Raven placed his hand on his chin and sank into a tangle of thoughts and conjectures about Zayn, while Zayn himself kept his head bowed, clearly tense and anxious.
Suddenly, Raven turned his eyes toward Zayn and said, "Very well, Zayn—tell me what happened on your journey, from the moment you arrived here to when you encountered this catastrophe."
Zayn drew a deep breath and began to recount everything, from the very beginning to the very end, in painstaking detail. Raven nodded continuously, absorbing every word to fully understand what Zayn was striving to achieve.
Zayn said, "Since I arrived and stumbled upon this disaster, I have thought of nothing but forging a weapon with which we humans can repel and resist this demonic tide. Every dawn I venture out to track these creatures, to study their effects, their skills, and how they generate elemental powers. Yes, there have been risks—but it's worth it. Even if I die, I will pass on all my findings to anyone I meet. I've left books containing my notes in every cave or hideout I've used, so that the chosen person who finds them can draw conclusions even better than mine. Sooner or later, humanity will reclaim its rule and control, and finally take the reins."
Sky Sword, Maya, and Raven all listened intently, sipping their tea.
Zayn continued, "But when all my nighttime attempts to create such a weapon failed—because I lack the crucial ingredient, the demonic blood—I studied every movement of these monsters. I even ventured into the aftermath of human massacres so horrific that no one could ever return to normal after witnessing them. Still, I fought back my nausea and kept following them to see how they summon or channel elemental energies: fire, lightning, water, ice, and the like."
"After returning to my hideout, broken and devastated by what I'd seen—I feel sick every time I recall those massacres—I took my mat and staggered onto the golden sands, staring up at the radiant moon all night. Then the ideas and conclusions flowed through my mind like an endless river. I recorded every observation and eventually deduced that these beings are born with an innate power that lets them summon and wield the elements: that power runs in their blood. If we could obtain their blood, brimming with natural energy, we could forge a blade—or any weapon—using the formulas I mentioned."
Raven and Maya exchanged astonished looks at such insight from someone so young.
Zayn went on, "But since you haven't yet grasped it, I'll explain again. We'll use floranium—abundant in the caves of the Frost Peaks—melted with silver, and mixed with high-carbon steel and red copper. That gives us a sturdy, lustrous sword or spear. Once the metal alloy is ready, we move on to the refining agents that will make it extraordinary."
"First: the devil's thistle, extremely poisonous, which grows thickly on the Green Plains' hills. It won't deepen wounds, only inflict superficial cuts, but its toxin prevents clotting, so demonic beasts will bleed out. Second: marigold and orchid petals, which accelerate the wielder's wound healing; they grow along the southern forest's riverbanks but are rare and hard to find. Finally: the most critical stage—the demons' blood and fangs, to imbue the weapon with cursed demonic energy."
Before Zayn could finish, Raven interjected, "It's astounding you deduced all this—are you sure you can actually succeed in the forging process?"
Zayn replied without hesitation, "Everything I've said is merely a hypothesis; we'll know if it holds true during forging. But since we do have demonic blood, I will keep trying until I find the perfect formula. Trust me."
Raven was about to speak when Zayn, overflowing with enthusiasm, blurted out, "Oh! I almost forgot a vital detail. While tracking these creatures, I witnessed a battle between two powerful demons: one was a winged lion with a tiger-striped tail, as big as a real elephant; the other, a black eagle with brown wings surrounded by a whirlwind aura. They were locked in combat atop an elderly man's corpse."
Sky Sword asked, "And what happened next?"
Zayn answered, "The strange lion won and flew away with its prize, while the black eagle lay bleeding. I waited until the lion had gone, then approached to collect the eagle's blood. To my shock, its wounds healed at an incredible rate; it revived before my eyes, and I fled immediately. But that wasn't all—and I doubt any of you know this: after the eagle flew off, I returned to the battlefield to gather more blood splatters on the ground. To my horror, I saw the blood pulse as if alive. I witnessed new life forming: the blood coalesced into a sphere, floated, and then bones formed, followed by flesh, then skin, and finally feathers. Fear gripped me—I hid again to watch as a newborn creature emerged: a young eagle, about the size of a dog or slightly larger."
"I saw it with my own eyes. Had someone told me this, I would never have believed it. The eagle didn't die; its blood became new life. This is the supreme reason I desperately need this cursed blood: if I infuse it into the alloy and refine it, the sword will surely be alive. Its aura is undeniably cursed. So—will you help me obtain this demonic blood?"
The listeners could only gape in astonishment at the resolve of this prodigious youth.
Raven admitted in a tone of reluctant surrender, "I have nothing to refute—everything you've said is logically impeccable. We will do our utmost."
By now even Oran and the other spectators were stunned into silence. Ren said, "I never expected to hear of someone so cunning and brilliant—everything suddenly makes sense."
Leon added, "Indeed. Once we reach the refining stage, all will be revealed—and the world will undergo a radical change, restoring the peace humanity has lost."
Darion spoke up: "This information is invaluable—we knew nothing of it. Forgive me, Oran, for doubting Zayn's account before; now I feel the fool who knew nothing. I'm certain that since that era, the name of this demonic weapon smith circulated—but my memory of it has been erased entirely. I still recall faint glimpses beyond the fog, but…"
Before Darion could finish, Elric interjected, "Wait—wasn't he among the top five strongest in history?"
Oran and his friends looked baffled at Elric's remark, but Darion pondered the idea. Ren, sweating, asked, "What do you mean by the 'top five'?"
Darion replied, "Yes—at that time, those five reigned supreme. They were exalted masters above all beings; no creature could challenge them. They even transcended humanity itself. You may not believe me, but one of them fought these monsters using only his human strength—no demonic weapon or power."
The phrase "human strength" left everyone speechless in awe. Oran leapt up in disbelief: "Human strength alone? Impossible!"
Darion said, "Believe it or not, it's true—I saw him tear monsters limb from limb with his bare hands. He carried a sword, but it was an ordinary blade with no demonic power. Yet simply drawing it signified his defiance of the demons he faced."
A chill ran through the knights who'd witnessed it themselves. Eirnor exclaimed, "Unbelievable! How did he acquire such raw, natural power?"
Darion answered, "There's no record of him. He worked alone and vanished as soon as his task was done. His past is unknown—and his fate remains a mystery."
Ren, dripping with sweat, asked, "What was his name?"
Darion shook his head: "No one knows his true name. I told you he was a lone enigma. People gave him many titles—'Pinnacle of Human Strength,' 'The Mightiest Mortal,' 'Demon Vanquisher,' and so on. In the end, popular consensus settled on one name: 'Absolute Limit.' Wherever he appeared, crowds chanted, 'Absolute Limit! Absolute Limit!' Even fellow humans trembled at his presence, though he was a hero who saved hu
manity's survival. Frankly, words can't do him justice."