You didn't expect this, did you? I've time-traveled again!

"Tsk."

Although Suoh Takeshi did not place his hopes on "Shigure no Kagami" (Time Rain Transformation), anyone would feel annoyed if their proudest sword technique was easily countered by the enemy.

However, he didn't pause at all.

Instead, he followed up with a move called "Water Breathing - First Form - Water Surface Slash," and the headless knight raised his greatsword and charged straight at him without any fancy moves.

next second.

A crisp 'ding' sound!

The Nichirin Blade and the Knight's Greatsword clashed together.

It's not quite evenly matched...

In terms of strength, Suoh Takeshi was slightly weaker.

"oh?!"

The Headless Horseman didn't hold back.

Although it was a hasty strike, it didn't believe anyone in this beginner village could withstand it.

But Suoh Takeshi managed to hold off the attack.

"Tsk, what a troublesome guy."

Unlike the headless knight who seemed completely at ease, Suoh Takeshi's expression was far from pleasant; the headless knight was more troublesome than he had imagined.

His strength and speed are much greater than they are now.

He caught a glimpse of the worried expressions on Aqua and the others' faces at the village entrance out of the corner of his eye, and he knew he couldn't delay any longer.

Immediately activate the stripe mode!

Accelerated water respiration raises body temperature and heart rate...

【Spotted Pattern (Magic Enhanced Version)】

Status activated!

'puff'!

With a barely audible sound, light blue lines appeared on Suoh Takeshi's face, and his aura instantly swelled and increased significantly!

The mind instantly becomes clear, and strength and physical power also increase.

The feeling of being able to do whatever I want has returned!

"Hmm? Are they finally getting serious?"

The headless rider also noticed Suoh Takeshi's unusual state, "Yosh, I'll give it my all too!"

Then, it tossed its head into the air, overlooking the battlefield.

"The Breath of Water, the Form of Gathering, the Flow of Life!"

【Life Flow】is the strongest sword technique in Water Breathing. As the number of attacks increases, each strike is more powerful than the last!

Compared to Suoh Takeshi's flamboyant swordsmanship, the headless knight's counterattack was much simpler and more straightforward.

"Heavy chop!"

A single basic attack, with immense force, forcibly interrupted Suoh Takeshi's combo!

The swordsmanship, though seemingly simple and unrestrained, was incredibly precise in finding the flaws in the combos, and a single heavy slash threw Suoh Takeshi's offensive into disarray.

The headless knight's swordsmanship is even stronger than Suoh Takeshi's!

His brows were furrowed.

At this point, Suoh Takeshi realized that in swordsmanship, simply imitating could not make up for the lack of experience; he still needed to fight more powerful enemies.

However, this also gave him an opening to retaliate!

"Water Breathing - Twelfth Form - Transformation of Timely Rain!"

The extremely close-range domain skill was condensed within a half-meter space, and super-rich water-attribute magic surged rapidly, once again engulfing the headless knight in his stunned state.

"Wh-what—!"

The headless knight never expected that Suoh Takeshi would not retreat after his swordsmanship was broken, but instead would use his domain skill even more forcefully, trying to trade one for one at the last minute!

Of course, this is based on its inherent impression.

The headless knight never expected that his weakness of being afraid of water would be exposed from the very beginning.

The headless horseman tried to forcefully break through the domain with its immense magical power, just like before, but it realized it too late.

Moreover, due to the reduced range, coupled with the fact that the water attribute still strongly restrains it, the feeling of being bound is several times stronger than before, making it impossible to break free!

"Water Breathing - Seventh Form - Rain Ripple Strike!"

【Rain Ripple Strike】is a curved strike launched from a sloping surface, thus breaking through extremely strong individual impacts!

It is the most effective sword technique for dealing with people with high defense like the Headless Horseman!

Pfft!

A knife pierced through his chest!

Suoh Takeshi also turned all the remaining magic power into pure water and poured it into its body, depriving it of the ability to resist!

The Headless Horseman is defeated!

Chapter 060 That's 3 million Eris!

After being defeated by Suoh Takeshi, the headless knight did not make any further moves to resist.

Instead, it was purified by Aqua.

Perhaps it believes that once it is defeated head-on, it has no right to live anymore, so it is better to be purified?

And so, the headless knight who claimed to uphold chivalry but always threw his head under other people's skirts to peep was dispelled by Aqua's holy magic.

What the Headless Horseman was thinking was no longer important to them.

The most important thing now is that Suoh Takeru almost single-handedly managed to stop the Headless Horseman and save the villagers and adventurers of the starting village!

When this achievement reaches the capital, the capital will surely be astonished.

"Well done, Wu!"

After purifying the Headless Rider, Aqua skipped over and hugged Suoh Takeru, her words filled with eagerness and excitement.

"To be able to defeat the Headless Knight, one of the Demon King's army's executives, he truly deserves my high regard!"

Aqua was very happy at this moment.

Ever since Sato Kazuma dragged her down from the Heavenly Realm, she has found life extremely difficult, and the day she can return to the Heavenly Realm seems far away.

I had already given up, thinking that living in the lower realm with Wu was quite nice.

But to her surprise, things took an unexpected turn.

Although successfully defeating the Headless Horseman was a small step for her to return to the Celestial Realm, it was a giant leap for the team members and for Suoh Takeru's journey to defeat the Demon King!

Of course she was very happy!

"Aqua, come down first."

Suoh Takeshi pulled Aqua down and put her down.

He didn't mind being held by Aqua, but he had more important things to do right now.

—Spread the good news of victory to the villagers!

The adventurers not far away were watching him nervously, and the meaning behind their expressions was self-evident. Suoh Takeru, in accordance with their wishes, told them the good news.

"oh--!"

No need for further words, just raise your weapons and loudly proclaim your victory!

"Oh oh oh—!!!!!!!!!"

The adventurers responded with even louder shouts, their deafening roars echoing through the sky.

We won!

"Kill her beautifully!"

"That's the Headless Horseman! I can't believe they actually won!"

"Yes, yes!"

"That Wu fellow, he truly deserves to be called a hero!"

"Hero? Yes, it's a hero!"

It was probably the adventurers nearby who gave the others some pointers, which caused the name of the [Hero] team to spread instantly, with countless people spreading the news.

They shouted:

"Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero! Hero!..."

In the end, not only the adventurers, but even the villagers knew about this name.

Suoh Takeshi's team members instantly became hot news figures.

"Congratulations, Wu."

Darkness, who had been cured, and Megumin, whose strength had recovered considerably, also came to offer their congratulations.

Sato Kazuma said with great envy, "That's great! I also want to be in the limelight. But I know I'm not cut out for it, which is a real shame."

Kazuma Sato is truly an oddball. He has no bottom line when it comes to being despicable and vile, yet he is adept at navigating other matters and is very self-aware, making him impossible to fault.

Unfortunately, his abnormal behavior was too obvious, and like the other problem children in the team, his talent was overshadowed by his perverted nature.

"What are you talking about? Aren't we a team?"

Suoh Takeshi raised Sato Kazuma's hand, "Even if it didn't come in handy this time, we can try again next time. This time, just stand tall and proud!"

"Suoh-senpai..."