A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Only when people see it with their own eyes will they abandon their livelihoods and choose to flee in panic.

"Sir, it might be dangerous for you to leave the city at this time," the coachman said, cracking his whip and urging his horse forward.

"I heard there are monsters on the road," the coachman added.

"That city is dangerous, why are you still driving the carriage?"

"It's all for a meal," the driver said with a wry smile.

He wasn't taking fares on the street for thrills; he was just trying to make a living.

If they truly had the resources, they wouldn't be using a horse-drawn carriage in this place; after all, there are magical carriages in this world.

However, that thing is extremely expensive, and ordinary people can't afford it, so naturally they can't use it as a means of making a living.

"Neigh!!!!" As they approached the outskirts of Clinton, the horses pulling the carriage suddenly neighed.

The horse's hooves lifted, seemingly unwilling to continue.

"What's going on?" The coachman was also a little confused. No matter how much he whipped the horses, they wouldn't move forward.

"It's alright, just let me down here," Bray said to the driver, then casually tossed a few bills from his pouch to him.

After paying, Bray escaped from the stable and continued running towards the outskirts.

"Hey, hey, hey! Sir, you didn't pay enough!" The driver hurriedly took the money, only to find that the paper bills were not enough.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. He had risked his life to drive for him, and yet he was being shortchanged.

"Hmm? No, there seems to be more." But just as the driver finished cursing, he suddenly noticed that there were still a few coins left.

These coins were placed in the car by Bray after he got in, in case there was a sudden road explosion and he didn't have time to pay.

Because even if the sky were to fall, let alone the road exploding, Brey wouldn't be surprised.

It's always good to prepare in advance.

"They actually gave too much?"

"Haha, what a generous guest!" The coachman's expression changed instantly.

---

Bray, of course, had no idea of ​​the coachman's dramatic mood swings.

He continued on foot after leaving the carriage, only stopping when he saw the roses in full bloom. Bray stopped because something was blocking his way.

It was a patch of thorny roses... or rather, a rose grove.

If Bray remembered the route correctly, this was the place he had passed through with Lux and her group.

Then, if he remembered correctly, there shouldn't have been so many thorny roses here originally.

No, it should be that there are no thorns or roses at all.

This kind of thing should grow in gardens, not proliferate in forests.

But what was going on with this scene in front of Bray?

The trees were entangled with a great deal of thorns, and then roses bloomed in profusion.

These vibrant reds or purples are all the result of absorbing nutrients from the surrounding environment.

The thorns were strung together, like a net, blocking all the way.

The word "many" is no longer sufficient to describe the number of roses.

This thing is as dense as an overgrowth of algae, and it is so tightly intertwined with the plants that it is practically indistinguishable from a tumor mass.

Bray could even see small animals being strangled alive among the thorns.

These animals certainly couldn't have walked right into the trap, so there's only one possibility left.

The thorns strangled these small animals on their own.

"Clang!" Bray suddenly drew his sword and cut down the thorns that had unknowingly climbed to his feet.

Just a few minutes ago, there were no long roses near Bray.

But after he sorted out his thoughts, he found himself surrounded by plants that intertwined together, like a gaping maw about to swallow him whole.

However, for some reason, these plants did not grow together, but remained in their original state and did not continue to grow wildly.

The scene was as if Bray was standing in the mouth of a monster, and the monster wouldn't close its mouth for a long time.

"So these are what the things in the suburbs are referring to?" Bray murmured. It seemed that this was the place Jonathan was talking about.

These plants don't seem to be spreading in just one direction, but are growing in all directions.

Given enough time, Clinton will also be affected.

The origin of these roses is not in the old house, but in the rose garden outside the old house, which is where Bray and his companions got lost.

Burn it? That's a good option.

However, Bray doesn't know a practical fireball spell, and the fireball isn't around, so this plan is not feasible.

As expected, we can only use two swords to clear the weeds.

Just keep clearing the weeds until you reach the end and you're done.

Having made up his mind, Bray gripped both swords in his hands and took a deep breath.

The moment the mine began to be laid, the thorns and roses seemed to come alive and grew rapidly.

The twisted plants intertwined into various shapes, like monsters with gaping maws, before surging towards Bray.

Even huge beasts would be squeezed by these plants and pierced by their sharp thorns.

All around was the nauseating sound of plants growing rapidly, and when you saw these ferocious thorns and roses, you always had the illusion that countless beasts were roaring.

Among these wriggling plants, one could barely make out some crushed corpses.

These are probably innocent people who went to the countryside for recreation.

The innocent travelers were not turned into zombies by the parasitic plants, but were directly crushed into pieces.

Bray was starting to understand what was going on with those weird things in the city.

