I impersonated God in America

Modern fencing leans more towards athletic competition, while Giovanni's main combat style is more focused on real-world application.

The man's name was Abruzzi, and he was specially invited by the Vatican to train Giovanni.

After all, because Giovanni is bound to Durandal, the physical enhancements and certain abilities he gains from his powers are unlikely to be further strengthened, or the enhancements will be minimal.

Therefore, the most suitable way for Giovanni to improve at this time is to practice swordsmanship.

At least in terms of becoming stronger, this can barely be considered a multiplier zone.

"Again."

Before Abruzzi could finish speaking, he had already closed in.

Giovanni sidesteps to block.

The two swords clashed, producing a clear, resonant sound.

Abruzzi twisted his wrist, and the tip of the sword slid down Giovanni's blade toward his wrist.

But the sword was only halfway through its stroke when a metallic sheen appeared on Giovanni's arm, and the sword was deflected.

Abruzzi promptly sheathed his sword and retreated.

"Very rapid tempering."

He stepped back two meters, looked at Giovanni's arm, and slowly nodded: "Indeed, it lives up to its reputation. It is indeed a very suitable ability for a swordsman. With this level of defense, one can often resort to self-sacrificing techniques."

"Furthermore, your ability to slash from a distance doesn't necessarily have to be released directly. Using it to extend the length of the blade is also a good use."

"Sometimes, an unexpected change of tactics can be the deciding factor in a victory or defeat."

Giovanni nodded, and then bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Master. I have learned a lot."

Abruzzi shook his head, his tone tinged with regret:

"Indeed, it's an extraordinary ability. Someone who has practiced swordsmanship their whole life understands best where the limits of swordsmanship lie. I've practiced for forty years, honing my swordsmanship to this level, and in the end..."

He paused, then gave a wry smile:

"That's really unreasonable."

“A reasonable person couldn’t train such a monster.” Giovanni rarely joked.

Abruzzi laughed.

The laughter echoed in the training field for a few seconds, but Giovanni suddenly composed himself.

"master."

"Ok?"

"I have a new skill, but I'm not sure how to integrate it into combat. Could you give me some advice?"

Abruzzi raised an eyebrow.

"You can rest assured about safety. Animal testing has shown that it will not cause harm," Giovanni said.

"Oh?" Abruzzi became interested. "In that case, I'm lucky to witness the power of the Holy Sword firsthand."

Giovanni bowed gratefully upon hearing this.

After all, the fact that the other party said that meant they agreed to his request, which also showed that they trusted him enough.

He turned around and sheathed his sword.

Abruzzi was taken aback.

He looked at Giovanni's empty hands: "You mean... you're not using your sword anymore?"

Giovanni stood three meters away from him, his gaze fixed on him.

Abruzzi instinctively looked into his eyes.

The other person's gaze was calm as still water.

"..."

But the next moment, Abruzzi's body suddenly froze.

Darkness enveloped his vision.

sizzle.

Immediately afterwards, a white light emerged from the darkness.

In his perception, the world before him cracked open in an instant.

Then, countless slashes appeared out of thin air. His neck was severed first, followed by his limbs, which were then separated from his body, and he completely lost consciousness.

Am I...dead?!

【I……】

All four limbs were completely unresponsive.

My muscles tightened as if in spasm, and my lungs felt like they were being squeezed by something, making it impossible to take a breath.

When a person is near death, they exhibit an instinctive reaction, and their body stiffens in place.

After an unknown amount of time, Abruzzi's body suddenly went limp, and he staggered forward two steps, supporting himself on his knee with one hand, panting heavily.

Sweat trickled down his temples and dripped onto the stone floor.

"Huh...huh..."

He gasped for breath for a long time before he could barely lift his head and look at the other side.

“You… what was that just now…” Abruzzi finally caught his breath, “What was that…?”

"Besides the slashing ability that the Holy Sword gave me, I also unexpectedly awakened a kind of mental intimidation ability. Later I found that these two abilities are not actually incompatible."

"After some research, I have been able to combine them."

Abruzzi touched his neck, recalling the feeling: "Although I wasn't hurt, I felt like I was sliced ​​open out of thin air, and my body was completely out of control."

"It's as if my body thinks I'm already dead."

"This ability."

He squinted and thought for a moment before slowly speaking and giving his judgment.

