Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"You're strong, Marina," Eren admitted, his voice carrying over the din of battle.

"But let's see if you can handle this."

Elemental God Spark + Wrath Mana

With a flick of his wrist, Eren channeled his divine aura into Asura, the saber glowing with a dark, ominous light. He sent a series of powerful sword slashes toward Marina, each strike imbued with Wrath Mana.

Marina, caught off guard by the sudden ferocity, was forced to dodge and parry with all her might.

The first few slashes clashed against her draconic armor, creating sparks and a deafening clang. But as Eren poured more Wrath Mana into his attacks, the sheer force behind each strike began to take its toll.

One particularly powerful slash managed to break through Marina's defenses, leaving a shallow but noticeable gash on her arm. She hissed in pain and fury, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Eren.

"Not bad, you fucking weasel," she growled, her voice dripping with venom. "But you'll need more than that to defeat me."

Eren grinned, his emerald green eyes flashing with excitement. "Oh, I've got plenty more where that came from."

He launched himself at Marina once again, Asura singing through the air with a banshee's wail. This saber-type Elder Seed Artifact was as unique as Reen herself in that it didn't give Eren the power to punch above his weight in the beginning.

However, this artifact could keep on growing forever as more and more Wrath Flames were provided to it.

The butcher executed a flurry of swift, precise strikes, each one aimed at exploiting any weak points in her draconic armor. The saber's Wrath Mana became extra potent, leaving trails of flames in its wake.

The island's damaged ground was covered in flames, and the water surrounding the island roared as Eren made use of his powers and abilities.

***

'I… don't fucking believe this. A mere A-Ranked brat managed to make me work this much,' Marina thought to herself as she separated from Eren once again and looked at him with a cocktail of emotions.

Eren's speed and power, bolstered by the Wrath Mana, were pushing her to her limits. She managed to block most of his strikes, but a few slipped through her defenses, leaving severe cuts and bruises on her scaled skin.

Eren could see the frustration building in Marina's eyes and knew he was getting under her skin. "What's the matter, dragoness? Not so tough now, are we?"

Eren hadn't come out unscathed from battling with Marina so intensely. He was injured and bleeding from multiple angles as well. More importantly, he had a huge wound on his shoulder that had almost separated his arm and a good portion of his chest from his trunk.

This severe wound was caused by Marina's claws herself, piercing through Eren's defenses and finally giving him a life-threatening wound. The dragon's will added into the attack was transferred to Eren's wound as well, giving him constant passive damage.

The difference between him and Marina was not just of rank alone. Marina had more experience than Eren, and her raw draconic might was not something he could tackle with neat tricks alone.

One could say that Marina had almost scored a win against Eren with the state they both were in. She only needed to finish what she had started to make sure Eren did not bother her again.

If it was any other Ranker, such a wound was enough for Marina's opponent to accept their defeat. However, Eren just raised his fingers and...

Snap!

Expedited Regeneration + Instant Reset

Eren's healing abilities kicked in, allowing him to recover from the most severe injuries within a blink of an eye. His seven-fold mana core allowed him to use as much mana as he wanted to expedite his healing process.

"Hehehehehe," Marina laughed hysterically as she looked at a completely healed Eren. "You… you are a better punching bag than I thought. Brat, you are making my blood boil. Let's fight once again. Let me see how many times you can heal," Marina challenged Eren with a vicious grin.

"Yeah sure. I mean… I'm all up for the challenge," Eren said, pausing before speaking further. "However, it seems I'll have to get a bit serious while battling with you. Want to see something really interesting?" Eren asked playfully, looking at Marina.

However, the butcher didn't wait for Marina to answer. "Reen dear, come out," he said to his other Elder Artifact Spirit, which was currently merged with his body and lying dormant.

Marina watched with vigilant and wary eyes, realizing that something was off about Eren right after he spoke a few words to someone named Reen. His aura changed, and his mana signatures started giving out mixed signals.

A blob of slime separated itself from Eren's chest. It then stretched in front of Eren while staying connected to his body, almost as if Eren was growing a second head connected to his chest with a slime-like neck.

This blob of slime took shape and transformed into Reen's face. It took a moment for Marina to understand that there was another being attached to Eren while she was dueling with him.

