Chapter 197

Four layers of battle intent coiled around Kanzaki Rei’s body:

"Unyielding Heart.""Infinite Martial Transformation.""Severed Thought.""Unconscious Intent."

They interwove, resonating with one another—forming a terrifying, elevated state.

This... was Divine Authority.

The power that belonged to a god.

The last of the restrictions had been stripped away.

Aelthymis’s cheeks flushed faintly. She raised a finger, gently biting it at her lips, eyes brimming with a feverish light.

"You still haven’t told me your name."

Whoosh—

Their positions shifted almost simultaneously.

The instant Aelthymis appeared—

Sixteen spears had already formed.

「Origin · Reflection of the Past」

This ability recreated attacks that had once existed within a space Rei had witnessed.

But reflections could not reflect reflections.

Otherwise... Rei would have stacked them endlessly.

Layer upon layer.

An infinite cascade.

Remaining Souls: 490 billion.

Ever since the Thousand-Army Ant Mountain evolved into the Erupting Black Ant Mountain, it produced hundreds of billions of souls every day.

Rei had never been short on souls.

So he hadn’t even pushed its production.

He simply let it accumulate.

"Why won’t you answer your big sister?"

Yet—

Even as his precognition and battle intuition predicted her appearance—

She vanished again the instant she appeared.

Flash—

She was already behind him.

Just a little more—

He needed a little more time before he could use "Oblivion: Void" again.

Too fast.

But after fighting this long... he finally understood.

His heart thundered violently.

At least ten times faster than normal combat rhythm.

Her body...

Destroyed one instant—

Reconstructed the next.

From a single point in the void, flesh blossomed outward, bones forming, skin sealing over.

To Rei—

It was indistinguishable from teleportation.

She was already within arm’s reach.

Her hand reached out.

Rei did not dare engage in close combat.

Just touching her meant being skinned alive.

He needed a weapon.

Radiant Severing Sword.

A weapon from the Church of Light.

Capable of unleashing countless slashes in an instant—each infused with radiant blade energy.

Bang!

「Skyflow — Third Form: Phantom Strike」

In a single instant—

Thousands of spells and slashes erupted!

Ten thousand beams of cutting light!

But—

The moment those beams touched Aelthymis’s skin—

They shattered.

Like glass hitting the ground.

Fragments scattering in all directions.

"Did that... do anything?" she mocked lightly.

The blade struck her slender arm—

But at the moment of contact—

The sword itself split down the middle.

Cleanly severed.

Her arm remained completely unaffected—

Continuing forward.

Completely ineffective.

「Death Countdown: 43 years, 11 months, 3 days」

Rei maintained eye contact.

And—

In his left hand—

The rotating, murky sphere he had been holding all this time—

Activated.

Wuuuuum—

Layer upon layer of seals—

Stripped away.

Previously, he had only removed its mobility restriction.

Now—

He released it completely.

Snap—

In an instant—

The entire world plunged into absolute darkness.

Sight—gone.Sound—gone.Touch—gone.All five senses—erased.

And yet—

His Final Perception still functioned.

Unaffected.

This darkness should have sealed all perception.

But—

God-Tier Talent.

His perception could not be blocked.

That single moment of obstruction—

Was enough.

"Oblivion: Void" finished cooling down.

Whoosh—

Rei vanished again.

And Aelthymis—

Forgot.

Only the suffocating darkness remained.

Corroding everything within it.

Devouring all.

Pffft!

Sixteen spears pierced her body once more.

"Darkness..."

Aelthymis suddenly realized—

While she had been focused on his "skin"—

Everything inside the three churches’ restricted sanctums—

Had already been looted.

Completely.

Soul energy roared again.

When she reappeared—

The darkness was torn apart.

Like curtains ripped open.

「Death Countdown: 39 years, 11 months, 3 days」

"You really do love repeating the same trick."

Whoosh!

Suddenly—

She turned her head sharply.

Rei—

Was behind her.

Not running.

Not hiding.

But appearing directly in front of her.

So—

He’d realized.

There was no escaping her.

Even this darkness—

Could not conceal him from her.

After all—

What was a mere church relic—

Before a god’s vessel?

But then—

Her gaze shifted.

To the weapon in his hand.

A silver holy spear—

Wrapped in golden light.

「Skyflow — Sixth Form: Ultimate」「Light Forbidden Art: Purge of All Sins — Soul Sacrifice: 100 billion」

Rei thrust.

This—

Was the moment.

She had forgotten him.

Combined with "Unconscious Intent"—

Her reaction window was delayed—

And in that instant—

She forgot how to respond.

「God-Tier · Enlightened Combat Intent」

Two combat insights.

One lunar domain.

All carrying traces of absolute authority.

Unless the opponent was the Moon itself—

They would be affected.

Thud—

She hesitated.

Should she grab the spear?

Or retreat?

Two thoughts collided.

A moment of mental dissonance—

And by the time she recovered—

The spear had already pierced her abdomen.

Rei drove it deeper.

The moment the spear touched her—

It began to disintegrate.

Even a relic sealed under a hundred layers—

Could not withstand direct contact.

His heart ached.

This was a weapon he truly wanted to keep.

But—

BOOM!!!

A beam of pure light—

Shot through her body.

Disintegrating her.

100 billion souls.

Expended.

Rei’s spear—

Collapsed into fragments.

"You’re still struggling?"

