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.

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 trying to kill the last two… It's

pause mid-sentence and tear his

his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the realization hit him more than he had

"Haa..."

rid himself

very air around him started to change to a

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

sure of

had happened

achieve his goal. I'm sure what's happening to him is all part

the two of them started, Jezebeth had this

an idea before, but the

he planning? What was he

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 was happening in the other

something… and when Jezebeth watched again and saw the current state of Ren's other self, he couldn't help but

to his death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself,

the two met at that moment, and

Jezebeth continued.

his mindset was still not quite there yet… and in order to perfect it, you chose to sacrifice

It had to be.

make his goal clearer and rid of all the

thought about it, the more Jezebeth felt that he

other version

someone who tended

after getting a better

but it consumed a lot of time, which they

fact that Ren could absorb the laws that he had given to his

Protectors, and it was at that moment that everything clicked

it was impossible for 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 this point,

"That's enough."

off in the middle of his

gaze fixed on him, Ren quietly stared at him for a good couple of

nodding for? Are

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

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

no point in correcting

I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I thought

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

of yours… It used to piss me off a lot in the past. Funny

"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