Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Chapter 1990: Sea Monster’s SS-Rank Breakthrough

The sea monster didn't speak. He only nodded once.

Eren raised his hand upon his half-brother's confirmation.

[ Unique Skill: Unreal Reflection ]

[ Seven Series Domains ]

Eren used his Unreal Reflection once again, layering the energy with the weight of his demonic bloodline.

He had almost exhausted his Origin Force Points using Unreal Reflection in his showdown against an actual god.

However, he had earned a substantial amount of them in return when God Raashim's followers started directing their anger and hate towards him.

As such, Eren could use Unreal Reflection for a short time once again. Time was short. However, the process wasn't going to take long anyway.

The air grew heavier, and time felt like it had slowed down. The glowing, slumbering naiad began to float.

Eren stretched his hand gently, and with a small nudge of his will, she drifted forward. Slowly. Like a petal in the wind.

The sea monster stepped closer, standing in the heart of Unreal Reflection's influence. His eyes were calm, unblinking. As the naiad reached him, she stopped just inches from his chest.

And then, without a sound, she melted into him.

Light surrounded the sea monster's body. It started from the chest, spreading outward like ripples on a pond. His muscles tensed. His aura spiked. The cuts on his body began to close instantly. His breathing grew deeper. Slower.

And then—he glowed.

For a moment, his body was wrapped in radiant blue light. The aura of the water element surged around him. The sea responded—waves rolled toward the island and crashed against the shores as if greeting their new master.

The sea monster didn't roar or cry out. He simply stood there, letting the transformation finish on its own. When the light faded, the domain dispersed with it.

The sea monster was no longer just a powerful creature of the sea. He was now a God Spark wielder. A demigod.

However, the moment the God Spark settled deep inside the sea monster's being, something began to shift.

A sudden pulse echoed from his chest. His mana core rippled as it faced a large surge of input. His body trembled slightly as the divine energy took root, pushing into the depths of his soul.

The change didn't stop there.

High above, the dawn sky started to change. What was once a calm mix of orange and purple quickly turned into a stormy gray.

Thick black clouds gathered unnaturally fast. Lightning streaked through the sky without warning, and the rumble of thunder echoed across the sea. The grim dawn that had left the vicinity of Baga Island came back once again as if it had forgotten something.

The ocean responded to this strange phenomenon as well.

Waves crashed harder against the island's shores. The calm rhythm of the sea was replaced by a chaotic roar.

Eren narrowed his eyes and stepped back. He could feel it too.

"He's breaking through," Eren muttered under his breath. "He was already a step away. Now that the God Spark's merged with his soul…"

This was the butcher's plan all along. So he was glad that things were going according to his will for once. He turned to his brother and raised his voice.

"Don't stay here. Go somewhere else. Your breakthrough will level this island if you do it here."

The sea monster tilted his head like a confused beast. Then, after a pause, his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh!" he said, as if he had only just realized the danger.

Then, without another word, he bent his legs and jumped high into the sky. His massive body cut through the air like a cannonball. He flew fast, leaving a trail of rushing wind behind him.

In seconds, he vanished into the horizon, headed far out into the open sea. Eren sighed.

"He's still too slow in the head," he said to himself.

Then he raised a hand and tugged at his right earlobe as he contacted Thalisa.

"Thalisa, follow him. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed during the breakthrough."

This was, in a way, a forceful breakthrough into the SS-Rank. Even though Eren wanted his half-brother to turn into an SS-Rank Beast Monarch, he didn't want to put him in a risk of dying as well.

Thankfully, he had Thalisa who could provide the sea monster with boundless vitality. As long as she was with the sea monster, his chances of failure were close to zero.

From deep beneath the sea, Thalisa's voice responded softly in his mind.

"Understood."

The storm clouds continued to roll in the distance. The waves still churned. But now, there was a new presence stirring in the depths of the world—a beast about to claim the title of a Beast Monarch.

***

After a few minutes of utter silence.

Everyone on the altar—Eren, Reen, Azurea, Marina, Osha, Naya, Shir, and the rest—stood in silence as they gazed in the same direction.

Far off in the distance, where the sea met the sky, something was happening. The sky had darkened in that part of the world.

Thick clouds twisted into strange shapes, and streaks of lightning danced without pause. Thunder rolled endlessly, like the world itself was rumbling from within.

A dense, heavy pressure swept across the Baga Island, carried by gusts of chaotic wind and tidal waves of mana.

The mana was wild and thick—like the air had turned into a heavy, choking jelly. It rolled over the altar and then down into the crowd at the base.

The mortals were hit the hardest.

Some dropped to their knees, gasping for breath.

Others passed out completely, unable to stand against the invisible force pressing down on them.

Even the low-level mana practitioners, though more durable, had gone pale. They gritted their teeth and held their ground, but many of them had fear in their eyes.

"What… what is that?" someone from the crowd whispered. After all, not everyone understood an SS-Rank Calamity event.

"It's like the world is ending," another replied, voice shaking.

Eren didn't answer. None of his close companions did.

Their eyes were fixed on the storm in the distance.

Eren was happy and jittery at the same time.

After all, this would be his first SS-Rank subordinate.

Technically speaking, he was even stronger than him.

However, Eren didn't have any worries. In fact, he needed his half-brother to become the meanest and baddest Beast Monarch the world of Labh Salem had ever seen.

He also hoped his brother would recover some of his intelligence after the breakthrough.

Just enough to make it easy for Eren to communicate with him.