A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

To kill Bray completely, Ummkandal had to be ruthless enough to sacrifice one of his arms.

Those three pure magic orbs hit the same point perfectly, and even Umkandal himself couldn't have escaped unscathed.

He needed to trade an arm for Bray's life.

Ummkandar did not do that, so He made this mistake.

However, Umm Kandar could actually use the concept to avoid having his arm destroyed.

However, I don't want to take any risks.

With concepts now suppressed by Bray, the failure to rewrite the law of causality is a probabilistic possibility.

If he fails, he will lose an arm.

Caution made Him so powerful, but unfortunately, caution also caused Him to miss a golden opportunity.

"Ancient Sword Sect" "Ghost Gate Return"

"..." The longsword trembled as it withstood the powerful impact of the three magic orbs.

It struggled to withstand the blow at the edge of the giant crater created by Umm Kandar.

Bray's whole body was crackling, and he felt like he was about to be burned up.

Before he could even take the full force of the blow, Bray realized that his body was on the verge of collapse.

But it doesn't matter...

It doesn't matter.

"Hahh ...

His wrist bent backward at an angle, but he managed to straighten it back to its original position.

This is something that ordinary people cannot do; only someone who has been in the mental world of "laying" can perform such an operation.

Bones, once broken, cannot be straightened on their own.

Muscles, once torn, cannot heal themselves.

The blood covering his body wasn't something that would disappear without a trace just because the wind blew it away.

Only evil spirits and demons can accomplish such a thing.

With his left eye shattered, Bray drained his last bit of magic and channeled it into his longsword.

Faced with that inhuman destructive power, the physical body, which did not contain any terrifying power, managed to withstand it.

The magic ball emitted a white light, completely enveloping Bray's vision.

All that Bray saw was white, except for white itself.

At this point, he had already stopped using his cunning.

The surroundings were a vast expanse of white, eerily quiet.

"You've reached your limit." A voice that sounded exactly like Bray's rang in my ears.

Bray saw a shadow with the same outline as himself appear in this blank space.

"So what if we get there?"

—"Do you want to push your limits?"

"What good would it do to want to?"

"You cannot break through your limits on your own; you still need 'Divine Source'."

—"The world is on the verge of collapse, and those who are important to you will not be spared in this disaster."

—"And you yourself will soon die at the hands of the demigod before you."

"—As expected, you can't rely on anything except the 'Divine Source'."

“…” Bray fell silent.

"If you use the 'Divine Source,' you'll die later; if you don't use the 'Divine Source,' you'll die now."

"What's there to hesitate about? What's so hard to decide?" The shadowy figure spread his hands helplessly, his tone full of confusion.

"What's so shameful about choosing power to protect those you care about? Isn't that the path of a hero?"

A ball of light that seemed to possess life quietly approached Bray, waiting for him to touch it.

Simply by extending his reach, Bray can gain great power.

The "concept" may not necessarily be "spacetime" like the white face, but that power is definitely enough to allow Bray to reverse his current desperate situation.

All Bray had to do was touch the ball of light.

Obtaining this power was so simple, as if it were the privilege of being a chosen one.

Without putting in any effort, one can surpass oneself and become an Aragami.

Bray stared at "Divine Source" expressionlessly, without saying a word.

This thing has always been inside me; this thing has never stopped its temptation.

And I have never accepted it.

For many, many years, Bray has been accompanied by the whispers of "divine source".

Bray gripped his sword.

“I will never give up my identity as a ‘human being’.” He struck a pose.

"Never give up this identity? In the end, you yourself can't explain to others what this 'person' means."

"And is this identity really something to be so reserved about? Compared to the rest of the world, is it really that important?"

"Are you really that selfish? Have you never thought about saving the world?"

The shadowy figure spoke, word by word.

"I hadn't thought about it."

"Saving the world is never something one person can do alone." With that, he brandished his sword.

Bray's sword strike severed the "divine source" in front of him and sent the magic ball in front of him flying back.

