"There is no need to underestimate yourself Gretel, in my opinion you are outstanding enough."
An elegant male voice came from behind the two of them. Gretel turned around and saw the man slowly walking down from the deck holding his sword.
"Senior Leidenhal, you haven't slept at this late hour?" The man who saw Gretel did not choose to sit down at the stairs like them, but leaned elegantly on the edge of the ship, snuggling up to The girl next to the hero smiled and greeted him.
"It's not so much that I haven't slept, it's better to say that I just woke up. After all, it was planned from the beginning that I would keep vigil today. But you, Senise, don't plan to rest for a while at this time?"
"Gretel said he was thinking about something, and I happened to be not tired so I wanted to accompany him." Senis explained this way.
"The blessing I received from the Street of Yagami means that I will never feel tired from now on. The blessing erased the nightmares that haunted me in a sense, but the memories buried deep in my heart disappeared. It becomes clearer and clearer as time goes by. In fact, Senis, you also know that I had already lost the right to dream back then, so I was just reminiscing about the past that was not perfect in my opinion."
"In the past...?"
The two looked at each other speechlessly, but Leidenhaar took over the topic with a chuckle.
"Speaking of the past, I have a question for Gretel. Why did you draw your sword at that time?"
"The me at that time..." The young man wanted to say that he drew his sword to fight for the world, but when his memory traced back to the starting point of everything, he found that he did not think so at that time.
As a child chosen by God, he vowed to fulfill his duty as a brave man and drew his sword. As a result, he gave up many things and also gained many things, without any regrets. Since his life is worthy of pride, even if the result is destruction, he does not need to start over.
"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight." That was the answer he gave. As a brave man, he chose to bear the crown and was also proud of his identity.
"So, what now?"
Facing Ledenhaar's probing gaze, Gretel gave his answer with his own eyes.
A brave man needs a reason to draw his sword, because he is not just fighting for pride. The story of the brave man is the legend of the Watcher. It is not because he has shouldered a mission to defeat the Demon King, but because he originally wanted to do so.
"So, nothing is eternal. Just take one step forward and the world has changed. You know, Gretel, you are very happy because you know why you fight. At least at this point, you are better than Jue Most people have to be excellent." Leidenhal's eyes wandered to the young man, and then he smiled.
"Then why did Senior Leidenhal draw his sword?"
"In order to repay..."
They talked a lot that night. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be that a close senior gave a lecture and made the young man who was a brave man let go of the past.
However, the night will eventually usher in dawn, and when the unsinkable ship is anchored, the two stop talking.
The ship anchored on the quiet sea and did not reach the shore, but the ferryman said that the trip had reached its destination.
"If it's not the end, then the checkpoint guard should be in front." Upon noticing that the ship was docked, all the friends woke up one after another, looking at the still silent and dark sea on the deck, and an inexplicable fear arose spontaneously.
"Did you foresee anything this time?" Looking at everyone's solemn expressions, the sleepy Senis rushed to the brave man holding the staff and asked slightly worriedly.
"No..." The heterochromatic eyes glowed crimson and sapphire blue in the darkness. Staring at the palm of his hand, Gretel shook his head in confusion.
"Normally speaking, the [Protection of the Realm Eye] should give me feedback at this time, but this time I have been waiting for so long, but I have not received any images related to the prophecy."
Smelling a smell of sulfur from the air on the sea level, Leidenhal frowned alertly: "It's a bit weird."
"[The Protection of the Photographic Eye] has always been used during dangerous times. Maybe this time we are just too vigilant." Midlin, who was holding the bow, put away her "Eagle Eye", even though she has the widest field of vision. She didn't notice anything unusual around her.
"I can't guarantee it." Gretel said, pulling out the holy sword from behind and standing at the front of the crowd.
"Alva, give me and Adam a divine blessing. Let the two of us explore the path first."
Despite being fully prepared, the group did not notice even the slightest abnormality except for the aura surrounding them until they entered the water.
But that feeling was like the calm before the storm, but it gave them a more complex and unspeakable sense of crisis.
The "Lake Fairy's Blessing" gives them the ability to walk on the sea, and the "God's Blessing Word Spirit" allows them to not be afraid of the curse for a certain period of time. Just like this, they walk on the black and silent sea. The brave man and his companions step by step Walk to the depths.
The sense of crisis was correct. After the group walked nearly five hundred meters, at the end of their field of vision, a fire as dazzling as the sun rose from the distant sea level.
And the firelight spread from the center to the surroundings one after another, completely lighting up the dark world in just a few breaths.
Initially, Gretel thought that the fire that illuminated the surroundings was something similar to the bonfire in the dungeon maze. However, when he took a closer look, it turned out to be a magic sword burning with fire. The fire was always there. That's where the sword is.
Such flaming swords can be found everywhere, just like the tombs of fire chasers, the final tombs of the dead, covering the entire sea area.
And in it, an externalized god-man closed his eyes tightly and sat cross-legged for a long time on the calm sea. If it weren't for the fact that it was so different from the surrounding magic swords, everyone wouldn't even be able to detect where that guy was.
A hundred meters behind him, a ladder gradually rose. There was no doubt that it was the ladder leading to the ninth floor, and waiting here was the final gatekeeper.
"Then the truth ends. This is the last road. It has nothing to do with choice, life or death. Step forward and cross me!"
"Could it be that...!?" Feeling the powerful intimidation from the opponent's sight, Leidenhaar's eyes showed surprise.
"——Meama of Dragon Flame!"
Known as "Levent of the Storm," the old man who was also the Dharma King revealed the identity of the visitor at a glance.
"Fire King?" Upon hearing this title, Timifia, the Shenxianxia Xinryu Sword King named after "Mortal Saints Living Together" showed a trace of disdain on her lips.
"We have three king-level people here. Even if the opponent is also one of the great powers, there is no way he can be our opponent."
"Then let's fight quickly!"
