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―"

face froze into a stone-like expression as his head shot up,

a powerful ripple spread across the area they were in, shattering the

had deteriorated to such an extent that one

Cr― Crack!

attempts to fix itself, but as soon as the large sword appeared above Ren's head, it was unable to do anything other than

'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,

same time, Ren's

been a while since I've fought someone of this level. It seems

take shape and

Shhhh―!

as the second

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

that Ren held in his hand grew in size as a thin layer of white film connected the shards of the

covering his main sword, a

If all goes bad,

seconds, and he put them into

'Sounds good.'

he died? Wasn't that his goal to

was obscured by a dark

It was demonic energy.

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

'I,impossible!'

watched everything that was taking place with a horrified expression on

of building up took only a

to defend the attack and then launch a counterattack shortly after when he was exhausted; however,

for him

an obvious

suddenly materialized in front of Ren, and the barrier that had been forming

arched his back, he did 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.

on his fist, the space around him began to shatter, and the background of his office

tremble, even if only very slightly, and the entire office began

back. The sword behind him had only formed halfway, and he seemed to still be

held

I knew

eyes, which had been fixated on the sword,

on the punch

"Move."

word

only one word, but as soon as he muttered it, golden runes appeared from the area around the fist and clamped onto it like a rope that pulled to the left, and the

laws, he felt something touch

sudden, everything came to a sudden

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

a ripple spread from the

"You fell for it."

sword behind him disappeared, and so did

'H,how.'

have stopped. Locking his eyes

"Boom."

and then reemerged far off in

BANG―

"Huak."

out a pained

surrounding area began to flicker, and the background of the office

"Fool."

pinned up against the wall of the building. Both his hair and the Akashic Laws on his body were a