That was his answer.
It was so simple, but Sunny had remained blind to it for so long.
Anvil's blade sank deeper into his neck. Molten metal rained from the sky, and far above, the barrier of swords was falling apart. Rays of light were already falling on the surface of the ancient bone.
Sunny had to die, but he could not allow himself to be killed. There was a trick to it all — at least there was for him.
He was going to cheat his way to Supremacy. That was his act of defiance.
Still, death was cruel and terrifying, even for someone who had died as many times as Sunny had. He had cheated death on plenty of occasions, always finding a way to stay alive…
But this time was different. It had to be.
This time, he had to die in earnest, with no deception or trickery involved... only truth.
It was so absurd that he wanted to laugh… he would have, if not for the few centimeters of cold steel currently piercing his neck.
Still, Sunny smiled crookedly behind Weaver's Mask.
He opened his mouth and asked in a hoarse voice, straining to make himself heard:
"Hey, King of Swords… do you wish to kill me?"
Anvil looked at him coldly.
"I do. I will."
Sunny couldn't help it, after all, and let out a stifled, sinister laugh.
The cursed blade cut him, and he grimaced.
A dark, murderous fury rose like a pyre in his heart.
Sunny spat:
"Listen, you wretch… you can't kill me. You are not worthy enough to kill me."
He mustered what little remained of his strength,arduously pushing Anvil's sword a few centimeters back for a moment.
"A man worthy of killing me has not been born in this world, yet."
Kneeling, bleeding, utterly broken, Sunny looked up at Anvil and laughed again.
"And never will be. I am the heir of Death, you fool. Did you really think that you could kill Death?"
The only thing that could kill Death was Death itself.
As brilliant light illuminated them, forcing Anvil to freeze, Sunny raised Serpent with his free hand.
The black odachi rippled, turning into a ghostly stiletto.
And just as his arm started to crumble into ash…
Sunny grinned, turned the blade of the stiletto against himself, and plunged it into his own heart.