"Arthur Graves, quietly hand me the sword in your hand and I'll give you a quick death!"
"Son of a bitch Arthur, stop trying to resist, all these warriors have come here today to finish you off, you're surrounded on all sides, this time you'll definitely be beheaded!"
"Arthur Graves, you fucking bitch, you went and killed thousands of people just for your own gain, you've committed so many unforgivable, heinous sins!"
Arthur Graves, dressed in tattered crimson robes, his hair dishevelled and covered in blood, looked around.
His bloody robes waved gently in the mountain wind like a battle flag.
Fresh blood flowed from the countless wounds on his body. Arthur Graves had only been standing there for a short time before a great pool of blood pooled beneath his feet.
Enemies were all around him, there was no way out, he would die here.
Arthur Graves understood his situation very well, but although he was facing death, his expression did not change, he was calm.
His gaze was calm, his eyes were like deep puddles in a well, so deep that there seemed to be no end.
Arthur Graves was surrounded by experienced enemies, some of them mocked him, others stood back a little, waiting for his next move.
This tense moment lasted exactly 7 hours.After 7 hours, Arthur Graves, who was silent like a statue, slowly turned his body.
The attackers retreated a little for the next assault.
Arthur's face was pale from the loss of so much blood, and in the last glow of the sunset, he suddenly had a bright shine on him.
Looking up at the setting sun, Arthur Graves laughed lightly. "Ahh, the sun is beautiful, beautiful like hair in the morning and like snow at night, whether you succeed or fail, when you look back there is nothing left."
As he said this, memories of his past days flashed before his eyes.
In the beginning he was a man who could not even wield a sword. He started using a sword at the age of 10 and mastered his skills within 10 years, then spent another 27 years. 47 years of his life flew by in the blink of an eye.
"So it's about time, eh?" Arthur Graves heaved an emotional sigh, but there was no regret.
But he knew that one day he would face something like this - being an enemy of the world, yet having to face the consequences.
"I've just left the ashes of what's left of me, if my ashes get anywhere, in my next life I, Arthur Graves, will still be the best swordsman!" At this thought, Arthur Graves couldn't help but let out a big laugh.
"Damned demon, what are you laughing at?"
"Watch out everyone, he'll attack at any moment!"
In an instant, the attackers took the first step and ended Arthur Graves' life together.
...
The spring rain was falling silently on the village of Maoda.
It was midnight, there was a light breeze and a light rain.
However, the village of Maoda was not covered with darkness, the sun illuminated the village with small shafts of light.
The village of Maoda was a big village and it was a sheltered place.
In the centre of the village, everyone was gathered in the square, a sword tournament was being organised among the youth.
"Everyone gathered here today, watch well! We will find the talented ones among our youth and take them under our patronage! The village headman was a middle-aged man, dressed in a white robe, looking proudly at everyone.
Behind him, there were many others like him, dressed in black ceremonial robes, and they were all elders of the clan, important members and those who had a lot of authority.
After the announcement was over, all the people retreated to their homes.
"Time passes so quickly, a year goes by in the blink of an eye."
"The previous tournament seems like it happened yesterday, I still remember it vividly."
"Tomorrow is the opening of the grand tournament, I wonder which new knights will emerge this year?"
"Ah, I hope they choose someone with talent, the Graves Clan hasn't seen a genius emerge in four years."
Drake Morgan of the Lewhard clan was one of the most well-known names among the candidates, Drake Morgan had superior sword skills than his brothers, so the clan always gave him priority.
Everyone was talking about Arthur at the same time, Arthur had lost his parents when he was still a child, even his relatives could hardly accept him.
"It's a pity that Arthur's parents died early."
"Yes, but I've heard he has good sword skills even at his age."
The Graves clan was the last of the four great clans to be created, and the head of the Graves clan was passing by and overheard the two talking about Arthur.
As head of the clan, it was natural to pay attention to the outstanding and prominent young men. And it so happened that Arthur Graves was the most conspicuous of the young men.
"If this boy has good potential, with great care, he can even compete with Drake, and even if we don't know his potential yet, in the future he may become the flag of the Graves clan." The head of the Graves clan listened to this speech, smiled and went on his way.
The clan leader returned home and coughed and said: "Everyone, it's late, you should all get a good night's rest and watch your energy levels for tomorrow's opening ceremony."
At his words, everyone got ready for bed. They had to rest well and re-energise themselves for tomorrow's tournament. This was especially true for Arthur Graves.
"When you compete, do it fairly and honestly, cheating and conspiracy are not allowed, please keep that in mind!"
"We'll bear that in mind."
"Good night then."
Soon the corridor was quiet, the wind from the spring rain was blowing in and the clan head walked gently to the window.
He immediately breathed in the fresh air, how refreshing it was.
Although it was late at night, most of the houses had their lights on, which was unusual.
Just then, a pair of clear eyes were silently looking at the same lights shining in the darkness of the night, harbouring complex emotions.
"Is this the old village of Maoda?! It seems my ashes have reached somewhere..." Arthur Graves stared in silence, standing by the window and letting the wind-driven rain hit his body.
"This really does sound like a dream!"
But the truth was, it certainly wasn't a dream...