Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

As the dawn approached behind Siren's Sanctuary, the tranquil beach was poised for a profound transformation.

The first light of the sun had just begun to paint the sky with delicate hues, casting a serene glow over the landscape.

However, this peaceful scene was soon disrupted as Roza embarked on her Path Ordeal, triggering a tumultuous display of elemental chaos.

Gray clouds gathered swiftly overhead, obscuring the emerging sunlight and plunging the region into a shadowy twilight once more.

Howling winds swept across the beach, stirring up sand and creating a charged atmosphere.

Lightning crackled ominously in the distance, illuminating the darkened sky with flashes of electric blue. The sea roared with ferocity, its waves crashing violently against the shore, adding to the cacophony of elemental fury.

Eren had already extended his Soul Sense, lulling the entire population of Sunhaven into a deep slumber.

With most of Sunhaven's inhabitants being mortal, and even a few Practitioners not surpassing the E-Rank, it didn't require much effort to ensure their uninterrupted rest. He merely encouraged them to embrace their sleep a bit more tightly.

Furthermore, Eren had deployed his team of resident fiends to safeguard the entire region. He was determined to prevent Roza from encountering any unexpected threats posed by lurking demonic entities.

Given her exposed aura as the carrier of an Immortal demon's soul fragment during her Path Ordeal, she could easily become a target for malevolent forces seeking to exploit her vulnerability.

Eren's vigilance also stemmed from his desire to maintain his cover. While inducing a forced slumber among the mortals might cause some initial panic, it could be explained and managed with the right methods and strategies.

However, the spectacle of witnessing the Path Ordeal of an S-Ranked entity firsthand would likely instill profound fear in the mortals. The psychological impact of such an event could prove challenging to mitigate, even for Eren's abilities, potentially jeopardizing his efforts to manipulate their perceptions.

Amidst this tempestuous backdrop, the manifestation of ice element mana began to exert its influence, spreading its chilling touch across the sea and the beach.

Strange formations of frost and ice appeared on the sand, as if summoned forth by some unseen force. Snowflakes materialized out of thin air, swirling around Roza in a mesmerizing dance, further intensifying the frigid atmosphere.

As Roza's ice element powers surged forth during her Path Ordeal, a profound change swept across the sea and its inhabitants. The once serene waters now churned with an ominous energy, as the life force of the sea creatures, beasts in the region, and birds soaring above the waves was inexorably drawn into the icy embrace of Roza's power.

Sea creatures, from the smallest fish to the mightiest leviathans, found their vitality drained upon contact with the snow and snowflakes that descended from the sky.

Beasts that roamed the shores fell silent and motionless as the icy tendrils of Roza's element reached out to claim their life force. Even the birds, normally graceful in their flight, plummeted from the sky as the life energy within them was sapped away.

***

"Life force extraction! She really is a demoness."

Eren chuckled as he observed the changes in the region. He took out a Sativa Stick and lit it, indulging in the relief offered by the smoke as he became a silent spectator of Roza's S-Rank breakthrough event.

Eren had to admit that Roza's breakthrough as an Elementalist was a bit different from a Ranker's Calamity. It focused more on one's Elemental Attainments than anything else.

That being said, Eren felt that the Path Ordeal observed by the Practitioners across varying Paths more or less had the same level of difficulty. It was just that the World Will of Labh Salem seemed a bit more accommodating to the S-Rank existence than the World Will of Anfang.

"I guess it's good that I'll not be going through my Calamity in Anfang. The World Will of my homeworld might try to take back everything it had given me in one nice swoop if I were to go through my Calamity there."

Eren said to himself and smiled. He liked where he had come from, but that didn't mean he would risk his life by achieving a breakthrough there.

Eren remembered Goddess Great Mother's words about how the Path Ordeal, initiated by the A-Ranker's breakthrough into the S-Rank, also had a way of tempering their physical forms and souls. What was considered a curse for the Practitioners could also be taken as the biggest blessing they could ever receive from the World Will of Labh Salem, if and when they survived the Path Ordeal.

The butcher was certain that his Ranker's Calamity might be the most dangerous event for him as well as for those unlucky enough to be around him at the time of the breakthrough event. Therefore, he wanted his chances of achieving a breakthrough to improve by leaps and bounds before he even thought about triggering the Calamity of his own volition.

