"Damn it! Why does this have to happen to me! Can’t I even take a peaceful vacation or something!? "

  Monroe instinctively reached for his waist, only to feel nothing but air.

  He suddenly slapped his forehead.

  "Crap...... I pawned my sword!"

  He glanced around, quickly locking eyes on a nearby figure.

  Whoosh!

  A gust of wind blew past.

  "Buddy, lend me your sword!"

  Whoosh!

  "???"

  An adventurer-looking man stared around in confusion, seeing nothing.

  "Who was that just now? Wait......"

  "Where’s my sword?! "

  "Damn it! Which bastard stole my sword?! "

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh......

  On the streets of Haelinx, Monroe’s figure flickered at extreme speed. Every armed man he saw wreaking havoc was knocked down with a single strike.

  "Where the hell did these guys come from? I thought this was the capital of one of the four most powerful nations! Why is there such chaos in the capital?! Damn it, I wonder if anyone’s gonna pay me for all this......"

  Boom——!

  Just then, a terrifying storm suddenly erupted in the distant urban area.

  "Hmm? That’s——"

  Monroe skidded to a halt, gazing toward the source of the magical storm.

  "This doesn’t look good......"

  "No, scratch that—it’s way worse than not good! If this keeps up, the whole city’s gonna be destroyed! Ugh——! Damn it——"

  Whoosh!

  In the next moment, Monroe’s figure vanished at high speed.

  "After this is over, I’m definitely gonna demand overtime pay from the big shots of this country!!!"

  ......

  "......"

  Tanoklian studied Monroe carefully, trying to discern something about him.

  After a moment, he seemed to realize something. His eyes darkened slightly, and he said in a grim voice:

  "Disciple of the South Sea Sword Saint?"

  "Oh~! Nice eye! Now that you know who I am, this’ll be easy——"

  Monroe’s tone sounded casual, as if he didn’t care about the people in front of him at all.

  "So~, are you gonna stop all this and leave, or should I join in......" His tone suddenly turned serious, "and have a little duel with you guys?"

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  "......"

  "Just to warn you—once my Sword Saint clan draws our swords, someone’s gonna fall."

  A threat......

  An unapologetic threat from Monroe.

  Yet in the face of this threat, Tanoklian hesitated.

  The situation was too delicate. Monroe’s sudden intrusion had forced their once-advantageous position into a stalemate—and that wasn’t all......

  That sword strike earlier......

  Tanoklian recalled the terrifying slash. Even he had felt an intense sense of danger at that moment.

  A Rank A disciple of the Sword Saint was far from an ordinary Rank A. He was likely at the top tier of Rank A. If they insisted on continuing the fight, even Tanoklian himself would struggle to defeat Monroe.

  "Well? No answer? Or are you——"

  Monroe raised his sword, assuming a swinging posture.

  "Choosing to stay silent and accept?"

  In an instant, the members of the Great Demon Mercenary Corps went on high alert, staring at him warily.

  "......"

  Tanoklian frowned tightly, but after a moment of thought, his brows relaxed.

  "Monroe, no need for such a stance——"

  In an instant, Monroe’s gaze sharpened, and a sword-like killing intent swept across the entire scene.

  "Try me!"

  "......Don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of fighting you. I just want to remind you—this is Haelinx’s urban area. Do you know how many people live in this city? Are you sure you want to disregard the lives of so many people?"

  "......"

  Monroe’s killing intent faded. He gave Tanoklian a deep look.

  "You...... are really cunning."

  "Hehe, I’ll take that as a compliment."

  "Hmph, a compliment? Such a disgusting attitude. But do you think I’ll be threatened by your words!"

  Seeing that Monroe still seemed ready to fight,

  Sylvia quickly shouted:

  "Please wait a moment! Lord Monroe, thank you sincerely for your help, but Haelinx simply cannot withstand a battle between us."

  Monroe glanced at Sylvia and the others,

  then slowly lowered his sword.

  "Fine......"

  He turned back to Tanoklian.

  "I won’t attack you, but you must stop all this immediately and leave! Otherwise, it won’t be a matter of whether I want to fight or not."

  "......"

  Tanoklian stared at Monroe, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

  With this powerful figure—who could turn the tide of the battle—interfering, could they really win?

  "Hmph! Are you joking——! "

  Just as Tanoklian was thinking, Sargas suddenly roared.

  "Everything I’ve done has led to today—to avenge myself against this man! How could I stop because of some random guy who popped out of nowhere——!!!"

  "Oh, so you want to test my sword?"

  Monroe said calmly.

  "Lord Monroe,"

  at that moment, Leonagnus spoke up,

  "thank you for your assistance. But this man is an opponent I must defeat personally. Even if the Great Demon Mercenary Corps retreats, I will not let him go. So please, leave him to me."

  "Ha——! Exactly what I want! I won’t let you get away either! Today, I will reclaim the throne of the Golden Lion Tribe!"

  As everyone fell into a stalemate, Leonagnus and Sargas—once brothers—both bore the will to kill each other.

  "Heh~! Interesting——"

  Tanoklian laughed.

  "Since we can’t fight and we can’t retreat, why not let them decide here who will be the king of the Golden Lion Tribe?"

  "Hmph! Are you joking!" Sandor shouted angrily. "How could we tolerate that man trampling on the Federation’s rules!"

  "Sandor......"

  Leonagnus stopped him.

  "He’s right. This is an internal matter of the Golden Lion Tribe, so it should be resolved internally. Please don’t interfere."

  "Leonagnus!"

  "Two people fighting...... is far better than a free-for-all, isn’t it?"

  "That......"

  Sandor was left speechless.

  For them, Haelinx was their weakness. They had no control over whether the battle continued—only the enemy could decide to fight or leave.

  "Hehe, truly worthy of Leonagnus. This makes things much easier for us."

  Tanoklian raised his hand and waved it toward the rear.

  "All units, retreat."

  The members of the Great Demon Mercenary Corps began to pull back.

  Only Sargas remained in place.

  Leonagnus looked around.

  "You should retreat too."

  "Leonagnus......"

  Sylvia wanted to say something,

  but Leonagnus gave her a reassuring look.

  "Don’t worry. I won’t lose to him."

  "......Very well."

  The Federation’s army also retreated.

  Only Leonagnus stood in the center.

  The two armies faced each other from a great distance, leaving a large area in the middle for the two men.

  Leonagnus looked up at Monroe, who was still standing on the rooftop.

  "Rest assured, I won’t disturb your duel......"

  Monroe simply sat cross-legged on the rooftop.

  "I’ll stay here. If anyone dares to interfere——"

  His gaze flickered faintly toward the Great Demon Mercenary Corps.

  "I’ll let them regret it."

  Leonagnus nodded slightly at Monroe.

  "Thank you, Lord."

  Then he raised his head, looking at Sargas.

  "Are you ready?"

  "Yes. I’ve waited long enough. Let’s begin......"

  Boom——!

  After a moment of calm,

  two powerful magical auras erupted once again in Haelinx’s urban area, colliding fiercely with each other.

  ......