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.

first one. That is, act as bait and lure them

there was a better time than to get rid of him, it would

That said.

that I could kill. Our rank difference was just too

didn't need to kill him myself

to ambush the Greed clan, I presented another

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

I just threw was

backstab

out of it, I felt a malicious and terrifying glare directed in my direction. Without

toward the opposite side, the southern area. This was only half of

should also be coming

the distance and I saw nothing, my forehead started to

timing?...or did they

was going to

burst of aura

"You..."

area around me started to twist. Turning around, I realized that Marquis

'Shit...'

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

I

of my head started to run at full throttle as I tried to figure out my next

going to be a bust. Do

"You don't."

usual, it was the other me appearing

"What do you mean?"

little bit

pause, his voice

serve

"...You're right."

Jezebeth's power, I became extremely

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

the thought made me extremely apprehensive about using my

my thoughts,

tap 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

but the situation doesn't really

"You worry too much."

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

doesn't happen by then, you can go

"...Alright."

Eyes of Chronos I raised my head and met

hand on the sheath of my sword, I activated my sword's effect, and the mana inside of my

the same time, I activated 'The

more than one rank, it didn't have too much of an effect on Marquis Atheora as

time he recovered from the effect, I had

the

Click—!

in the air. At the same time my vision started to distort, I saw Marquis Atheora's attack shoot in the direction

Boooom—!

split second, it arrived in the

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

Bang—!

"Ukhhh..."

That said.

I had survived.

"It hurts..."

trouble moving as some of my bones were broken, but it was

chugged down a couple of

recovered the demons in the distance had already arrived

here. It looks like the

sadistic voice echoed throughout the air as another demon

coming from the Gluttony clan. A clan that

with an opportunity to deal damage to the Sloth clan, they obviously did

in my plan at first, but it wasn't exactly hard

all they had to

be considered a minor conflict.

That aside.

off-chance that this was also

"Marquis Exion."

Atheora's voice was filled with spite as he said those words. With narrowed eyes, demonic