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?"

hand, hundreds of projections

Jezebeth pointed at them.

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

tear

of his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact,

"Haa..."

was all that was necessary for him to rid

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

his comrades dying, he was quick to

sure of

that had happened was within

stoop to anything to achieve his goal. I'm sure what's happening to him is all

that the fight between the two of them started,

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

was he planning? What was

you're willing to drive your other self to this point in order to achieve your goals…

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

and when Jezebeth watched again and saw the

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

eyes of the two met at that moment, and Ren's expression remained

Jezebeth continued.

were aware from the very beginning that his mindset was still not quite there yet… and in order to perfect it, you chose to sacrifice

It had to be.

his goal clearer and rid of

he thought about it, the more Jezebeth

other version

was someone who tended

father hadn't happened, it's likely that he would have started fighting against one of the Patriarchs after getting a better idea of their

consumed a lot of time,

most, however, was the fact that Ren

Protectors, and it was at that moment that everything clicked in his

Seven Patriarchs unless he was this way… Your goal

"That's enough."

in the

fixed on him, Ren quietly stared at him for a good couple of

nodding for? Are

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

That being said, not all of them were true,

was no point

while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

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 suddenly twisted and launched itself