Riezel, unfortunately, did not know the conversation happening in Bessare's training field.
Still not fully understanding his own situation, Riezel only knew that he had been caught up in some anomaly, and this anomaly was no accident but something that had been intentionally set up, as proven by the appearance of the strange, black-robed figures without hearts in front of him, their faces completely hidden, making it impossible to see their features.
"I see... you guys are the culprits, huh?"
Riezel clearly didn't hold any fondness for these black-robed figures since all he felt was pure hostility, so he immediately discarded any thoughts of teleporting away and turned around, facing them.
At the same time, as the black-robed figures stared back at Riezel, the air around them seemed to vibrate slightly.
"...Target confirmed."
"...Subject is Riezel Brynhart."
"...Confirmation is accurate."
"...Begin to execute."
In the next moment, like silenced bullets, the black-robed figures suddenly moved, slicing through the air without a sound, heading straight for Riezel.
One had to admit, their ghost-like movement technique was truly terrifying since there were no preliminary movements, no warning signs, so even if one had been prepared, the suddenness of their movement could easily throw one off balance, or even worse, one might not even have time to react.
Luckily, Riezel was not one of them.
Had it been the old him, he might have been caught off guard by such a strange movement, but ever since he had learned 'Fast Attack', his reflexes and reaction abilities had improved significantly, so he was no longer worried about failing to react to such movement.
Ultimately, when the black-robed figures rushed at him in complete silence, Riezel, at the same time, became a flash of lightning.
"Thunder Breathing - First Form - Thunderclap and Flash."
Muttering these words, a lightning slash erupted as Riezel cut toward the first black-robed figure charging at him.
Earlier, in the forest, Riezel had also used 'Thunderclap and Flash' to attack the attackers who had tried to kidnap Lizbeth, but back then, it had felt like striking a tough hide, sending them flying without causing any real damage.
However, this time would be different.
*Pu-chi!*
In the next second, the sound of flesh tearing rang out as the lightning slash smoothly cleaved through the chest of the black-robed figure, causing blood to burst from his chest.
Different from the sword he had created casually earlier with 'Create Greater Item', this time, Riezel was using his true weapon, Hermit. In the world of Danmachi, it was considered first-class equipment, while in Overlord, it was classified as a divine-class item, and in Demon Slayer, it was regarded as a divine sword.
With the high heat concentrated in Hermit's blade, which could easily cut through steel and melt metal, even though it hadn't had much effect against the armor worn by Raven, against these black-robed figures with bodies as tough as cowhide, it finally revealed its true sharpness.
"?!!!"
As blood spurted from his chest, it seemed that the situation had caught the black-robed figure by surprise, as his movements froze for a moment before he began to retreat without hesitation.
Unfortunately for him, Riezel wasn't planning to let him escape.
"Open Wounds!"
As soon as Riezel chanted this magic, the black-robed figure who had pulled back suddenly felt the wound on his chest tear open again, spraying an even greater amount of blood.
What Riezel used was a magic spell that caused its target's wound to worsen, making the black-robed figure suffer even more damage, delivering a fatal blow on the spot.
Riezel wanted to continue the chase, but he was stopped by several other black-robed figures.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
In the roaring wind, several black-robed figures who had somehow appeared behind Riezel, on his side, and beneath him swung their claw-like daggers that carried strange, chilling energy, as their black slashes of light tore through the air, aiming for Riezel.
"Greater Teleportation!"
Riezel, with his form vanished from the spot, had no choice but to give up the chase and use teleportation magic to change his position, making the slashes all miss.
In the next second, Riezel appeared near the ceiling, looking down at the black-robed figures below him.
"Who exactly are you?" Riezel asked, his voice exceptionally cold.
Of course, this question was obviously not going to get an answer.
However, the black-robed figures seemed to be reorganizing themselves and did not ignore Riezel like Lizbeth's kidnappers had before.
"Riezel Brynhart..."
One of the black-robed figures spoke.
"You're the youngest Sword Saint in history, now the most famous genius, but you're very unlucky."
Hearing this, Riezel narrowed his eyes, saying nothing.
Seeing Riezel stay silent, the black-robed figure continued.
"You should have had a bright future. In ten or twenty years, you could've been the strongest Sword Saint on this continent with your potential, but—"
Before the black-robed figure finished speaking, another one picked up where they left off.
"—unfortunately, you came to Mavros Territory and got involved in things you shouldn't have."
As soon as this black-robed figure finished, another one continued.
"You will be a hindrance to our great cause, so you can only die here."
