A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“Close your eyes... Dove,” Bray said softly.

Dove hesitated for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes.

When will I be able to open my eyes?

“You’ll know when to open your eyes,” Bray sighed.

The longsword he had finally managed to sheathe was drawn out once again.

When the sword is drawn from its sheath, it brings out the seawater that has seeped into the sheath, and the water drips down the blade.

The girl in the sword is crying.

"Why does it have to be this way?" the girl in the sword asked, clutching her book.

"He is a good person."

There are many good people, but the girl genuinely felt that Redip was a very good person.

“Because it was destined to be this way,” Bray replied.

"However, if I were stronger, the outcome could have been better," he said to the girl, shaking his head.

“I’ve been too slow,” Bray murmured, his prosthetic eye igniting with a fiery magic.

It is neither vigorous nor fierce, but as weak as a candle flame.

Bray had his prosthetic eye repaired, but unless it was done by Spring Wolf's helper, it would never be as good as it was originally.

Blood flowed from the edge of the prosthetic eye.

The magic flames, devoid of heat, could not dry the blood; they could only let it flow endlessly.

His internal energy had already been exhausted in the battle with Redip.

The magic power in the eyes of magic is also mostly consumed when using "Stepping into the Air".

Now, Bray is squeezing out the last bit of magic from Yi's eyes.

"Roar—" A monster emerged from the water.

No, this is Redip, not a monster.

Now, his entire body is covered in thick scales, and he has also grown a tail that is very characteristic of marine life.

The scales, like a warrior's helmet, covered his head, leaving only his cracked eyes visible.

His muscular arms pressed heavily to the ground, his claws crushing the rocks beneath him.

As Redip said, his willpower could hold on, but his body could not.

Unable to utter a word, Redip could only scream.

"—Continue... We can't delay any longer." Redip's voice echoed in Bray's mind.

Bray hesitated for a moment, then walked silently toward Redipple, sword in hand.

The sudden appearance of the island startled the seabirds and fish around.

The panicked cries of seabirds were incessant.

However, the cries of these seabirds could not drown out the roars of beasts that began to echo from a certain moment.

The battle began early on, and Bray saw no need to engage in dialogue with Redip, who was unable to speak.

After the prosthetic eye ignited, how long did Bray fight Redip?

How long has that gloomy sky lasted? When will it finally dissipate?

"..." Bray's face was a little pale, but his eyes remained unchanged, and his sword did not slow down.

His sword was already quite dull, and there was no longer any talk of it becoming duller.

"Whoosh—" A sound like burning flames suddenly arose, and the sword blade, imbued with magic, swung towards Redip.

Redip, whose body was covered in sword wounds, neither dodged nor evaded, and took Bray's sword strike head-on.

Paying such a price was only for hitting the mine.

"Swoosh—" The not-so-sharp sword easily severed the right arm covered with thick scales.

With his left arm already crippled and his right arm just severed by Bray, what offensive options does Redip have left?

Yes, of course.

"Boom!!!" Without any warning, waves surged up from the ground, washing away the grenades that the sword had not yet been sheathed.

Redip leaped into the waves and swam straight toward Bray, carried by the force of the current.

"Roar!!!" Redip tore a piece of flesh off Bray's body, along with his coat.

Due to the excruciating pain, Bray's pupils suddenly contracted.

However, this did not cause him to lose his footing. After taking Redip's attack, he immediately adjusted his direction and dodged the subsequent pursuit.

The mental world can only keep him fighting, but it cannot prevent him from getting hurt or causing him endless pain.

Pain is what keeps people alert in battle.

Of course... no one likes pain, but it's necessary.

However, even though he was injured, Bray still had to say something—

“Redip, you’ve gotten weaker.” Bray’s assessment was devoid of any emotion.

He didn't mean to belittle the other person, nor did he expect the other person to listen; he simply wanted to speak.

"Roar!!!!!!!!!!!!" The answer to Bray was the roar of a ferocious beast leaping in the waves.

These ferocious beasts in the water remain a threat even on land.

For Redip, tides can appear anywhere; anywhere is his home ground.

Moreover, now that Redup has lost the last shred of humanity, his body has completely collapsed and mutated, becoming incredibly strong, making him perfectly suited for combat.

