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 projections

Jezebeth pointed at them.

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

and tear his gaze away from the

didn't particularly feel happy, realizing that only two of his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the

"Haa..."

to rid himself of any of the unfavorable emotions that he

the very air around him started to

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

sure of

happened was

person who would stoop to anything to achieve his goal.

fight between the two of them started, Jezebeth had this unsettling feeling

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

he planning?

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

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

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

if you're driving him to his death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself,

met at that moment, and

Jezebeth continued.

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

It had to be.

clearer and

thought about it, the more Jezebeth felt that he

the other

was someone who

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

Jezebeth the most, however, was the fact that Ren could absorb

the Protectors, and it was at that moment

you knew that it was impossible for him to kill all of the Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your goal

"That's enough."

spoke, cutting Jezebeth off in the middle

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

are you nodding for? Are

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

that Jezebeth had pointed out were indeed true. That being

was no point in

you figured it out a bit later than I thought

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

off a

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

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