[Yes, it’s me. However, what I was originally aiming for was becoming a residual thought. I just wanted to see the end of Qi Heaven’s development.]

It was an incomprehensible answer, but Merlin roughly grasped the situation and the meaning behind Mary’s words.

“Right. You essentially annihilated yourself at that time, and you put your soul and residual thoughts in the Seal of Heaven.”

“…!!” Mary, who had been examining her body, hesitated after hearing Merlin’s calm voice.

This was because the Merlin she remembered was an innocent young man who just loved to travel, swim, and roam around from place to place. However, the Merlin before her now was a completely different being; Merlin was much more powerful and knowledgeable than she expected.

That wasn’t all.

Embarrassingly, Merlin accomplished the miraculous feat of defeating a Crimson Mode Mary as a non-transcendent user.

“Hey, you’ve changed.”

“Well, a lot has happened.”

As Mary sighed and laughed, Merlin realized that Mary had changed as well. She was speaking naturally, unlike before when she always used honorifics. Merlin didn’t bother pointing this out though.

Considering...