Chapter 1880 The Chessblade Knight
Chapter 1880 The Chessblade Knight
?A profound silence enveloped the surroundings, offering a brief respite to Eren while haunting whatever remained of his demon adversaries.
As Keram, the leader of the demon beasts, bore witness to the relentless slaughter and consumption of his familiars by Eren within the Sin Series Domains, a plethora of emotions danced across his features.
Initially, confidence and authority radiated from his countenance as he led his horde towards Eren's domain.
However, as the battle unfolded and his once formidable forces fell one by one to Eren's overwhelming demonic might, a growing sense of horror and desperation washed over him.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he witnessed the gruesome fate befalling his familiars, their agonized screams piercing the battlefield.
With each demon beast that succumbed to Eren's onslaught, Keram's demeanor shifted from defiance to despair.
'This… this was a wrong idea. I shouldn't have listened to that harlot. At this point, he– he is more dangerous than those Demon Earls.'
The realization that his authority as their leader was powerless against Eren's might gnawed at him, filling him with a profound sense of inadequacy.
Before Keram could retract his decision and order his familiars to retreat, they had already fallen prey to Eren's domains.
The brevity of this one-sided confrontation spoke volumes about Eren's dominance in the eyes of the remaining demon beast leaders and their respective hordes.
The neutral demon beast leaders silently thanked their stars when they realized that their decision to remain spectators was the right one. Adding more enemies in front of Eren would have only served to aid him in gathering more Faustian Rune Fragments at their expense.
"What's wrong? If you won't approach me, I will," Eren remarked coldly, casting a callous gaze at Sifrona and Keram.
The Sin Series tattoos that adorned his body twisted and turned, resembling agile serpentine creatures slithering across his skin, as if eager to unleash further horrors upon the demon beasts after the conclusion of the first round.
Step.
Eren took a step forward, crushing the skull of a B-Ranked demon beast beneath his feet. Another step landed on the unrecognizable, mangled remains of an aerial demon beast, blood oozing from the severed parts as Eren firmly planted his leg over it without care.
"Ma– ma– my lord, for– forgive me. I– I was blaai–" Keram stuttered, mortified as he watched Eren approach.
He was about to plead for his life, but before he could do so, Eren raised his right hand and made a grabbing action towards Keram. In the next moment, multiple spectral hands resembling Eren's materialized in the surroundings.
These spectral hands were a form of Soul Spell– the same kind that the Witch of the Enderflames had once used in her Purgatory when Eren was unconscious during the branding of the Sin Series Marks. The witch had used the Soul Hands of her dragon transformation to contend with the seven-headed serpentine statue that had come alive after sensing Eren's bloodline.
After reaching late-stage Grandmaster status with potent Spirit Force, Eren had managed to unlock this power as well.
In an instant, a swarm of spectral hands surrounded Keram, latching onto his body. These Soul Hands represented Eren's authority as a nascent Demon Emperor and exerted a significant oppressive effect on a demon beast leader of Keram's caliber.
One of the Soul Hands wrapped around Keram's mouth, silencing him, while the others immobilized his limbs. The demonic runes on these Soul Hands began to transfer onto Keram's body, turning them into shackles.
Some of the Soul Hands bore Gluttony Mouths on their palms, their forked spectral tongues lashing out eerily.
Others carried the might of the Chains of Avarice, while some were coated in the Wrath Flames.
There were spectral hands holding Seeds of Jealousy, while others were coated in Sloth mana, spreading the Shroud of Lethargy in their vicinity.
The spectral hands lifted Keram's body into the air as Eren continued to walk toward him with slow, deliberate steps. He retrieved two random nameless swords from his Inventory and manifested two more Soul Hands, handing them the summoned weapons.
"Did you think I was merely saying things for shits and giggles when I said there'd be no going back when I start? Why do some people never want to take me seriously until the moment when it is too late for them to do so? Do people think I'm easy to bully?" Eren asked a question while looking at Keren. However, those who listened to his words felt as if these questions were personally asked to them.
Keram's limbs were stretched in opposite directions by the Soul Hands gripping his body, leaving no spot free. This was a public execution, those who witnessed it quickly deduced the situation in their heads.
The other demon beast leaders' expressions changed to dread as they witnessed this scene. Yet, nobody came to help Keram, not even Sifrona, the prime instigator behind the battle.
