A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

It was simply because the other party not only let their family tour, but also provided a tour guide.

Otherwise, Bray wouldn't have guessed the trap so easily, after all, he had been tricked by Nicol Bolas countless times and had some experience in this area.

“This is the heart of the holy mountain,” Joshua said.

“Every sacred mountain has its own heart, and my goal in having you defeat monsters is ultimately to activate that heart.”

“We need to go back to heaven,” Joshua said in a deep voice.

"Wasn't Heaven destroyed?"

“It seems you know a lot, adventurer.” Joshua was not surprised by Bray’s words.

"Actually, I've known about your identity for a long time. I've been keeping an eye on things in the underworld."

"And Breclas, I occasionally see you there too."

“Those who know you will call you ‘the hunter of demigods.’” Joshua was not completely ignorant of Bray.

It could even be said that a small group of people paid special attention to Bray.

In any case, he is "the one who hunts demigods".

“I don’t want you to defeat a demigod, and I don’t think you’ll find that difficult,” Joshua said.

How did the Holy Mountain come about? The Holy Mountain was originally a mountain on the ground, but it was raised into the sky.

However, for a massive mountain to rise into the sky, it requires an enormous amount of energy.

Making countless mountains float in the air to create "heaven" exhausted much of the angels' resources.

The price was as heavy as the "sun" and "moon" that the devil created in the abyss.

Of course, the "sun" in the abyss has already suffered.

Now even the holy mountain of heaven has fallen due to sin.

However, the angels thought further ahead than the demons; they had considered the possibility of the Holy Mountain falling from the very beginning.

After countless years, do angels still have the ability to make the holy mountain rise into the sky again?

It's very likely not.

Therefore, when all the holy mountains of the early heavens were completed, they prepared a reserve of energy, enough to re-enchant a holy mountain.

However, if this enormous energy is misused, it will bring endless catastrophe.

Therefore, only a portion of the third-order angels have the authority to activate it.

Unfortunately, those angels with power either did not fall or perished.

Joshua, on the other hand, was a third-order angel who did not have the authority to activate the Holy Mountain's backup energy.

However, this does not mean there is no chance for the sacred mountain to regain its energy.

As a third-order angel, Joshua still has the right to enter this place, and there is another special way for anyone who wants to obtain backup energy.

"Boom!!!!!" The elevator stopped with a loud roar.

Levy quickly covered Nia's ears; if Nia heard the noise, she might cry.

The elevator stopped so suddenly that Naruko had to hold onto the wall to avoid falling.

A blinding white light shone into the darkness where everyone was.

Bray instinctively shielded his eyes from the light with his hand, while glancing at Joshua.

“We’ve arrived.” Joshua’s tone was somewhat grave.

The elevator was originally surrounded by solid walls, but now a door has appeared directly in front of it.

The blinding light was coming in from the other side of the door.

Joshua stepped forward and entered through the door.

After thinking for a moment, Bray followed him inside.

As for Naruko and Levi, they followed without a second thought.

As they entered through the door, a light, melodious female voice echoed in the vast space before them.

"Please provide your authorization credentials for further processing."

The sound came from a giant snake coiled around a huge sphere.

Joshua did not immediately answer the giant snake's question, but instead turned and stared at Bray's right eye for a long time.

“This is the monster I want you to slay,” Joshua said solemnly.

Before Bray lay a vast expanse of white grassland.

Yes, a snow-white meadow.

Then, in the center of the grass, there was a huge sphere, with a bright light shining from the center of the sphere, and a streamlined silver metal shell.

The giant serpent coiled on the sphere remained motionless, waiting for Joshua, a third-order angel, to speak.

This place is extremely important; it is practically one of the lifelines of the entire Heaven.

Therefore, even third-order angels may not necessarily have the power to control it.

Moreover, in order to protect the place, the entire building adopted the technology of "time and space" design.

This technology was developed by our ancestors together with demons.

Using this technology, angels can reverse time in a space to a previous point in time.

Of course, this requires that the space be isolated from the outside world; otherwise, it is impossible to "reverse" time and space.

After all, spacetime is something that affects everything if you touch it; without isolating it, it's impossible for angels to control it.

Moreover, even though this building is isolated from the outside world, completing such a design still required a lot of hard work from skilled craftsmen.

Ultimately, this place became the "heart," a "heart" that could never be discovered by outsiders.

"Are you sure?" Bray looked at the giant snake and frowned.

“This is the sacred beast Baiji, which guards the heart of the holy mountain,” Joshua replied, seemingly ignoring the question.

On the ground, besides the Black Iron type and normal wild beasts, there are countless beings with abilities, which the Black Iron type would call monsters.

In Heaven, there is a corresponding entity, which angels call sacred beasts.

Not of any race, nor of any normal wild animal, it cannot be classified and is ultimately referred to by a single term.

