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?"

of

Jezebeth pointed at them.

even now, as broken as his body is, he's still trying to kill the last two… It's as if in his mind, the only

tear his gaze

particularly feel 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..."

that was necessary for him to rid himself of any of the unfavorable

very air around him started to change to

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

sure of it this

happened was within

his goal. I'm sure

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

an idea before, but the more he watched,

what was he planning? What was

in order to achieve your goals… but looking at you, I can see that you don't

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

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

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

two met at that moment, and

Jezebeth continued.

there yet… and in order to 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

It had to be.

to make his goal clearer and rid of all the unecessary

about it, the more Jezebeth felt that he was

the other version of

someone who tended to

one of the Patriarchs after getting a better idea of their

indeed good, but it consumed a lot of time, which they didn't

Ren could absorb the laws that he had given to

and it was at that moment that

the Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your

"That's enough."

off in the

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

for? Are my words

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

that Jezebeth had pointed out were indeed true. That being said, not all of them were true, and he didn't

no point in correcting

you'd come to this conclusion after a while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

It used to piss me off a

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

the water snake that had been winding itself around his body suddenly twisted