[Moments Earlier]

"How long has it been now?" I murmured to myself as I looked around me.

It seemed like I was surrounded by an endless expanse of land. I wondered how big the island was, or if perhaps some sort of Magic was at work here.

'It's probably Magic..' I once again felt the chill of Nether course through me, reminding me to not relent in my efforts to protect myself from the hostile energy.

'It hasn't been very long, though. Ten minutes, to be accurate.' Considering the importance of our mission, quite a lot of time had passed since we arrived here.

We needed to converge—and fast.

'But, if I move too fast, I run the risk of alerting the enemy. If I use teleportation again, I could end up at another random location.'

I decided to patiently walk for a few more minutes, making an elaborately new plan as I trekked. Even if I hurried and met my allies, I still needed a plan.

'It's possible the enemy already knows our location due to teleportation, so there might be no point in conserving it. But, all that has happened so far seems to suggest that is not the case.'

If a Cult Member indeed knew where I was, they would come storming here. After all, considering how they had been attempting to kill me since I was a kid, I had to envision some sort of aggressive assault on me, did I not?

'No one has arrived yet, so let's scrap that.' That meant I could probably rely on teleportation.

The only thing bothering me was my ignorance of everyone else's location. If I did, I would have gone to them by now. My senses were already spread out, yet.. nothing.

'Everything is going badly. I think we should retreat, but I can't even gather my allies. This was a trap right from the start, huh?'

Maria's words suddenly popped into my head, and I slowly relaxed my hurting head.

This was the best solution, so even if it failed.. I couldn't beat myself up too much. That said, I needed to work hard to find out where my allies were, while also devising a concrete strategy for our next move.

"Alright, Jared! Let's do this!"

"There's no need." A voice suddenly emerged, causing me to instantly flinch in surprise.

My vision—no, my entire senses—was left in a state of shock as I noticed a man standing a few meters from me.

'I didn't sense him until now. What in the—?!'

The man had a long, flowing blue kimono, and his long auburn hair danced in the direction of the blowing wind. He had a calm gaze, his eyes filled with resolve.

Based on all I was observing about this man, I could already conclude about his identity.

"Are you the First Seat?" I asked, my body readied for action at any given moment.

"Indeed. I am the Martial Blade God. You must be Jared Leonard. It is a pleasure to meet you." His tone was polite, his words cordial.

It was difficult for me to believe that someone like this was responsible for slaughtering thousands of people—an entire civilization—with a single hit.

'He isn't even oozing unfathomable power. This guy..' I watched him with both caution and curiosity.

Who was he exactly?

"You look startled. Shouldn't you have been expecting my appearance?" The Martial Blade God, as he called himself, asked me calmly.

He was right. I had been expecting a member of the Cult to come to greet me, but with Neron's disappearance, I was sort of expecting this man to be the one keeping him occupied.

'If he's not the one who is keeping Neron occupied, then who? Could it be—?!'

"Legris Damien is with Neron Kaelid. As for your allies, I have already taken care of Lemi, Edward, and Ciara. And as for Serah, she's about to engage my colleague."

'Legris is the one with Neron?!' My eyes widened.

Could it be that my suspicions about him were correct? Did he have the means to defeat Neron, or at least impede him for so long? It turned out that that was indeed the case.

Unfortunately, this discovery was simply the start of my headaches.

'He took care of those three? Does that mean they are—?!'

"They're alive. They will be fine."

"Huuu.." I heaved a sigh of relief.

If what this guy said was true, then they were most likely incapacitated. According to the vibe he was giving off, as well as Neron's testimony, I saw no reason to doubt his words. Plus, Martial Artists didn't have the disposition to use tricks or be cunning—unlike Magic Users.

Seasoned Martial Artists simply had a straightforward approach to life. The stronger one was as a Martial Artist, the more their responses became straight and simple.

'Only the weaker ones resort to tricks.' I stared at him cautiously, wondering where my comrades were.

Also, how the heck was he completing my thoughts? Could he read minds or something? It wasn't impossible, but..

"You do not need to worry too much about those details. That's because, unlike those ones whose lives I have spared, you will be dying here." His tone was so flat and assured that another chill ran down my spine.

Still, I should have expected this outcome.

Just because he spared my comrades, that didn't mean he would show me the same courtesy. Considering the damage I had caused them and the danger I posed to them as a Singularity, it was pretty obvious they would want to eliminate me.

"You know, you're quite an interesting person.. Lewis Griffith."

'H-huh..?!' My eyes widened in shock.

Indescribable, unimaginable shock.

'HOW DOES HE KNOW?!'

"We never met in your past life, and this is our first meeting in this one. It is indeed a pleasure." He bowed slightly, still speaking calmly, but none of his courtesy could stem the shock assailing me.

'He knows my identity? Does that mean.. the Cult is aware? Do they know of my reincarnation? But that makes no sense! If they did, they would have done things differently from the start!'

I always assumed they simply considered me an anomaly without knowing the exact cause. However, with this, I could already conclude that their members knew who I was.

If that was the case, then this plan had been doomed to fail from the start!

"Do not be startled. I did not know of your identity until I met your daughter, and I knew not of your past until I met you. Though a great deal is shrouded in mystery. It must be the interference of the Root, thanks to your status as a Singularity. Or perhaps.. no, this Magic is distinct. It belongs to someone—something."

The Martial Blade God was mumbling unintelligible words that made me more confused than ever. His whispers caused me distress, but I was at least relieved to hear that he had just found out my identity.

'Whether he has relayed it to his headquarters or not is another issue.'

"Jared Leonard, I have discovered something quite interesting about you." The Martial Blade God interrupted my thoughts with a statement that gave me yet another feeling of apprehension.

He smiled slightly and narrowed his gaze at me.

"You are being protected by someone else. This signature.. this causal link.. its initiator is not Aether herself. It's a distinct entity."

What in the world was he saying? Once again, the Martial Blade God was assailing me with incomprehensible words.

"Have you ever wondered the cause of your reincarnation? If I were to assume, I could simply call it the will of the Root, considering your status as a Singularity."

'H-huh?!' I still didn't know the cause of my Reincarnation.

What did he know? Did he find out the truth?!

"But it seems I was mistaken too. Jared Leonard.. someone caused this reincarnation of yours."

*historical

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[A/N]

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