Felicia didn’t know the situation, but the sword duke was shocked. He was panicked by the changes taking place in In-gong’s body.
[S rank technique Sura Heart Law has been learnt.]
[The level of Protagonist Body has increased due to the repeated learnings.]
[The level of Protagonist Body Lv2 skill - Hundreds Poisons Resistance has risen. Once Hundred Poisons Resistance reaches Lv3, it can evolve into Thousand Poisons Resistance.]
[Protagonist Body Lv3 skill - Harmony Lv1 has been acquired.]
The aura inside In-gong’s body was split into two. One chose the Divine Beast Authority aura management method while the other chose the Sura Heart Law method.
It was a phenomenon that the sword duke was seeing for the very first time. Even if he had seen something similar, 99% of the people had their bodies ruined by the opposing auras.
The white aura around In-gong swelled greatly. Carack, who had been admiring it until now, realized that something was wrong. Felicia also had an urgent expression on her face as she cried out.
The sword duke heard Felicia’s voice. but he didn’t try to restrain In-gong. He simply watched.
Carack alternated his gaze between In-gong and the sword duke. He looked toward Felicia like he was seeking a path, but Felicia didn’t respond. She was staring at the sword duke with gritted teeth. She didn’t know what she was hoping for, but she begged and prayed for In-gong.
‘Master.’
Green Wind watched as In-gong closed his eyes and had the techniques transferred to him. As she saw the auras flowing violently, she was reminded of the Great Enkidu and Watcher Ainkel.
The powers of two different elder dragons. Despite the two powers being opposite of each other, In-gong had made them one.
This time as well, it was no different. The two auras running through different routes gradually became one. Not only did the auras combine together, but the aura method also became one.
Sura Heart Law and Divine Beast Authority.
Both of them were S rank. However,it was different now. The two didn’t deny each other any longer.
[Sura Heart Law and Divine Beast Authority are in harmony.]
[The S rank Divine Beast Authority has evolved.]
In-gong conquered Sura Heart Law and Divine Beast Authority. He was able to create a new technique because he ruled them in the truest sense.
It had the explosive power of Divine Beast Authority and the swiftness of Sura Heart Law.
It was a new power beyond the limit of a S rank!
[The SS rank technique, Divine Sura Authority Lv1, has been learnt.]
Divine Sura Authority...
However, this wasn’t the end. In-gong used his saved skill points.
[The level of Divine Sura Authority has risen.]
[The level of Divine Sura Authority has risen.]
Divine Sura Authority Lv3.
The power springing from In-gong’s depths formed a clear shape.
Carack became excited again while Felicia clasped both hands tensely as she stared at In-gong. Meanwhile, Karma prayed to Green Wind.
There was a light of wonder on the sword duke’s face.
Then after a moment...
In-gong opened his eyes and a pure white aura was freed.