"How did you discover me? Iâm curious."
Kanzaki Rei appeared before Seiichiâwearing Soraâs appearance.
Seiichi calmly held up the wine cup in his hand.
"Whenever magic is used, it inevitably leaves behind residual fluctuations."
"If Iâm not mistaken, you entered my room this morning..."
"Even if I canât trace where the magic originated from, the fact that it existed here... that trace cannot be erased."
He couldnât detect the origin of the magic.
Most likely because of "Unsolvable Mystery."
But still... that level of magical perception was no joke.
On a busy street, where magic was being used everywhere, those traces would blend into the noiseâimpossible to distinguish.
But inside his sealed chamber?
Even the faintest trace stood out like a glaring anomaly.
Like tire tracks on a highway... versus tire tracks in a bedroom.
The difference in visibility was absolute.
And yet, to detect it after such a long time...
That kind of absurd sensitivityâKanzaki Rei had only ever seen it in Iz.
"Is that all?" Kanzaki Rei asked.
Seiichi smiled faintly, ignoring the question.
"I get the feeling... youâre trying to extract information from me."
Kanzaki Reiâs expression remained calm.
"No. Iâm just worried you wonât have time to finish your last words before you die."
Seiichi chuckled softly.
"The Land of Oblivion can only be entered by those level 5 and below."
"My Reincarnation Mark disappeared on January 1st."
"Itâs been nearly three months since then."
"I may not remember your exact level, but I remember our fight back thenâI only had level 3 classes at the time..."
"I imagine you havenât grown much stronger in such a short period."
As he spokeâ
Kanzaki Rei could already sense it.
One by one, powerful figures from the Reincarnation faction rose into the air, sealing off the entire area.
At the same time, nearby civilians, sensing the disturbance, began to flee.
A massive barrier descended over the cityâ
And along with it, countless rising fortresses!
He wasnât talking just to provide information.
He was stalling.
Stalling until his preparations were complete.
Stalling until the encirclement was fully formed.
Kanzaki Rei knew thisâ
But didnât act immediately.
This was a simulation.
He wanted to see just how many trump cards Seiichi had.
Buzzâ
The entirety of Atlant City was now completely sealed.
At the same time, a swarm of mist-like micro-machines spread out around Seiichi.
A level 6 Mechanistâ
But equipped with a host of level 7 mechanical constructs.
The two locked eyes.
BOOM!
In an instant, Kanzaki Reiâs spear thrust forward, piercing toward Seiichi!
"Heavenly Vault Style â Sixth Form: Extreme · Purge (Sacrifice 10,000,000 souls)""Purge (Tier 5) (LV: 401)"
Now that he had reached level 4 Mage, his previous skill Condensed Soul Burst had been replacedâ
By something far more terrifying:
Purge.
All power compressed into a single pointâ
The spear tip struck his body!
Seiichiâs expression twisted in shock!
Too fastâ
So fast he couldnât even react!
BOOM!
Seiichi was blasted away like a projectile, smashing through countless walls!
Beneath his durable clothing, necklaces and rings shattered one after another.
Tch. So many life-saving items.
What kind of shameless setup was thisâjust refusing to die?
BOOM!
At the same moment, Kanzaki Rei sensed countless powerful presences gathering in the sky!
A Seventh-Tier Origin Spell was forming.
And simultaneouslyâ
Countless attacks rained down toward the ground!
BANG!
Civilians fleeing the streets were instantly reduced to blood mist by the shockwaves!
Seiichi...!
Decisive.
Utterly ruthless.
If he had the chance to kill a reincarnator, he wouldnât hesitateâ
He didnât care about collateral damage.
Didnât care about innocent lives.
His intent to kill was absolute.
Unhindered by morality.
Unburdened by guilt.
Kanzaki Rei could feel it completelyâ
This man would stop at nothing to kill him.
As he pressed the attack, Kanzaki Rei unleashed his undead army!
ROAR!
A tidal wave of Abyssal-tier monsters surged forth like a mountain range collapsing!
And at that momentâ
The Seventh-Tier Origin Spell descended!
"Seventh-Tier Origin Spell: Soul Replacement"
Buzzâ
Kanzaki Rei felt his soul trembleâ
As if it were about to be replaced!
Butâ
Just a tremor.
His soul and body were perfectly fused.
As long as his body remained intactâ
His soul could not be affected!
The spell attempted to swap his soul with that of the casterâ
To seize control.
But insteadâ
Kanzaki Rei only felt a tearing sensation before his body rapidly regenerated.
Restored instantly to peak condition!
Nothing happened.
A Seventh-Tier Origin Spellâ
Rendered completely ineffective.
The caster in the sky froze in shock.
And in that instantâ
Kanzaki Rei struck again!
