The Author's POV

-Tap!

Ren's footsteps halted as he stood ten meters away from the Matriarch. He indifferently gazed at her who coldly stared back at him. A stifling atmosphere prevailed in the sorroundings. Breaking the silence, the Matriarch spoke

"So you're him..."

...the youth from the picture.

Staring at Ren standing on the opposite side of her, the Matriarch frowned. According to the report she got, her target was only an ranked kid.

Someone that was far beneath her notice.

...in fact, she didn't believe that it was him that killed Elijah. How could an rank kill a rank? that was impossible. But, even if he didn't kill Elijah, he at least must know something. After all, what would Everblood gain from giving her such information?

The only reason why she didn't attack Ren already was because of her wariness towards Kevin who was slowly recovering. Moreover, she wanted answers...

Staring at Ren, the Matriarch coldly said

"Tell me, are you responsible for killing Elijah"

"..."

Staring at the Matriarch before him, Ren didn't respond. He just stood there looking at her with no emotions.

"Answer me!"

Seeing Ren being unresponsive, the Matriarch screamed in anger as a red hue expanded out of her body creating a gust of wind that swept everything near her away.

...even so, Ren stood rooted where he was. Completely unfazed by the Matriarch's outburst.

Seeing that Ren remained unfazed despite her show of might, the Matriarch venomously spat

"...if you refuse to speak, then I'll make you speak!"

"Ren watch out!"

Noticing that the Matriarch was about to move, Kevin couldn't help shout as he tried to warn Ren about the incoming danger.

Having gone against her before, Kevin knew how fast and powerful she was...she was on another level compared to the people he had fought before.

Although he didn't believe Ren was any weaker than him, if caught off-guard, the situation could get serious. Moreover, even if she was injured, he didn't see any possibility of Ren being able to beat her.

"Answer me!"

Appearing right before Ren, the Matriarch extended her hand forward and reached for his neck.

"Ren!"

However, contrary to Kevin's expectations, Ren didn't show any apprehension towards the Matriarch and merely raised his left hand in the air. Thereafter, with his right hand on the grip of his sword, Ren snapped his fingers.

-Snap!

"khhh'”!"

Just as the Matriarch's hand was about to reach for his neck, her hand suddenly froze. In fact, not just her hand froze, but her whole body.

The first movement of the [Keiki style] : Quick flash

Thereafter, the world around the Matriarch turned white as the last thing she heard what a subtle clicking sensation before she felt something pierce the scalp of her head.

-Click!

prevailed

"Wh-at happened"

saw the Matriarch's hand reaching for his neck, opening his eyes wide, similarly to before when he was fighting the demon leader, the

-Thud

regained its color, what Kevin saw next made his blood

her forehead, the Matriarch's body slowly fell onto the pavement as

who remained indifferent, Kevin couldn't help but point towards

"Y-ou, how?"

Kevin, Ren didn't answer. Pointing towards the

and break the

Kevin pointed

"B-u"

Kevin midsentence, Ren's indifferent voice rang

it,

head. Since the fight against the demons started, Ren had become a completely different person. He seemed completely emotionless, almost as if anything in

know these past few days...just what happened during that short period

*Sigh*

an extended sigh

ask, he knew that any type of conversation at the

him now would be equivalent to talking to

Pointless.

"...alright"

and prepared to look for the device responsible for

glancing at Ren one more time, Kevin's eyes soon paused on the Matriarch on

"hm"

glanced towards the distance where a statue with two ruby-red eyes quietly sat on top of a

ranked artifact twin

at the statue from below, Ren knew that the reason he managed to win was because

the statue's eyes were staring right where the Matriarch's

glimpse of the future thanks to the

couldn't beat the Matriarch one on one even

Matriarch beforehand, Ren took advantage

the book, Ren managed to pinpoint the exact location at which the Matriarch would move and carefully

of losing, calculating the distance, Ren

Matriarch to him. Like this,

only stopped the Matriarch for a

right before the Matriarch froze due to the statues, Ren already activated the first

due to her body freezing, Ren's sword directly pierced her in

was within Ren's

"Stop pretending...wake up"

on the ground, Ren's indifferent voice rang out. Raising his sword in the

-Spurt!

"Gyyyyaaaa'”!"

white eyes soon regained some clarity as she glared at

"Yo-u!"

she was still alive despite the hole in her forehead,

about the fact that you higher-ranked demons only

"Ghh..."

glared at him as she tried to retaliate. However, her

wasn't dead, her

Ren's sword, she could only helplessly

you want

his sword imbued on her stomach, Ren

-Spurt!

horror, his hand pierced her right where her