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.

were essentially the same as the first one. That is, act as bait and

a better time than to get rid of

That said.

was injured, he wasn't someone that I could kill. Our rank difference

didn't need to kill him

to ambush the Greed clan, I presented another clan with

clan was planning on ambushing the Greed clan, and how they could use

threw was a signal for them

backstab me from

me out of it, I felt a malicious and terrifying glare directed in

the opposite side, the southern area.

should also be

and I saw nothing, my forehead started to

I mismatch my timing?...or did

was going to

a burst of aura coming

"You..."

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

'Shit...'

direction, I once again turned to look into the distance. Yet again, I

I started to assess

run at full throttle as I tried to figure out my next course

Plan A is going to be a bust. Do I have no choice

"You don't."

rang from beside me. As usual, it was the other me appearing from

"What do you mean?"

little

pause, his

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

"...You're right."

Jezebeth's power, I became extremely

he showed up in his full

me extremely apprehensive about using

my thoughts, the other

for then. Not only that but it's best if fewer demons know about you being a human. If they are made

doesn't

"You worry too much."

Unlike me,

doesn't happen by

"...Alright."

eyes and deactivating Eyes of Chronos I raised my head and met Marquis Atheora's

a fraction of a second. Placing my hand on the sheath of my sword, I activated my sword's effect, and the mana inside of my body started

same time, I activated 'The

didn't have too much of an effect on Marquis Atheora as it only worked to distract him for a split second. But

recovered from the effect, I

of the [Keiki style]

Click—!

and a low clicking sound rang in the air. At the same time my vision started to distort, I saw Marquis Atheora's attack shoot

Boooom—!

split second, it arrived in the area

up crashing against multiple trees, and felt tremendous pain invade every

Bang—!

"Ukhhh..."

That said.

I had survived.

"It hurts..."

moving as some of my bones were broken,

down a couple

recovered the demons in the distance had already arrived and had surrounded

have here. It looks like the information wasn't

another demon that bore striking

he was an executive coming from the Gluttony clan. A clan that wasn't on good terms with the Sloth clan,

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

my plan at

the Greed clan, all they had to do was check for any movement, and from there, they were able to confirm my

to them, this could be considered a minor

That aside.

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

"Marquis Exion."

said those words. With narrowed eyes, demonic energy rose from his body at