'How… How is that possible? I sensed nothing like this from him. Wait… she… she is…'

Marina was tongue-tied when she sensed Reen's presence from a distance. Even though her aura wasn't that imposing, the dragoness could tell that Reen was a genuine artifact spirit of another Elder Seed Artifact.

"Eren, how… How many Elder Seeds do you have in your possession? Answer me," Marina almost screamed at Eren as she prepared for another round with him. She couldn't help but gulp at the sight of another Elder Seed Artifact.

'I thought the Elder Seed Artifacts were so rare that each world would only be in the possession of a single artifact if that world's denizens were really lucky. Then how come this guy has two of them?

Something doesn't add up. He… He is not just a demi-god with water element God Spark. He has to have a more profound background. Is he… Is he that man,' Marina's mind started working on overdrive as she thought of many possibilities at once.

Eren smirked at Marina but didn't say anything. He looked at Reen casually before speaking further. "Well, what are you waiting for? You know what to do."

"Erni, I thought we were going to fight that god's incarnation," Reen scrunched her nose as she looked at him. She then turned her neck 180 degrees and stretched her slime-like neck as she looked at Marina with an unsatisfied gaze.

"I don't think she is much of a challenge for us," she said while looking at Marina from head to toe. Reen had become more confident and assertive after becoming an artifact spirit.

"Keep that assessment to yourself, you silly slime. When I tell you to do something, you do it. Otherwise, I'll cut back your food allowance," Eren said, looking at Reen's stretched neck.

The sight of Eren talking with what looked like another mutated part of his body would have creeped anyone out. However, Marina was too shaken by Eren's abilities to react normally.

"Aaaah! You don't have to be so mean," Reen said as she brought her face close to Eren's. She spoke to him in a complaining voice.

"I just thought we should fight the biggest and baddest guy out there for our debut together after such a long time in a real battle," she said with a face that showed she felt wronged. However, all she received in response was Eren's stern gaze.

"Alright, alright," Reen said before merging with Eren's form completely. In the next second, Eren's form also started changing. What's more, his transformation was almost instant, turning him into a dragonoid within a span of a second or two.

Eren's forehead now bore the imposing presence of two draconic horns, curving with a blend of regality and menace. From his broad shoulders sprouted massive gray wings, their membranes adorned with intricate patterns that spoke of a draconic lineage.

His once human form was now adorned with scales. While still maintaining his humanoid structure, Eren's physique had transformed. His muscles rippled beneath his skin, the definition of his abs chiseled with precision. His arms and legs, though brawny, exuded a lean gracefulness.

His hands had morphed into formidable talons, echoing the lethal grasp of a wyvern. Yet, it was his legs that truly commanded attention. His mighty leg muscles allowed him to stomp the earth with titanic force, creating craters with a single strike.

Eren's mana reserves surged to new heights, empowering him with explosive spellcasting capabilities. The dragonoid transformation allowed Marina to sense that Eren was harnessing the power of not one, but multiple mana cores within him.

The transformation wasn't just physical. Eren felt like he was a dragon as well.

His senses heightened to an extraordinary degree, allowing him to perceive the world around him with uncanny clarity. His emerald green eyes, once full of human depth, now bore the beastly irises of his draconic lineage.

His face was transformed, covered by a layer of thick scales that made him appear almost monstrous. Standing at an imposing 8 feet, he had finally achieved true dragonoid transformation, triggered with the help of Reen.

Eren had made Reen devour the damaged Wyvern Armor Set in the past, enabling her to act as a wyvern armor whenever Eren wanted her to. The raw power and the thoroughness of the dragonoid transformation triggered by Reen were far superior to Eren's previous experience with the armor set.

"What… what the hell are you two abominations?"

Marina murmured to herself, looking at Eren's new dragonoid form with an aghast expression. If she hadn't witnessed the transformation herself, she would have mistaken Eren for another of her dragonkind. Marina's expression was a testament to the level of transformation Eren had achieved using Reen as the medium.

"We… we are what we need to be," Eren and Reen spoke simultaneously, their voices creating a strange reverberating effect.

===

AN: Eren uses the improved Wyvern Armor Set in chapter 1462. Reen devours the wyvern artifact spirit of the Hex armor in chapter 1636.

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