Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

A sinister gleam briefly danced in Eren's eyes as he regarded this extracted Mana Essence.

However, he swiftly reined in his desires, ensuring they did not manifest outwardly.

Since acquiring all the Seven Sins Marks, Eren felt like his emotions had been amplified to a certain degree. This made him more adept at using intent-based magic. Yet, it also meant that his emotions could surface inadvertently.

Eren had no intention of following Aleph's path, discarding his emotions. Nor did he want them to subdue his will and dictate his actions.

He had chosen to wield the powers granted by the Sin Series Marks in his own unique way, without imposing limitations on his journey.

'My emotions won't control me or my actions. I'll use them to strengthen my convictions in my actions. Let's see what the old hag does before I make any further decisions.'

Eren pondered, focusing on the Mana Essence with a composed expression, as if he had dismissed all the distracting thoughts trying to invade his mind.

'It's going to happen…. soon.'

Eren contemplated silently as he assessed Lady Zee's condition. His Soul Sense indicated that her soul would soon depart her physical body, initiating the final stages of the Lazarus Project.

Eren shifted his attention to the isolated space between the two barriers, which had once held around 45,000 Rankers but now stood desolate and empty. The Enderflames had left no trace of even their skeletons, incinerating them entirely.

'Death is eternal and ever-prosperous, just as life is.'

Eren mused indifferently, gazing at the now-vacant space. His mind remained placid, like a calm sea. Even if emotions swirled within, they did not disrupt the composed exterior he had cultivated.

Deciding to check the situation outside the primary barrier, Eren observed that more Rankers from both kingdoms had gathered to witness the gruesome spectacle. They expressed anger towards Eliza and the others for their cruelty towards the trapped Rankers.

The Rankers who had died inside the Birdcage Barrier were willing participants of the full-fledged war between the two kingdoms. While these trapped Rankers had known the risks of the battlefield, a third faction conspiring against them and annihilating them for their own nefarious purposes was deemed unacceptable by the Rankers surrounding the Birdcage Barrier.

The battlefield seemed to oscillate between silence and chaos. Inside the Birdcage Barrier, an eerie quiet persisted, akin to a massive haunted house. Outside the primary barrier, the watching Rankers vented their fury, vocally expressing a range of emotions.

Amidst Eren's emotionless scrutiny of the cursing Rankers, he unexpectedly received a voice communication message from an alliance partner he had recently aligned with.

'Eren, you never mentioned anything like this.'

A composed, strong-sounding yet surprised female voice resounded in his mind. He scanned the surroundings but noticed that the speaker had no intention of revealing herself amidst the crowd.

'Monster Sovereign Kayini, what brings you here?'

Eren conveyed his surprise over the voice communication channel. He promptly recognized the voice as that of an S-Ranked Orcina named Kayini.

Eren had expected her, along with three other S-Ranked monsters, to be in the City of White Raven, following a confirmation through Agatha. Kayini was among the few S-Ranked monsters who had responded to Eren's alliance call.

At his request, she had come to stay in the city for a few days, not aware of the extreme actions he was taking on the battlefield while having her and the other three S-Ranked Children of Echidna serve as bodyguards for his assets.

It appeared that Kayini had only recently approached the battlefield meant for the two kingdoms. However, she had somehow learned about the events within the Birdcage Barrier. Her startled voice suggested that she hadn't anticipated Eren's bold and ruthless actions against the Rankers from both kingdoms.

Nevertheless, Kayini didn't sympathize with the trapped Rankers. She didn't regret forming an alliance with Eren. However, her annoyance at his lack of transparency regarding his plans and actions was evident in her voice.

"You are one shrewd demon, aren't you? Rest assured, we've protected your city as agreed. Khal and Loma are still residing there. Parmar and I are here to check up on you after we ensured that your city would be safe for the time being," Kayini informed Eren via the voice communication channel.

She informed Eren, as he had foreseen, that House Lancelot had attacked the City of White Raven, accompanied by the Edinburgh kingdom's Blood Punisher Force and some allies from across the kingdom. The joint attacking force included two Sages, one from House Lancelot and one affiliated with the Edinburgh royalty.

House Lancelot and Edinburgh's central administration believed that deploying two Sages in the attack force would be sufficient to obliterate Eren's city and his achievements ten times over. However, they hadn't anticipated the presence of S-Ranked monsters from the Badlands and Grandmaster-level Matriarchs from Amazonian settlements, positioned behind the city's walls.

Eren's Monster Army, following his prior orders, was also stationed within the city.

Orc Sovereign Kayini and her fellow allies had utilized all the trump cards Eren had left them to fend off the joint attack by House Lancelot and the Edinburgh kingdom. They had intercepted the threat before it could approach the City of White Raven, swiftly neutralizing it with a coordinated effort.

The two Sages from the attack force had met their end at the hands of the S-Ranked monsters. Subsequently, Kayini and Parmar had left the city to investigate Eren's current activities.

***

"Eren... looking your current actions, I have to ask," Kayini inquired with a tone reflecting doubt and curiosity.

"Is it truly achievable, breaking the World-Encompassing Array? If you happen to renege on our agreement, just so you know, I'll complete what your enemies couldn't do to your city with my own hands."

She stated in a manner that, while portraying a grim scenario for Eren's city, lacked a threatening quality in her voice.

Eren wasn't bothered by her not-so-threatening threat. He casually shrugged before replying.

'I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Stay where you are and enjoy the show.'

The butcher said with a tone of composure.