A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Others may not know, but Bree knows that Nia has a unique ability called "Vehicle Killer (Weak)".

Of course, he wasn't sure whether it was the talkative goddess making a joke or whether the inherent ability was real.

He looked up at the dilapidated mast, still shaken.

Whether it was true or not, Bray was still panicked.

The ship had weathered many storms along the way, and its masts were damaged.

"This ship has had a really rough journey, it was almost terrifying to be a sailor," another voice exclaimed beside him after Bray finished speaking.

"Normally, how could there be such a bumpy journey?"

“What do you think, Mr. Monk?” the masked man in a tailcoat said to Bray, leaning on the railing.

I don't know when it started, but Bray is all alone.

It wasn't a hallucination; the crowd was silently driven away by some unknown method.

Bray knew who the clown was without even looking at him.

Jonathan, the guy who disappeared for a year, has reappeared.

"..." Bray ignored Jonathan and continued gazing at the sea.

Bray doesn't miss Jonathan at all; he even wishes Jonathan would just disappear forever.

Unfortunately, what's coming will come.

“How cold you are. I’ve missed you so much this past year, Mr. Monk.” Jonathan rolled over and leaned against the railing in a different position.

“I don’t want you,” Bray replied coldly.

By the time Bray glanced over, Jonathan had already vanished from his spot.

The next second, the clown appeared on the other side of Bray, dancing.

His sudden disappearance and reappearance, without any transition, left Bray completely unaware of how he moved.

If he hadn't used his cunning, Bray would probably have been outmaneuvered by Jonathan.

Jonathan was swinging his cane when music inexplicably started playing around him.

“The one who upholds the precepts is as indifferent as ever, but I’ve gotten used to it.”

“My heart is very strong; I won’t be sad even if you dislike me like this,” Jonathan said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"We were warned before that you can't cause any trouble before your little Nia is born."

“This has kept the little guy drawing circles in the corner for a whole year, a whole year.” Jonathan’s mask had a few teardrop patterns on it.

But his gesture of dancing with his cane showed that he wasn't sad at all.

“You don’t want to touch her,” Bray said calmly.

But his tone was as still as water, yet it gave one the feeling that beneath that stillness lay a monstrous beast, a beast capable of tearing a person to shreds.

"How terrifying, just as terrifying as the guy who warned the villains," Jonathan patted his mask and sighed.

"To be honest, I'd also like to see what cute little Nia looks like."

"..."

"The children are all so cute. What the little one said is true—he just wanted to take a look and wouldn't do anything."

“…” Bray remained silent.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I wouldn't do something as boring as taking Nia hostage." Jonathan waved his hand casually.

"By the way, Mr. Bray, I don't know if you know, but the world is starting to fall apart." He moved silently closer to Bray, his mask almost touching him.

However, the mask ultimately failed to stick to Bray's face.

Because the hilt of a sword was pressed against Jonathan's chin.

If he went any further, Jonathan was sure he would get a concussion.

"The Eastern Continent is almost gone, Paradise is already gone, and the Abyss will soon be gone too."

"Now there are only a few places left."

Jonathan stretched out his hand and began to count on his fingers.

"The Western Continent, the Central Continent, and the Northern Continent will soon be reduced to only three places."

As Jonathan counted, he started shaking his head to himself.

Bray closed his eyes and remained silent.

He knew these things, but the fact that the Abyss was about to be destroyed was somewhat unexpected for Bray.

However, this is not surprising.

Now that the cracks in the "World Wall" are widening, many things are beyond our control.

"Excuse my bluntness, but the dark age of the Dark Iron race is about to begin." Jonathan's mask first showed an exaggerated smile, then changed to a sorrowful crying face.

“Master of the Precepts, dear Master of the Precepts—”

"What do you see now, despair? Fear? Or can you see nothing at all?" Jonathan said this in an operatic tone.

He was inadvertently influenced by Marek, which led him to now also like the opera style.

Of course, Jonathan didn't dislike this change.

“The future.” Bray glanced at Jonathan and answered with only two words.

"Oh my gosh!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"What a surprise! That's a brilliant answer!" Jonathan clapped with all his might.

"It's neither despair nor anticipation, it's just the future."

"That's the truth. No matter what, all we can see is the future."

Jonathan seemed very excited by the word "Brey," and started gesturing wildly.

It constantly moved instantly across the deck and danced in all sorts of strange places.

"The future! The little man likes this word."

