The Author's POV

Crash―!

Smallsnake wasn't sure what had happened. Just moments prior, he was under Jezebeth's grasp, and seconds later, he found himself in a large forest.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times, his mind regained some clarity, and he looked around him.

"Where is this?"

Looking at the unfamiliar environment, Smallsnake wasn't sure exactly where he was. The only thing he knew was that he wasn't anywhere near where Ren and Jezebeth were.

'Did he purposely send me here?'

He could still remember his last moments. It happened in an instant, but he understood that the one responsible for all of this was Ren.

…The other Ren.

Where exactly was the Ren he knew?

"Ugh."

With a sigh, he reached into his dimensional space and pulled out a white mask. It had been a while since he had worn it, but he knew that it was necessary if he wanted to blend in with the demons.

As he stared at the mask, he couldn't help but think about the past two years that he had spent with Jezebeth.

It had been a challenging experience, but it had also taught him a lot. Despite the fear and hatred that he had initially felt towards Jezebeth, he had come to understand him better and even found him tolerable.

While he looked terrifying on the outside, he wasn't as scary as Smallsnake originally thought him to be.

He was just… committed.

In his eyes, he only had one goal, and he was the type of person to do anything to achieve that goal, even using underhanded methods.

He seemed rather desperate, and that was when Smallsnake understood he wasn't too different from Ren.

"Haaa… Still, it's been a while since I felt like this…"

Bending down and resting both of his arms on his knees, Smallsnake caught his breath.

After two agonizing years, he was finally free. He felt a mixture of different emotions, and they all came so suddenly that he found himself unable to process them all.

He had a place to return, and that had been his goal since the very beginning.

From the very beginning, his actions had one goal. To get back home. Even if it resulted in him helping out the demons in the process.

At the same time that he helped them, he was also helping himself. Honing his skills and getting a better understanding of how the demons operated.

He made a name for himself, and the mask in his hand represented his status. His achievements.

His capabilities.

It represented who he was now, and it was something he held very dearly.

Slowly, Smallsnake placed the mask over his face, and he took a calm breath. Looking around the forest, he calmly stood up and, without further ado, headed toward the right side.

He could feel a few presences coming from there.

*

'…The problem is that none of us are strong enough to even come close to the Pillar Master. I don't even know if Ren is strong enough… maybe he is, but I'm not sure.'

'So long as the Pillar Master is alive, we are stuck here, and we can only hope for a miracle to happen.'

It was a set of familiar voices. Moving around the forest, Smallsnake's feet came to a sudden halt when he heard a set of familiar words.

wasn't sure if it was them, but at the moment, he felt his breath

Ba...Thump! Ba...Thump!

quivered at the

Rustle―! Rustle―!

gaze was immediately drawn

He recognized them immediately.

last seen them. No, upon closer look, he realized they looked more mature than

them left

felt a lot longer

It really is

very moment, and his body trembled. He had longed for this very moment for a

He…

and replayed this moment in

say at this very moment, but as he stared at them, he found himself unable to utter a single one of the things he wanted to

a single thing,

hostile

"Strategist."

***

of Hein and Ava, her eyes warily staring at the man in front

to who the person in front of them was, Angelica knew him all too well and how

harmless… He reminded her of a certain someone, and the idea

his looks fool you,

to remind herself several times that he was someone

sharp gaze surveyed the surroundings,

she had the opportunity to see him, he was always accompanied by multiple guards. The majority

arrogant to the point where she

still far from reaching

looks like everything

herself down, Angelica's body relaxed, and so did her expression. After

need to engage in a fight with him yet. I'll see how this

think she could buy herself some time to

brings you here,

agape, they stared at the strategist, who slowly removed his mask to reveal a face the three of them were all

face, he opened his

been a while,

They were all too familiar

had been nagged by that very same voice a thousand

'Clean up after yourself!'

your clothes on the ground

you think

and Hein, but they were held back by Angelica, who pushed them

"Don't be fooled!"

gaze looking

a

the fact that he resembled him visually, sounded like him, and everything pointed to

'It's not him!'

her at the moment

tactics. You may be able to fool them, but you can't fool

teeth, and a terrifying presence burst out of her body, enveloping Smallsnake's body and sending him crashing

Crash―!

against the ground before crashing against a large tree in

able to

"Angelica!"

"Angelica, wait!"

startled Ava and Hein, who tried to hold her

"Let go."

and Hein were taken aback by Angelica's sudden