This is probably just a small ripple effect spreading from here; the real "monster" that could destroy Clinton is now in front of Bray.

"This is really bizarre... This is the first time I've ever cut down a plant," Bray sighed.

Fighting a monster formed from plants was a first for Bray in his life.

He bent down, then raised his sword and took a step.

The dragon markings on Bray's body flashed, and then he transformed into a shooting star, bursting out of the encirclement of these waves of plants.

The two swords transformed into wings, and these wings were so sharp that they could cut through anything.

"Broken Sword Style" "Through the Forest"

"Whoosh!" The blade easily tore through the defensive line formed by thorns and roses, and two white lines stretched far into the distance.

Wherever the mines were laid, white lines followed like a shadow.

Wherever the white line went, thorns and roses were torn to shreds by the sword.

"..." After Bray stopped, all the plants within a hundred meters behind him instantly turned into dust.

Normal weapons might not be able to remove these plants, but Bray's longsword can.

In Jonathan's words, the longsword severed the connection between these things and the Mother.

Once disconnected from their mother plant, these thorny roses will lose their vitality and wither and rot away.

But the next second, new plants surged up.

Because longswords can handle these things, but broadswords cannot, some plants will inevitably be left behind. And those plants, relying on their terrifying vitality, can instantly grow into a new army of roses.

However, Bray had already anticipated this; he never expected to be able to "weed" so easily.

Bray was merely clearing a path.

"How far is it from there?" Bray didn't have a very accurate idea of ​​the distance.

But according to my memory, it should still be about twenty minutes' walk.

Of course, this is the time it would take to walk there; Bray has no intention of walking there step by step.

Bray exhaled a breath of stale air, his gaze sharpening.

The "Broken Sword Style" was used once again, slicing through the obstacles in front of it.

Bray planned to rely on swordsmanship to break through to the source before starting the real weeding.

It's worth noting that, aside from Naruko and Levy still being there, Lacus, Virginia, and Blanche didn't even have time to leave.

If these plants continue to run rampant, the consequences will be quite dire.

That's not as simple as tentacle play; everyone will suffer the same fate as those innocent travelers.

"They probably still think there are 'zombies' in the city," Bray muttered as he flew through the air.

However, it's a good thing that the truth about how terrifying things are not discovered in the city.

This proves that Clinton is not particularly dangerous at present. After all, if Clinton's people knew the truth, it would be too late by then.

"Next time, at least give me some time to investigate," Bray muttered before unleashing another "Broken Sword Style" technique.

The continuous bursts of internal energy using dragon patterns soaked Bray's entire body in sweat.

In order to break through quickly, Bray didn't care how much physical strength and internal energy he would have left.

Surrounded and attacked by these thorns and roses, there was no possibility of taking it easy.

The only option is to rush in quickly.

Of course, although these things are very tough, in Bray's eyes, every thorn has a weak point.

As long as the sword cuts there, the thorns will break.

Finally, Bray's longsword fell on a wall of thorns blocking his way.

Layer upon layer of plants were stacked together, even more impressive than an iron wall.

Thorns grew from the wall, trying to entangle Bray's hands and feet.

but--

"Rip!!!!!" A flash of cold light, and the wall made of thorns was torn open.

"Thump! Thump!" A spherical object, resembling a beating heart but clearly made of plant tissue, appeared behind the wall. Plants have life, but they don't possess thought.

Nevertheless, plants still have their own "instincts".

"Shh—" The thing that looked like a heart was encased in thick thorns the instant Bray saw it.

It was wrapped with layers upon layers of thorns, and even after being wrapped with more than a dozen layers, it seemed to continue wrapping things up.

Bray raised his sword, frowning as he tried to cleave open the "heart," which was clearly a vital spot.

Well, let's just assume this is the heart of all plants.

Once this root cause is cut open, the plants that have spread for over ten kilometers will wither instantly.

This vigorous vitality is ultimately not something the plant itself possesses, but rather it is supplied by other places.

This immense vitality is something that ordinary roses should not possess.

That's right, this exaggerated rose beast is just an ordinary rose bush, not some high-level plant classified as a monster.

"Bang!" But the blade did not cut through the heart in front of him.

A hand that reached out from the ground grabbed Bray's sword, and the hand, made of thorns, continued to grow larger after it grasped Bray's sword.

Thorns are like the muscle fibers of a living organism, giving this hand boundless power.

First one hand came out, then another hand came out.

Realizing something was wrong, Bray swiftly withdrew his sword without hesitation.

The blade cleanly sliced ​​through the fingers of that hand, and the cut areas visibly withered away.

However, new thorns soon covered the wound, repairing it and building a brand new finger.

Behind the hands was a massive body.