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

Jezebeth pointed at them.

the moment your father died, he 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 trying to kill the last two… It's as if in his mind, the only thing that matters is

mid-sentence and tear his gaze

alive. In fact, the realization hit him more

"Haa..."

him to rid himself of any of

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

dying, he was quick to cut

sure of

had happened was within Ren's

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

of

but the more he watched,

what was he planning? What was he waiting

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

them to see, Ren never showed any

watched again and saw the

no…" Jezebeth corrected himself, "You are driving him

met at

Jezebeth continued.

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

It had to be.

something you did in order to make his goal clearer and rid of all

it, the more Jezebeth felt that he was

other version

someone who

it's likely that he would have started fighting against one of the Patriarchs after getting a better idea of their power and attempting to stabilize the situation

it consumed a lot of

most, however, was the fact that Ren could absorb the laws that he had given

the Protectors, and it was at that

all of the Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your

"That's enough."

cutting Jezebeth off in the middle of his

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

nodding for? Are

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

That being said, not all of them were true, and he

no point

figured it out a bit later

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

a lot in the past. Funny thing is… it

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

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