No matter how you look at it, the fisherman's normal physique and appearance could hardly be described as strong or imposing.

But Bray still insisted that Redip had become weaker.

Without reason, they completely follow their instincts to survive and fight, and their fighting style is simple and easy to predict.

Most importantly, Bray could no longer sense the fisherman's persistence.

The awe-inspiring dedication and resilience... have vanished.

"Bang!!!!!" As if to refute Bray's words, Redip grabbed Bray, who was unable to move properly in the waves, and slammed him heavily onto the underwater rocks.

"Cough..." Bray choked on the water a few times, spat out some blood, and then used the impact to get away from Redip's side.

"Roar!! Roar!!!!" The sudden wave finally seeped into the ground, and Redup stood on the ground, pounding the ground repeatedly, his roar filled with endless anger.

“As expected, you’ve gotten weaker.” Bray got up, looked at Redip with his right eye, and said softly.

Is this mockery? No.

Why didn't Redip seriously injure Bray before, but now that Redip has seriously injured him, is he saying that Redip has become weaker?

Because Bray has also become weaker, albeit in a weakened state.

To others, it seems like Redip has become stronger and Bray has become weaker.

From a Bray perspective, it's that everyone has become weaker...

"..." After getting up, Bray didn't even have time to calm down before he immediately assumed a fighting stance.

He held the greatsword in front of him, and the longsword behind him.

His left arm, which had been bitten off, was trembling, but he remained composed and his breathing was still manageable.

Bray "sank".

He himself didn't know where he was "sinking" to, but he definitely had that feeling now.

Redip had already told him that they couldn't delay any longer.

Now that he's become a monster... we should just be more decisive.

Don't worry about your injuries anymore... don't worry about your strength anymore.

Stop thinking about what will happen to you in the end.

"Clang!" The iron tail collided with the blade with a crisp sound, but the surrounding water prevented it from sparking.

Redip lost both arms, so now his tail is his strongest weapon.

Each time it swings its iron tail, it creates a wave.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!!" This is the sound of metal colliding.

However, in Bray's ears, there was still the sound of waves.

Bray was thus forced into a tug-of-war with Redip, and he was ultimately the one who was suppressed.

"Roar!!!!!!!!"

"Shut up," Bray snapped.

“I want you to speak like a human being, not yell.” His tone then returned to calm, showing no panic even when he was at a disadvantage.

"Roar—" The roar started and then stopped abruptly.

The longsword pierced through the contracting wound in his chest once more.

Then, with a push of the blade to the right, the side ribs were severed, and the white blade continued to draw a long line with undiminished momentum, "severing" all the surrounding water droplets.

The blade completed its trajectory in the blink of an eye.

The white line drawn by the sword blade seemed to cleave the entire island in two, stretching endlessly without end.

"The water has stopped flowing," "The autumn water has stopped flowing."

"...This sword is not enough."

One more sword strike.

Bray closed his right eye, at which point Redip was completely exposed.

Including the places where death occurs.

However, Braiding is not an instant death spot.

The broadsword was swung out, and Redup took half a step back, then froze in place.

Blood kept flowing out, but Redup truly had only a sliver of life left.

"I did my best," Bray murmured. He didn't even have the strength to sheathe his sword; he could only stick it into the ground.

Give him some time.

He was a useless adventurer; this was the only thing he could do for Redip.

Bray considered giving Redipple a quick death, but also considered the unpredictable disaster that might result from not killing him decisively.

But after thinking it over, he stopped.

What's the point of thinking so much?

If anything unexpected happens, he will grit his teeth and draw his sword.

"Thank you... thank you for coming all this way to complete this request."

"Thank you... thank you for giving me the chance to say a word."

Redip's voice echoed in Bray's mind.

Bray doesn't really like people communicating to him telepathically, but he won't complain this time.

He stood there silently, without answering Redip's question.

Similarly, Redip's monster staggered forward, passing right over Bray's body.

It was as if they had completely ignored Bray, the adventurer who had been fighting to the death with them just seconds before.

Just like Bray ignored this monster that could destroy a country at any time.

The two ignored each other.

Because there's nothing left to dwell on, it's all over.