A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

With just one glance, it's clear that these two are the most crucial people present.

A key person? Or perhaps two boring people?

“It’s the person who was wrongly arrested…” Eric looked at Bray’s appearance and remembered something he had almost forgotten.

For reasons unknown, he had a very bold idea.

“If you help us catch this traitor, I can clear your name of all crimes!” he shouted at Bray.

He didn't know why he would choose someone he knew nothing about at this time.

But he had a vague feeling that this guy... could change the course of the battle, without any basis, just pure intuition.

"Crimes? Was it cutting down the sewers? Or murder?" Bray asked in a weak voice.

But everyone could hear the coldness in his voice, as cold as the man's lifeless right eye.

This is a questioning of everyone present, and even of the capital city itself.

disappointment.

I'm so disappointed.

Eric was speechless, unsure of what to say.

"But it doesn't matter... Just remember what you said." Despite being on the battlefield, his tone was completely dejected, without the slightest hint of tension.

Lux would be much better off if she were cleared of charges.

"Can we fight?" Bray asked Jue Xiang.

"I can do it if Master wants to," Zetsu-hyang said, sniffing and trying to sound strong, like a child.

Or perhaps, at its core, it really is just a child.

After receiving a resounding reply, Bray slowly drew his longsword.

Carrasco's nerves tightened the moment the sword was drawn.

As a fellow swordsman, he could understand what kind of guy Bray was.

Without the slightest hesitation, Carrasco ignored the military's attack and charged straight at Brey.

The white sword, like a swimming dragon, pierced through the mine from the side in the simplest and most effective way.

"Six Styles of Flow" and "Flow Mind"

“Modern swordsmanship…” Faced with this astonishingly powerful sword strike, Bray raised his eyelids and murmured.

Then, Carrasco saw that his opponent was using the exact same swordsmanship as him.

They are not exactly the same, but they are at least 70-80% similar.

"Clang—" After the two swords clashed, Carrasco gained the upper hand and forced Bray back.

However, Carrasco, who was in the lead, could not hide the shock on his face.

"As expected, there's a difference between a hastily made imitation and a genuine one," Bray said casually, completely unconcerned about the outcome.

Losing the match was within his expectations; winning would have been a miracle.

Bray struck a pose, a very serious pose, but to anyone else it seemed "casual".

"Eighteen Styles of Style" and "Eighteen Cuts to Sever the Sky"

Then, everyone's vision was filled with eighteen white lines that swept across the sky.

At that moment, Eric was certain that his intuition was correct, absolutely correct.

As he slowly sheathed his sword, Bray still didn't know what he had been cutting this time.

It doesn't matter anymore... Bray watched as the clouds parted.

Without magic or internal energy, the cloud was simply cleaved in two by a sword from the ground.

But after a short while, you'll realize that this is just an illusion.

The clouds remained unchanged; there was no way to split them apart.

That's true. No matter how exaggerated the swordsmanship is, it's unrealistic to try to cut through the clouds with just swordsmanship.

Skills, skills, how high can these so-called skills go?

Are techniques just things like armbars, strong locks, or using softness to overcome hardness?

What about unloading force in mid-air, cutting through space, or smashing steel with wood—

Aren't they all unrealistic?

Skills, I guess that's what they are?

That should be all, right?

The so-called skill is nothing more than this. If it's exaggerated any further, it can't be called skill anymore; it's just magic.

Is that the only way? If so, then swordsmen will never be able to defeat mages and monks.

It doesn't make sense? Then magic and witchcraft are just normal?

If swordsmen couldn't defeat these, they wouldn't exist.

It is often said that there is an ultimate sword technique, but what is that ultimate technique? Is it cutting through steel and severing tides?

After fighting Carlogaris and Ulitina, Bray believed that swordsmanship was not "normal" unless it became "inconceivable" without being detached from magic and internal energy.

In fact, some guys can do things like splitting a city wall or catching a meteorite with one hand.

That's ridiculous, Bray feels like he can't do it.

He has nothing but his sword. If he cannot hone his swordsmanship into an extraordinary skill, he will be no match for even a mage on the street.

After all, the opponent might kill you with a single fireball, and if you move any further away, they might summon a meteor to smash you.

