Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil Chapter 2013: 20 S-Rank breakthroughs and Calamities At Once?

Pride. Envy. Wrath. Lust. Greed. Gluttony. Sloth.

The onslaught was instantaneous.

A torrential storm of demonic energies immediately engulfed the captains.

Crucially, the Root captains were not merely experiencing the seven primary demonic sentiments tied to the Sin Series Domains; those were just the beginning of the emotional upheaval.

A complex web of secondary emotions emerged, born from the synthesis of multiple Sin Series influences taking hold simultaneously.

Previously, a certain shallowness had limited Eren's demonic authority. He had been restricted to inducing only the seven fundamental emotions associated with his Sin Series Domains.

However, by slaying a deity and feeding his divinity with the essence of a fallen Immortal, Eren had unlocked a far more profound comprehension of his demonic lineage.

This evolution allowed him to orchestrate a fiendish metamorphosis among the Root captains on a level of magnitude he had previously never reached.

The efficacy of Eren's enhanced mastery was already visible to Hettie and Ivor. They stood by in fascinated silence, witnessing the physical and spiritual descent of their fellow captains into fiendishness.

One witch gasped for air while clutching her chest. Nearby, a warlock collapsed to his knees, his muscles tensed and veins throbbing. Another individual shrieked in agony, frantically clawing at their own flesh with eyes wide with insanity.

Furious roars erupted from those seized by sudden rage, their fists striking the empty air. In contrast, others slumped to the earth in tears, their former pride curdling into a suffocating sense of shame and failure.

They were drowning in a sea of sensations that defied their control.

Violent tremors rocked their mana cores. Their very souls shuddered as sin mana saturated their beings, corrupting and molding their fundamental nature.

The intensity of this process far exceeded anything Hettie had ever endured.

Eren remained motionless, eyelids lowered. Though his exterior appeared serene, he was navigating a state of extreme internal duress.

This was no simple deployment of a few Greater Skills; he was sustaining all seven simultaneously. As his demonic potency had expanded, the spiritual tax his heritage levied upon his soul had grown exponentially heavier.

Eren felt as though seven infernal chains were wrapped around his heart, each tugging in a different direction as if trying to rip it from his chest.

Every Domain acted like a wild predator, straining against its leash and attempting to overflow its boundaries to infect the world beyond. Eren served as the sole cage restraining them.

His intellect remained as sharp and focused as a razor's edge. Despite his steady mind, sweat beaded on his forehead and his hands betrayed a slight tremor.

Demonic whispers began to manifest in the air, audible to Ivor and Hettie. The atmosphere felt thick and oppressive even to them, despite being outside the direct influence of the Sin Series Domains.

“We should probably put some distance between us and this,” Hettie remarked to Ivor while retreating. Ivor gave a silent nod and followed her lead.

In the meantime, Eren was gaining fresh perspective on his evolving demonic path. He could sense his direct influence on the souls of the Root captains. It felt as though he were rewriting their spiritual blueprints, reshaping the very core of their existence.

Eren understood that a sentient soul—whether human or otherwise—was an Existential Concept. While he lacked the power to create such concepts from nothing, his demonic lineage granted him the authority to alter existing ones to a certain degree.

The sin mana sought to warp everything in its path. It even attempted to lure Eren himself, whispering seductive falsehoods and promises to anyone within earshot.

Minutes stretched out like hours.

The captains continued to scream and struggle against their own minds. They held their heads in agony, teetering on the precipice of total lunacy.

Yet, none fled. None surrendered their will entirely.

Ten grueling minutes went by.

Eren exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. The sinister radiance within them faded as the seven Sin Series Domains were slowly pulled back.

He surveyed the twenty Root captains. They were drenched in sweat and visibly shaken, yet they remained standing. Each had survived a trial that would have broken most A-Ranked beings. They had persisted.

“The most dangerous part is over,” Eren declared, his voice ringing out with steady clarity. “From this moment on, none of you face the risk of death or losing your sanity.”

The captains released ragged breaths. Some doubled over with their hands on their knees, while others stared blankly, attempting to reconcile their shattered senses.

“However, pay attention,” Eren added.

