The Eminence in Shadow

Even in his past life, Cid’s dream wasn’t to become a protagonist or a final boss. He’d rather lie low as a minor character until it’s prime time to reveal he’s a mastermind…or at least, do the next best thing—pretend to be one! And now that he’s been reborn into another world, he’s ready to set the perfect conditions to live out his dreams to the fullest. Armed with his overactive imagination, Cid jokingly recruits members to his organization and makes up a whole backstory about an evil cult that they need to take down.

Cid pays a visit to the Sacred Land, where he finds himself getting roped into the Goddess’s Trial. It’s a ritual event that summons warriors from the past to engage with only the most worthy from the present.

Deep within the Lawless City lies the Blood Queen, a Progenitor Vampire, slumbering in her coffin for many moons. An expert at landing himself in trouble, Cid should know better than to go after her…but he’s dying to get a piece of the action. It’s time he shed his daytime persona to take on the role of Shadow! It seems, however, that he’s not the only one with this idea. Soon enough, he finds the three rulers of the Lawless City-Juggernaut the Tyrant, Yukime the Spirit Fox, and Crimson the vampire—are all on his tail.