A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

However, the scene quickly shifted, and the man saw a figure like an ancient ghost, reaping the life of the silver-blooded creature with a scythe, and then descending a divine oracle with an ethereal and profound voice.

Only then did he truly believe that there really was a savior in this world, that such a being truly existed.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" The Deathbringer let out a strange cry, sorrowful and full of apology.

Bray stared in astonishment at the man who suddenly burst into tears, pulled the sword out of his chest, and knelt down to pray.

"You are so ignorant, you are so pathetic."

"You will all eventually face death, so why not sacrifice yourselves to pave a way for future generations?"

"How many people have been as desperate as I was, just waiting for someone to save them?" The killer's anger vanished, replaced by a look of pity beneath his helmet.

After exhausting his divine power, countless undead beneath his feet eagerly reached out to pull him into the underworld.

He slowly sank into the ground without offering any resistance.

The ground was like a lake, seemingly without any resistance, allowing the death-reaper to sink little by little.

However, only he himself was torn off; all his clothes were left on top.

"I'm so sorry, my great 'Lord of the Underworld, Dizoka,' I'm unable to fulfill the mission you entrusted to me... I only hope you can have mercy..."

This was the last incomplete sentence uttered by the Deathbringer before it vanished from the ground.

Bray remained silent, not sheathing his sword.

Why do I feel so heavy-hearted after such a madman is taken to the underworld?

After taking a short breath, he turned his gaze back to the battlefield outside.

After the Deathbringer forcibly cleaved through the double-layered ice wall, the expeditionary force engaged in battle with other Deathbringers once again.

Naruko and Levy were particularly active, to the point of being somewhat exasperating.

"Ada!! Levy breathes fire!"

"Oh!"

"Rabi Spits Ice!"

"oh!!!"

"Levy, use Iron Tail!"

"???" Levy paused for a few seconds, but then realized it made sense, so she flicked her tail.

The fourteen assassins on the other side also seemed to be gradually retreating.

Although Levy is very powerful, judging from the man just now, the Deathbringer is very strong and will not be at a disadvantage.

The real reason the killer hesitated was the man's death.

"My lord, the thirty-fifth rider is dead." A man in black robes said to the Deathbringer beside him, whose aura was clearly different.

"Really... He sacrificed himself."

"My lord, do not be sad. We were all people who were supposed to die. We are just returning to where we belong."

All members of the Deathbringers are named after their respective rider numbers.

The man in black robes was speaking to the third rider.

“Our deaths will also become the foundation for Dizoka’s arrival,” the man in black robes said softly.

"The world will get better."

"If only he hadn't rushed in so hastily..." The third rider shook his head and said helplessly.

"Let's go, we won't be hunting this time."

"Go back and tell the daughter of the thirty-fifth rider that her father was killed by a monster while searching for food," the third rider said after a pause.

"Should we abandon this safe zone?"

“Give up. We only need one home.” After saying this, the third rider leaped backward.

Upon seeing his action, all the Deathbringers also leaped backward, disengaging from the battle.

They appear like ghosts to reap lives, and now they're back in battle just as cleanly and decisively.

This pace was unbearable for the expedition team members, who all felt like they couldn't breathe.

The expedition did not rest until long after the group of death-reapers had left.

After an unknown amount of time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to rest in the safe zone.

"How are the casualties?" Bray asked Naruko beside him, looking at the exhausted crowd.

Compared to him, who fought that man, Naruko was more aware of the casualties during the battle with the group of death hunters.

"In the end, two people died, but fortunately, the others were not seriously injured." Naruko ate her simple food, sat on the ground, her face dirty.

"I was hoping things would be simpler, but I didn't expect to run into someone." Naruko sighed.

If it were just monsters and the like, this would really be a picnic for Bray and his friends.

Unexpectedly, what appeared midway was not a monster, but other people.

Naruko wasn't deaf either; she heard what the killer said.

But she couldn't understand why these people believed in that so-called god, nor did she understand why they would give up and plunder their precious lives for it.

"It seems I shouldn't have brought you this time. It would have been better to let you play with Nia."

"What are you talking about? Isn't this how all our adventures have been?" Naruko said irritably.

“Those murderers, how disgusting.” Levy expressed her feelings of liking and disliking the group of killers very directly.

Levy had absolutely no liking for the killer who inexplicably killed an old man in the expedition team.

"This man has a letter on him," shouted Luo Shiqi, who was examining the Deathbringer who had been killed by Bray.

Luo Shiqi's shout attracted the attention of most of the expedition members.

Even Bray leaned closer out of curiosity, let alone Eric.

Perhaps the letter this reaper is carrying contains a lot of important information.

