A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Originally, it was Nalan's obsession.

The remnants of the ring and the concept devoured everything in Nalan, creating this monster.

Bray should have known this would happen; how could a sudden increase in strength not come at a sufficient price?

And often, those are the painful costs.

"Moo—" The monster tilted its head back, holding the straight knife in its mouth, and let out a long, muffled groan like a bull.

"Clang!" But the shout was mixed with the sound of a sword being swung.

Bray adjusted the angle of his wrist in advance, all for the sake of a single strike.

In order to deliver a fatal blow before the monster makes any move.

"Clang!!!" But the monster blocked Bray's sword with its knife.

Not with claws, not with horns, but with a knife.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—" The swords rubbed against each other, sparking countless sparks and producing an unpleasant sound.

A murderous intent erupted from the monster, an intent inherited from Nalan—a murderous intent brewed to realize his ideals.

The monster groaned, raised its forelegs, and then transformed into a shooting star, darting through the narrow hall.

This place is no longer a magnificent arena, but rather a collapsed underground ruin.

The sound of the monster's every step echoed layer upon layer in the alleyway.

If you rely solely on your eyes, you can only see fleeting afterimages and flashing blades.

However, Bray did not rely on his eyes to "observe" the other person's movements.

The movements of wild beasts and the swordsmanship of humans are combined seamlessly without any sense of incongruity.

"Ding!" It was a collision.

"Ding! Ding!!!!!" These were two collisions.

Bray no longer has enough magic to use the dragon runes, and is now only relying on his inner energy to maintain the most basic speed.

He stood at a distance, constantly deflecting attacks from all directions.

One second the knife is in front, the next second it might come from behind.

This monster's speed is terrifying, and its moves are so swift and decisive.

"..." But what Bray was truly impressed by was not how strong this monster was.

"Is that so?" Bray's right eye met the monster's gaze indifferently.

At first, Bray thought the monster was no longer Nalan, but something else entirely.

But Bray was wrong.

This monster is Nalan.

Admittedly, Nalan has strong obsessions, but he does not intend to let them control him.

He is the master of this obsession, and he should also be the one who controls it.

Despite losing his human form in the face of the raging power, Nalan still maintained his original rationality.

Then, after the opponent has become like this, the reason for still choosing to fight becomes very simple.

“You said this was a fight to the death, didn’t you?” Bray murmured.

The sound was very faint, but he was certain that the monster... Nalan could hear it.

Nalan, or perhaps at the very moment their weapons clashed, realized that Bray did not intend to kill him.

Bray had already made his decision before the outcome of the battle was even known.

However, this is a battle to the death, a battle to determine who truly upholds the precepts.

Nalan would not agree with the conclusion drawn from such a mindset.

"Moo!!!" A muffled groan rang out, and the ground shook.

The entire base was trembling, and the buildings outside had long since begun to collapse, but Bray, who was inside the hall, was unaware of it.

Nalan's power shook the space, and everyone in Biannan felt a chill run down their spines at the same time.

Now, there is no trace of the ring on Nalan.

Nowadays, there is no trace of the ring on Bray.

The two rings corresponding to "The Pioneer" no longer appear in anyone's sight.

However, these two rings, whether real or fake, still exist.

It's just that it can't be seen.

"Wrath, you who uphold the precepts!!!"

—"Sword, you who uphold the precepts!!!"

—"Kill me! You monastic!!!"

"Let the true savior be decided here!!! The one who holds the precepts!!"

Nalan's will entered Bray's soul, proclaiming his intentions to Bray.

He wouldn't feel guilty if he killed Bray.

He wouldn't feel resentful if he were killed by Bray.

Neither of them is favored by anything now; their fates have been divided equally.

The outcome is now unpredictable.

By the way, we can no longer use "He" now; we should continue to use "He".

"Moo!!!!" Nalan grunted, and his huge ram horns slammed heavily into Bray.

But this powerful blow missed its mark.

However, Nalan never expected that such a brutal attack could hit Bray.

He swung the straight knife he was holding in his mouth while Bray dodged.

The blade sliced ​​through the void, tracing an arc that was even more perfect than that of a so-called master's blade.

It's simply unimaginable that this strike came from the "hand" of a monster.

"Clang!!!!!" The wall of the hall was cleaved open with a single stroke.