"BOOM!!!!" The same loud noise, but this time the result was that Umkandal was blasted backward.

Every step Umm Kandar took back caused an earthquake, making it difficult for Bre to stand firm.

The aftershocks of the magic ball completely destroyed the surrounding area, but the main force was all deflected back by Bray.

Umkandal's armor was deeply dented, and blue smoke rose from his two defensive arms.

“Come.” Bray raised his two swords, looked up at Umkandal, and said softly.

His eyes were calm, and his tone was completely even.

Ah... why did I risk my life to stand in front of Umkandal?

Even though they clearly felt they had no chance of winning, they stubbornly persisted in fighting until now.

Is it competitiveness? Bray doesn't seem to have that.

And why? To protect someone important?

If that's the case, Bray's best option now is to escape and preserve his strength.

After all, once you're dead, no one can protect you anymore; Bray understands that principle.

So maybe, possibly... he might be a very strange person.

Bray walked unhurriedly toward Umkandar, who was several times taller than him.

What are the others doing at this time?

“Then let’s continue.” Ummkandar spread his four arms, looked down at Bray, and said in a deep voice.

The battle... will continue, but... it may be coming to an end soon.

What level of strength does Bray possess now?

He himself didn't know.

The fragmented memories gained from the ancient demonic ruins have led to the forgetting of too much.

What Bray kept were some odds and ends.

For example, some sword techniques, how to look cool, or how to cook.

The information obtained from my counterparts in other timelines is almost non-existent.

Therefore, Bray didn't know where the limit of Umkandal was either.

He had already done his best.

Bray roared and howled.

He wasn't violent or hot-blooded... but he still did it.

But in reality, even he himself couldn't quite hear the roar clearly.

He wasn't yelling at anyone; he just wanted to stay clear-headed.

Regardless, his physical body was ultimately that of a mortal, lacking any powerful defenses or the ability to regenerate quickly.

The blood that has been drawn out will not replenish itself, and the wound will not heal on its own; it will only be blocked by the congealed blood.

Consciousness can become blurred.

He tensed his entire body, concentrating all his strength on the sword.

But just as he was about to unleash a sword technique, he suddenly failed.

“Brekras, you’re still too naive.” Umkandal severed the cause and effect at the source of the sword technique, making the sword strike impossible to use in that instant.

This is even more unacceptable than the previous situation where the shot was missed.

Perhaps, if Umkandal hadn't been weakened so much, Bray would never have been able to unleash that sword.

If the "effect" is removed, will Bray be limited to the process?

That would be too terrifying.

"..." Bray ultimately failed to use any special moves, simply unleashing a plain and unremarkable sword strike.

The instant he slashed out, his deathly gaze met Umkandal's.

As he swung his sword, his own blood splattered out with the violent movements.

But the blood was blocked by an invisible barrier before it splattered onto Umm Kandar.

The scene was like blood-red petals floating in mid-air.

"Clang!!!!!" The sword landed on Umkandar's neck, making a metallic clanging sound.

Then, Bray was grabbed by Umkandar and thrown violently to the ground.

This is just one scene from dozens of encounters.

The battle didn't last very long.

The process may seem long, but each intense clash can be over in the blink of an eye.

"I acknowledge your perseverance—"

“But you should also accept the facts.” Umkandar threw the man on the ground forward, slamming him against the fortress wall directly above the mind image.

"Crash..." The ancient fortress collapsed under this heavy blow, and gray bricks and stones fell sparsely on Bray, burying half of his body.

Even some of the flags that were flying in the wind fell to the ground and were instantly covered by the sandstorm.

But Bray quickly got up from the pile of bricks, gripped his sword, and continued toward Umm Kandar.

It wasn't that he didn't want to run, but that he didn't have enough energy to run.

Now Bray must use all his strength to wield his sword.

If we can avoid running, that would be best.

However, this unhurried pace made Bray appear more composed.

His composure contrasted sharply with his disheveled appearance.