Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-1879

Having a broad Ranker's Path was not that useful if Eren's mana core limited its potential.

It was like adding multiple functions to an Array Formation while trying to avoid increasing its operational cost or complexity. Or fitting multiple components into a flying vehicle and expecting it to deliver the same performance and fuel efficiency.

One couldn't just choose the best of the both worlds just because they wanted to.

The use of the pseudo-avatars not only helped Eren stay low-key within the confines of Sunhaven but also allowed him to look at all of his seven paths with a fresh perspective. It enabled him to approach the same problem that he had been having since his time in Anfang with a different mindset.

Eren's use of the "guinea pigs" in Siren's Sanctuary wasn't really one dimensional.

Although he mostly used the prisoners sent by Altair for his research purposes related to the pseudo-avatar creation, he had used a decent portion of his time and resources to unlock a peculiar aspect of the mana core for himself.

Through dedicated research, Eren had steadily progressed in his research related to the infinite mana core, gradually honing in on a promising direction.

Eren soon came to realize that unlocking an infinite mana core wasn't really possible for his current self. He may need to use his pseudo-avatars in different ways and scour the boundless cosmos to look for opportunities.

To do this, Eren would need the witches' heritage– the Elder Seed Artifact that could allow him to send his Soul Imprints to various worlds and finally look for answers related to the infinite mana core. This wasn't something Eren could do with his current powers as he was missing a lot of the pieces of the puzzle.

Yet, thanks to the right direction he had chosen for himself, Eren had finally found a relatively feasible option. If an infinite mana core wasn't possible for the current him, he would have to settle with a seven-fold mana core.

How could Eren pull this off? The answer lied in his seven pseudo-avatars.

Eren had achieved a breakthrough by establishing an ethereal connection between the mana cores of his seven pseudo-avatars using the powers of the Shallot's Mirror. It only needed the Elder Seed Artifact, Eren's Soul Imprints, and a common connection between the individuals that was the Elder Ichor bloodline.

This innovation held the potential to amplify his mana reserves sevenfold, offering a substantial augmentation to his capabilities. As the central controller of these pseudo-avatars, Eren could harness this expanded mana pool to his advantage.

Basically, if the experiment succeeded completely, Eren's mana core would act like a host for all seven of the mana cores wielded by his seven avatars. Thus, Eren's own mana core would be able to harness the mana reserves of all seven mana cores at the same time, shooting his original mana reserves to an absurd amount.

With this enhanced mana reservoir at his disposal, Eren could optimize the utilization of the Sin Series Domains. By reducing his reliance on Spirit Force and supplementing it with his own mana infusion, he could sustain the simultaneous invocation of all seven demonic powers for extended durations.

With this solution, Eren could also use all seven of his Professions at the same time without worrying about a total burnout. If he were to become a Sage with all seven of his Professions intact, he would become an unstoppable force among all the Sages right from the moment he entered the prestigious S-Rank.

The development of the sevenfold mana core still remained in its experimental phase. However, Eren just needed a bit of time and some more "guinea pigs" to perfect his experiments and finally use it for himself.

One had to remember that Eren's ultimate goal wasn't to have a sevenfold mana core. The butcher was a lot more ambitious than one could imagine.

His ultimate objective transcended mere augmentation.

Grimdawn's ambition lay in attaining an infinite mana core, capable of perpetually absorbing and assimilating the world's mana into his own essence. With such a mana core, not only his sevenfold classes but also his sevenfold demonic abilities would also benefit a lot.

As for the in-depth research related to the infinite mana core?

Eren had decided to not dwell on it until he got his hands on the witches' heritage. After all, there was no point in researching something that one was yet to possess.

Eren had decided that he would follow upon the Goddess Great Mother's lead related to the location of a certain Elder Seed Artifact and his research related to the infinite mana core at the same time.

This was provided he somehow managed to obtain the witches' heritage before finally escaping from Labh Salem, leaving it in dust so that he could go somewhere safer and conduct his myriad demonic possessions in peace.

The use of the pseudo-avatars had set the foundation for Eren's myriad demonic possessions all across the boundless cosmos. As long as he survived the upcoming storm revolving around the onset of the Hvergelmir Springs, the butcher could use the unique advantage only available to him to their absolute limits. All he needed was some time and patience.

One had to say that Eren had learned to use Shallot's Mirror like it had never been used by any of its previous owners. With his steady mindset, he had played with the cards he had been dealt with like no other, enabling him to stay many steps ahead of his powerful enemies.

***

This single battle against the hordes of demon beasts had blessed Eren with numerous insights into his experiments concerning both the sevenfold mana core and the infinite mana core.

He resolved to leverage the symbiotic relationship between the Sin Series Marks and Virtue Series Marks as a foundation for his further experiments.

But that wasn't all.

Eren also gained profound insights into the essence of the soul. Or rather, creation of a soul.

Previously, he had suggested to Maya that he might uncover a solution to her dilemma.

While this claim was mostly intended to sway her allegiance, the revelations from the battle led him to believe that there might indeed be a way for Maya to forge a genuine soul for herself, transitioning from artificial to original.

The butcher couldn't help but acknowledge that the experience gleaned from this single battle was as valuable as the Faustian Rune Fragments he had acquired, if not more so.

He expressed nothing but praise and gratitude for all those who had perished in the pursuit of his enlightenment.

===

AN: Found out yesterday that the wrong content was inadvertently posted for Chapter 1871. The intended chapter was meant to depict Kalen's selection as one of Eren's pseudo-

avatars. But a mix-up occurred, and portions of two chapters were combined by mistake. This was due to the copy-pasting error I had in Google Docs without the use of the headers for titles.

If the updated content is not immediately visible, I recommend refreshing the page by opening and closing the book a few times. Alternatively, clearing the cache in the app settings and reopening Chapter 1871 should display the correct content.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, thank you @Doubleline for pointing out the mistake.

Initially, I had planned to cover Eren's demonic powers related to all Sin Series Domains in the next volume. However, I realized that it was long overdue and decided to use the demonstration of these powers to set the foundation for the "Sage of the Seven Paths" volume, by addressing all if it current volume itself.

With this foundation in place, we will have one more volume conclusion chapter before officially starting the next volume. :)