The Author's POV

'What did I just see?'

Kevin felt his heart grow cold.

'T...that can't be real, right? Re..n would never do that...'

He was in a state of complete denial. But, it was at this moment that he suddenly recalled his past flashbacks of what Ren had done with Emma, and it was from there that he was able to calm himself down.

'That's not the Ren I know. It's a different Ren.'

He repeatedly told himself. Recalling the conversation he had with Ren in the past and connecting everything with his visions, things were slowly starting to make sense.

'Why is it dark?'

Following his death, the scene once again shifted. This time, the world was dark. However, upon paying close attention, he could hear the sound of birds chirping in the distance.

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

'Birds? What's going on?'

Kevin could faintly feel the warm, gentle sunshine enveloping his whole body.

It was then that Ren opened his eyes and Kevin found himself inside a one-bedroom apartment.

Rubbing his eyes, he blinked a couple of times and once more looked at my strange surroundings.

'This place...'

It looked familiar. Kevin couldn't just quite remember where he had seen this room before.

The room was furnished with the basic necessities that comprised a clean white bed, an old wooden spacious desk, a tall wardrobe, and a small bathroom. It was neither too big nor too small, but it seemed to have all the necessary facilities one might need when living.

'...Just why is this so familiar to me?'

Kevin thought to himself as he continued to stare at the room. It was strange, but Kevin knew for sure that he had seen this room before.

...But no matter how much he tried to think about it, he couldn't exactly remember where he had seen it.

'How odd.'

Shifting his body, Kevin's head turned to face the nearby window.

Reflected on it was a familiar face.

Jet black hair

Pale white skin

Blue ocean-like eyes

It was Ren's face...but younger. A lot younger.

'What memory is this?'

Kevin wondered as Ren's body shifted and he pressed his foot on the ground to help his body up.

"...Another failure."

Ren muttered while he stood up, and headed for the nearby desk where he sat down.

Opening the drawer beside the desk, he took out a small notebook alongside a small pen.

Grasping the pen beside him, Ren's body froze for a small second. With his eyes locked onto the pen, he slowly brought it next to his neck.

Click—!

Pressing onto the top end of the pen, the sharp tip came out.

Ren gently pressed it against his neck. Slowly, he began to put more pressure.

'What is he doing?'

Kevin wondered as he felt the sharp tip of the pen press against Ren's neck. His actions didn't make sense to Kevin at all.

'Don't tell me that he's...'

"Haaa..."

Before Kevin could come up with an assumption, Ren let out a long sigh and lowered the hand that held onto the pen. The pressure on his neck disappeared.

Casually tossing the pen on the desk, Ren reclined on the chair and emptily stared at the white ceiling of the room.

Grasping his chest with his hand, he mumbled.

"...What's the point? It's not like anything will change."

Though his words were casual, they were enough to alarm Kevin who was watching everything.

At this point, no matter how much he tried to feel the emotions Ren was experiencing, he couldn't feel anything. He basically felt like an empty shell whose sole reason for living was something that Kevin was still unsure of...but from his earlier actions, Kevin had an inkling that perhaps, just maybe, Ren didn't really want to be alive.

It was as if something was stopping him from dying. Or maybe he was just overthinking.

...but as he thought back at the moment he pressed the pen against his neck, Kevin was left uncertain about his theory.

Leaning his body forward, Ren grasped the pen he had thrown on the table and opened the book.

He then began to write something.

a state of emotional turmoil. Assessing the situation, I decided to terminate the loop. Based on my calculations, the possibility of him defeating the Demon King was

through his body as he

'I..it can't be, right?'

denial, but...he knew that everything he

the dots

he knew that it was only wishful thinking

may not be the Ren he knew, but he was still nonetheless Ren. A stinging pain started to quickly spread

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

with his pen, Ren

that Kevin was close to in the previous loop before he comes in contact with them

the paper, the world started to shift, and a red sky enshrouded the

appeared everywhere as corpses and limbs sprawled

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

building, as the sound of his rough

'Where am I?'

noticed that his right hand was missing and a long

scene. It

of what he was seeing, Kevin

his eyes laid on a figure who had white hair

laying down on a broken building, the figure blankly stared toward the sky as a cruel smile sprung up on

no use, you won't be able

the world as he proceeded to raise

to a standstill as demonic energy gathered towards the palm of his hand, forming a small

"Stay put."

Kevin felt his hand rise before he

Crack. Crack.

cracks formed as the ground crushed against his body, resulting in a crater to

the red-eyed figure was completely unfazed

smile only deepened as their gazes

useless struggle. I've already

"Shut up."

around him pulverized into bits. The gravity around him started to warp, and the buildings in

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

once again shocked to see a figure resembling himself standing in

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

kept the other figure in check while he

wasn't enough to contain the other

waiting for?

was

back at him, the other Kevin's lips trembled after glancing at the red-eyed figure and

outcome

you talking

back. His brows furrowed tightly, and his voice

other Kevin pointed towards

world. It's completely destroyed! Almost all of humanity has been destroyed because of your actions, and

fists clenched tightly, his voice

the sake of killing him! You decided to sacrifice the whole of humanity! What's the point of killing him when

words, Ren slowly opened his mouth to say

'Because I don't care.'

"...Because I don't care."

Kevin finally understood why felt a sense of

that he saw in his vision. He could clearly remember each word that was

"You don't care?"

erupted from Kevin's body. While the hue that sprang out of his body was very faint and almost invisible, the pressure it released was nothing

because of your actions humanity

"What are you doing?"

voice

Kevin pressed his palm to the space next to

I should've done the moment I remembered

Clank.

sprung up from the ground and

Kevin felt Ren's face crack when he looked at the other

do you

and felt his body try to move, but no matter how much force he applied, he couldn't move. A complete

of a predicament he was, his

did you

was watching the scene with an amused look on his

it's going to be

his teeth, the other Kevin proceeded to ignore

"khh..."

the hue around the other Kevin's body slowly started to fade as his figure

in a while, Kevin suddenly started to feel emotions spring out inside of Ren's body as he opened his mouth

now! End it!!!! You know full well that you're the only one

'Desperation.'

as he felt his mouth open and

always the same

to a pause a couple of meters away from Ren. Their two

Clank. Clank. Clank.

body become more and more numerous, before

that his words couldn't reach the other Kevin, Kevin realized that Ren had stopped shouting and the previous emotions that

in the other Kevin's direction, Kevin felt his

be enough to stop

"I don't know."

Kevin

least for now, you won't