The Secret Sea churned violently.

Kanzaki Rei watched as a crimson legion marched across the horizon. At the same time, radiant angels blazed across the sky, pillars of thick golden light crashing down one after another!

The weaker creatures within the Secret Sea had already been annihilated by the aftermath alone.

This entire expanse now looked like spoils waiting to be divided.

Every powerhouse wanted a share—something to claim from this ocean.

The Primordial Sea and the Ocean Sovereign... the two seas were merging into one.

Kumironi drifted upon the turbulent waters, her expression twisted in pain, her eyes vacant and lifeless.

"So even the Crimson Legion has arrived..."

"To start a war in the Secret Sea... they must be trying to eliminate key figures from other factions."

At lower levels of combat, numbers still held some advantage.

For example, a Level 2 versus a Level 3—there wasn’t an overwhelming gap.

But once it reached the difference between Level 3 and Level 4—

A Level 4 mage could already influence battlefield-scale combat. A single tornado could sweep across hundreds of meters. Meanwhile, a Level 3 mage was still casting Flame Spear or Frost Wave, affecting only a dozen meters or so.

The disparity was already immense.

And so, the higher the level of combat...

The less meaningful numbers became.

Especially with a two-level gap.

Level 6 versus Level 8...

No matter how many Level 6s you sent, it was meaningless against a standard Level 8 combat-class Ascender.

Unless—

Those Level 6s were anomalies like Izparut... or Kanzaki Rei himself. Absolute prodigies that transcended their era.

"The Crimson Legion... they’re Bane’s personal army."

"In wartime, their coordination can achieve feats of killing above their level."

"There was once a record—just five hundred Level 6 Ascenders forming a unit managed to surround and kill a Level 8 archer."

"But that was tens of thousands of years ago."

Kanzaki Rei spoke calmly:

"And now... it doesn’t look like they’ve only deployed five thousand."

In the far distance, the crimson tide stretched across half the sky.

Even from such an unimaginable distance, faint silhouettes could still be seen.

There were likely tens of billions of them.

Ansu let out a low chuckle.

"Heh... I said five hundred elites could kill a Level 8 archer."

"But I never said their entire legion was only five hundred strong."

"The Crimson Legion at full strength... can rival a true Level 9 Ascender."

"This Secret Sea... is truly lively."

A Level 9 monster—the Ocean Sovereign.

The origin of all seas—the Primordial Sea.

The distant Crimson Legion...

And those were only the forces visible on the surface.

What lurked in the shadows—no one knew.

"Kid, if this keeps up, you’ll get caught in the crossfire."

"Though... I can see you’ve got some method to survive even the residual power of the Primordial Sea..."

"So what? Thinking of jumping into the fray?"

"But everyone here clearly has their own goals. If you step in... have you figured out what you want?"

Kanzaki Rei replied flatly:

"...No. I’ll pass."

Yelia was no longer within the Sea Abyss.

The moment the Purifying Flame Judgment Sword—once wielded by Roya—fell into the sea, it had already vanished.

Yelia had left the Secret Sea.

And now, the position of the "Core" was far away—in the Moon Sea.

Which meant... through the Core on Yelia’s body, he could directly return to the Moon Sea.

...Fine.

If he got exposed, so be it.

Kanzaki Rei’s thoughts shifted.

Bang!

The Core on Yelia’s body burst out of her spatial pouch and appeared in the open.

The surroundings were now a desolate battlefield—

The very ancient ruin he had once intended to explore.

Yelia and Rhein were both there, discussing what had just transpired in the Secret Sea.

When they saw Kanzaki Rei’s Core suddenly appear—

Yelia flinched in shock.

But she quickly regained her composure.

Rhein was there too.

Kanzaki Rei remembered clearly—Rhein had been absorbed into Sophia’s body. He had assumed the man was truly dead.

After all, the authority of resurrection was rumored to originate from Sophia.

...It seemed that might not necessarily be the case.

What Aegmesar said... wasn’t guaranteed to be true.

But since that side had already returned to the Moon Sea—

There was no need for him to die in the Secret Sea just to come back.

Kanzaki Rei left behind another Core on the spot.

Then, in the next instant, his body vanished—

And reappeared beside the Core near Yelia.

Just like that, he returned to the ruins.

Whoosh—

Yelia’s heart jolted again when she saw Kanzaki Rei suddenly appear.

He landed smoothly, as though nothing had happened at all.

...Mm.

The Core was still left behind in the Secret Sea.

Which meant—

Through this method, travel between the Secret Sea and the Moon Sea was possible.

Next time this timeline reset...

He could try leaving the Core in place directly.

Then maybe... he wouldn’t need to replicate everything exactly as before.

He could test whether any changes would occur.

"Kanzaki Rei?"

"You..."

The Purifying Flame Judgment Sword had already reappeared inside Yelia’s storage space.

Returning from death within the Secret Sea—

Lost items would be restored.

And everything obtained within Aegmesar’s trial... would be retained.

"Yelia."

"I’m not entirely sure what happened in the Secret Sea..."

"But I have something more urgent to take care of right now."

Kanzaki Rei exchanged a few brief words with her—

Then vanished once more.

Whoosh—

In just a few flickers—

He had already returned to Atlant City, leaving his Core inside his room.

Leaving a Core in the ruins was too dangerous.

"Kid..."

"This... is the Moon Sea, right?"

Ansu’s voice echoed in his mind.

"How did you cross such an enormous distance?"

"From the Secret Sea to the Moon Sea... that’s not something you can traverse in an instant. Even a Level 9 Ascender’s perception can’t span across the vast expanse between the Secret Sea, the Turbid Sea, and reach the Moon Sea."

The Secret Sea and the Moon Sea weren’t even adjacent.

There was still the Turbid Sea between them.

Kanzaki Rei answered calmly:

"A trick with magic."

"It’s difficult... but not impossible."

Under normal circumstances, this would indeed be impossible.

Perception defined the limit of magical control.

If you couldn’t perceive it, you couldn’t manipulate it.

That was the fundamental rule of magic.

Which meant—normally, the range of spellcasting could never exceed one’s perception.

Ansu couldn’t understand it.

But that was expected.

Because this required multiple fundamental magics—each operating on entirely different principles—to interact in tandem.

No ordinary mage could ever master so many root-level magics alone.

Returning to the Secret Sea now would be too dangerous. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

That battlefield had already escalated into Level 9 combat.

Even the residual shockwaves alone could kill him.

Although—even if his body were destroyed there, he could still regenerate from the Core left behind in the Moon Sea...

It was better to remain cautious.

Kanzaki Rei slowly closed his eyes.

On the Core he had left behind in the Secret Sea, an eye opened.

Through that single Core—

He continued observing everything unfolding within the Secret Sea.

...

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