Chapter 219 - ...

Ren was facing off against the supposed true enemy of his past incarnations the ORIGIN. Well, it wasn't really its true body but was using the body of a random stranger. Yet even though the person in front of him was a normal looking person Ren didn't let his guard down. When the ORIGIN said he would punish Ren the past incarnations within his soul started telling him to relinquish control of his body to one of them. Due to him being conscious it was harder to take hold of his body so they needed his permission. 

Ren, of course, wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Even though at the moment he was filled with rage and other emotions he normally wouldn't have, the excitement of battle still trumped all. The feeling of facing an opponent of equal strength was exciting enough, but to face an opponent that made you feel that you had no hope of winning was a thrill on a whole other level. 

The other incarnations also felt the same way when they first encountered the puppet controlled by the ORIGIN. Yet despite their excitement, they still retained a bit of calm, since unlike Ren, they knew and understood the bigger picture. They really understood his feelings but the current situation shouldn't be taken lightly. 

Though there has never been a time when the ORIGIN would kill a reincarnation of the original which it calls its son. Usually, the ones that had killed the past incarnations would either be the seeds or a representative of the ORIGIN.

So in their conclusion when the ORIGIN appears it has never killed a past incarnation, so the group knew that Ren wouldn't be killed. But of course, the ORIGIN wasn't something that was that predictable. There was still a chance that it would finish them off, there was also a chance that it would do something worse than killing them. The mere thought of joining the cycle of destiny once more, made the original incarnation feel a bit agitated. So he and the other past incarnations inside of Ren's soul tried their hardest to persuade Ren. 

...

While Ren was zoning out the shouts of his past incarnations, his body was tensing up because of the aura the puppet of the ORIGIN was emitting. Ren who was riddled with confusion, anger, and other negative emotions cast them all aside as he faced this powerful foe. Since the opponent was more powerful than him, waiting for a chance to counterattack was the best option. But obviously that wasn't his style. So with no more hesitation, Ren gleefully charged forward and attacked the ORIGIN. 

Ren who enveloped himself with Spirit Aura was now also clad with a fair amount of mana. He has never practiced it before but the moment he felt like he could merge the two different power sources into one, Ren simply did it and it worked. This was because from within his soul the past incarnations were trying to assist him in any way they can. Since Ren wouldn't let them use his body, this was the only support they can give. 

The ORIGIN unperturbed by Ren's sudden assault dodged to the side with the least possible movement. He then proceeded to try and grab hold of Ren's right hand which was stretched out. Ren quickly retracted his arm and was about to do a low spinning sweep kick, but then he felt the ground was being filled with mana. Ren quickly backed away as spikes of earth filled the ground from where he stood. 

As he continued to evade the spikes of earth Ren finally noticed that his legs were freezing over, Ren then countered by using a simple [Fire] spell and attacked his legs. Ren continued to move around as he activated the [Shadow Bind] Technique but that too failed to do anything. The ORIGIN simply used an unknown form of power to counter the [Shadow Bind]. 

As his technique was rendered ineffective Ren remembered where he felt a similar power before. That power felt oddly similar to what the original incarnation used when he initiated his sword technique. 

Ren was about to use another spell but before he could do so, he saw the ORIGIN disappear from his view. Ren by instinct ducked, saw a passing hand caught it and did a shoulder throw. 

"As expected of you my son. Even in this weak form of yours, you can still put up a bit of a fight." 

"Are you looking down on me, you haven't even gotten serious yet! You're just playing around. If you were really serious then destroying this puny continent would only require you to flex your pinky finger. I do not need your pity, show me what you got!" Based on what Ren saw the original incarnation did with one sword strike, he could deduce a little bit of the ORIGIN's true strength. Since the ORIGIN was someone that even that powerful original incarnation of his was wary of, that would mean the ORIGIN was his equal or above him. 

"Well, even I have my limitations since my true form is unable to descend in this dimension for the time being. I was in the middle of punishing you for being such a naughty son. But since I no longer think that is needed I shall comply with your request. Since my son has requested it, then as a parent I should respond." 

The moment the ORIGIN spoke those words, he moved a single step and the very ground shook. Not only that Ren saw the earth was actually splitting in half. That was just one step of the ORIGIN, he was not even doing anything special. 

The ORIGIN then extended his hand and pointed it at Ren. Though he was still a few meters away from him, Ren couldn't take any chances and quickly evaded. Yet even as he tried to evade Ren was still caught by an invisible force. 

Ren struggled with all his might to free himself but it was to no avail. He used different spells and techniques, but in the face of this unknown force and power, he couldn't do a thing. Even though he didn't want to, Ren was about to ask a bit of help from his past incarnations, but before he could do anything he was hit by the ORIGIN. The moment he was hit Ren had his eyes wide open in shock. The connection he had to his soul was gone. His soul was still there, but he could no longer communicate with his past incarnations. 

"I changed my mind, I will punish you as well as show you what you want to see." When the ORIGIN said those words, Ren felt an emotion that he or any of his incarnations never felt before. He was now feeling pure una.d.u.l.terated fear. 

The ORIGIN placed his palm onto the ground and within a second everything exploded. Just like that the whole planet disappeared. Ren who was trying to process what he just witnessed heard the ORIGIN's voice. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't show you what I could do. That planet was weaker than I remembered it to be. Well, it doesn't matter... Oh, you did it again my son. So we're going to play hide and seek once more." The ORIGIN looked at Ren's body as it finally noticed that Ren had killed himself, by making his mana implode inside of him. Since he knew what was to come, Ren decided to bet on the next reincarnation.