Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren had always been curious about demonic possessions ever since learning about the existence of demons.

The idea that demons could profoundly influence someone's actions through demonic takeovers fascinated him.

Consequently, Eren had been working on projects related to demonic possessions and the alteration of Faustian Contracts for a long time. He had worked on such projects ever since he had established himself well in Anfang.

With decades of experience in the field, he could hunt demons and utilize the Faustian Rune Fragments extracted from them to fuel his own growth.

Moreover, since obtaining possession of Shallot's Mirror, Eren's interest in Elemental Clones had increased. He was aware that Shallot's Mirror provided him an unfair advantage in creating clones, allowing him to use them as if they were separate incarnations of himself without harming his soul in any way.

Conception of an idea was easy but how could one go about it?

The demonic possession wasn't something an ordinary mortal with an ordinary soul could dabble in, even if they were demonically inclined to wield potent infernal energies. Moreover, the process requires the user's soul to split into various parts, potentially harming their sense of self in the process.

This was the reason why demons possessed someone through Demon Soul Fragments. These Soul Fragments would then attach themselves to the souls of the vessels, allowing the demons to slowly corrode the vessels' personalities until the demons were able to take complete control of the bodies using the demonic takeover.

However, demons were created through the accumulation of various infernal emotions gaining consciousness in the Hvergelmir Springs in the first place. Therefore, demons had it relatively easy when it came to creating Demon Soul Fragments.

However, the same could not be said for demonic entities with a genuine soul. They could permanently damage their Soul Space or experience other types of side effects when creating Soul Fragments out of their fragile souls.

The act of splitting oneself wasn't easy. One needed to achieve a sufficient Status in their Path before they could even think of messing up with their own souls. In Eren's case, he needed to wait until he became a bonafide Sage even before he could officially begin to possess someone.

***

What about the Elemental Clones?

The Elemental Clones were a field Eren had started working on after he claimed Shallot's Mirror. However, this concept had a few drawbacks. Firstly, the clones couldn't be sustained for a long period of time. Secondly, they could only be used within a certain distance from their original user.

Thirdly, once these clones had been subdued, the original user had no way of resurrecting them without giving away their positions. The users needed to be in proximity to their clones to work in the first place. Even if the original user didn't do anything to prevent the forced dispersion of the clones, their positions would be revealed once the opponents used a certain set of Skills available in the Mesh.

The Elemental Clones also put a significant burden on the user's mental faculties. Even the most talented Elementalists found it challenging to maintain more than three fully functional clones for a sufficient amount of time to make them useful in various scenarios.

Additionally, unlike Anfang, the Practitioners of the Labh Salem were highly advanced in cultivating their Spirit Force. They could easily distinguish between a real person and an Elemental Clone, regardless of any masking techniques used to hide flaws. They could then change their strategies accordingly, making it difficult for the original users to benefit from using the clones.

Eren had extensive knowledge of the pros and cons of the Elemental Clones as he incorporated them into the Lazarus Project to counter many Sages who opposed him. By utilizing his advantages and making strategic use of the Elemental Clones, he managed to defeat many S-Ranked opponents while only being a B-Rank himself.

In the post-Great-Shattering era, Eren also capitalized on his exceptional Elemental Clone abilities. This allowed him to wrap up many active projects in Anfang within a few months, enabling him to permanently relocate to Labh Salem. His clones made him a multitasker, allowing him to work on various fields and projects simultaneously.

This approach of using clones to accomplish tasks enabled Eren to not only save time but also provide him with protection during times of crisis. Despite the efforts and resources invested in creating Elemental Clones, it was all deemed worthwhile when considering their ability to divert attention from the original user.

Eren viewed having an advanced clone creation recipe as an essential lifeline he desperately needed in Labh Salem. The risk of facing a barrage of enemies, particularly if he was identified as Aleph's inheritor, was a constant concern.

While Eren had exposed himself to the world by debuting in Agora, it didn't mean he took his enemies lightly. He desired to earn Origin Force Points, but not when it came at the unnecessary cost of endangering his life in vain. Hence, he decided to retreat to the mortal realm, where he could ensure his safety for the time being.

Realizing that the Immortals would eventually use the Mesh against him, especially as they began utilizing Agora to track him, Eren understood that staying idle was not in his best interest. If he allowed things to unfold naturally, it wouldn't be long before his enemies located him.

As a result, he opted to create false trails using the clones to avoid being actively hunted down by the Immortals and their followers.

AN: Eren decided to create fake trails using the clones in chapter 1744.

Eren's interest in following the path of demons and developing a possession technique to control another entity was first mentioned in chapter 850. The concept of demonic takeover was explained in chapter 1014.

In chapter 1449, Eren first utilizes Elemental Clones in conjunction with Shallot's Mirror. Chapter 1548 discusses how Eren successfully deploys multiple Elemental Clones on the battlefield.

Finally, chapter 1643 highlights his eventual mastery of using the elemental clones.