"Yeah, his heart’s stopped beating. Most of the blood in his body is gone, and all his vital signs are completely gone too."
Riezel spoke in a flat, emotionless voice, like a forensic examiner conducting an autopsy.
"King Hendrick is dead, no question about it. And he’s been dead for quite a while."
As soon as those words left Riezel’s mouth, another voice suddenly echoed through the throne room.
"You’re right. The current king is dead, and I only learned about it moments ago."
"So, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?"
"Youngster..."
Within the solemn throne room, an overwhelming pressure suddenly swept through the area like a raging storm, causing the already oppressive atmosphere to reach its peak in an instant.
"!!!"
As the invisible and overwhelming pressure spread throughout the throne room, Luna’s breathing halted as though she had been thrown into the depths of the ocean. Like a drowning person who had struggled for a long time without success and was on the verge of death, she collapsed on the spot.
For an ordinary person, facing such overwhelming pressure, it would not have been strange to be crushed mentally or even die on the spot.
"Luna!"
Lizbeth’s expression changed as she quickly caught the unconscious Luna in her arms.
"Hmm?"
Euryale, meanwhile, revealed a puzzled expression.
Even while standing within such overwhelming pressure, she remained as self-willed and carefree as ever.
Only Riezel’s eyes grew slightly colder.
Without saying a word, he slowly turned around and looked toward the direction from which the pressure was coming.
Over there, a figure had appeared in the throne room at some unknown point.
At first glance, he looked completely unremarkable.
If one ignored the overwhelming pressure filling the room, he would seem nothing more than a dying old man with one foot already in the grave.
He was incredibly aged, older than anyone Riezel had ever seen, with his hair having long since fallen out completely, not a single eyebrow remaining on his face, and countless wrinkles covering his skin to such an extent that the sight of him was truly shocking to behold.
Combined with his extremely plain and shabby clothing, anyone would have assumed he was an ancient elder on the verge of passing away at any moment—if not for the old longsword hanging at his waist and the sharp gleam shining within his eyes.
Naturally, that in itself was an astonishing thing.
At such an age, even the strongest swordsman should no longer have been capable of stepping onto a battlefield.
A swordsman was still human.
Even one who had reached the level of a Sword Saint would gradually grow weaker as age took its toll upon the body.
At least, that was true for the swordsmen of the Akasha Continent.
They were not like the adventurers of the world of DanMachi, who had received the blessing of the gods, where the higher their level, the stronger they became, and the closer they approached divinity.
As a result, the rate of aging slowed as their level increased, allowing them to remain in their prime for exceptionally long periods.
Finn was already over forty years old, yet he still looked like a young boy.
Gareth had long passed fifty, yet he remained as vigorous as ever. Not only could he compete with youngsters, but he was still someone they looked up to.
Of course, there was no need to mention a long-lived race like Riveria. Despite being nearly a hundred years old, she remained at the peak of her condition without showing even the slightest sign of aging.
Riezel would undoubtedly be the same in the future.
In fact, the spiritual physique granted by n and the fairy divine protection carried by would likely make his lifespan extraordinarily long. Even a thousand years from now, he would probably still be able to display the strength of his prime.
Needless to say, that was also why, despite spending nearly two years traveling through various worlds and approaching his twentieth birthday, Riezel still looked exactly the same as he had at seventeen.
In a sense, the Level 8 Riezel already belonged among the long-lived races.
For the next several hundred years, he would likely continue to look like a young man. If he wanted to enter middle age, he would probably need another one or two thousand years to pass, let alone old age.
And that was under the assumption that he never leveled up again.
If he continued to level up, his aging would likely become even slower, and his lifespan even longer.
Unfortunately, the swordsmen of the Akasha Continent were different.
They practiced swordsmanship by using the magical energy within their bodies to temper and strengthen their flesh, but sadly, it was merely a process of strengthening rather than evolution or transformation, meaning they still belonged to the category of ordinary mortals.
Unless they possessed an extraordinary bloodline like Lizbeth’s and had already begun to transcend the limits of humanity itself, they would still age like normal people, merely at a somewhat slower rate.
In this world, a swordsman’s physical potential was generally considered exhausted once they reached fifty years of age, causing their bodies to stop growing stronger.
Upon reaching sixty, they became genuine elders, and their bodies would enter the true stage of aging and gradually weaken.
At around seventy, most swordsmen could no longer resist the effects of age and would rapidly decline.
