Chapter 1726 Branding Kayara

?Eren quickly grasped Kayara's emotional state.

He had to say that her feelings towards him were justified to some extent even though he would kill the witches of Helenbora Coven all over again if he was put in the same circumstances.

When Kayara noticed Eren struggling to break free, it reminded her of her own predicament. Like Eren, she felt bound by her coven, unable to escape her metaphorical chains.

This was why she couldn't ridicule Eren after successfully executing her Unique Skill, even though she had planned to do so in her head before she even caught up with him.

'I guess I got everything I could from her. It's time to stop pretending,' Eren declared, sitting upright on the bed. He imbued his hands in his Spiritual Force and swatted down some of the spiritual butterflies. The trick seemed to have worked as the spiritual beings couldn't get up after Eren swatted them down.

"Hm? What are—-"

It took a moment for Kayara to realize Eren was no longer under her control. Or rather, he stopped pretending that he was after getting the information he wanted from her.

When she realized what Eren could do even after her near-flawless execution of the Unique Skill, shock overcame her. She was lost for words as she realized Eren was not in the same league as other Grand Knights.

"Thanks for answering my questions," Eren said, stretching his limbs. "It wasn't easy, but I'm grateful you allowed me to brand you using that Tantra. Couldn't have been able to pull it off without it."

"Wait. How…" she stammered, her voice tinged with shock and disbelief. Supposedly, she was meant to control Eren through the Winged Monarch. She hurriedly accessed her Spectral Screen to check the status of her Skill.

[ Unique Skill: Winged Monarch of Lust

Status: Activated ]

'What's happening? How did he...' Kayara couldn't comprehend the situation. Strangely, she couldn't summon hate, anger, or other negative emotions towards Eren. It was as if her feelings had been manipulated by something within her soul.

'A Soul Mark! He marked me, and these effects manipulate one's emotions. I can't do anything to counter this soul mark even though I know how it works.'

Kayara widened her eyes in surprise, realizing what Eren had done. She couldn't believe she allowed someone to place such a powerful slave mark on her.

In the next moment, Kayara's surroundings began to change. The spiritual butterflies from her Unique Skill vanished as if they never existed.

The inn room disappeared, replaced by an endless illusion. Now, Kayara and Eren were left alone in a surreal realm where the blood moon hung in a red sky, blood-red clouds almost within reach if she raised her hands.

In this strange world, flesh flowers blossomed, and trees made of flesh and bones rapidly cycled through growth and decay, as if time were on fast-forward.

Turning to Eren for answers, Kayara couldn't help but meet his emerald-green eyes, which then turned completely white before shifting to blue.

Eren had transformed beyond just his eyes. His black hair turned white, and unfamiliar runic tattoos appeared on his body. These runes were so intricate that she couldn't place them within any demonic faith.

"You…"

The sudden change in Eren's appearance surprised Kayara. As she gazed into his eyes, the illusory world shattered, and her perception of time and space returned to normal.

As if surrounded by concave mirrors that broke simultaneously, the familiar view of the inn room reappeared. Alarmed, Kayara immediately used her Spiritual Sense to break free from the illusion.

[ Skill: Demigod's Gaze

Status: Deactivated ]

A mini Spectral Screen in front of Eren declared the deactivation of his ocular Skill. He didn't mind, having already achieved his goal.

"I... I was under an illusion the whole time? When? When did you..." a shocked Kayara asked. She couldn't believe someone had turned her own trick against her, enslaving her. Eren's Soul Mark seemed even more potent than what she could do with the Winged Monarch.

Kayara's Unique Skill allowed her to control Eren's actions, but Eren, using his demonic powers, could go further and manipulate her emotions by branding her soul. This wasn't achievable through regular Skill acquisition or Unique Skills.

"When you say? Let me see… You were trapped in an illusion since I came in your ass," Eren responded honestly, rising from his position to approach the room's window. His thoughts seemed occupied with matters beyond Kayara, focusing on what she had disclosed.

'He… he could trap my soul in such a flawless illusion?'

Kayara realized the Unique Skill display she witnessed was a deception created by Eren to make her believe the Winged Monarch of Lust was active. She realized that he had provided a false sense of security to extract information.

'So the Helenbora Coven is after me. Do they know about me? Or do they just see me as a good recruit?' Eren pondered as he processed Kayara's revelations.

"You… who are you? What… What are you? Are… are you some incarnation of a Demon Prince?" Kayara asked cautiously, her gaze signaling a multitude of questions. According to her knowledge, only a Demon Prince could achieve what Eren had done to her.

"I am what I need to be," Eren replied calmly. "Now, stay quiet for a bit and let me think," his voice exuded absolute authority.

Kayara discovered she couldn't move from the bed without Eren's consent. Her lips sealed on their own, compelling her to remain silent.

It was evident she had fallen into the same trap she set for Eren, and the pit she found herself in seemed even more daunting than the one she attempted to create for him. There was no apparent way out.

Alephee had warned Eren against using the Sin of Lust to brand souls in Labh Salem. However, when Kayara exposed her soul using the Tantra, he seized the opportunity to brand it.

'So I need this Tantra if I ever want to use Mist of Lust on someone to brand them. What do you know, huh? It's good that I found a way around my problem, thanks to this woman. Now… the question is— what do I do with her?' the butcher thought to himself as he looked outside the window in contemplation.