Chapter 260

Kanzaki Rei arranged the ritual while asking in an even tone,

"Why did you interrupt my advancement?"

"It wasn’t an interruption," the entity replied calmly. "I merely intercepted the souls you were offering."

"And so, your advancement never took place."

Kanzaki Rei’s gaze sharpened slightly.

"Then where are my souls?"

"Of course, they were taken for my own use."

"Unfortunately," Ansur added with a faint, almost amused tone, "I didn’t have time to actually use them... before falling into your hands."

Although Ansur could not move freely, Kanzaki Rei still allowed him the ability to speak.

"You said you’re not at your peak," Kanzaki Rei continued. "If you had obtained those souls, how much strength would you have recovered?"

Ansur answered without hesitation,

"Not even one-tenth. At best, perhaps half of a tenth of my peak—temporarily."

There was fluctuation in his emotions.

But to Kanzaki Rei, it felt strange.

Ansur no longer seemed tense—rather, he had entered a state of detached amusement, as though observing a game.

Compared to other souls—fragile wisps that could be crushed in one’s palm—Ansur’s soul was extraordinarily condensed.

Solid. Cohesive. Detailed down to the smallest trace.

If not for the distinct difference in aura, one might not even be able to tell whether he was a soul... or a living being.

The Death Priest advancement ritual was activated once more.

Kanzaki Rei let out a faint breath of relief.

Fortunately, the previous attempt hadn’t been completed.

Otherwise, he would have lost his souls to interception and still advanced—resulting in a flawed promotion.

All of his classes so far had been perfected.

And Kanzaki Rei had a near-obsessive insistence on perfection.

Moreover...

Perfect advancement seemed to be a prerequisite for reaching Level 9.

If even one stage failed to achieve perfection, then this entire life would likely be barred from reaching that pinnacle.

Among all his classes—

Death Priest was the one Kanzaki Rei believed had the second-highest chance of reaching Level 9.

Scholar, Warrior, Seer... none of those were certain.

But Death Priest—

Its synergy with his talents was simply too perfect.

As for the class he believed had the highest chance?

Mage.

The Mage’s advancement was independent of other classes, and with his ability to repair origins and laws...

Its path to Level 9 would likely be far smoother than what other mages faced.

Buzz—

The Origin of Death formed once again in the sky.

Silently, within his mind, Kanzaki Rei made a wish.

He did not speak it aloud.

He cast a glance behind him—confirming that Ansur was not interfering—before raising his hand.

This time, he did not release all the souls at once.

Instead, he sacrificed them gradually, in batches of tens of thousands.

If Ansur suddenly tried anything, Kanzaki Rei would immediately halt and counter.

This way, even if Ansur attempted interception—

He wouldn’t be able to seize much.

"Heh... quite cautious," Ansur remarked.

Kanzaki Rei’s voice remained youthful, yet utterly serious.

"Yes. I prefer taking things slowly."

"Are you really a child?" Ansur asked. "Or... someone who inherited my path of reincarnation?"

Kanzaki Rei continued the steady offering.

"Reincarnation?" he replied calmly. "What’s that?"

Ansur answered,

"It is the path I created..."

"And the ultimate proof of my ascension to a Level 9 Death Controller."

"Interested?"

"A little," Kanzaki Rei said evenly. "Go on."

"You should already sense it," Ansur began, his tone measured yet subtly compelling.

"Life and death are inseparable."

"Where there is life, there is death."

"But where there is death... must there always be life?"

"What defines existence?"

"And beyond death—what remains?"

Kanzaki Rei adjusted his breathing rhythm, refusing to be drawn in.

So... even his words carry influence.

Likely some form of linguistic manipulation.

But the pull was limited.

Not enough to affect him.

"Between life and death," Ansur continued, "exist the undead."

"They lose almost all memory of their previous life, retaining only instinct."

"A state of the dead."

"Death appears to be the loss of everything..."

"And yet—something always remains."

Kanzaki Rei maintained the sacrifice of souls while listening.

This was his first true discourse on death itself.

Previously, discussions had mostly revolved around magic and its origins.

As for Seer, Warrior, Scholar—

None had offered much meaningful exchange.

Akase, the warrior...

His teaching method was utterly unreliable.

It amounted to:

"Uh... yeah... hit harder. Muscle beats everything. Instinct replaces thought."

The first step to learning from him was apparently—

Empty your brain.

...Completely incompatible with Kanzaki Rei.

Now, finally—

A genuine exposition beyond magic.

Death...

The ashes of the living.

The fading brilliance of existence.

The end of all things.

A privilege reserved only for those who have lived.

Ansur’s ideas were... novel.

Most notably—

He claimed that death itself was a grand ritual.

A ritual that began the moment one was born.

