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 in the

"Wh-at happened"

wide, similarly to before when he was

-Thud

world regained its color, what Kevin saw next made his

as a large

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

"Y-ou, how?"

Ren

go and break the dimensional

something, Kevin pointed

"B-u"

indifferent voice

of it,

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

had gotten to know these past few days...just what happened during that short

*Sigh*

an extended sigh

many things to ask, he knew that any type of conversation at the moment was

be equivalent to talking to a

Pointless.

"...alright"

prepared to look for the device responsible for

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

"hm"

figure disappear in the distance, Ren subtly glanced towards the distance where a statue with two ruby-red eyes quietly sat on top

ranked artifact

that the reason he managed to win was because of the artifact

statue's eyes were staring right

a glimpse of the future thanks to the

one on one even if Kevin went all out or worked together with him, using the book, Ren managed to devise

exhaust the Matriarch beforehand, Ren took advantage of the

with the book, Ren managed to pinpoint the exact location at which the Matriarch would

up the artifacts, right after Kevin was on the verge of losing, calculating the distance, Ren slowly approached the Matriarch and stopped right

to him. Like this, when the Matriarch attacked,

the Matriarch for a split second, that was enough for

the statues,

was wide open due to her body freezing, Ren's

within Ren's

"Stop pretending...wake up"

indifferent voice rang out. Raising his sword in the air, he directly pierced her in

-Spurt!

"Gyyyyaaaa'”!"

out a pained scream, the Matriarch's white eyes soon regained some clarity as she glared at

"Yo-u!"

the Matriarch, unfazed by the fact that she was still alive despite the hole in her forehead, Ren slowly

I forgot about the fact that you higher-ranked demons only die when your core is

"Ghh..."

at him as she tried

she wasn't dead, her injuries were

Ren's sword, she could only helplessly

do you want from

with his sword imbued on her stomach,

-Spurt!

with his hand, to the Matriarch's horror, his