A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Baphomet! Messiah! Retreat!!!" Nisa shouted at the two little knights.

Upon hearing Nisha's shout, the two apprentice knights turned and ran without hesitation.

"Don't underestimate us!" Cade mustered his courage and continued hacking away at the monster.

The monster allowed Cade to hack and slash at it, its blood splattering everywhere.

"Boom!" With no chance to resist, Cade was sent flying by a single blow.

Without a heavy loadout, Cade's fate would be far worse than that of Sen Evan.

He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his consciousness fading away.

Nisha gritted her teeth and confronted the monster head-on.

The monster was still quite wary of Nisha.

The monster clearly sensed a threat from Nisha's body.

Nisha's expression turned serious.

Despite being dressed in knight's armor, Nisha's movements did not become clumsy.

In the blink of an eye, Nisha slid to the side of the monster.

“Holy Shield!” Nisha’s effect with this spell was far more powerful than Sen Evan’s.

The monster's fierce attacks could not shake the shield in the slightest.

However, the knight's longsword was also ineffective against the monster, because the monster was too fast.

However, the fact that ordinary physical attacks are ineffective does not mean that the monster has no other means.

Ice suddenly rose and surged towards Nisha.

Nisha pushed her shield, shattering the iceberg, her face expressionless.

Without even turning her head, Nisha turned and unleashed a shield bash, followed by a dull thud from the massive shield.

The monster was struck by the shield and kept staggering backward.

"Roar!!!!!" the monster roared.

Nisha wasn't going to let this monster's weakness slip by.

But Nisha didn't expect that as the monster roared, flames had already gathered around it.

The intense heat caused Nisha's expression to change drastically.

Even if you have magic-resistant armor, taking this hit will definitely not end well.

But Nisha, having already drawn her sword, had no chance to dodge.

Is exchanging wounds the only option?

Then, without a sound, Bray opened his right eye.

"Eighteen Schools of Thought" "A Moment"

The blade flashed with a cold light for a fleeting moment, and the ice and fire dissipated.

The "Final Echo" held by Bray pierced through the monster's body.

The blade emerged from the back.

If you find the right angle and the weakest point, even a broken sword, like a "swan song," can still break through hard objects.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The monster that had been pierced let out a roar.

But Bray paid no heed, and with his left hand slammed down on the monster's body.

The roaring, which had been continuing, suddenly stopped.

Apart from the sound of breathing, everything around was quiet.

Bray casually pulled the longsword that had pierced the monster out of its sheath, shook off the blood, and then put it back in its scabbard.

The blood on the blade was scattered all over the ground, forming a line.

What a swift and decisive strike.

No one would have expected that Bray, who had been coasting along, would suddenly launch an attack.

Moreover, he didn't even draw his sword; when he did, it was so sharp that Nisha even broke out in a cold sweat the moment Bray drew his sword.

It was an aura that directly intimidated the knight, whose strength was equivalent to that of an A-rank adventurer.

"Watch out! Mr. Bray! This monster has a strong regenerative ability!" Nisha exclaimed in a panic as she came to her senses.

The monster's recovery is remarkable. Even after suffering such severe injuries, it has been able to recover and unleash even greater combat power.

If the monster attacks at this time, the unprepared Bray will suffer a devastating blow.

However, Nisha's worries were unnecessary, as the monster remained completely still for a long time.

“He’s dead,” Bray said calmly.

Then the brute reached into the gaping wound and pulled something out.

Throughout the entire process, the monster did not make any move, allowing Bray's hand to rummage through its wound.

“Hmm…this thing…” Bray glanced at the object in his hand and paused for a moment.

“Take this. This is proof that your knights slew this monster.” Bray threw the item he had taken out at Nisha’s feet.

Nisha picked it up, took a closer look, and suddenly realized it was a pulsating, bloody sphere.

Just like the heart.

"This is..."

“Probably the heart,” Bray said.

“Take this back and report. As for this monster…” Bray looked at the motionless monster in front of him and pondered for a moment.

To prove the defeat was successful, all you need to do is bring back the essential parts of the monster.

