A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

The commission should begin.

Redip felt his life was seriously threatened the moment Bray swung his sword.

Instinctively, he used his concept to block Bray's attack.

However, as expected of a "swan song," the moment the blade was drawn, all concepts were suppressed.

Even this secret realm is beginning to crumble, and it wouldn't be surprising if it were completely destroyed at any time.

Redip's abilities were naturally diminished as well.

However, he was still able to retain some of his abilities.

Unlike other Silver-tier creatures, after being directly weakened to the point where their concept was almost completely destroyed by "The Last Echo," they basically had no combat power left.

“I’m so sorry… I had no choice but to resist.” Redip sighed.

“I know,” Bray simply replied.

Bray knew perfectly well that even the gods of the Aragami did not have the right to commit suicide.

If one could commit suicide when in a state of collapse, then great heroes wouldn't need to lock themselves away.

Only prophets, who end their own lives before their own collapse begins, can truly find liberation.

Redip did not commit suicide shortly after obtaining the "divine source," thus losing his final chance to end his own life.

Faced with Bray's attempt to kill him, Redip's will seemed to be split into two parts.

One group yearns to be killed, while the other group desperately wants to survive.

Perhaps soon, the part of him that is completely dominated by instinct will take control of himself, while the other part will only be able to watch and do nothing.

"BOOM!!!!" The ground suddenly cracked open, and countless streams of water gushed out from the cracks.

These ocean currents are like sharp blades, capable of cutting through even the strongest armor.

If Bray's physical body were to be touched, there would be no such thing as deflecting force; he would simply be cut apart on his own.

“I know exactly what kind of state you’re in,” Bray’s voice came from behind Redip.

Behind Redip was a very blunt longsword.

"So don't say sorry, I already knew it would be troublesome."

“If it were simple, I wouldn’t have needed to come all this way to complete this request,” Bray said quietly, slashing his sword at the opening in Redip’s back.

However, the ocean currents surged out from the ground at roughly the same moment, deflecting the wrath of the mine.

When the sword in his hand touched the upward-rushing current, Bray not only felt a strong resistance, but the sword was also being pulled upward by the current.

Bray sheathed his sword in time; had he been a fraction slower, it would have slipped from his grasp.

Compared to large monsters, humanoid Aragami are indeed more difficult to deal with on another level.

The small size of the individual also means that the area that can be attacked is also small.

It is very difficult to break through all of the opponent's defenses and hit the weak point.

However, it is not impossible to do so.

As the water subsided, Bray swung his sword once more.

A white line and a silver glint flashed across Redip's vision, and then the sword pierced him.

However, the sword failed to pierce Redip's body.

An invisible magic, like surging waves, constantly repelled Bray's sword.

"You've gotten stronger at the worst possible time," Bray remarked.

Redip is even stronger than he was two years ago.

“It just naturally became like this.” Redip shook his head, his understanding of the concept becoming more and more profound over time.

The improvement of the strength of the Silver type does not require skills, but rather physical strength or concepts.

For a god like Redip, whose physical progress is limited, conceptual advancement elevates his strength.

"Boom!!!!" After saying that, Redip delivered a powerful punch to Bray, who was standing directly in front of him.

Bray retreated more than ten meters, passing the position where Dove had been behind him.

Dove's face turned pale as Bray brushed past him.

What will ultimately happen? Dove could not predict what would happen next.

But... no matter who wins, it won't be a satisfying ending.

"Come here, stand back a bit more," Bray said to Doffin, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his left hand.

If Dove's position isn't enough, he might be affected.

Although Redip didn't hold back, he adjusted his direction, so Dove was basically unharmed.

But Bray wasn't sure how long Redip could stay so rational.

"..." Dove froze on the spot. For the girl, the scene of Bray being knocked away was still shocking.

"Stand back!" Bray shouted, then steadied himself and walked towards Redip.

Dove snapped back to his senses after being shouted at, and then jogged back.

But as Doffin ran past Bray, she couldn't help but glance at him.

Things were far more serious or cruel than Dove had imagined.

It was only the calmness displayed by Bray and Redip that gave people the mistaken impression that it was a very simple matter.

“The most difficult commissions are the ones without any payment, you know?” Bray said as he walked.

To conserve his energy, Bray didn't run at all.

