1706 Witches' Sabbath

'Hmm. so it's like a do-it-yourself fiend transformation.'

Eren thought to himself as he processed Roza's words. He could guess that such fiend transformation would allow its users to wield their demonic powers with greater efficiency and effectiveness than before.

The reason why the den dwellers were conducting the demonic rituals was to make themselves more attuned to their demonic nature. This way, they would be better prepared to receive the blessing they could get from the Hvergelmir Springs.

The demonic ritual Eren had thwarted by raiding the den was not an isolated incident. Such rituals were taking place all across Labh Salem as the legend about the Hvergelmir Springs grew.

These preparations were out in the open when it came to the continents governed by the demonic entities. For example, on the continent of Epas where Alephee was, the covens of witches were congregating and conducting demonic rituals en masse.

The coven of witches had named this period in Labh Salem as Witches' Sabbath. They wanted to grow their influence in Labh Salem more than ever before as they sensed the day of Hvergelmir Springs drawing near.

The witches had initiated confrontations with their primary adversaries, the Amazonians, to ensure the success of the Sabbath. Simultaneously, they began infiltrating other continents to extend their demonic influence, all in preparation for the approaching Hvergelmir Springs.

As the Hvergelmir Springs approached, demonic entities found themselves reaching peak strength. The impending event accelerated their progress, granting access to a broader and more potent array of Skills.

Labh Salem seemed to lean towards the demonic faction in anticipation of the Hvergelmir Springs, presenting the faction with an opportunity to claim the entire realm. Sensing this advantageous moment, the demonic faction aimed to seize control.

Reva Rain was a cruel and sadistic Ranker who took pride in torturing people for her own benefit or fun. Or both. She was as cunning as a hyena and as ruthless as Eren himself. In fact, one could say that Reva Rain contributed significantly to making Eren who he was at this point by torturing him in his previous timeline.

'Perhaps the demons can only act as augmenters for something that already exists in one's heart. Reva was already rotten before she was possessed. Or because she was already rotten did she become a demonic Ranker, allowing Vepar to possess her easily?

'Or perhaps I scared her so much while she was possessing Reva that it changed her,' Eren chuckled as he remembered what he had done to Reva Rain before finally claiming her life.

'I guess I need to learn more about demons and how they possess someone. I also need to learn what happens to the demons after a successful possession.'

Eren had already been fascinated with how demons possessed living beings, turning them into demonic entities willingly or through coercion. He wanted to mimic their possession technique and use it to his advantage.

After all, he had Shallot's Mirror, an Elder Seed artifact that could allow him to cast his soul's shadow without having to split his soul. So he didn't have to split his soul to achieve similar results.

'A lot of my projects can start here while I'm in Labh Salem. I just need a quiet place and a steady supply of resources to get started. It's good that I have one of 72 Ars Goetia demons under my command. I can learn a lot from her,' Eren concluded as he decided to make use of Roza even more thoroughly.

'It would have been a bit easier for me to do things in Labh Salem if Alephee was here with me, providing me with the right information from the start. I guess I'll have to do things the hard way.'

Eren sighed dramatically before bringing Roza closer to him once again. He brought her face closer to his before planting his lips on hers. The latter was startled by Eren's approach. But after her initial hesitation and trepidation, Roza was able to reciprocate.

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AN: Technically speaking, this chapter marks the final upload for the year 2023. Wishing all VEH readers a happy new year. See you in 2024. Cheers. :)