Chapter 767

The swordsman said hoarsely, "I… remember! I remember my first death. The Bu Li people… cut off my head." "But I also remember, if it weren't for a young man who risked to bury me and stitched it back, I would have completely perished."

——

Attack on Titan.

"Can you cut off the head and still reattach it??"

Eren stared at the swordsman in shock, but unfortunately he was wearing light armor that covered his neck, otherwise he really wanted to see if there were stitches there.

"What terrifying regenerative power… Speaking of which, as beings blessed by Abundance, do these Bu Li people also have such regenerative ability? How are we supposed to kill them?"

Mikasa couldn't understand; in his impression, even if a Titan could regenerate severed limbs, there was still an absolute weak point at the nape—just cut there and even an Aberrant would die. But if Xianzhou people could recover even after losing their heads, then severed limbs might also be able to grow back.

Armin narrowed his eyes and speculated: "The Bu Li people can be killed with a single strike from Yunli's sword, indicating their regenerative power may not be as strong as that of the Xianzhou people… but it's certainly not weak; they probably couldn't survive 'reattaching a severed head and still living.' The Bu Li people's ability to enslave myriad worlds across the universe likely relates to their race's reproduction."

After saying that, Armin looked up at Eren in the next stall: "By the way, Eren, although your wounds can heal quickly thanks to the power of the Titans, if one day your head were cut off, could you survive by having it sewn back on?"

"Huh?? Armin, don't ask such a scary question! Your expression is exactly like Captain Hanji!!" Mikasa hugged herself, face full of fear.

"Um… I'm just a little curious." Armin scratched his head embarrassedly.

"I kinda get what you mean, but how could I possibly know the answer to that?" Eren unconsciously touched his neck, constantly feeling a breeze blowing on the back of his neck, chilly; he couldn't even picture his own neck being sliced by a blade for a moment, feeling… rather creepy.

"If that day ever comes and an Aberrant bites off my head, if possible… you and Mikasa must try to help me reattach it."

——

"I remember everything these people have done for me: the food placed at the cave entrance, the mended fur coat, and the oaths those people swore before joining me. The Xianzhou people's remaining lifespan is still long; new youngsters will step up to fight alongside me! Time is on our side."

"……"

"You just said this is a lonely war." Guyun said hoarsely, "No, this war is not lonely; it's merely filled with despair—so much that I don't want to taste despair again."

This time, Yunli didn't speak; she followed Guyun's steps in silence, pressing onward.

"I'm leaving."

The swordsman stood with his back to the alien villagers, gazing up at the azure sky; countless years passed… finally, sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon his face.

This is the warmth he had always sought.

"I… want to return to my homeland. Back to the heavens, a faraway place. I won't come back again."

"But… if you leave, what will we do? What if those wolf demons appear again…" the villager trailed off, wanting to speak but stopping.

"They're already extinct, child. They've been completely wiped out by you…" the swordsman turned, bent down, and rubbed a child's head, "Before I leave, I ask you to do one thing for me. Although the wolf demons are gone, monsters will still exist in the world."

"Not long from now, a demon wielding golden branches, knowing only slaughter, will roam here. But you need not fear. I will leave you the sword that has accompanied me in battle for many years. Using the methods I've taught you over these years, you will surely be able to slay the last monster in the world."

"But I want you to build a stone monument for me. It must be large and sturdy, to firmly press down the remains of those monsters, unmoving for all eternity. This is a debt you owe me; you must fulfill it, understand?"

"You deceived them, and you deceived me." Guyun said.

"Oh?"

"You promised that when you were in despair, you would give your body to me."

"Old friend, the Xianzhou people's remaining lifespan has come to an end. Then let me give you a chance for revenge—come see me off on my final journey."

——

Spirit Cage

"Brother, you are a true hero."

Although it's well known that the Cloud Rider swordsman in the firmament has long been dead, Xutong still silently lowered his head, conducting a silent mourning. From lone resistance against the entire Bu Li army to liberating an entire planet from slavery… he deserves everyone's respect.

The memory only displayed a few fragments, but what runs through them is the centuries-long remaining life of a Xianzhou person.

Although this universe contains many unpleasant things—legions, the Abundant people, disasters from the anti-organic equation, locust plagues… it is also because individuals like this swordsman exist that civilization can rise from disaster after disaster, creating a brighter tomorrow.

"He promised to give his body to Guyun when he despaired, but could it really be that in these hundreds of years he never truly despaired or wavered?" Xiaodou still found it hard to believe; such willpower… if not madness, it's already a miracle.

"Hmm… I think he probably did waver, though? He just never thought of giving up—giving up on himself is simple, just a thought… but everyone on this planet would be doomed."

Shan Da said in a low, muffled voice, "Just thinking about his fate… after fighting for hundreds of years, he still couldn't escape the destiny of becoming a demonic Yin body… sigh, I suppose that extraterrestrial envoy must be their descendant."

——

When the memory ended, Yunli finally realized that the Guyun who had been guiding her forward was already shattered to pieces.

"…He had long prepared himself for this; I can feel countless complex emotions flowing." Yunli only felt incredulous, "This isn't bloodlust, anger, or fear—what he left for you is… an entrustment?"

"They already know how to resist monsters, and there is still one last monster roaming the world. Eliminate it, my old friend." Guyun paused, "He left me behind, never to return."

The shattered Guyun continued to lead Yunli forward, and this time she saw Guyun plunged into the swordsman who had mutated into a demonic Yin body.

"…Thank you, old friend." On his deathbed, the swordsman seemed to regain some consciousness, "Suiyang can savor human emotions… what does my… emotion taste like, old friend…?"