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

Marquis Atheora now injured, if there was a better time than to get rid of him,

That said.

that I could kill.

to

to ambush the Greed clan, I presented another clan with a

clan, and how

threw was a signal for them

planned to backstab me from

terrifying glare directed in my direction. Without needing to look, I already knew

my direction my attention toward the opposite

also be coming

and I saw nothing, my forehead started to

my timing?...or did they ignore my

so, this was going

burst of aura coming from behind

"You..."

shook the air, and the area around me started to twist. Turning

'Shit...'

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

Chronos, I started

throttle as I

Do I have no choice but to go

"You don't."

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

"What do you mean?"

little

slight pause, his voice became

serve

"...You're right."

Jezebeth's power, I became

then he had only sent a clone to fight me. What if he showed

thought made me extremely apprehensive about

my thoughts, the other

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

the situation doesn't really

"You worry too much."

distance. Unlike me, he could freely move

something doesn't happen by then, you can go ahead with

"...Alright."

I

actions all happened within a fraction of a second. Placing my hand on the sheath of my sword, I

same time, I

our rank 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.

the effect, I had already gathered

of the [Keiki

Click—!

distorted, and a low clicking sound rang in the air. At the same time my vision started to distort, I

Boooom—!

in the area that I

to come out unscathed as I ended up crashing against multiple trees, and felt tremendous pain invade every part

Bang—!

"Ukhhh..."

That said.

I had survived.

"It hurts..."

teeth, I lifted my body up a little. I had trouble moving

chugged down a couple of

recovered the demons in the distance had already arrived and

have here. It looks like the

voice echoed throughout the air as another demon that bore striking resemblance

was, but I knew that he was an executive coming from the Gluttony clan. A clan that

them with an opportunity to deal damage to the Sloth clan, they obviously did not refuse

sure they would believe in my plan at first,

clan would make a move against the Greed clan, all they had to do was check for any movement,

to them, this could be considered a

That aside.

didn't doubt that they had set countermeasures in the off-chance that this was also a trap,

"Marquis Exion."

Atheora's voice was filled with spite as he said those words. With narrowed eyes, demonic energy rose from his body at an