The Author's POV

"Why are you still struggling?"

A soft voice echoed, and a fist appeared before Ren. Cocking his head, he just barely dodged the fist and pressed his finger against Jezebeth's abdomen.

It only touched him, but the moment it did so, it sent Jezebeth hurling back and plummeting against the sea beneath.

Splash—!

Calmness returned to the world, and Ren looked around him. He was in the middle of the ocean, and the sun hung in the cloudless blue sky.

He could feel the sunlight gently envelope his body and bathe it in a warm light. He could smell a rather stale, sulfurous smell coming from the sea.

Such vivid sensation made him wonder if he was back on earth or if this was a separate space.

The answer was very hard to find. He couldn't quite tell anymore.

Everything just seemed so realistic, and if not for the fact that he couldn't see any pillars near him, he'd be inclined to believe that he was back on Earth.

"Have you seen enough?"

A soft voice whispered behind him, and Ren turned his head.

There he saw Jezebeth standing not far from him, his gaze focused on a small projection that appeared before him.

His expression was anything but good at the moment.

"You really…"

As a matter of fact, it was getting worse with each second that he spent staring at the projection, and tearing his gaze away from it, he looked at Ren while sweeping his hand through the air.

His gaze was a mix of complicated emotions.

"…didn't hold back, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend like you don't understand."

Frowning, Jezebeth clenched his fist. The water beneath him broke apart, and a significant wave rose high into the air.

"I bet… Everything that has happened to him is not a coincidence. The death of his-no, your dad, was on purpose… it was, wasn't it?"

The water that was surrounding Jezebeth began to wriggle and move around his body as if it were a serpent with its own independent will. A strange power fluctuated inside of the water, and Ren couldn't help but look at it.

At the same time, his mouth parted open, and he spoke.

"What makes you think that I would purposely kill my own father? What reason would I have for doing that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

hand, hundreds of projections appeared in the

Jezebeth pointed at them.

since, and even now, as

and tear his gaze

that only two of his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the realization hit

"Haa..."

necessary for him to rid himself of any of the unfavorable emotions

head, his face turned expressionless, and the very air around him

his comrades dying, he

of

happened

of person who would stoop to anything to achieve his goal. I'm sure what's happening to

the very moment that the fight between the two of

he had gotten an idea before, but the more he

what was he planning?

you're willing to drive your other self to this point in order to achieve your goals… but looking at you, I can see that you don't particularly

never showed any care or concern for what

as if he was waiting for something… and when Jezebeth watched again and saw the current state of Ren's other self, he

his death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself, "You are driving him to his death,

two met at that moment, and Ren's expression remained

Jezebeth continued.

perfect it, you chose to sacrifice one of the people he was close with. I don't know how, but I have a feeling that his death

It had to be.

his goal clearer and rid of all the unecessary

more he thought about it, the more Jezebeth felt that

other version

who

that he would have started fighting against one of the Patriarchs after getting a better idea of

was indeed good, but it consumed

Jezebeth the most, however, was the fact that Ren could absorb the laws

was at that moment that everything clicked in his

him to kill all of the Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your goal is to absorb everything that he managed to collect? You drove him into a corner so that he'd reach

"That's enough."

Jezebeth off in the

quietly stared at him for a good couple of seconds and eventually

for?

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

some of the things that Jezebeth had pointed out were indeed true. That being said, not all

point in

you'd come to this conclusion after a while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I thought you would, but you didn't let me down in the

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

a lot

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

his hand and pointed at Ren. After that, the water snake that had been winding itself around his body suddenly twisted and launched itself in Ren's direction