The Author's POV

My next set of actions was quick.

As I was dealing with a Marquis-ranked demon, every little second mattered.

Taking out a stack of magic cards from my dimensional system, I injected them with my mana before throwing them in the air.

Swiping my hand, three rings formed around the igniting cards.

By the time the cards were about to fully ignite, the rigs turned red and a small ball of fire resembling a sun was contained in the middle of the rings.

"Go."

With a simple wave, the rings flew toward the sky.

"What's this?"

Catching sight of the ball of fire, Marquis Atheora reached his hand out. But it was already too late.

BOOOM—!

A large cloud of fire bloomed in the air and accompanying it was a thunderous explosion.

The fire receded after a couple of seconds, but it served its purpose.

"Anytime now..."

"You."

Feeling Marquis Atheora's gaze land on me, I raised my head and stared back at him.

Slowly descending to the ground, he looked back at the area where I threw my attack.

"What were you trying to do?"

"Testing something."

"...You seriously want me to believe that?"

Raising his head, he smelled the air. His face changed a little.

"This sensation..."

I felt his gaze pause on me, as he carefully scrutinized my body. After a while, his eyes opened up.

"You...You're not a demon."

'Ah, looks like the cat is out of the bag...'

In order to make it seem like I was a demon, I had placed a couple of cores inside of my body. By simply creating a thin coating of mana, I stopped the demons from regenerating, and in the process, created an effect that made it seem as though I had demonic energy inside of my body.

This was a trick that I learned from my other-self.

It was quite a useful one at that as it really helped me out quite a bit. Without it, I would've probably been found out in the first month.

Had it not been for my last attack that left some lingering mana in the air, Marquis Atheora would have never found out.

"A pity..."

I muttered underneath my breath.

"I don't know how you—"

Stopping himself mid-sentence, Marquis Atheora's head snapped toward the distance. It was then that he managed to spot several demons heading his way, coming from the northern side.

His face finally changed.

"This..."

Staring at him from below, I smiled from behind my mask.

"It looks like someone noticed all of the commotions you've caused."

Not quite.

From the moment that I decided to help him out, I knew that he was going to try to silence me. Even if he wasn't, I wasn't still going to go through with my plans.

That is, act as bait and lure them into a

Atheora now injured, if there was a better time than to get

That said.

injured, he wasn't someone that I

need to kill him myself

ambush the Greed clan, I presented

on ambushing the Greed clan, and how they could use this opportunity to deal damage

was a signal

planned to backstab me from the very

it, I felt a malicious and terrifying glare directed in my direction.

as my direction my attention toward the opposite side, the southern area. This was only half of

should also be coming

and I saw

I mismatch my timing?...or

so, this was going to be

suddenly felt a burst of aura coming

"You..."

the air, and the area around me started to twist. Turning around, I realized that Marquis Atheora was preparing to

'Shit...'

the terrifying aura that was directed in my direction, I once

of Chronos, I started to assess

throttle as I

be a bust. Do I have no choice but to

"You don't."

usual, it was

"What do you mean?"

a little bit

a slight pause, his

that power will only serve to alert Jezebeth of your appearance in the

"...You're right."

Jezebeth's power, I became

he

thought made me extremely apprehensive about using

the midst of my thoughts, the other

into that power in order to save Amanda's father. It's best if you save it for then. Not only that but it's best if fewer demons know about you being a human. If they are made aware of your presence, all clans will

situation doesn't really look

"You worry too much."

head, he stared into the distance. Unlike me, he could freely move in this

minutes. If something doesn't happen

"...Alright."

deactivating Eyes of Chronos I raised my

fraction of a second. Placing my hand on the sheath of my sword,

time, I activated 'The

one rank, it didn't have too much of an effect

he recovered from the effect, I had already gathered

of the [Keiki style]

Click—!

time my vision started

Boooom—!

it arrived in the area that I

I ended up crashing against multiple trees, and felt tremendous

Bang—!

"Ukhhh..."

That said.

I had survived.

"It hurts..."

a little. I had trouble moving as some of my bones were broken, but it

quickly chugged down a couple

the demons in the distance had already arrived

It

echoed throughout the air as another demon that bore

coming from the Gluttony clan. A clan that wasn't on good terms with the Sloth clan, the clan Marquis Atheora came

presented them with an opportunity to deal damage to the Sloth clan, they obviously did not refuse it and secretly sent

would believe in my plan at

would make a move against the Greed clan, all they had to

could be considered

That aside.

they had set countermeasures in the off-chance that this was also a trap,

"Marquis Exion."

words. With narrowed