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.

the same as the first one. That is, act as bait

Atheora now injured, if there was a better time

That said.

that I could kill.

didn't need to

the Greed

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

threw was a signal for them to

backstab

it, I felt a malicious and terrifying glare directed in my direction. Without needing to look, I already knew

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

should also be coming

and I saw nothing, my

my timing?...or did

so, this was going to

felt a burst of aura coming from behind

"You..."

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

'Shit...'

in my direction, I once again turned

of Chronos, I started

at full throttle as I tried to figure out my

like Plan A is going to be a bust. Do

"You don't."

usual, it was

"What do you mean?"

little

a slight pause, his voice

only serve to alert Jezebeth of your

"...You're right."

I

then he had only sent a clone to fight me. What if he showed up in his full form? Wouldn't I just

extremely

midst of my thoughts, the

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

the situation doesn't really

"You worry too much."

into the distance. Unlike me, he could freely move in this slowed down

doesn't happen by then, you can go

"...Alright."

and deactivating Eyes of Chronos I raised my

next set of actions all happened within 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

same time,

difference was a bit more than one rank, it didn't have too much of an effect on Marquis Atheora as it only worked to distract him for a split second.

from the effect, I had

the

Click—!

the air. At the same time my vision started to distort, I

Boooom—!

arrived in the area that

out unscathed as I ended up crashing against multiple trees, and felt

Bang—!

"Ukhhh..."

That said.

I had survived.

"It hurts..."

I lifted my body up a little. I had trouble moving as some of my bones

down a

time I recovered the demons in the distance had

have here. It looks

another demon that bore striking resemblance to

executive coming from the Gluttony clan.

Sloth clan, they obviously did not refuse it and secretly sent an adequate

would believe in my plan at first,

clan, all they had to do was check for any movement, and from there,

be considered a minor conflict. It wasn't anything

That aside.

countermeasures in the off-chance that this

"Marquis Exion."

with spite as he said those words. With