Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

The trio had separated from each other so that their enemies wouldn't be able to pin them in one place and focus their attacks.

And yet, the distance was just enough for them to intervene in one another's fight, providing support to anyone who needed it the most.

Eren had long come to accept the way people on Labh Salem did things, which was a lot different from the party-based system of Anfang. People in Labh Salem fought their own battles without there being a specific role for anyone in their groups.

For example, people in Labh Salem didn't care that they did not have someone with a focus on healing-typer powers in their groups. The roles of Rangers, close-combat personnel, mid-range fighters, and Tanks weren't predefined from the start either. Needless to say, the presence of a Historian in a group was a foreign concept to Salemians.

Here, the group strategies did not revolve around battle styles that took into account each other's advantages. The planning generally entailed the division of labor in its most straightforward form. Any cooperation to tackle a common big foe would only be considered during critical situations when they had no choice.

Of course, it did not mean that groups from Labh Salem did not believe in team-play at all. It was just that they couldn't be called members of the same party.

There was a certain element of unpredictability attached to the use of Skills that made it difficult for people to come up with party-based battle styles. Sticking to these battle styles for an extended period was even more difficult. After all, nobody could assure themselves or their team members that they would keep on using the same Skill they had unlocked for themselves.

Thanks to the convenience provided by the Mesh, anyone could do anything as long as they had invested the right amount of time and effort into buying relative Skills and kept on upgrading them. Thus, the dedicated roles attached to the traditional party-based system didn't really work in Labh Salem.

However, the unpredictability introduced by the Skills was exactly the reason Eren wanted to ally with Horen and Vasco despite knowing the fact that a party-based support system did not exist in Labh Salem. He needed the two to handle a certain number of enemies for him so that he could have some breather to himself.

Eren wasn't foolish enough to believe that he would be able to handle all the enemies by himself just because he had a few inherent advantages over them. All this while keeping his trump cards hidden from the inspective gazes in a controlled environment.

***

'It's their wolf-like features. It makes me want to mutilate their genitals.'

Eren thought to himself as he found himself surrounded by the gang of shapeshifted Emberfang Ironwolves. One could also describe them to be demonic werewolves.

He stood poised amidst the swirling darkness of the Ever-changing Corridors, his dual swords, Rigor Mortis, glinting ominously. The Emberfang Ironwolves emerged from the shadows, their red eyes gleaming with malice. A predatory tension hung in the air as they circled their prey.

[ Skill: Blitz Bolt ]

[ Skill: Blitz Steps ]

[ Skill: Blitz Wave ]

Purple lightning crackled around Eren's form as he activated his lightning-based Skills. In an instant, arcs of electrifying energy shot forth, aimed at the approaching Ironwolves. The flashes of purple illuminated the surroundings, casting an eerie glow on the demonic creatures.

After spending several months in Labh Salem, Eren successfully reacquired many of his spells in the form of Skills. Utilizing the Menaka's Runes he had accumulated, he purchased the Skills he was most familiar with from Menaka's Market.

Eren's expertise with his preferred spells proved advantageous as he regained access to familiar Skills. Upon unlocking these Skills, he demonstrated immediate effectiveness in their use. Moreover, Eren discovered a unique approach to manipulate the behavior of these Skills.

By activating the Skills through the Mesh, promptly deactivating them, and then manually seizing control of the mana involved, Eren found he could modify the Skills as if they were the spells he had been accustomed to casting in Anfang. It enabled him to make his Skills more unpredictable than before at the cost of increasing his mana consumption by a bit.

Of course, the trade-off was worth it because people in Labh Salem were not used to deviated Skill casting. They could not use the Mesh-based tools to predict Eren's attacks.

It's worth noting that this method didn't grant Eren Skill Ownership or transform the Skills into Unique Skills, given his unconventional approach to casting. Nevertheless, Eren was unfazed by these limitations.

He felt a sense of relief as he gained control over the diverse battle styles he had refined in Anfang.

***

Reacting swiftly, the Emberfang Ironwolves shifted their forms, avoiding the initial onslaught. Their ironclad bodies moved with unnatural agility, displaying the versatility bestowed upon them by their demonic nature. Eren, undeterred, adjusted his perception of time using his time-element Skills.

[ Skill: Stunning Speed ]

[ Skill: Sedated Perception ]

As the Emberfang Ironwolves lunged at him, their movements seemed sluggish to Eren. The world around him slowed, giving him a crucial advantage. With a swift motion, he parried the iron claws of one wolf and countered with a whirlwind of slashes from Rigor Mortis.

Howl!

The not-so-sentient demonic werewolves howled in pain and agony as they tried to attack Eren by surrounding him. Some of them found out that their limbs had been severed from their joints. Some had their bodies flayed, the flesh destroyed to expose the bones underneath.

Some werewolves had their genitals mutilated because of Eren's strikes. Some had their jaws broken and made to open weirdly. Some of the werewolves had their guts spilling out and some had their vital organs pierced.

All of this happened within a few moments as soon as the werewolves launched a well-coordinated attack on the butcher. However, they quickly found out that Eren had an advantage in terms of the deviated Skill usage all along.

The inherent Skill runes on his swords ignited, enveloping his enemies in crimson flames that matched the intensity of the wolves' red iron furs.

[ Weapon-based Skill: Invi Blaze ]

[ Weapon-based Skill: Purple Reaver ]

Eren danced through the battlefield, seamlessly blending his purple lightning and red fire Skills. Each strike was a deadly display of precision and power.

The Emberfang Ironwolves, despite their resilience, struggled to keep up with Eren's accelerated perception of time as well as his vicious attacks.