A world like Labh Salem, where the existence of S-Plus Practitioners had been authenticated by the World Will, was certainly the best choice for Eren. If he had stayed in Anfang, the restrictions placed by the world, along with the inherent difficulty of his broad Path, would have certainly made it very difficult for Eren to achieve his S-Rank breakthrough, if not downright impossible.

Eren was also learning a lot as he watched Roza's breakthrough. Certain ideas started forming in his head as he watched how the Practitioners of Labh Salem went through their Path Ordeal. He had maintained a sufficient distance from Roza, silently watching her from afar as she tried to stabilize her breakthrough initiated by him.

***

With each life force absorbed, Roza felt herself growing stronger, her resolve bolstered by the newfound power coursing through her veins.

Yet, the path to S-Rank was fraught with peril, and Roza's struggles were far from over.

As she faced the icy winds generated by the Labh Salem's World Will, Roza battled against the biting cold that threatened to freeze her to her core.

The frigid gusts tore at her flesh, leaving her bloody and battered, with frostbite marring her skin and ruptured wounds dotting her form.

Yet, with unwavering determination, Roza pressed on, drawing upon the life force she had absorbed to mend her injuries and steel herself against the relentless assault of the elements.

Her demonic nature was out on the display. Her form surrounded by the infernal energy she had harnessed from years of her experience as a demonic Practitioner. Thanks to the newly gained Elemental Attainments given to her by Eren, she felt confident that she could pass the ordeal she had been given.

Each gust of wind brought with it a new challenge, but Roza met them head-on, refusing to yield to the forces that sought to break her.

And then, as Roza stood battered but unbroken, a bolt of white lightning streaked across the sky, carrying with it the Elemental Attainments of ice mana. With a deafening crack, the lightning struck Roza, sending searing pain coursing through her body.

"Aaaaaah!" Roza screamed. However, Eren didn't do anything to help her. Doing so would have worsened the difficulty of the Ordeal.

Thankfully, Roza herself hadn't given up.

Even as she faltered, the sea itself seemed to react to her struggle. The waves surged and roared, as if echoing Roza's determination to overcome her Path Ordeal and ascend to the ranks of the S-Ranked Elementalists.

Drawing upon her skills as an Elementalist, she called forth her mastery over the elements, channeling the power of ice and water to withstand the onslaught of the tribulation.

With swift movements and precise control of her mana, Roza created protective barriers of ice to shield herself from the raging winds and lightning strikes. She manipulated the water in the air and the sea, directing powerful currents to stabilize the quaking ground beneath her feet.

As the intensity of the ordeal reached its peak, Roza delved deeper into her elemental affinity, tapping into the primal forces of ice and water with unwavering determination. With each passing moment, she grew stronger, her connection to the elements deepening as she faced the challenges of her Path Ordeal head-on.

The Path Ordeal lasted for about half an hour. Through sheer force of will, Roza endured, channeling the power of her ice element to weather the storm and emerge victorious.

As the last echoes of the Path Ordeal faded away, Roza stood tall, her icy gaze reflecting the indomitable spirit that had carried her through the trial, ready to embrace her new status as an S-Ranked Elementalist– an Eminence.

Eminence was an honor reserved for the Elementalist who had achieved the S-Rank, just like the honor of Sage was given to Rankers after they successfully overcame their Calamity.

Roza's bloody and beaten form started healing as she stabilized her breakthrough into the S-Rank. She felt as if she had been born anew with this breakthrough. She also had a lot of insights swirling inside her mind that she needed to digest.

It was as if someone had whispered the secrets of the universe directly into her ears, and she needed to repeat those words in her head repetitively if she wanted to learn what her new Rank could allow her to do and to what extent.

As the sky started to clear up and the signs of the Path Ordeal started to fade into nothingness, Eren appeared beside Roza within a blink of an eye and took her in his embrace. "Congratulations," he said as he wrapped her naked form in a sophisticated gothic gray dress with a flick of his fingers.

"Thank you, my liege," Roza was all smiles as she hugged Eren. She inhaled his scent and tried to record it in her mind as well so that it would be a part of her along with the new insights she had gained.

Eren didn't consider Argo to be his subordinate. He was more like the little brother he never had. More or less the same was the case with Reen as well.

As such, Roza could be considered as the first true S-Rank subordinate Eren ever had. In the backdrop of the restless era that was soon about to begin, he felt that this breakthrough couldn't have arrived at a better time.

In fact, now that Roza's breakthrough had been so successful, Eren decided to repeat the process for Kayara as well.

After all, the more powerful subordinates he had, the better it would be for him and his plans in the future.