The Author's POV Chapter 854 The Last Battle – What Is An End Is Also A Beginning [1]



Why was I brought into existence?

This question had haunted Jezebeth ever since his early childhood.

Uncertain of the cause, he found himself gripped by an intense obsession to uncover the purpose of his being.

As part of a race relentlessly persecuted and hunted by other races and the Protectors, Jezebeth endured constant echoes of terms like "mistakes," "abominations that should never have been," and the like.

It was sufficient to compel anyone to question whether they were truly just flaws from a creator's grave misstep.

Perhaps...

Perhaps they held the truth, and his kind was nothing more than an error.

But how could a creator possibly err?

That riddle tormented Jezebeth the deepest.

If a creator existed, then every being must align with their design, correct? Yet, why the endless pursuit and tyranny if so?

Jezebeth vehemently denied that they were mere vermin destined for slaughter.

He yearned for purpose—no, he burned for it. A justification for their lives surpassing their role as prey to those deeming them lesser.

His resolve hardened further upon surviving the Protectors' onslaughts and claiming the initial fragment.

From that instant, his fate flipped; no longer pursued, he became the pursuer.

One planet after another succumbed to his dominion, annihilating prior hunters of his race while binding alliances with the compliant.

Like a ruthless overlord, he rose as the supreme force across the known cosmos, unmatched by any foe.

He had transcended to embody the laws themselves.

Then, right at the brink of triumph, it all collapsed. Time hurled him backward, erasing every hard-won gain.

'That's fine; I can do it again.'

Undaunted at the outset, he assured himself he'd reassemble the fragments and prevail this round. Yet, as endless loops of reversion and recovery wore on through the years, despair crept in.

Kevin—the anchor forged by the Records to trigger time's rewind. His arrival alerted them to the danger, spurring efforts to strip his ability.

Regrettably, discovery came too late; they couldn't rewind to his humble beginnings of ascent.

They settled for the anchor at hand.

It aligned perfectly with Jezebeth's strengths, as his power by then handled the repeated regressions effortlessly.

But...

'No... why? What is it this time?'

Whenever Jezebeth neared grasping his existence's meaning and edged toward victory, it crumbled away like fleeting sand.

Patience defined Jezebeth, yet even that had boundaries.

Frustration mounted from the perpetual chase, the universe plotting against him at every twist.

Nevertheless, he wouldn't yield.

The sought revelations hid somewhere, awaiting his revelation. He'd hunt and battle ceaselessly until seized. For him, no other path remained.

No retreat possible.

His obsession had ensnared him beyond escape.

Cr— Crack! Stepping from the fissure, Jezebeth confronted the world he knew well—the final one, in his terms.

From above, fear and horror twisted the features of humans and other races. He'd long grown numb to such gazes, dismissing them entirely.

His sight scanned the realm, hunting for one specific figure.

"There he is…"

Quickly located: sprawled on grassy turf, eyes sealed in tranquil repose, face radiating perfect calm.

A bizarre spectacle, particularly for Jezebeth with their long history.

Slowly, his lids lifted, exposing immaculate blue eyes. Ashen-white locks shifted to black, chest rising once.

Head swiveling, gazes clashed; surroundings halted abruptly. In a flash, he stood directly before Jezebeth, locked in mutual stare.

Detecting an anomaly in this Ren, Jezebeth pierced the hush: "Which one of the two are you?"

"Does it matter?"

"…I guess not."

Truthfully, this Ren or that one—it held no significance for Jezebeth. His priority was elsewhere: crush any barrier in his path.

Truth be told, circumstances felt simpler now. Though unspoken, he sensed facing Ren's lesser form.

'Did something go wrong with his plans, or were my deductions wrong?'

A trace of unease still lingered deep in his heart, yet at the moment, there was nothing he could do to change it.

Rumble! Rumble!

Tremors shook the sky as it gradually folded in on itself. The surrounding space crumbled apart, while a dark presence emerged from Jezebeth's body, slowly blanketing the heavens overhead.

Gazing at Ren, ripples stirred in Jezebeth's crimson eyes, his gentle voice resounding softly like whispers carried across the air.

"We should end this, shouldn't we?" 

"Yeah…"

BOOOM—!

Though neither of them stirred, the space before them collapsed completely, and tremors rocked the entire world.

***

"If you care for your life, run and take cover!"

An abrupt yell jolted those below out of their daze, horror swiftly overtaking their faces.

"Liam, Monica, and everyone that can… try to set up barriers to withstand the aftermath of the attack between the two!"

Amanda issued the commands sharply, her eyes repeatedly flicking toward Ren's position. Worry etched her features, but she fought hard to hide it.

A far more urgent task demanded her focus right now.

…A duty even greater than her own life.

"Ryan, if you can, try to communicate with as many people as possible and tell them to move where the safe spots are. Tell them that if they can't defend themselves, they must go there!"

"What about the demons? Do you think they'll let that happen?"

While countering her, Ryan quietly tossed a cluster of tiny drones from his palm, which dispersed into the sky and relayed his words.

"…Don't you think that the demons will try to use this chance to attack us? Sticking together… I don't think it's a very good idea."

"Do you think they even have time to worry about others when they'll be annihilated by the aftermath of their fight?"

Ryan seemed oblivious to the massive scale of the clash about to erupt. She didn't resent him for it, though irritation simmered within her too.

Even so, she concealed her frustration and replied to him steadily.

"You'll see once the two start… once they start, the thing they'll be worried about the most is their life, not ours…"

Dread filled Amanda at the mere idea of their battle, but she banished the feeling swiftly. After urging Ryan once more to follow her orders, she scanned her surroundings for the tallest spot available.

Her gaze soon fixed on a towering skyscraper that remained inexplicably undamaged.

Not a moment wasted, she dashed toward it and reached it in mere seconds.

"Hap."

Upon arriving, her feet gripped the building's facade as she scaled it upward, her legs propelling her from window to window. Incredibly nimble, she crested the rooftop almost instantly.

'This is good enough.'

It offered a prime vantage point, allowing her to discern Ren's features sharply when she glanced skyward. Unlike earlier, he looked ordinary again—just like always—as he faced the Demon King directly.

A brief exchange of words passed between them, but she was too distant to catch any of it.

Not that she minded.

"Huu."

Amanda drew several deep breaths, drew out her bow, and shut her eyes. 

As she drew back the bowstring, no arrow appeared, leaving the weapon bare the whole time. Yet, a potent energy surged from her form, taking on an ethereal, surreal quality.

A red glow lit her right eye, while subtle blue rings materialized behind her. With one final breath, her aura vanished utterly, her stare pinning onto Jezebeth's form.

The instant her eyes locked on him, the world around them crumbled, and…

BOOOM—!

The world trembled violently.