A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“It was very noisy, I chopped it all up,” Bray said casually.

The guy Baimian mentioned, Bray thought, was the same eleven phantoms he had recently encountered.

Bray did find those guys incredibly noisy, and then he even took action himself. Looking back, he thinks he was a bit like a hot-tempered guy.

"I had already cut everything down before we first met here."

"But it seems that for every batch of these guys that disappears forever, another batch will appear," the pale-faced man said quietly.

In fact, Hakumen has killed these noisy guys countless times. Almost every time time restarts, Hakumen might have to kill one of them.

Every time a person who upholds the precepts enters this ruin, they are haunted by the spirits of the dead.

Those phantoms utter grand words, but in reality, they never mention the fact that the fate of those who uphold the precepts is cursed.

Of course, among the many monks, only Bray went in regularly; the other monks only came here very rarely.

Therefore, "The Prophet's Tomb" is a very special place for all of Bray, no, but it also has some very special significance.

After the two finished speaking, the atmosphere froze again.

Neither Bray nor Whiteface were good conversationalists, but at least Whiteface outlived Bray.

So after a long silence, it was Bai Mian who broke the silence first.

"Was she buried?" White Face asked.

"Not yet, it's not the right time."

“It’s too noisy around here; it’s not a good place to sleep,” Bray said calmly.

Bray didn't need to explain much, because he felt that Whiteface understood what he was saying.

“I think so too.” Hakumen didn’t ask where Naruko was placed now, nor did he question how unreasonable Bray’s choice was.

He simply received the answer he had expected.

"How is your daughter?"

"Levy is taking care of her; I've left them all with Yunhai."

"Really? Another solo trip?" Bai Mian simply commented.

In this timeline, Whiteface basically did not interfere with Bray, did not help him, and even planned to kill him.

So, Whiteface doesn't really know how Bray fared this time, or what he went through.

“You get used to it after traveling for a while,” Bray said.

"You told your daughter that you would go back, right?"

Even though Whiteface knew nothing, he could still guess what Bray would say to his daughter.

"I said so."

“If you can’t go back, then you’ve broken your promise,” Bai Mian said.

“If I can’t go back, the world is doomed,” Bray responded.

Even if you go back, the world might still be doomed.

Who knows what the future holds?

"Crackling sound—" Whiteface slowly stood up from the steps and looked down at Bray.

He raised the sword beside him, and began to exude a murderous aura without restraint.

The killing intent was mixed with a sharp, sword-like aura, as if it could tear the heavens and earth apart.

"What do you think your chances of winning are right now?" Whiteface said coldly.

Whiteface knew that Bray was still weak, but the other side still came.

Bray knew that he couldn't possibly surpass Whiteface in such a short time, but he still had to come.

“No chance of winning,” Bray replied expressionlessly, gripping his two swords in his hands.

"You actually knew that?" At this moment, Bai Mian finally gave people the feeling of being a "god".

Mighty, invincible, a true god.

Immediately afterwards, an ancient bell rang out, echoing throughout the tomb for a long time.

"Battle of Life and Death" is a very ancient spell, so ancient that it dates back to the Second Age. It doesn't require much magic power; it only requires the agreement of both parties to take effect.

The attributes of both sides are equalized, and then the last survivor is determined.

Once this spell takes effect, there is no happy ending where either side survives; either both die, or one of them dies.

However, this spell only leveled the gap between the two sides in one aspect.

Combat awareness, skills, abilities, weapons and equipment—none of these can be copied.

It may be fair, but it may also be another kind of unfairness.

"What are your chances of winning now?" Bai Mian repeated the question from before, but the situation was slightly different now, so the answer would certainly be different as well.

Bray was neither surprised nor delighted by Whiteface's declaration of a "do-or-die" battle.

“One-tenth,” Bray replied calmly.

"Do you think there's a 10% chance?" Although it was a question, Bai Mian's tone was completely flat.

“I’m not as weak as you think,” Bray said.

"Besides, since it's all about life and death anyway, there's no point in talking about the win rate."

---

Blakes

Humans (?)

Inherent Abilities: "Flame Avoidance", "Mind's Eye (Modified)", "Magic Accumulation (Left Eye)"

掌握能力：「烹饪lv51」「木工lv12」「寻宝lv9」「缝纫lv17」「陷阱拆除lv6」「基础剑术lv685」「鉴定术lv3」「断刚剑术lv283」「古流剑派lv332」「断水流lv291」「我流lv365」...

quality:

"Quickly," perhaps I've made an inappropriate appearance?

"Power"—that's probably the pinnacle you can reach in your lifetime.

