In this world, gods represented the highest level of strength. They were at the top of the pyramid, with long lifespans and overwhelming power.
However, there were other beings comparable to them.
Irregulars.
Unlike gods, they left the established framework and took an uncharted path, surpassing the limit of mortals as mortals.
They did not become gods, but their power was at the same level.
Only three Irregulars were known to be alive in the current world, and any of them could fight a god easily.
But among the three of them, one of them was on a whole another level.
The greatest warrior, the strongest human, the peak beyond the peak.
Sword Absolute, Bart.
And now, that man had appeared in front of Bloed.
With a muddy but strangely piercing gaze, he stared at the seven gods and swung his sword.
Then, the seven gods were cut into two.
Bloed's eyes opened wide in astonishment.
Even with his enhanced eyes, he failed to see when the sword was swung. In fact, nobody here, including the seven gods, saw the old man's sword.
It was so fast that it was impossible to avoid.
[Bart!]
[How dare you!]
The gods bellowed in rage. They retreated as their severed bodies joined together, their gazes fixed on the old man.
[Is it a declaration of war?] The Death Goddess asked threateningly.
The old man's muddy gaze moved towards her.
"That is my question. Is this a declaration of war? You have violated the treaty."
The gods fell silent.
The Gods Treaty.
It was a pact made between the gods and Irregulars to keep the order of the world.
One of the points of that treaty was that gods were forbidden to use their power against mortals.
Of course, that treaty was not that strict. It was not uncommon for the gods to violate the treaty. As long as nobody learned of their actions, nobody would care.
But this time, it was different.
Sevens gods had appeared here, and they had taken action against Bloed's group to get the Heart of the Forest.
Obviously, the gods knew that they had violated the treaty, but they tacitly ignored it.
However, now that the Sword Absolute appeared, they were in an awkward position.
[... It was not our intention to violate the treaty.] The Sun God was the first to show his stance. [Don't worry, we don't plan to start a war.]
[Yes, we know the limits.] The Night God nodded.
"I understand." The old man nodded. "Leave then. I won't pursue the matter anymore."
The gods frowned.
[We can leave, however, they must give us the Heart.] The Ice God pointed to Bloed's group.
Bloed and the girls became nervous. However, Bloed was aware of their situation. Now that things had come to this, he was ready to give them the Heart.
But to his surprise, the old man shook his head.
"No. The Heart stays with him."
The expressions of the Gods changed.
[Old man, what is the meaning of this!?] The Sun God growled. [Do you really want to oppose us!?]
"It looks like you don't understand yet. The seven of you are going to leave right now, and the Heart will stay. Of course, you can refuse, however, you will have to convince my sword.
The Sun God's expression became ugly.
The other gods frowned. They looked at each other, considering if they should join hands to fight the old man.
The old man noticed it, but he did not care.
In fact, judging by the soft droning of his sword, he seemed quite eager to fight them.
It was as though he was confident of not losing even if he fought the seven of them.
The situation remained in a stalemate. The seven gods stood in the air, and the old man stood in front of Bloed's group.
None of the spoke, however, their auras were increasing every second. It seemed like a fight was going to break out at any time.
But when it seemed that a battle was unavoidable, the seven gods retracted their auras.
[Old sword, you should know how important that Heart is to us.] The Death Goddess spoke. [We can't give it up even if you appear.]
"I know."
[However, we don't want to fight you either, so we will make a compromise. How about this, we will leave, however, we will send our people for the Heart, and you are not allowed to interfere.]
The old man furrowed his brows. He hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
"Okay, however, I have another condition. No demigod can participate. In exchange, the silver-haired lady won't interfere either. Do you agree to it, boy?" The old man looked at Bloed.
Bloed was startled, but he quickly nodded after glancing at Regina.
"Yes, we don't mind."
The old man nodded and looked at the gods.
"Do you agree?"
The gods looked at each other before nodding.
[We agree.] The Ice God said.
In the next instant, the Ice God's figure disappeared.
Next, the other gods disappeared one after another. Finally, only the God of Slaughter remained.
He looked at Bloed's group with a gaze of interest before chuckling and disappearing as well, leaving only Bloed's group and the old man behind.
When the seven gods left, Bloed and the girls sighed in relief.
Liu Ying collapsed sprawled on the ground immediately, and Eres and Elwha sat down with tired expressions.
"Fuck, I thought we were history this time." Liu Ying cursed in a low voice.
Bloed and the others smiled bitterly. They had close shaves with death before, but this was the closest one by far.
To think that seven gods used their true bodies to appear. They had underestimated the value of the Heart of the Forest.
'If the Sword Absolute doesn't appear, we would have died.'
Bloed sighed and looked at the old man.
"Thank you, you saved us there."
The old man did not reply and just stared at him.
When Bloed started to feel uncomfortable, the old man chuckled.
"You are an interesting boy. Now I understand why the Lady of Fate and the Lady of Moonlight were interested in you."
Bloed was stunned.
The old man smiled.
"Nice to meet you. I am the Sword Absolute, and I was sent here by the Goddess of Fate."
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