Everything happened so quickly that an outside observer would have seen nothing more than a blink.
For me, however, the experience felt strangely stretched.
Time seemed unwilling to flow normally during the process. Seconds felt like minutes, while entire sequences of memories unfolded between moments that should have been instantaneous. It was as though my soul existed outside the normal passage of time while traveling along a path only it could perceive.
Eventually, I felt something waiting ahead.
The destination.
The soul imprint I had selected.
The instant contact was established, the pull disappeared and a new process began. My soul anchored itself to the waiting echo while reality rushed to rebuild everything that had been left behind.
Matter condensed around me. Bones formed first, followed by flesh, blood, muscles, and skin as my body reconstructed itself around the returning soul. The entire process occurred in less than a heartbeat, yet I somehow experienced every stage of it with perfect clarity.
Then it was over.
Solid ground greeted my feet. Fresh air filled my lungs.
The familiar sounds of daily life drifted through the surroundings.
I had returned.
The familiar sights of the Ironhart Settlement surrounded me once more, yet before I could fully appreciate the success of the technique, a sharp pain erupted throughout my body.
My knees nearly buckled.
A dull ache spread through every muscle as though I had just fought a prolonged battle against an evenly matched opponent. At the same time, an uncomfortable pressure gathered behind my eyes before warm liquid began running down my face.
I raised a hand and touched beneath my nose.
"Blood."
Another thin stream escaped from the corner of my left eye.
I stared at the crimson stains on my fingers before letting out a low laugh.
Apparently tearing apart my body, launching my soul across reality, and reconstructing myself somewhere else wasn’t something even a Saint could perform without consequences.
The discomfort wasn’t serious. My regeneration immediately began repairing the damage, and the bleeding slowed within seconds. Even so, the warning was clear.
Echo Reversion wasn’t a technique that could be spammed carelessly.
"Not yet. But I will definitely use it."
A weaker existence would likely suffer far worse. Soul instability, severe internal injuries, permanent damage, or perhaps even death if their body failed to endure the reconstruction process. The technique demanded an extraordinary soul, extraordinary reserves of Soul Force, and a body capable of surviving the strain.
Fortunately, I possessed all three.
That didn’t mean I had escaped unscathed.
The lingering soreness throughout my muscles felt strangely similar to overusing a completely unfamiliar training method. My body had survived, but it clearly wasn’t accustomed to being disassembled and rebuilt in less than a heartbeat.
For several moments I simply stood there, staring at the peaceful settlement while my mind attempted to process what had just happened. The technique itself had lasted less than an instant, yet the experience felt like an entire journey compressed into a single moment.
The All-Knowing Eyes had already proven themselves valuable, but Echo Reversion might have been the greatest surprise of all.
I glanced around the settlement before shaking my head.
"Yeah..."
A quiet laugh escaped me as I wiped away the last traces of blood beneath my nose.
"That definitely wasn’t teleportation."
By the time I reached our house, most of the unpleasant side effects of Echo Reversion had already faded. The soreness lingering throughout my muscles remained, but my regeneration was steadily dealing with it.
Unless someone examined me closely, they would never know I had just torn apart my body, launched my soul across reality, and reconstructed myself.
The familiar smell of food drifted from inside the house the moment I approached the door.
I froze.
Then I looked toward the sky. Then back toward the house.
A small realization slowly settled into my mind.
"...Right."
I had promised my father I would be back by lunch. Unfortunately, I appeared to have missed that lunch.
And the next one. Possibly dinner as well.
The realization did not improve my mood. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The conversation around the breakfast table immediately stopped.
Two pair of eyes turned toward me.
My mother stared. My father stared.
The silence stretched for several seconds.
I offered an awkward smile.
"Hello."
The silence somehow became worse. Finally, my mother placed her utensils down.
"Billion."
Her voice was dangerously calm.
"Yes?"
"You said you were going to the library."
"I did."
"You said you would be back for lunch."
"I did."
"You disappeared for an entire day."
I considered my options. There were none.
"I got distracted."
Nobody looked convinced.
My father folded his arms.
"By what exactly?"
"Exploring."
His eyebrow rose.
"Exploring what?"
"Things."
The second eyebrow joined the first.
I quickly continued before the interrogation could gain momentum.
"I found some interesting places near the settlement. Then I ended up swimming in the Soul Sea for a while."
That part was technically true. I had, in fact, spent some time swimming in the Soul Sea.
The fact that I had also infiltrated Region Four, kidnapped an Eternal Saint, stolen his Talent, gained a new summon, and learned a reality-defying movement technique seemed unnecessary to mention.
My mother rubbed her forehead.
"One day."
I remained silent.
She sighed.
"Just sit down and eat."
I didn’t need to be told twice.
Within moments I had claimed my seat and started attacking the food in front of me. Whatever frustration my family possessed quickly became secondary once they saw the speed at which the dishes were disappearing.
For several peaceful minutes, the conversation shifted toward more ordinary topics.
Everything felt surprisingly normal. Then the front door exploded open.
The entire room jumped.
A familiar voice echoed through the house.
"Where is Billion?"
I paused midway. The doorframe rattled as my grandfather stormed into the room.
Roland looked unusually agitated.
His eyes swept across the table before landing on me.
"Oh."
I slowly raised my hand.
"I’m here."
The old man blinked. Then blinked again.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
"Oh, you are here."
I lowered my hand.
"That is generally how being here works."
Roland ignored the comment. Instead, he continued staring at me.
The strange look on his face only deepened.
"I thought you were the reason."
I frowned.
"The reason for what?"
The room suddenly became very quiet. Roland pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Someone killed a Saint in Region Four."
My hand froze.
Fortunately, everyone else was looking at Roland. Unfortunately, Roland was looking directly at me.
"The reports just came in," he continued. "An Eternal Saint disappeared from Region Four. Several sources have already confirmed his death."
I carefully placed my utensils down.
"That sounds serious."
"It is serious."
Roland continued staring. I stared back.
Then he added casually,
"The same Saint who possessed the All-Knowing Eyes."
The room became completely silent. My heart remained calm.
Everything remained calm.
Unfortunately, my family knew me.
One by one, every person at the table slowly turned toward me.
All of them stared.
I immediately felt a headache coming.
My mother narrowed her eyes.
"What did you do, Billion?"
I pointed toward myself.
"Why is that your first assumption?"
Nobody answered.