Hence, regardless of the country, the Sword Saints who remained active in public were generally between thirty and fifty years old. Once they passed fifty, they would usually retire or withdraw from public life and spend their remaining years in peace.
Nearly every Sword Saint Riezel had met followed that pattern.
Aside from the mysterious Ice Maiden and Leo from the Hidden Land, the others were all in their thirties or forties.
Meanwhile, the old man’s age before Riezel was likely greater than even Nibald, a grandmaster-level figure of the world of magic, and Ferras, the director of Spriller Academy.
At the very least, the old man had to be over eighty years old.
Yet this elderly swordsman had not only appeared unnoticed in the throne room, but was also releasing such terrifying pressure.
If that was not unbelievable, what was?
Among the people of Jinas, there truly was such an unbelievable swordsman.
He was the strongest Sword Saint in Jinas.
He was the most mysterious existence in Jinas.
He was also the oldest Sword Saint on the continent today.
Once the attendant of the king of Jinas from two generations ago, he had remained in the royal palace after that king’s passing and had successively served three kings.
He was one of the people most trusted by the royal family.
People called him the Old Sword Saint because, despite his advanced age, he remained as powerful as he had been in his prime.
Everyone knew that he rarely fought and seldom appeared in public, remaining within the royal palace year-round.
He was a great swordsman whom even Florent admitted was superior to himself.
He was also the backbone of Jinas.
He was—
"Redson Elieman."
Riezel spoke the old man’s name.
"Hm, that would be me."
Redson smiled and readily admitted it, his gentle attitude completely at odds with the terrifying pressure he was releasing, making him appear no different from a kind and approachable grandfather.
"You must be Riezel Brynhart, correct?" Redson carefully studied Riezel before letting out a sigh. "What a surprise... the last time I sensed you, you were still quite immature. Yet now, I can already feel a sense of danger coming from you."
Previously, Riezel had visited the royal treasury and had encountered Redson from afar while the latter remained in the hut stationed there.
No, they had not actually seen each other, but had merely sensed each other’s presence through the hut.
At that time, Riezel had already possessed the strength to compete with Sword Saints, but he had only been Level 6. A Level 6 Riezel was naturally more than capable of matching an ordinary Sword Saint equivalent to Level 7.
Compared to Redson, however, whose strength rivaled Level 8, he had been far inferior.
As such, Redson had every right to call the Riezel of that time immature.
But now, Riezel had already reached Level 8.
Not only was he at the same level as Redson, but his combat power had surpassed the old man entirely. Under such circumstances, it was only natural that Redson could feel a sense of danger from Riezel.
And yet, from the perspective of this world, only a few months had passed since Riezel entered the royal treasury.
In merely a few months, he had gone from a young and inexperienced Sword Saint to someone capable of threatening him.
No wonder Redson was surprised and sighed in amazement.
"To possess such potential at such a young age... unlike an old man like me, whose potential was exhausted long ago. It truly makes me envious."
Redson continued to sigh with emotion.
Riezel’s expression, however, did not change in the slightest.
He could not help it.
"Your Excellency speaks of envy, yet you’ve been releasing pressure this entire time—that seems rather insincere..." Riezel said calmly as he looked at Redson. "Also, what did you just say? You want me to give you an explanation? Exactly what do I need to explain to you?"
In the eyes of others, his attitude could be considered extremely impolite.
However, since the newcomer clearly harbored hostile intentions and had arrived in such an overbearing manner, he saw no reason to show him any courtesy.
Faced with such a response, Redson’s expression remained as gentle as ever.
"I have served the royal family for three generations, and the current king, Hendrick Jinas, is the third king I have served. In a sense, I watched him grow up."
Redson shifted his gaze toward Hendrick’s corpse upon the throne.
Even though his expression remained unchanged and his tone remained unchanged, the pressure radiating from him grew even stronger.
"Not long ago, His Majesty sent word to me. He said he had encountered trouble and had been targeted by an unknown individual. Moreover, his cognition had been altered, causing him to mistakenly identify his own daughter and make a fool of himself. Because of that, he offended Your Excellency and damaged the relationship between the two of you."
"Combined with Your Excellency’s actions against the next heir to the throne, His Majesty frankly admitted that he needed me to personally stand guard for him in case something happened."
"And now, something truly has happened. His Majesty has met with disaster, Prince Sorren has disappeared, and countless knights, servants, civil officials, and nobles have fallen along the path Your Excellency took to arrive here."
