Chapter 110: The Sword

"Lord Ashburn has won!" A Titan exclaimed excitedly next to Muria. Though the outcome had been anticipated, witnessing it firsthand was still different.

Unlike the Sword Saint, who lay motionless in the dirt, Titan Ashburn had reverted to his true form, a towering figure over 180 meters tall wrapped in golden lightning and storm winds, exuding a divine and majestic aura.

However, a noticeable sword mark marred Ashburn's otherwise imposing and flawless Titan body—a white scar stretching from his left shoulder to the right side of his abdomen, with silver-white sword energy still lingering around it.

"This human is quite capable, managing to leave a mark on Lord Ashburn," a Celestial Offspring commented with a teasing tone. Such a scar was negligible for a human, let alone for a Titan.

It's well known that even a Golden-level Titan can regenerate limbs; the regenerative abilities of a legendary Titan made the white mark seem almost laughable.

No one spared a glance at the Sword Saint lying on the ground. He was a legend born from a lowly race, now a defeated one, naturally beneath the notice of Titans or Celestial Offspring.

The title "First Sword Saint of Humanity" previously attributed to him now seemed more like a mockery, an unspoken jeer.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss... The dense sound of cutting air filled the atmosphere as Titan Ashburn expelled the residual silver-white sword energy from his body, slicing through the sky and leaving deep, bottomless holes in several damaged mountains.

And that was it. The Sword Saint Ron's final strike had not injured him.

Legendary Titan Ashburn grasped his greatsword, which had also returned to its original size, and strode over to where the Sword Saint had fallen. With a gesture, he picked up the human.

Looking up at the sky, the muscular Titan with a face as sharp as a carved statue called out, "Lord Ulysses, may I visit the Eternal Island of the Elves?"

There was no verbal response, but a spatial vortex formed next to Ashburn, rapidly expanding to about two hundred meters across, emitting tremendous fluctuations.

Through this spatial vortex, Muria glimpsed an endless forest and towering ancient trees intertwined with vibrant life energy, their leaves like sculpted jade. Beneath these trees, Muria could also see a city, a unique Elven tree city.

As the portal appeared, the Elves on the other side seemed to notice this side's scene too, seeing the legendary Titan with a greatsword enveloped in storm and thunder ready to cross over.

Muria's keen eyesight allowed him to observe the Elven city, where elegant music and graceful singing had echoed. In an instant, the city fell deathly silent, all inhabitants and benign creatures staring back, their expressions not looking too pleased.

"Elves, place this human into the heart of the Eternal Life Tree," Ashburn commanded as he stepped through the portal.

At his words, Muria noticed the Elves' expressions turn even grimmer, with some fair-faced Elves' features darkening noticeably.

"Lord Ashburn!" A golden-haired Elf riding a silver-winged Pegasus flew up, his face marked by displeasure as he looked at Ashburn holding the motionless Ron, "The treaties we Elves have with your Titans contain no clause obligating us to heal a lowly human."

"Watch your words, Elf," Ashburn's eyes, golden as the sun, fixed on the protesting Elf, "This human has earned my recognition."

"My apologies, Lord," the silver-haired Elf said, surprised as he glanced at the ordinary-looking Sword Saint, but remained firm, "Even recognized by you, he is still a human, not a Titan, as per the treaty..."

"Give him my share, then. I will no longer use the Eternal Life Tree," Ashburn stepped fully through the spatial portal, leaving the domain controlled by the epic Titan Ulysses.

"This..."

Muria didn't hear the final reply as the spatial portal disappeared, leaving behind the ravaged landscape.

"Did you hear that? That human earned Lord Ashburn's recognition."

"We heard it, no need to repeat."

"Didn't you see?" a Titan pondered, hesitating slightly before speaking, "At the moment of the last sword strike, Lord Ashburn unleashed his power, lifting all suppressions, returning to his Titan form."

"That means the human faced Lord Ashburn at his peak in that final strike."

"Not at his peak; after returning to his true form, Ashburn did not attack; that final sword was struck while still suppressing his power."

"Even so, that human was still gravely injured, nearly perishing."

"So, Lord Ashburn still won."

"No, it can't be considered that way," Silvester said, frowning, "A human's physique can't compare with a Titan's; a sword strike of that magnitude is negligible for Ashburn but unbearable for a human."

"So, should it be considered a draw?" Mikaela asked, also frowning.

"A draw?" Many Titans exchanged glances, several younger Titans displaying dissatisfaction,

"How could it be a draw?" a Titan growled.

"Muria, why would it be a draw? Lord Ashburn is unscathed," Gerard looked steadily at Muria, his eyes full of disagreement, "I don't accept this outcome."

