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?"

hundreds of

Jezebeth pointed at them.

even now, as broken

had to pause mid-sentence and tear his gaze away

his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the realization

"Haa..."

was necessary for him to rid himself of any

turned expressionless, and the very air around him started to change to a

thought of his comrades dying, he

sure of

that had happened was

his goal. I'm sure what's happening

moment that the fight between the two of them started,

before, but the more he watched,

he planning? What was he

at the fact that 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 care about

of them to see, Ren never showed any care or concern for what was happening in the other

was as if he was waiting for something… and when Jezebeth watched again and saw the current

him to his death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself, "You are driving him to his death, aren't

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.

goal clearer and rid

it, the more

the other version

who tended to

the Patriarchs after getting a better idea of their power and attempting to stabilize the situation

was indeed good, but it consumed a lot of

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

Protectors, and it was at that moment that everything

Your goal is

"That's enough."

in

stared at him for a good

nodding for?

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

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

no point in correcting

conclusion after a while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I thought you would, but you

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

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

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

that, the water snake that had been winding itself around his body suddenly twisted and launched itself in Ren's direction at an incredible rate