Forming an alliance with the royal army wasn’t something Nox could do all by himself. It was why the group had decided to return to the barony.
However, before they left, Nox had ordered all the imprisoned demons to be killed, leaving only Hendrix and Kira—the red-skinned girl.
As soon as he stepped into the cells along with Wendy, Akira, and Serena, the two simultaneously jumped to their feet.
Nox didn’t speak a word, only observing. And by looking at Hendrix, he could easily tell something was off.
"You... you’re not the real Hendrix, are you?" Nox sighed, realizing Hendrix was one slippery bastard. NovelHub
Even Ria appeared slightly shocked when she heard this, as Hendrix had acted as if he were the original. She had even begun to doubt herself—until the white-haired youth spoke.
"It seems you’ve truly grown to become more powerful, just like the rumours claimed," Hendrix chuckled. "To think you can now tell my clone and original body apart."
"That’s not hard," Nox smiled. "After you fooled us during the tournaments, I paid more attention and did a little research during my free time."
Within the mask, Hendrix raised a curious brow. He was no longer nonchalant and genuinely wanted to know how he’d been figured out.
Nox pointed at the ground. Both Kira and Hendrix glanced down, frowns forming on their faces—they didn’t realize what he was pointing at.
With a small smile, Nox’s voice echoed once more. "Look closely. Do you notice anything different?"
It took a while, but Kira was the first to realize what Nox was trying to say.
Underneath her feet... there was her shadow, which mirrored every one of her actions.
However... Hendrix... had no shadow beneath his feet.
It was at that moment Hendrix realized it as well.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue. "So you caught on."
A look of surprise flashed across Akira’s face when she heard this... the clone alone was able to give them this much of a headache? Then how powerful was the original?
The Valkyrie princess felt a chill. The more time she spent on this continent, the more she realized how powerful the inhabitants were.
Serena’s eyes widened, and she spoke what was on everyone’s mind.
"Wait..." she gasped. "If he’s right here, then where is the real Hendrix?"
"Far from here," Hendrix replied with a smirk beneath his mask. "You think I’d stay close after the stunt I pulled in the capital? I may be arrogant, but I’m not suicidal."
"You always were cautious." Nox turned his back and began walking toward the exit. "Smart, but ultimately a coward."
"You say that now," Hendrix chuckled, "but if I were standing here in the flesh, you’d be having a much different conversation."
"Wrong." Nox stopped at the doorway, glancing back. "If you were really here, I’d have already killed you."
A short silence fell.
"So, what do we do with this fake?"
"Kill it," Nox said plainly. "He’s a liability even as a clone."
Kira’s eyes narrowed. "Are you planning to kill me as well?" she said coldly.
"Of course not." He flashed a smile that wasn’t a smile. "I’m sparing you because you might lead me to the others and give me more information about your organization and its leader."
Kira gritted her teeth but stayed silent. She swore in her heart not to reveal a dime.
But little did she know, Nox had great plans for her—very great plans.
Meanwhile, the Hendrix clone simply laughed. "Go ahead. Kill this body. I’ll be watching either way."
Akira didn’t need further instructions. With a snap of her fingers, a concentrated beam of light burst forth, piercing the clone’s chest.
His body convulsed—then turned into light fragments that scattered and vanished.
At the same time, at the back of the royal castle in the temple atop a hill, the real Hendrix stood.
There was no mask on his face anymore; he no longer needed it. He had left it on his clone, as that was the version the others knew.
They had no idea he could now channel mana perfectly fine without it.
"Now I know you’re back." He smiled, gazing toward the Silver family residence as a certain person—someone who could even make Eave uncomfortable—flashed in his mind.
"For now, I’ll go pay big brother a visit and maybe get him to personally cripple that bastard so I can play with him."
After Hendrix’s body disappeared, Nox didn’t bother talking with Kira and outright ignored her. He knew a much better way to make her speak.
With Hendrix’s clone dead and all demon and Flaming Order prisoners killed, Nox and the group prepared to return to the Cromwell Barony. But before they departed, he requested Adrian to leave some of his men behind, along with a few dragons for protection.
Adrian agreed without much thought—but little did he know Nox had an ulterior motive.
The first reason was that he didn’t want the Armstrong Duchy left unguarded. The last thing he needed was another batch of enemies swooping in to take over.
But the second reason was more subtle... more calculated.
Nox didn’t fully trust Adrian.
Letting the royal army station too many men within his territory could backfire. What if the prince decided to flip the script later on? What if he aimed to take the barony for himself?
It was best to keep things balanced—close enough to cooperate, but never enough to relax.
So Nox ensured Adrian left just enough men to avoid suspicion... but not enough to seize anything alone.
’Two birds, one stone,’ Nox thought with a smirk as he watched the prince’s men setting up temporary posts near the outskirts.
And the worst part of it all was that Adrian seemed to have no clue.
Some time later, Adrian stepped back into the royal flying carriage, while Nox and the others mounted the dragons.
After ensuring the survivors were all safely inside the flying carriages and dragons, the fleet took off toward the Cromwell Barony—unaware that this alliance would change the entire landscape of the human continent.