Chapter 243

It might be a trap...

But if he let this chance slip—

He might never obtain Reincarnation again in this lifetime.

Seiichi stepped forward, stopping before the barrier.

Beyond this isolated sanctuary, an endless sea of trees swayed in the distance.Yet none of it disturbed this detached, otherworldly domain of Reincarnation.

He stared at the sacred hall before him.

His mind was flooded with premonitions.

Danger.

Overwhelming danger.

The warning in his instincts surged violently—so intense it made his heart pound.

It had been... a very long time since he felt such a powerful sense of impending doom.

Perhaps—

He might truly die in this trial.

But—

Was that enough to make him afraid?

Countless thoughts churned within him.

Right and wrong no longer mattered.

What mattered was this:

How long would this inheritance last?

If he missed this chance—

Would he ever get another?

He recalled the past.

Back then, he had only followed a rumor—

Journeying to an ancient battlefield where he discovered the inheritance of Reincarnation.

He had slaughtered every rival.Suppressed every Reincarnation corpse.

Every person who had died there...

Had been a powerhouse drawn by the same rumor.

The mere possibility of Reincarnation—

The promise of eternal life—

Had driven them all forward without hesitation.

Back then...

He had felt the same sense of danger.

And yet—

He had pressed on with the resolve of facing ten thousand enemies alone.

In this world—

What could ever be certain?

As long as there was even a sliver of hope—

That was enough.

As for the rest—

He would be invincible.

Seiichi stepped through the barrier.

Passing into its inner domain, he stood before the grand gates of the sacred hall and exhaled deeply.

As a master of formations, he could tell—

This barrier was not flawless.

Given enough time, he might be able to find a way to break it.

But barriers were also a test.

"A test... to see whether I’m willing to abandon the accumulation of multiple lifetimes."

"To see whether I have the courage to rise again... even after being struck down again and again."

Seiichi’s gaze hardened.

"I can let go."

"Even if I lose everything, I will rise again from nothing."

"Even if I never regain Reincarnation, I will still rise in this life."

"I can lose everything—"

"But I will also fight to reclaim everything I can."

"That... is my answer."

He stepped forward.

One by one, he removed all his equipment.All his storage items.

Stripping himself down to his most original state—

Like a child, carrying nothing, relying on nothing but himself—

He walked forward.

At that moment—

He felt it.

The barrier... opened.

Welcoming him.

At the same time, a gray robe descended from above.

Seiichi put it on.

It fit perfectly—tailored precisely to his body.

...How thoughtful.

It seemed—

The trial had officially begun.

He stepped into the hall.

Inside, mist swirled endlessly, colored lights flowing through it like drifting currents.

And within that haze—

A faint figure emerged.

The figure held a spear, faint starlight flickering along its shaft.

It appeared to be... a child, roughly the same age as Seiichi.

"You... are my trial?"

Seiichi spoke calmly.

His perception swept over Kanzaki Rei—

And returned nothing.

No physical strength.No magical fluctuation.No detectable presence whatsoever.

An absolute void.

Mysterious beyond comprehension.

Kanzaki Rei replied,"Yes. I am your trial."

[Wish Fulfilled: The fabricated lie of Reincarnation has been believed.]

The lie Kanzaki Rei had told earlier that day—

Seiichi had believed it.

"If you can kill me... you will reclaim Reincarnation."

Kanzaki Rei’s voice was cold—laced with quiet, controlled killing intent.

Seiichi’s danger sense exploded to its peak!

BOOM—!

In an instant—

The spear had already thrust forward!

At the edge of life and death—

Seiichi’s reaction speed surged to its absolute limit!

Just like Kanzaki Rei had once achieved enlightenment in a moment of mortal danger—

Seiichi too entered a state where time seemed to slow to a halt.

He tried to cast a spell—

But in that instant—

The robe he wore tightened around him!

His mana—

Sealed.

This robe—

A Magic-Sealing Garment!

The spear tip was already at his chest!

In desperation, Seiichi unleashed a furious shout—

"Origin—! Do you still remember my—!"

But the moment he opened his mouth—

The mist filling the hall rushed into his lungs.

The remaining words—

Never came out.

Ah—!

His mouth opened wide—straining with all his strength—

Yet not a single sound emerged!

His invocation was completely suppressed!

"...Enough."

Kanzaki Rei’s voice was ice-cold.

The spear pierced through.

Shk—!

Straight through his heart.

Seiichi stared in disbelief at the spear protruding from his chest.

His eyes trembled.

Why...?

Why did it end like this?

Why was he defeated so easily?

Why didn’t Reincarnation give him even a chance?

He had considered failure—

But not like this.

Not so effortlessly.Not so helplessly.

Why did the robe suppress magic?

Why couldn’t he complete his incantation?

He had prepared for this!

In a previous life, he had already set up a ritual—

One that would temporarily restore his past strength through Reincarnation—

All he needed to do was invoke it!