“The transformation into a fiend is far from over. You have merely survived the start. To truly evolve into what you are meant to be, the Sin Series mana must be integrated into your physical form and your soul. Fail to do this, and you will remain incomplete. Weak. Half-baked.”

He allowed a moment of silence for his words to resonate. Then, he stepped forward with deliberate intent.

“There is a fundamental gap between divine and demonic intent-based magic,” he explained. “The divine path demands the suppression of emotion. It requires you to chain your feelings and find power through clarity and restraint.”

He raised a clenched fist slightly.

“Demonic intent, however, demands the exact opposite. You must lean into your emotions—fully and deeply. You have to plunge into them, regardless of the fear they cause. It is from that very internal chaos that you extract the purest essence of power.”

The Root captains listened with rapt, albeit tense, attention.

“Divine and demonic magic,” Eren continued, “are simply two ends of the same spectrum. They are different methods of uncovering the truth within intent-based power. My message is simple: to master demonic power, you must learn to submerge yourself in the madness.

Embrace the envy, the rage, the pride, and the greed… but maintain your awareness. Keep hold of the part of yourself that refuses to be swept away. The divine and demonic aspects can actually balance one another. If you feel pride consuming you, consciously pivot to harness humility.”

A faint smile touched his lips as a brief memory of his time with the twin dragons surfaced.

“Think of it like enjoying the buzz of a strong drink while retaining the mental strength to snap back to sobriety instantly. That is how mastery is achieved. That is how you force the chaos to serve your will.”

The captains exchanged silent looks.

Their perception of Eren shifted. They recognized him as someone who had traveled further down this dark road than any of them, yet he had not become a mindless demonic Ranker despite his supreme demonic heritage.

Following his guidance, the captains closed their eyes. They began to focus, allowing the demonic tides to rise within their hearts once more.

Some growled as wrath boiled over. Others wore cruel grins as envy took root. A few trembled under the weight of lust, gluttony, or greed. None faltered.

Their physical forms began to shift.

Some grew in stature. Horns pushed through their brows. Others saw scales or reinforced skin forming along their backs and limbs.

A few manifested tails or additional sets of arms. Their skin tones shifted into various shades—crimson, ash black, deep blue, or gray—each becoming a unique, twisted reflection of their inner state.

The metamorphosis was not identical for everyone; each captain’s shape was dictated by the specific demonic emotion they most strongly embraced. Their mana signatures began to evolve in tandem.

Their physical bodies were being reinforced to a degree they previously thought impossible for their current Rank.

Yet, they remained in control of themselves.

Watching from the periphery, Ivor and Hettie remained quiet. Ivor crossed his arms and nodded in approval. Hettie wore a satisfied smirk, pleased to see the ranks of true fiends expanding.

The process seemed to be going perfectly until the butcher spotted an anomaly.

The demonic mana surrounding one particular captain began to churn violently. It grew thick and heavy, vibrating with raw power. Eren’s gaze sharpened.

A sudden, sharp pulse of demonic mana flared from that captain’s mana core. Typically, a fiendish transformation would dissolve the mana core, but all twenty captains had kept theirs intact. Now, those cores were undergoing a secondary transformation.

Another pulse erupted from a different captain. Soon, multiple waves of energy were radiating from various points in the group. Above them, the sky began to turn pitch black.

Eren’s eyes widened in realization.

“What in the…?”

He scanned the scene and understood the situation immediately. This wasn't just a transformation into fiends. They were all initiating their S-Rank breakthroughs.

Every single one of them. Simultaneously.

A thunderous boom shook the island as massive clouds swirled overhead. Lightning danced through the darkness like predatory serpents.

“Shit,” Eren hissed under his breath. He spun around toward Ivor and Hettie.

“Move them! Now!”

Ivor blinked in confusion. “What?”

Eren didn't have time for a long explanation.

“Separate them immediately. All twenty! If their S-Rank Calamities hit in this proximity, half the island will be wiped out! Go!”

Hettie reacted instantly. “Understood!”

She let out a piercing whistle, summoning nearby Root members to the field. Ivor began shouting orders, assigning specific destination points for each captain.

“Move every one of them to a separate zone!” he roared. “No overlapping! I want at least ten miles of space between them—minimum!”