Thus, by balancing everything, Daneel had managed to achieve his objective by only exposing two of his cards: his power level and his prowess as a Paragon. His ability to cast Warrior level spells and his power as a Fighter were still hidden trump cards that he could use to escape from perilous situations.

Just as he was about to walk forward to talk to the prisoner he had caught with great difficulty, the system urgently sounded a notification in his head which made him halt his movements.

[Phenomena a.n.a.lysis Module has detected a hidden trap in front of host. Stepping on the patch of ground in front of host will result in the Tenebrous Flame which is controlled by the host's opponent to enter the host's body.]

Daneel's eyes widened as he heard this notification. He had already deactivated his personal trinket, making it so that he would have been completely defenseless if he had stepped forward without any knowledge of the trap.

It seemed that just like his opponent, he had also underestimated the other party which would almost have resulted in a disaster.

"Why was I unable to detect anything? What kind of level is the trap?"

[System informs host that this is a trinket enabled trap at the Warrior level. System was only able to detect it because of the complexity which allows system to a.n.a.lyse spells at the warrior level].

Hearing this answer, Daneel realized that he was in a dilemma. If he detected the trap, he would make it quite clear to his opponent that he somehow had the means of a Warrior even if he was only at the human level.

Granted that his opponent was currently captured, he had no intentions of directly killing him which would ensure that this information would not be leaked. If he chose to defuse the trap, he risked this information leaking in the worst case where the imposter might escape from his clutches.

Trying to decide what to do, Daneel glanced to the side to note that the expressions of the people in the vicinity had changed from shock to consternation. They were currently whispering among themselves while occasionally glancing at the King.

At this moment, a daring idea entered Daneel's mind.

"Has there been any headway in a.n.a.lyzing the flame by watching it being used by that man?", he asked.

[Negative. The complexity exceeds what the system can handle.]

"What if the flame is directly in my body? Will the a.n.a.lysis be easier then?"

Daneel had three reasons for asking this question. One: he desperately wanted to have an alternative to a.n.a.lyzing the spell model and the flame without needing to successfully interrogate his opponent who must definitely have been bound by oaths.

Two, from the moment his opponent had spoken in that way to incite him to fight, he had been reminded of the importance of his image.

Right now, his image had definitely changed from a weakling to an extremely talented person who could hold his own in a fight. Why not improve it even further?

If his plan was successful, even the most stubborn of people who were against his reign might find themselves being turned around to support him.

If this did happen, it would enable each and every one of his plans for the Kingdom to be carried out much more effectively.

With all these thoughts in his head and the positive answer from the system, Daneel asked one more question before bracing himself and stepping forward.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that the smile on the captured opponent's face had just become wider on seeing that the King of Lanthanor had stepped forward according to his plan.

The next instant, a green snake drilled out of the ground to attack the King.

Even before anyone could react, the snake had already entered the King's stomach before disappearing inside. No blood appeared from the wound right away, as the high heat of the flame had scorched the area around it.

Without a word, the King of Lanthanor collapsed on the ground with an expression of utter surprise on his face.

As his consciousness faded away, the last thing Daneel saw was Kellor running towards him while looking like he was the one who had actually been impaled by the attack.

After commanding the system to keep a firm hold over the Dragon claws trapping the enemy, Daneel s.h.i.+fted his consciousness to the clone which had been absorbing energy from the Ker Gem till now.

As the full attention of everybody in the clearing was on the collapsed body of the King of Lanthanor, the clone managed to sneak away without anyone being the wiser.

...

At the secret base of the Withering Leaf Sect, in an unknown location.

The Sect Master clutched a parchment in his hand while checking every second for any message from the spies he had in the Lanthanor Kingdom. He knew very well that the Knight from the church would be attacking today, and he was looking forward to positive news due to the high confidence shown by the man as if he had everything under his control.

Yet, the news that came through the trinket shocked him before making him stand up with the expression of one who had just made a decision.

"Get ready to move out. The King of Lanthanor has been injured and is possibly dying. This is the perfect time to strike"

Beside him, the eyes of a man who had been forgotten until this moment inside the group of the Withering Leaf Sect shone, as he realized with joy that his chance had finally come.

But if someone could see his figure without any clothes, they would be shocked on witnessing that there were actually 2 faces smiling, not one.