"How much of a drain on you?"

"Very low consumption,"

"Then I think it's perfectly fine to use it anytime."

"Wouldn't it be better to use it as a trump card?"

"No! Sometimes, when the opponent knows about this ability, they will be distracted in battle. In this way, you will take control of the next battle. Moreover, even if the opponent knows about this attack method without any wind-up, it will be difficult for them to deal with it."

"Thank you for your guidance, I have learned a lot."

Abruzzi looked at Giovanni with envy.

Is this a realm that humans can never reach in their entire lives?

Before the two of them could finish, he saw an assistant quickly come to Giovanni's side, seemingly muttering something.

Then he saw Giovanni's eyes turn serious.

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

"I'm sorry, Master, this may be the end of the day..."

------------

France, Tarascon.

This city is a small town near Avignon.

A young priest came to the banks of the Rhône River and looked at the glimmer of sunset reflected on the water.

This morning, through information from within the church, he already knew that Giovanni had arrived in Avignon.

Thinking of the plan mentioned in the Book of Revelation, he pulled a dagger from his pocket, gripped the hilt, and plunged it into his abdomen without hesitation.

His face showed only calmness.

He didn't have the ability to control the Blood-Blood Fruit, and instead let the blood flow out, staining his clothes red.

Then he was holding a box that had been given to him by someone within the organization.

He jumped into the Rhône River step by step.

thump.

Consciousness gradually faded.

He sensed something churning deep in the riverbed, surrounding him from all directions.

Thinking about his impending fate, the priest wore an expression like that of a martyr.

The world will eventually be purified.

This is a necessary sacrifice for humanity in preparation for the coming of the Apocalypse!

Chapter 138 The Church's Harvest and the Four-Legged Beast

South of Avignon.

Bishop Paul and Giovanni's party, including his assistants and other priests, a total of seven people, have entered the Rhône River aboard two cargo ships arranged by the Vatican.

The ship was gray and inconspicuous among the passing vessels.

The decision to travel by water was made after discussion.

After all, traveling from Avignon to Rome by plane, whether chartered or not, would be too conspicuous.

Although only this one lineage has been discovered in Avignon, there may be more to come.

To avoid attracting attention before fully realizing the benefits of this location, taking a boat is more discreet than traveling by land or sea.

Inside the cabin, Paul thought of the bronze mirror and couldn't help but touch his suitcase.

If he hadn't discovered that the bronze mirror couldn't be opened outside of Avignon, he and his assistant would have returned to Rome long ago.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but sigh.

This mirror is not only limited by region, but also by incantation. No wonder no one has discovered the whereabouts of the inheritance for so long.

Moreover, considering the time of the division of Avignon, much of the information became extremely fragmented.

As for the items they collected from the mirror, that has been basically summarized.

Aside from some useless gold and silver jewelry, the most important items were a bandage in a wooden box, a large jar of holy ointment, and thirteen silver longswords.

They were no strangers to the holy anointing.

Initially, this ointment was applied to sacred objects or used in the coronation ceremonies of priests and kings. Its core meaning was to signify that the person covered with the ointment had completely submitted to God.

This ritual has not disappeared, but it has become more widespread, and Protestants can also participate. It symbolizes receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit and is an important ritual item in the church.

However, since it can be stored in a special way, it must not be an ordinary holy anointing.

One could even speculate a little about the function of the holy anointing; perhaps it was a ritual item specifically designed to awaken the power of clergy.

As for the Silver Longsword, I've already tried it; it's somewhat similar to a stripped-down version of Durandal.

Even so, its ability to combine offense and defense with its blade-like capabilities should not be underestimated. The fact that it is immune to small-caliber firearms is enough to allow the user to cut through a tactical squad.

The only unusual thing was that the wooden box in Paul's arms was about the size of a palm, completely black, and the patterns on it were no longer visible. Inside, there was a roll of cloth wrapped in velvet.

Paul found it hard to guess what this roll of cloth was, given that so many saints had been associated with items resembling shrouds.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that the strip of cloth inside the wooden box lit up briefly, and then the brightness began to gradually diminish.

"Wait, did you guys just see that?"

Paul suddenly stood up and looked at his assistant, who also looked shocked.

Suddenly he seemed to realize something.

Where are we now?