"Simple. Make the other races fear humanity. Think about it. How would the other races react when they see that four Demi-God-level demons were dealt with by humans? This is honestly the perfect opportunity to have the entire galaxy turn on itself. You guys can sit back and watch the chaos unfold, and when the time is right, you can even step forward to offer aid to one of the weaker races—which would immediately make every other race question whether they can trust each other. Alliances would shatter overnight." Ethan said, and a chill ran down the spines of Iris and every other human present.
Meanwhile, the four demons above widened their eyes as the full scope of the plan unfolded in their minds like a map being laid out before them.
"You can have your spies in the other races fan the flames from the inside, feeding misinformation and stoking paranoia… and boom, this galaxy tears itself apart from within, and you guys can step in to claim whatever's left once the dust settles. Well, at least that's what I would do." Ethan said with a casual nod of his head, as though he had just suggested a restaurant for dinner rather than the systematic destruction of an entire galactic order.
The four Demi Gods looked at each other, their expressions shifting from surprise to something far more dangerous—excitement. They loved the plan. It was elegant, efficient, and brutal in all the right ways. But there was one glaring problem. Raven and everyone else in the venue had heard every word of it. The plan was exposed the moment it left Ethan's mouth.
"Sadly, that plan can't work," one of the Demi Gods sighed, the disappointment clear in his voice.
"It would. Who would believe them if you four are badly injured when this is over? Better yet, what if you play them? Make it look like an act. Show the world that this entire thing was a performance—a staged collaboration between you and humanity designed to make the human race look stronger than it actually is. But since it 'backfired' and the truth came out, humanity is now scrambling to clear its name. At that point, no matter what the humans say, no matter what evidence they present, they're done for. Every other race in the galaxy will look at them with suspicion, and nothing will fix that." Ethan said, and the four Demi Gods' eyes lit up with a joy so pure and so childlike that it was almost disturbing coming from beings of their caliber.
That was indeed perfect. It was beautiful—the kind of scheme that had no visible flaws, no loose ends, no way to counter it once the wheels were set in motion. The elegance of it made all four Demi Gods burst into loud, booming laughter that shook the venue and sent cracks spider-webbing across the remaining walls.
"Bastard!" Iris roared in rage, her Demi God-level aura flaring outward in a wave of heat and pressure as she glared at Ethan. He just smirked back at her, completely unbothered.
"Let's take you to safety. Our demon lord would be very happy to see you," one of the Demi Gods said, grinning down at Ethan with the kind of appreciation usually reserved for finding a priceless treasure in a pile of rubble.
"I'd say I stay. Don't worry, I'm not in danger. Instead, you guys should hurry. The other Demi Gods should be arriving soon." Ethan warned, his tone shifting to something urgent, and instantly, the four Demi Gods went on alert. They spread their senses outward and felt what Ethan had already detected—multiple Demi-God-level presences, still a few light-years away, but closing in fast.
"Also, keep her here. She would stay behind as my bridge to you guys." Ethan said, gesturing toward Seraph. Instantly, the demons frowned. Leaving the demon lord's daughter behind in enemy territory wasn't something they could agree to lightly.
Before Seraph could even process what was happening, she was grabbed by two of the Demi Gods and forcefully pulled away from Ethan, even as she screamed orders at them to let her go. Her voice echoed through the venue as she was dragged into the sky, furious and thrashing, but against four Demi Gods, her resistance meant nothing.
Following that, the demons wanted to capture Ethan, but Iris didn't allow it. This made them frown, since if Iris wanted to, she could buy time for the other demi gods. Without another choice, the demons executed Ethan's plan without hesitation. They gave themselves injuries—cuts, burns, fractured bones—nothing truly life-threatening, but made to look devastating.
Blood stained their clothing and dripped from wounds that appeared far worse than they actually were. Once they were satisfied with the performance, they dropped the domain. The barrier around the venue dissolved, and the sky above opened up once more, revealing them to the world.