Everything in life—

Was preparation for death.

And the final death—

Was the answer sheet submitted at the end of existence.

A trivial death was light as a feather.

A magnificent, weighty death—

Was the truest expression of the self.

Step by step, Ansur analyzed death.

Different deaths.

Their meanings.

Their forms.

Until all streams converged—

Toward one concept.

Reincarnation.

Life is the beginning of death.

Death is the beginning of reincarnation.

Reincarnation is the beginning of new life.

Everything has a cycle.

A beginning and an end.

Between them exists a bridge—

Find it...

And one attains eternal continuity.

Endless rebirth.

True immortality.

Kanzaki Rei felt a sudden clarity surge through his mind.

His understanding of death and reincarnation deepened—significantly.

When Ansur finished, he smiled faintly, pride evident.

"Well?"

"What do you think of reincarnation?"

"If you wish, I could teach you this path."

"Like me... you too could transcend all things and achieve immortality."

"Don’t worry—I won’t hold it against you for trapping me."

"This is but a ripple in the vast river of my life."

Kanzaki Rei looked toward the sky.

The soul offerings had nearly reached completion—

48 billion.

An hour and a half had passed.

The event’s time limit was approaching.

He had to finish.

"No," Kanzaki Rei replied calmly.

"I have no interest in reincarnation."

"I only believe in invincibility in this life."

"Whether reincarnation exists or not—if I am invincible in this life, that is enough."

...A lie.

He already possessed reincarnation.

Ansur paused briefly—then laughed.

"Interesting."

"Bold."

"I’ve seen many geniuses like you."

"Many who scoffed at my path."

"And yet... at the end of their lives, many came to beg for it."

"Life is fleeting."

"A single lifetime is too short."

"If one does not pursue immortality—how much can truly be accomplished?"

"How can a few hundred or thousand years compare..."

"To millions... billions... of years of accumulation?"

Kanzaki Rei remained silent.

Of course I know.

I’ve never thought myself superior to all.

I only believe... I have a small measure of invincibility.

"I have fulfilled the principles of death."

Buzz—

This time—

A surge of spiritual feedback descended!

Kanzaki Rei rose into the air, bathed in the baptism.

Spiritual energy flooded back into his body.

His control and understanding of all talents increased.

At the same time—

His control over Ansur tightened further.

Watching Kanzaki Rei ascend, bathed in the Origin of Death—

Ansur narrowed his eyes.

"Oh..."

"That spiritual presence..."

"I see."

"It seems... I misjudged you."

"Your origins... are far from simple."

Kanzaki Rei looked up at the sky.

Upon reaching Level 5 Death Priest—

The world itself seemed deconstructed.

This wasn’t normal space.

He could... faintly perceive the flow of time.

So this is why—

When moving at high speed, one feels a full second pass—

Yet in reality, only half a second elapses.

Now—

He could see time stretching and compressing with movement.

This...

Is this the world’s version of relativity?

"That alone could earn several White Tower research papers..." he murmured inwardly.

"You say my origins are unusual," Kanzaki Rei said aloud. "Then tell me—what are they?"

Ansur chuckled.

"Seems you don’t even know yourself."

"In that case... this becomes my bargaining chip."

Old fox.

"That’s hardly a bargaining chip," Kanzaki Rei replied calmly. "I already know my origins."

"If you want to treat it as treasure, I won’t stop you."

He activated Hidden Origin on himself again.

Same result.

Born from his mother.

Death Priest advancement—complete.

Level 5.

Kanzaki Rei descended slowly, like a god returning to mortal ground.

His eyes locked onto Ansur.

"Ansur."

For the first time—

Ansur felt it.

A tremor in his soul.

Before this, Kanzaki Rei had never truly felt threatening.

Death?

For ordinary beings, it was the end.

For a Level 9 Death Controller—

Death was merely another stage.

Even being killed...

Could be considered a fitting conclusion.

A dramatic ending.

But now—

That wasn’t the feeling.

Now—

Kanzaki Rei felt dangerous.

Level 5 Death Priest

Talent — God-Tier: Eternal Erasure

After completely killing a target designated as the original body, erase and destroy all of its clones, incarnations, future selves, past selves, and reincarnations.The target will cease to exist entirely.

This—

Was the talent Kanzaki Rei had wished for.

"I can completely erase anyone I kill."

Now—

He finally possessed the means to truly kill Ansur.

He had thought this through carefully.

Today, one unkillable enemy.

Tomorrow, another.

Everyone had escape methods.

Clones.

Hidden contingencies.

If none of them could be killed—

That would be an endless headache.

High-level combat only made it worse.

The stronger they were—

The more ways they had to survive.

"Ansur."

Ansur met his gaze seriously now.

No more mockery.

No more indifference.

