"I am very sure of it," the lesser demon snarled.
"You were also one of the nobles present that night. That means you must be killed according to the blood which was used to summoned us to this realm."
Rowan's expression didn't change.
"Don't get cocky," he replied calmly. "Your regeneration is already failing. And now I'm certain—one hundred percent certain this was Lady Aria doing."
The demon laughed.
"And where is she now?"
"She's dead," Rowan said flatly.
Silence followed.
The demon's grin widened.
"Yes," it said. "She is. And more importantly—our Lord is here too."
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"He has come to this world. To the human realm. There is no one stronger than him here—no one."
Rowan took a step forward.
"Who is your boss?"
The demon sneered.
"Why should I tell you?"
"Speak," Rowan said coldly.
The demon opened its mouth—
Rowan moved.
In a single blur, his sword flashed.
The demon's right arm was severed.
Before it could scream, the left arm followed.
Then its leg was cut clean off, the body collapsing violently to the ground.
The second demon reacted instantly, launching a dark blade-shaped beam.
Rowan slammed it aside with his sword and rushed forward.
He drove his knee into the demon's jaw.
The demon struck back, punching Rowan across the face—
And in the next instant—
Its head left its body.
The severed head rolled across the ground, eyes still open, regeneration incomplete.
"What… are you?" the head whispered in terror.
"You're dangerous. We didn't sense you. There is no human this strong in this Location."
"Shut up," Rowan said.
He lifted the sword and pressed it lightly against the demon's face.
"I'll ask you one last time," he said quietly.
"Who is your boss? Who is the one you call your Lord?"
"I'll never tell you," the demon spat. "Never. Never."
Rowan's eyes flickered.
He felt it.
A distortion.
"A teleportation vortex…"
The demon was stalling.
Buying time.
"How dare you," Rowan muttered.
He turned—
The other demon's body was glowing faintly. A crude teleportation spell was forming—slow, unstable, low-tier.
Rowan dashed forward to stop it—
But at that moment, the severed arm he had discarded twitched.
The spell completed.
The demon vanished.
Rowan stopped.
Too late.
"…Tch."
The lesser demon had escaped.
To report.
To Valzaha.
Rowan slowed to a halt in midair.
A high-ranking demon…
If he went after it now, the fight wouldn't be simple.
It wouldn't kill him—he was certain of that—but it would be work. Real work.
I can only use fifteen percent of my power in this body, Rowan thought.
Fighting a high-ranking demon at that level would push me too far.
He could end the battle with a single skill.
But those skills were dangerous.
They're not meant for this body, he admitted grimly.
They could tear it apart from the inside.
This vessel was still too small. Too young.
I need time.
Four years.
By the time he reached ten, it would be different.
By then… I won't need to hesitate.
Rowan narrowed his eyes, sensing the presence again.
It's nearby. Not far at all.
A high-ranking demon.
Watching.
Waiting.
But Rowan turned away.
Not now.
He let the presence go.
Below him, the black accretion barrier still stood around Edric. Rowan looked down at his uncle.
He's cursed as already been lifted, Rowan realized.
. He can't hear anything. He can't perceive what's happening.
That was good.
Moments later, knights rushed into the area—steel clashing, shouts rising as they arrived with drawn swords, their courage wavering the instant they sensed the aftermath.
Rowan didn't wait.
"Black Arc dispel," he whispered.
As the black arc vanished as then edric look up but saw no one.
Rowan presence vanished.
In an instant, he shot upward, invisible, faster than the eye could follow.
Good, he thought. They already sent a distress signal during the fight.
That meant questions were coming.
I need to return. Now.
He grimaced slightly.
I should've left a clone… but I was in a hurry.
As he flew back toward the castle, thoughts raced through his mind.
Should I go to the other nobles demon might have visited.
Clones crossed his mind again—but he dismissed them.
They're too weak.
Another technique surfaced.
The second skill… creating a semi-autonomous energy construct.
Strong. Reliable.
But costly.
That would drain me badly.
Rowan exhaled.
Not worth it.
The castle came into view.
He angled downward, slipped through his window, and landed silently on his bed.
No one noticed.
Perfect.