"What does it say?" Bray noticed the frozen expression on Rox XVII's face after seeing the letter.

"..." The boy didn't speak, but simply handed the blood-stained letter to Bray.

It's called a letter, but it's actually just a folded, yellowed piece of paper.

Bray unfolded the folded letter, looked at the words on it, and fell into a long silence.

The writing on it was very simple, and the handwriting was crooked.

"Dad, everyone helped me find lots of flowers. I made a big wreath. You'll be surprised when you see it when you come back."

"Hehe, I had everyone hand it over to you halfway through the journey. You must be very surprised now." "It's a bit unexpected that someone can move so freely outside the safe zone." Eric patted Bray on the shoulder and said.

“…” Bray didn’t answer, he just remained silent.

"Are you regretting stabbing that guy?"

“No regrets,” Bray finally said.

He didn't regret killing the killer at all, because the killer's killing intent was impossible to ignore.

Even if Bray didn't want to needlessly kill people of the same lower race, it was no longer a question of killing or not killing.

If someone held a knife to your neck and you let them cut your artery, then you'd really be crazy.

Bray had absolutely no grand dream of making the whole world go on a pilgrimage.

"That settles it then. Being pitiful doesn't mean what he did was right." Eric had also seen the letter and felt a bit emotional.

He could even imagine that Bray, as a father, must feel even heavier inside.

However, being pitiful and being despicable are not necessarily related.

It is an undeniable fact that the Deathbringers attempted to kill everyone in the expedition, and Eric believes there is no need to feel guilty.

“I just felt sorry for that person’s child.” Bray glanced at Eric.

"Even if I had known about this letter beforehand, my choice would not have changed."

"Fine, I guess I'm just not cut out for giving advice." Eric shrugged helplessly.

"Why don't you go and talk to Luo Shiqi? He's just an ordinary kid." Bray's tone was casual, but it was clear that he cared about the boy.

I don't expect him to have any outstanding performances, nor do I expect him to become any particularly useful person.

Because he still needs to grow, and growth takes time; it can't be achieved quickly by simply injecting hormones.

“He thinks more than I do; his willpower isn’t as strong as we thought,” Bray said quietly.

When Luo Shiqi saw the letter, he was even more shaken than he was.

"Of course I know."

“Captain Alice is already doing that.” Eric gestured for Bray to look in Alice’s direction.

Alice stood beside the boy, speaking to him with an unusually gentle expression.

It might be to comfort the boy, or it might be to teach him a lesson.

Regardless, people are already concerned about this child.

People in the safe zone all tacitly pay extra attention to the children.

The reason is simple: they are the unextinguished future of Kapras.

“Then you can leave,” Bray said calmly.

"Huh?" Eric felt that Bray's words actually meant "You can get lost," just a little more politely.

Seeing that Bray really ignored him, Eric could only retreat dejectedly and find a place to rest.

---

The entire expedition team was exhausted, having been conducting investigations along the way.

The mess caused by the recent death-reaping event left them even more exhausted, and many even wanted to find a place to lie down and sleep.

Fortunately, this is a safe zone, so the expedition team members are not too stressed.

However, this is a safe zone destroyed by monsters, so it wouldn't be surprising if there were any monsters inside. It's still not advisable to be careless.

However, it was quite obvious that the pressure on the expedition team had decreased, as the number of people on duty decreased significantly after nightfall.

More people are able to fall asleep.

The sky was shrouded in darkness, and without sunlight, the desolate land felt even more oppressive.

Bray sat cross-legged near the campfire, staring blankly at the crackling flames.

Naruko was sleeping next to him, and Levy had somehow snuggled up to him and fallen fast asleep.

When Levy sleeps, she looks like a ball of cats.

Naruko's sleeping posture, however, is completely inconsistent with her carefree personality; she is very serene.

How should I put it? Like a cherry blossom tree, swaying gently, its petals falling softly—it's beautiful.

She was only as crazy as she was when she was asleep.

Bray covered Naruko with his coat; with such a small blanket, it would be quite cold at night.

Especially for relatively ordinary adventurers like Naruko, they are not at the point of being unafraid of the severe cold.

As for Levy... throwing her in the refrigerator might be fine for a while.

So, after doing that, he continued to watch the flickering flames.

Honestly, it's really boring when you're the only one keeping watch at night.

However, at the same time, one can think clearly when alone at night.

At this moment, the radiance of the sky seems to constantly stir one's thoughts, causing one to unconsciously fall into deep contemplation.

Bray is feeling the same way now; things he hadn't thought about much during the day are now flooding his mind like the sea.

This is probably why people tend to be more sentimental late at night.

Of course, Bray wasn't thinking about anything troubling.