Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Demonmir became a renegade.

He chose to do it because he saw profit in becoming one.

Ottoman was done being the lapdog for any establishment part of the Anfang Alliance. It seemed that he preferred to take his chances with half-bloods labeled as all-season targets by the Anfang Alliance than limit his potential as a demonic ranker.

Demonmir knew he could progress faster if he became half-blood. Plus, the Demon Prince consciousness inside him didn't like serving establishments as well. With the Last-Blood Bastion, he would have much more freedom.

Demonmir's involvement with the half-bloods complicated Eren's life. He wasn't sure whether to stay in business with them or pull out. He didn't want to nurture his own enemy after all.

In the end, Eren decided to talk with Sirius and see what he had to say. He was sure that not every faction within the Last-Blood Bastion would welcome Demonmir. Maybe he could use the dissatisfied factions to his advantage and plot against Demonmir- ripping a page off Demonmir's own book.

And not everything was grim and bad news. Demonmir's actions had some potential positive effects on the butcher as well.

Although he wouldn't admit to Levine's face, Eren was glad Demonmir killed House Montmorency members in his faction. That's because Eren was sure that even without Demonmir's absence, they were equally ominous for him.

One can't teach an old dog new tricks. The members of Demonmir's faction would have shaken hands with Eren's other enemies to plot against him and his city.

After all, a solid enmity between the White Raven guild and Demonmir's faction had already been established. And the butcher wasn't as charismatic as Ken Riverineâ€" turning former enemies into allies just by being around.

And even if Eren could make some allies out of the faction Demonmir had abandoned, were the efforts really worth it? He'd have to look over his shoulders if he shook hands with his former enemies.

So the butcher smiled when he heard Demonmir's former faction was gone. He was also glad Demonmir wouldn't play an active role in Edinburgh's politics. That way, he could work on the Lazarus Project without worrying about Demonmir's political sabotage.

Eren also wondered if there was more to the Sansara World than just being a legacy left behind by the Sansara Sage. That's because it looked like Edgar was more interested in the Sansara World than what was in it.

Edgar had decided to show himself out in the open along with the rest of the half-bloods even though he would be targeted by the Anfang Alliance in the future. So it could be assumed that he was very particular about his needs.

***

Various rankers had various thoughts running through their minds after Edgar made his intentions known. So it took Hansen a while to respond.

"Heh! You sure know how to kid around, JJ."

Hansen chuckled before continuing, his voice becoming grimmer with every word.

"You know... This isn't some grocery shop where you can pick what you want, put it in your basket, and leave.

Do you think we'll hand over Sansara Sage's Legacy to you and wave goodbye with smiles on our faces? And for what? Just because you asked nicely?"

Hansen's presence turned heavy.

"I see that you are the same delusional you always were. You really think that the world of Anfang is your oyster and fulfills every wish you have, don't you?

On what basis? Just because you succeeded in becoming an abomination? That you turned into a Sage?"

JJ Edgar declined to respond to Hansen's provocation immediately. He kept looking at Hansen with an expressionless face and holding hands behind his back. Hansen spoke by weighting each word.

"Hansen, I don't have anything to explain to you or the people behind you about the path I'm walking on. It's a pleasure if you understand me. But it's fine if you don't.

I don't think you guys understand how remarkable Sansara Sage was. He was way ahead of his time. His legacy would remain useless in your hands. That's because you are jaded and unchangeable, including the establishments and the Anfang Alliance as a whole.

Kingdom of Edinburgh? Kingdom of Layos? Asikha Empire? No matter which label you use to describe yourself, you are the same. It's like someone uses the same mold to make you."

Edgar looked at Gregory with a disappointed expression before speaking up.

"I don't want to create trouble for either kingdom if I could avoid it. But that is provided I get what I need. And I want Sansara World for myself.

And I believe I have the right to claim Sansara World as well. That's because it was Sansara World that changed me. It was Sansara World that made me realize some hidden truths about this world."

Edgar briefly looked at Nysa Nael who was declared the winner of the Sansara Sage's Legacy this year. He chuckled in reminiscence before speaking up.

"Did you forget, Hansen? Who received the most Karma points at our graduation event?

Do you really believe that Sansara World only offered me artifacts and potions and nothing else?

I was the only one who was able to inherit Sansara Sage's legacy, albeit barely. You thought that Sansara Sage's daughter didn't offer me much for my performance apart from the potions and artifacts I had declared.

But the Sansara World offered me something else-- knowledge. Or at least a hint of it."

Edgar had a peculiar shine in his eyes as he looked at Sansara World. It was as if the giant golden globe was the only thing he wanted at this point.

"You guys thought I had changed and become an idiot after getting out of Sansara World. I knew what was being discussed behind my back.

But I kept my mouth shut because you were not completely wrong either. The trip to Sansara World changed me. In fact, it opened my eyes to the larger truths of the world.

This was why I became a cultist at that time. I had to destroy my old beliefs to make way for the revised ones, even if they were seen as radical at that time by you guys. "Destruction births life," as Sasara Sage likes to say.

My point is... the Sansara World belongs to me. That's because I can be considered the true inheritor of the Sansara Sage's Legacy. So it is only right that I claim my inheritance."

Saying this, Edgar released his aura and the world turned suppressive for the rest of the rankers. Hansen and Gregory had to use their own powers to protect their younger generation from Edgar's beastly and menacing presence.

The butcher had only a single thought running through his mind at this time as he glanced at Edgar with pity.

'An emotionally invested Sage, huh? Something tells me he won't like what I'm about to do.'