Taking the final step over the large hill the few I had been hoping for arose in front of me. While it seemed like the grassy plains would continue for a while longer the sight of a tall wall could be seen in the distance. Relief washed over me now that I was no longer walking aimlessly, but I did not let my guard down, for this place is still unfamiliar to me.

Surprisingly the area around the visible wall had no farm land. Typically in such a setting crops would be raised outside of a city. I also can't seem to see any roads, probably due to the vastness of the region. The cost to produce roads between cities would be exorbitant, not to mention that the cost of maintaining them would be extreme as well. If one considers that damage would accumulate through constant fights and patrols would need to be sent back and forth to look for any damages to the road. All in all it would be easiest and cheapest to refrain from creating roads at all.

Brushing these thoughts aside I arrive at the vast walls. The wall in front of me measures at least seven stories. While this would be excessive in the real world where there are only humans, this can be considered standard in an area with people three stories tall. however the gate ahead of me doesn't seem like it would accommodate such a tall person. Maybe the true giants are a more secluded race?

Before I have time to finish admiring the construction of a man with a condescending expression approaches me. Wearing a shiny silver colored plate armor over their whole body and a sword strapped to their waist the seemingly thirty-year old man begins to speak to me.

"What are you gawking at while loitering here, huh!?" Their threatening attitude is rather irritating, but an invisible pressure released from them allows me to understand their strength exceeds me, if a random gate guard could beat me I'd rather not cause trouble.

"What cat got your tongue? Lose your words? Why aren't you replying??!!" I only went silent for but a moment, yet this annoying man won't leave me alone.

"Shut your mouth, shitty brat." A cold dry voice comes from behind me. The gate guard turns towards the voice, he must not have noticed him either. Initially his face was fearful, but after looking at the person this emotion vanishes from their face.

"Huuhh? Why should I need to listen to you nasty old beggar." The guard looks at the person behind and to my left with even more contempt than he looked at me.

"Hmph." The 'beggar' releases a cold snort, by this time I had turned my head and backed away a bit. The one this voice comes from is wearing very ragged brown clothes, almost like he was wearing a potato sack. Their figure is completely concealed by the dirty wrapping. This person raised their hand over their head.

"What are you doing you smelly bastard!" The guard's right hand moves to the hilt of the longsword sheathed at their waist.

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Before the guard's blade can move a centimeter from it's sheath an invisible force spreads out from the dirty person. This force was utterly incomparable to force I felt from the guard previously. Even while it's not targeted towards me it warps my vision. Things from a distance seem distorted as though I'm looking through a poorly made window. The color of everything nearly faded to nothing leaving everything in monochrome. The feeling of my limbs disappears, and by the time my brain has caught up the beggar like person holds a beautiful sword in their previously empty raised hand.

The three foot long blade of the sword was made of a glistening black material. The whole sword seemed to be crafted entirely of some sort of black translucent crystal. The perfectly symmetrical blade meets the two nearly semicircular parts of the hand guard jutting out from the side. The hilt resembles that of a Japanese katana. Intricate designs are carved across the whole sword.

Time seemed to slow as the beautiful black sword was brought down further towards the arrogant guard. Said guard was completely restricted in movement, and a panicked expression was all over his face.

For a moment I thought I was seeing things. The sword began to release visible ripples and waves of energy through the air. The area around the sword resembles heat rising up off the pavement. By now the feeble guard's face had turned blue and blood dripped from his slightly agape mouth.

As the overbearing ripples came into contact with the warrior his previously lively eyes turned soulless.

"Weak." This single word released from the expert sent chills down my spine.

A low thrumming sound ripples through the air as the black blade nears the souless man's head. A strange tear begins to appear in the air wherever the sword passes. Not only does this expert have the strength to tear space the hole they produce remains even after a few moments. From what I have understood this is not something so simple to do.

After the blade passed between the guard's legs the expert released their hand and their sword vanished without a trace.

As the sword vanished so to did the pressure surrounding me. Time returned to it's original flow around me, and the tear in space quickly repaired itself.

Everything returned to normal. All but the repugnant guard, whose body disappeared into the tear in space.

I don't intend to meet a similar fate. Death for me is not eternal, and I can revive within a day real life time, but I don't want to know what kind of stat damage I would have from such a soul crushing attack. I also do not wish to revive back in Heaven's Workshop before I have entered the city to set a new teleport location.

I fall to one knee and cross my right arm across my chest genuflecting before the expert.

"This one pays respect to senior expert."