The Author's POV

"You're Ren?"

Waylan's eyes appeared to be squinting.

He examined Ren very carefully from top to bottom, and he had doubts about what he was saying. Even though he did look like Ren, the energy he was putting off was completely different... not to mention the fact that he appeared to be significantly stronger than he was before.

There was definitely something off about him. He just couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"I find that hard to believe."

"That's not something that I care about."

In response to Waylan's display of skepticism, Ren did not show any interest in defending himself.

In fact, he had no real interest in anything.

…He just wanted to get this done with already.

"What an annoying response."

The anger that was building up on Waylan's face manifested itself in the form of a rigid expression, and he rushed over to Ren. To protect himself, Ren quickly drew his sword from its sheath. At the same time, he directed the laws toward the body of the sword, covering it with them.

Only that…

The moment Waylan's hand came into contact with the sword, the laws shattered.

'This?'

Waylan smiled at it.

"Did you think you'd be able to control the laws better than me? Someone who's wielded them for centuries?"

Ren's brows furrowed slightly. This was proving to be more troublesome than he had anticipated.

Bang―!

Ren's body flew several meters back. When his body stabilized, Waylan appeared right behind him and pushed his only hand toward Ren's back. The space where his hand traveled fractured into several pieces.

"Whatever change you've gone through, it's far from enough."

As soon as the palm made contact with Ren's back, his body shot off into the distance once more.

While Ren's body was flailing about like a rag doll, there was no discernible expression on his face; however, there was noticeable blood streaking down the side of his mouth.

'Predictable.'

While in mid-air, Ren suddenly twisted his body and slashed behind him.

Clank―!

Waylan's body appeared as he blocked the attack, and Ren finally stabilized himself.

Extending his finger forward, the space around Waylan cracked apart, and golden streaks of tangible sword energy pierced at him like a porcupine.

They came at him in all directions and at speeds that left one unable to react.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!

However, just as they were about to pierce his body, they came to an abrupt halt.

Waylan broke into a grin as he took a closer look at the sword energies that surrounded him.

"How int―"

into a stone-like expression as his head

At this precise instant, a powerful ripple spread across the area they were in, shattering the space around them into a number of separate

extent that one could actually make out

Cr― Crack!

itself, but as soon as the large sword

'It's that move again.'

as his eyes moved toward the hand that was no longer on his body. His internal laws surged to the surface in the form of golden runes, and a massive shield materialized

the same time, Ren's cold gaze paused on

someone of this level. It seems like I'm still

to take shape and grow both more distinct and more substantial with each

Shhhh―!

sheath as the second sword began to materialize

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

all of which became completely detached from one another as they rose up a few meters from each other. The blade that Ren held in his hand

film covering his main sword, a sudden thought

goes bad, I might

seconds, and he

'Sounds good.'

died? Wasn't that his goal

of the sword was obscured by a dark film that

It was demonic energy.

making its appearance, the white film began to wiggle, and a destructive power that was on

'I,impossible!'

that was taking place with

building up took only a few seconds in

strategy was to defend the attack and then launch a counterattack shortly after when he was

for

was an

had been forming in

not withhold anything. He clenched his fist tightly, gathered all the strength he could muster, and then

"Don't push your luck."

Crack. Crack.

Everything shattered.

space around

began to tremble, even if only very slightly, and

back. The sword behind him had only formed halfway, and he seemed to still be struggling to control his main sword, which was alternating between

held his breath

knew this

had been fixated on the sword, moved away from it as

the vacant gray pupils in his eyes concentrated on the punch that was drawing near.

"Move."

one word

it, golden runes appeared from the area around the fist and clamped onto it like a rope that pulled

was about to take control of the laws, he felt something touch his forehead, and when he looked up he saw two dull gray pupils staring back at

sudden, everything came

"A... ah... how?"

a ripple spread from

"You fell for it."

disappeared, and so did

'H,how.'

Waylan wasn't even able to react. And in that brief moment, time seemed to have stopped.

"Boom."

far off in the distance, slamming into

BANG―

"Huak."

out

slammed into the buildings in the distance, the surrounding area began

"Fool."

directly in front of Waylan, who was pinned up against the wall of the building. Both his hair and the Akashic Laws on his body were