'It's finally over,' Reign muttered with a smirk, watching his decoy get blasted to bits from a safe distance in another building.
He reclined on a sofa, legs stretched out comfortably, as if he was just watching a simple movie.
He had orchestrated the whole charade, using Arc as his stand-in to deceive everyone, ensuring a quicker way to put an end to this manhunt once and for all.
Below, the authorities were still swarming the area, convinced they had killed the real threat.
'They'll probably drink and celebrate tonight,' he chuckled to himself. 'Enjoy your life. Because sooner or later, this place will also be destroyed by me,' he added with a cold tone.
'Now I just need to wait for the lockdown to be lifted so I can finally leave this place,' he thought to himself.
'If I had known it would take this long, I would have made a move much earlier,' he sighed.
Without his intervention, this mess would've dragged on much longer.
He appreciated Lilith's assistance, but found her way of thinking too narrow.
Unlike her, he thrived on daring and bold schemes with low risk and high returns—something that set him apart from others.
He had believed she was smarter than humans, but he had clearly overestimated her.
'I knew it. I can only rely on my intelligence,' he added, making a mental note to never expect anything from anyone and to assume everyone was stupid.
As minutes ticked by, he decided to focus on a new goal, and that was to reach Demon King Status.
He carefully reviewed the information given to him by Lilith, considering every detail and thinking about strategies that would maximized his benefits and minimized the risks.
While immersed in this process, he began to uncover deeper understandings that extended beyond just his goal to level up.
Reflecting deeply, he gained insights into both his personal life and the broader implications of his own emotions.
'I'm more myself when I'm away from her,' he concluded, rubbing his temples. 'So she's basically my weakness,' he added with a heavy sigh, slumping slightly in his chair, fully aware now that her existence could lead to his downfall.
'I need to find a way to forget about her. I can't allow my emotion dictate my actions' he thought, redirecting his focus toward something that he loved doing more than anything else; killing , eating and leveling.
The thrill of power and destruction was a good distraction , leaving him invigorated and eager to unleash his violent nature again.
Meanwhile, on another rooftop across the area, a man frowned in confusion. He had observed the whole affair and sensed the figure they had taken down was far weaker than the one he had faced.
***
Back at the house Reign got in Region 5, he sat on his couch, casually relaxing.
He had intended to head to the next city immediately, but a piece of news caught his attention, so postponed his plans.
He leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips as he regarded his visitor
"So, what news do you have for me?" he asked, his tone commanding and serious.
A woman in casual red clothing bowed her head before speaking.
"Master, I was able to infiltrate the Hunter Association and got the info you wanted. These are the lists of hunters currently in Green Valley City and the other Tier 4 cities." It was Aiku who was now working as a double agent for him.
She handed him a flash drive and a laptop.
He inserted the flash drive into the USB socket and began reading the information, meticulously scanning through the lists, searching for someone specific.
"Weird, he's not here at all," he wondered aloud, remembering the strange hunter he had fought before.
He knew the hunter's name was Quill Flazer from Lilith's words, but he wanted to figure out why such a person had come to this place in the first instance.
Reign suspected that Quill was hiding a secret or searching for something worth stealing.
Unfortunately, he found no official record about his visit.
"Is this all the info you got?" Reign turned his attention to her, frustration evident in his voice. The information he got was pretty much useless.
"Please pardon me, Master, but my current body is not that high ranking. It took a lot of effort for me to gather this much," Aiku replied, trying to explain her side.
"So?" Reign raised his eyebrows. "Is that supposed to be my problem?" he asked, disappointed by her performance.
She was a ghost who could possessed bodies, and this was all she had managed to obtain?
"I..." Aiku's reaction was one of fear and apprehension. She lowered her gaze, her voice trembling as she responded, "I-I'm sorry, Master. I did my best. Please forgive me."
Her body language showed her anxiety, hands fidgeting nervously as she awaited his response.
She knew all too well how unpredictable her master could be. If he deemed her useless, then only death would follow.
'I need to teach her a lesson; she's just wasting her abilities,' Reign muttered, shaking his head in disappointment.