Her voice echoed softly beside him.

Rei turned.

She was already next to him.

But—

「Death Countdown: 10 years, 6 months, 22 days」

That strike—

Had been devastating.

One more.

Maybe two.

And he could push her death countdown to zero.

Rei shifted instantly—

But her face remained right in front of him.

"I see everything now."

"All those... Origin spells you scattered everywhere."

"How many do you even have?"

"Even without damaging me..."

"Why do I still feel danger?"

Her voice turned cold.

"You also... have fate-type abilities, don’t you?"

She didn’t know her death was approaching.

To her—

She was still immortal.

But—

She could feel it.

A threat.

A creeping certainty of death.

"Skin... and flesh."

Flash!

Rei repositioned again, retreating rapidly.

"Blood... and bone."

Explosions of magic erupted between them.

Lightning. Fire. Wind. Radiance.

All passed through her—

Without effect.

Future prediction triggered—

Reflection of the Past—

Holy spears formed again.

"All things have a skin."

With a wave—

The spears disintegrated.

They locked eyes.

She chanted softly:

"And within... lies the ripe fruit, waiting to be plucked."

A terrifying stillness filled the air.

Suddenly—

His Final Perception screamed.

Her chant completed.

Her hand reached out—

No escape.

Rei summoned a trace of cold.

The Frost Church relic—

Still unused.

No.

He couldn’t use it.

It would freeze both of them—

But she would break free faster.

In that frozen instant—

His mind raced.

Countless thoughts.

「Origin Body · Rift Flash」

BOOM!

Four beams burst from his body—

And at the same time—

Whoosh—

His entire body—

Skin.

Flesh.

Bone—

Disintegrated.

Completely.

Aelthymis watched.

Four objects flying in different directions:

A heart.A brain.A kidney.A liver.

He had scattered his own organs.

Leaving behind an empty shell.

Peeling to survive.

A crude trick.

One she had long surpassed.

"But with just organs left..."

"How will you fight?"

She moved instantly to capture them.

Then—

Her pupils shrank.

Around the brain—

Flesh erupted.

Bones formed.

Skin sealed.

In a single instant—

A complete body.

Warrior Mastery — Rapid Regeneration (Exclusive):The more severe the injury, the faster the recovery.

And this—

Was the most severe injury imaginable.

Combined with Ten-Thousandfold Regeneration—

And continuous healing effects—

Even reduced to a brain—

He regenerated instantly.

Rei was blasted backward through the air.

Finally—

"Oblivion: Void" had cooled down again.

From the start of their battle—

Less than one minute had passed.

Cooldown: 5 seconds.

Uses so far: 8.

And yet—

He had nearly died several times.

He remembered—

The lesser enemies earlier—

Had a death countdown of 30 minutes.

Meaning—

Reinforcements would arrive in 15 minutes.

Maybe Kumironi.

Maybe Iz.

He had two choices:

Kill her now—

Or stall.

But now—

Stalling was impossible.

Whoosh—

He vanished again.

And with his disappearance—

She forgot.

Holy spears formed in all directions.

Rei’s perception observed something new.

Around her—

A faint, honey-colored field.

As her chant completed—

That field expanded.

His conjured spears—

Began peeling apart mid-formation.

Her expression turned cold.

She was getting annoyed.

"One minute..."

"And you’re still alive."

Even within Void—

Her forgetfulness lasted shorter.

The longer the fight—

The stronger her memory resistance became.

Flash—

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Holy spears fired!

She drew a curved, blood-red dagger.

All attacks—

Deflected.

Split apart.

"These inferior relics..."

"Do you think they can touch me?"

Sixteen beams split into thirty-two—

Diverging away—

Missing her entirely.

"You’ve shown me many surprises."

"Now—"

"Let me show you..."

"Power beyond mortal reach."

She slashed upward.

SHHHK—

The massive spherical shockwave from Soul Detonation—

Split apart.

Even the shockwave—

Began peeling.

Rei reappeared—

BOOM!

His body—

Collapsed instantly.

And instantly—

Reformed.

His flesh—

Like countless torn strips—

Scattering and regathering endlessly.

Pain surged through his mind.

He increased his dosage—

Suppressing it heavily.

And then—

Her dagger struck.

"What your skin wraps..."

"Is your essence."

"I’ve seen it."

Pfft!

He vanished—then reappeared again.

Forced activation.

Before cooldown.

His mind dulled.

His spirit thinned.

Becoming void—

Cost him.

But if he hadn’t dodged—

He would have been completely peeled apart.

Whoosh!

More holy spears fired.

She appeared again—

Ignoring them.

"I’ve peeled away your disguise."

"I see your true nature."

"That power..."

"It comes from something beyond."

"More than Kumironi..."

"You’re the real treasure."

"Let’s end this."

She thrust the dagger.

Rei watched—

Time slowed.

Clarity descended.

Essence.

Surface.

Layers.

All things—

Had skin.

Even Origin Magic—

Could be interpreted infinitely.

Truth—

Was not singular in expression.

But—

Was the surface meaningless?

No.

The surface—

Was part of the whole.

Rei’s mind ignited.

Endless insights surged.

At last—

He understood.

"I see..."

A radiant core—

Formed in his palm.

He did not dodge.

Instead—

He thrust forward.

"Fourth-Tier Origin Magic..."

"Core of the Totality of All Things."