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 appeared in

Jezebeth pointed at them.

himself or those around him. He's been going on a rampage ever since, and even now, as broken as

had to pause mid-sentence and tear his

feel happy, realizing that only two of his seven patriarchs were alive. In fact, the realization hit him more than he had anticipated as

"Haa..."

for him to rid himself of

the very air around him started to change to a

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

sure of

happened

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

the very moment that the fight between the two of them started, Jezebeth had this unsettling feeling wash

he had gotten an idea before, but the

he planning? What was he waiting

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 what happens

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

Jezebeth watched again and saw the current

death, no…" Jezebeth corrected himself,

at that moment, and Ren's expression remained

Jezebeth continued.

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. I don't know how, but I

It had to be.

make his goal clearer and rid of all the unecessary thoughts that were clouding his

about it, the more Jezebeth felt that he was

other version of

was someone who tended to overcomplicate

fighting against one of the Patriarchs after getting a better idea

indeed good, but it consumed a

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

the Protectors, and it was

was this way… Your goal is to absorb everything that he managed to collect? You drove him into a

"That's enough."

in the middle of

him for a good couple of seconds and eventually nodded his

nodding for? Are my

"Partially."

Ren didn't deny it.

some of the things that Jezebeth had pointed out were indeed true. That being said, not all of them were true, and he didn't

was no point

a while. I'm a bit disappointed that you figured it out a bit later than I thought you would, but you didn't

"Haha."

Jezebeth laughed lightly.

off a lot in the past. Funny thing is… it

"That's a pity."

"Mhm. Indeed…"

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