Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil - Chapter 1970

Azurea stood atop a floating piece of rock, her arms crossed, breathing steady.

Sparks and scraps of metal floated around her as her opponent—an S-Rank automaton—lay scattered in broken pieces behind her. She had finished her battle with ease.

Not far from her, Marina hovered calmly, brushing some dust off her robes. Her opponent hadn’t even managed to land a clean blow before she took it down. Cold and quick.

Once they were done, both women turned and dashed through the sky, heading toward their new teammates.

Osha was still locked in combat when they reached her. But she was doing fine—she had already pushed her automaton opponent to its limit.

When Azurea joined in with her draconic might, the fight was over in seconds. Osha gave her a nod, not offended by the help.

Someone who felt really troubled was Naya.

Due to her recent S-Rank ascension, her movements were sharp but not as clean. Her fight had dragged on much longer than the others. The automaton she faced was faster and more aggressive. Naya had taken a few hits, barely dodging some of the more dangerous strikes.

One could say that Eren was merciless in giving Naya this assignment. However, the battle also helped her stabilize a large part of her newly upgraded foundation. So she couldn’t complain.

Her breathing was heavy. A cut on her cheek dripped a bit of blood, but she didn’t stop. She hadn’t fought to win—she had fought to hold her ground. To stall. That was her plan from the start.

And it worked.

Just as she began to lose ground, Marina swooped in, finishing the automaton with a blast of pure draconic force. The metal body fell to the ground below, lifeless.

Naya dropped to one knee on a nearby rooftop, panting.

One by one, the four women took flight again, heading toward where Eren was waiting. The battle above was over.

Now they had to prepare for what was coming next. Because if Eren had really pulled back, it wasn’t the end. It was just the beginning.

***

On the opposite side of the battlefield.

Shir stood near the altar, now free from distractions.

The battles in the sky were over. Eren’s army had retreated. There were no more interruptions, no one trying to stop the ritual. It was the perfect time to focus.

He took a deep breath and looked at the altar that was almost completed. It only took a couple of minutes.

The faith energy in the air felt stronger than ever. However, it was still not enough for God Raashim’s will to descend.

The lines etched into the ground glowed faintly, pulsing in sync with the metallic heart of the SS-Rank automaton standing nearby.

"Good," Shir muttered. "Let’s finish this."

He gave orders to the templars and priests. More Origin Force Points were fed into the altar’s core. The construction continued at a faster pace, the ritual symbols forming a large network that spread across the area. Everything was going smoothly.

Then Shir noticed something odd.

Eren and his army hadn’t actually left.

They had pulled back, sure, but they were still around. Watching. Waiting.

Shir narrowed his eyes and turned toward the distant cliffs where Eren now stood with his female companions and four commanders.

They weren’t moving forward, but they weren’t going away either. Eren had his arms crossed, and a calm smile on his face. It looked like he was enjoying the show.

A dark grin spread across Shir’s face.

"So that’s what it is, huh?" he said to himself. "You want to watch? Fine. Watch me win."

He chuckled under his breath. Just a while ago, he had doubted himself. He had felt like Eren was a real threat.

But now, looking at him stand there like some curious onlooker, Shir felt that he had been too scared. Too cautious.

The punk didn’t even know what was good for him.

Instead of fleeing the island and saving himself, Eren had decided to stick around and become a spectator.

His gaze shifted to the SS-Rank automaton. It stood tall beside the altar. It hadn’t moved since landing, just stood there like a metal statue. But Shir knew what it could do.

He licked his lips.

If he sent the automaton now, with no enemies nearby to slow it down, it could break through Eren’s army like a hot blade through butter.

No one could stop it. And if they lost a few hundred years’ worth of Origin Force Points in the process? It was still a trade worth making if Eren and his elites died today.

Just as Shir was about to speak the command to send the automaton forward, Eren raised his hand.

And smiled.

The next moment, the sea stirred.

Shir’s eyes widened.

Something massive rose from the water, flying straight into the sky. The wind shifted. The clouds trembled. The creature transformed as it flew, assuming a distinct humanoid form.

And then, with a loud splash and a heavy thud, the sea monster landed beside Eren.

The ground shook.

It was the damn sea monster. The half-step SS-Rank beast the Raashim Temple had kept sealed for nearly two hundred years. And for some reason, he was way more powerful than he was before his entrapment. It was as if the "jail time" had treated him well.

"How…. how could this be?"

Shir’s mouth went dry.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

That monster was supposed to be uncontrollable. A fool that attacked anything that moved. Yet here it was, calm and loyal. Like a tamed beast standing by its master’s side.

How?

Shir took a step back. His thoughts raced. He had already been shocked when Eren managed to turn the twin dragons against the temple. But this? This was too much.

Not only had Eren raided the temple’s core region, but he had also convinced one of the most dangerous monsters in the sea to fight for him.

Shir clenched his fists. His heart pounded.

For the first time, he realized something that shook him.

He had underestimated Eren.

Badly.