Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil-Chapter 1967: A Game of Chess Between Two Demigods P01

Shir retreated away from the frontlines, clutching his chest with one hand while gripping his trident tightly with the other.

The cold handle of the weapon grounded him, helping him stay calm. But his face, pale and strained, betrayed his inner thoughts.

He was scared.

Even though he tried not to show it on the outside, the fear was crawling under his skin.

Eren's assassination attempt had come out of nowhere—fast, deadly, and calculated. And if Eren had been a Sage Ranker, even just at the early stage… that strike would have killed him.

I would have died…

The thought echoed in his mind, and he shivered. Drops of cold sweat ran down his neck, trailing beneath his armor.

His breath was uneven, chest rising and falling quicker than it should have. His injured heart beat like a war drum, still recovering from the close brush with death. Even though he had suppressed the injury using his powers, it still stung like hell. Also, he had trouble breathing because of internal bleeding.

Shir wasn't used to this. He was a demigod, someone chosen by Raashim's divine light. He had lived for centuries above mortals—untouchable, feared, and worshipped.

But now… Eren had reminded him what it meant to feel weak. What it meant to bleed.

It had been a long time since Shir felt this way. Small. Human. It was as if Eren had dragged him down from the heavens and slammed him into the dirt. Made him feel what it was like to be just another soldier in the mud.

"This… this bastard."

The fear twisted into anger. He gritted his teeth, trying to crush the rising panic with rage.

"Attack!" he shouted at his Raashim Templars. "Attack and kill them all!"

His voice cracked like a whip over the battlefield. Templars clad in glowing armor responded at once, charging forward with renewed strength.

But Shir didn't stop there.

He reached into his belt and pulled out a small green gem. It shimmered with potent S-Rank mana, humming faintly in his palm. Without a second thought, he crushed it in his fist.

The gem shattered with a soft crackle.

A second later, the ground beneath him rumbled, and four automatons rose from hidden compartments in the earth. They looked twice larger than regular armored merfolk—metal bodies shaped like ruthless sea warriors, with long tails and sharp weapons built into their arms.

Their eyes lit up with blue light as they activated, ready for war.

These automatons were the Raashim Temple's secret weapons. Just like Anfang had the unwritten customs of creating homunculi, Labh Salem's S-Ranked entities used automatons to do their bidding for them in their absences.

They were called automatons because they weren't imbued with real souls. Instead, they were connected to the Menaka's Mesh, which provided them with artificial consciousness.

Since no real soul was involved, the production of the automatons was much simpler compared to the homunculus creation. Although the automatons had some limitations, they could be used as assistants in peaceful times and disposable pawns in the wars.

Shir didn't know that Eren was going to attack the Baga Island in future. In fact, he had other plans regarding the automatons.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Shir was already planning to leave Labh Salem behind. As such, he had created these automatons to look after the legacy grounds he'd create in the future. However, how could have he known that he would have to make use of these automatons in his battle against Eren's forces?

Each of the automatons was S-Rank and had enough power to take down dozens of high-level fighters on their own. They had been stored for emergencies—meant to defend holy grounds or turn the tide of battle when things got out of hand.

Shir hadn't wanted to use them so soon. But after what had just happened… he had no choice.

He pointed forward with his trident, and the mechanical merfolk rushed ahead, cutting through the battlefield like silver arrows.

***

At the same time on the other side of the battlefield.

Eren stood calmly near the edge of a ruined cliff, his dark robe fluttering in the cold battlefield wind. His sharp eyes scanned the distance.

There—coming fast.

Four S-Ranked automatons tore through the air, moving like giant silver shadows. A thick pressure filled the battlefield with their approach, spreading fear in every direction.

They were powerful—stronger than regular mid-stage S-Rank enemies. Their glowing eyes locked onto Eren's position like hunters locked onto prey.

Plus, they were immune to most elemental damage. Even the physical damage was reduced by half due to their magical metal bodies. Even though the automatons weren't as sharp as the homunculi with souls, they were programmed for various battle styles and came equipped with an all-rounded set of Skills.

If homunculi were artificial humans with real souls and synthetic bodies, automatons were emotionless machines that only knew how to process certain commands. In short, they had their own sets of advantages.

Eren knew that something like this would happen once he got too close to the core region of the Baga Island. But he didn't panic, having already expected it.

Before they even got close, the Butcher sent a mental signal through the Mesh.

"Naya. Osha. Marina. Azurea. Take care of them. Lead them away from the main battle."

The response came instantly—silent and decisive.

Of course, Azurea was the least enthusiastic among the four S-Rankers assigned to tackle the automatons. Yet, that didn't mean she would hold back against her assigned targets. If anything, she was too frustrated from arguing with Eren and wanted to vent all her anger on something. The automatons served as perfect target dummies for that.

In the next moment, four figures shot out from different directions. Each one moved with speed and force that cut across the sky. The four met the automatons head-on, clashing with metal fists and blasts of energy.

Sparks flew.

Shockwaves burst in the sky.

The battlefield shook under the power of the clash.

But most importantly, the automatons were stopped—and pulled away from the core of the battle, just like Eren had planned.