Chapter 38: Back View
What kind of confidence was needed to utter such arrogant words?
When Brandon heard what Joshua said, that was the thought flashing repeatedly through his mind—that was a Gold-rank Black Dragon corrupted by Chaos, a mission that even an ordinary Gold-rank squad wouldn't dare accept. What gave a warrior the right to speak such nonsense?
But after a brief moment of thought, the blonde swordsman suddenly realized with shock that what Joshua said wasn't actually wrong at all.
Indeed, no matter how much one thought, no matter how many conspiracies one uncovered, even if it was just to end this beast tide, they still needed to find and kill that Black Dragon—whether it was strong or not, whether it was corrupted by Chaos or not, in the end, they had to fight it.
So then, why bother thinking about reasons? Naturally, just pick up the weapon and charge!
Letting out a wry laugh, Brandon shook his head, feeling a bit speechless. Facing Joshua, he too experienced the discomfort Verdani had felt earlier due to differing thought processes... but unexpectedly, it wasn't bad.
So direct and straightforward—this was the attitude a family heir, bound by destiny to slay monsters and inherit the legacy of eliminating Chaos, should have. In the name of guardians, facing invading evil and Chaos, cowards have nowhere to hide; only the brave can win. As a warrior, one should naturally face the enemy head-on in battle.
And as for why Joshua dared to utter such arrogant words—naturally, it was because he was strong enough.
Compared to his predecessors, this man was unimaginably strong. Even saying "the disciple surpasses the master" was an understatement; it was like a kitten evolving into a fierce tiger, a Chihuahua transforming into a starving wolf. He didn't seem like a young heir at all.
As a descendant of a Legendary Mage, Brandon possessed excellent magical talent. He could easily perceive the movements of elements and mana, sensing their flow, which helped him feel the elements around the warrior before him.
Precisely because of this, the swordsman could clearly see that the elemental tides flowing all around would, upon approaching Joshua's side, become sluggish like mud, and the mana would also freeze, as if completely suppressed and repelled by the battle qi naturally emanating from his body.
Ordinary spells couldn't even hit his body; they would be directly nullified by the invisible barrier upon approach. Moreover, even if they did hit, it wouldn't matter. Brandon recalled the Black Dragon's breath—that level of elemental spray on the battlefield was a symbol of indestructibility, yet before Joshua, it became meaningless, only serving as a bath for him. Even enchanted steel armor melted, but it couldn't cause the slightest damage to that physique.
With just this body, the black-haired warrior could easily slay magical beasts of the same rank, without needing high-level techniques like battle qi.
And it wasn't just that. As a member of a guardian family tasked with watching over Chaos and resisting evil invasions, Brandon had the highest talent in his family for centuries. But even so, he couldn't perfectly control the Order Force within him. The power passed down to him by the Order Twin Blades had yet to be fully mastered by Brandon; he could only use it to increase his lethality against Chaos, completely unable to apply it in real combat.
But now, the blonde swordsman saw that this man, who had inherited the Chaos Warden's legacy less than half a month ago, was surrounded by an invisible pulse—it was the Order Force manifesting as a halo, empowering everyone around him.
Although this form of Order Force could only give others a slight boost against Chaos, regardless, seeing oneself so easily surpassed was always a heavy blow.
"Alright, I've roughly understood the situation."
Gently tapping the table, Joshua stood up with a relaxed expression. He said to Brandon, who was still sitting lost in thought, "I'll first go check the situation near the city walls. If I have time, I'll also scout around the Black Forest. If anything unexpected happens, I'll rush back to inform you."
Saying this, a slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he looked directly at the blonde swordsman. "After the Black Tide ends, if there's a chance, let's have a fight."
"It would be my honor."
Without any hesitation, Brandon agreed readily.
Even though he was shocked by the other's strength, he too was eager to try. A warrior never fears; the blood of combat flowed in his veins. The Gold-rank swordsman also grinned and said, "I look forward to that day."
Nodding, after speaking, Joshua turned around decisively and walked toward the door of the meeting room.
And the blonde swordsman watched his back, silently staring.
Brandon was hailed as the most talented person in the Kaos Family in centuries, destined to enter the Legendary realm. The reason he could become a swordsman in a mage family without any opposition naturally had its reasons.
And that reason was his eyes... the magic eyes that awakened after a near-death experience in his childhood, said to be able to see the beginning and end of all things.
Now, driven by combat instinct, facing Joshua's seemingly defenseless back, Brandon couldn't help but instinctively activate them.
A cyan vortex appeared, slowly rotating in his pupils, interweaving with the original red, turning into a violet color.
Instantly, everything before him became fragmented. Countless gaps and cracks covered all things. Brandon felt that if he drew his twin blades and struck along those gaps and cracks, he could easily destroy and kill any existence. Even the hardest cyan crystal would be easily torn apart and destroyed by his blade.
It was precisely with this ability that the swordsman dared to come alone to Moldavia. Even facing a tide of two hundred thousand frenzied beasts, he had the confidence to take Verdani and leave. Even if he had felt some fear before, it was only concern for the purple-haired countess's safety, not at all for his own.
But now...
Facing only Joshua's back, Brandon was astonished to find that he couldn't see any gaps or cracks at all—this surprising fact gave him a rare moment of... tension.
"There really aren't any..."
His red-and-blue mixed magic eyes swept over the black-haired man's entire body, but found few cracks. Only a few faint gaps moved quickly across the body, even disappearing, then reappearing.
Not a single obvious weak point. It was truly unbelievable that someone could achieve such a state.
Having long sensed that the other party seemed to be using some skill to probe him, Joshua showed no abnormality and let Brandon observe freely.
He had absolute confidence in his own power and body. Even if he showed it to you openly, you couldn't find any obvious flaws—that was the confidence of a former Legendary Warrior.
"As a warrior, you have truly reached the pinnacle."
A few seconds later, a leisurely voice of admiration came from behind.
Without speaking, Joshua raised his arm, waved it back at him, and then walked away directly.