Meanwhile, Nyxus looked at Eren with veneration as she saw him wielding his demonic heritage. She no longer cared about what happened to her former colleagues. She had defected to Eren's side and was pleased with her decision after witnessing his power.
To the demons, power and authority were everything. They respected the demonic hierarchy and the inherent order that came with it. As such, Nyxus didn't have to struggle much to muster feelings of adoration for Eren in her heart.
"Hmm. it seems you have evolved from a dire wolf," Eren remarked, narrowing his gaze on the motionless Keram before his expression turned cold. "You know… I hate your kind," he said as he gestured for the summoned Soul Hands beside him to fly toward Keram, each holding a nameless sword in its grip.
The demons watched with trepidation as the swords closed in on Keram's body. Coated in the Sin Series Mana of various kinds, these nameless swords first slashed onto Keram's two beastly arms, severing them from their shoulders.
It was a clean and precise cut, with no mess.
The reason why no blood came out?
The demonic runes writhing over Keram's body like centipedes. They stopped the bleeding and instead allowed the Gluttony Mouths to feed on Keram's blood, acting as some form of demonic "straws."
The severed arms were caught mid-air by additional spectral Soul Hands, preventing them from falling lifelessly to the ground.
Two more spectral hands entered Keram's severed arms, taking control of them and causing them to hover in the air alongside the rest of his body parts.
Next…
Keram's legs were forcibly stretched apart even further, and then the nameless swords struck his crotch, cleanly severing his manhood and testicles in one precise motion.
The detached sack of testicles was intercepted by Keram's own severed arms before being brought toward his mouth.
"Eat those fucking balls," Eren ordered Keram with an unwavering tone, leaving no room for questioning or hesitation. Several Gluttony Mana-coated hands dissolved into Keram's body, instilling a mindless gluttony within him.
The demon beast leaders watched in shock and horror as Keram began to consume his own severed body parts without protest or resistance. Soon, even his own phallus was offered to him, and he devoured it without uttering a sound.
Witnesses at the scene felt a chill run down their spines as they observed Keram's helpless state.
There was no longer any doubt in their minds that Eren was more demonic than all of them combined.
With a snap of his fingers, Eren signaled the end of Keram's ordeal. The nameless swords swiftly decapitated him, and his body was torn apart vertically by the myriad Soul Hands before being chopped into numerous pieces.
The Soul Hands, with Gluttony Mouths as their palms, devoured Keram's entire being before any of his fleshly parts could even reach the ground.
The Gluttony Mana hands scattered in all directions, seizing even the tiniest piece of flesh before consuming it. The scene resembled a mortal body falling into a pool teeming with piranhas. 𝘧𝓻ℯ𝑒𝑤𝓮𝒷𝓷𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Once their task of holding Keram's own groin was complete, Eren allowed Keram's arms to be devoured as well. Before long, Keram had vanished into thin air entirely.
It was undeniable that Keram met his end with significant trauma.
How could he have known that the vengeful demon that was Eren had a penchant for taking out his frustrations on all forms of wolves, especially after one had dared to mutilate his groin in his first timeline?
"Now you—" Eren began, intending to address Sifrona next.
However, before he could do so, he sensed her approaching with extreme agility.
"Hm? What is this little vixen up to?"
Eren didn't feel threatened by her approach. As a nascent Demon Emperor, he could discern that Sifrona wasn't motivated by vengeance or greed in confronting him; rather, she was gripped by extreme fear.
Swoosh. Zoom. Kneel.
"My lord, forgive me. Please forgive me," Sifrona pleaded as she knelt before Eren, her head touching the ground. She had relinquished her prestige as a demon beast leader and surrendered herself to Eren.
"That poor wolf died because of you, and now you expect me to forgive you?" Eren asked, smiling as he gazed at the kneeling Sifrona. He found the demon phoenix before him to be quite intriguing.
Sifrona remained silent upon hearing Eren's words. What else could she say at this point? She gritted her teeth and maintained her silence, fully submitting herself to the act of surrender.
With one leg placed over Sifrona's head, Eren turned his gaze toward the silent spectators beside him. "Does anyone else wish to challenge me? Now is your best chance. If you don't seize this opportunity, you will be left with two choices: either submit to me entirely or risk not leaving this battlefield alive."
The demon beast leaders wasted no time in submitting to the nascent Demon Emperor after witnessing the horrifying spectacle of Keram's execution.