But clearly, the sacred beast the angel spoke of was far more powerful than any demon.

Like the giant white snake before.

The White Machine possesses very faint wisdom; He made a pact with the angels to guard the heart of this holy mountain.

In return, the angels continued to offer Him alms and also endowed Him with intelligence.

Of course, this intelligence wasn't agile enough, making the giant snake look very mechanical.

“We have been worshipping Him,” Joshua continued, still without giving Bray a definite answer.

"And to respect Him, to kill Him would be tantamount to a heinous crime." His tone was somewhat complicated.

“…” Bray fell silent.

"However, He only recognizes credentials; without credentials, one cannot obtain the right to use the Holy Mountain's energy."

“There is no other way to bring the Holy Mountain back to Heaven except by killing Him.”

“I can’t kill Him right now, so I have no choice but to ask you for help.” Joshua glanced at his skin, which was still covered in frost. He had no idea how long the wounds left by the Silver Seed would affect him.

It could be a month, or it could be a lifetime.

"I must return to Heaven, even though Heaven has been destroyed, I still need to go back." As he spoke, he hugged the teddy bear in his arms tightly for some reason.

When Bray saw this scene, he didn't find it funny; he only felt that this angel had a strong sense of determination.

“Then I’ll ask one last time.” Bray sighed.

"You're sure this is the one I want to kill, right?"

“Yes.” This time, Joshua answered the question directly.

"That's fine."

"I can guarantee their safety..." Joshua opened his mouth, wanting to assure Naruko and the others of their safety.

“No need,” Bray glanced at Joshua and interrupted him.

To be honest, he didn't blindly trust Joshua, especially regarding the safety of Naruto and the others.

Although Joshua may have intended to ensure the safety of Naruko and the others, Bray was not convinced.

“They can take care of themselves,” Bray said casually.

Bray believed that Naruko had ways to save her life; her intuition in the face of danger was far more accurate than Bray's own.

Besides, with Levy as a safety net, Nia's safety is not a concern.

Naruko and Rei are both adventurers. What kind of person would it be to be a hindrance during an adventure?

Bray believed this: he trusted the angels' own abilities more than their promises.

If a person wants to survive, they will really use every means possible.

Life is both fragile and tenacious.

"Clang." Bray's sword was drawn, the crisp sound echoing across the white grassland.

"Please show your authorization certificate for further processing." The giant snake Baiji spoke again the moment Bray revealed the broken blade.

The giant snake's posture was not ferocious, and the female voice coming from Bai Ji's mouth was surprisingly harmonious.

However, this time, Bai Ji's tone carried a warning connotation.

Joshua met Bai Ji's gaze and pondered for a long time.

“After you kill Him, I will take full responsibility. I just need to go back to Heaven.” Joshua’s eyes grew increasingly determined.

"Third-order angel, are you breaking the contract?" Bai Ji spoke to Joshua in a mechanical tone.

However, honorifics were no longer used; Joshua was addressed simply as "you."

“If I could, I wouldn’t want to go against it.” Joshua shook his head, his tone tinged with regret.

“But if you can’t let me use the heart of the Holy Mountain, this is my only option.”

"You have broken the contract, Third Order Angel." The giant serpent Baiji opened its eyes and spat its tongue at Bray and Joshua.

"I'm only warning you one last time. If you don't have the authority, leave and let this place return to its original state," said the giant serpent Baiji.

“This is what it was originally like.” Joshua said, then took a few steps back.

"BOOM!!!" The white machine's snake tail slammed heavily into the spot where Joshua had been standing, and at this moment, most of his body had not even left the sphere.

He may not have great wisdom, but he is loyal enough to be like a machine.

"Clang—" Just as the snake raised its tail, intending to switch to a sweeping motion, a simple-looking longsword blocked it.

With a flick of his wrist, Bray deflected the snake's tail, which was many times larger than himself, with the blade.

The white grass on the ground was swept away and flattened, revealing the smooth ground underneath, which was as smooth as a mirror.

"Nia, look!" Upon seeing this scene, Naruko showed no fear that a normal person would have. Instead, she grabbed Nia's small hand and pointed at Bray's back.

"Your dad's in a fight!"

"Ah! Ah~" Nia shook her hands and feet and giggled after hearing Naruko's words.

"Hmm..." Levy was speechless for a moment at the interaction between Naruko and her daughter.

Even Levy noticed something was wrong with this parent-child interaction.

However, while Naruko was talking to Nia, Joshua glanced at the mother and child without leaving a trace.

"Mother and child," He murmured, then looked back at the figures of the giant serpent and Bray locked in combat. Bray had never fought against anything like a sacred beast before.

Sacred beasts may be more powerful than angels, but they are not classified as Silver species because they are not worthy.

However, if classified from the perspective of the Black Iron type, the White Machine would probably still be called a monster.

Given that He possesses a certain level of intelligence, He might even be regarded as a "demon king".