Chapter 241: 241 Come on, next one
"Who else wants to come forward?"
When this plain sentence rang out across the entire, bustling estate of the Franzel Family, no one at the scene responded.
Whether it was the commoners there for the spectacle or the swordsmen who had been taunting earlier, at that moment, it was as if someone had choked them, and even their breathing seemed to stop.
Even the knights of the Franzel Family, led by Ai En and Ian, now stood frozen, staring at Reiger, who was enveloped in flashes of lightning, speechless.
Shock.
Awe.
Horror.
Fear.
All these emotions surged in the hearts of everyone present at that moment.
"Was I... dreaming just now?"
Someone murmured so.
"It can’t be..."
Someone trembled so.
"A single strike..."
Someone exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Did that ’Tyrant’ just... lose...?"
Someone disbelieved.
They doubted everything their eyes had seen, wondering what exactly had happened just then.
"Ooh... ah..."
Only Marco, lying on the ground, unconsciously groaning in pain, told everyone that what had just happened was real.
He had lost.
With just one strike, this heavily armored, long-renowned "Tyrant" had been struck, not only shattering his armor but also spilling a large amount of blood, causing him to lose consciousness.
People could only, dumbfounded, watch all this and stare at Reiger in silence.
Then, at some moment, a huge uproar finally erupted.
"Sword Saint!"
"Is this definitely a Sword Saint?"
"The rumors are true! We truly have a 17-year-old Sword Saint among us!"
"God, all this is actually real..."
The commoners were the first to react, raising a din.
Following that, the swordsmen and representatives from various factions, who had been standing dazed for quite some time, were awakened by this commotion, looking at Reiger with unprecedented fear in their eyes.
Even Ai En and Ian were utterly shocked.
"A Sword Saint..."
"Mr. Reiger is actually a Sword Saint...!"
The two were both surprised and delighted, feeling as though they were dreaming.
As for the knights of the Franzel Family, their eyes were now filled with adoration as they looked at Reiger.
"Did you see that, Sister Mistis?"
Meanwhile, a small figure, who had been hiding at the corner of the estate wall and peeking at the scene, exclaimed excitedly.
"That bad guy is so powerful! Can a swordsman really be that strong!?"
It was Isu who exclaimed, having followed from the Franzel Family estate.
With all the commotion here, Isu could not have missed it nor could he contain his curiosity, so he had sneaked over and just happened to witness an impressive scene.
Mistis was right by Isu’s side, having also witnessed everything, looking at the standing Reiger with her eyes full of wonder.
And so, the people made noise and chattered, turning the entire Franzel estate into a marketplace.
But as the source of all this noise, Reiger frowned.
"Quiet."
He spoke coldly.
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone’s ears.
Everyone immediately fell silent again, not even daring to breathe.
Reiger’s voice then returned to its initial calm.
"Come on, who’s next?"
He did not care about the reactions of these people, but he was interested in who his next challenger would be.
However, this time, no one stepped forward.
The people who had previously doubted Reiger, those who scorned Reiger, and even those who envied him, all simultaneously bowed their heads at this moment.
Those sent to gather information wished they could hide themselves, appearing very afraid of being noticed by Reiger.
You can imagine how much awe they felt towards Reiger at that time.
Of course, not everyone was like this.
Some swordsmen, who had come specifically to challenge a strong opponent, now looked at Reiger with eyes that literally shone and sparkled.
However, the next person to step forward was not one of them.
"A bunch of cowards, if you are too scared, then I’ll go!"
A person with a gloomy face and a very cold demeanor darted out from the crowd.
He wasn’t as burly as Marco, rather thin in fact, but he had unusually long arms and wore a long sword at his waist, measuring at least a meter and nine, which looked somewhat exotic.
But upon seeing this person, many immediately recognized his identity.
"It’s Old Bre!"
"Even ’Long-Armed Old’ has come?"
"This seems like ’Tyrant’, he was also defeated by Albert Bolei, wasn’t he?"
"And he was defeated just a year ago, and still hasn’t retrieved the True Knight Medal."
Several swordsmen then started chattering, revealing all the details about this gloomy swordsman.
"The man who lost to Albert Bolei a year ago?"
Reiger looked towards the other party.
Both were defeats, but Old Bre was obviously more capable than Marco.
After all, Albert was definitely getting stronger as he aged, and the opponents he challenged were getting ever stronger.
