I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Bruno was already awake in the hall.

The dwarf warrior sat in a chair, his greatsword resting on his lap, wiping the blade with a rough cloth. His movements were slow, one stroke at a time, as if he were combing the hair of an old friend.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Alex. His hand, which was wiping his sword, paused for a moment.

"I slept too soundly last night and didn't sense the changes outside the city, nor did I feel you [release] the Holy Sword... If I had woken up, perhaps we could have fought side by side, and you wouldn't have had to..."

Alex noticed a hint of guilt in the usually magnanimous dwarf warrior's voice and quickly reassured him, "It's alright, it's alright. Look, I'm perfectly fine."

Bruno lowered his head, using the act of wiping his sword to conceal his emotions. "They say you wiped out the entire demon army. One sword."

"That's right."

"And where's your sword?"

Alex walked up to him, drew the broken sword from his waist, and placed it on the table.

The broken sword had jagged edges, and the runes on the blade had completely disappeared, leaving only a cold piece of metal.

Bruno stared at the broken sword for a long time, his rough fingers gently tracing the broken surface as if touching a wound.

"It broke quite cleanly," he finally confirmed. "It wasn't broken by brute force. Someone found the weakest point on the blade and then...like breaking a cookie."

Alex's eyelid twitched.

He recalled how Ji Tian pinched the blade between two fingers, gently broke it, and the fragments shattered.

"More or less." He increasingly felt that the person who had taken him as a disciple was unfathomably powerful.

Bruno pushed the broken sword back to Alex. "It can be repaired, but even if it's repaired, it won't be the same sword as before."

"No need to repair it." Alex sheathed the broken sword back into its makeshift scabbard at his waist. "It has fulfilled its purpose."

Bruno nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The dwarves have a simpler understanding of "mission" than humans: when the tools are used up, they retire when it's time to retire, and there's nothing to regret.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. But we'll have to wait two more days until reinforcements arrive."

Bruno was silent for a moment, then slung the greatsword over his shoulder, stood up, and said, "Then I won't see you off. Dwarves aren't good at saying goodbye."

Alex smiled. "I know."

Last night, while he was taking care of Mason in place of Anna, he asked her to tell the church that he was alive, but the church representatives arrived later than expected.

As Alex stepped out of the Adventurers' Guild, he saw a group of Templar Knights riding towards him from the end of the main street, their silver-white armor gleaming brightly in the morning light.

The leader was a knight commander, in his early thirties, with a hideous scar on his face that ran diagonally from his brow bone to his jaw.

He dismounted swiftly, his chainmail making a soft metallic scraping sound.

"Your Excellency, hero." The knight commander clenched his right fist and placed it against his chest, giving a standard military salute. "The Grand Patriarch requests your presence."

Alex nodded. "I know."

He followed the knight commander through the main street and onto the stone path leading to the cathedral.

The streets gradually filled up with people. When the citizens saw the Templar Knights' procession, they made way for the roadside. Many people recognized the hero and excitedly greeted him.

The ashes from last night are still drifting, settling on their hair, shoulders, and eyelashes, and no one is wiping them away.

The cathedral doors were open, and morning light poured in through the stained-glass windows, painting the floor with vibrant patches of color.

The Patriarch stood before the icon, his silver hair gleaming softly in the morning light.

He turned around, looked at Alex who was walking in, his gaze lingered on the broken sword for a moment, and then looked away.

"All of you, get down," he said to the knights behind him.

The knight commander bowed and led the others out of the chapel.

The door closed slowly behind me, making a dull thud.

Only two people remained in the cathedral.

The Patriarch walked to the bench, sat down, and patted the seat next to him. "Sit."

Alex didn't sit down.

He stood before the icon, looking up at the three stone faces: compassionate, majestic, and merciful.

"The Holy Sword is broken." He took the broken sword from his waist and placed it on the bench.

"I know," the Patriarch said, clearly knowing more about church secrets, "and you wouldn't be alive if it hadn't been cut off."

"It was broken in half by someone's bare hands."

The Patriarch tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, the only sign of emotion he showed.

"Who is it?"

“A person… who doesn’t belong to any known faction.” Alexston paused. “He saved me and took me as his apprentice.”

The Patriarch remained silent for a long time. He raised his head, looked at the icon, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were praying or thinking.

"Do you believe him?" he finally asked.

"believe."

Why?

“Because he could have killed me, but he didn’t. He could have let me burn to ashes, but he saved me.” Alex turned to look at this man who, in a sense, represented the church. “And he said something—'It would be a pity if he died.' I don’t think he was lying to me.”

The Patriarch closed his eyes.

"Are you planning to go with him?"

"Yes, but I want to wait until reinforcements arrive and everything is settled before I leave."

"How long will it take?"

"About two days."

The Patriarch nodded, took a silver badge from his sleeve, and handed it to Alex.

"This is a church token. If you ever need help, take it to any church, and someone will help you."

Alex took the badge and held it in his hand, the coolness of the metal seeping into his palm.

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me, this is what you deserve." The Patriarch stood up, walked to the icon, raised his hand, and drew a symbol of holy light on his chest. "The Holy Light never forces anyone to stay. If you want to leave, then leave. But remember—wherever you go, the Holy Light is with you."

Alex lowered his head and tucked the badge into his pocket.

"I will remember that."

He turned and walked towards the gate.

After taking a few steps, the Patriarch's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible age.

"Hero, your sword is broken, but you are still a hero. As long as you still have the belief in protecting, you are. It will take about a year for a new holy sword to be born in peacetime. When that time comes, you are welcome to go to the holy mountain again to draw the sword."

Alex continued walking, pushing open the door. The morning light flooded in, engulfing his figure, leaving only one sentence echoing in the cathedral: "I know."

……

Ji Tian sat cross-legged on the windowsill of the inn, cultivating, his white robes fluttering even without wind.

Lilith woke up exceptionally early today. She curled up on the edge of the bed, her skirt drooping gently, her bare, white feet dangling in mid-air, swaying gently, her toes occasionally touching.

"Master, when is he coming?"

"He won't be coming today."

Lilith looked up in surprise. "Really? Why?"

"He said he would wait for reinforcements to arrive before leaving, and that he would have two more days."

Lilith's eyes lit up immediately. "Can we go ahead and not wait for him?"

"You really want to avoid him?"

"I..." Lilith opened her mouth, then closed it again, finally burying her face in her arms, her voice muffled, "I'm just not ready. You suddenly told me that my junior brother is a hero, and I don't even know how to talk to him. Am I supposed to say, 'Hi, junior brother, I'm your senior sister, a demon, please take care of me'?"

Ji Tian looked down at her and said, "You can say that."

"He'll chop me in two with one sword!"

"No, his sword is broken."

"That's even scarier! What if he uses his fists?"

Ji Tian didn't answer this pointless question. He closed his eyes and continued to review his shortcomings in yesterday's battle. "We won't leave the city for the next two days. Think carefully about how to get along with your fellow disciples."

Lilith wanted nothing more than to stomp on the face of this cold and heartless man, but alas, she had the desire but not the courage, and could only mutter, "Master, it's easy for you to say that while you're sitting there..."