It wasn't just the main hall that was separated; the entire base was divided by Nalan's single strike.

"Boom!" As the underground was cut in two, the surface was also affected.

The adventurers who were waiting for their chance all fell because they couldn't stand still.

"What on earth happened..." Yun Ji struggled to her feet, supporting herself with whatever was beside her.

She stared in disbelief at the sight before her.

The ground, like tofu being cut in half, was split into two sides, with one side being compressed and raised.

All the buildings located nearby collapsed as a result.

What exactly is happening beneath this underground?

---

"Ding!!! Ding!!!!" Sparks were flashing continuously underground, beyond Yun Ji's reach.

All the candlelight around them went out, plunging them into endless darkness.

In the darkness, only Nalan's beastly orange eyes and Bree's crystal-like left eye remained.

Nalan and Bray's attack speed increased dramatically, so the sparks from the collision of their blades were as dazzling as fireworks at a grand event.

Nalan, who has transformed into a monster, still fights with a sword.

He did not deliberately try to adapt to the movements of a wild beast, but he still easily used this body to perform sword techniques that originally belonged to humans.

"Moo!!!!" It wasn't the roar of a wild beast, but the muffled groan like that of a bull was even more shocking.

The atmosphere was so somber and oppressive that it seemed capable of shaking the earth.

Nalan's knife was firmly wedged against Bray's sword, and his orange-yellow eyes were fixed on Bray.

"My name is Bray, Brayclas." Bray's voice was completely flat, and for some reason, he took the initiative to introduce himself.

"My name is Nalan, that's all." The power from the blade continued to increase, and the place where Bray stood continued to crack and sink.

“I know.” Bray remembered the other person’s name.

The two faced off once again, neither moving an inch.

However, even though the two of them shouldn't have moved, it was as if the surroundings were spinning around them.

It's as if there's a camera in the distance, constantly rotating, recording their every expression and every movement.

It was as if the entire battlefield was dancing on its own initiative.

Yes, this world is recording this battle.

Even if no one can see it, the world is watching.

"Drink!" Bray shouted coldly, using his sword to deflect the opponent's force before forcefully deflecting the straight blade.

To fight the berserk Nalan with just one hand is a bit too far-fetched.

If Bray truly believed that this would allow him to defeat his opponent, he would consider himself arrogant.

Indeed, Bray was at an overwhelming disadvantage when facing the ferocious beast with one hand.

He was not facing Nalan with a missing arm, but Nalan transformed into a monster.

"Boom!!!!" The blade, which had been deflected, was abruptly stopped in mid-air and then slashed at Bray once more.

Bray wasn't hit, but the massive impact sent him flying, and he tumbled to the ground.

Gravel, wood, and all the obstacles that were once ignored continued to leave scars on Bray's body.

The rare, intense pain caused Bray's right hand to twitch involuntarily a few times.

But after taking a breath, Bray swung his sword and shattered the flying rocks, and behind the rocks came the charging Nalan.

He wouldn't give Bray a moment's respite; he was determined to completely suppress him until he died.

The explosive power of his limbs allowed Nalan to appear in front of Bray in the blink of an eye, a reaction that a normal person could not possibly make.

But Bray didn't need to react in time because he knew the other party's movements in advance.

Nalan's every move was crystal clear to him.

Nalan's attack trajectory resembled a line, stretching from afar all the way to Bray.

This is the route he will inevitably take, and the attack he will inevitably launch.

Then the worn-out longsword stood upright, seemingly having been waiting for Nalan for a long time.

The blade, which was not sharp at all, gleamed with an almost imperceptible light.

"I flow" "Zantie"

The sword blade slashed downwards in a simple manner, and the ink-like marks formed by the internal energy merged into the surrounding darkness.

Only one silver arc appeared briefly.

"Moo!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nalan cried out in pain as his body slammed into the last surviving wall.

"Splash!" As the rain of stones fell, a sliver of light descended from above.

No part of this battlefield remains intact.

In Bray's ears, he could even faintly hear voices coming from afar.

"Moo!!!" The monster's shadow stretched longer and longer, obscuring the trail of the wreckage.

"..." Bray remained in the motion of drawing his sword, but did not immediately retract his move.

His gaze was fixed on Nalan, who had not yet fallen.

Nalan dodged the fatal blow, and Bray's sword ultimately only landed on his shoulder.