Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

While Eren was busy proposing to Marina, the battle between his forces and the Raashim Temple's warriors was also reaching its conclusion.

Before the Empusai arrived, it seemed as though Raashim's temple forces would be able to hold their ground against Eren's army.

Even though Eren had summoned the might of four Demon Earls under his command, Baga Island was the temple's stronghold.

It had accumulated centuries' worth of support—from offensive array formations and various mana-powered defensive systems to numerous support-type buffs that Raashim's followers could access. Even S-Rankers like Naya and Roza couldn't act as they pleased, despite the various trump cards they had at their disposal.

However, it turned out that the Empusas were the perfect counter to the temple's defenses. Their spirit-like forms made them immune or highly resistant to most of the offensive and defensive array formations spread across Baga Island.

The Empusas had feminine forms, and a few of them resembled Eren's former female companions from his days in Anfang. Many others, however, were faceless beings with no prior connection to him, simply responding to his summons due to his status as a Young Demon Emperor.

These Empusas were sentient for the most part and highly vicious. With their upper halves, they wielded an array of weapons and cast various spells and skills. With their lower halves, they slithered effortlessly across Baga Island, maneuvering far more easily than the rest of demonkind.

Some of the Empusas Eren had personally summoned beforehand had also joined the battlefield.

For example, the Empusa modeled after Renita had been given a specialized crossbow artifact by the Demon Earls' subordinates. This particular Empusa possessed the same proficiency and abilities as the real Renita, allowing her to snipe large numbers of Raashim Templars from a distance.

The Empusa based on Nina's soul acted as a veteran healer and support specialist, while the one modeled after Levine de Montmorency used her ethereal potions to suppress Raashim Templars attempting to break through the defensive line at sea.

The only drawback of the Empusai that were directly based on Eren's companions was that they relied on spells instead of skills supported by Menaka's Mesh. This negatively affected their spellcasting time, efficacy, and efficiency.

However, for the most part, this disadvantage was inconsequential to Raashim's Templars, as other demonic forces were there to compensate for it.

There were also other Empusai who acted purely on instinct, using all forms of Sin of Lust-based skills and powers to tempt their opponents before killing them in grotesque ways. Although most skills in the Sin of Lust's skill tree were not suited for frontline battles, a few were exceptionally deadly and vicious.

The Demon Earls were responsible for maintaining this massive army of Empusai. As long as they stood and had mana left, the Empusai were borderline immortal. No matter what tricks or traps the Raashim Templars employed, these creatures simply could not be killed.

The Demon Earls were also cunning in their use of the Empusai that Eren had placed under their command. Rather than fighting on the frontlines, they prioritized directing the army, making more effective use of their time and abilities.

Acting as capable generals, the Demon Earls leveraged the near-invincibility of the Empusai to dismantle many of the defensive array formations set up by the Raashim Templars. This strategy helped them preserve their own forces to a great extent, which in turn provided a significant advantage as the battle raged on.

Furthermore, Eren had granted the worshippers of the Elder Ichor Pantheon seamless access to some of his spells and powers through Blessing Templates. While these Blessings weren't groundbreaking, they played vital roles at crucial moments for his supporters.

For example, the Wind Fire Spell, available through the Mesh to the Elder Ichor worshippers, was versatile enough to be used for support, offense, and defense.

The Expedited Regeneration Skill allowed demon forces to recover from serious injuries at minimal cost, while Sedated Perception not only helped them survive deadly encounters but also enabled them to launch effective counterattacks.

These Spells were some of the most basic abilities that Eren had used when he was nothing but a smallfry compared to his current self. Although he had advanced to using their much more potent variables at this point, spells like Sedated Perception were useful to almost anyone across all realms.

Eren had readily provided these Blessings to Elder Ichor worshippers without expecting much in return.

As a demigod and newly appointed Young Demon Emperor, he couldn't afford to follow the traditional methods of other Immortals, who treated their followers as a well-oiled machine designed to generate profits and faith energy endlessly.

Instead, he chose to invest in his followers, prioritizing their growth and strength over immediate returns. He simply did not have the luxury of being stingy.

***

While the forces below A-Rank fought on the ground, the A-Rankers from both sides engaged in their own battles in midair, away from the main battlefield.

Six sea wyverns supported Raashim's Temple: Kaael, Lyra, Arion, Thalassa, Draven, and Nereida.

They clashed against six demon beasts from Eren's side: Shadowy Behemoth Nyxus, Infernal Phoenix Sifrona, Frost Wyvern Frostbane, Plague Rat Blightwing, Storm Elemental Ruinheart, and Shadow Wyvern Gloomgaze.

If the Demon Earls were considered capable generals of the battle, then the six demon beasts that Eren had once fought in the Shadowed Grove of the Shinjaka Continent served as fierce colonels.

They immediately confronted the six main A-Rankers of Raashim's Temple upon landing on Baga Island, preventing the enemy from making effective use of the array formations.

After all, the strength of the array formations depended on those who operated them for the most part.

With the six sea wyverns absent from the main battlefield, the offensive and defensive arrangements on Baga Island were left in the hands of non-combat-oriented followers of Raashim. This made it easy for the Demon Earls to use Empusai as disposable pawns in order to break through the enemy lines. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Both sides of the Mana Practitioners had taken their beastly forms, and the battle between them was so intense that their respective subordinates did not dare to interfere.

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AN: The six sea wyverns were first introduced in chapter 1908 whereas the six demon beasts were first introduced in chapter 1875.