A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

The moment the punch landed, the ground shook, and the surrounding water churned and surged, sending wave after wave crashing towards the wreckage.

"Drip." A drop of water fell from the tip of Bray's nose.

“It’s too early to say sorry,” Bray said in a deep voice.

He thought his previous sword strike would defeat Redip, but it seems Bray was too naive.

Although Redip has very little combat experience, he is definitely not some half-baked Aragami.

“Sometimes, I think I’m too arrogant,” Bray suddenly said to Redip.

Then, a wisp of bluish-purple magic power seeped out from under the eyepatch of the left eye, the outline of which resembled flames.

The dragon pattern on his body lit up once again.

"When did I start thinking I could easily defeat all my enemies?"

"Ancient Sword Sect" and "Kaitian"

The azure giant and the surging waves vanished, and the world suddenly became quiet.

The hilt of the longsword rested on Redip's chest.

“When you threw that punch, you made too many openings,” Bray said.

The invisible impact spread, blowing everything around it away.

"..." Redip, who was at the center of the impact, was not knocked away; he simply fell straight down.

“I…” Redip managed to squeeze out the word from his throat, as he was still able to get up.

"Clang—" Just as Redip was trying to struggle to get up, the silver blade pierced directly into his ear.

The crisp sound was clear even in the water.

“Don’t get up, you’ve lost.” Bray looked down at the stubborn fisherman.

Redip remained silent for a very long time.

Bray drew his sword and sheathed it.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" After a long silence, Redip looked up at Bray and asked this question.

After fighting to this point, why didn't Bray kill himself after winning?

“You have no intention of killing me whatsoever, so why would I have any intention of killing you?” Breton paused, answering Redip.

Even if Redip won, Bray wouldn't be killed, because that guy had no intention of killing.

“And you haven’t written to me yet,” Bray added.

“A letter…really? It’s a letter, yes, I haven’t written it to you yet.” Redip stared blankly at the sky, then suddenly felt a sense of relief. Bray glanced sideways at Redip on the ground, then wiped the water from his nose.

“I lost. In the end, I can only live for such a short time,” Redip said, his eyes fixed on the sky.

“Hmm.” Bray nodded and walked away from Redip, splashing through the water.

Redip didn't say goodbye to Bray; he just stared blankly at the sky.

Since he lost to Bray, it means Jonathan won't give himself another ten years.

"Will I never see her grow up?" Redip muttered to himself, now all alone.

Why did he value Dove so much in the first place?

Yes, but what is it all for?

It wasn't a long time ago, but Redup couldn't quite remember it.

“That’s the line…” Gradually, Redup recalled everything that happened at the beach.

Redip only persevered until now because of Dove's "You're amazing".

That was the first time someone had said "You're amazing" to someone who was like a useless person.

Looking back now, that reason is really funny.

“Yeah, it’s really funny.” A drop of water—or rather, a tear—tumbled down Redup’s cheek.

Dove was very important to him, so important that he was irreplaceable.

He wanted to protect this blue-haired girl until she could be independent; Dove was too young now.

If he could, Redip would like to live to Dove's eighteenth birthday.

This is a lamp, the lamp that illuminates Redip.

Many degenerate people long for a light that can illuminate their lives.

And Redip was so lucky to encounter such a guiding light.

Redup's feelings for Dove were not romantic; he simply wanted to care for and protect her.

I really want to see what you'll look like when you grow up.

"Unfortunately, I don't have much time left."

Even considering the extra time Jonathan gave him, Redip could only spend a maximum of two years with Dove.

I should say... less than two years.

Because Redip would likely write to Bray before the deadline, and Bray would keep his promise.

---

Having defeated Redip's Bray, he walked through the ravaged town and headed straight for the coast.

Because it was wet, Bray simply took off his shirt and threw it on the ground.

You still can't take your pants off.

Although Bray was very tired, he was not injured.

Redip's attacks are all blunt force; although they are incredibly powerful, they won't cause injury if the force is neutralized.

Bray expends a great deal of physical strength and internal energy.

But this doesn't mean Redip is weak.

That courage, that indomitable spirit, that imposing manner, and even the subsequent outburst, were all enough to shock all of Redip's enemies, including Bray himself.

After the battle, Bray even began to believe that he was on the villain's side.

To recover as quickly as possible, Bray walked while adjusting his breathing.

Bray's heavy breathing became the only sound in the town of Elataba, apart from the sound of water.

