The air left a cabin in the concubines' village.
—Little Jiang, are you alright?—asked Huan Ming Zhi, looking at the boy with his face covered in dirt.
The smile on Jian Long's face was elusive as he looked at the girl in the cradle.
—It doesn't matter, Aunt. How is Hui Cao?—he said while looking at the princess from afar.
In the present, both beings stood face to face, blood pouring from Jian Long's arm in streams.
But the Guan Dao in his hands barely kept him standing.
—Sister, this will end once and for all—he said as he lunged at the girl, his nose bleeding.
Hang Jin snapped out of his daze and launched a martial technique.
—Rain of a Thousand Frosts—
Icy spikes surrounded the area where the mist hunter stood and fell toward the former prince.
The strike he launched toward Hui Cao's head was deflected by this movement, preventing her immediate death.
Inside Xue Huang's mind.
A cowboy wielded a machete with a Damascus edge of great value.
—How long can you exist in this plane, anomaly?—the dragon, slightly rising into the sky, looked at his mental world with a hint of nostalgia.
The Man Without a name breathed rapidly while drinking a tonic in reality.
—Damn, this is incredible—his voice seemed to burst with excitement.
The skies in the mental world were filled with infinite colors, as if the world were the culmination of longevity.
Xue Huang looked at the skies of his home with apathy as he launched a strike at The Man Without a name.
—Dragon Break—
In a single blow, his blade doubled in size and struck against The Man Without a name's machete, sending him flying.
From his hands appeared a long stone mace with two flat steel spikes; flipping in the air, he struck downward at the dragon.
With an explosion of power, The Man Without a name was sent flying toward the center of a city.
Voices of merchants, buildings that seemed made of gold-stained stone rising higher and higher with barely any windows, and the airspace was filled with people bearing horns on their foreheads, ascending into the sky.
—Your home is interesting, not bad—he said calmly while storing his mace in his inventory.
The dragon descended to ground level and said:
—Anomaly, your appreciation is useless—
In an instant, as if controlling the illusion, the sky turned blood-red.
The buildings became bonfires, and blood covered the ground.
—My actions are what speak. This is the truth—he said calmly as he approached.
Looking at a small snowflake in the air.
—That damn idiot—rage filled his eyes.
The Man Without a name looked around, spotting a small child with seven horns among the ruins of one of the buildings.
—Damn, your memories are tragic, Dragon—
In an instant, two tungsten knuckles appeared on his hands.
With one strike, he snapped Xue Huang out of his anger, sending him crashing into ruins.
In an instant, the dragon looked at the sky, where the vision of reality was revealed to both.
Ice spikes flew toward Xue Huang's entire back.
Jian Long blocked what he could while Hui Cao clung tightly to the dragon's scales.
—Jian Long, I'll give you some of my strength. Once you win, you'll have to return it triple—
In an instant, a small drop of blood emerged from one of the upper scales.
At that moment, it was absorbed into Jian Long's body.
The Man Without a name began the battle in close combat.
Their blows echoed as the tremors of the dragon's psyche began to rumble.
Jian Long noticed how his bleeding stopped, releasing flames toward the mist hunter, who barely managed to escape.
Jian Long threw the Guan Dao toward the ground below.
—Truly, little sister, it was too easy to get here—
Jian Long walked slowly and grabbed Hui Cao by the neck.
The Man Without a name began to pummel the dragon; it felt its bones shattering with each block.
Then he noticed it—the numbness in his arms was transferring to reality.
In an instant, Jian Long's consciousness was transported into the mental world.
Looking upward, he saw his body still responding to his movements.
—Jian Long! Move and hold him or I won't be able to help you anymore!—
The dragon, barely standing through martial arts against The Man Without a name's survival attacks, shouted at the top of his lungs.
Pulling out a spear, he attacked Jian Long, creating an opening for Xue Huang.
—Thousand Star Strike!—
Both the body and consciousness of Xue Huang expelled blood in torrents as The Man Without a name was sent flying.
In an instant, The Man Without a name felt his ribs shatter into pieces, barely breathing as he grabbed a tonic.
—Sword Aura, three fingers—
The three fingers of Jian Long's right hand exploded in a burst of light toward The Man Without a name.
Jian Long attacked the body. Blackie, noticing his intentions, removed the saddlebag from his body, dropping the cowboy to the ground.
—Little sister, let's end this once and for all—
The hand gripping Hui Cao's neck was exerting maximum force.
The girl's breathing began to fade as air stopped entering.
A similar situation occurred with Xue Huang as blood poured uncontrollably from his nose.
The Man Without a name, utterly enraged, launched his entire spirit against Xue Huang.
While Jian Long's consciousness continued beating his body on the ground.
Jian Long, about to taste his revenge, was struck by a structure of primordial chaos that healed the girl to her peak.
Without hesitation, and boosted by the cupcake, she launched an attack.
—Storm-Destruction Fist—
In an instant, the air shattered in an explosion.
Hui Cao's arm was now a shapeless mass of flesh and bone; the meridians of her arm expelled spiritual energy.
Jian Long's consciousness in the mental world also faded, his unconscious body with teeth flying through the air.
At that moment, Xue Huang's eyes became ethereal like those of The Man Without a name.
With a single command, the dragon's mouth lunged at the former prince's body, biting down.
At that moment, the soul contract matrices appeared above each of them, shattering into thousands of pieces.
The Man Without a name was expelled from Xue Huang's consciousness, barely able to stand.
The price began to be paid.
The dragon felt every particle of his blood begin to explode; his consciousness in his mental world, barely alive, looked at the red skies of his home.
