Chapter 295

"Kanzaki Rei..."

A quiet sigh echoed in Kumironi’s heart.

When did you learn a ritual like this?

And why are you so... practiced at it?

The activation of the Pure White Descent Ritual also meant one thing—

Sacrificing one’s own life.

But...

If Kumironi was here—

Perhaps death wasn’t guaranteed?

Summoning the descent of the Pure White was the absolute last resort.

A desperate gamble when cornered beyond all escape.

If there was even the slightest alternative—

Kanzaki Rei would never activate it.

The ritual didn’t have to be used—

But it had to exist.

Even as a deterrent... it held value.

And yet—

The unease in his chest didn’t fade.

It only deepened.

"Kumironi... what did you encounter in your previous trial?"

Kumironi thought for a moment before answering:

"I entered a kingdom plagued by a terrible disease."

"Everyone there was afflicted. Generation after generation, they lived as something barely human."

"I healed them... and saved them."

A disease...

In the second stage, depending on one’s score, the events encountered would differ.

They weren’t necessarily world-level catastrophes—

Unless your score was absurdly high.

Like Kanzaki Rei’s 3.2 billion points.

Everything remained calm.

There was no sign of impending destruction.

Kanzaki Rei and Kumironi sat quietly at the center of the island, chatting idly.

They spoke of their experiences in the Moon Sea.

Shared knowledge of the Secret Sea.

With Kanzaki Rei’s current breadth of knowledge, he could talk endlessly without fatigue.

But—

That oppressive feeling lingered.

Gradually, the sun began to descend.

The sky grew murky, like a pot of thickened chaos.

Yet the Secret Sea remained tranquil.

No destruction came.

Could my divination... have been wrong?

Is the Secret Sea not destined to be destroyed?

The thought flickered briefly in his mind.

But that overwhelming sense of danger—

Could that really be false?

Suddenly—

His perception screamed a warning!

From far away—

A streak of light approached!

Light?

In the next instant—

Yelia appeared directly in front of him.

Her eyes were cold.

Her sword—

Already at his throat.

It happened almost instantly.

Her speed was so fast that the moment she entered his enhanced perception range—

She had already arrived.

Faster than before.

It seemed she too had gained something from the previous trial.

Kanzaki Rei stood there, a blade pressed against his neck.

His expression remained calm.

"Yelia... what’s wrong?" he asked, almost innocently.

Her voice was icy.

"You’re asking me what’s wrong?"

"Why are you standing at the center of a Pure White Sacrificial Ritual?"

"Are you planning to summon the descent of the Pure White?"

"I heard that the Secret Sea is facing destruction... but I didn’t expect the culprit to be you."

Kanzaki Rei’s lips twitched slightly.

That’s... one hell of a misunderstanding.

Kumironi stepped forward.

"That’s not it."

"Kanzaki Rei... he set up this ritual for self-defense."

Yelia turned her head toward her, confusion and anger flickering in her eyes.

"Kumironi... if I remember correctly, you’re from the Church of Life."

"You’re a successor of Sophia."

"So why are you associating with someone from the Death Church?"

"You can’t possibly fail to recognize this ritual."

"You and the Death Church are enemies... and yet you allow this to happen right in front of you?"

Her tone sharpened.

Then she looked back at Kanzaki Rei.

"I was wondering if this ritual was really yours."

"Perhaps you had just discovered it and were investigating."

"But now... it’s clear."

"You’re the one who set it up."

Kanzaki Rei let out a soft sigh.

Exhale—

In an instant—

He vanished from Yelia’s sight.

Firmament Style — Fourth Form: Oblivion · Void

Yelia froze.

For a split second—

She forgot.

Forgot who she had just been pointing her sword at.

Forgot what she had been doing.

In the next instant—

Kanzaki Rei reappeared beside Kumironi, wearing an innocent expression.

"Yelia..."

"The one who set up that evil ritual ran that way."

He pointed toward the south.

Yelia looked in that direction.

Kanzaki Rei added, concerned:

"You caught him earlier, but then you suddenly froze. Are you okay?"

Yelia pressed a hand to her forehead.

She couldn’t remember.

Only that she had sensed an evil ritual—

And chased it down.

She vaguely recalled catching someone...

"It’s a shame..."

"Neither Kumironi nor I are strong enough to fight."

"Kumironi helped snap you out of it, but he already escaped."

"You’re the fastest here, Yelia. Only you can catch him."

"We’ll take care of dismantling the ritual here."

Kanzaki Rei smiled lightly.

Yelia looked south.

Then glanced back at Kanzaki Rei.

Something felt... off.

But she couldn’t pinpoint it.

"...Alright."

She nodded.

Just as Kanzaki Rei thought he had deceived her—

Yelia’s gaze shifted to Kumironi.

The words she had spoken earlier resurfaced in her mind.

"Kumironi is colluding with the Death Church..."

She murmured softly.

Clang!

A white blade of light collided with a lightning-wreathed spear!

Without warning—

Yelia attacked!

And in that same instant—

Kanzaki Rei intercepted her strike.

She had aimed—

At Kumironi.

Even though Kanzaki Rei had erased himself from her memory with Oblivion · Void, and the Unsolvable Mystery masked him—

Yelia still remembered what she had said to Kumironi.

Kumironi wasn’t affected.

She wasn’t his summon.

Nor was she bound to him.

Kanzaki Rei’s concealment only applied to himself—and what belonged to him.

Kumironi was her own person.

So it had no effect.

"Why are you stopping me?"

Golden light flowed through Yelia’s eyes as she met his gaze.

"I am passing judgment on a heretic."

Kanzaki Rei replied calmly:

"A successor of the Church of Life isn’t yours to judge, Yelia."

"Aren’t you overstepping?"

Yelia raised her sword, holy flames coiling around it.

"I act in accordance with the justice of light."

"I regret nothing."

Her voice rang out, firm and unyielding:

"Kumironi."

"I may not remember who you were colluding with."

"But do you believe what you’re doing is right?"

"Will you become a traitor to your Church?"

"A heretic?"

Heretic...

Behind Kanzaki Rei, Kumironi’s heart grew heavy.

Why—

Was she being called that?

Why—

Was she being judged?

Had she truly done something wrong?

She looked at Kanzaki Rei’s back.

He stood before her—

Shielding her from Yelia.

Completely unguarded.

If she attacked him now...

She might succeed.

Thinking back—

Kanzaki Rei had been walking deeper and deeper into the domain of death.

By all rights—

In the Church of Life—

Such a being should have been purged as evil.

...

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