My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

A brilliant light, engulfing the city’s night sky.

It was so bright that it woke the sleeping citizens, the entire city buzzing with activity.

But it wasn’t just the light.

The noise was also a factor.

A series of explosions in the sky, like a nuclear detonation, echoing through the night… who could possibly sleep through that?

Those who woke up and looked out their windows couldn't believe their eyes.

Not many realized that the aurora-like curtain of light was protecting the city from the explosions… but the angel, its presence so overwhelming that it could be felt even from afar, was… more than just a sight to behold. It was a… miracle.

“…What kind of fight have we been fighting…?”

Ahn, like the other citizens, stared up at the sky, her voice a soft whisper, filled with awe and… a hint of… despair.

She held Freddy, the President, tightly in her arms, her friend still unconscious. A demon who could manipulate time, an undead who could fight him on equal terms, a sniper launching attacks from an unknown location, and an angel deflecting those attacks…

Was this what they called… a hidden world within a hidden world?

She had witnessed the entire battle, and yet… she couldn’t quite… comprehend it, the sheer scale of the power on display, the otherworldly abilities… it made her previous struggles seem… insignificant.

She looked around.

The Heaven’s Turn Society members, who had been so formidable just moments ago, were now lying on the ground, defeated and… broken, like discarded toys.

Her gaze shifted back to the sky.

The angel, its wings spread wide, slowly descending.

Its presence was… captivating, mesmerizing.

‘…I’ve heard of him. The Saint from another world…’

Seeing him now, she finally understood.

No, the rumors hadn't done him justice.

He was clearly… more than human.

‘…I heard that a dragon appeared as well. So, a real angel… it’s not that strange.’

Of course, he wasn’t the only one who had impressed her.

The muscular man in the beast mask, who had not only fought the Executioner to a standstill, but also effortlessly defeated the other transcendents who tried to stop him…

And the man in the helmet, and Ken, the demon, who had helped capture the Southeast Asia Branch Manager…

It was a shame they had let the Executioner escape… but who could possibly capture someone who could stop time?

It was a terrifying ability.

‘…I’ll have to think about that later.’

His survival would be a problem.

If he decided to seek revenge, targeting them with his… assassinations… the Burning Torch, which had barely survived this encounter, would be destroyed.

‘…But the overall situation isn’t bad.’

They had suffered heavy losses… but they had also gained powerful allies.

The Masquerade, a secret organization with the power to fight Heaven’s Turn Society head-on.

It was a significant gain.

As she was approaching them, to express her gratitude,

…she suddenly stopped, a strange sense of… unease washing over her.

She looked at the Masquerade members again.

The angel, radiating a brilliant light, the muscular warrior, his body covered in wounds, the man in the helmet, lounging casually, his gaze fixed on the captured Heaven’s Turn Society members, and Ken, the demon, standing awkwardly, watching them…

And then she realized it.

‘…Wait, there were… five of them, weren’t there?’

And as she realized that,

…a chill ran down her spine.

‘…Since when? How did I not notice him?’

She hadn’t noticed him because he had been… inconspicuous… but it was more than that.

It was as if he had never been there, his presence completely… erased from her mind.

‘…I even thought about Phantom! It’s not a mental attack… then what…?’ Discover more novels at novel✦fire.net

She looked around, checking her comrades’ expressions, but no one else seemed to have noticed anything unusual.

They were all experienced and capable individuals…

Perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed it either, if it weren’t for her unique ability, ‘Fate Manipulation’.

‘…Where is he?’

There was only one place he could be.

____________________

“Tsk…”

The Executioner, his face twisted in a grimace of pain and frustration, gritted his teeth.

He had returned to his human form, his hand clutching the wound on his chest, a lingering injury from his escape, and pulled the hood of his jacket over his head.

“Damn it, this is…”

He was in a mountainous region of Malaysia, hundreds of kilometers away from the small town in Thailand where the battle had taken place.