At this point, Redson looked at Riezel once more.
"Under such circumstances, should Your Excellency not give me an explanation?"
Hearing that, Riezel smiled.
"So, you’re suspecting me?"
In response, Redson simply asked a question of his own.
"Shouldn’t I?"
Clearly, Redson had no knowledge of everything Riezel had experienced after leaving Lizbeth’s residence.
Riezel had a strong feeling that someone was orchestrating all of this behind the scenes. Someone had deliberately created this situation and carefully arranged an opportunity for a conflict between him and Redson.
As for who was responsible, Riezel could already make a reasonable guess.
However...
"What if I refuse to explain?"
Riezel neither admitted nor denied anything, simply giving that calm response without the slightest intention of explaining himself.
"..."
Redson fell silent and narrowed his eyes as he locked gazes with Riezel, his stare becoming increasingly sharp.
Riezel met that gaze without fear, looking calm and composed, though his eyes remained slightly cold.
Just like that, the two simply stared at each other in silence.
Several seconds later...
Redson’s figure suddenly appeared directly in front of Riezel, and in the same instant, his right hand curved into a claw and shot toward Riezel’s throat with speed so extreme that even the speed of sound could not keep up, causing the sharp sound of air being torn apart to arrive only after the attack itself.
One moment, he had been standing elsewhere, and the next, he was already before Riezel, his hand less than five centimeters from Riezel’s neck.
At such a short distance, the movement was virtually indistinguishable from teleportation. It was certain that ordinary Sword Saints would have been unable to react to such speed. Even veteran Sword Saints would have struggled.
In fact, this speed was already comparable to, or perhaps even superior to, that of Allen.
For a moment, it seemed as though Redson had succeeded, his hand reaching Riezel’s throat with incredible speed—only for it to pass straight through as if nothing had been there at all.
"Hm?"
Redson froze briefly, then his expression changed.
"An afterimage?"
Indeed, the Riezel standing before him was nothing more than an afterimage left behind.
Riezel’s true body suddenly appeared behind Redson, a black sword radiating scorching heat and mysterious power already resting in his hand as he moved in for the strike.
Lightning crackled wildly across Riezel’s body.
Accompanied by a cold voice, he drew his sword at astonishing speed and unleashed a lightning-fast slash that arrived instantly amidst flashing lightning—its speed vastly exceeded what Redson had just displayed.
Redson’s face darkened.
In the next instant, he drew his sword as well, matching Riezel’s draw-slash speed without the slightest inferiority as he intercepted the lightning strike.
A loud metallic collision rang out as the shockwave generated by the clash of their weapons exploded outward in all directions.
"!!!"
Lizbeth and Euryale reacted simultaneously.
One carried Luna and rapidly retreated, avoiding the incoming shockwave, while the other leaped high into the air and instantly vanished from her position.
Only Riezel and Redson remained on the battlefield, and both had drawn their weapons.
Lightning surged wildly around one of them, while magical energy erupted from the other, cracking the floor beneath his feet.
Lightning and magical energy collided against one another, and a brief stalemate formed.
However, after only a few seconds, the lightning quickly gained the upper hand and overwhelmed the incoming magical energy.
A muffled explosion sounded.
Redson felt an overwhelmingly tyrannical force slam into him, sending his entire body flying backward.
"What?"
Apparently not expecting to be forced back in a direct clash, Redson finally widened his eyes.
In contrast, Riezel stood as steady as a mountain amidst the flashing lightning surrounding his body.
Calm and unshaken, his black sword slashed downward once more.
A lightning-shaped slash burst forth from the blade and shot toward Redson like a bolt of heavenly thunder.
Redson’s pupils shrank violently as he raised his sword to block.
An instant later, the lightning-shaped slash struck him directly.
Amid a thunderous explosion, Redson was blasted away and crashed into a nearby stone pillar, which shattered under the tremendous impact and collapsed on the spot, breaking into countless fragments.
A cloud of dust rose into the air, burying him beneath the rubble.
Riezel slowly sheathed his sword, looking as though he had merely dealt with a trivial opponent.
Relaxed.
Calm.
Unhurried.
No one knew that on this day, Jinas’s strongest Sword Saint—the Old Sword Saint, a figure revered throughout Jinas and held in the highest regard—had been effortlessly defeated by a new Sword Saint who had only become a Sword Saint this very year, and in only two strikes at that.