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―"

stone-like expression as his head shot up,

the area they were in, shattering the space around

space had deteriorated to such an extent that one could actually

Cr― Crack!

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

'It's that move again.'

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

Ren's cold gaze

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

behind him continued to take shape and grow both

Shhhh―!

as the second

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

detached from one another as they rose up a few meters from each other. The blade that Ren held in his hand grew in size as a thin layer of white film connected the

staring at the white film covering his main sword, a sudden thought crossed Ren's

goes bad,

and he

'Sounds good.'

what if he died? Wasn't that his goal to

a dark film that emerged from within Ren's body and

It was demonic energy.

wiggle, and a destructive power that was on par with the enormous sword in the background began

'I,impossible!'

watched everything that was taking place with

of building up took only a

attack and then launch a counterattack shortly after when he was exhausted; however, he immediately

for him to

was an

front of Ren, and the barrier that had been forming

He clenched his fist tightly, gathered

"Don't push your luck."

Crack. Crack.

Everything shattered.

as he released his grip on his fist, the space around him began to shatter, and

pictures that were hung on the wall began to tremble, even

formed halfway, and he seemed to still be struggling to control his main sword, which was alternating between white and

of this, Waylan held

knew this would

been fixated on the sword, moved away

began to warp, and the vacant gray pupils in his eyes concentrated on the punch that was drawing near. His expression

"Move."

word in

fist and clamped onto it like a rope that

and just as he was about to take control of the laws, he felt something touch

a sudden, everything came to

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

forehead, a ripple spread from the point of contact, which expanded all throughout

"You fell for it."

sword behind him disappeared, and so did the two

'H,how.'

Waylan wasn't even able to react. And in that brief moment, time seemed to have stopped. Locking his eyes against the emotionless

"Boom."

vanished from view and then reemerged far off in the distance, slamming into one

BANG―

"Huak."

let out

moment he slammed into the buildings in the distance, the surrounding area began to flicker, and the background

"Fool."

in front of Waylan, who was pinned up against the wall of the building. Both his hair and