"Is there anyone else?"
When this seemingly bland question echoed outside the Frenzel residence, amidst the crowd surging with anticipation, no one responded.
Whether it was the ordinary people there to witness the spectacle or the swordsmen who had been shouting earlier, they seemed to have had their breath taken away, frozen in shock.
Even the Frenzel family's knights, led by Ain and Ian, stood there dumbfounded, staring at Riezel, surrounded by crackling lightning, losing their voices.
Shock.
Awe.
Horror.
Fear.
A whirlwind of emotions surged through everyone present.
Someone murmured.
"No way..."
Someone shuddered.
"One strike..."
Someone's eyes widened.
"Marco... just lost...?"
Someone couldn't believe it.
At this moment, they doubted their own eyes and questioned what had just happened.
"Ugh... Agh..."
Only Marco, lying unconscious on the ground and groaning in pain, confirmed to everyone that what had just occurred was indeed real.
Marco was truly defeated, defeated thoroughly.
With just one strike, the heavily armored and long-renowned Tyrant was incapacitated, his armor shattered and blood gushing out in large quantities, leaving him unconscious.
People could only stand there, staring at the scene and looking at Riezel, unable to speak.
Soon, at a certain moment, a huge uproar broke out.
"Sword Saint!"
"Such strength has to be a Sword Saint, right?!"
"All those rumors were true! We really have a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint!"
"Heavens, it's all real..."
It was the ordinary people who reacted first, erupting in noisy excitement.
Soon after, the swordsmen and the people sent by various factions, who had been standing silently in shock, were awakened by the commotion. All their eyes reflected unprecedented awe and fear as they looked at Riezel.
Like them, Ain and Ian were in shock as well.
"Sword Saint..."
"Mr. Riezel is really a Sword Saint..."
The two of them were both surprised and thrilled, feeling as if they were dreaming.
As for the Frenzel family's knights, their gazes toward Riezel were now purely filled with reverence.
"Did you see that? Elder Sister Mediste!"
At the same time, a small figure hiding around the corner of the mansion, excitedly peeking over, began shouting.
"He is so amazing! So even a swordsman can be this powerful?"
Clearly, the small figure was none other than Isaac.
With all the commotion, he naturally noticed it and became curious, so he sneakily crept over and caught the impressive scene of Riezel instantly defeating Marco.
Mediste was right beside Isaac, having witnessed everything just like him, and her eyes sparkled as she watched Riezel standing there.
Everyone was making a racket, turning the entire Frenzel residence into a chaotic bazaar.
Riezel, the source of all this chaos, frowned.
"Quiet."
Riezel's voice was cold and wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
In that instant, everyone fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
"Next."
Riezel's voice regained its earlier calm.
In truth, he wasn't concerned nor did he care about the reactions of these people. He was only interested in who would be next for his excelia source.
Unfortunately, this time, no one stepped forward.
Those who had questioned him or looked down on him, and even those who were envious and jealous of him, all lowered their heads in unison.
At the same time, the people sent by various factions to gather information wished they could hide, looking as if they were afraid of being discovered by Riezel.
It was clear how much awe they felt toward Riezel at this moment.
Of course, not everyone felt this way.
Some swordsmen who originally came seeking to challenge strong opponents looked at Riezel with eyes that sparkled and shone.
However, the next person to step forward wasn't one of them.
"A bunch of cowards, if you all won't go, then I will!"
A gloomy and cold figure emerged from the crowd.
He wasn't as burly as Marco and was even somewhat thin, but his long arms and the long sword at his waist, at least 1.9 meters in length, gave him a unique look.
Seeing him, many immediately recognized his identity.
"It's Alder Bray!"
"Seriously? Even the Long Arms Alder is here?"
"He's kinda like the Tyrant, right? Got wrecked by Albert Borley a while back?"
"Yeah, he lost like a year ago and still hasn't reclaimed the Sword Master Medal."
Many swordsmen began chattering, exposing the background of this menacing swordsman.
'Lost to Albert Borley a year ago?' Riezel glanced at the newcomer.
Although Alder had indeed lost to Albert, he was clearly more powerful than Marco.
After all, Albert, who had grown stronger with age, would continue to improve.
Marco had lost four years ago when Albert was still twenty-three years old, while Alder had lost a year ago when Albert was twenty-six.
At twenty-three, when Albert defeated Marco, he was probably just a slightly stronger Sword Master, not the invincible Sword Master he was now.
Meanwhile, by twenty-six, when Albert defeated Alder, he was likely close to his current strength.
