The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

After all, preparations for war are never something that can be accomplished overnight.

Had it not been for the sudden attack on Isnia IX, the declaration of war between the Empire and the Kingdom would likely have come much earlier.

"If you're worried about Lumiel Village getting dragged into this, you can have everyone move to the territory of Cordelia, or to the foot of the Academy Mountain. That way, there shouldn't be any problems," Listy suggested, offering her support.

After thinking for a moment, Venere shook his head: "Both places are too far away."

He knew, of course, that if he spoke up, Lisette would definitely help persuade her father to accept this group of Lumiel villagers.

But once war breaks out, it's only a matter of time before the Allied powers are drawn in. Who can remain unscathed in this storm?

“Isn’t there any way to stop all of this…” Viner frowned.

“Perhaps,” Listy said softly. “After the initial fragmentation of the Astor Empire, there were two opportunities for peaceful reunification.”

“You mean—” Vena suddenly realized something.

"The first time was with the first hero, Hite, after sealing the demon god." Risty's voice was filled with a mixture of admiration and regret. "Given the first hero's prestige at the time, no one would have objected if she wanted to become the ruler of humanity. But she refused, citing her inability to govern a country."

Hitrie understood that the demon crisis had only been postponed, not resolved, so she founded St. Freya Academy, dedicated to researching and combating the demon race.

“The second one was the hero Gilbert,” Listy continued. “He was born with royal blood. After successfully sealing the demon god, the empire tried its best to make him the new emperor. Unfortunately, he had no ambition for it. In order not to take the throne from his elder brother, he disappeared from the world’s sight with his girlfriend after sealing the demon god.”

"So you have to be a hero to do it?"

Thinking about this made Vena want to curse Arios even more.

They squandered a perfectly advantageous position, making it impossible to find anyone to mediate.

Aside from the royal bloodlines of the Three Kingdoms, only the brave could possess sufficient prestige and popular support.

“No,” Listy shook her head and looked at Vena solemnly, “It’s not that only heroes can defeat demons, but that only those who defeat demons deserve to be called heroes.”

"If you want to end all this, then become a hero."

Ordinary people can't distinguish between heroes and regular emblem users; they only know that the hero has defeated the demon god once again.

The title "Hero" is even placed before the hero's actual name.

"I never expected to hear that from you," Viner said, somewhat surprised.

When she first met Lisette, she was a complete fangirl of heroes.

Wiener was greatly pleased to see such a rational way of thinking about the issue of courage.

"It's all your fault that I've become like this," Lisette said reproachfully, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault." Viner smiled and reached out to gently pat her head, as if soothing a stubborn kitten. "Thank you."

After confiding her worries, Wiener finally felt much more at ease.

Although he didn't find a fundamental solution, he did gain a clearer understanding of the priorities of the issues.

If the two countries go to war, many people will inevitably be sacrificed, but if the demon god is allowed to break free of its seal, then there will be true devastation.

The most important thing right now is not to dwell on the future war, but to focus on gaining the Holy Sword's recognition.

This is the best they can do.

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

Inside the trial space, Felix defeated another opponent.

After a brief moment of rest, he moved on to the next checkpoint.

"Let me see who our opponent is this time—"

The figure in front of him gradually became clear, and Felix was stunned when he saw the familiar face.

"Jessica? It's you!" His tone was filled with surprise and delight.

“Since I have participated in the trial, I will naturally appear in the Holy Sword,” Jessica said calmly.

"To be recorded within the Holy Sword, one must at least cross the threshold of Sword Saint. With Vena's swordsmanship level, I'm afraid he won't be able to pass many rounds. Among us, only you have the opportunity to pass all the trials."

Although it is only a snapshot of a memory, it is more straightforward and frank than the person himself.

Her words were not malicious; they were simply a statement of fact.

Upon hearing this, Felix couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "I think Venere will at least get half of the points..."

Jessica didn't dwell on this with Felix, and instead said, "I know you never use your full strength normally, so can you let me see the power of the Sword Crest this time?"

"Yes, I promise you."

Felix drew his sword and stood there, his aura suddenly surging.

Whether it was the Griffin Battle arena or internal sparring within the class, he always left himself room to maneuver, fearing that he might accidentally cause irreparable damage.

Compared to the Sword Demon who slaughtered countless people, Felix never killed any humans from beginning to end.

It was within this trial space that his fighting spirit was finally unleashed.

Jessica also gripped the White Snow Blade tightly, and a chill spread from the blade, freezing the surrounding air into tiny ice crystals.

"I have one last question."

"Ok?"

"At what level am I your opponent?"

Even though it was just a memory, Jessica still cared about it.

"Hmm...it should be the eighth level."

Felix was unsure whether to include the three challenges the Sword Demon had overcome.

"I see... Then let me see your true strength."

Jessica's voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure.

The two figures disappeared from their original positions almost simultaneously, and the next instant, the crisp sound of swords clashing echoed throughout the entire trial space.

Chapter 556 Holy Sword: Am I that worthless?

Jessica lightly touched the ground with her toes, and frost patterns spread from the tip of the blade in her sleeve, intending to freeze Felix in the moment when the weapons clashed.

