The Author's POV

Ren sat in front of the projections, and as he looked at them, his gaze moved around to the various projections next to him.

The words "The Pillar of Wrath?" escaped his lips as faint recollections of what had transpired moments before began to resurface within his mind. Slowly but surely, he pieced together the puzzle and came to a sudden understanding.

'So that's what those things were.'

Ren found himself confronted with Jezebeth's sly smile as he turned his head. Jezebeth's gaze seemed to be shifting between the projections and Ren as if he was trying to gauge his reaction to the matter.

"What do you think?"

Jezebeth asked, his tone light but his eyes serious.

Ren frowned, pondering over the situation. It was clear that Jezebeth had a plan and that he had been working towards it for some time.

"It looks like you've already gotten an idea of the situation."

Jezebeth commented, clearly amused by his hesitation. He then began to explain, his words flowing smoothly.

"Like I said before… you can hide them from me, but you can't stop me from bringing them to me. Over the years, my mastery over the laws has progressed to the point where I can finally feel the records."

Jezebeth stretched out his hand as if trying to grasp something that was just out of reach.

"I can feel them," he murmured. "They are so close, yet so far, and..."

Lowering his head, Ren felt Jezebeth's gaze. The intensity of his gaze made him feel uncomfortable.

"You're the last step in helping me reach that goal."

Jezebeth muttered, his words slow and deliberate.

So long as he killed Ren and absorbed all of his powers, he'd finally be able to take that last step and get his hands on the records.

With the Protectors gone and all the fragments collected, he was the last hurdle that stood in his way of reaching his goal.

He, needed to die.

"The Pillars are something I've designed over the past few regressions. I've spent quite a lot of time developing them. What they do is rather simple; they create a pocket dimension where all demons inside find their abilities amplified."

Jezebethe pointed at the projections with his long and slender hand.

"As you've seen, there are seven pillars in total. Each representing one of the sins and amplifying their abilities to the point where even I shudder at the results… "

Jezebeth's smile widened, and he leaned back in his chair. Taking a sip of the tea, he gazed at Ren with a relaxed expression.

"How long do you think they'll be able to survive in such a place? One hour? Two hours? Three hours? A day? A week? Or maybe even a month? …Do you really think they have the ability to defeat them?"

Jezebeth's disappointment was compounded by the fact that Ren's expression did not change as he looked at the projections in front of him.

This was not what Jezebeth had in mind when imagining the current situation.

"You know…"

He set the teacup down.

"The more I talk to you, the more I feel like I'm talking to him. I guess, in the time since we last saw each other, he must've done quite a bit in order to make you the way that you are… I have to say, I'm impressed."

Jezebeth's eyes suddenly squinted.

"Even so… I'd like for you to hear my proposal."

There was something about Jezebeth's voice that changed all of a sudden. Though faint, an echo lingered in his voice, and the surroundings turned still.

"With Kevin gone, you no longer need to kill me."

If in the past Ren had no choice but to defeat Jezebeth in order to free himself from his unfortunate circumstances, this time around, things were very different.

Ren no longer needed to kill Jezebeth in order to liberate himself from his suffering.

"You should be well aware of what my goal is by now. I want the Records, and I will do anything in my power to get them."

Jezebeth turned his head to look at Ren.

"…It's a bit of a pity, but in order for that to happen, I need you to die."

There were no emotions in his words as he gazed at Ren. The situation was simple. In order for him to get to the Records, he needed to get his hands on the remaining powers that lingered inside of Ren.

So long as he gained access to those powers, he'd finally get his hands on the records and, in a way, control the entire universe. Controlling the universe wasn't exactly his goal, but it was an added touch.

That being said…

In order for him to gain access to those powers, Ren had to die.

It was the only way.

"As long as you die, I'll be able to figure out the answers that I seek and finally be set free from this long game of ours."

Jezebeth turned his head toward the projections that were surrounding them.

