A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“Of course it makes sense.” Bray swallowed the blood that was rising in his throat and said calmly.

Does the white mask have any flaws? Almost none.

Even if he did, Bray couldn't break through.

So if that's the case, then let's create one, create a flaw big enough to be exploited.

The moment Bray finished speaking, the extent of Hakumen's collapse, due to his injury, began to worsen.

"..." Bai Mian opened his eyes, which he couldn't see, and finally realized what was going on.

"Roar!!!" He roared instinctively, then focused all his attention on suppressing his breakdown.

But this also exposed a huge flaw in his strategy.

In a split second, a seemingly ordinary sword was slashed out.

Following this sword strike were eighteen overlapping slashes.

Eighteen white lines cleaved the heavens and the earth.

At this moment, the world lost all color, leaving only stark black and white.

His white-faced figure in full armor stood out starkly in this monotonous world.

It was as if he belonged to this monotonous world all along.

"Eighteen Styles of Style" and "Eighteen Cuts to Sever the Sky"

The world's colors returned, and the white line that pierced the gloomy sky disappeared.

"Clang—" Large sections of the white armor shattered.

The man who willingly degenerated into a monster had his left arm severed and left on the ground.

"Boom!" A sudden, loud noise rang out.

The powerful impact sent Bai Mian flying, and the sword that had pierced through the piercing armor also flew away.

The moment the white-faced sword left Bray's chest, blood flowed like rain.

"Shhh—" The white face dragged a long furrow on the ground, striking an extremely contorted pose.

The roars of wild beasts and the murmurs of struggling people interacted continuously.

The white armor attempted to devour the white-faced man, dragging him into the abyss of collapse.

In fact, Bai Mian's body also began to show some abnormalities.

His left half is shaped like a dragon-like monster, with sharp angles on his breastplate and leg armor.

The severed part of his left arm also began to regenerate strangely, and was covered with scales.

The helmet that should have been shattered had somehow been restored to half its original state, but that half was more like the head of a dragon-like monster than a helmet.

"Get out." Gradually, the roaring stopped, and the white-faced man uttered only a single word.

"I won't be that humiliated, at least not in front of this guy."

Even white flour, which has abandoned human pride, still has its last bottom line.

"Breaklas!" Whiteface roared Bree's name in a beastly voice.

"Defeat me by any means necessary, or die here," he said with unwavering determination.

Even now, he is still very clear about his purpose in starting this battle.

If Bray can overcome himself, then let time continue.

If Bray cannot overcome himself, he should simply end this painful journey.

If Bray is too weak, he will only watch helplessly as his important people leave one by one.

In the end, all we could do was watch helplessly as this fragile world was destroyed.

Protect? There was nothing worth protecting back then.

Dedication? There was nothing worth the risk back then.

Whiteface stared intently at Bray, then straightened his back again.

Bray had a hole in his chest, and blood was flowing out continuously.

As soon as he slightly opened his mouth, blood would trickle from the corner of his mouth.

His right eye was bloodshot, and his prosthetic eye was completely shattered.

Although Whiteface had lost his left arm, Bray was now on the verge of death.

If it weren't for the world of his mind keeping him alive, he would have long since fallen into eternal slumber.

However, the time has come for the mental world that has kept Bray alive until now.

It's not that we're almost there, it's that we've already arrived.

As dawn broke through the gloomy sky, light found its way to Bray.

"Time's up," Bray murmured, taking a difficult step forward.

"..." The white-faced man remained silent, but also took a step forward. A wind began to blow across the battlefield.

The wind ruffled Bray's hair.

If you look closely, you can actually see that Bray's hair also has a few silver strands mixed in.

In another ten years, he'll be no different from a white-faced person.

As the dawn, which should have symbolized victory, fell, the fortress behind Bray collapsed with a deafening roar.

Without the support of his mental imagery, Bray felt that every movement he made became very difficult.

Fighting has become virtually impossible.

He's not dead yet; he's just using the powerful physique he gained from the life-or-death battle to keep going.

