After returning from the depths where he confronted the Devourer, Raiyen stands in silence. His Rinnega Eyes remain active, their rotating patterns reflecting calculations far deeper than simple strategy. Korrin watches him closely and senses the shift in his mind.
He already has a plan.
Raiyen finally speaks in a low voice, explaining the core problem. The Devourer may be bound deep within the planet, but its hunger spreads everywhere through invisible routes. A single body cannot guard the entire world at once.
Then Raiyen quietly considers another possibility.
Maybe… he can.
The patterns within his Rinnega Eyes change as he focuses. Space, identity, and presence align within the same perception frame—something even Korrin recognizes as dangerous. She tries to warn him, but Raiyen has already decided.
He calmly names the technique.
"Rinnega Art: True Multi-Existence."
Without smoke, illusions, or dramatic energy bursts, another Raiyen simply steps out of his body. Then another. And another.
Four.
Seven.
Twelve.
Each one stands with a different posture, as if representing different decisions of the same mind. Yet their presence is identical. Every body wears Limiter Rings. Every aura carries the same weight.
Korrin tests them immediately.
Their shadows move independently.
Their souls respond to scans.
They are not clones.
They are not fragments.
Each Raiyen is fully real
All of them speak in perfect synchronization, their voices overlapping like a single thought.
Power is not divided, Raiyen explains. Only responsibility is.
With the system established, deployment begins instantly.
One Raiyen is assigned to watch over Aira. Without portals or preparation, he vanishes and reappears on the opposite side of the planet beside her. Aira freezes when she sees him standing there again, unsure whether to believe it.
Raiyen gently assures her that this time he is truly here.
While she grips his sleeve with trembling relief, the other Raiyen bodies spread across the planet.
One guards the Architect-controlled zone.
Another stabilizes a dangerous tectonic fracture.
One monitors a region where Devourer proxies are appearing.
The original body remains where the descent ended.
Together they block the Devourer's feeding routes.
Deep beneath the surface, the Devourer senses the change. The chains binding it vibrate as it detects multiple presences across the world—each carrying the same overwhelming weight.
The creature becomes confused.
Multiple beings… but the same existence.
To test them, it sends pressure through one of the feeding channels. One Raiyen body flinches from the impact. The damage is real.
Healing requires effort.
Raiyen confirms the truth of the technique.
Each body is fully independent.
Korrin immediately warns him of the cost.
Every body living simultaneously means multiple futures unfolding at once. If maintained too long, the strain could burn through Raiyen's lifespan across parallel timelines.
Raiyen answers calmly.
That is exactly why his Six Eyes remain sealed.
Near Aira, the moment becomes quieter. She asks the question she has been holding inside since his return—whether he will disappear again like before.
Raiyen replies simply.
As long as he is needed, he will stay.
Across higher planes, the Architects detect the phenomenon and panic. Multiple Raiyen signatures now exist across Earth at the same time, something that completely disrupts the balance they once tried to control.
But one of the Observers quietly notes a different conclusion.
Raiyen has not broken balance.
He has become it.
Deep within the core, however, the Devourer begins adapting. Realizing physical feeding routes are blocked, it shifts its focus toward something more dangerous.
Time itself.
Across the planet, every Raiyen body pauses for a brief moment. Their eyes close simultaneously as their minds synchronize, reaffirming a single instruction shared by all versions.
Do not overextend.
Just hold the line.
But near Aira, Raiyen suddenly looks upward. His Rinnega Eyes flicker with alarm as he senses the Devourer touching something deeper than space or matter.
Time.
Far below, the chained entity whispers into the darkness:
Many bodies may exist…
But it only takes one moment to feed.