Besides, the demons he had killed—especially the first one—were far too strong to be ordinary demons. There was no way one that powerful could have been dwelling in the city for long without him or the sector security noticing its presence, regardless of whether the Divine Eye was functioning properly or not.

Yet, compared to him, they were nothing more than ants. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. If an uprising was all they were after, then there had to be more to it. It seems there might be two sides to the orchestrator's plan. An invasion doesn't seem like the endgame, or even the sole objective.

Either way, the value of the girl is what will likely determine which side gains the advantage.

...Is this luck or something else?

Hmm... I just hope the sector security are ready for what's coming.

The grey-haired boy continued thinking about the possible plot behind the demons' uprising as he walked beside his brother toward school.

“I can picture that. But I did tell you not to report in whenever they call,” Mutiu said. “You can assist them with the purges if you want, but going to the tower is just you crossing the line. I've told you this several times, but you always choose to ignore me.” He sighed.

“It’s not like you need them to purge the city of demons. Just focus more on improving your sensing capabilities and awareness instead.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But the captain and everyone else are okay with me going to the tower.” Tobi shrugged.

“We've become so close that he even asked me to assist with the training program for the last recruitment class. He also appointed me as the regional scout for the Western Region. Leaving now would just be hurtful.” He paused before continuing.

“Besides, the way I see it, the only person who has a problem with me there is the vice-captain. Since the captain isn't around, he's just being an even bigger jerk than usual.”

“He doesn't have a problem with you,” Mutiu replied. “He just doesn't trust you because... of me. For justified reasons, I guess.” Mutiu glanced at his brother.

“Either way, I'll advise you to stay away from the tower.”

“Okay, okay. I'll do as you say.” Tobi pouted.

“But you really don't have to cover for him, you know. A jerk is a jerk, regardless of whether you did something to him or not. Just saying... Besides, him letting his personal feelings interfere with his work only shows how immature he is.” He shook his head.

“What a jerk.”

“Hmm... I guess you do have a point, but things are more complicated than you think, Tobi.” Mutiu smiled faintly.

“Just try not to hold a grudge against him. He's quite nice when his feelings aren't getting in the way.”

“I'll believe that when I see it.” Tobi glanced ahead.

“Either way, we should make haste if we want to get there before the bell rings.”

“What do you mean? It's not even an hour until then. And since when did you care about getting to school early? You don't even like going.”

“That’s not true!” Tobi immediately became defensive.

“I-I do like going, and I-I care a lot about getting to school early.”

“Hmm-mm.”

“Can we just get going?”

“Okay... Lover boy. I guess it would be wise not to keep her waiting... Huh?”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about, Mutiu.” Tobi stuttered as his face turned red.

He quickly pushed Mutiu forward, urging him to hurry so they could make it to school on time. That concluded their conversation.

It was a bright morning. The sunlight illuminated everything within sight, giving the city an unusually alluring appearance. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right. The clouds above had formed strange, amusing shapes as the two brothers continued toward school. They arrived earlier than expected.

As soon as they entered the school grounds, Tobi hurried toward his classroom, leaving Mutiu at the front gate. Mutiu, on the other hand, visited a few of his subject teachers before heading to his own classroom. Not long afterward, the bell rang for assembly.

Later that morning, in the northern part of the city, near a rundown building in a ghetto not too far from the woods, several demons gathered.

They were demons who had managed to escape from the southern region of the city during the hunters' purge the previous night. Taking human forms, they blended into the busy crowd of people rushing to work.

They crossed through the eastern region in haste, hoping to reach the other demons residing in the North. They prayed that the demons there would be willing to help them. As they moved, the events of the previous night continued to replay in their minds.

The reception they had received from the sector security in the Southern Region had been far worse than they could have imagined.

They had thought it wise to go wild in the city, openly butchering and killing any humans who crossed their path or happened to live within the ghetto.

Instead, most of them had been defeated. Even their Lord had been killed. They had made a fatal mistake.

They had underestimated the ordinary members of the sector security—the lowest-ranking members, made up mostly of new recruits and weaker hunters from the Soul Sector.

Because they had developed a habit of playing with their prey, they never believed those ordinary members would possess enough strength to challenge or purge them. Now, only five remained.

“Do you really think the Lord will help us?” one of them asked.

“Especially with our wounds and the way we look? Going to him like this will only make it obvious that we deserted.”

“I know.” The other demon glanced around nervously.

“But if we go into hiding right now, it will only make our situation worse.”

“So, you want us to die at the hands of the Lord instead?”

“No! Not in the least.” The demon lowered his voice.

“I have a plan.” The others looked at him.