Needless to say, Alder's ability to fight against such an Albert indicated that his strength surpassed Marco's.
In fact, the Transparent World revealed that Alder's strength was indeed greater than Marco's.
"I'm Alder Bray."
Alder looked coldly at Riezel as he introduced himself.
"You're strong, I admit that..." Alder continued. "But to say you defeated Albert Borley in one strike? I still don't believe it."
He wasn't trying to praise Albert, but he simply couldn't accept that the heir of the famous family of Sword Saints, whom he had dreamed of defeating to clear his own shame, had been taken down so easily by a seventeen-year-old.
Since his defeat by Albert and losing the Sword Master Medal, he had seen Albert as his rival.
Over the past year, he had endured humiliation and hardship, constantly honing his swordsmanship and pushing himself to become stronger, all in hopes of one day defeating Albert and crushing him underfoot.
Now, to learn that the formidable rival he had long sought to defeat had been instantly taken down by a random young man who had been unknown until recently?
He obviously couldn't accept it.
Riezel, however, didn't say much in response.
"In that case, let's see your real skill in action." Riezel said calmly, his expression unchanged. "Draw your sword."
Upon hearing this, Alder quickly drew his sword, its blade glowing with magical energy. He stared intently at Riezel as his mind sneered coldly.
"Come on, attack me..." Alder said with confidence. "Let's see how I break your swordsmanship."
Even though he wasn't sure if he could defeat Riezel, he was confident that Riezel wouldn't be able to breach his defenses.
It wasn't without reason he thought this way.
After all, the swordsmanship he practiced specifically focused on enhancing defense and excelling in counterattacks. He could even confidently say that his defensive ability far exceeded that of an average swordsman at his level.
Even Albert couldn't breach his defenses within a hundred moves, being repeatedly forced back. If it hadn't been for his defense weakening over time, Albert wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
Over the past year, he had learned from this and had intensely trained to extend his endurance in prolonged battles.
Now, he was no longer the same person he had been a year ago. He was confident that if he faced Albert again, he would not suffer the same defeat as last time.
Riezel's earlier attack on Marco was indeed astonishing, even changing his expression, as he couldn't see it or react in time.
However, it didn't matter since he didn't need to react to the attack in the first place. He only needed to set up a defensive perimeter around himself to block the incoming attack.
In his eyes, Riezel's astonishing attack was as unsustainable as his own defenses had once been. Once the attack faltered, he would be able to counter and secure victory.
'Heh, if you can't even block a single strike from this boy, and I manage to block it and defeat him, your face will definitely be a sight to behold, Albert...'
As Alder thought of Albert, the knight who had defeated him a year ago and ruthlessly taken his Sword Master Medal despite his furious glare, a surge of hatred welled up within him.
He was already looking forward to seeing Albert's expression when they met again.
Unfortunately, what Alder didn't know was that, in Riezel's eyes, his swordsmanship, defenses, and counters were practically nothing.
*BOOM!*
A thunder-like sound suddenly erupted from Riezel's body, bathing him in crackling lightning once more.
"?!"
Alder finally snapped out of his daze, his face turning pale.
He wanted to swing his sword, to set up the defense he was so proud of, but regrettably, the defense he had high hopes for couldn't even keep up with Riezel's afterimage, much less block his attack.
*BOOM!*
A lightning bolt flashed by with a thunderous roar, streaking past Alder.
*Whoosh—!*
*Pu-chi!*
Before Alder could lift his sword, he was hit in the chest by a lightning-fast slash, a burst of blood erupting from his front.
Riezel's slash was so fast that the intense pain was only felt by Alder a few seconds later.
'No... No!'
*Thud!*
Alder wanted to scream and shout, but unfortunately, he lost all his strength and fell heavily to the ground, unconscious like Marco.
*Click!*
Just like before, Riezel calmly sheathed his sword.
Even though the sound of the blade sliding into the scabbard was very faint, it echoed clearly in everyone's ears during that moment, like the drop of a pin in a quiet room.
*Gulp!*
Someone in the crowd swallowed loudly, the sound distinctly audible.
Riezel didn't spare a glance at the defeated swordsman behind him, his eyes, blazing like torches, swept over everyone present.
"Next."
He was already anticipating who would come forward next and become his excelia.
"..."
Unfortunately, this time, the crowd of swordsmen looked at each other in silence, completely at a loss for words.
Yes.
Unlike before, no one dared to step up this time.
Even those who had originally been full of fighting intent now showed signs of hesitation.