"I already gave him a chance. Forgiveness is the Goddess’s responsibility. My job is simply to send him to meet her."

Phield waved his hand dismissively.

"But..."

Riemann opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He didn’t want to offend Phield, yet he couldn’t just stand by and let Miku die.

In the end, he turned toward the two Divine Chosen and signaled them with his eyes.

"That’s enough! Stop!"

Marianne understood immediately.

She pushed off the deck with the tips of her feet and shot forward like an arrow.

Streams of azure seawater surged into existence, swirling around her slender hand before condensing into a deep blue spear that radiated overwhelming pressure as it thrust toward Phield.

She wasn’t moving particularly fast, but if he refused to retreat, the spear would undoubtedly pierce straight through him.

"Wings of Sacred Embrace!"

Tisiana showed no fear despite facing a Tier Three Divine Chosen.

She immediately prepared for battle.

They were still within the borders of their own territory.

Not only was she empowered by the Domain’s blessing, but their own troops could reinforce them at any moment.

There was absolutely nothing to fear.

Even if they couldn’t win, she could always carry her lord away with her wings.

"Tisiana, stand down. Leave this to me."

Phield’s eyes narrowed as he spoke calmly.

"If I don’t show these despicable outsiders what a Sword Saint is capable of today, they’ll start looking down on me."

"They actually dare threaten me and insult the dignity of the Empire."

A country with only two provinces didn’t have many true powerhouses.

He had nothing to fear.

He had treated these loudmouths with restraint, yet instead of appreciating it, they had only become more arrogant.

"Rosalia, it’s your turn."

The next moment, Phield completely relaxed his body and allowed Rosalia to take control through their blood connection.

Seeing that Phield made no attempt to dodge, Marianne assumed he had frozen in fear.

Then she suddenly sensed the overwhelming aura erupting from him.

Her eyelids twitched.

That feeling again... That inexplicable killing intent.

Clang!

Twisting his body, Phield smoothly unsheathed the greatsword and firmly blocked her spear.

With a flick of his wrist, he swung the massive blade in a devastating arc.

The howling wind alone was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

"What?"

Marianne cried out in shock.

Although she had deliberately held back, her attack was still far beyond what an ordinary person could block.

Even an ordinary knight shouldn’t have been able to stop it.

What shocked her even more was his counterattack.

The slash carried such terrifying killing intent that even she was forced to become serious.

"Don’t think you can intimidate me."

She gritted her teeth.

"I refuse to believe you’re actually a Tier Six Knight."

Without hesitation, she charged forward again.

A Divine Chosen was generally capable of defeating opponents two tiers above their own level.

Only a Tier Six Knight should have been able to overcome her.

But Phield was far too young.

There was no way he could truly be a Tier Six Knight.

The Divine Artifacts collided.

Violent shockwaves exploded outward.

Nearby tables and chairs were instantly shredded apart.

Even the polished wooden deck cracked beneath their feet.

"Holy shit! He actually blocked a Divine Chosen’s attack! That’s impossible!"

The spectators were completely dumbfounded.

"Am I still dreaming?"

"He must’ve used some kind of treasure that temporarily boosts combat power. The price is probably enormous."

"That makes sense. Besides, Lady Marianne hasn’t even activated her Divine Skill yet."

"They’re probably both holding back. Destroying the ship won’t benefit anyone."

The crowd discussed the battle excitedly.

However, the way they looked at Phield had noticeably changed.

Fear had replaced amusement.

"No! Please don’t destroy my ship!"

Riemann rolled his eyes so hard he nearly fainted.

Unable to care about anything else anymore, he hurriedly shouted,

"Miss Shelley! Hurry and help! Uh... don’t make things worse. Try to stop them from fighting! If this battleship is destroyed, the Governor will hang me from the flagpole!"

"Alright, alright. I’ll help."

Shelley unleashed her Divine Power.

A pair of gorgeous twin blades materialized in her hands as she rushed forward to attack Phield alongside Marianne.

Seeing her lord surrounded, Firomina became so anxious that she spun around helplessly, constantly urging Tisiana to help.

Even Tisiana could barely hold herself back any longer.

Phield simply turned toward them with a relaxed smile.

After all, he wasn’t the one actually fighting.

Rosalia was controlling his body, and handling two opponents at once was effortless for her.

Meanwhile, he could quietly observe and learn from her swordsmanship.

It was relaxing and educational at the same time.

"No need."

"It’s just a minor problem."

With those words, Phield drew the Divine Artifact rapier from his waist.

A greatsword in one hand.

A rapier in the other.

Two completely different streams of sword light intertwined like dancing fireflies, dazzling everyone watching.

He suppressed both Marianne and Shelley simultaneously.

Fortunately, Rosalia was merely controlling his body.

Had she been fighting in person, the two women probably wouldn’t have survived even ten exchanges before being cut down.

"I heard before that he was a Sword Saint."

The spectators had already retreated far away.

"Damn. He’s actually a real Sword Saint."

"This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a man holding off two Divine Chosen at once."

"He’s unbelievably strong."

"He’s a complete monster."

"Why am I so unlucky? I didn’t even do anything."

Looking at the devastated deck, Riemann silently shed two streams of tears.

The average person couldn’t tell what was happening.

But Marianne was inwardly growing more alarmed.

He definitely has a hidden Divine Chosen.

She had traveled to many countries alongside the navy and had seen countless kinds of Divine Chosen.

Some possessed the ability to possess others or manipulate puppets.

The one fighting her right now was unquestionably a Divine Chosen.

"Marianne, use your Divine Skill! We’re specialists in naval warfare. Fighting on land puts us at too much of a disadvantage!"

Shelley couldn’t bear the embarrassment any longer and shouted.

"Fine!"

Marianne nodded.

"I want to see whether you can withstand two Divine Skills at once."

The two women leaped backward simultaneously and began gathering Divine Power.

"You’re far too slow."

Before Marianne could react, Phield vanished.

Like a ghost, he appeared directly behind her with his greatsword raised high.

A tidal wave of Divine Power erupted from the blade.

It was unmistakably the sign of a Divine Skill being activated.

Terrifying killing intent flooded the battlefield.

It was Endless Severance gathering power.

"Everyone, stop at once!"

"If this attack lands, a Divine Chosen may very well die, and that won’t help our exploration."

Feeling the horrifying power gathering in the air, a woman clad in heavy armor pushed through the crowd and shouted,

"Tier Three Divine Skill, Declaration of Peace!"

An invisible, gentle force spread across the battlefield like ripples over calm water.

"Huh?"

Phield heard Rosalia’s surprised voice beside his ear.

The Divine Skill she had just finished charging was interrupted all by itself.

"The Divine Skill was canceled, but none of the Divine Power was wasted, and there aren’t any side effects."

Rosalia sounded genuinely puzzled.

"That certainly lives up to its name."

Phield nodded thoughtfully.

"It must be some kind of anti-casting ability."

The armored warrior stepped forward with imposing dignity.

"We are allies right now."

"Taking lives here is not something a noble knight should do."

"Her Divine Power is much stronger than those two naval Divine Chosen just now, but she’s still weaker than I am."

Rosalia spoke softly.

"If I wanted to kill her, I would still have a chance."

Before Phield could answer,

Whoosh.

Riemann dropped to his knees and slid across the deck, wrapping both arms around Phield’s leg.

With tears and snot streaming down his face, he pleaded,

"Big Brother, can we please stop fighting? I’ll report every one of Miku’s crimes to the Navy Governor as soon as I get back."

"I promise to compensate you with fifty thousand gold coins, or goods of equal value."

"Please... just stop smashing my ship."