"Heavenly Vault Style â Seventh Form: Phantasm"
In a flashâ
Five identical figures of Kanzaki Rei appeared around him, each shimmering with faint prismatic light!
All wielding the Astral Halo War Spearâ
Within a single breathâ
Dozens of attacks were unleashed upon Seiichi!
WOOOâ
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOMâ
A spherical shockwave exploded outward from their clash!
Everything below level 6 was instantly annihilated!
At the same timeâ
"Origin · Reflection of Past Manifestation" activated!
BOOM BOOM BOOMâ
It was as if dozens of Kanzaki Reis attacked simultaneouslyâ
Each strike sending out thunderous waves of destruction!
Only a handful of level 7 experts could remain standing within the blast radius.
Seiichiâ
Under the relentless barrageâ
His clothes shreddedâ
His items shattered one after another!
The first strike destroyed his ring.
The second shattered his necklace.
The third tore his garments.
The fourth crushed his braceletâ
BANG BANG BANG BANGâ
Life-saving items broke nonstop!
Kanzaki Reiâs attacks were landingâ
But it only made him more irritated.
What the hellâ
How many does this guy have?!
Hundreds?!
If youâre that afraid of dying, why not just hide forever?!
Meanwhileâ
Seiichi was in complete shock.
He never imaginedâ
He would be utterly helpless, forced into a one-sided beating.
This wasnât within reincarnationâ
He didnât have all his previous classes.
Only three level 6 classes.
Butâ
He had far more equipment now.
Far more survival tools.
By all logicâ
He should have had the advantage.
So whyâ
Was he the one being crushed?
He vaguely remembered their past clashâ
He had only lost by a narrow margin.
Not like this.
Not this overwhelming.
...But this guy canât kill me quickly either.
CLICK CLICK CLICKâ
Above themâ
Countless mechanical components rose into the sky, glowing faint gold as they assembled!
"Orbital System · Sacred Sky Citadel"
A colossal mechanical fortress formed high above Misril Continent!
Massive cannons aimed downwardâ
And Kanzaki Rei felt it instantlyâ
Extreme danger.
This fightâ
Was different from the last simulation.
"Divine Core · World-Annihilation Cannon"
A brilliant blue energy gathered at the cannonâs mouth.
Kanzaki Rei could feel itâ
A higher-tier energy source.
A Mechanistâs strength came from constructionâ
From materialsâ
From energy sources.
A weak energy source couldnât even activate machinery.
But a powerful oneâ
Could destroy the world.
Kanzaki Reiâs instincts screamedâ
There was no way to dodge.
Flashâ
He instantly phased out!
"Oblivion · Void Form"
He vanished into nothingness!
BOOMâ
A beam of pure radiance descended!
In an instantâ
The world turned into blinding white.
One second passedâ
Kanzaki Rei reappearedâ
Directly within the blast.
His body shattered repeatedly!
Layer upon layer of cores stackedâ
Thousands of shields overlapping to protect him!
In the distanceâ
Seiichi watchedâ
As Kanzaki Rei was reduced to ashesâ
Only to reformâ
Then shatter againâ
"Heavenly Vault Style â First Form: Release · Life · Body Tempering Source"
Two conceptsâ
Dissolution and Life.
Dissolution pushed his limits beyond limitsâ
Breaking his body again and againâ
While Life granted endless regeneration.
Combined with:
"God-Tier · Physical Limit"â100x tempering efficiencyâ1000x physical capâ1000x breakthrough potential
His body was already tens of thousands of times stronger than a normal level 4 warrior.
Plus regenerative enhancementsâ
Plus multiple body-refinement techniques at LV: 401â
Plus:
"God-Tier · Absolute War Body"
He would not die.
No matter whatâ
He would not die.
...
Seiichiâs pupils shrank.
What kind of monster was this?
Why wouldnât he die?!
Even after thatâ
Still regenerating?!
That attackâ
Contained a fragment of Divine Core energy!
In his sixth life, he had been both a level 7 Mechanist and an 8th-tier Destroyerâ
This cannon carried not only level 7 powerâ
But also insights from level 8 destruction.
It could annihilate the entire continentâ
Kill any level 7 instantly.
And yetâ
This thingâ
What was it?!
Destroyedâ
Then rebornâ
Even reduced to ashâ
Still regenerating?!
Was he immortal?!
How do you kill something like this?!
BOOMâ
Kanzaki Rei felt cores shatter and reformâ
Again and againâ
Butâ
This destruction was too much.
He couldnât hold out.
Finallyâ
At the fifth secondâ
He phased again.
...
Kanzaki Rei opened his eyes.
He turnedâ
Reina was beside him.
A trace of cold sweat formed.
"...Good thing I didnât act recklessly."