He had been able to travel this far in an instant, thanks to his Time Stop ability.

He took a deep breath, calming his racing heart, and closed his eyes.

‘…I’m indebted to that… half-wit.’

He had been about to… die… when a long-range sniper attack from an unknown location had created an opening, allowing him to escape.

He had been saved by the woman he had mocked for her… cowardly tactics, her inability to fight him directly.

“Tsk!”

Of course, it wasn't entirely thanks to her.

His subordinates had also played a role, drawing the enemy’s attention, and he wouldn’t have been able to escape without his Time Stop ability.

But the angel, his natural enemy, had been forced to leave the battlefield because of the bombardment…

He couldn’t deny that he was… indebted to her.

‘…Masquerade… I won’t forget this. And those Burning Torch remnants… I’ll kill them all next time.’

He would make them regret their… misplaced compassion.

He should have captured them first, regardless of the collateral damage, even if it meant destroying the entire city or annihilating the weakened Burning Torch survivors.

He would make sure they regretted it… in their dying moments.

‘…I overexerted myself. I need to hide and recover. But thanks to that monster, my… bloodlust has been sated. It shouldn’t be difficult to suppress the corruption.’

Mental corruption was an unavoidable side effect of demonification, a constant threat he had to deal with.

Even if his level increased, as long as he was a demon, he would be vulnerable to it.

‘…Once I’ve recovered, I’ll have my revenge. They’ll learn what it means to make an enemy of me… the Eternal Greater Demon… the one who controls time…’

As he was lost in thought,

…he suddenly stopped, his lips twitching slightly.

He slowly turned his head.

“Ha!”

He gasped, his face twisting in a grimace of… surprise, and then… recognition.

He had been… unsure at first… but now, he was certain.

“…I didn’t expect to be… followed.”

And as if responding to his muttered words,

“You have good instincts. Better than I expected.”

…a cold voice, echoing from the shadows,

“Hmm, I should have kept my distance. You’re more resilient than I thought, considering your… injuries. It seems I underestimated you.”

…and a figure, emerging from the darkness,

…appeared before him.

Unlike the Executioner, whose clothes were torn and tattered, his body covered in wounds, the newcomer was impeccably dressed in a suit, his appearance unchanged since their previous encounter.

“Phantom…”

Heinz the Second, the Vampire King, wearing a white opera mask, his presence erased by 「Existence Denial」, had been following him.

But the Executioner, facing him, couldn't help but wonder.

“How did you find me?”

He had used Time Stop and erased all traces of his presence.

His movements in stopped time didn't leave any magical signatures, making it even more stealthy than ordinary teleportation.

He had literally… blinked and… reappeared hundreds of kilometers away, across the border, in Malaysia.

Of course, it wasn’t as convenient as… instant teleportation… but he was a Greater Demon, his physical abilities far surpassing those of ordinary beings.

So how had he been tracked down so quickly?

“Who knows?”

Heinz, of course, wasn’t planning to answer his question.

There was no need to give his opponent any… helpful information.

‘…You acquired my blood through Harley. It’s game over.’

To a Divine Blood vampire, whose very essence was based on blood, tracking someone through their blood was child’s play.

Of course, it wasn't easy if the target was also a high-level being, and the distance was a factor… but a few hundred kilometers wasn’t a problem.

“It’s a shame, actually. I was hoping to… observe you for a while, see what you were up to.”

“You…”

“I wanted to gather more information… but things don’t always go as planned.”

Heinz looked at him, his crimson eyes filled with a… predatory… interest.

He had been keeping his distance, worried that he might… escape completely, like Doctor… but it seemed like he had underestimated his own stealth skills.

It wasn't easy to… stalk a near-divine being, a transcendent who had partially escaped the world’s… rules.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

He shrugged casually and snapped his fingers.

And as he did,

…「Blood Magic」, which he had been subtly preparing, enhanced by 「Existence Denial」, activated.