Everything had been prepared!

He had contingencies—Even if he lost everything, he still had a backup!

But now—

He couldn’t speak.

Couldn’t call upon it.

The mist—

It was poison.

A simple, ordinary toxin.

One that merely prevented speech.

Kanzaki Rei pulled the spear out.

A gaping hole remained in Seiichi’s chest.

He collapsed—

Blood spilling from his mouth—

Yet he still forced himself to turn, to crawl toward the entrance.

If he could just retrieve his equipment—

His items—

There was still a chance.

Even if he couldn’t regain Reincarnation—

He could survive.

Escape this place.

And in this life—

Rise to invincibility!

But when he looked back—

Everything he had removed—

His equipment, his storage items—

Were gone.

...Why?

He turned back toward Kanzaki Rei.

That unfamiliar face—

A complete stranger.

An unsolvable mystery.

Despair filled his mind.

He tried to speak—

But no sound came.

With his heart destroyed—

Even as a mage, even as a mechanist—

He could not survive.

In this life, he had not chosen a class that enhanced physical resilience.

No matter what—

He could not live without a heart.

At least—

Not in his current state.

He tried to activate flesh magic—

To regenerate—

But in his weakened condition—

He couldn’t break through the overwhelming suppression of the robe.

And not just the robe—

The entire hall was under a magic-sealing restriction.

All he could do—

Was send out a weak mental transmission.

"...Is this... the trial of Reincarnation...?"

Kanzaki Rei did not answer.

Instead, he switched weapons—

A dagger appearing in his hand.

He grabbed Seiichi by the head—

And drove the blade into the back of his neck!

A soul was violently torn free!

Kanzaki Rei raised his hand—

And captured it.

The soul floated in his grasp—

Completely under his control.

Within it—

Confusion.

And a lingering unwillingness.

The soul struggled, staring at him.

Only then did Kanzaki Rei speak.

"Yes."

"This is the trial of Reincarnation."

"Unfortunately... you did not pass."

Seiichi’s fragile soul gazed up at Kanzaki Rei’s towering presence.

"...I see."

"So I failed... a trial."

Kanzaki Rei felt it—

The lingering obsession fading.

Seiichi accepted his defeat.

In the end—

He let go.

Kanzaki Rei did not expose the lie.

...Sleep well, Seiichi.

The final trace of consciousness dissipated.

He was gone.

No earth-shattering battle.

No grand clash.

Just a single thrust—

And a Reincarnator of eight lifetimes was erased.

The child’s body lay motionless.

Eyes empty.

Above, a faint crimson glow bathed the false Reincarnation Hall.

Everything—

Ended quietly.

Not even enough to stir the distant forest.

...

Kanzaki Rei did not leave immediately.

He sat beside the corpse—

Staring at the soul in his hand.

A faint emptiness lingered in his chest.

How hard was it... to kill someone?

Appeal to reason.Exploit emotion.

Everything has a weakness.

If not material—

Then mental.

As long as it is human—

It has attachments.

Exploit those attachments—

And flaws will appear.

Even monsters—

Though lacking intelligence—

Could be killed by exploiting strengths and weaknesses.

Killing someone didn’t require overwhelming strength.

Even someone far weaker could do it.

That was precisely why Kanzaki Rei had to kill Seiichi.

On the surface—

Seiichi no longer recognized him.

As long as Kanzaki Rei didn’t provoke him—

Their paths might never cross again.

But in reality—

With one hidden and one exposed—

This was the best chance to eliminate him.

If he let him go—

Who knew what traps Seiichi might set in the future?

Today—

Kanzaki Rei had set the trap.

Next time—

What if he walked into one instead?

Was he arrogant enough to believe—

That having multiple God-Tier talents made him immune to schemes?

...Heh.

Hard to say.

Even in simulations—

He had been killed once by Seiichi.

By that weapon capable of annihilating the entire Misirush Continent—

"Orbital Platform · Holy Sky Citadel."

If Seiichi had time to prepare—

How could he guarantee survival?

No matter what—

There was no such thing as absolute safety.

Kanzaki Rei looked at the corpse.

"...If I hadn’t obtained Reincarnation..."

"Maybe we could’ve been friends."

"We’re about the same age. Both with adult souls. Both powerful enough to look down on the world."

"You weren’t even a bad person. If anything... you might’ve been a hero."

"If we weren’t enemies..."

"...maybe things would’ve been different."

"And honestly—I liked your Origin Magic."

The more he spoke—

The emptier he felt.

"...Guess these words can only be said after you’re dead."

"Some things... you just can’t say while someone’s alive."

"You must’ve had your own secrets too."

He closed Seiichi’s eyes.

"I didn’t completely lie to you."

"This was your trial."

"If you had killed me... you really would’ve regained Reincarnation."

