A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“Chatting is fun, but chatting with you is no fun.” Bray showed Jonathan no mercy whatsoever.

“Please continue, sir, do you know anything about yourselves?” Jonathan straightened his collar and said in a serious tone.

“Those who uphold the precepts are said to be not easily killed.”

“I heard that this is a curse,” Jonathan said, emphasizing each word.

The expression on the mask, at some point, changed from a half-smile to a sinister grin.

"..." Bray's face was gloomy.

Have you heard of this claim, Bray? Of course I have.

I heard it from Gurid.

The reason Gulid went so crazy was simply because the ring bound him.

That invisible constraint was suffocating.

But Bray still couldn't understand why Jonathan knew so much about the ordination holders.

"Mr. Monk, do you think you yourself would be easily killed?"

“I’m really curious to know just how powerful this curse is,” Jonathan said politely, even taking off his hat.

"Why don't we let this humble one challenge this curse?" The sinister grin on the mask sent chills down one's spine.

Will you die?

Furthermore, the mouth on the mask, with its corners constantly turning upwards, looks just like a real person.

“I don’t think so. Even without this curse, I’m pretty tough,” Bray said.

But Bray quickly shut up, his right eye filled with seriousness.

"Haha, let me show you how tough Mr. Ring-Bearer's life is." Jonathan put his hat back on.

But the moment the wide-brimmed hat was put on, a strong, almost visible aura rose up.

Bray sensed a "concept"—he actually sensed a "concept" from Jonathan!?

Moreover, there are multiple "concepts," each of which seems unstable and appears to be on the verge of collapse.

But this number alone is enough to shock anyone.

This was a situation that Bray had never encountered before. Even for silver-grade items, there was only one "concept". How could there be multiple?

No, even the golden seed projection that Bray encountered was a singular "concept".

“Aragami? Plural ‘concepts’…” Bray looked at Jonathan in disbelief.

“No, it’s a human,” Jonathan said, bending down.

"As for the 'concept,' why not experience it for yourself?"

Even gods don't have the concept of plurality, so what's wrong with this guy?

“Bleeding.” Jonathan made a gun gesture with his hand and pretended to fire a shot.

Of course, you can't fire bullets by using your hand as a gun.

In reality, there were no gunshots.

But Bray's expression suddenly changed, and a sharp pain shot through his hand gripping the longsword in an instant.

"Tick-tick-tick-"

For some unknown reason, Bray's arm was slashed open, and blood kept flowing out.

Bray knew perfectly well that he had not been attacked.

"Are you alright?" Nisha asked anxiously, pursing her lips.

“It’s nothing. If something had happened, it wouldn’t be like this.” Bray glanced at Nisha sideways.

But despite saying that, Bray knew exactly what was happening to his body.

Bray's injury is not simple.

If it's just an invisible attack that injures you, that's fine.

The problem was that Bray knew it wasn't a covert attack, but rather a direct result of a "concept".

The "bleeding" that Jonathan mentioned was neither magic nor divine power.

It's just a "concept".

Is this a human? Bray has never actually seen a human use concepts before.

Even orcs are not allowed.

As for elves, that queen seems like a good candidate, but will Jonathan be like that elf queen?

Just as Bray was thinking quickly, Jonathan sighed deeply.

"That shouldn't be the case, it's just an injury of this severity." Jonathan touched his cane, looking puzzled.

Being a person who observes the precepts does not mean that one has the ability to be exempt from the "concept".

"Concepts" are what distinguish humans from gods; no matter how powerful a human is, they cannot be unaffected by "concepts."

Anyone else should have bled and fallen to the ground from Jonathan's attack.

In the end, however, Bray was unharmed.

Even the two women beside him were safe and sound.

Jonathan could sense that Bray hadn't grasped the "concept" and shouldn't be negating his own abilities, so what exactly happened?

"Hmm?" At this moment, Jonathan's gaze was fixed on Bray's longsword.

"Oh wow! Oh wow! I see."

"Is it because of this sword?" Jonathan's voice was unusually excited, as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Is it this sword that has suppressed the 'concept'?"

Bray ignored Jonathan, who was engrossed in his own self-entertainment, and instead glanced at his own arm.

“Mr. Bray…” Nisha was about to say something to tell Bray to put her down and stop paying attention to her.

But when she saw Bray's right eye, Nisa swallowed her words back.