Thinking about it that way, what's the big deal? Magic and stuff, that's really amazing.

Why a sword of all...?

Ah, it seems that it's because I only know swordsmanship and nothing else.

I don't even know if I can beat the real Carlogaris now.

He meant not an Aragami, but the true great hero Carlogaris.

I probably can't beat them; I've only learned a part of it myself.

Wow, Carlogaris!

Actually, he thought learning archery would be a good idea, but unfortunately Carlogaris didn't know how, so he didn't learn it either.

Bray stared blankly at the white clouds drifting in the sky, without looking down at Carrasco.

He stared at the sky, lost in thought, as if he hadn't done anything and nothing had happened.

What a joke, how come nothing was done?

Bray just unleashed a powerful attack and is now exhausted, completely unwilling to move.

No one can unleash a powerful attack without getting tired, but it would have been better to just do it this way directly. Dragging it out and having to slash a few more times would have been even more tiring.

I'm so tired, I don't care about anything anymore.

After basking in the sun, he actually started to miss the ice cream from the unscrupulous priest.

By the way, why don't we just go to the church, have an ice cream, and then leave the capital?

Anyway, his home wasn't here, and the capital was really making him, a country bumpkin, feel a bit uncomfortable.

Ultimately, I don't even have a home in the strict sense, so it doesn't matter if I travel around.

Unless he wants to go back to his hometown to continue farming, that is his true home.

Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem so bad.

But that's for later. For now, it's better to be an adventurer—there's plenty of money.

After thinking it over, he realized that ice cream was indeed more important.

"Master, what are you thinking about?" Zetsu asked, unable to help but ask after watching Bray stare blankly for a long time.

"What flavor of ice cream do you want?" Bray said casually, tilting his head back.

"Then let's make it apple flavored!" Jue Xiang happily offered a suggestion.

"Apple flavor? I wonder if they'll even have it."

"There must be!"

"Hmm, I think so," Bray muttered, and left under the watchful eyes of the group.

It seems that the chaotic scene just now was just a movie.

It was shocking, but it didn't matter.

His figure disappeared into the distance, leaving only Carrasco struggling to stay upright with his sword.

Carrasco was covered in blood, his wounds were horribly deep, yet he was not killed.

Because Bray didn't kill him, he only severely injured him.

He was injured to the point that he could only stand up and had lost his ability to fight.

It was just right, almost as if it were intentional.

Carrasco stared at Bray's retreating figure, speechless for a moment.

While Bray was still lost in thought, he was still shocked by the sword strike he had just received.

Or rather, the Eighteen Swords.

He had only ever seen this level of skill in some old relics in the Far East.

Equally incredible.

Perhaps he had seen even more exaggerated effects, such as shattering the ground, tearing apart space, or sweeping away an entire army in a single blow—

But I will never have this "unbelievable" feeling.

After delivering that final blow, Bray acted as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

Too much leisure.

At this moment, in this instant, he questioned his identity as the "Sword Saint".

He even felt that Bray was more suited to the title "Sword Saint".

Whether it's "sword" or "saint," both are perfectly suited.

The surroundings remained silent for a long time, until Bray's figure completely disappeared before a few sounds began to emerge.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The sheer force of that sword strike was terrifying.

Even after he finished his attack, Bray's imposing manner vanished without a trace, and he became as ordinary as a fool.

Especially the way he stood there watching the clouds afterwards, it was so ordinary that it evoked mixed feelings.

But that pressure remains deeply etched in people's minds, lingering there.

Who can forget the power of that sword?

Eric looked at his palms and realized they were covered in cold sweat.

"What kind of god did those guys just randomly grab and bring back..." Eric really wanted to complain about the guy they grabbed by mistake, wondering how he ended up locking up Bray.

He took a deep breath.

“Carrasco, you’ve lost,” he said to Carrasco.

“Yes, I lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly,” Carrasco said with a bitter smile.

He conceded defeat, but not to Eric's side, nor to the capital.

He lost to that guy whose name he didn't even know.

Carrasco also tried to look at Brey in the eye, staring blankly at the sky.

Suddenly, he felt that looking up at the vast sky like this would give him a wonderful feeling.