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?"

his hand, hundreds of projections appeared in

Jezebeth pointed at them.

no longer seemed to care about himself or those around him. He's been going on a rampage ever since, and even now, as broken as his body is, he's still

pause mid-sentence and tear

happy, realizing that only two of his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the realization hit him more than he had anticipated as his fist

"Haa..."

to rid himself of any of the unfavorable emotions that he was

and the very air around him started

comrades dying, he was quick to cut such emotions off and regain control of his

of it

that had happened

the type of person who would stoop to anything to achieve his goal. I'm sure what's happening to him is all

the very moment that the fight between the two of them started, Jezebeth had this

but the more he

he planning?

your other self to this point in order to achieve your goals… but looking at you, I can see

projections for the two of them to see, Ren never showed any care or

Jezebeth watched again and saw the current state of Ren's other self, he couldn't

as if you're driving him to his death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself, "You are driving him to his

eyes of the two met at that

Jezebeth continued.

from the very beginning that his mindset was still not quite there yet… and in order to perfect it, you chose to sacrifice one of the people he was

It had to be.

and rid of all the unecessary thoughts that

more he thought about it, the more Jezebeth felt that he

other version of

was someone who

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

indeed good, but it consumed a lot of

was the fact that Ren

to the Protectors, and it was at that moment that everything clicked in

Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your goal is to absorb everything that he managed to collect? You drove

"That's enough."

spoke, cutting Jezebeth off in the middle of

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

you nodding for? Are

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

indeed true. That being said, not

was no point in correcting

after a while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

off a lot

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

and pointed at Ren. After that, the water snake that had been winding itself around his body suddenly twisted and