"Skills"—I don't want to talk, but as expected, you and that guy are both monsters.

"Body" is going too far, are you kidding me?

Is "heart" also an Aragami? I'm in love! I'm so ashamed of the Golden Seed!

"Skills," eh, seems a bit high, meaning the opponent is slightly better than you in that aspect.

Overall: Actually, I didn't really want to give a review right now. You two monsters are terrifying!

---

This is probably how Bray is doing right now.

No matter how playful Themifik may be, it cannot change the solemn atmosphere of the present moment.

The lark left the battlefield, its figure vanished, only its song could be heard.

After the swords collided, they didn't freeze in place, but instead began to rub against each other violently.

The friction between the metals produced a piercing sound.

Two swords, blocked by one sword.

Bray, expressionless, and Whiteface, whose expression was unreadable, faced off.

The stones in the ruins are not ordinary materials; they are so sturdy that they will not shatter even if bombarded.

But the ground made of such stones cracked silently.

The reason was simply the probing attack between Bray and Whiteface.

However, an attack cannot always be tentative; when it reaches a certain stage, it becomes a real "battle".

"Clang!!!!!" A sword even older than "The Last Echo" forcefully knocked the blast away.

However, Bray, who had just been knocked back half a step, easily adjusted his posture and launched a counterattack against Whiteface.

The sword shadows were so fast that they were difficult to see clearly, leaving only countless afterimages and the sharp sound of them cutting through the air.

This ferocious offensive was interspersed with movements at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Both Bray and Whiteface possessed the power to shatter everything in one blow, but they didn't.

Intentionally releasing power to destroy the terrain is a completely pointless act.

From an outsider's perspective, aside from the speed, it was just a simple battle, and it was hard to imagine that it was a battle between strong individuals.

Only those who are truly standing here can understand what they are about to face.

Speed ​​is simply the easiest thing to deal with.

What's terrifying here is the killing intent, a chilling killing intent that relentlessly pierces through the entire body, like a rain of swords.

The ruins now stand as a testament to a battle where sheer force can "kill" the weak, a battle inaccessible to mortals.

“…” Bray stared at the sword that the white-faced man held against his face.

He could clearly feel the "Swan Song" in his hand being bent under the weight, while the "Black Key" was being smashed to pieces.

"Your sword is really tough," Bray said casually, tossing his coat and fanny pack aside.

Bree had no confidence that these things would not be damaged; throwing them away was the best way to preserve them.

"It's just a sword forged from slag," Whiteface replied in the same indifferent tone.

There is no "swan song" on the white face, no "Beers" on the white face, and no "black keys" on the white face.

This ara-god only has a soulless sword in his hand.

All his swords had long been broken in battles, leaving only fragments.

At this moment, the sword that was so powerful that it could bend "The Last Echo" was simply forged from a sword that had been used by Bai Mian.

Such a weapon would not have its own will, and of course, it could not possess a mental world.

Is it the sword that's powerful? Perhaps it's more accurate to say that the person wielding the sword is excessively powerful.

Even with half of his attributes allocated to Bray, Whiteface's sword could still achieve this suppressive effect.

"One Moment," "Two Divisions," "Three Sun and Moon," "Four Combinations," "Five Subduing Chants," "Six Paths of Hell," "Seven-Day Sacrifice," "Eight Phases"—

Two swordsmen who made their living with swords unanimously used the "Eighteen Styles," with countless moves sweeping across the page like flipping through a book.

One move negated the opponent's move.

Rather than a simple swordsmanship contest, it was more of a clash of beliefs between the two.

Having become a ghost god, Hakumen had long since lost all hope for this world, believing that no matter how hard he tried, the world would be destroyed.

Bray, still a human being, did not want his timeline to be so easily dismissed by others.

Admittedly, Bray doesn't aspire to be a savior, but that doesn't mean he wants everyone's existence to be condemned.

Even though Bray knew very well that Whiteface would be so exhausted, and knew why this guy couldn't see any way to change the outcome.

He still has no intention of backing down.

The will of the person wielding the sword was entirely poured into the sword that followed.

"Buzz—" The entire ruins began to tremble, as if even the inanimate objects of the ruins were filled with fear.

Bray and Whiteface achieved this effect simply by lowering their stances to gather power.

Neither of them sheathed their swords, but instead held them horizontally at their sides.

"Eighteen Styles" and "Nine Fields"

The eighteen slashes intertwined, constantly eroding and tearing at the opponent.

The ground was shattered into countless squares, which bounced erratically in all directions.

"BOOM!!!!!!!!!!" A sound of a wall being smashed through rang out.

Then one person swung his sword; only that one person was qualified to shake off the enemy's blood.