"This battle was merely Lord Ashburn suppressing his strength; if he had fought in earnest, that human wouldn't even qualify to fight him," a Golden-level Titan chimed in impatiently.

"Enough," the soul pinnacle Titan Atreyan addressed the younger Titans, "Lord Ashburn has recognized the Sword Saint's swordsmanship."

"If we're only considering swordsmanship, it can be judged a draw," another soul pinnacle Titan surveyed the Golden-level Titan youths, "In my perception, the human Sword Saint's strike was no weaker than Lord Ashburn's."

"I agree," nodded another Titan, "Based solely on swordsmanship, it can be considered a draw."

"It's a pity that the Sword Saint is hindered by his inferior human bloodline."

"Such a sword, easily borne by you Titans, is unbearable for the Sword Saint," a Celestial Offspring shook their head, lamenting Ron's fate.

"..." The younger Titans, including Gerard, having heard the soul pinnacle Titans and Celestial Offspring agree on a draw, bowed their heads and fell silent.

"Right," Muria pondered the words of the soul pinnacle Titans, feeling a shift in space and time. When he looked up again, everything had changed.

The familiar spirit, the bright sky, the white tiger lazily sunbathing on the rooftop, and the resounding dragon roars nearby. Muria was startled; he had been sent back, undoubtedly by Lord Ulysses.

"How do you feel?" As always, Cassio was the first to appear before Muria after his return.

"My head, it's a bit dizzy," Muria massaged his throbbing head, overwhelmed by the scale of legendary power, which was far beyond his understanding.

Watching the battle between the Sword Saint and the legendary Titan had been enlightening in terms of power usage, but also mentally taxing due to the incomprehensibility of much of it.

"Muria," the white cat on the roof noticed Muria and lazily opened its eyes, jumping down, "How's that human who challenged the Titan doing now?"

"I don't know," Muria's face showed a trace of worry. The last blow delivered by Lord Ashburn was with the full might of a ninth-tier legendary Titan. The human Sword Saint facing such force, it was unclear if he could have survived.

In fact, Muria had no objections to the outcome; perhaps it was his inherent human nature, or maybe it was after hearing Cassio's recounting of Sword Saint Ron's life story, that he felt a subtle sense of kinship with this ordinary man.

"What do you mean you don't know? You were there to watch the battle," Troy, the white tiger, expressed his dissatisfaction.

"How should I put it?" Muria rubbed his temples, slightly irritated, "The battle ended in a draw, I suppose. The Sword Saint has earned the recognition of the legendary Titan Lord Ashburn."

"A draw? You're joking, right? How could a human possibly match a Titan, even if he's a genius?" Troy was incredulous.

"I'm not joking," Muria sighed wearily. "Lord Ashburn suppressed his power to match the Sword Saint's level and shrunk his size to that of a human to fight him."

"If that's the case... there might be some possibility. But it's a pity I didn't get to see this fight," Troy lamented.

"But he still took the full brunt of Lord Ashburn's final strike." Muria frowned, "Even though it was a suppressed blow, Lord Ashburn's mastery of swordsmanship is too profound."

"Did he fall?" Troy asked tentatively.

"I don't know." Muria closed his eyes in frustration. "Lord Ashburn took him to the Eternal Island of the Elves. I saw him asking the Elves to take the Sword Saint into the heart of the Eternal Life Tree."

"The heart of the Eternal Life Tree!" Troy's eyes lit up, "Then he'll be fine, even a corpse can be revived there as long as the soul remains."

"So, Sword Saint Ron will definitely not perish!"

"That's right."

Muria felt reassured by the confirmation, stroking his chin in thought, his eyes slightly narrowed as if hesitating over something.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked, noticing Muria's distracted state.

"Uh, Big Cat, I... want to learn swordsmanship."

"You said what?"

"I want to learn how to wield a sword," Muria stated firmly.

"Because of that human?"

"Partly," Muria nodded in admission, "I've practiced with a sword before, but my skills are terribly lacking, almost embarrassing."

"Comparing your swordsmanship to that of a legendary Sword Saint?" Troy gave Muria a sidelong glance, "It's normal to be bad, it would be insane otherwise."

"What do you think about asking Sword Saint Ron to be my swordsmanship instructor?"

"Well, I guess I should explain a bit here!"

The Sword Saint, as the name suggests, specializes only in swordsmanship.

Whereas Titan Ashburn is proficient in all weapons, though swordsmanship is one of his strengths.

Then, during the fight, Ashburn suppressed his power to match the Sword Saint's level and fought using sword techniques alone, leading to an even match.

The final result was the Sword Saint being gravely injured.

When Ashburn reverted to his true form, he was unscathed.

The actual comparison of power is quite clear.