Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

[ Skill: Red Solid Sparks ]

A surge of purple lightning surged from Eren's fingertips before condensing into a tangible bolt.

Eren grabbed the lightning-element bolt and hurled it at the incoming enemy, engulfing another Ironwolf in a crackling vortex.

The demonic creature howled in agony as the electric currents seared through its ironclad form. Eren seized the opportunity to close in, delivering a barrage of strikes with Rigor Mortis, each blow leaving a trail of red flames in its wake.

[ Weapon-based Skill: Invi Blaze ] x6

[ Skill: Blitz Steps ]

He closed in on his next group of opponents within a blink of an eye, landing right in the middle of them. He brought his swords together and spun around as he unleashed the accumulated slash attacks in one go. This time, he changed the Elemental Aspect of the fire-element attacks, giving the flames a distinct green shade.

The flames caused by the weapon-based attacks were supposed to be invisible, thanks to the inherent property of the Anduril swords that had still been maintained even though they had been modified by Eren to suit his current needs in the world of Labh Salem. And yet, these flame-based attacks turned visible because of the Elemental Aspect he had used them in conjunction with.

Enderflames!

Howl!

Howl!

Howl!

The noticeable smell of flesh burning assaulted Eren's nostrils right away before it turned hideous. At first, it smelled hunger-stimulating before turning foul.

It was as if the meat kept on the barbeque had suddenly been immersed in combustible fuel that incinerated it and turned it into charcoal in an instant.

A group of four Emberfang Ironwolves died just like that, their still-burning bodies dropped on the ground and Eren's visage was made visible to the onlookers. The bodies soon lost their physical forms, which then transformed into coal and ash.

'Unbelievable,' Eren was shocked by his own performance as he looked at the enemy remains scattered around him. Thankfully, the remaining enemies didn't attack him for some reason, allowing him to process the experience.

'Enderflames are just too powerful but they consume too much of my Spiritual Force. No wonder that witch had it easy when she reached Labh Salem. Only she can wield these flames without worrying about their side effects.'

Eren concluded and sighed. He accessed the Spectral Screen and checked upon a particular stat value that had been used to overpower 4 werewolves at once.

[ Spirit: 780/ 2000 ]

'More than half, huh? Are those flames that scary or am I that incompetent in using them? Either way, those numbers don't look promising.

And this is when I have the highest stat value in Spirit out of all the others. I'll be helpless to do anything else if I use Enderflames on these many enemies at once. I need to find a way to increase my Spiritual Force and mana reserves.

Too bad I can't use Life Drain to replenish my Spirit from the enemies I kill. Otherwise, I would have kept on using Enderflames all the time like that old hag.'

Eren thought to himself. He was forced to accept that Enderflames was a borrowed power he had obtained from Eliza. It didn't really suit his Individuality the way he was at this point.

It was as if he was using someone's crooked mana gun that had its own set of peculiarities. Only the original owner of the mana gun knew how to operate their weapon. Anyone else would either hurt themselves using it or not use it in the right way at all.

Yet, the Enderflames had the potential to become one of his trump cards if he found a way around to minimize the crazy amount of Spiritual Force consumption they required. Either that or he had to look for a way in which he would be able to increase his mana and spiritual reserves.

Grrrr!

Eren was snapped back into reality when he heard the growls and grunts around him along with the sound of backtracking footsteps.

The remaining Emberfang Ironwolves, sensing the shifting tides, hesitated for a moment. They became inherently scared of the Enderflames he had unleashed on their dead peers.

One had to say that Enderflames weren't just scary because of their burning aspect. They also had a psychological impact on one's mind as they consumed so much of the user's Spiritual Force, which made them exude a peculiar type of soul-based pressure.

Eren smiled as he realized what his enemies were thinking. He was once at the receiving end of the horror the flames would incur on anyone. He could see the fear and hesitation in the werewolves' red eyes and knew exactly how they felt. One couldn't fight with their instincts for long.

'Maybe those flashy flames have their use after all,' he thought before stepping forward.

Eren, undeterred, continued his onslaught.

***

With a final, powerful sweep of his dual swords, he dispatched the last of the demonic creatures. He found it easy to dispatch the enemies because they felt instinct-driven suppression whenever Eren got close to them.

When the last enemy died, the glow of fading purple lightning and dissipating green flames cast an otherworldly ambiance. The last enemy he had killed was as strong as a Grandmaster, forcing him to go all out.

The amount of destruction Eren had caused using his basic spells, exceptional agility, and Weapon Arts was something to be awed at. It was a form of art grotesquely.

'This… this is tougher than I expected it to be. Especially with the suppression runes.'

Eren, breathing heavily, deactivated his active Skills. He had to say that the final round of the test was making him use every trump card he had no matter how hard he tried to keep in the wraps.

With wary yet vigilant eyes, he surveyed the aftermath of the battle. The Emberfang Ironwolves that had come for his head lay defeated, their red iron furs now charred and lifeless. If they had identifiable bodies or body parts that is.

"EREN!" cried Vasco as he looked in Eren's direction. The latter sighed before activating his movement Skill and approaching his ally.