“The event we just witnessed is our key. We just have to make use of the information. With a little exaggeration and some luck, we might be able to gain the Lord's favor.” He looked at the others.

“All I ask is that you follow my lead. Okay?”

“So long as I get to live, nothing else matters.” The demon nodded.

“I'll follow.”

“Same here.”

The remaining demons continued onward, having finally decided that meeting the Lord in the Northern Region was worth the risk. Their lives were already hanging by a thread.

At this point, they had little left to lose. Eventually, the survivors reached the territory of the leader they had come to meet. His name was Lord Oka. Unlike most demons, Lord Oka was cautious and calculating.

He was a look-before-you-leap kind of person—the complete opposite of Lord Yu. But like Lord Yu, he possessed an obsession of his own. Information. And curiosity.

The surviving demons hoped those traits would work in their favor. Perhaps Lord Oka would be willing to help them plan their next course of action now that most of their party had been wiped out.

They had originally entered the city as a group of more than thirty demons. Now, only five remained. Lord Oka had yet to make a move since arriving in the city months earlier.

At first, they had considered him a coward. He had arrived months before them and had seemingly done nothing. But now, they were beginning to wonder if perhaps he had been the smart one.

Maybe taking his time to observe and analyze the information given to him by the general had been the correct decision after all. The surviving demons eventually caught sight of Lord Oka's territory.

After passing several residences, they reached a rundown building hidden deep within the forest of the Northern Region. A few demons were stationed outside the building. They immediately noticed the approaching survivors. Lord Oka noticed them as well. And the first thing he saw was a group of beaten dogs.

They had lost every shred of demon pride. They were pathetic. An eyesore. His first instinct was to kill them on sight. But curiosity got the better of him.

He wanted to hear what had happened. Killing them before they could explain why they had risked their lives to come to him would be a waste.

Still, the possibility that they were about to waste his time lingered at the back of his mind.

“If you don't have any useful information, end your lives before taking another step forward.” His voice echoed from above.

“Otherwise, a horror worse than death awaits you.” The survivors looked up.

Lord Oka stood on the roof of the rundown building, staring down at them. They had anticipated such a response.

If it had been any other Lord, they probably would have been killed on sight. Even their previous Lord would have done the same, especially considering their current condition. But Lord Oka's words told them something important. He was willing to give them a chance. At a price.

The information they possessed had to be worth their lives. The survivors trembled. Suddenly, they weren't so certain that what they knew would be valuable enough. But the thought of being killed by a hunter was even worse.

They took another step forward. Their lives were on the line. Lord Oka eventually descended from the roof and entered the building. The surviving demons were directed into the living room by members of his party. The room was large enough to resemble a hall, with an unusual amount of open space.

Lord Oka sat near the center. Several members of his party stood in formation from the entrance of the living room, positioned on both sides of him. The others remained outside. His party consisted of members of the Demon Sector as well as rogue demons.

Rogue demons were demons who lived in hiding within the human world, free from the rules and restrictions imposed by the Demon King.

Their numbers were intimidating. Thirty-seven demons in total. The atmosphere inside the building was thick with malice, their combined energy pressing down on the survivors.

The five remaining demons were terrified. But they had already accepted one thing. If they were going to die here, then so be it.

“Start talking, worms.” Lord Oka's voice was cold.

“I don't have all day.” He studied them carefully.

Their injuries didn't appear to have been inflicted by another demon. That meant their Lord probably wasn't responsible. Which left only one conclusion. Something had happened to their party during their stay in the city. Perhaps even to their Lord. When the survivors finally began speaking, that suspicion was confirmed.

They gave him a detailed account of what had happened the previous night in the Southern Region.

They explained how the majority of their party had been killed. They described the strength of the hunters. And then they spoke about the one hunter who stood above all the others. His strength had been overwhelming.

They told Lord Oka how the information given to them by the general had been nothing more than sweet talk—a farce compared to what they had actually encountered.

They described the terrifying gap between their strength and that of the hunters. They explained how they had barely managed to escape. They spoke about how easily the ordinary members of the sector security had fought them. And finally, they told him how effortlessly their Lord had been killed. The survivors were clearly frustrated.

Their pride had been shattered. Then, after recounting everything that had happened, they repeated the message their general had given their Lord.

“Lord Oka, as you can see, we are all that remains of the party of Lord Omiha.” The demon lowered his head.

“We were assigned to search for and capture Alice, as well as the relic she took.” He continued.

“We were also ordered to eliminate any powerful hunter we encountered, since the sector security was believed to be short on manpower and their defenses were expected to be weak.” The demon swallowed nervously.

“Human slaughter was to be carried out on a massive scale to cause chaos.” He paused.

“Those were the orders of General Deathomen.”