As the three black-robed figures took turns finishing the sentence, the badly injured one shakily rose and regrouped with them. Even though his wounds hadn't healed, it seemed like he didn't feel any pain as he let their blood continue to flow.
"I don't know who you guys are, but you sure talk big. Still, if you're that confident, I guess I can give you a chance."
Saying this, Riezel raised the sword in his hand, pointing it at the four black-robed figures.
"But just so you know, if you guys can't make me stay, I'm really gonna mess up that so-called great cause of yours."
"When that happens, you weirdos will find it much harder to hide in the shadows and cause trouble."
"Of course, that includes the ones backing you up too."
Riezel's words made the black-robed figures release a noticeable murderous aura, but as they released their murderous aura, instead of charging at Riezel, they surprisingly retreated, quickly rushing in the opposite direction of the trembling cave.
"Running away?"
Riezel furrowed his brows, instinctively preparing to chase after them.
*Buzz—* *Buzz—* *Buzz—*
Just then, a familiar sharp buzzing sound suddenly came again.
Countless beetle monsters flew from all directions, completely ignoring the black-robed figures who passed through them since their eyes were locked on Riezel alone as they swarmed toward him.
"Greater Teleportation!"
Riezel immediately used teleportation magic, releasing a burst of magical energy to teleport away from the dense swarm of insects.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
As the black-robed figures just happened to charge out of the swarm, preparing to rush to the other side of the cave, they collided directly with the teleported Riezel, who met them with a brutal slash.
However, Riezel didn't unleash a lightning bolt this time but used a massive crescent-shaped wind blade.
"Moon Breathing - Eighth Form - Moon-Dragon Ringtail!"
As the rhythm of his breathing shifted smoothly, Riezel used Moon Breathing instead of Thunder Breathing, unleashing a massive long-ranged curved slash that left dozens of crescent moon blades, fast enough to sweep through everything in front of him as they shot toward the black-robed figures flying his way.
*BOOM!*
Needless to say, the black-robed figures never expected Riezel to suddenly appear in front of them and unleash a massive, long-ranged curved slash, which caused them to be blasted away collectively.
"Moon Breathing - Ninth Form - Waning Moonswaths!"
Riezel, showing no mercy, relentlessly performed curved slashes at the black-robed figures who were blasted away—his slashes sent numerous interlacing crescent moon blades, blocking their escape routes while pounding toward them.
""?!!!""
Seeing Riezel's exaggerated attack, the black-robed figures finally reacted, their bodies drifting back and forth, light as feathers, seemingly unaffected by gravity as they soared freely through the air, desperately dodging the incoming crescent moon blades.
*BOOM!**BOOM!**BOOM!**BOOM!*
In an instant, the curved slashes, along with the crescent moon blades Riezel unleashed, landed one after another in the trembling cavern, either hitting the ground, walls, or sometimes even the ceiling, creating a series of deafening roars.
If it were any ordinary cavern, such an attack would have caused it to collapse and explode by now. However, this was clearly not just any cavern but was inside the body of a creature that resembled one.
As a result, instead of shattering the ground, walls, or ceiling, Riezel's slashes left the areas struck by the slashes a bloody, mangled mess as if he were scraping off a layer of skin from a massive creature.
*Rumble—*
In the next moment, the cave started to tremble, making the black-robed figures react.
"...Not good."
"...Lord Holy Beast is injured."
"...It's just a flesh wound, but if Lord Holy Beast gets angry, we might have to die to atone for it."
"...We must quickly deal with the target or Lord Holy Beast might suffer more harm."
As always, the black-robed figures vibrated the air as they communicated through a method only their kind could understand, quickly reaching a consensus and resuming their actions.
In the next second, they soared into the air, retracting their claw-like daggers before pulling out chains.
'What are those chains?'
Riezel noticed the chains and immediately became cautious because he sensed a cold, ominous energy from them, making him instinctively wary.
Ignoring Riezel's caution, the black-robed figures hurled the chains toward him, and immediately, as if alive, the chains began to move on their own, transforming into steel-like serpents that spiraled, trying to wrap around him.
"Moon Breathing - Fourteenth Form - Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon!"
Riezel retaliated on the spot, swinging his sword and releasing a multitude of curved slashes that expanded outward in every direction before incrementally growing in size, creating an omnidirectional vortex of crescent moon blades that surrounded him.
*BOOM!*
In an instant, as Riezel's curved slashes, along with the crescent moon blades, hit the chains, they caused a loud roar, but unfortunately, they failed to stop the chains from advancing.
One after another, the chains passed through the crescent moon blades and sped toward Riezel before finally wrapping around his body.