The Author's POV

"Cut my throat, slash my body, cut my limbs… I can't die."

Dark Servant was a skill that consisted in creating a body made out of pure mana. Being a skill, so long as there was mana supplying the skill, the Dark Servant was technically invincible.

Unless the user ran out of mana, or the mana was directly cut off, there was simply no way to kill Ren.

…but that was the thing.

Ren's body was being sustained by his other self, a fact that weighed heavily on him.

Each time he died, he took the mana from the other him who was fighting against Jezebeth. He was invincible, but at the same time, his actions held a considerable weight on the outcome of the real fight that was taking place.

As Ren stood there, his body slowly regenerating, his thoughts raced.

He knew that he couldn't allow himself to die again like before. While he couldn't see how the situation between his other self and Jezebeth was unfolding, he knew that his death could have made the situation a lot more difficult for his other self.

"Hmm."

Ren's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the Prince's voice.

"So you can't be killed, huh?"

The Prince's words gently traveled through the air, reaching Ren's ears. When Ren looked down, he was met with a smile.

"You can't die, but can you kill me?"

The Prince asked. The smile on his face deepened as he looked around him. He no longer looked as lost as he did before.

"I can tell that you're here to get me, but will you really be able to kill me? I've already got a grasp of your strength. Just like I can't kill you...you can't kill me. I'm sure you can tell that too."

The Prince looked up, his gaze meeting with Rens once more.

"So that gives rise to the question. What are you doing here? Are you perhaps trying to stall for time? Perhaps keep me in check while others are―"

"Stall for time?"

Ren's cold words echoed within the air, cutting the Prince's words. Raising his head and letting the raindrop fall on his face, his mouth parted open.

"Keep you in check?"

He muttered again; the water beneath him split apart, and water particles flew in the air.

The space around him started to distort massively as his figure suddenly vanished from the spot, reappearing right before the Patriarch of the Envy Clan.

Appearing right in front of him with his sword pointed at Prince Murdock's brows, Ren's face distorted to an unbearable degree, and his voice raised.

"Why?!"

Rumble―! Rumble―!

his body flickered with a white

entire world seemed to come to a sudden standstill as the raindrops around him stopped, and his figure started to change. Right then, the projection of a huge sword appeared from within the space itself, coming out in a rapid manner until its

Woom! Woom!

at the power held within

"T, this power..."

sword, Ren coldly gazed at Prince

entire body was hazy, and the mana inside his body was depleting at a faster rate than it was replenishing, but even so, for the first time ever, Ren had managed

power that was far

even hazier, but he didn't care as black threads floated out from his body and

Rumble―! Rumble―!

didn't last for long as Ren's hand soon relaxed,

.

.

.

mouth,

"Fall."

***

"Hmm, what's wrong? "

the tension thick between them.

smile on Jezebeth's face belied the power that emanated from

the air, crashing through an invisible film that shattered like glass and revealing a verdant

Boom―!

was short-lived as Ren crashed into the ground, shattering trees

Ren with a cocked head, studying

but now that I look at you…" he said, his arms extending out as he chuckled. "…I think you've shot yourself in the foot. Not only is your mana rapidly depleting,

the battle taking its toll on him. His entire body was sluggish, and the mana inside of his body was depleting

that he didn't

didn't show any sign of emotion, even as

here I am, completely unharmed and yet to use my full

but in

he not

and had died at his hands

him

what

that Ren had something planned, but he didn't know what it

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Jezebeth, shattering the space around him and revealing hundreds of swords that stabbed

before Ren, but this time, his finger passed right through Ren's figure, which turned out

"You sure run fast."

the air to his

Bang―!

shattered, and Ren was sent hurtling toward the ground once again, crashing into the verdant world below.

around. I know very well this isn't the full extent of

as he thought of

you couldn't be stalling for

entirely. The impact of the strike was beyond what

BOOM―!