"It has no positive or negative connotation, it doesn't mean despair, nor does it mean hope, it's a fairly neutral term."

"That's just the truth." That was all Bray said in response to Jonathan's impassioned statement.

Bray wasn't going to spout any grand principles or offer any inspirational platitudes.

It's a fact that everyone is looking to the future, but no one knows what the future will look like.

To see the future is actually to know nothing at all.

However, saying "seeing the future" feels much different than saying "seeing nothing."

Of course, that's all.

“Nobody knows what will happen in the future,” Bray said casually, silently breaking off a piece of the broadsword.

"Clang—" A fragment of the sword blade embedded itself in the mast, where Jonathan had been standing.

"Crack—" However, a crack appeared on Jonathan's mask a few meters away.

Even though it wasn't a direct hit, Jonathan's mask was easily shattered.

“Ah... the Ring-Bearers have really become... incredible.” Jonathan touched his mask, his tone slightly surprised. Jonathan’s mask wasn’t indestructible; it had cracked more than three times so far.

However, it was impossible for Bray to shatter his mask so easily before.

Now, with a single blow, Bray shattered Jonathan's mask.

More importantly, Jonathan didn't even feel the impact of being hit; the mask just cracked on its own.

"Oh dear, does Mr. Monk intend to kill me right here?" Jonathan asked in a lighthearted tone.

It's as if that surprise just now was fake.

“If possible.” Bray’s voice was flat.

His right eye was fixed on where Jonathan was standing, and he held another fragment of a broadsword in his hand, as if he might strike Jonathan again at any moment.

Jonathan noticed Bray's actions and an exaggerated smile appeared on his mask.

He slowly removed his top hat and bowed deeply to Bray.

“If you want, it will be quite a struggle for the little man to escape,” Jonathan said.

He was telling the truth; Jonathan had never struggled with how to escape from Bray before.

However, from now on, he seems to need to think things through carefully.

It's so annoying, Jonathan clearly doesn't want to think about that much.

For the sake of survival, this kind of thinking is necessary.

"Do you 'All Gods' really think you can remain unaffected?" Bray suddenly asked.

Bray asked this question purely on a whim, hoping to glean some information from the Joker.

However, he didn't seem to ask too many detailed questions.

"Who knows? I never think that far ahead."

“I just hope so.” Jonathan twirled his cane skillfully, his tone incredibly relaxed.

The end of the world was, in his words, a trivial matter.

Why Jonathan joined the "Alliance of the Gods" and why he destroyed the "World Wall" remains a mystery to everyone.

But whatever the reason, Jonathan is already doing these things.

And he will continue.

“Ah, but now that you mention it, sir, I’ve thought of something,” Jonathan said, shaking his head.

Have you ever imagined what this dark age of time would look like?

"Could it be like the Dark Ages of the Second Era? Or perhaps even worse?"

Bray didn't respond, but instead let out a deep sigh.

As expected, Jonathan wasn't stupid; he didn't mention many things at all.

"It seems Mr. Monk is disappointed? Is it because I didn't say enough?" Jonathan tilted his head, his heels touching the ground, his mask showing a puzzled expression.

"Then I'll generously share all the intelligence."

“The next place is the Middle Continent.” Jonathan snapped his fingers.

“The situation in the Central Plains, where there are three people who uphold the precepts, could be quite, quite tragic.”

"..." Bray raised his right eyebrow, and the shard of the sword in his hand instantly flew out of his grasp.

Jonathan leaned back, the shards grazing his mask.

However, just like before, his mask was hit.

"Snap." The mask broke in two and fell to the ground.

Jonathan's eyes were fixed on the azure sky, the lotus-like pupils turning softly.

Jonathan might have been happy if the blow had been aimed at his body instead of the mask.

“Sir, I really dislike having my mask shattered.” Jonathan’s tone was no longer as light as before.

He hated having his mask shattered, because that would expose his expression to others.

Ugh, it's so annoying. It's so awful to have all my emotions known by others.

Just like now, my dissatisfaction is also clearly being spread.

Jonathan, still leaning back, covered his face with his hands before Bray could see his full appearance.

After he released his grip, the brand-new mask was put back on his face.

"Clang—" The next moment, Jonathan's figure disappeared, and his cane jabbed straight at Bray's shoulder.

"Boom!!!" Bray dodged to the side, but unfortunately he couldn't avoid the railing on the deck.

The railing was rammed directly, and a wooden plank on the deck was cracked by a heavy stomp.