Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"How… how the fuck do you know so much about me?"

Reva asked while looking at Eren with unmasked fury. She had exhaustion signs on her face. Her mana storage was almost depleted.

Her limbs were not working the way she wanted them to. And various wounds on her body almost stopped healing.

"I was never a sharing-is-caring kinda guy, Paladin of Pain. I like to suffer in silence when I have to. And I like to watch my enemies die in suspense.

I prefer to celebrate my achievements silently. And the shroud of anonymity gives me comfort.

There's a certain charm in bottling up emotions. It can empower you. The overly expressive ones wouldn't get it.

This is how I am. And let's just say that I'm not ready to make an exception. Even though it was you who provided the fire for me to forge myself anew to such standards."

Eren looked at Reva Rain and memories of the past timeline flashed before his eyes for a moment. They made him take a deep breath and strengthened his convictions on all fronts.

"You know… I thought I had many words to say. But now when I look at you in your current state, I realize that they are pointless.

So.. all I can say is… die.

That's the only relief I'm willing to offer you. I suggest you take the deal because I know you wouldn't like the alternative."

Blink.

Eren appeared right in front of the Paladin of Pain with Rigour Mortis in his hands. He was exhausted and injured. Reva Rain was a tough opponent even though he knew a lot about her.

Plus, Reva's Ability was difficult to overcome. He had to muster every ounce of mental strength to enter Reva's AoE time and again.

Reva Rain became angry at Eren's answer, which prevented her from getting up. She stood on her knees, looking in Demonmir's direction. She expected some kind of intervention-- from Demonmir-- from anyone who could keep Eren away from her.

Bzzzt.

The lightning element blades were injected with red and purple lightning. They created a distinct sound like a honeybee's buzzing.

The charged air smelled of ozone. Reva stopped looking in Demonmir's direction when Eren stood right in front of her. Her eyes reflected the red lightning streaks his blades were coated in.

"I wish the previous Sara could see you in your last moments. But we can't have everything.

All I can do is find her. And ensure that you never cast your shadow on her.

Farewell, Reva. Let's just say you won't be missed."

Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.

***

"Hahahaha!"

Demonmir laughed like a maniac. He had various wounds as well as first- and second-degree burns. His face had been burned so severely that it looked deformed. His pro-testosterone physique seems to have lost its splendor.

If one stood beside Demonmir at this point, the smell of roasted flesh would enter their nostrils. This was even though Demonmir used wrath flames intermittently to heal injuries and burns.

It should be noted that Altair fought Demonmir inside the Domain of Wrath. Demonmir was supposed to be in complete control of his domain power.

There was an overwhelming amount of crimson haze present inside the domain. It could be turned into incinerating flames at Altair's will. Or it could just burn stuff up without any flames.

Altair's attacks couldn't be blocked by Demonmir. They would effortlessly bypass any defensive barrier Demonmir put in between him and Altair.

By covering himself in the crimson haze from head to toe, Altair could breach any barrier his opponents put up to avoid him. The crimson haze would distort his appearance and alter his presence into something dreadful and unavoidable. So when he appeared in front of his enemies coated in the crimson haze, they couldn't help but remember his title– Crimson Ghost.

Altair's fire-element attainments were unparalleled. Even a seemingly simple attack from him would turn his opponents' bodies into charcoal without creating a sea of flames in the process.

The Crimson Ghost didn't need flames to do what flames do. Not really. Not anymore.

Crimson Haze was Altair's domain-- his Ability. And inside his domain, his attacks were seemingly omnipotent and unavoidable.

Nobody dared to get too close to the battlefield of two overlapping domains. This was a showdown of domains where one domain was powered by A-Rank mana while the other tried to hold its own using intent-driven magic.

Demonmir had used many Trump cards to stay alive fighting Altair. However, it appeared they were only delaying the inevitable that was soon to come.

So Demonmir chuckled. He laughed at his own helplessness. Of course, his maniacal laugh was tinged with anger.

"Finally lost it, huh? Still, I need to give credit where credit is due. I'm surprised you survived this long.

Maybe… if you were in the same rank as me, you could have given me some tough times.

However, life is fair when it is unfair to everyone. We all have to accept this eternal truth somehow."

Altair looked fine and unbothered as he spoke. He had a few ax wounds on his body, indicating that Demonmir had breached his defenses despite being a rank lower than him. However, these shallow wounds were covered in a crimson haze. It expelled foreign mana and healed Altair's wounds at a visible rate.

Demonmir stood motionless in his domain. He could sense Altair approaching him from his 3 O'clock position. He didn't turn to face Altair. Instead, he looked ahead and narrowed his eyes before speaking grimly.

"Heh. Give credit when credit is due, indeed.

I admit that you are stronger than me, Crimson Ghost. You'd become an unstoppable force in Anfang if you became a demonic ranker yourself."

Demonmir blinked and stared into Altair's eyes. The two stood in front of each other with only an arm's length separating them.

Demonmir smiled even as he looked at his proverbial death. A chortle was heard as he spoke up.

"You played well. You all played well. But…

But I'm better."

Altair was confused about what Demonmir hinted at. But he sensed a powerful tide coming that could change the entire battle landscape.

Altair felt a certain urgency grip him. He charged his blades and was about to chop Demonmir's head clean off. But the demon laughed at his opponent's hurried expression before commenting.

"Hahaha. Too late. They have arrived."