"Kumironi?!"
Swish!
At the sa ti, Kanzaki Rei’s eyes were already foreseeing future possibilities.
The instant Kumironi saw him—
Her first thought was actually to turn around and flee.
She wanted to escape?
Kanzaki Rei imdiately prepared to approach Kumironi!
But suddenly, the future unfolded before his eyes once more...
If he charged straight toward her, he would only end up entering another spatial layer by mistake.
That wasn’t the correct path.
After hesitating for only a fraction of a second, Kanzaki Rei instantly activated:
"Unsolvable Enigma."
Swish!
Invisible mist imdiately enveloped his entire body.
The confusion in Kumironi’s gaze deepened slightly as she looked in their direction.
Kanzaki Rei’s vision always arrived ahead of reality.
Before everyone else fully arrived, he had already seen the scene monts in advance.
Which ant—
Before anyone else could react, he had already concealed himself completely.
Although Kumironi looked over, surprise flashing briefly through her eyes—
She didn’t run.
As expected...
She only wanted to flee because she saw him.
But why?
Why would Kumironi’s first reaction upon seeing him be escape?
The Absolute Mana Sea spread outward, but it still couldn’t fully reach the opposite side.
The pathways here beca even more twisted and convoluted.
The Mana Sea scattered throughout every direction of this strange space.
And as the pathways shifted, the Mana Sea itself would also be teleported into different regions.
It could serve as a thod of scouting.
But it still couldn’t directly penetrate the entirety of this space.
Actually...
This spatial structure itself was worth researching.
Under normal circumstances, Kanzaki Rei might even have been able to develop an entirely new spell from studying it.
But...
He still hadn’t fully recovered.
Learning the Answer of the Origin hadn’t left him unhard.
The damage he suffered was lighter than that old mage’s—
But even so, it had temporarily disrupted his ability to think about magic normally.
Even so of his Origin Magic had beco unstable.
To the point where he couldn’t properly use them.
He really had learned sothing he was never supposed to know...
Kanzaki Rei’s mind drifted back to the "Origin" he had seen inside the Secret Knowledge Realm.
Now that he thought about it...
What exactly had that thing been?
The Secret Knowledge Realm...
That was also where future Tier 9 Izparut had summoned him.
There...
There was still sothing else hidden there.
Suppressing the doubts churning in his heart, Kanzaki Rei lowered his own presence and silently followed behind Hiroto Minase.
Like so completely insignificant background character.
Elarosa materialized her greatsword into her hand.
"Kumironi?"
"We were just planning to look for you."
"To think we’d run into you here... what a coincidence."
The writhing mass of flesh remained between the two groups.
Each side stood opposite the other with the grotesque flesh-core in the center.
Kumironi’s expression carried mild confusion.
"You people are...?"
"Do I know you?"
Elarosa answered coldly,
"We found traces of you inside the Aberrant Nests."
"And inside so of the monsters there, we discovered spell formations connected to you."
"There are also reports claiming..."
"...that signs of resurrection were found within the Aberrant Nests."
"As far as I know, in this world, aside from that lofty Moon Sovereign..."
"...the only one capable of resurrection magic is you, right?"
Elarosa rested the massive sword over her shoulder.
Kumironi pressed a fingertip lightly against her lips, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Mhm. That was ."
"I’m the one resurrecting monsters within the Aberrant Nests."
Elarosa narrowed her eyes.
"And apparently it doesn’t stop there."
"Their growth rates and mutations have far exceeded expectations."
"Care to explain why?"
"Oh?"
"Looks like your investigation was pretty thorough."
"You’ve already uncovered that much?"
Sothing about Kumironi’s tone and deanor felt wrong.
At the very least, she was nothing like the Kumironi Kanzaki Rei rembered from ten years ago.
Faintly...
She felt more like—
Sophia.
Could it be...
The situation he least wanted to see had truly happened?
Had Sophia really taken over Kumironi?
Kanzaki Rei’s fingers curled slightly.
Yakaticto’s Luck Ritual quietly spread through the area.
He layered fortune upon himself.
"Kumironi, for now, we’re still treating you as a friend, nya," Shumi said as she stepped forward two paces, her hand already resting on the hunting blade behind her.
"You don’t actually need to answer all our questions, nya."
"We just want to know one thing."
"Are you planning to stand alongside the monsters, nya?"
The atmosphere instantly turned sharp.
Even Hiroto Minase and Asahi beside them fell silent.
anwhile, Kumironi rely glanced toward the rotting pile of flesh beside her.
She crouched down slightly, her voice gentle—
Yet carrying an icy undertone.
"I don’t recall ever hearing that I’m obligated to answer your questions."
"Mmm..."
She slowly stood again.
"So in other words..."
"Am I also the answer so of you ca here searching for?"
"Would it be better if I answered you?"
Kumironi murmured softly to herself.
Saint Rei turned toward Asahi.
"Asahi, can you bring us to her side?"
Asahi nodded.
"I can."
"But the route will probably be very long."
"By the ti you reach her, she may already be far away."
"Unless—"
Asahi had just begun to say sothing when suddenly—
The lantern in her hand vanished.
Gone?
When did it disappear?
Wait...
Wasn’t there supposed to be soone else here earlier?
Soone...
Important.
Soone valued by Yog.
"Path Four: Eternal Hollow Misplacent — Forget."
Moon Sovereign’s Concept carried the authority of forgetfulness.
Most of the abilities Kanzaki Rei currently used were Dao Transformation Techniques.
And those techniques had already fused with Moon Sovereign’s Concept.
Not only "Unsolvable Enigma"—
But also the power of Forgetting layered atop it.
Kanzaki Rei had directly taken the lantern from Asahi’s hands.
The restrictions placed upon it were broken the instant it changed owners.
As for how to use it—
One sweep of his perception was enough.
His Deciphering Scholar abilities instantly unraveled its thod of operation.
Swish!
Kanzaki Rei rapidly traversed the shifting spatial regions.
The lantern illuminated the path leading toward Kumironi.
The distance truly was enormous—
But at his speed, it wasn’t unbearably slow.
Now it simply depended on how long the others could stall Kumironi.
Fortunately, according to the future Kanzaki Rei had foreseen—
Kumironi still intended to remain there for a while longer to listen to the "answer."
That span of ti—
Was his golden opportunity to reach her.
Swish swish swish swish!
Kanzaki Rei shot through countless hazy star-walls like a streaking zigzag of light.
If so higher-dinsional existence were observing from above—
They would see a lone figure weaving continuously through endless invisible barriers.
"Mmm..."
Kumironi sighed softly.
"Forget it."
"I don’t think I have any obligation to tell you anything."
"I’d advise you not to attempt overturning the Nest."
"That’s not sothing Tier 8 class holders are capable of accomplishing."
"Only those who step into the realm of gods..."
"...possess the power to overturn the situation."
"And one more piece of advice."
"You’d best stop trying to find ."
After saying this, Kumironi gently shook her head and turned around—
But the mont she turned—
A hand suddenly reached toward her from the void itself.
And as that hand extended outward—
Everything in the surrounding area beca suppressed and sealed!
The sealing formation materialized instantly—
Directly imprisoning Kumironi in place.
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