"...Young man," he said slowly, "I must admit—you’ve exceeded my expectations."

"I don’t know what exactly happened to you..."

"But I can now feel something from you that qualifies as... a threat."

He continued,

"You should realize—I never truly intended to harm you."

"If I had, I would have acted from the beginning."

Kanzaki Rei replied calmly,

"Negotiations involving life and death... aren’t just about intentions."

He still wanted to turn this encounter into an opportunity.

Ansur—

An ancient being with vast knowledge.

Someone who understood gods... Moonstar... the hidden truths of the world.

With such a guide—

His future journey would be far smoother.

Especially in situations like the current event.

If he had to probe everything himself—

He might miss countless opportunities.

Or step into irreversible traps.

So—

Even if it was dangerous—

He would gamble.

Remaining ignorant of the world...

Was far more dangerous.

Ansur spoke calmly,

"That feeling you give me—it’s only an intuition."

"I need to see the capital you believe you have to negotiate with me."

"Why should I feel threatened?"

"And why should I negotiate with you?"

Kanzaki Rei thought briefly.

Then—

A faint mark appeared on his right hand.

A manifestation of his God-Tier talent.

Shielded by Unspeakable Enigma—

Only Ansur could perceive it.

God-Tier — Eternal Erasure

Ansur’s pupils contracted.

He recognized it.

"I believe... we now have room to talk."

Ansur exhaled slowly.

"...No need to test me."

"It works."

"At least... on me, as I am now."

"But clearly—you don’t actually want to kill me."

"Otherwise, you wouldn’t waste words."

"Correct," Kanzaki Rei said. "But if you live, I must have absolute control over you."

"You will not be allowed to threaten my life—under any circumstances."

Ansur gave a self-mocking smile.

"No need to elaborate."

"I’ve done such things myself—long ago."

"Binding slaves. Forcing service."

"Countless times."

"I never thought... I would stand in that position one day."

"But listen, child."

"I am not someone who clings to life without dignity."

"I can serve you."

"But I must see a future where I regain freedom."

"If I am to remain bound forever... I would rather die."

"...Bold words."

"Then it’s simple."

"When you are no longer a threat—I will grant your freedom."

"Then let the contract end upon your death," Ansur countered.

"No."

"If that were the condition, how could I trust you not to harm me?"

"I’ve already decided."

"When I reach Level 9—I will release you."

"...And if you fail?" Ansur asked coldly.

"Then you will be free after ten thousand years."

They stared at each other.

"Five thousand," Ansur said.

"Ansur," Kanzaki Rei replied flatly, "this is not a negotiation."

"If you attempt bargaining again—I will erase you."

Silence.

"...Fine."

"Ten thousand years is nothing."

Then, after a pause—

"I do have a fair contract proposal."

"Speak."

"I have my own methods of verification."

"If there’s deception—you know the outcome."

Ansur hesitated.

He could easily craft a deceptive contract.

But—

This boy had already shown too many impossibilities.

He couldn’t risk it.

At that moment—

Kanzaki Rei’s hand rested lightly on Ansur’s soul.

"You might become a long-term... companion."

Around him—

Multiple distorted sigils appeared.

Each radiating the essence of law.

Each—

A God-Tier talent.

Ansur’s expression darkened.

So that’s why...

The sigils shifted—

Becoming entirely different ones.

More God-Tier talents.

How many...?

Then—

Everything vanished.

And Ansur realized—

He couldn’t remember any of them.

But he knew one thing.

Kanzaki Rei possessed many God-Tier talents.

"Time is running out," Kanzaki Rei said.

Ansur sighed.

"...A master-servant contract bound to life and death itself."

"Once formed—my thoughts will be fully known to you."

"I will be incapable of harboring intent to harm you."

"Even unconscious thoughts... you will perceive."

With a gesture—

A complex ritual array formed.

At its core—

Two points, black and white.

Like yin and yang.

Kanzaki Rei touched it.

Information flowed into his mind.

It was real.

"You stand on white," Ansur said. "I stand on black."

"That is all."

"One more thing."

"Stray thoughts cannot be suppressed completely."

"You may perceive fleeting impulses... but they are not my true will."

Ansur stepped onto the black position.

"I will judge for myself," Kanzaki Rei replied.

The contract was simple.

Absolute obedience.

Total protection—even at the cost of death.

Duration:

Ten thousand years—or until Kanzaki Rei reached Level 9.

The moment it formed—

Thoughts flooded into Kanzaki Rei’s mind.

The first thing he heard:

"He can hear my thoughts? Then if I recall corrupted knowledge, I could contaminate him—"

"No... pointless. If he dies, I’m still trapped."

They looked at each other again.

Ansur spoke seriously:

"Those... were stray thoughts."

"They cannot be hidden."

..

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