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.

trial 209 : Upon killing everyone that Kevin held dear, he fell into 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 beneath

his blood freeze. Chills ran through his body as he had a hard time processing

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

remain in a state of denial, but...he knew

point in his denying anything. He had already figured everything out after connecting the dots from

knew that it was only wishful thinking on

was still nonetheless Ren. A stinging pain started to quickly spread across Kevin's

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

those words with his pen,

previous loop before he comes in contact with them in this loop. Same goes for my family. It's better if they

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

appeared everywhere as corpses and

silence enshrouded

"Haa...haa..."

as the sound of his rough breathing broke the

'Where am I?'

he noticed that his right

scene. It looks

seeing, Kevin suddenly had a feeling of Deja

head and his eyes laid on a figure who had

a broken building, the figure blankly stared toward the sky as

you won't be

playful words rang throughout the world as he proceeded to raise his

he raised his hand, the world seemed to have come to a standstill as demonic energy gathered towards

"Stay put."

form, Kevin felt his hand rise before he

Crack. Crack.

formed as the ground crushed

the red-eyed figure was completely unfazed as he

only deepened as their gazes met. Opening

your useless struggle.

"Shut up."

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

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

suddenly felt his body turn, he was once again shocked to see a figure resembling himself standing in the

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

of his hand motioned downwardly, Ren kept the other figure

it was painfully obvious to Kevin that his power wasn't enough to contain the other figure for long

you waiting for?

was standing in the distance. His voice sounded a little bit

at the

this the outcome that

you talking

tightly, and his voice became

teeth, the other Kevin

has been destroyed because of your actions, and yet, you don't

the other Kevin's fists clenched tightly, his

You decided to sacrifice the whole of humanity! What's the point of killing him when there's no one left? What's the fucking

Kevin's words, Ren slowly opened his mouth to say something. Matching his mouth, Kevin

'Because I don't care.'

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

finally understood why felt

vision. He could clearly

"You don't care?"

that sprang out of his body was very faint and almost invisible, the pressure it

don't care about the fact that because of your actions humanity is on the verge of

"What are you doing?"

dull voice

to the space next

I should've done the moment I remembered

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Ren's shock, black chains suddenly sprung up from the ground and Kevin felt them clasp onto

in a long time, Kevin felt Ren's face crack when he looked at the other Kevin

do you think you're

to move, but no matter how much

just how much of a

did you do to

the other white figure who was watching the scene with an amused look on his face. Although he was also on the verge of death, there was a triumphant look on

like it's going to

other Kevin proceeded to ignore

"khh..."

Kevin's body slowly started

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

that you're the only one that can

'Desperation.'

felt as he felt his

always the

the other Kevin's feet came to a pause a couple of meters away from Ren. Their two eyes

Clank. Clank. Clank.

body become more and more

had stopped shouting and the previous emotions that were erupting

the other Kevin's direction, Kevin felt his mouth

this will be enough

"I don't know."

other Kevin shook

least for now, you won't be able to do