Even if I said that, would Bray listen? Probably not.

If Nisha is put down, Bray will have to protect both of them.

For Bray, having Nisha held him wasn't too much of a problem.

"Don't say anything sentimental, I can't be bothered to listen." Bray seemed to have anticipated what Nisha was going to say and spoke up in advance.

Nisha was startled, then sighed and dismissed the idea.

Talking any more nonsense will only make Bray feel annoyed.

"Keep it up," Nisha said after a long pause.

"Try your best; even madmen are hard to deal with," Bray remarked.

However, it's not that it's difficult to deal with, but it's not that there's no way to deal with it.

With a single step, the longsword slashed towards Jonathan's blind spot, but Bray's attack route prevented Jonathan from launching a sneak attack on Dove.

Dove was blocked by Bray from beginning to end.

To attack Dove, you first have to get past Bray.

But if Jonathan could get past Bray, there was no need for him to launch a sneak attack.

“Oh dear, Mr. Monk doesn’t like to let others finish speaking.” Jonathan dodged the question, seemingly embarrassed.

His comical gait somehow allowed him to evade most of Bray's attacks.

Unfortunately, only the vast majority of them did not completely avoid the danger.

Jonathan's fighting skills were a bit lacking compared to Bray.

Jonathan never imagined that one day he would be crushed because of his fighting skills.

A sword was thrust toward Jonathan's throat, and Bray was filled with murderous intent.

Bray's killing intent was not strong; it was rather faint.

It's as light as a stroke of ink unintentionally made on rice paper.

But Jonathan would not underestimate such murderous intent.

This killing intent was far more terrifying than the thick, blood-red killing aura of those mercenaries.

“Peace, let’s coexist peacefully for a bit.” Jonathan chuckled, no longer dodging.

A single index finger blocked the sword tip, successfully deflecting Bray's attack.

Even if Bray's longsword was dull, his finger should have been completely unharmed.

Anyway, Bray guarantees that this guy's fingers aren't made of iron.

"A completely different concept from before." Bray squinted and increased the pressure in his hand.

But no matter how hard Bray tried, his attacks were like stones sinking into the sea.

“Didn’t I say it myself, peace, peace?” Jonathan said with a smile.

Even through the mask, Jonathan's laughter could still be heard clearly.

“The die-hards die from talking too much,” Bray said coldly.

The angle of the sword in his hand suddenly changed, slashing from the side and avoiding Jonathan's finger.

This time, Jonathan simply spread his arms wide, allowing Bray to hit him squarely.

Without a sound, Bray's sword could only rest on Jonathan's neck, unable to advance even an inch further.

Not a drop of blood came out of Jonathan's skin.

"It is peacetime now."

"I can see that your sword's suppression of concepts is still limited; it cannot erase abilities."

"If it can still be effective—"

“That makes things easier.” Jonathan grabbed Bray’s wrist and leaped up lightly.

“Alright, sir, this is no longer peacetime.” Jonathan jumped up.

"Mr. Bijie, by the way, villains don't necessarily die from talking too much."

"It's just that most of the villains who died happened to be talkative." Jonathan shook his finger in mid-air.

With the next breath, a gust of wind rose, and the leg clad in a suit and trousers swept violently toward the mine.

Bray turned to the side, trying to completely block Nisha from view.

Nisha also instinctively moved closer to Bray.

"Thump!!!!!" After being kicked, Bray's body slid several meters sideways, leaving friction marks on the ground.

Meanwhile, Bray had already moved away, so Jonathan's attack didn't reach him.

"There are two different concepts now." After being hit hard, Bray did indeed silently count the abilities Jonathan used.

"So it really is plural... two kinds? No, there should be more. And there's no repetition." Bray murmured.

"Hmm? You still have the energy to think?" Jonathan was a little surprised.

While fighting himself, he was still able to hold onto two people who were unable to fight.

Even when he was at a disadvantage, Bray's right eye remained clear.

No, using "clear" to describe dead fish eyes isn't quite right; it should be described as murky, murky like a stagnant pool, without a ripple or a wave. Jonathan had to admire Bray's skill.

He protected the two people behind him, and still had time to think about his own abilities.

Bray may not be smart, but he is calm enough.

Furthermore, its ability to adapt to combat is nothing short of monstrous.

“I really don’t want to waste too much of my abilities,” Jonathan said, shrugging.