Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-168

"We wish to use a battle pass on Roody's Wreckers."

Roody was curious about the battle pass Eren was going to use on them. He was hoping it wouldn't be too detrimental to his team, making him score a pyrrhic victory. But he never once thought that a single battle pass would be enough to bridge the gap between the battle potentials of first and second-year students.

Alas, Roody was in for a rude awakening.

Because he could only maintain his thoughts of dominating first-years until he got to know Eren's battle pass.

"Eren Idril is using his self-earned battle pass Keep One Out. He can make anyone team member of his opponent team leave the match. The Ron's Wreckers will have to fight with only four members in this match.

Eren Idril, choose the student you wish from the opponent team to get dropped out of the match."

Eren smiled devilishly at Roody after he heard the referee's confirmation.

"Fu*ck! Eren, listen here…"

"I wish Roody Orton to sit this match out."

Eren didn't let Roody continue his statement and declared his wish to make the enemy captain abandon his team. He already knew that Roody was the most capable ranker in his team. Plus, the lack of leadership would send his team into disarray.

Roody looked hatefully at Eren but the latter didn't take back his decision. He had no choice but to leave the battle area. But not before telling his team members a few strategies he came up with within that short amount of time.

Eren and Renita had practised a little with the dual berserkers and their tank Sharmin for a few days before the start of the inter-year ranking war. They had come up with some simple tactics that they could use to make maximum use of their DPS-centric team formation.

Roody's Wreckers was wrecked from the get-go because of the absence of their leader. But it wasn't like the team members had become completely useless. They still had higher BTP values backing each of them up. And their experiences in LA had also trained them for various scenarios in ranking wars.

Roody's Wreckers had a rogue, a mage, a healer, and a tank in their team. Roody was their berserker, someone who took care of their mid-range attacks. Something they were missing because of him dropping out.

A rogue was akin to a close combat expert. But they'd use crafty tricks in their attacks to sneak behind their enemies. Unlike the close combat experts, they won't engage with their opponent in a frontal assault.

The rogue in the Roody's Wreckers had an affinity with the derived element of fog. That alone with his element-specific spells allowed the guy to generate and control a dense amount of fog in his surroundings.

The referee started the countdown. And soon a bell rang in the surrounding area, indicating the start of the match.

Eren knew the battle was not going to be won over easily just because he had used the battle pass. He never underestimated his opponents. But his OCD-ish behaviour kicked in for real when he knew the opponent this time was superior to him in BTP value.

As soon as the ring was heard, Eren launched him towards the rogue. The latter also had the same idea it seemed. Because his spells and fighting style made it difficult for his team members to help him.

Eren was not alone. He was accompanied by Renita. He had told the dual berserkers and their tank to hold the fort while he took care of the rogue. If left unchecked, the rogue had the potential to tilt the scales in the enemy's favour with his sneak attacks at crucial times. Eren's team needed to take care of him first.

"Boy, you seem pretty confident in fighting it out with a second-year. You at least have guts. But sometimes they are not everything, you know. Hahaha!"

Eren kept quiet at the opponent's remark as they were about to clash. He didn't like to use talk-talk techniques to engage with his opponents. That was reserved for either before the battle to incite them. Or after it when he won over them to rub salt over their wounds.

Sedated Perception was activated by Eren as soon as the fog started building up in the surroundings with the rogue being at its epicentre. He wasn't taking any chances to watch how the enemy reacted. The pre-emptive strike was his favourite move anyway.

The rogue could only see Eren disappearing in the white fog he had created with his spell. But he only smiled devilishly after he saw that move. In the domain of fog, only his opponents could go blind. Not him.

That's because the rogue's spell also acted as an extra sense for him to know the precise location of his opponent within the domain of fog. It would also interfere with the opponent's mana sense and make it almost impossible for them to know his location.

In a way, the rogue's spell and his element was a perfect counter to Eren's Sedated Perception. The butcher still had exceptional speed and reflexes due to his spell and class. But he couldn't make the best use of them in the domain of fog.

Eren vanished from the rogue's sight but found himself getting surrounded by his opponent's fog. His mana sense was also sending him mixed signals so he retracted it to avoid confusion.

'Damn it. How do I search the fuc*ker in this blinding fog.'

Eren took his two katars out and ran Blitz Bolt through them. He was ready for the opponent's strike. He thought that maybe he had used Sedated Perception hastily without understanding the enemy's battle strategy.

What if he decides to draw out the match? Or if he leaves the domain of fog while Eren is inside waiting on him to attack? Eren started doubting his moves when he heard a familiar yet not-so-familiar voice in his head:

'Enemy incoming. 4 O clock.'

The gem has talked again.

AN: This bonus chapter is released in advance because VEH is going to receive another set of 100 GTs. ;)

DPS means Damage Per Second. The term is used when a character's build or class focuses more on increasing the potency of their attacks than on defence.