Magical seals, ritual seals, restriction seals—different varieties of sealing techniques intertwined and fused together, forming an absolutely unbreakable barrier.
"Azure Path — Path Five: One-World Prison."
One-World Prison could transform the entire area covered by the Absolute Sea of Magic into an inescapable barrier. Within the bounds of that barrier, the life force, strength, vitality, and mana of all living beings would be continuously absorbed by Rei.
But at this moment, the one imprisoned inside was Lumironi.
Rei had not activated the absorption effect.
He was merely confining Lumironi within this tiny space.
At maximum range, the prison could expand to match the full size of the Absolute Sea of Magic.
But likewise, it could also be compressed.
Compressed until there was not even the slightest room left to move.
And if someone wanted to break Rei's seal…
Standing within the barrier, Lumironi merely glanced at the seal once before abandoning any thought of resistance.
A gentle divine light shimmered in her eyes.
"Is it you?"
"Rei."
Lumironi looked toward the hazy mass of gray mist before her. A vague silhouette flickered within it, impossible to fully perceive with the naked eye.
Only after hearing Lumironi's question did Rei slowly step out from the gray fog.
At the same time, his perception swept across her body, examining her completely—inside and out.
"Big Sis Lumironi."
Rei dispersed the gray mist and emerged from within.
He detected no abnormalities in Lumironi.
But…
The questions born from becoming a Deciphering Scholar still had not been completely answered.
The current "One-World Prison" already carried Yakatikto's Luck Restriction by default. Wherever One-World Prison expanded, Rei would naturally be blessed with fortune.
"I finally… finally found you."
"I've been searching for you for so long. Really, so very long."
The moment Lumironi saw Rei, her face filled with joy and excitement. There was no sign whatsoever that she might flee after seeing him.
"These past ten years… where did you go…?"
Her emotions appeared utterly genuine.
"But… why use this seal on me? What are you worried about?"
"Don't worry."
"I'm still your companion. I won't become your enemy."
Lumironi extended a hand toward Rei, her voice gentle—just like when they had first met.
"Lumironi…"
Rei's emotions were equally complicated. He simply had not expected their reunion to happen like this.
"How much do you know about Sophia?"
"Sophia?" Lumironi sounded slightly confused.
Rei maintained absolute focus on every fluctuation in her aura.
Truthfully, what he was doing was extremely dangerous.
If the Lumironi before him truly was Sophia's incarnation—
then an unimaginably dangerous battle might erupt.
This was a Moon Sovereign.
To oppose a Moon Sovereign…
The impression Yakatikto had left on Rei remained deeply etched into his mind. He could not guarantee he would survive.
And yet…
Lumironi was the person he valued most after arriving in this world.
No matter the danger, he had to face her.
"I'm not entirely sure what you want to ask, Rei."
"Does this matter have anything to do with my disappearance?"
Rei's tone remained calm, though he was already fully prepared for combat at any moment.
"No. It has nothing to do with your disappearance."
"Sophia wanted to take over your body. That had already been the case ten years ago."
After hearing Rei's explanation, Lumironi smiled softly.
"So you were worried about me."
"Well… the truth is, it's a very long story. After you disappeared, we really did encounter quite a bit of trouble caused by Sophia."
"But after Obades awakened us to the truth, we saw through Sophia's plan."
"Izparut helped me find a way to remove the restriction Sophia had placed on me."
Obades awakened them to the truth?
Rei found it hard to imagine that scene. Obades had always been a man of very few words within the party.
"So in other words, Sophia never took over your body."
As Rei questioned her, he was simultaneously reading her emotions.
His Divine-Tier Talent had detected nothing abnormal. Lumironi herself had answered the same way. Even when Rei looked directly into her Sea of Consciousness, he found no irregularities there either.
Even the possibility of spiritual contamination had been ruled out.
Yet Rei still did not lower his guard.
Instead, he continued asking,
"But you wanted to avoid me, didn't you?"
For a fleeting instant, a ripple passed through Lumironi's eyes.
Within her vast emerald Sea of Consciousness, tiny waves stirred ever so slightly.
The emotional fluctuation was incredibly subtle—almost impossible to detect.
But Rei's perception far surpassed that of ordinary beings.
Even such a minute change could not escape his eyes.
"You really have become incredibly sharp, Rei."
"You were over there just now, weren't you?" Lumironi looked toward Seiichi's direction.
"No wonder I had such a strange feeling."
"If I had truly seen you immediately from the beginning… I probably would have left right away."
Rei asked quietly,
"Why?"
"Because… I feel that the current me isn't suitable to meet you."
"As for Sophia… what I told you earlier was only half the truth. The other half is…"
"I'm currently cooperating with Sophia."
"Cooperating?"
"Yes. Cooperating with the Moon Sovereign Sophia."
Rei's voice remained calm and gentle.
"Then explain it in detail."
Lumironi shook her head bitterly.
"I can't. There's a contract involved. I may end up doing very evil things… and I have no way to defend myself."
Rei asked,
"For what reason?"
"You know she's a Moon Sovereign who wants to steal your body. Why would you choose to cooperate with her?"
Lumironi did not answer directly.
Instead, she asked:
"Rei."
"Do you know how the dead are revived?"
"Not completely."
"After death, the soul first drifts through the world… through the space of souls."
"And the deceased's spirituality returns to the Tree of Wisdom."
"The soul ultimately travels to the Underworld."
"If one wishes to revive the dead, both their spirituality and their soul must be returned to the body."
"As for repairing the body's injuries—that's actually the easiest part."
"When we kill someone in this world, what we are truly doing is destroying their body so it can no longer contain the soul, forcing their spirituality to separate from the flesh."
"That is what it means to kill a person."
"Once someone truly dies, they enter reincarnation. And once reincarnation occurs, resurrection becomes impossible."
Rei nodded slightly.
"Yes. I know that."
Lumironi continued:
"But have you ever considered another possibility?"
"What if the body itself were immortal? What if spirituality no longer returned to the Tree of Wisdom? What if the Underworld and the living world were originally one and the same?"
"What if… reincarnation did not exist in this world at all?"
"Wouldn't that mean…"
"There would never be death again?"
The moment Rei heard that question—
he froze slightly.
Lumironi's wish now seemed unmistakably clear before his eyes.
"Lumironi…"
"Are you trying to create a world without death?"