Upon realizing the identity of the bastard, everything finally made sense.

Why he appeared so suddenly.
Why I couldn't use my fire techniques after encountering him.

"It was you."

The Gu Flames Firewheel Technique—the core technique of the Gu family that allowed me to wield flames.
That was him.

I didn’t understand why he bore the appearance of my past self, nor why he suddenly started this madness. But what mattered was that I had uncovered his identity.

“…Ugh…”

I grabbed the arm that was gripping my throat.