Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren was standing on a small mountain cliff as he watched Gilhause's summoned creatures from an elevated perspective.

He was sure that he would have considered running away from Gilhause if he only had his close combat class or his summoner class to rely on. The summoner couldn't be defeated with conventional strategies. Especially when Eren was a rank lower than Gilhause.

Eren's gaze was inspective as he gazed at the army of Goliaths, the school of Scorpios, and the mini-mountain-like being that was Behemoth. It was as if he was watching a preview of what his upcoming summoning spells would look like.

However, Gilhause took Eren's silence as him being afraid of his creatures.

The earth element summoner had an evil smile plastered on his face. He and his security detail appeared on the Behemoth's back and looked at Eren from the same altitude as him.

"Hehehe! My summoned creatures are difficult to kill and can be easily replaced by using the earth as a foundation. They allow me to consume less mana while allowing me to choose from a variety of battle styles.

They have allowed me to perform many party wipeouts. After I mastered my spells, I never really lost any battle against opponents of my level."

Gilhause thought that he was trying to intimidate Eren. However, what it truly did was strengthen Eren's resolve to digest Gilhause's gains.

Unaware of Eren's thoughts, Gilhause continued his speech.

"I have a proposal for you, Eren Idril. Get captured by me for the time being. We will renegotiate our terms regarding ownership of White Raven City. We'll use our resources to save you from other organizations that you messed with."

Gilhause's offer surprised him. The guy was using his summoning spells to intimidate him. However, what the butcher was surprised about was the fact that Gilhause offered him a renewed offer even after messing with his clan so much.

"You are not interested in avenging your clan members' deaths?"

Gilhause had a frown on his face after hearing Eren's question. He prevented himself from lashing out at Eren a couple of times before taking a long breath and restarting his thought process anew.

"The fact that you might have killed Remus clan members is indeed regrettable. However, we cannot bring the dead back to life."

Gilhause looked at Eren's undead summons and had another brief pause in his speech. He sighed before adding further.

"We cannot bring them back like normal living breathing beings. I am not saying we will forgive you for your transgressions against us. It will require a lot of commitment and compensation on your part.

However, killing you creates a lot of unwanted effects for us. An intact city is better than a partially ruined one. Especially when we have to share it with other stakeholders.

What we are doing with you is gaining exclusive ownership. We would essentially replace you in the city's tri-party arrangement. This way, the city will remain prosperous and we will avoid sharing our gains with unwanted players."

Eren made an "I am impressed" face at Gilhause's offer. He realized that Gilhause would make a capable member of a business-oriented clan like his. This level of pragmatism is really rare these days.

The butcher chuckled before speaking up in response.

"I really appreciate the offer, Gilhaus. You have risen above and beyond to deliver your sales pitch. And I can also sense that your offer is genuine. If someone else had been in my position, I think they would have accepted your offer.

I am not saying that my city is unsellable. Except for a small number of things, everything else can be bought and sold. One just needs to figure out the right price and they'll be golden.

Nevertheless, I don't see your clan paying the things and prices I want in return for my city. In fact, I don't think any organization that wants the city for itself will be able to pay the price I'm asking. You just have to believe me on this when I say it."

The butcher then smiled mischievously before adding further.

"Besides, I'm getting paid in dividends for my enmity with you. Why would I ever stop that from happening?"

Gilhause sighed deeply as if he was expecting something like this from Eren. At this point, he could only fight.

No further talk was necessary. The mana in the surroundings swirled as the two summoners made their move.

Gillhause moved his Goliaths and scorpios. He sent them to fight his undead. The undead army was also made to move with all its vigor by the butcher. The wrath mana infused within the undead made them fiercer and more active. They approached Gilahuse's army while releasing sharp screeches.

"Screeeee!"

"Groaaaar!"

"Kitchkitchkitch!"

In a few moments, the winner of the first skirmish was decided. The undead tried to attack the golems with all they had. However, they couldn't overwhelm the golems using their spells and attacks. The golems were just too sturdy to be affected by the undeads' attacks.

"Hahaha! Summon more of them, Eren. I will allow it. Let me show you how fearsome my golems can be. Let's have an exciting duel before I end up killing you."

Gilhause looked like he was enjoying bullying another summoner. The first encounter with Eren's undead assured him that he could defeat him easily. The butcher was yet to involve Meera in his attacks against the summoned creatures. However, Gilhause knew that she wouldn't be able to make much difference. At least until Eren's summoned creatures stay weak like this.

The butcher scratched his chin before nodding at Gilhause. He too was interested in having a summoner show off against him to learn more about how he utilized the earth-element summoning spells. He wouldn't miss the live demo for anything.

"Hmm. Let's have a duel. This time, no undead. Um… don't act surprised when you see my next summons though."

Eren said before raising his arm. He made all his undead perform kamikaze attacks on the golems. A distinct set of creatures were about to appear in their stead.

The woodland creatures that Rey Remus used to summon.