Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

1894  Compound Lust Mana Barrier

As soon as he processed Yona's words regarding the Demon Prince of Lust, Eren began to look at things in retrospect.

It made him realize just how skilled Asmodeus was at manipulating the cause-and-effect fabric.

The new information possibly answered the question that had been bugging him. "Ability to manipulate the fates of two people using the cause-and-effect fabric, huh?

My unreasonable infatuation with Sienna Slughorn in my first life. Was it due to this 'Immortal Eros'?

I wasn't like the other regular kids my age right from the very beginning. From the way my father treated me, I knew I was different. From the way my mother abandoned me, I was sure I didn't think like the kids my age.

At that time, it was completely out of character for me to act that way. So how did I get so obsessed with a girl who had not done anything for me at that time?

Could it be a carefully laid trap all along? Does that mean the two Immortals collaborated to take me down even before I had a chance to obtain the Elder Ichor bloodline?" Eren briefly thought to himself before quickly dismissing the thought.

He had to agree that the conjecture made a lot of sense. And as long as it made sense to him, he wouldn't go around gathering proof to get to the bottom of his past events. Why should he? There was no benefit to be had by digging up the past.

Even if Asmodeus had conspired with the Slumbering Goddess to prevent the existence of Aleph's potential successor, Eren had already established himself as a nascent Demon Emperor. There was no way the Demon Prince of Lust could pull the same kind of tricks on him in his current timeline.

Furthermore, dwelling on the past wouldn't help Eren in this case. He already considered Asmodeus to be his enemy. Whether the Demon Prince had helped the Slumbering Goddess sabotage his life in the first timeline had nothing to do with the current Eren.

Eren also realized that establishing new relations with anyone in Labh Salem was akin to consciously walking into a trap. If Asmodeus could tweak the cause-and-effect fabric around Eren without having to know about what he was doing or where he was, then it meant that he could arrange pitfalls for him to fall into in the form of new female companions.

In fact, Eren had already experienced something like this. If he hadn't turned Kayara to his side at the very last second, he would have been restricted by Helenbora Coven's well-laid plan to use him for his advantage.

"Hmm. No more hook-ups with strangers, no matter how beautiful they are. This damned demon is out to get me," Eren thought to himself, his expression darkening for a fraction of a second.

"This snake is even more dangerous than Demon Prince of Wrath Samael. At least I can see the guy coming when he plots against me. But this Asmodeus is too sly. He is just like me, I guess. And I can't underestimate someone like me," Eren smiled to himself as he thought. One could see that the butcher had practically patted his own back and cursed his opponent at the same time.

***

All of Eren's thoughts waxed and waned within a fraction of a second. In the end, he decided to stop overthinking and let Jolly handle matters related to Yona for the time being. He had many pending tasks that needed his attention anyway. His true form was traveling to the domain of the sea god. He needed to focus on this primary task first and foremost.

And just like that, Eren's consciousness returned to its original body.

The Demonic Takeover was canceled only a few minutes after its initiation. After all, Eren had defeated all his enemies as easily as swatting flies. So there was no substantial time difference between his actual demonic takeover and release.

Jolly's soul was put in control of his body once again.

It was as if Jolly had gone into a deep sleep just as he was standing upright.

Thankfully, Shaai came forward and supported her husband's body before it fell face-flat.

It didn't take long for Jolly to regain consciousness. When his vision cleared, he saw his wife looking at him with concern.

"You didn't tell me you had such a vile demon possessing you," she said as she checked his vital stats and his Individuality, which had returned to normal once again.

"Well, he's not a demon. Um… not really. So you can't do anything about him. No exorcism procedure can make him leave a vessel without his consent once he comes to possess someone," Jolly responded, his smile mirthless.

"Secondly, he's not just any demon; he's the Nascent Demon Emperor himself. Someone who technically supersedes the authority of all seven Demon Princes and Ars Goetia Immortal Demons."

"What?" Shaai's expression changed abruptly to one of utter shock when she heard Eren's status in the demonic hierarchy straight from her husband.

Jolly let Shaai process her surprise. Then, he looked at Yona before speaking further.

"I believe we need to get away from this place and get to the ruins that you are talking about. We are bound to attract attention if we stay here any longer than we need to," he said while looking around him with vigilance.

"Indeed," Yona replied, nodding at the same time. Soon, the trio left the battlefield in silence, heading to the deeper parts of the Wrathful Red Forest.

***

A few days later.

Jolly, Shaai, and Yona reached a ruined castle that was in the middle of the forest. According to Yona's information, this castle was only a small part of the ruins that were spread all across the region. However, she guessed that there could be something of value that they could salvage from the ruined castle.

The ruined castle stood as weathered architecture amidst the dense foliage of the Wrathful Red Forest. Its once-majestic towers now crumbled, their stone walls bearing scars of age.

As Jolly, Shaai, and Yona approached, they could see broken battlements jutting out jaggedly against the skyline, evidence of a time when this castle was a formidable stronghold.

However, before Jolly and the rest could enter the ruined castle via its main gate, they realized that an unknown isolation barrier had been erected by some mechanism.

What was even more surprising was the fact that the isolation barrier was so strong that even the most powerful S-Ranked practitioners would not be able to break past the barrier. Someone who had erected these barriers definitely didn't want others to steal what was inside.

"Hm? What is this barrier?" Jolly frowned his brows as he asked.

"Hehe. This barrier is only one of the many. Why do you think I decided to partner up with you from the moment we met?" Yona replied with a smile on her face.

"This is a compound, ever-changing, and ever-growing isolation barrier laid by Asmodeus. It self-regenerates by itself. As you might have guessed, it is based on Lust Mana, which makes it extremely difficult to break past the restrictions even for someone with experience related to the formations and demon magic circles.

Usually, a group of Sages need to work together for a few days before they cracked this barrier. Your Authority over Lust Mana is so superior to that wretched demon. I don't want to waste time cracking open something with force when I can just let you dispell it with your Authority," Yona replied casually.

Only now did Eren realize why Yona of the Night had decided to pair up with him. It seemed that the goddess simply wanted the most convenient way of barrier break. And Eren was her best bet.