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

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,

mid-sentence and tear his gaze away

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

"Haa..."

to rid

air

sad at the thought of his comrades dying, he was quick to cut such emotions off and regain

was sure of it this

happened was within Ren's

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

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

an idea before, but the more he watched, the more

planning? What

to achieve your goals… but looking

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

Jezebeth corrected himself, "You are driving him to his death, aren't

met at that moment, and Ren's expression remained

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 close with.

It had to be.

and rid of all

thought about it, the more Jezebeth felt

the other version of

who tended

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

but it consumed

the most, however, was the fact that Ren

and it was at that moment that everything clicked in

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

"That's enough."

off in the middle of his

him, Ren quietly stared at him for a

for?

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

things that Jezebeth had pointed out were indeed true. That being

no point in correcting

you figured it out a bit later than I

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

used to piss me off a lot in the past. Funny thing is… it still

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

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