Bai Mian, however, did not seem to have suffered any serious injuries.

But Shiro knew he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Even though he himself could no longer persevere, he had persisted for many, many years.

It has long since surpassed the so-called "limit" and should come to an end.

"Divine Source" will only ever bring tragedy, and he himself is the best example of that.

The world's blessing is a curse, carrying the pain brought by the "divine source," constantly tormenting this weathered man.

When the world collapses, that's when White Face will cease to exist.

Even if the Aragami become stronger after the collapse, what meaning will that have for the walking dead?

Moreover, a swordsman without reason is nothing more than a punching bag.

“There was no more,” Bai Mian said.

“I know…” Bray replied in a weak voice.

Bai Mian's body was trembling. He focused almost all his attention on suppressing his collapse. He might only be able to relax at the moment of his final death.

Bray, on the other hand, was swaying precariously, his consciousness already blurred, and the sounds around him seemed to be fading away.

In this state, the two of them sheathed their swords.

It felt like we were back at the beginning of the battle.

Their hands were on the hilts of their swords, their movements were similar, but there were still differences.

Two sighs rang out, and at the same moment, two longswords were drawn.

Let's end the battle by starting it.

"I am merciless".

It's the same move, but they use it differently in different timelines.

This is probably the best explanation that they are not the same person.

The moment Bray swung his longsword, countless afterimages behind him unleashed the same sword strike.

He was the only one in the white-faced man.

Bai Mian recognized what those illusory figures were and was very familiar with them.

There were guys there who fought alongside me before.

Amidst the howling wind, the distance between the two people and the distance between their two swords continued to shrink.

However, during this process, Bray's life force was constantly dissipating, and his consciousness was being swallowed by darkness.

Only the hand that holds the sword still has strength.

Before this sword strikes Whiteface, Bray will die.

Bai Mian knew all this, but he didn't hold back any of his strength.

Because at this moment, he had already begun to break down, and could not even accurately maintain the posture of the sword.

The moment this sword strike ends may be the moment it transforms into a monster devoid of self.

If he loses himself, then he will no longer be strong, and Bray can easily defeat himself.

But that's not what he wants; he doesn't want Bray to prove this.

He had no reason to hold back his strength.

A sword is drawn amidst death, a sword is slashed before collapse.

In the end, Whiteface was still as powerful as ever. Even after half of his attributes were taken by Bray, he still completely overwhelmed Bray.

An invincible aura... indeed an invincible aura.

It was as if the whole world was telling Bai Mian that it was impossible for humans to defeat monsters.

As Bray unleashed that sword strike, he was also thinking about various things with his fading consciousness.

I'm going to die.

Is there still no way for humans to defeat monsters?

He still couldn't prove to Whiteface that it was right to be proud of being human.

He could clearly feel his life fading away, and all his strength disappearing.

It's so heavy, really so heavy, like my whole body is sinking in the sea.

Bray's sword and Whiteface's sword were less than a centimeter apart when they clashed.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Bray's consciousness faded away.

When the breath of life completely disappears, a person is dead.

Bai Mian was filled with endless sighs.

Or... it was all for naught.

His consciousness was also collapsing, and his body began to slip out of his control.

The sword he swung at that moment did not resemble the sword a swordsman should wield, but rather the sword of a wild beast.

If things continue like this, even if he becomes stronger, his swordsmanship will be lost forever.

If this guy hadn't died, he would definitely have scoffed at that sword strike.

What a flawed sword strike! It was as if the person had never learned swordsmanship.

Right now, both Bray and Whiteface are aiming their swords at each other's hearts.

No, it's less about slashing at the heart and more about slashing at that point that embodies all life force.

If either side reveals a weakness, it's tantamount to death.

Despite the sighs and sorrow in his heart, Bai Mian still gripped his sword tightly.

Time stood still once again.

Bray's sword froze in mid-air; only the ugly, white-faced sword was still slashing out.

Bray's life and his sword will both be frozen in this stillness.