Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

'She… she really is the most gifted being I have ever come across in my two lives.'

Eren couldn't help but sigh in a bit of unexplained melancholy.

He observed the unfolding spectacle, awestruck by the remarkable Ranker before him. If his Individuality was an expansive sea, embracing all within its depths, Eliza's was an unyielding mountain that defied conquest.

Contrary to the envy that some Rankers felt, Eren did not resent Eliza's rapid ascent through the ranks. She had already proven herself as a Sage in her prime, and he harbored no ill will toward her for the trials she imposed on over 40,000 dead Rankers to reclaim her Sagehood.

What Eliza pursued now was merely capitalizing on her circumstances to reach her peak as swiftly as possible. Had Eren shared her experiences and predicament, he might have made the same pragmatic choices. Perhaps, he could even have been more ruthless, orchestrating greater tragedies for personal gain.

Nonetheless, these practicalities couldn't stifle the pangs of envy Eren felt for the innate gifts Eliza had inherited from birth. It underscored how life had offered him a meager starting point.

Eren had long recognized life's inherent unfairness, bestowing harsh fates upon the undeserving and gifting the fortunate with unearned privilege. This was life's stark bias laid bare.

Yet, for the first time, Eren found it challenging to reconcile with these truths and accept them for what they were.

Although proud of his hard-earned accomplishments, Eren couldn't help but wrestle with a twinge of jealousy toward Eliza. It felt as though he had toiled for a modest daily wage, only to watch someone, miraculously absolved of their debts, amass great wealth through prior investments. When he earned bit by bit, coin by coin, the prodigies became rich by being delivered the treasures right at their doorsteps.

Eliza, a dragon half-blood, carried the mantle of her entire clan, once a formidable power in Anfang. Her lineage, steeped in the legacy of Labh Salem, augmented her prodigious talents as a Warrior-class Ranker, surpassing even the most esteemed talents of Anfang. Perfection at its finest.

What's more? Eliza had the drive and passion necessary to become a great Ranker. She had all the wits and cunning needed to make her stand apart from the regular Rankers. She was brave and hard working. She was willing to go to great lengths to hone her Individuality. And she was ready to learn from her past mistakes and lessons that were taught to her.

The Witch of the Enderflames had even more innate Spiritual Force than Shallot Lancelot in her prime. She could wield multiple Sin Series Marks without getting corrupted by their overuse. As a dragon-type half-blood, she was already exceptionally good at using the Intent-based magic. Becoming a demonic Ranker with the heritage of being a witch was just icing on the cake.

In her prime, this monstrous talent from House Samael had all the riches and resources in the world she could ever want. Her only disadvantage was the fact that she was born and raised in the Calamity Era.

If Eliza had been born after the Calamity Era, Eren was certain that half-blood Rankers wouldn't have been the oppressed group in Anfang. Just her presence would have compelled the Anfang Alliance to negotiate and find common ground with the remaining half-bloods.

As someone who had lived through two timelines, the butcher had experienced the concept of the butterfly effect firsthand. His minor changes in the second timeline had changed the fates of everyone he was involved with.

Those who were never even Adept Rankers in his first timeline had managed to break through into the Expert and Master Ranks in his second timeline. And those who were destined to reach for the stars had ended up dead.

Had Eliza been active after the Calamity Era, not confined within her Purgatory, Anfang would have been utterly transformed from its current state. There might not have been two kingdoms known as Edinburgh and Layos in the current timeline if she was active.

Eliza's arrival had already reshaped the game during the Calamity Era, compelling everyone to strive for excellence. At the same time, her absence alone was sufficient to push even the mightiest half-blood clans into the shadows, subjected to oppression by the Anfang Alliance.

The strongest Titan Slayer from Anfang who was feared by the Walking Calamities known as the Titans themselves. Someone who could battle with multiple S-Ranks and even a pseudo Sain Rank and still win.

Some individuals possessed such extraordinary, unique, and potent qualities that their prime would revolutionize the world around them. These exceptions singlehandedly altered the rules of the game, setting new standards for others to adapt to.

Witch of the Enderflames Eliza Samael exemplified this rare category.

***

"This envy..." Eren pondered as he watched Eliza's astonishing growth. While most Rankers trembled with fear, he felt an unusual desire to claim everything that Eliza had achieved.

'Should I even be envious?'

Eren questioned himself, pressing his palm to his chest to feel his own heartbeats. The connection with Aleph's Echo seemed to counsel him to let go of these feelings of greed and envy. But that wasn't who he was.

'No. I won't demonize my emotions.'

Eren gently patted his chest, soothing his inner turmoil.

'Anger, envy, pride, greed, and all these emotions are part of being alive. I won't blame myself for feeling envious of certain people. At the same time, I will also not feel ashamed or sorry for myself for having a rougher start than them.'

As Eliza's mana core reached the peak of the Master Rank, advancing from an F-Ranker to a B-Ranker in just an hour, Eren continued his internal dialogue.

'My goal isn't to rid myself of extreme emotions, be they positive or negative.' He mused while observing Eliza's ascent.

'My goal is to learn how to respond in the right way irrespective of why and when they arise. I won't feel superior or inferior to those different from me. In this boundless cosmos with endless realities, I don't need to compare myself to anyone.

There's always room for growth because self-improvement has no endpoint. At the same time, my actions will prove that there's no one more 'me' than myself.

These thoughts might be the musings of someone who wants to feel better about not having things handed to him on a silver platter.

But these views are mine, and no matter how radical or boring they might seem to others, I embrace them.'

As he completed this introspective chain of thoughts, Eren closely observed Eliza, who was on the cusp of breaking through into the Grandmaster Rank.