Felix, of course, wouldn't let her have her way. He took a half step back, and with a flick of his wrist, the ice crystals on the sword were instantly shattered, and three intersecting sword energies rushed straight towards Jessica's face.

Jessica's shoulder-length hair flew in the cold air, tracing mysterious paths through the air, and in the next instant, she appeared behind Felix.

She suddenly spun around and lunged forward, thrusting her sword toward Felix's chest, but Felix raised his sword and deflected the attack.

"Although it doesn't have Sode no Shirayuki, Rufry's swordsmanship can achieve a similar effect."

Felix spoke up to remind everyone, leaving it unclear for a moment who was being tested.

His swordplay suddenly became unpredictable, and the chilling aura accompanying his storm-like attacks was hard to resist.

Jessica had seen this frost-attribute sword energy before, but she never expected that Felix, who had only seen it once, would use it more skillfully than Rufry himself, who created this sword technique.

She dared not be careless. A cold star shone in the frosty mist, and the White Cloud Punishment had quietly begun.

After being covered in a pure white kimono, the frost generated by Felix's sword swing could no longer harm Jessica in the slightest.

She charged forward against the fierce sword light, her sleeves trailing through the air like white snow, and the moisture in the air gradually condensed into a giant ice dragon, roaring as it pounced towards Felix.

The attack came with overwhelming force. Felix had not expected his opponent to be so decisive, and dared not use his half-baked moves to counter it.

His longsword trembled suddenly, and jet-black flames burst forth from the blade, quickly spreading across his entire body.

Although the flames were different colors, it was still clear that this was Tilisa's doing.

As the blade flipped, sparks tore through the air, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

With a low shout, Felix charged towards the frost dragon, carrying a raging inferno.

The moment the two collided, a deafening explosion erupted, ice shards and sparks flew everywhere, and the giant dragon shattered, turning into countless crystalline fragments that dissipated into the air.

Just as smoke and fog enveloped the battlefield once again, Jessica's figure mysteriously vanished.

Felix cautiously looked around, trying to locate Jessica, but was distracted by the fog.

Just as he was about to clear the fog, Jessica appeared.

"clang!"

Despite his vision still being obscured by the fog, Felix seemed to sense something and swung his sword behind him to block a fatal blow.

The moment the two swords clashed, a powerful shockwave swept out, completely dispersing the surrounding mist.

The two of them each took a few steps back.

"Are there any other variations?" Felix suddenly asked.

"What?" Jessica was stunned for a moment.

Seeing her expression, Felix guessed that the White Cloud Punishment was her last trump card.

Felix shrugged, making no attempt to hide his disappointment: "It's just a bit of a shame. If it were the real Jessica, she would probably be much more difficult to deal with."

Without the constant barrage of spells, Jessica's strength would be reduced by at least 30%, making it somewhat unfair for him to defeat her.

"You talk like you've already won!" A flash of anger crossed Jessica's eyes.

Even if it's just a glimpse into a memory, such disrespect should never be tolerated.

She gathered her magical essence, preparing to send this arrogant junior brother away in her strongest form.

“I can say that because I’m confident,” Felix said with a calm smile.

In that instant, three sharp sword energies suddenly shot out from the void without warning, heading straight for Jessica.

Jessica didn't have time to think and instinctively used teleportation to dodge.

But just as she teleported to her landing point, another sword aura appeared out of nowhere and struck her.

With a crisp "crack," a noticeable crack appeared on the surface of the snow-covered garment.

"When did he draw his sword?!" Jessica was shocked, but the successive sword energies gave her no chance to catch her breath.

One after another, countless sword energies slashed out from the void. Although the power of each individual sword was not great, when they were combined, they still broke through Jessica's snow-white clothes.

"It has ended."

Felix slowly sheathed the Time-Piercing Sword.

Jessica's elusive teleportation ability was troublesome, but the battle area designated for them by the Holy Sword was limited.

As long as every inch of space is covered with sword energy, no matter where she escapes, she will not be able to escape Felix's slashes.

With a strike that transcends time, it shatters the flexible and ever-changing power of space.

This space, which is not exactly small, has become Jessica's prison.

"No, there must be blind spots in this sword energy." Faced with danger, Jessica remained calm.

She stared at Felix, who had sheathed his sword and was motionless, and suddenly understood something.

Sitting idly by and waiting for death has never been her style. Jessica, who was already completely exposed to the threat of sword energy, set the final teleportation point in front of Felix. Her sleeve white snow was aimed directly at his vital point in the chest, and she was completely in a desperate posture.

"Zero Flash!"

Felix's lips curled into a slight smile, and he unleashed a lightning-fast sword draw.

Whether the weapon was in his hand or sheathed, it made no difference to him.

This attack not only cut Shirayuki in two, but also completely extinguished Jessica's last thought.

The broken sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound, signaling the end of the battle.

"This Snow White isn't even as good as the genuine article made by Vener," Felix said, looking down at the broken longsword on the ground with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Then let's teach them a lesson with the weapons forged by Viner."

As Jessica's figure gradually dissipated, she looked up at the white space above her head, as if trying to see something through the mist.

“Yes, I definitely will!” Felix solemnly agreed.

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

"Another hurdle has been overcome."

When he saw the light sphere shatter again, Venus was somewhat numb.