For example, the skull; of course, the heart is also acceptable.

“Let me bury it,” Bray said finally.

“…” Nisha’s expression was somewhat complicated, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

The act of burying a monster is indeed puzzling.

"Lady Nisha, Cade needs emergency care!" Barreka checked Cade's breathing and shouted.

“We don’t have any first aid equipment, we need to get back to the village!” Barreka said urgently.

Although Cade wasn't exactly a likable person, he was still a member of the Knights and a comrade.

Aside from Nisa and Naruko, the only other person still conscious at the scene was probably Bareka.

The two apprentice knights, unable to withstand the torment of the intense heat of the flames and the icy cold, had long since fallen unconscious.

Barreka also witnessed Bray's stunning sword strike, but Cade was in a critical situation and there was no time for Barreka to praise Bray.

Nisha hesitated for a moment, then finally grabbed the bloody heart-like object and bowed deeply to Bray.

"As for the favor, I've repaid it," Bray said casually, waving his hand.

“Yes,” Nisha said in a deep voice.

“Barreka, you carry Cade and Baphomet, I’ll take Senia and Messiah,” Nisa instructed.

"Understood!" Barreka grabbed the two targets.

Despite her slender, not particularly strong, Nisha unleashed power comparable to Barreka's.

She lifted Sen Aiwen and Messiah, both heavily armed, up with both hands.

"I'm going first too!!!" Naruko looked anxious.

"I'm not going to play along with burying monsters!"

Naruko has now fallen in love with a man, but she has collapsed from a serious injury.

How could Naruko not be nervous? All thoughts of suppressing her infatuation with Bray had been forgotten.

"Whatever." Bree was exasperated, offering no comment on Naruko.

As the group walked away, Nisha turned back several times to look at Bray with concern.

No one knows if the monster might suddenly wake up and attack Bray.

"It's always like this."

"They accomplished nothing, yet they stole your credit once again."

"Just like that story from back then."

Nisha gently closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

What kind of knight steals someone else's achievements?

Suddenly, Nisha also wished she could become stronger.

Nisa cannot stop at the level of an A-rank adventurer.

Above that is an even higher level, namely S-rank adventurers.

Above S-class, there may be even more terrifying existences.

Nisha's mind was filled with the words Bray had once spoken.

"If the world lets you know, then you should know—"

"If the world doesn't want you to know, then it's better if you don't know."

So what kind of world is it?

“Lady Nisha, that sword strike was truly astonishing,” Barreka suddenly said.

“Mr. Bray is very strong,” Nisha suddenly said.

“I see.” Barreka nodded.

That was an unfathomable strength.

“However, I think it should be similar to yours, sir,” Barreka added.

“No, far, far stronger than me. Far, far stronger,” Nisha said quietly.

Memories drifted away, returning to that dark arena.

"You have never seen that person at their strongest."

Barreka was taken aback, not expecting Nisha to give that man such high praise.

"I'm really curious how you came to know someone like that," Barreka shrugged.

“Perhaps it’s fate,” Nisa said after a long silence. The objects that the “Divine Source” attaches to are not only humans, orcs, elves, and similar species.

It can even attach itself to wild beasts, monsters, or even inanimate objects.

Of course, those who are attached to the "divine source" will inevitably perish.

However, if wild beasts or monsters are possessed by the "divine source," they will gain extremely high intelligence before they collapse and perish.

They are even more powerful than the Black Iron race, which prides itself on being an intelligent race.

Given such high levels of intelligence, it is only natural that human emotions would arise.

A demon in the form of a lion has obtained the "divine source".

Faced with the temptation of "divine source," if humans cannot control themselves, then wild beasts and monsters, who lack self-control, have no chance of resisting.

He naturally became a god of the wilderness, and naturally gained wisdom beyond human comprehension and emotions close to human comprehension.

A single, undead god was born into the world.

"Scorched Earth Emperor"—this was the name, or rather, the title, that this demonic creature, transformed from a wild god, gave itself.

The "Scorched Earth Emperor," who has taken human form, walks among humans.

However, it did not cause any damage.

At that time, His will was still relatively clear.