The battle continued.
Time passed.
The endless white world remained unchanged.
Only the two figures within it continued moving.
Lían ran across the surface of the water.
His footsteps barely disturbed the surface.
Behind him—
countless droplets suddenly rose.
They compressed.
Then—
**SHHHK!**
They shot forward like bullets.
Lían didn't stop.
His body shifted to the left.
One passed beside his head.
He lowered himself.
Another tore through the space above his shoulder.
A third suddenly curved toward him.
Lían stepped across the water and twisted his body.
The attack missed by inches.
He continued running.
His sword dragged lightly across the surface.
The blade disturbed the water as he moved.
Then—
Lían suddenly stopped.
His body twisted.
He swung.
**SHHK!**
A compressed slash of water shot forward.
The copy immediately crouched.
Its sword dipped into the water.
A current instantly climbed along the blade.
The copy swung upward.
**BOOM!**
The two attacks collided.
Water exploded outward.
A curtain of droplets filled the space between them.
Lían didn't hesitate.
He burst through the spray.
His sword was already raised.
The copy's eyes narrowed.
Its sword moved.
**CLANG!**
Their blades collided.
Lían pushed forward.
The copy redirected the force.
Lían's sword slipped away.
He immediately reversed his grip.
A horizontal slash followed.
The copy leaned backward.
The blade passed in front of its chest.
It stepped forward.
Its sword thrust toward Lían's abdomen.
Lían twisted.
The blade grazed his clothing.
He countered with an upward strike.
The copy blocked.
**CLANG!**
Both were forced apart.
Lían landed several meters away.
He immediately charged again.
The copy met him halfway.
Their swords collided.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
**CLANG!**
**CLANG!**
**CLANG!**
Each exchange became faster.
Lían's movements flowed together with the water beneath his feet.
Every step carried him forward.
Every swing disturbed the surrounding water.
Every movement of the copy's blade caused another change in the flow.
Lían no longer needed to consciously think about each action.
His body had begun responding naturally.
The copy suddenly swept its sword downward.
The water beneath Lían erupted.
Lían jumped.
Several compressed spheres of water shot upward.
He twisted through them.
One passed beneath his foot.
Another grazed his sleeve.
A third came directly toward his face.
Lían tilted his head.
The sphere passed beside him.
Before his feet touched the water—
he swung.
A thin arc of compressed water shot toward the copy.
The copy raised its sword.
**BOOM!**
The attack collided.
The surrounding water surged violently.
Both figures were pushed backward.
Lían landed.
His breathing was heavier now.
But his eyes remained focused.
The copy slowly raised its sword.
Neither spoke.
Then—
both moved again.
---
After the **736th death**—
silence finally descended upon the endless white.
Lían stood motionless upon the surface of the water.
His breathing was heavy.
His clothes were torn.
Blood covered parts of his body.
His grip around the sword trembled slightly.
Several meters before him—
the copy remained standing.
A sword had pierced straight through its chest.
Blood slowly flowed down its clothing.
The copy looked down at the blade.
Then—
back at Lían.
For several breaths—
neither moved.
A faint smile appeared upon the copy's face.
"...You finally did it."
Its body began to fade.
The wound.
The blood.
The figure itself.
Everything gradually dissolved into countless particles of light.
Lían continued staring.
He didn't move.
He simply watched until the last trace of the copy disappeared.
Silence returned.
Lían slowly lowered his sword.
His shoulders dropped.
A long breath escaped his lips.
"...Finally."
He stared at the empty space where the copy had stood.
"...It's over."
His legs finally weakened.
He lowered himself onto the surface of the water.
His breathing remained heavy.
Seven hundred and thirty-six deaths.
Seven hundred and thirty-six times—
he had experienced the moment his life was taken.
Yet each time—
he had returned.
Each death had forced him to understand something.
A movement.
A mistake.
A weakness.
A possibility.
Until eventually—
he had stopped thinking about surviving.
He had learned how to fight.
And then—
how to kill.
Lían looked down at the sword in his hand.
His expression was exhausted.
But beneath that exhaustion—
there was something else.
A quiet sense of accomplishment.
He had done it.
A moment passed.
Lían slowly straightened.
He glanced around the endless white.
His sword was still in his hand.
He looked toward the empty space where the copy had disappeared.
Then—
he turned his gaze upward.
"...Alright."
He let out a tired breath.
"Are we done here?"
A pause.
"Or do you have something else planned, Master?"
Silence.
The endless water beneath his feet suddenly began to disappear.
The surface dissolved into countless white ripples.
Then—
the remaining scenery faded as well.
The water.
The distant horizon.
Everything.
Within a few breaths—
only endless white remained.
Lían stood there with his sword still in hand.
Then—
a familiar figure appeared above him.
A tiny white lizard.
Lían looked up.
"If we're done..."
"...Can you take me out?"
He lowered his sword slightly.
"I've completely lost track of time."
A pause.
"I've been here for so long..."
His expression softened.
"...I want to go home."
His voice became quieter.
"I want to see my mother."
Lizarius stared down at him.
Then—
he spoke calmly.
"...Three months."
Lían blinked.
"Three months?"
"Two weeks."
"...What?"
"Four days."
Lían's expression gradually became confused.
"And seventeen hours."
Silence.
Lían stared blankly at the lizard.
"...What?"
Lizarius remained motionless.
"That is how long you have been inside."
Lían's mouth slowly opened.
"...Three months..."
"...Two weeks..."
"...Four days..."
"...And seventeen hours?"
"Yes."
Lían stood completely frozen.
Then—
Lizarius continued.
"Outside..."
A brief pause.
"...Two minutes and ten seconds have passed."
Lían's expression became even more stunned.
"...Two minutes?"
"Two minutes and ten seconds."
Silence.
Lían looked around the endless white.
Then back at Lizarius.
His mind struggled to process the information.
"...So..."
He slowly raised one hand.
"...You're telling me I've spent more than three months here..."
"...and outside, barely two minutes have passed?"
"Yes."
Lían stared at him.
For several breaths—
he said nothing.
Then his expression slowly changed.
"...So time here..."
"...moves differently."
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían looked around once more.
His gaze swept across the endless white.
"...Way slower."
He paused.
"Much..."
"...Much slower."
Another moment passed.
"Three entire months..."
"...for only two minutes outside."
He slowly shook his head.
"...That's unbelievable."
His eyes narrowed.
"...No."
"That's impossible to believe."
He looked back toward Lizarius.
"But..."
A helpless expression appeared on his face.
"...I suppose everything else that's happened today was impossible to believe too."
He glanced down at his sword.
Then at the endless white surrounding him.
A faint sigh escaped his lips.
"...I don't think I can even be surprised anymore."