"That’s the most mercy I could offer."

"But..."

"You weren’t strong enough."

...

Kanzaki Rei stored the corpse.

Dispersed the mist.

With a thought—

A ghostly green child appeared beside him.

Seiichi’s undead.

Level 6 Scholar / Level 6 Mage / Level 6 Mechanist.An eight-life Reincarnator.

Now—

There were no more threats left.

From this point on—

No one in the world could directly kill him anymore.

He examined Seiichi’s abilities.

This life’s talent was mediocre—

Only Exceptional-tier:

"Mind Sea" (Scholar).

A shame.

Scholar required independent thinking—

And in death—

That was gone.

Its usefulness was reduced to minor support functions.

[Common → Advanced → Extraordinary → Exceptional → Supreme → God]

Exceptional was only the fourth tier.

What truly mattered—

Was not his current abilities—

But the accumulated memories of multiple lifetimes.

Now—

They were gone.

Buried with his death.

...

Kanzaki Rei began searching Seiichi’s storage items.

Defensive artifacts flooded his inventory:

A Sanctified Ring equivalent to protection from a Level 7 Guardian

The Ring of Out-of-Phase Existence

A Magic Saint Shield

So many life-saving tools—

It was overwhelming.

Even during the ambush—

Seiichi hadn’t used most of them.

Now that he had lost Reincarnation—

He had clearly become more cautious.

His contingencies exceeded expectations.

Even simulations hadn’t revealed them all.

But now—

They all belonged to Kanzaki Rei.

As he searched—

He found a letter.

"To the one who kills me—"

"I have already lost Reincarnation. If you are reading this, then I must be dead."

"I had long anticipated this ending."

"Reincarnators are said to be eternal—yet history tells a different story."

"No one has ever truly achieved immortality."

"Reincarnation passes from one to another."

"Perhaps this is our fate."

"If that day comes... should I let go of Reincarnation and pursue eternity in a single life?"

"If you read this, then regardless of my choice... I have failed."

"Perhaps I was destined to be killed by another Reincarnator."

"I don’t know if you are one too."

"But if you are... I hope you don’t follow my path."

"I was one step away from completing a perfect class evolution chain."

"My research is recorded in another book within this storage bag..."

"I’ve killed many like myself. So I have no right to complain."

"But it would be a waste for my research to disappear."

"The Reincarnation Order only recognizes Reincarnators."

"If you take my body and declare your identity... you may inherit the Order."

"My research is stored in the restricted zone at the headquarters in Lunaris."

"Oh—and one last thing."

"If you can avoid becoming a god... do so."

"Power without freedom is meaningless."

"...In the end, I never obtained eternal life."

"Perhaps... it was only a fleeting dream."

"And I finally understand—Reincarnation is not true immortality."

The letter ended there.

"...Immortality."

"Who doesn’t want that?"

Kanzaki Rei muttered.

"...Feels like something from a fantasy setting."

"Though... I guess this world isn’t so different."

Maybe there were many like that.

Even Anzen likely sought immortality.

The closer one came to death—

The more one felt the limits of life.

The more one saw the vastness of the world—

The more one desired time.

Even in his previous life—

The wealthy sought longevity.

Even Qin Shi Huang had pursued immortality.

Now—

Kanzaki Rei understood.

Shing—

In an instant—

He appeared outside the hall.

He looked toward the vast forest.

To kill Seiichi—

He had prepared countless contingencies.

Even if this plan failed—

There were nearly ten backup strategies.

If Seiichi hadn’t entered—

He would have sealed the entire dungeon.

If he hadn’t switched bodies—

His mechanical form was also rigged with a weakening toxin.

The entire area—

Was filled with traps, plagues, corpses, and magic arrays.

Even failure—

Had layers of preparation.

...

"...You didn’t die unjustly, Seiichi."

Kanzaki Rei glanced back.

The dungeon entrance was now sealed.

Then—

He looked ahead.

At the endless forest.

That successor of the Holy Light Church—

Had likely soloed these Seventh-Tier monsters.

Good.

Then—

Let’s see what I can do.

How far could he go—

Against Seventh-Tier monsters?

And perhaps—

He could evolve the Ant Legion to Tier 6.

With more souls—

He would have more leverage for future explorations.

And besides—

So many Seventh-Tier monsters—

Time to expand his undead army.

And later—

If the letter was true—

He might even take control of the Reincarnation Order.

Perhaps even gain control of—

That ultimate weapon—

"Orbital Platform · Holy Sky Citadel."

A weapon that had once killed him.

Naturally—

He was interested.

Shing—!

In an instant—

Kanzaki Rei approached a colossal tree.

Behind him—

Two undead hovered.

The Observer—

And Seiichi.

With the Observer’s expanded vision—

He perceived its full scale.

A tree—

Seven thousand kilometers tall—

With a radius of one thousand kilometers—

A true world-class titan.