Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-1812

"Hm? Where am I?"

Arman awoke from what felt like a long slumber. Glancing around, he realized he was still lying in the backyard of Siren's Sanctuary.

"Ugh! Shit. Sand got into my mouth."

Arman coughed out the sand particles he had almost gulped down. Standing up, he noticed his joints making sounds, an aftermath of exerting himself to the brink of total exhaustion before Eren's ocular power forced him into a forced "sleep."

"I don't understand. Why did I sleep here? My memory is a bit foggy," Arman mumbled to himself and sighed.

Spotting his sword, he asked himself, "Oh? My spear's here. Was I practicing out in the back with the teacher?" as he lifted his E-Ranked spear. This artifact, gifted by Eren, held a top-class quality that surpassed any artisan in Sunhaven or nearby cities.

Kayara, Roza, and Reen had left Arman alone, realizing there was no immediate danger to Sunhaven. Unable to ask questions due to the blurred memories of his spar with Eren, Arman considered shrugging off the incident and returning to work.

"Never mind. I have a lot of things to do in the shop," Arman was about to dismiss the incident from his mind when he noticed Eren's wooden sword lying not too far away.

"Hm?" Arman approached the wooden sword, studying it for a moment. Deciding to lift it with mana, he found it unyielding. Pouring more E-Rank mana into the task produced the same result. Attempting to pick it up with his hand, he felt a sudden change in sensation.

It started as if he held a hilt dipped into magma, followed by the touch of frost ice. Then, it felt like holding a storm, and in the next moment, he sensed the weight of an entire city in his free hand.

Arman felt as if he were trapped in various forms of illusions for hours on end, though only a moment had passed in real life. He was exposed to different elements and elemental magic that caused his Mana Pathways to expand and stimulate his mana core.

This wasn't all. Arman began to sense a vile bloodlust crawling over his body from the contact he made with the sword using his hand. For a brief period, it felt like he had killed hundreds of Practitioners in the most violent and gruesome ways possible.

This bloodlust and vile energy would have broken Arman's psyche if he had been exposed to it for longer. Fortunately, this bloodlust didn't integrate into him because Arman's Individuality wasn't suitable to wield it.

It was as if the wooden sword had almost become a quasi-spiritual artifact, able to sense the wielder's aura and bestow him with suitable gifts.

Arman's face turned red as he experienced everything at once. Unbeknownst to him, he had been exposed to Eren's Individuality when he tried to hold the latter's wooden sword.

When Eren first entered Labh Salem, he observed that his Sin Series Abilities were starting to affect the people around him without him even doing anything. At that time, he used the Mesh to his advantage to eliminate the side effect.

However, this could be considered a stopgap measure without addressing the root cause.

Eren made conscious efforts to integrate well with the common populace of Sunhaven. However, some aspects of his Individuality couldn't be kept hidden even if he wanted to. They leaked intermittently, subconsciously.

Even Eren didn't have a complete idea of what it meant to be a demi-god walking among mortals. Someone as young as him shouldn't have become a demi-god in the first place.

Among all the demi-gods currently active in Labh Salem, he had the shallowest foundations.

As Eren's mortal vessel grew stronger to contain his immortal soul, his Individuality began to affect everything around him. His Tantra strengthened his soul and body simultaneously, making him stronger day by day.

Eren also attempted to use Origin Force to his advantage, expediting his Ranking Progress. However, traces of the Origin Force unconsciously leaked from his body as a result of his regular utilization.

***

"Aaaaaaah!"

Arman screamed as he attempted to hold onto the sword with his grip. Strangely, instead of letting go, he found himself gripping the wooden sword even harder. Consequently, some of Eren's Individuality ended up integrating itself with Arman. After a few seconds, Eren's aura on the sword vanished into thin air, turning it into an ordinary plaything.

"Aaaaaah!"

Eren's Weapon Comprehension imprinted itself into Arman's memories, causing him to wince in pain as he clenched his head. Unbeknownst to him, a trace of Eren's Elemental Attainments and concoction knowledge was also unknowingly passed down to Arman.

"What… What just happened?" Arman asked himself, looking at the wooden sword with wary eyes. He scanned it with his Mana Sense before picking it up once again, only to find that it was now easy to lift. He concluded that the wooden sword was as normal as it could get, at least not anymore.

"Strange. Really strange," Arman mumbled to himself as he examined the wooden sword in his hand. Despite his lingering fear, he decided to store it in his Inventory.

Arman didn't think much about the sword. However, he was more sure than ever about his earlier conjecture– that Eren was special.

With numerous questions swirling inside his head, Arman chose to tend to the shop after this peculiar occurrence.

Little did he know that the wooden sword he had picked up would one day become his family heirloom, passed down to his descendants as a mysterious artifact granting various knowledge and power.

***

The aftermath of destroying the pseudo-avatar had taken a toll on Eren, leaving him visibly weakened and mentally fatigued.

The fight between Nira and Lemaar, who was controlled by Eren, didn't last long. It was over within a few minutes after Eren's possession. However, it took a while for Eren to snap out of the mysterious state he had found himself in.

"Are... are you alright?"

Shallot asked, her face and voice showing signs of concern. Eren continued to cough, attempting to adjust his breathing.