His restraint wasnât just cautionâ
It was instinct.
Precognition.
Avoiding danger.
All of it combined.
Nowâ
He knew.
Seiichi had a trump card capable of killing him.
And if they fought for realâ
The entire Misril Continent would be destroyed.
Not acceptable.
Kanzaki Rei thought carefully.
Seiichiâs bodyâ
Was entirely mechanical.
At least level 7 craftsmanship.
To destroy it instantly...
He might need to sacrifice all souls at once.
But that level of destructionâ
Would take the continent with it.
...Machines.
Do they fear poison?
There were specialized toxins for machines.
And that sky fortressâ
It was assembled from scattered components across the city.
Meaningâ
It could be sabotaged in advance.
...If his body was mechanicalâ
Then he needed to analyze it completely.
Find the weakness.
Kanzaki Rei glanced at Reina.
Then initiated the next simulation.
...
Second simulationâ
Reina infiltrated without magic.
Undetected.
As expectedâ
Seiichi was only sensitive to magic.
As an assassin, Reina left no trace.
...Professional work.
Kanzaki Reiâs abilities were powerfulâ
But none were truly suited for assassination.
Stealth required silence.
Not power.
Reina poisoned the drinkâ
Seiichi drank it.
He frownedâ
Clearly affectedâ
Flash!
Both Kanzaki Rei and Reina attacked instantly!
BOOM!
CLANG!
Seiichiâs body erupted with fragments!
Kanzaki Rei couldnât isolate the rings or necklaceâ
Spatial cutting required continuous solid structures.
Heâd have to sever limbs.
But his magic couldnât split living bodies.
Otherwiseâ
Heâd just bisect enemies instantly.
BANG!
Seiichi recovered quicklyâ
Sending a signalâ
To summon the sky fortressâ
Butâ
Nothing happened.
In this simulationâ
Kanzaki Rei had already sabotaged the components.
No fortress.
Seiichiâ
Now poisonedâ
Now attackedâ
Yet still endured.
His resistance was terrifying.
Reinforcements arrived.
Annoying.
BOOMâ
Kanzaki Rei drove him undergroundâ
Piercing his throatâ
Butâ
Metal.
His bodyâ
What was it made of?
Through contactâ
Kanzaki Rei scanned everything.
A mechanical bodyâ
Powered by a Divine Core Reactor.
Material:
Eternal Marsh Crystalâ
Absorbing 99% of impactâ
Converting it into energy.
Plus:
Memory-forged metalâ
Self-repairing.
Flesh and machine fusedâ
Even storage integrated internally.
...No weak points.
Tough.
Extremely tough.
Despite his experienceâ
Without combat classesâ
Seiichi was suppressed in melee.
Butâ
Flashâ
He tanked the hitâ
Then vanished.
Escape.
Again.
...
Third simulationâ
More poison.
Higher dosage.
Entire bottle replaced.
He drank itâ
Still unawareâ
Spearâ
Impaled from behindâ
Extreme · Purge (100 million souls)
Phantasm activatedâ
Items shatteredâ
He survivedâ
Then escaped.
Again.
...
Kanzaki Rei exhaled deeply.
...Not easy.
Butâ
The advantage was his.
Enemy in the openâ
Him in the shadows.
One simulation left.
Reserved.
Always.
"...Thatâs enough for today."
Reina blinked.
"Thatâs it?"
"Yeah. Weâll come back tomorrow."
Then he asked,
"If your target had endless escape methods... how would you guarantee the kill?"
Reinaâs eyes lit up.
"Hah. Youâre asking the right person."
She crossed her arms proudly.
...Why are you so excited about this?
"Our teacher saysâan assassinâs greatest virtue is patience."
...Couldâve fooled me.
"No matter how cautious a target isâthere will come a moment they let their guard down."
"If their defenses are too strongâthen you peel them away layer by layer."
"A true assassin doesnât just kill in battleâ"
"They manipulate life itself."
"Make the enemy lower their guard."
"Expose their weakness."
"Or betterâgrip them completely."
"Like holding a manâs most vital part in your handâonce you have it, he can only submit."
...?
Wait.
What did you just say?
Thatâs what your teacher taught you?
Kumironiâ
What kind of school did you send her to?
And that teacherâ
I might need to report you.
Kanzaki Rei walked back slowly with Reina.
Her logic was absurdâ
Yet strangely enlightening.
...He had underestimated assassination.
Without proper knowledgeâ
Trying to kill someone like Seiichiâ
Was arrogance.
But stillâ
Seiichi.
Letâs seeâ
How many times you can escape death.
At this pointâ
Kanzaki Rei felt no hesitation.
No guilt.
Because Seiichiâ
Was just as determinedâ
To kill him.