And the world was watching. Dozens of demigods from across the galaxy had already been trying to divine what was happening at this location, their senses pressed against the barrier the entire time it had been active.
When the domain finally dropped, what they saw made every single one of them freeze in shock: four demon Demi Gods, battered, bloodied, and fleeing from Earth at full speed, their expressions twisted in what appeared to be genuine pain and desperation.
"You humans! You will pay for this!" They cried, their voices echoing across the void of space before they vanished, disappearing into the darkness between star systems in the blink of an eye.
"You traitor!" The venue erupted the instant the demons were gone. Every eye turned on Ethan, every voice screaming over the next, fury and betrayal painted across every face.
They had all heard what he said to the demons. They had all watched him hand the enemy a plan that could destroy humanity's standing in the galaxy. They surged toward him—but Iris flashed forward first, appearing in front of Ethan with her full Demi God presence unleashed, shielding him with her body.
The move visibly annoyed Raven, who had been half a second away from doing the exact same thing. She glared at Iris with open hostility, not caring in the slightest that the woman standing in front of her was a demigod.
"You idiots. He just saved us all," Iris said coldly, her voice cutting through the noise like a whip. She raised one hand and pointed toward the corner of the venue, where a small camera sat mounted to a support beam, its red light still blinking steadily.
"They thought that because we were inside their domain, any recordings being made were cut off as well. But Ethan's equipment uses wired connections, connected to broadcast stations outside the range of the domain." Iris said, looking back at Ethan, who was standing behind her with a light smile on his face, his hands in his pockets.
Everything that had just happened had been broadcast live to the entire world the whole time. The demons hadn't known about the technology. They didn't understand how it worked, and they hadn't thought to check for it. And Ethan had been counting on exactly that.
Everyone in the venue was stunned into silence as the realization sank in. But the silence didn't last long, because a new question quickly surfaced in everyone's minds—didn't Ethan just reveal to the entire world that he had slept with a demon?
"Well, the broadcast will start problems. Other races will absolutely try to use certain parts of what they saw to suppress humanity politically. But I say we get ahead of it and work with the other races to draw out the demon spies hidden within their ranks. It's the perfect chance… well, I should get going home." Ethan said with a smile, already turning on his heel as if the matter were settled and his part was done.
"No." Almost every female in the venue said at the same time, their voices layering on top of one another in a wall of refusal so unified it sounded rehearsed. Ethan's shoulders dropped visibly.
"Little rabbit. You must be punished." Raven said coldly.
"I did all that to save you," Ethan said, genuine shock coloring his voice.
"Don't use that excuse to try to justify the fact that you tried to get close to that demon." Raven said coldly, her eyes narrowing, and Ethan was left standing there without a single word to defend himself.
"I will let you live today. But I will kill you in 24 hours." Shiro said calmly, her sword resting against her shoulder. Since Ethan had, in the end, saved everyone here, she would grant him a single day to live. As for Iris shielding him? She didn't care about a Demi God's opinion on the matter. Her blade answered to no one.
"I don't care… he dies today." The Blood Queen said coldly, her one good eye locked onto Ethan with the flat, emotionless certainty of someone who had already decided.
"Okay, I think I owe you all to tell you all the truth." Ethan sighed helplessly, opening his mouth to speak—and instantly, every single female in the venue covered their ears with their hands. Every last one of them. Even Raven covered her ears, which left Ethan completely speechless.
They even looked away from his face, turning their heads to the side so they couldn't read his lips. They knew what he was capable of. They knew that if they listened, if they let even a single sentence slip through, he would talk his way out of this the way he always did.
"..." Ethan stood there, looking at all of them with a heartbroken expression—genuine or fabricated, no one could tell, and no one was willing to look long enough to find out. After a moment, he turned around and began walking away in silence, his footsteps the only sound in the venue.
"What do you want to say?" Iris snapped, annoyed, pulling her hands away from her ears. One by one, the others followed, lowering their guard, though every single one of them remained on full alert.