A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Bray's sword failed to cut through his opponent.

It's not that Bray has a hidden trick up his sleeve, but rather that not only Bray knows how to adjust his posture and deflect force, Nalan does too.

Although he was a monster, all the fighting skills were deeply ingrained in his soul, and he would not forget them even in this form.

The "Final Echo" is not sharp at all; if the angle is slightly off, its power will be greatly reduced.

Just like it is now.

"Moo!!!!!" Nalan grunted, shook his head, and shook off the dust from his body.

His forelimbs rose, and the momentum of his outburst grew even stronger.

Without needing prior notification, Bray already knew what Nalan's first move would be.

"Thump!" Nalan's hind foot shattered the earth, transforming into a blade that slashed straight at the exhausted Bree.

"One Thought Flow" and "Heart's Rain"

The afterimage of the knife was stretched infinitely, and the sunlight shone on the blurred blade, reflecting a light that was not dazzling.

"Swoosh—" Nalan's knife almost severed Bray's leg.

However, it was only almost true.

The cut was so deep, but just enough not to sever Bray's limbs.

At the same time, a sword pierced Nalan's chin, pinning his mouth shut where he was holding the knife.

Losing his balance, Bray collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again.

Although not crippled, Bray has completely lost the ability to move.

However, when Bray reopened his right eye, it remained a stagnant pool, devoid of both sorrow and joy.

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

—"I am the winner!!!!!!!!!"

—"I am the one who has received my destiny!!!! It's me!!!"

Nalan's roar echoed in Bray's soul.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Bray raised his tired right eye and glanced at Nalan.

He had somehow picked up the hilt of a sword. The broadsword that he had dropped due to his injury was now firmly in Bray's hand.

However, now only the bare hilt of the sword remains.

The fragments of those sword blades, scattered in various corners due to the impact of the battle.

If you were to search for each piece individually and then piece it back together to form a complete sword, that would be an extremely difficult task.

"You dare let go of my sister's hand? Watch out, or I'll kill you!" The boy's furious voice echoed in Bray's mind.

"Okay, I got it. Sorry," Bray muttered to himself.

"It's not for me, it's an apology to my older sister!"

“I will, but wait a little while.” With his last bit of strength, Bray gripped the hilt of his sword.

He, who should not have been able to stand up, slowly struggled to his feet.

"Clang!" He, who originally did not have enough strength to defend himself, caught Nalan's fierce attack with the hilt of his sword.

The long-lost fortress has reappeared amidst a cloud of sand and dust.

The projection of the mental world is so clear at this moment that it is impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion.

"Boom!"

"Dong dong!"

The vibration sound came from an unknown source.

"Moo!!!!!!!!!" A muffled cry escaped from Nalan's sealed mouth.

Nalan didn't understand why Bray was able to stand up.

His leg should have been almost severed, and his remaining left hand should have been powerless.

Why did he stand up?

Is it the favor of the world's will? No, now neither he nor Bray has any such thing as "luck".

"Don't waste time, I still need to apologize to a few people." Bray opened his right eye.

This time, the right eye was no longer stagnant water, but burning with an invisible fire.

His blood-soaked appearance does not inspire feelings of "bravery" or "fearlessness".

To others, Bray's posture resembled that of a demon or a monster, a terrifying being who could rise again no matter how many times he was knocked down.

But otherwise, he would not be able to defeat those monsters that defy common sense.

For example, this monster in front of us.

Bray swung the black hilt of the sword that had no blade.

The next second, countless "crows" took flight from every corner.

At that moment, the fragments of the sword seemed to acquire jet-black wings and begin to fly.

"Ding!" Then, a sound consisting of countless crisp sounds overlapping rang in Nalan's ears.

"Crack!!!" Nalan's sturdy horn shattered.

"Swoosh!" The body covered in gray-black fur was slashed with sword marks.

With his limbs struck, Nalan involuntarily fell to his knees, letting out a roar of resentment.

"Bang!" The broadsword, riddled with cracks, slammed its tip heavily onto the ground.

"Aren't you going to run away?" Bray asked, staring at the still powerful beast before him.

Even though he had injured the monster so badly, Bray himself had also suffered serious injuries.

If Nalan were to try to escape, Bray would have no chance of catching him.

Then why didn't Nalan choose to run away?

"Because this is a fight to the death."

"From the moment I coveted this shortcut, the moment I lost control of my destiny was the moment I was defeated."

"So, why did I run away?"

"Would you run away? Would you choose to run away when you are about to die?"

"You won't. I know you won't."

Ignoring his own wounds, Nalan slowly stood up.

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

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

—"Kill me! You monastic!!!"

From beginning to end, Nalan's obsession never changed.

It was this obsession that allowed him to maintain his rationality even when he was consumed by the remnants of the concept.

His wish is a wish that everyone has.

Glory, wealth, power—everyone desires something.

You can think that Nalan was after that glory, or you can think that he was pursuing something else more ethereal.

Only Nalan himself truly knew what he longed for.

From anyone's perspective, no one could understand Nalan's thoughts.

However, when in Nalan's situation, everyone would do the same thing as him.

People often say, "I wouldn't do that."

But in the end, everyone will be like that.

Yes, everyone does that.

Nalan, biting the knife, slowly approached Bray.

Completely different from his previous lightning-fast speed, Nalan now resembles an elephant, dragging his heavy steps forward.

His knife gleamed in the light and remains unbroken to this day.

---

Surrounded by grasslands, Nalan stood in front of a tent, staring blankly at the busy tribespeople.

“Nalan, you will definitely become the greatest person in the village in the future.” The father stroked Nalan’s head with his rough hands and said softly.

"why?"

“Because you’ve always said you want everyone to have a better life,” Nalan’s father said.

Nalan opened his innocent eyes wide and looked at his father in confusion. Could it be said that he would become a great man just because of this?

"But everyone else is better than me."

“I have no talent.” Nalan shook his head, feeling wronged. He was not the most outstanding child in the village.

"So what exactly is your talent?"

"I don't know." Nalan felt even more aggrieved.

“So go find it, and once you find it, you too can become powerful,” the father continued, gazing at the grassland.

"If you continue to think like this after you become powerful, you will become the greatest person in the village."

"Then your father thought that you would definitely become stronger, and that you would definitely be able to remember your current thoughts."

"So, do you now think you could become a great person?"

"Yes, yes, Father!" Nalan's eyes lit up.

"So, never show that inferior expression again," the father said happily, lifting up young Nalan.

---

A glint appeared in the beast's orange-yellow eyes.

Even with the pitch-black blade already in front of him, Nalan's gaze remained fixed on the distance.

That distant, unreachable place in the far reaches of the world.

The world will only have a few main characters, and in the end, you will still be a supporting character.

My busy life, my confused life, my unwilling life, will never be written into a long story by others.

His life will likely only occupy a few words in a story.

Everything you own may become something for others to comment on later.

A few words from later generations are enough to presume to judge everything about him.

"Roar!!!" A low roar came from the nailed mouth.

Power erupted from Nalan's beastly body.

The powerful presence contrasted sharply with the crumbling minefield.

Finally, the powerful monster and the severely wounded man collided.

It looked like two shooting stars streaking across the ground.

"Broken Water Stream" or "Broken Waterfall"

The sword fell, and the monster was not split in two, but it fell helplessly, crashing into a collapsed pillar.

The glint in those orange-yellow eyes was like a comet, fleeting in the blink of an eye.

Black mist churned and tore at the monster's corpse.

A black hole the size of a fist appeared directly above Nalan, and then absorbed Nalan along with the black mist.

After everything disappeared, a dim ring appeared in the black hole.