"Alright, fine," Eren sighed dramatically as he observed Sifrona and the other demon beast leaders prostrate themselves on the ground before assuming the same kneeling position, their heads touching the ground.
"Raise your heads and let your souls be receptive to my authority."
Initially, Eren hadn't intended to turn the demon beast leaders present at the scene into his subordinates. He would rather devour them all.
However, he realized that they still controlled a significant number of demon beast hordes, far too many for him to control individually.
While he could eliminate them without breaking a sweat, controlling such a number of demon beasts was another matter.
Thus, Eren reconsidered his initial decision and subdued these demon beast leaders to gain control over the hordes they commanded. Soon, their Faustian Contracts were altered, making Eren the sole demon boss they would ever serve.
He then commanded them, "Take me to the Demon Earls. I want to meet them." Turning around, he added, "And oh? Those human sleepyheads you see further back? Instruct your familiars to bring them with us. I don't want them left behind as we venture into the depths of the Shadowed Grove."
The demon beast leaders exchanged glances before obeying Eren's orders. As Eren walked through the sea of demon beasts with his hands behind his back, the tamed demon beast leaders followed closely behind him.
For the time being, the hordes of demon beasts dispersed, blending into the unrecognizable landscape of the Shadowed Grove.
In the end, Eren was visible as he made his way toward the center of the forest, his newly acquired demon beast leaders guiding him forward.
***
After a few days.
Siren's Sanctuary's underground facility.
blinked his eyes open, feeling as though he had just emerged from a vivid dream. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, he noticed a faint sensation of someone trying to contact him.
Opening Menaka's Blessing, he smiled upon seeing the familiar face of Vasco attempting to communicate with him.
"Vasco! Long time no see," Eren greeted warmly as Vasco's real-
time image appeared on a Spectral Screen.
This secure communication method was standard among Demon Slayers, ensuring their conversations remained confidential, even as Eren lived undercover in Sunhaven.
"Hm? Is that your undercover look? You didn't make much effort to conceal yourself, did you?" Vasco chuckled, observing Eren's distinct persona under the name Ren Roman Idril.
"I called because Horen and I have officially joined your mission. It's coming to an end in a few months, right? The Corps agreed to provide backup, and we've applied to fill that position," Vasco explained, a smile on his face.
Surprised but pleased, Eren nodded.
Vasco and Horen had told him before the trip parted that they would join him after wrapping up with their end of the Demon Slaying missions.
It seemed that the two still wanted to repay the favor to Eren that he did during their Demon Slayer testing grounds.
"Alright. Meet me at Sunhaven to discuss further. We'll need to plan ahead if we want to do this right. I'll send you the coordinates. Come as soon as you can," he instructed before preparing to leave the facility.
"By the way, have we identified the target?" Eren inquired, curious about the latest developments in the mission.
"Yes, just hours ago. The target's official name isn't known, but his Kaiser title in Labh Salem is the Chessblade Knight," Vasco replied, glancing at the information displayed on his Spectral Screen.
Eren's expression turned solemn upon hearing the target's title, memories of his childhood flooding back.
"Did you cheat, son?"
"Son, perhaps the reason they don't like you is because you don't like them. Why would they play with someone who doesn't like or see them as a friend?"
"People don't always need a profound reason to hate something, son. Sometimes, they don't need a reason at all. They can hate anything that is unusual or anyone who is not like them."
"This is your battle, son. You have to handle it yourself."
"Sometimes, on the battlefield and in life in general, you have to lose a bit to win big. Always remember this, my son."
"A smart mind needs discipline. A routine. Otherwise, it will overthink and overindulge in negative things and destroy you from within. So be careful of your own mind. It is your strongest weapon and most dreadful enemy."
"We are different, you and me. Always remember this, my boy."
The echoes of the past reverberated in Eren's mind, each word resounding in his ears as though he had just heard them anew.
Yet, in the next moment, they receded into the distance, growing hazier with each passing second until they faded away entirely.
Though the people of Labh Salem may remain unaware of the Chessblade Knight's true identity, Eren knew.
This alias belonged to the person who had significantly influenced his childhood, despite their limited time together.
"Father, you're here too?" Eren murmured to himself as he abruptly ended his call with Vasco.
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AN: Volume 11: Beyond the Veil ends with this chapter release. See you in the next one. :)