Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Sedated Perception.

Stunning Speed.

'Thanks, Alephee. I guess I needed that.

For some reason, I have this urge to get rid of this man. And the more I get in contact with him, the more I want to act on that urge.'

Eren confessed to Alephee while looking at Demonmir silently. He understood Demonmir's influence on him couldn't be ignored.

For example, Eren wouldn't normally gamble to enter a Battle Trance when the stakes were this high. But when he saw that his opponent was Demonmir, he felt strongly that he should annihilate him at any cost. The fact that his gamble paid off and entering Battle Trance was a huge success for him was a different matter altogether.

Alephee expected Eren to behave this way. She explained.

'That's natural. I bet Demonmir has those same impulses as well.

That's why he targeted you the first chance he got despite the priorities laid for him by the kingdom of Layos. I can feel from here that Gregory fellow is not happy with Demonmir-- the way he is currently handling things here, focusing on a mere Expert ranker.'

Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Alephee's words.

'Explain,' he said. The latter gave him what he wanted.

'It's the Plane of Wrath, Eren. It influences both of you.

It doesn't want two Masters. Particularly if Elder Ichor's inheritor is the other contender for ownership. And since you don't have a cordial bond with Samael unlike Beelzebub, it doesn't recognize joint ownership.

Intent-based magic is strong. But it also comes with its own drawbacks. These planes I'm talking about have a consciousness of their own after all. Sin Series magic takes minute feelings into account, and creates effects on its users, whether they like them or not.

Demonmir is a vessel. The Plane of Wrath wants you to get rid of Demonmir and the Demon Prince of Wrath behind him.'

Eren was exasperated in his head.

'What? Those are ridiculous expectations, to be honest. Tell this Plane of Wrath or whatever to take a hike. I am down with dealing with Demonmir. But I am not entering into a direct conflict with the Demon Prince of Wrath just because it wants me to. At least not anytime soon.

I may have inherited that man's bloodline but I'm not him. I wouldn't turn into a suicidal maniac like him– if he was one that is.'

Alphee chuckled in response to Eren's words.

One could say that Eren had two father figures, whether he saw them as such or not. One was his real father, Elijah Idril. The other was the progenitor of the Sin Series Marks.

Eren was similar to these father figures in some aspects. And yet, he was very different from them when dealing with his enemies.

Alephee agreed with Eren's perspective. She thought for a bit before adding further.

'In any case, try to control your emotions. Do not make it a life-and-death battle. Do not think along those lines either. After all, your emotions and intentions play a vital role in intent-based magic.

Controlling your emotions would allow you to think more clearly and decrease the effects of the Plane of Wrath.

Eren was taken aback by Alephee's suggestion.

"Erase my thoughts about killing Demonmir when he is trying to kill me? How would I deal with Demonmir then? I don't think he'll let me run away from here just because fighting with him here is inconvenient for me. How about I use…'

Alephee cut Eren before he could finish what he had said.

'I hate to break it to you, but you can't kill Demonmir now even with the Sin Series Abilities or bloodline powers used. The most you can do is defeat him at the risk of becoming vulnerable to others' attacks. Do you think he doesn't have Trump cards of his own?

Tricks, when used at the right time in the right way, become Trump cards. But all of your tricks will remain tricks in this situation. Because you won't find the right time here.

Plus, the more you fight him, the more tricks you'll have to reveal to him. Anonymity is your biggest shield against Samael, Eren. We don't want him to know about you and your status as the Elder Ichor inheritor.

You treat a Demon Prince as a serious threat. The same level of vigilance must also be applied to his vessel. The most effective way to get rid of Demonmir is to make him enter a special setting.'

Alephee said and canceled her time-element spells, returning Eren's time perception to normal. She closed her argument by adding more.

'What's more? Look around you. A war has broken out. Even if you survive against Demonmir by battling all out against him, will you be able to ensure your safety post-battle?

Demonmir is not the only threat you have right now. I know the Plane of Wrath would try to give you tunnel vision if you both are in each other's range by subconsciously influencing you. But try to look past it and think like you normally would.'

Eren tried to understand what Alephee told him. But he found her explanation conflicting. On the one hand, she told him to control his emotions. And on the other hand, she told him to use intent-based magic to its fullest against Demonmir, which worked on stronger emotions.

Alephee understood Eren's confusion. Frankly, she didn't want Eren to dabble in intent-based magic this early except for his use of Sin Series Abilities. That's because she knew the subject required him to accumulate more experience as ranker.

Still, she knew Eren had started using spiritual force in his attacks. So she couldn't avoid the topic either.

Alephee also knew time was of the essence. So she decided to build upon her previous statements.

'Eren, do you remember what I told you about the difference between emotions, will, and intent?

Emotions represent your ever-changing desires. As such, they are unstable and fleeting.

A 'will' is just a strong emotion that lasts longer. It can take shape when emotions are coated in spiritual force.

But the intent is like a solid bedrock. It can be defined as the manifestation of everything you stand for. It is also the embodiment of spiritual force.'

AN: Sin Series Abilities' pairing with the soul sense is hinted at in chapter 541. Intent-driven magic and its relation to Sin Series Abilities is explained in chapter 877.