CHAPTER 1109: CHAPTER 825: WHAT IF I REFUSE TO GIVE YOU AN EXPLANATION?

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An invisible pressure filled the space between the kings, making Luna feel as if she were suffocating, as if she had been thrown into the depths of the ocean, struggling futilely like someone close to drowning, causing her to faint on the spot.

As an ordinary person, facing such overwhelming pressure, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if one were crushed to the point of collapse or even death on the spot.

"Luna!"

Liz’s expression changed as she quickly caught the fainting Luna.

"Hm?"

Yuloli showed a puzzled expression, still acting as usual despite the oppressive atmosphere.

Only Reiger’s eyes turned slightly cold, his face expressionless as he slowly turned around, looking toward the direction from which the pressure was coming.

There, a figure had appeared in the space between the kings without anyone noticing.

It was an old man who seemed completely unremarkable at first glance, and if one ignored the overwhelming sense of oppression, he appeared to be merely an elderly man on the brink of death.

The old man was advanced in age, older than anyone Reiger had ever seen, with all his hair gone, not a brow left, and a face lined with wrinkles that were shocking to behold. His attire was extremely simple and frugal, and if one ignored the outdated longsword at his waist and the shrewd gleam in his eyes, anyone would think this old man was an ancestor figure who might soon breathe his last.

This was a truly incredible sight.

Because, at such an age, even the strongest swordsman should have been unable to stand on the battlefield.

Swordsmen are human too, and even if they train to the level of a Sword Saint, as they age, their bodies gradually weaken due to aging.

At least, that is the case on the Arcadia Continent, unlike the adventurers of the Earth Mistake World, who have each received the blessings of the gods, making them grow slower in their aging and have particularly long peak periods as their levels increase and power strengthens.

Take Finn, who is over 40 years old yet still looks like a young boy.

And Grace, who has long surpassed 50, yet remains so vigorous and lively that he can rival young people and even make them look up to him.

Revilia, a being of a long-living race, need not even be mentioned; she’s nearly a century old and still in her prime, showing no signs of aging.

Reiger will undoubtedly be the same in the future, and perhaps due to his spiritual constitution brought by the [Sun Wheel Pioneer] and the great fairy’s blessing carried by the [Oath Stake], his lifespan will be extraordinarily prolonged, capable of displaying peak power for another millennium.

This explains why after traversing various worlds for nearly two years, with a true age nearing 20, Reiger still looks exactly as he did at 17.

In a sense, Reiger, already at Lv.8, is a long-lived kind, likely to retain his youthful appearance for centuries to come, possibly taking a millennium or two before reaching middle age, let alone old age.

This is assuming Reiger does not advance further.

If Reiger levels up again, the speed of his aging will likely slow even further, extending his lifespan.

However, the swordsmen of the Arcadia Continent are not like this.

They practice swordsmanship to train their bodies by utilizing the magic power within, making themselves stronger.

Unfortunately, they grow stronger but do not evolve, let alone transform.

They remain within the realm of ordinary humans unless, like Liz, they possess extraordinary bloodlines that faintly transcend the human race; otherwise, they will age like ordinary people, with only slight delays.

In this world, generally speaking, once swordsmen reach the age of 50, their bodies have exhausted their potential and cease to grow.

Upon reaching 60, they become genuinely elderly, their bodies entering a period of true aging, gradually weakening.

By around 70, swordsmen will find it impossible to stop their bodies from aging, rapidly growing weaker.

Therefore, in any country, most Sword Saints who are publicly active are between the ages of 30-50, and once they surpass 50, they choose to retire or withdraw from public life, enjoying their twilight years.

The Sword Saints Reiger has seen so far generally follow this principle, with few exceptions like the mysterious "Ice Maiden" or Leo from the Hidden Land; the rest are in their 30s or 40s.

Yet the age of the old man before them might be even higher than that of master figures in the magic realm such as Nipede or Felas, the principal of the Splir Academy, certainly over 80.

For such an elderly swordsman to not only appear in the space between the kings but to also exude such terrifying pressure—what else could it be but a miracle?

Yet this miraculous swordsman truly exists in the Kingdom of Ginas.

He is this country’s most powerful Sword Saint.

He is the country’s most mysterious figure.

He is also the oldest among all the Sword Saints currently on the continent, originally the attendant of the twice previous king of the Kingdom of Ginas. After his king’s passing, he remained in the royal palace, serving three successive kings, earning the highest trust and confidence of the royal family.

People refer to him as the Old Sword Saint, precisely because despite his advanced age, he remains as formidable as he was in his peak years.

People know that he seldom takes action, rarely even appearing in public, staying in the royal palace.