“I owe you my life, but I can never repay it,” Redip said.

This is an enormous favor, but the person who owes it will never be able to repay it, no matter what happens afterward.

“That’s called getting something for free.” Bray took a deep breath and then stood at a certain distance from Redip.

Step forward, sword to the right.

Then the meteor struck Redip.

Just like before, the waves rose at the same instant.

Layer upon layer of ocean waves can render a sharp sword powerless and reduce immense power to nothing.

That's how it should be, because that's the nature of ocean waves.

A waterfall is something that flows down from top to bottom, while a wave is something that rolls up from bottom to top.

Can the intangible be cut?

of course can.

"Water flow interrupted" or "tidal interrupted"

"Stop the flow of water" can stop streams, waterfalls, and rain, and naturally it can also stop waves.

"Severing the Flow of Water" cuts through all things without a fixed form.

The towering waves were miraculously sliced ​​open, and the Bray man, along with his sword, entered Redip's field of vision beyond the waves.

"..." Redip grunted and caught Bray's sword with his bare hands.

Using the surface resistance, he gripped the blade with his hand.

Blood dripped onto the ground, tracing the pale blue lines.

He was injured, but his palm was not cleaved open by the sword.

He had done similar things before, but it was easier for him now.

“This isn’t enough, Bray,” Redip said in a deep voice, staring intently at Bray, who was right in front of him.

Bray must be able to stop him. If Bray can't stop himself, who will, who can stop him?

"..." Bray didn't speak, but silently gripped his sword tighter. Redip had become stronger.

However, Bray has also become stronger.

However, the power of the Wild God and the power of the Black Iron Seed cannot be understood on the same level.

However, the Black Iron variety was never qualified to be compared with the Silver variety from the beginning.

Therefore, there is no need to compare who has become stronger.

In this world, strength and weakness are inherently relative.

Just like the weak Black Iron race, even though they hold the "Supreme Echo" in their hands, they can become so-called "strong" in a certain moment when facing higher races.

Speed, strength, skill, physique, mind, technique, and intelligence (not included in this calculation) all influence what constitutes strength and weakness.

“I never intended to kill you with this one sword.” Bray’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached Redip’s ears clearly.

Bray was surprised that his sword was blocked, but it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

A battle is never decided in a single move; after one move, there will be another.

Unless it's the move that decides the outcome.

Bray adjusted the angle of his wrist and easily pulled the sword from Redip's hand.

Blood droplets splattered in mid-air, mingling with water droplets.

Bray didn't stop there; instead, he suddenly changed his tactics.

The sword traced a dark arc in mid-air.

"I flow" "Zantie"

This sword strike was intended to sever Redip's left hand.

Before Redip himself could even react, his body had already prepared a response.

The crumbling body, following its instincts and defying Redip's own will, began to change.

The blue lines that symbolized cracks turned deep blue in an instant.

Then Redip's left arm seemed to be smashed, with countless pieces of hard shell flying everywhere.

After the surface layer peels away, what remains are muscular arms.

It was twice as thick as it originally was, disproportionate to Redup's size, and covered with scales, but they weren't fish scales; they were harder and more angular.

The fingertips are short, yet incredibly sharp and strong, with subtle webbing between the fingers.

It looks like the forelimbs of some deep-sea monster, not the hands that a human should have.

That one arm alone was enough for mortals to call him a monster.

The so-called "fishermen" possess demigod-like power; they can be considered gods, but they can also be described as monsters.

"Zizzi-"

The blade struck the sturdy scales, sending countless sparks flying.

"Get down!!!"

Bray's sword still shattered the scales.

After shattering the scales, the sword continued its downward pressure with undiminished force.

Even this dull blade could cut through hard armor in Bray's hands.

Bray's sword did indeed pierce through Redip's arm armor, but unfortunately, he couldn't cleanly sever the thick arm.

What used to take less than half a second to cut in two now takes a second, or even longer.

This brief time difference is more than enough for a demigod.

Because of this extended time, Redip was able to fling Bray away before his arm was severed.

After adjusting his posture in mid-air, Bray landed smoothly.

"Crack—" The immense force forced Bray to plant his sword in the ground, using the friction to stop his backward movement.

He felt the numbness in the mouth of his hand and couldn't help but frown.