During the journey, the entire Eratabah was eerily quiet.

Despite the disaster that had occurred and the significant commotion of his battle with Redip, the town remained eerily quiet.

Those who crawl on the ground probably wouldn't dare to raise their heads even if they were killed.

With a long sigh, Bray stepped onto the scorched sand.

"Phew—" Bray exhaled a breath of stale air.

The surrounding air was incredibly hot, instantly dispelling the chill that had been emanating from Bray.

"Hey," Bray called out to the disheveled Beatley.

"Well, you've finally arrived," Beatrix said with a wry smile.

He was in terrible condition, while Afrena was knocked to the side and passed out.

However, fainting in this situation is actually a very happy thing for Afrena, at least she won't be affected by Takaman.

"If only you had come sooner." If Bray had come sooner, he wouldn't have been so badly injured.

"I just finished one game myself," Bray said casually.

Bray glanced at the uneven ground, then fixed his gaze on Takaman in front of him.

The atmosphere grew heavy, as thick as the surrounding black smoke.

“You’re Blakeras, right?” Takaman broke the silence, sensing Blake’s gaze.

Those were dull, unpleasant eyes; it was difficult to discern much emotion in them.

“You know me, but I don’t know you,” Bray said casually, waving his hand.

“You’re the one Jonathan’s been talking about, the one who holds the shackles.” After Bray appeared, Takaman focused all his attention on Bray.

It is this human who has repeatedly caused the "Alliance of Gods" to suffer losses.

At the same time, Jonathan did not allow Him to seek out this human on His own.

However, this time, it wasn't that He found this human on His own.

"You don't need to know me, because you're going to die soon." As soon as he finished speaking, the uneven ground began to shake, as if something terrible was about to happen.

But Bray simply drew his longsword from its sheath, his face expressionless.

The cold light momentarily overshadowed the heat, and the vibrations ceased.

Nothing more happened.

"I see, so it's about drastically suppressing concepts?" Takaman looked down at Bray not far away.

Jonathan did mention Bray's abilities to some extent.

But knowing something is different from experiencing it firsthand.

After experiencing the feeling that a part of his own existence was being suppressed, Takaman felt terrible.

No wonder it's called "suppression" instead of "weakening".

"But it's just a significant suppression, not an erasure."

“In other words, I can still use my abilities.” Takaman’s tone was full of confidence.

He knew that this human being, valued by the "alliance of the gods," was very strong.

But He is equally powerful; He is Takaman, the "Third Demon King".

It is not the ridiculous demon king that a lower species calls itself, but the true "demon king".

The Demon King is not the king of demons, but a being with great power who is feared by people.

Takaman suddenly grabbed at the void in front of him.

Magic flowed involuntarily from under Bray's eyepatch, and his inner energy dissipated from around him.

The scene looked as if Bray was engulfed in bluish-purple flames.

Cold sweat trickled down Bray's forehead.

Of course, Bray didn't feel any heat at all.

What tormented Bray was the excruciating pain of having his magic and inner energy forcibly stripped away, like an organ being forcibly removed.

Takaman pulled his hand back sharply, and the bluish-purple flames formed by the intertwining of magic and internal energy dissipated.

"Consider this a small gift for you, Brayclas." Before the battle even began, Takaman gave Bray a rather large "gift."

"This is quite a generous gift," Bray said, stretching his limbs. Even with his "concepts" suppressed, Takaman could still easily control all the magic and even internal energy around him.

Betley used divine power stolen from outside "Kapras," and Takaman certainly didn't have the right to control it.

However, Bray possessed only ordinary energy, which was easy to control.

Let alone stripping him of his rights, it would be easy for Bray to suffer a backlash.

However, for reasons unknown, Takaman simply stripped Bray of all his magic and inner energy.

However, the amount of magic and inner energy in Bray's body was unexpectedly low.

How should I put it? Takaman has seen many inferior species, including many so-called powerful ones.

Those guys all possess magical power or internal energy that far surpasses that of Bray.

"That's really unexpected. Why would Jonathan take something like this so seriously?" Takaman looked at Bray with puzzlement.

Those who haven't actually fought Bray probably can't understand why Dead Fish Eyes is considered difficult to deal with.

“You seem to have said something quite rude,” Bray said, pursing his lips.

Takaman's arrogance prevented Him from making the first move, and Bray also refrained from drawing his sword.