Marco was defeated four years ago when Albert was only 23 years old.
Old Bre was defeated a year ago when Albert was already 26 years old.
At 23, Albert was just a seasoned Knight, not yet the invincible figure below the Sword Saint as he is now.
But Albert at 26, was not far from his current state.
Old Bre’s ability to fight against such an Albert obviously exceeded Marco.
In fact, reports fed back from the world also told Reiger that this man contained more power than Marco did.
"I am Old Bre," Old Bre looked at Reiger coldly and said, "You are strong, I admit that, but I do not believe you could defeat Albert Bolei in one strike."
Old Bre was not praising Albert, but he was unwilling to believe that the heir of the Sword Saint Family he dreamed of defeating to revenge his previous disgrace was so easily killed instantly by a 17-year-old kid.
Since his defeat to Albert, having lost the True Knight Medal, Old Bre had considered Albert as his enemy.
To defeat Albert, Old Bre had endured humiliation, constantly trained his sword skills, desperately becoming stronger, all in hopes of defeating that man one day and trampling him underfoot.
Under such circumstances, to now be told that his archenemy, whom he had despised and hated, had been instantly killed by a previously unknown little figure?
He couldn’t accept it.
Reiger, however, did not comment much.
"Then let’s see the truth beneath our feet," Reiger said indifferently: "Draw your sword."
Old Bre did not hold back, immediately drawing his sword, a glow of Magic Power surging around him.
He stared intently at Reiger, a cold smirk in his heart.
"Come on, attack me, and see me break your sword technique."
Whether he could defeat Reiger, Old Bre did not know.
But he was confident that Reiger’s attacks would not break through his defense.
The sword technique he practiced was specifically geared to strengthen defense, skilled in counter-attacking, he dared not brag, but the strength of this defense was definitely far beyond that of ordinary swordsmen of the same level.
Even Albert could not breach his defense in a hundred moves, and time and again was forced back; if not for Old Bre’s defense being unsustainable, it would have been impossible for Albert to defeat him.
Over the year, Old Bre had learned his lesson, greatly honing his body and extending his stamina for prolonged battle.
Thus, now he was not the same as he was a year ago.
Old Bre was confident that if he faced Albert again, this time he would not face defeat as before.
Reiger’s recent strike was indeed shocking, and even Old Bre was taken aback by it, completely unable to see or react, but he didn’t need to react, just needed to set up a defense around himself to block the incoming slash.
And such a shocking slash, in Old Bre’s view, was definitely unsustainable like his own had been.
When Reiger’s stamina faltered, he would be able to counterattack and secure victory.
Then...
"The face of the person who couldn’t block a single strike, but was blocked and defeated by me, will surely look good, won’t it?"
Old Bre thought of Albert, thought of that knight who had knocked him to the ground a year ago, ignoring his furious gaze, mercilessly taking away his True Knight Medal, and suddenly his hatred burgeoned.
He was somewhat looking forward to seeing Albert’s face when they met.
Old Bre did not realize that in Reiger’s eyes, he was as good as non-existent.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion erupted from Reiger’s body, bathing him once again in thunder and lightning.
"...!"
Old Bre finally snapped out of his reverie, his expression drastically changing.
He tried to swing his sword, to set up the defense he was so proud of.
But the defense he had high hopes for couldn’t even keep up with Reiger’s afterimage.
A flash of lightning passed by, along with the sound of thunder, streaking past Old Bre.
"Puchi!"
Old Bre couldn’t even lift his sword in time, and under the divine speed of a single slash, was struck squarely in the chest, his chest erupting in a spray of blood.
The agony began to register in Old Bre only seconds later.
"No... impossible...!"
He wanted to scream, to shout, but ultimately lost all strength, collapsing heavily to the ground, unconscious just like Marco.
"Click..."
Reiger once again sheathed his sword, the sound of the blade entering the scabbard was very faint, yet at this moment, it echoed clearly in everyone’s ears like the dropping of a pin.
"Gulp..."
Someone swallowed audibly, the sound similarly clear and distinct.
Reiger no longer glanced at the defeated behind him, his gaze piercing as he scanned over everyone present.
"Next."
He was already anticipating who would be the next to step forward.
Unfortunately, this time, the swordsmen looked at each other, exchanging glances for a while but eventually fell completely silent.
Indeed.
This time, truly no one dared to step forward.
Even those who were originally full of fighting spirit now harbored feelings of retreat.