Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Eren's words were seemingly unassuming, but they carried a strange weight.

Sifrona didn't understand what he meant—but she didn't question it.

She simply nodded, eyes full of belief.

Eren smiled at her again, and this time, he raised his hand and gently tapped her head. He ran his fingers through her hair with a soft touch, like he was comforting her.

Sifrona closed her eyes and leaned into his hand just a little.

***

On the other side of the battlefield…

Shir's eyes widened.

He watched as his four powerful automatons were pulled away—stopped cold by four enemies that had shown up without warning.

Two of them… Marina and Azurea. His former allies. The betrayal cut deep.

His face twisted in anger. He cursed under his breath.

"Damn these fucking dragons…"

Then he looked at the battlefield, and his heart sank even more.

Eren's army was moving with brutal force. The demon beasts were pushing forward harder than ever. Their morale was sky-high. Ever since Eren had shown up, the tide had turned.

They were closing in.

Closer and closer to the altar.

The battle was slipping from his hands, inch by inch, moment by moment. At least he felt that way.

His eyes darted toward the sky where his S-Rank automatons were still locked in combat with Eren's S-Rankers.

His automatons were strong, but clearly not enough. They couldn't act as detterants if they were intercepted well in the eyes of both sides of the battle.

Time was running out. The altar still needed a few more minutes, and every second counted.

With a clenched jaw and shaking hands, Shir reached inside his robe and pulled out a dark crystal with golden veins running through it. His fingers trembled as he crushed it between his palms.

A shockwave burst from the platform. The ground quaked as a huge metallic platform rose from beneath the earth, right behind the altar. A sealed container slid open with a hiss, releasing a heavy mist laced with a mana pulse beyond the S-Rank.

Then it stepped out.

The SS-Rank automaton.

It was massive—three times Shir's size, a towering figure of polished silver and black metal. Its muscular frame gleamed under the moonlight.

It held a trident, nearly the length of a tower's spire. Its eyes glowed with a strange light—calm, yet full of awareness. It was like staring into the eyes of something that shouldn't be alive but somehow was. Clearly, it required a higher form of connection (higher bandwidth) to stay connected with the Mesh.

A hush fell over the battlefield. Both sides, demons and Templars alike, stopped fighting for a moment. The presence of the automaton was overwhelming.

"Kreeeee!"

It let out a deep, mechanical roar that echoed across the plains like thunder rolling through the sky. Then it moved.

With one mighty leap, it soared through the air and came crashing down near the altar, causing a shockwave that pushed back everyone nearby. The ground cracked beneath its feet.

The message was clear—anyone who wanted to stop the altar's construction would have to go through it.

But Shir didn't send the automaton rampaging into the battlefield. He wasn't foolish. The altar was being built right next to the old temple of Raashim. Too much destruction would damage the surroundings and risk harming the altar itself. Not to mention, many of his own Templars were still fighting nearby.

Although Shir had planned to sacrifice some of the followers of the Raashim Temple, there was a better way to do it.

Besides, the cost of keeping this automaton active was steep. It didn't just run on mana and the Mesh like the others. It drained Origin Force Points by the second. Keeping it online for too long would burn through centuries of reserves.

So Shir made the smart call.

'Guard the altar,' he whispered. The automaton didn't speak, but it understood. It took a defensive stance, trident pointed outward, ready to destroy anyone who came too close.

***

Across the battlefield, Eren stood still, watching everything unfold.

Then he smiled. "Perfect!"

The final trump card had arrived. Shir had shown his hand.

Eren raised a hand calmly and spoke in a soft voice, one filled with mana.

"Fall back."

His command spread across the battlefield like wind. Every demon, every Empusa, every beast under his control heard it.

They obeyed without question.

The demon army pulled back, giving the automaton its space. They didn't want to clash with something of SS-Rank level power anyway.

***

On the other side of the battlefield.

Shir stood still on the raised platform, looking at the retreating army in the distance.

'What is the meaning of this? Was… was it this easy?'

His brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes scanning the battlefield. The demon army had pulled back too easily—no resistance, no desperate last attack, no mad rush toward the altar. Just... a clean retreat.

It felt off.

"Why would that punk give up so easily?" he muttered under his breath.

The SS-Rank automaton stood tall beside the altar, its glowing eyes scanning the horizon for enemies. It looked calm and dangerous, like a silent guardian ready to strike down anything that came close. Shir felt a sense of relief having it there. The altar would be safe now.

Still, the unease in his chest didn't go away.

It wasn't like Eren to back off without trying something bold. Shir knew the man was unpredictable. Cunning. Ruthless when it came to winning. And yet... he had called for a retreat without hesitation.

Maybe he doesn't have anyone who can match the SS-Rank automaton, Shir told himself. Maybe that's why he pulled back. No matter what trick Eren had up his sleeve, it would be useless now. Nothing could stand against that kind of power. Not without paying a huge price.

Even so, the silence left behind by Eren's army didn't feel like victory. It felt like the calm before something worse.

Above the battlefield, the fight in the skies had ended.