"Yelia, whatever is right or wrong in Kumironiâs affairs... it isnât your place to judge."
"And as for this ritual Iâve preparedâI have no intention of destroying the Secret Sea. If anything... if itâs possible, I want to save it."
Kanzaki Rei spoke slowly.
In truth, he already knewâcontinuing this conversation was meaningless.
Opposing beliefs werenât something that could be resolved in a few words.
Still... this gave him the perfect window to stack his "Apex State" further.
He could also feel itâKumironiâs heart was wavering.
"...Youâre right. Matters within the Church of Life are not for me to judge."
"But eradicating evil... is my responsibility."
"Saving the Secret Sea? Youâre saying that summoning the Pure White Descent is meant to save it?"
"I never imagined the Church of Life had fallen this far. Even Sophiaâs successor... has sunk to this level."
Yelia frowned, a trace of pain surfacing in her expression.
Kanzaki Rei frowned back. "If you hate evil so much, then why take part in Aegmisaâs game?"
"Aegmisa is evil too, isnât it?"
Yelia replied, "Do you think Iâm some mindless hypocrite?"
"Evil with shallow sins still has a chance to return to the light. Only those steeped in grave sin are beyond redemption."
"I know the difference between right and wrong."
"I only learned recently that the Secret Sea is going to be destroyed."
"And what youâre doing now... isnât it exactly that? Destroying the Secret Sea?"Her voice trembled slightly, laced with hatred.
"Who sets up a ritual for the Pure White Descent and calls it salvation?"
Kanzaki Rei replied calmly, "A ritual is just a form of power. Claiming I intend to destroy anythingâthatâs just your assumption."
"If I truly wanted to destroy the Secret Sea, why would I wait until you discovered it to act?"
"Donât throw accusations around so casually. Is that how your Church of Light operates? Label people guilty at will... is that what you call purging evil?"
Yelia gritted her teeth. "Donât insult the Light."
"How could anyone know what youâre really thinking? Who can see through you?"
"So Iâll give you a chance... right now, destroy this ritual. Then Iâll stay with you and watch your every move."
"That will prove youâre not the ones behind the Secret Seaâs destruction."
"Or... you can just kill yourselves."
"You should realizeâweâre still in the Third Trial."
"Even if you die, youâll just return."
Yeliaâs gaze hardened.
"If all you want is self-preservation, then dying and returning is the best outcome for you."
They stood opposed.
Kanzaki Rei stared at her coldly.
That possibility... Iâve already considered it.
Ignore everything happening in the Secret Sea. Trigger the Authority of Life, die, and return to the ruins.
On the surface, that seemed like the correct choice.
But an uneasy premonition lingered in his heart.
If things were truly that simple, his instinct toè¶ćéżć¶âseeking fortune and avoiding calamityâwould have already pointed him toward that outcome.
Instead, every instinct told himâ
this situation was far more complicated than it appeared.
The urge to escape clashed violently with the sense that he had to act.
That contradiction gnawed at him.
This... was the price of being a Seer.
If he knew nothing, he could live carefreeâconcerned only with the present.
But as a Seer, he was sometimes forced to make choices.
Kanzaki Rei replied, "Then what about you? Youâre not planning to return?"
"Do you really think the destruction of the Secret Sea is something you can resolve?"
He looked at the death date hovering above her head.
Yeliaâs death was not imminent.
Which meantâshe would not die in this catastrophe.
Because he could see death itself,
Kanzaki Rei had chosen to stay.
If they wouldnât die, then neither would he.
As for someone deliberately targeting him?
With the talent "Unsolvable Enigma", no one should be able to scheme against him.
So if others survived... he should too.
Yelia replied, "Now that I know about thisâand Iâm hereâI have a duty to stop it."
"If this has nothing to do with you... then do as I said."
Impossible.
This ritual had to remain ready at all times.
Waiting until danger arrived to prepare it would be nothing short of suicidal.
Youâre not the only one trying to change something, Yelia.
Of course... Kanzaki Rei had another trump card.
A Level 9 soulâAnsu.
That entity required a large number of souls to fully exert its power.
And if it were allowed to recover to a certain level...
the contract might no longer hold.
Kanzaki Rei understood Ansuâs thoughts.
Understood its intentions.
If it returned to its peakâ
he might not be able to restrain it at all.
Kanzaki Reiâs expression gradually relaxed, a trace of helplessness appearing.
"Yelia."
"Honestly, I kind of wish you were more forceful... or stronger. If you could just kill me, then Iâ"
Buzz!
In an instantâ
their positions shifted!
They were suddenly transported above the open sea!
"You donât have to struggle with that choice."
Kumironiâs voice echoed in Kanzaki Reiâs mind!
"Kanzaki Rei! Donât kill her!"
Ohâ
I didnât plan to.
Yelia... Iâll find a way to spare you.
Youâre not a bad person.
But right nowâ
youâre in my way.
Almost the moment space shiftedâ
Yelia moved!
Her speed surged explosively as she tried to widen the distance between them!
But in the next instantâ
Kanzaki Rei matched her speed perfectly, closing in without losing even a fraction!
She couldnât shake him off!
"Sky Vault Style â Fifth Form: Lock."
Magic circles ignited in every direction!
Layer upon layer, interconnectedâ
like seals imprinted across heaven and earth!
"Eternal Lightâ"
She didnât even get the chance to finish her chant!
Boom!
A straight, golden war spear descended!
Noâhow did he move?!
Yelia realizedâ
she hadnât seen a single movement!
And yetâ
the spear had already pierced through her!
The golden spear drove straight through her abdomen!
"Sky Vault Style â Fifth Form: Lock · Pierce.""Sky Vault Style â Sixth Form: Ultimate · Dragon Piercer."
The impact tore through her bodyâ
and the residual force struck the sea like a colossal pillar!
The ocean exploded into towering waves!
At the point of impactâ
countless magical patterns erupted across Yeliaâs body!
Seals formed instantly, locking her down completely!
Yelia... youâre fast.
But no matter how fast you areâ
you canât surpass someone who can move in frozen time.
What a shame.
Youâre not faster than me.
Youâre not stronger than me.
You canât make this decision for me.
In the end...
I still have to face this unknown danger myself.
Even if Iâm afraidâ
once Iâve chosen to face itâ
I wonât turn back.
Kanzaki Rei looked down at Yelia beneath him.
She struggled in furyâ
yet it was utterly futile.
He had already fought her dozens of times in simulations, within his sea of consciousness.
Even though she had grown strongerâ
it still wasnât enough.
Becauseâ
he had grown even more.
I was never going to destroy the Secret Sea.
So stop worrying about that...
His gaze shiftedâ
to the golden sword in her hand, wreathed in holy flames.
A divine artifact.
Clinkâ
The restriction on the artifact was released.
Kanzaki Rei reached outâ
and the sword slipped from Yeliaâs grasp, flying into his hand.
So this...
was a divine artifact.
At lastâ
it was his.
Originally, if he hadnât become enemies with Yelia, he wouldnât have insisted on taking it.
But since she chose to stand against himâ
he might as well accept it.
As he gripped the golden bladeâ
it felt as though he commanded infinite light itself.
Whooshâ
He swung the holy-flame-wreathed sword casually.
Boom!
Golden radiance surgedâ
and in an instantâ
the entire ocean surface ignited in blazing light!