The Author's POV

"Huu...huuu..."

My body rose and fell as I breathed in and out. With sweat trickling down my body, I slowly closed my eyes and continued doing the same motion. Alongside it, I made sure to carefully move the mana around my body.

"Are you ready?"

It was then that a voice echoed inside the room.

I promptly ignored the voice.

Lowering my body once more, I flexed my muscles and only stopped once my chest and nose touched the floor before moving.

My movement was very slow.

Slow to the point that my muscles started to sting with each movement.

"Haa..."

It was only after I completed the movement that I finally stood up. Taking a clean towel I cleaned my body.

'Warm's up done.'

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

Detaching four large bracelets from my arms, I put them away.

Knock. Knock.

It was exactly at this moment that I heard a knocking sound coming from the other side of the room.

"Overlord, get ready. Your match is about to begin."

"Okay."

Massaging my shoulders, I leaned and stretched my neck.

"What's your choice?"

The same voice from before spoke. As I glanced in his direction, my eyes paused.

Eventually, I nodded my head and mumbled.

"Okay..."

"Good choice."

A smile began to spread on my other self's face.

'I'm starting to think that this was part of his plans...'

I was honestly still strongly opposed to the idea of having him take over my body, but after taking everything into consideration, and realizing that the Duke could use his true strength at any moment and kill me, I realized that I had no choice but to accept his offer.

'It sucks, but I'm still too inexperienced to face a Duke-ranked demon.'

Clank.

Jolting me out of my thoughts, the door to the room opened up revealing several figures standing behind.

As soon as the door fully opened, one of the demons asked.

"Are you ready?"

"...Yes."

Nodding my head, I took a step forward. Walking shoulder to shoulder with me was my other self.

With the same emotionless expression, he muttered.

"Be sure to pay close attention to everything I do. I will show you the true depth of your strength."

Without saying anything, I opened my mouth and softly mumbled.

"Monarch's indifference."

***

In spite of the fact that he had only been defeated a week ago, Lightning Dragon could not believe what he was seeing.

Duke against White

Dragon was still having a hard time processing the information as he stepped onto one

hard time figuring out how

but from what I've seen, the Overlord should still be

his eyes, Lightning Dragon was able to somewhat

to the Blood Prince, there was

to have won that

expected of the person who

up his sleeve. Particularly with regards to his upcoming battle with

very long time, the Duke

arena couldn't have been any fuller as it was

was at that

already heard of the event that's

demoness finally made his appearance. The crowd

eagerly gazed at the arena below, the

all the demons wanted to do at the moment was

whom the arena and city were under

him to finally make an

demons couldn't contain their

to see him crush

didn't really have hard feelings against him…but he was the Duke. Of course, they would root

eyes squinted as he gazed at the audience. Their thoughts were so

at

let us welcome the

slowly opened, the demoness's crisp and pleasant

forward, everyone

lustrous set of black hair, two large horns that protruded from the side of his forehead, and a presence that instantly

stepped into

attention of all

Tok. Tok.

echo of his footsteps

he stopped in the middle of the arena. There was a calm look on his face as he gazed toward the

of silence was followed by loud cheers, which shook

"Duke!"

"Duke Azenoch!"

"Beat him up!"

top of their lungs sounded borderline fanatical. In spite of this, Duke Azenoch appeared

faint curl began to

at the top of

"The device…"

as he gazed at the device that the

toward his

"It's not on."

Not only could they allow him to detect the general flow of mana in the air, but they could

was mana, demonic energy, or aura, he could see through it

of the Duke's suppressor,

he came up with

on

planning on killing White

learned of this as he pressed both hands on the window of the

I should've told him

why Lightning Dragon never once chose to become the next Overlord was that he knew from the very beginning that the matches

eyes, this was

the fact that he was too lazy to even consider

the need to defeat the Duke, hence

that he had heard the rules that it was practically

put their reputation on the

if they would ever let themselves

opponent. Someone whose rise could be described as nothing short of a miracle. Within a span of a single month, he managed to accomplish something that the contestants had never been able to accomplish in the past, and that is

Clank.

gates on the other side of the arena slowly opened up revealing a familiar figure that everyone had

"hm?"

he appeared, Lightning

his mouth multiple times, a cold

"What?"

raised his hand to touch his face, he felt a wet sensation. Unknowingly, his body started to tremble as he took a step back

"...Who is he?"

That...

he had fought

He was someone else.