"H-Hiih!! Get the f*ck away from me!!" shrieked a white-haired, female Veshari with silver eyes, firing two small black crescents her pursuer's way.

She then quickly turned and continued running deeper into the Somber Swamp, utilizing her fast and nimble legs in hopes of throwing Otsuna off.

Swampwater splashed everywhere as two sets of legs raced through it, and the occasional cracking sound of mangrove roots whenever they were stepped on echoed from time to time.

There were initially fifteen of them who instantly ganged up on the female human A-ranker the moment Halphar lost.

No, it was more accurate to say that Ahfa and the other thirteen did, while she…

Otsuna had run straight for her, as though it was she who had killed the accursed human's mother.

What ended up happening instead was the fourteen trying to help her.

They were naturally able to wound Otsuna with so many of them, but the demoness was like a soulbound nightmare, targeting her and only her.

Those who attempted to protect her were cut down, while the attackers seemed useless, somehow only able to deal damage but not finish off the A-ranker human, despite having attacked for an eternity.

At least that's what Akri felt.

After a chaotic ten-minute chase, only she remained, as the others had already abandoned her, realizing they would only get themselves killed if they continued trying to help her.

They instead took the chance to flee farther from the demoness.

Even Ahfa, whom she had known for quite a while, had left, taking the logical route.

This was simply how the Veshari's minds worked.

Logic and sensible decisions always overpowered bonds, and not because they wanted to, but because of deeply ingrained biological instincts.

This was why Akri didn't blame Ahfa. She even thought what he did was correct, since there was no stopping the demoness, Otsuna.

The only one Akri blamed was herself and her mouth.

Had she not called this mad b*tch a b*tch, then perhaps she wouldn't have death on her tail like this.

She had thought of surrendering and allowing herself to be killed many times just to end the unpleasant experience of being hunted down in her own lands.

However, if she were to lose a life, anyway, why not try to continue escaping?

Maybe she would get lucky and somehow escape…

This was once again the framework of the Veshari mind at work, giving her the will and energy to continue fleeing.

But stamina wasn't their strong point.

Akri knew all too well she would gas out first.

'Someone…someone…' she prayed inwardly, sweating coldly and breathing heavily as a spinning, gray cross slash shot her way.

"Hiih!"

She jumped in an attempt to avoid the sword projectile, but she wasn't Otsuna. Her entire left foot was cut off.

"AAArgh!" she shrieked in agony, falling on her knees and sending swampwater splashing everywhere.

The amount of pain one would feel in the Myriad Sword Realm was drastically lower than the equivalent one would feel in their worlds, but having one's entire foot cut off still hurt like hell—similar to a deep flesh wound.

"NO!! DON'T KILL ME!!" Akri begged, turning, closing her eyes, and angling her weapon in front of her as if her desperate block would do her any good.

To her surprise, she felt nothing, and the surroundings fell silent after one last splash around two meters to her front.

Akri slowly opened her eyes, spotting the demoness simply standing while glaring at her.

"I won't kill you, but in exchange, you have to do something," Daru said, narrowing his eyes. "You're going to continuously say 'I won't call anyone a b*tch anymore' for two hours while kneeling. Remember, you're not allowed to look around, only straight ahead. I'll be watching from a distance. If you dare stop early and try to escape, I'll chase you again and kill you, understood?"

The white-haired female Veshari froze and then shuddered.

"W…hat?" she couldn't help but ask, doubting what she heard.

"I said…"

Daru repeated the "punishment" with the same amount of seriousness in his voice. Only then did Akri realize: the demoness wasn't messing around.

'What the hell is this childish crap?!' were the thoughts in her mind.

Unfortunately, she could only follow Otsuna's instructions, or she would lose a life. The longer she kept herself alive, the better her chances of escaping.

So, although a bit awkward and fearful, she began to kneel.

Daru nodded. "Now, recite the words."

"I…w-will not call anyone a b*tch anymore…"

"Good. One more time."

"I will not call anyone a b*tch anymore…"

"Louder."

"I will not call anyone a b*tch anymore!!"

Satisfied, Daru left, leaving Akri to her devices. He naturally wouldn't waste time here.

He just said he would be watching from a distance to scare Akri, as his mother did to him when he was young.

What he didn't expect was that it would be so effective that the female Veshari truly learned her lesson that day, continuously saying she wouldn't call anyone a b*tch anymore for two straight hours.

Daru would've been pleased to see her so diligent.

Unfortunately, he had left long ago to hunt Swordspawns.

***

**

Neo-Earth.

Inside a small, secure, and luxurious meeting room.

Fourteen people—three of them under thirty, nine ranging from their early thirties to late fifties, and two having attained the status of senior citizen—huddled around a massive table, sitting with stern expressions in their allocated seats.

"PDD, have you confirmed your watchers' reports?" asked an old man with long, white hair, the sternest of gazes, and a body way too well-built for someone his age.

"Yes, your excellency, Aurelius! I've confirmed with my own eyes that Onimaru Kunitsuna has indeed earned a total of twenty-three warmedals as of this moment, leaving Gram, Chi Xiao, Sigrun, and Durandal in the dust, with all the other SSS-rankers earning only eight, seven, seven, and six, respectively!"

The entire room of high-ranking people from the world government fell silent, the same thoughts swirling in their minds.

However, only Aurelius had the authority to decide what to do next.

The old man stared at the wall.

Aurelius was deep in thought, pondering whether this was the correct time to go all out.

A moment later, his gaze sharpened.

"Fine then, raise discovering Onimaru Kunitsuna's identity to P1. Spare no expense in winning him over. Be as respectful as you would be towards me, and don't ask him too much about how he managed to escape the database. We must win his trust first, understood?!"

"Yes, your excellency!" responded the other high-ranking people inside the meeting room.

However, just a moment later, one of the three youngsters in the room— a bespectacled, pink-haired woman — raised her hands.

She spoke with not a hint of hesitation in her voice, which was the reason why she was in this room in the first place:

"Your excellency, pardon my insolence, but wouldn't this strain our relationship with the Seven Sword Guilds further? They would probably say we're abusing our power to secure a talented bladeborn for ourselves."

"Hmph!" snorted Aurelius in response. "So be it. I believe this is the right time for us to move. Otherwise, the greed of those guilds would be the end of our race."

When would they even get another deal as good as this?

From how they were surviving on another continent, it was evident that Onimaru Kunitsuna was someone who could go toe-to-toe with the four SSS-rankers of this generation, perhaps even stand at the forefront of the batch.

In addition to this, from the mysterious bladeborn's unexpected victory in the duel event —against a Vyrrkan, at that — the government could already tell they were a once-in-a-millennium talent.

Gram, Chi Xiao, Sigrun, and Durandal had long been secured by the Seven Sword Guilds.

This was why Onimaru Kunitsuna was their hope.

For the first time, they, the world government, would have the advantage in securing such a talent.

A smile as sweet as honey appeared on the face of the pink-haired young woman the next moment.

"Understood, then, your excellency Aurelius. I shall carry out my part well."

No one doubted her. They all know she would, even if she didn't try.

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