Shaye's words sent a chill through Qin Chu's heart.
Although her own power had vanished, Shaye remained extremely sensitive to demons and other strange beings - her intuition was never wrong.
"This guy is an Illusion Demon, an oddity among the Demon Clan, skilled in Transformation, but his combat strength is mediocre."
"Their job is often to spy and gather intelligence, and occasionally they also take on assassination tasks. This fellow has left a mark on you... This mark can guide other hidden demon assassins within the city to attack their target."
Shaye did not hesitate to take Qin Chu's side, after all, Shaye could only survive by clinging to Qin Chu's existence now, and if Qin Chu died, Shaye would also vanish.
It could be said that the last thing Shaye wanted in this world was for Qin Chu to die, and she was the most diligent in assisting him, this once most powerful Witch."
As for being of the same Demon kind? Sorry, Shaye has never really considered other demons as her kin.
Qin Chu also remembered that after the first week's banquet ended, he was escorted to his residence by a group of masters.
The presence of a Hero was a huge threat to demons, and they would spare no expense to eliminate the Hero. Although the top echelons of the Sky Dome Continent were a bunch of scum... that didn't mean they were fools.
On the contrary, they were far smarter than the average person. Maintaining their rule while oppressing the lower classes required extremely astute manipulation.
How sensitive and dangerous the Hero's situation was, those people knew all too well; not only did they arrange for a large number of masters for protection, but even Qin Chu's whereabouts were kept strictly secret. To prevent the Hero from being targeted, they even arranged multiple carriages as a decoy.
But even with such meticulous arrangements, Qin Chu was attacked by a group of demons that very night and barely escaped death.
Looking back now, it was likely due to the mark the Illusion Demon had left on him.
"What are you going to do?" Shaye sat leisurely on Qin Chu's shoulder and asked in her clear voice.
"Both of us are now at zero strength, don't you think this guy is actually quite a nice experience pack?" Qin Chu arched an eyebrow and thought to himself.
Strength is fundamental to revenge. Although he managed to disgrace Rose Vesper through cunning and strategy, he didn't cause any substantial harm. He was no match for Rose Vesper now, not even having a sliver of self-defense capability.
Qin Chu desperately needed to increase his combat strength in a short amount of time, and Power was a very important asset. Among the aspects, Qin Chu valued the special ability Devourer brought by the Power greed, which could allow him to plunder others' strength, even making their Powers his own.
Of course, without sufficient personal strength, blindly trying to devour someone else's power could easily lead to being killed in return.
But the Illusion Demon race, as Shaye had said, is an oddity among demons. As their Level increased, their Magic Power would continue to grow, but their combat strength was always comparable to that of an ordinary adult human. Almost all their abilities were focused on Transformation, and besides that, it seemed their only spell was Illusion Creation, and they were not even very adept at it.
The higher the Level, the more abundant the Magic Power, and the more lifelike their Transformations became. Even those closest to them could hardly detect anything amiss from their appearance.
The highest-level Illusion Demons wouldn't leave the slightest flaw, not just in appearance but also in voice, habits of movement, tone of speech, idiosyncrasies, and subconscious gestures. They could perfectly imitate their targets, living in the human world under their human identities, without arousing any suspicion.
The real Donald had long been killed by the demons. In this banquet hall, with Wozworth, Saint Monica, Augustus, and many other great masters among the Thirteen Sages, not a single one could detect the Illusion Demon's identity.
To earn the title of Great Sage, one hard requirement is to reach Level 80 and master a sufficient number of spells, including at least one Super Order Magic, and three High Order Magic spells.
As for the strengths of Wozworth, Saint Monica, and Augustus, they're even stronger, probably around Level 90.
To hide one's identity as a demon in front of these masters, the Illusion Demon's Level must be at least above Level 60.
So, the Earl Donald before him was simply an extra-large, harmless experience pack. How could Qin Chu possibly let him go?
After devouring this fellow, Qin Chu believed his Magic Power would surely see a significant increase.
Furthermore, Qin Chu was extremely interested in the Illusion Demon's Transformation ability. He had a hunch that if he could devour this Power, it would bring him great help in the days to come.
Shaye did not stop Qin Chu's actions; after all, they really did lack strength now.
"Have you thought about how you will explain this?"
"Of course, I have my arrangements."
As Qin Chu and Shaye were conversing, Earl Donald's eyes, narrowed to slits like tiny beans, were also fixed on the Hero across from him. Although his face was filled with an ingratiating smile, a hint of disdain and murderous intent flashed deep within his gaze.
No matter how powerful they would become later, a newly summoned Hero still seemed as weak as an ant.
Even he, who wasn't adept at combat, was confident he could kill the Hero on the spot right here.
However, if he actually stabbed the Hero to death here, the many masters present at the banquet wouldn't let him off the hook. Such professional matters should be left to professional roles. All he needed to do was to leave a mark on the Hero, one that could guide other Assassins to attack the Hero.
With a slight smile, the Illusion Demon disguised as Earl Donald spoke again, "Then, Mr. Brave, I shall take my leave. The Earl's residence is always open to your esteemed visit."
After tossing a gentlemanly remark, Donald prepared to withdraw his hand. After all, there were other Nobles waiting to shake hands with the Hero. He couldn't monopolize the Hero's time for too long, as such behavior would tarnish the dignity of a Noble.
However, Donald suddenly found his hand tightly gripped by Qin Chu and was unable to break free. Instinctively exerting a bit more force, Qin Chu's hand clamped onto his wrist like a vise, utterly unshakeable.
This situation caused Donald's brows to furrow as he raised his head to look at Qin Chu.
As soon as he saw Qin Chu, Donald's voice got stuck in his throat.
A sudden, hairy sense of fear permeated his entire body.
Donald couldn't pinpoint the issue; the face was still the same, covered with a gentle smile, but when he looked into Qin Chu's eyes, his body involuntarily shuddered violently, a chill running through him.
It was a strange, indescribable fear.
Those black eyes held a piercing gaze, and in his daze, it seemed that all his secrets were laid bare under the man's scrutiny.
He was supposed to be a powerless Hero who had just been summoned, someone even the likes of himself could kill—so why did he evoke such intense fear?
In a daze, Donald felt as though the man before him was shrouded in a dense fog of blood, surrounded by the countless dismembered corpses of Demons, their blood forming rivers.
Creak, creak, creak...
Overwhelming fear provoked a strange noise uncontrollably from Donald's throat.
"Mr... Mr. Brave, what are you... doing..." Donald's teeth were clashing violently. Could it be that the Hero had seen through his true identity?
No... that's impossible.
Even the Pope, the Church Venerable, the Emperor could not see through his Transformation; how could a powerless Hero, just summoned, possibly do so.
Qin Chu slightly parted his lips, giving Donald a light smile.
This smile caused Donald's hair to stand on end, and his scalp felt like it was about to explode.
The next second, Qin Chu's lips moved slightly.
Devourer.
In an instant, a scene beyond Donald's worst fears unfolded before him.
Right in the palm of Qin Chu's hand, a terrifying force of attraction suddenly arose, and his Magic Power began to drain away like it was being sucked out by a pump!