His unique domain, a countermeasure against Time Stop.

Countless blood particles, extensions of his own being, filled the air, swirling and converging, isolating the space around them, severing their connection to the outside world.

[“…How dare you. Do you really think you can defeat me? Alone?”]

The Executioner, his demonic form restored, growled, his voice low and menacing.

He had been injured, but he wasn't afraid of Phantom.

He could always escape.

He could wait for an opportunity, tear through the barrier, and then use Time Stop again…

“Hmm, is this not enough? You’re quite greedy.”

But unfortunately for him,

…that wasn’t all Heinz had prepared.

“Well, it would be a waste not to use it… And I’ve already gained enough from this encounter. I can afford to be a bit… inefficient now.”

He had been preparing for this since the bombardment began, since he realized that Heaven’s Turn Society was involved.

He had been worried that the Executioner might have… reinforcements, or that the Master himself might appear… so he had hurriedly prepared a… countermeasure.

And now that he had it, it would be a waste not to use it.

Saaaa—

The temperature in the area plummeted,

…and the world around them seemed to… darken, as if a filter had been applied.

[“…What’s this?”]

The Executioner froze, his body stiffening.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze fixed on the source of the… sudden chill.

[“This is… an excellent specimen! I’ve been feeling… stagnant lately. Perhaps I can… learn something from you.”]

How had he appeared so silently, without any warning?

And there he was.

The one who had started this whole… Masquerade.

[“…Hahoe Mask!”]

[“Khahaha! A Demon King-level demon, a perfect subject for my research! Excellent! I can study the differences and similarities between different dimensions! This is… a windfall!”]

Hans, making his first appearance on Earth in a while, laughed boisterously, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light as he looked at his… new specimen.

But he wasn’t the only one.

“Hmm~ So that’s a Demon King from another dimension? Well, this is… refreshing.”

A captivating voice, its melodious tone echoing in his ears, its seductive power invading his mind.

A woman, her face partially concealed by a veil, her beauty… undeniable, her charm… irresistible, even to those of the same sex, smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on the Executioner.

And as she smiled, the abyssal darkness, emanating from the skull-shaped staff in Hans’s hand, enveloped the isolated space, and then Hella’s 「Heavenly Demon’s World」 was superimposed on it.

It was practically a different dimension now.

Naturally, their connection to the outside world was completely severed.

‘…What is this?! What’s going on?!’

The Executioner, his previous confidence gone, his body trembling, couldn't help but feel a surge of… panic.

Three opponents, each one on par with him.

And then there was the angel and the… monstrous barbarian…

‘…Impossible. I didn’t even know they existed, let alone that they were working together? What the… Oracle! What are you doing?! This is… incompetence!’

All the members of the Masquerade’s… dark side had arrived.

They were a… volatile and unpredictable bunch, not exactly suitable for… public appearances… but in a private setting like this… it didn’t matter.

“This is convenient. I’ve been wanting to test my Eyes of Domination against Time Stop. And besides…”

Hella, her eyes shimmering with a multicolored light, spoke, her voice languid and… almost… bored.

Her gaze, shifting between domination, annihilation, time stop, precognition…

…settled on the Executioner, a predatory glint in her crimson eyes.

“It’s a good opportunity. I don’t want to risk… killing you and then having you… resurrected like Doctor. I’ll… extract everything I can… but I’ll leave the… finishing touches… to the expert.”

Heinz the Second, nodding slowly, stepped forward.

The blood droplets floating around him began to spin faster and faster.

[“Indeed! I am the master of death—”]

Hans, his voice booming, echoing through the isolated space, like a declaration from the underworld,

[“—and you cannot escape even through death!”]

…followed Heinz.

His divinity was based on ‘death’.

To him, a specialist in this field, trapping his opponent in a state of… near-death, bypassing resurrection… it was child’s play.

…Though he couldn’t actually… eat him.