Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Yugi was scared to death when she thought that Eren was about to take her life.

She had never experienced such a life-threatening situation ever before. As such, it was only natural that she would be paralyzed when she came face to face with it.

Her limbs stopped responding and her body became as heavy as rock after she pulled her consciousness out of Eren's illusory world. She had never experienced an ocular Skill that could make her so helpless.

'I… I would have died if it wasn't for Jen,' she thought to herself as she got behind Jen. She felt indebted to Jen for saving her life. However, when she saw Jen licking the bloody fingers that were coated in Eren's blood, she had another thought.

Jen's appearance had changed a bit after she used Cat Goddess Bastet's divine blessing to revive herself. Her ears had elongated a bit more than the previous state. Her eyes had turned beastly and her stature had been shortened to some extent.

Jen's ginger hair had turned a shade darker. Plus, there was a layer of orange body hair on her limbs as well, which made it look as if she had grown cat-like fur.

There was a certain beastly aura mixed within Jen's presence, which made her come across as someone who was only a part human and part something else. Yugi didn't know if the altered appearance was a temporary thing or a permanent state of the affair for the revived Jen.

However, she knew that such a powerful blessing like [ Goddess Bastet's Blessing: Nine Lives Ten Deaths ] would surely come with some kind of side effect.

'Wait. Goddess Bastet's Blessing kicks in immediately. This pussycat bitch only chose to revive herself when the enemies were at their most vulnerable. This means…. She was using us as bait.'

Yugi drew another conclusion from her teammate's behavior, which darkened her expressions. The gratitude she felt earlier towards Jen vanished into thin air.

"Eren!"

Vasco summoned his Flame Ifrit to forcibly move Eren away from Jen, hurling him in Vasco's direction. Taking advantage of the diversion, the Flame Ifrit executed a suicidal attack on Jen.

Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.

Jen adeptly dodged the explosion, utilizing her nimble figure and feather-light movement Skill to create a safe distance, still holding onto the injured Yugi.

Vasco did not make his Flame Ifrit trigger an explosion to take Jen down in the first place. His intention was to separate Eren from the assailants, preventing any immediate follow-up attacks.

Eren, in a vulnerable state, was caught by Vasco before crashing to the ground. He vomited a mouthful of blood as soon as he was held by Vasco. It seemed that he was trying to control the bleeding because of the fatal attack dealt to him by Jen.

Vasco inspected Eren's injury with beads of sweat running down his cheeks. The severity of the wound suggested that healing required a specialized Skill or a healer-type Profession—

none of which they possessed.

'He's on the brink,' Vasco concluded, sensing the impending demise of his companion. He cast a glance filled with dread and anger at Jen, believing she had been dealt with by Eren and Horen earlier.

A distinct scar on Jen's neck revealed the mark of Horen's broadsword, a sign that she had reattached her head, granted by the Cat Goddess Bastet's blessing. The scar, however, remained as evidence of her encounter with death. It also made Vasco realize that whatever he saw about Jen was real. That Jen really had made use of the divine blessing to change the outcome of the clash in her favor.

Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.

Horen's bloody body flew towards Vasco and Eren before crashing right in front of them, creating a mini crater. His muscular body was riddled with slash wounds and blunt force trauma. Raif had managed to do quite a number on the body cultivator thanks to the fact that Horen was already pushing himself to battle with the guy.

After all, Horen and Eren had overexerted themselves physically and spiritually dealing with the demonic creatures earlier. The toll from their last battle hadn't quite worn off when Jen's team had decided to show themselves.

Cough. Cough. Cough.

Horen, coughing blood, made a concerted effort to stand on shaky legs. Frantically shaking his head, he sought spatial awareness lost in the intense clash with Raif.

A sharp slap to his face brought clarity to his blurred vision, and he finally grasped the gravity of the situation. He breathed deep before screaming loudly to vent out his anger and frustration. Then all of a sudden, he went into silent mode as he looked at his opponents with eyes that didn't have a shred of regret in them.

"Don't… Don't worry about me. I'm fine," he assured his battered teammates, standing without glancing back at them. A strangely eerie smile adorned his bloody face, lending him an unsettling, maniacal appearance.

'Haah! Don't worry about me, he says. You are fine? YOU ARE FINE? Mate, I hate to break it to you but you are not fine. WE are not fine. All fucking three of us,' Vasco cursed Horen in his head just to feel better. But the reality in front of him made him introspect his actions as well.

'Not like I was much help in the situation. Eren and Horen did what I didn't have the guts to do. These three hijackers would have chosen to attack us anyway, even if we had decided to retreat. I heard Cat Goddess Bastet's devout followers just look for troubles. Plus, they are nothing but scavengers who like to claim what they find most interesting.'

Vasco drew his conclusion as he observed Jen. One had to admit that the man had considered various aspects simultaneously in such a short span. It was as if his mind processed this brief stalemate differently than the rest.

As if he was genuinely experiencing various memorable moments of his life flashing before his eyes like a moving film.

'Is this what they call an epiphany on the deathbed?' he questioned himself.