Letting out a soft sigh, he laughed lightly as he felt his existence begin to fade.
Meanwhile, the former prince awoke on the ground.
In an instant, blood began to flow from his seven orifices.
Looking at the radiant sun at its highest point.
—Damn it, no, no, no, not like this, GU YAN WU, FATHER HAS TO PAY—blood in his mouth began to flow into his lungs.
—YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, BASTARD, I SHOULD RULE, I, GU YAN LONG, REFUSE TO DIE LIKE THIS—he shouted in a weak voice in the middle of the forests.
—WHO WAS THAT STRANGER WHO INTERFERED? THEY MUST DIE, EVERYONE MUST DIE—
At that moment, his vocal cords filled with blood, preventing him from shouting.
In that brief instant, the face of a single person crossed his mind.
—Aunt Ming?—
His consciousness faded at that moment along with him.
The Man Without a name looked at the sky, feeling half of his body immobile.
In his mind, he thought while watching Hui Cao fall from the sky as the dragon turned into nothing but particles sealed by a barrier.
Looking at Blackie, he made a gesture with his hand pointing at the girl.
The horse seemed surprised, but The Man Without a name's expression made it obey.
—Am I going to die today?—
The vision in one of his eyes began to fade.
In his mind, a memory sealed years ago exploded.
In a hospital bed, a red-haired woman with freckles looked at the one who once had a name.
—Do you think this makes me look fat?—she said calmly while holding the man's hand.
—Nothing would make you fat—a short reply hiding a slight sadness.
—You know, I thought we could do more things—said the woman, bearing an incredible resemblance to Janet.
—Like having children? A family?—he said with a trembling voice.
She gave him a light hit on the arm.
—So they can live in this hell? It's not necessary… you know #$##$, I think it's time for me to go—she said calmly while looking at the man's phone on the table.
—Were you really playing that cowboy game? Is it that exciting?—
The Man Without a name held his lover's hand tightly.
—It would be nice to have land full of plants, right?—
After those words, the woman pulled him toward her lips.
—Yes, it really would be nice—
The smile faded as The Man Without a name looked at the woman on the bed.
At that moment, with the eye that still worked, he saw the mist hunter reach the girl.
The Man Without a name began to recall these past years on the farm.
—Let's rob everyone—
In an instant, like a younger version of himself taking part in a bank robbery.
A few dollars appeared in his hands.
On the ground, a man beaten to a pulp.
—Save the children of the tribes?—
He thought while looking at the mission rewards with greed.
Time passed like nothing; that greedy young man faded into the air.
But in an instant, he found himself in his mind inside a church.
—Mr Nobody—
A nun greeted the man standing by the church wall.
—Sister Autum—
He greeted respectfully while tipping his hat.
—I heard you took down the Jackson gang in a single blow—
She said calmly while looking at the sun.
—It was nothing—
He said calmly while turning to leave.
—Mr Nobody, wait a moment—
The sister stopped him while looking at the sky.
—I always see you helping others, but you always seem distant from your actions—
She said calmly while observing him.
—I don't know what you mean, sister—
He said calmly, sitting on the ground.
—Mr Nobody, one day you will find something you truly believe in. I hope it's soon—
From her pocket, she pulled out a small rosary.
—You don't need to start with the Lord, but I hope you feel that what you do is truly something, not just obligation—
The sister said goodbye while placing the rosary in his hand.
The Man Without a name began to remember the emptiness of his actions from before. Now, in his heart, a faint sense of true responsibility, without missions, exploded.
With his still-functional hand, he grabbed the revolver that seemed unwilling to leave its holster.
Looking at the cylinder, only one silver bullet remained.
Without hesitation, he aimed at the mist hunter carrying Hui Cao.
—Ha, you're always a good man, aren't you?—
Arch raised a glass of whiskey in a bar and spoke for a moment.
—I don't feel like I'm a good person—
He said calmly.
—Come on, you saved my son from those bandits. How could you not be good?—
Arch smiled calmly.
Smashing a silver-edged mirror with his head, he felt the burning inside him unleash.
—You're a hero, Mr Nobody. Don't believe what those idiots in the press say—you saved New Amster—
Sheriff Mackenzie smiled.
—Ha, take a free pie for your sacrifice—
A younger Judy handed a pie to The Man Without a name.
—If it weren't for you, my little son would have died. Thank you—
A tribal leader, in tears, thanked the man.
In an instant, the bullet moved through the air, unstoppable, heading toward Han Jin's head.
The Man Without a name fell to the ground among glass shards that faded away, and Hui Cao was caught in the air on a horse's back.
After a few minutes, she was thrown from the mount back inside the barrier. Blackie's hooves faded into the distance, and the radio left on now emitted only static.
Feeling her eyelids grow heavy, she began to close them, but at that moment the static distorted.
"Priority request 3: dragon essence and draconic existence outside the worlds, to Parenting System for two major recovery capsules."
"West offer insufficient. Add mid-grade primordial chaos 500 m³ sufficient."
The system's voice was feminine but barely discernible to Hui Cao's ears.
"Minor at risk of death, request temporary loan reduction."
"Price accepted. Report on this minor required after treatment."
Hui Cao struggled with her eyelids to stay conscious.
"Primary Yang X8 pill on offer for effective meridian recovery, 50 cubic meters of low-grade primordial chaos."
The voice was technical, echoing the analysis of her cultivation technique from before.
"Forging Cauldron System: offer accepted."
"Dating System: proposes probability analysis of lov—"
"Transmission terminated, Old West offline."