There were several thousand images on them, and each one was more eerie than the one before it. They portrayed a number of humans and members of other races engaged in a ferocious battle against legions of demons and monsters belonging to the Demon Realm.

They were armed with swords and shields, but the otherworldly creatures that were surrounding them were more powerful than their weapons could ever hope to be.

… It didn't look like they'd last for very long.

Jezebeth tore his gaze away from the projections and once again looked at Ren.

"Here comes the deal..."

Bringing his hand up, he pointed directly at Ren.

"Kill yourself and give me your powers, and in exchange, I will end this all at once."

Jezebeth smacked his lips together.

"I won't hurt any of them, not even one of them. If you kill yourself right now, in this very moment, I promise that I won't hurt any of those humans, and in fact, I'll do everything in my power to make their lives as comfortable as possible."

"…"

Jezebeth's words didn't have much of an effect on Ren.

Quietly picking up the teacup from the table, he calmly drank it and cast an indifferent glance in Jezebeth's direction.

'Not enough?'

Ren's behavior somewhat astounded Jezebeth, but he wasn't entirely surprised. He had always been like this, and he was somewhat used to it.

Even so…

He was prepared.

"It looks like this is not enough to convince you."

All of a sudden, Jezebeth turned his head and stretched his hand forward. The world around him started to warp, and all of a sudden, a thin figure emerged from it. Their frame was small, and they were currently wearing a white mask.

The thing that initially drew Ren's attention was a pair of striking green eyes. All of a sudden, Ren's shoulder trembled, and Jezebeth didn't miss that.

He smiled a little.

"Why don't you take off your mask and show him who you are?"

Following Jezebeth's instructions, the figure that stood in front of Ren slowly brought their hands closer to their face.

With a deliberate, almost theatrical movement, they removed their mask, revealing the features of a young man with black hair and piercing green eyes.

The figure stood there for a moment, silently watching Ren as their gazes met. There was a palpable tension in the air, as if both men were waiting for the other to make a move.

Ren's expression, which had previously been unperturbed, finally began to show signs of change. His body trembled all of a sudden, betraying the emotions that he had been trying so hard to conceal.

"Hi, Ren."

Smallsnake finally spoke, and Ren's body stopped trembling. He closed his eyes and remained seated where he was, completely motionless.

"Looks like you're still trying to keep yourself composed."

Jezebeth was beyond impressed by the composure Ren was showing before him.

From his family and friends who were trapped in the pillars to the one person he had previously believed had died... If Jezebeth had been in Ren's position, he believed he would have been unable to maintain his composure.

He was very impressed…

But that was just as far as things went.

"Ukh."

Stretching his hand, Smallsnake's body flew in his direction, and his hand grasped at his throat.

Smallsnake let out a visible groan, and his expression distorted in pain. It seemed like he wanted to say a lot of things at the moment, but Jezebeth prevented him from doing so.

Jezebeth looked at Ren, whose eyes were still closed.

"I don't think I have to spell things out for you. Choose. Kill yourself, or he will die. Not just him, the others will die alongside that stupid decision of yours."

His words did not sound like a threat but rather like a command, and immediately after that, Jezebeth's expression changed from one of leisure to one of utter seriousness.

It was a cold gaze that was drastically different from how he usually was.

"I'm tired of playing these games. It's time the two of us ended this... so choose. Choose how you wish for our game to end."

Swoosh! Swoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, a strong wind swept through the area, causing the grass and trees to sway violently. Ren's expression was concealed by his hair, which whirled wildly around his face.

"There's a misunderstanding here."

Ren's words suddenly resounded throughout the area around them. The world around him began to lose its color, and the pigmentation that had been present in his hair began to vanish.

Ren slowly raised his head and opened his eyes, exposing a pair of crimson pupils as he did so. They were strikingly similar to Jezebeth's pupils.

"...Your misunderstanding began the moment you thought you were speaking to the kind-hearted Ren. Your initial hunch was correct."

He turned to look at Smallsnake and the projections.

"What happens to them… It's none of my concern."