In a remote, desolate location far from the Lancelot mountain range, the spatial fabric rippled, and three weary figures emerged.
The strain of their successful heist was evident on their faces, etched with the hardships and dangers they had encountered.
These three figures were Eren, Alephee, and Naya.
Eren bore the gruesome aftermath of his confrontations, his form drenched in the blood and remnants of his fallen foes, an aura of death and violence surrounding him. Naya, too, appeared drained, on the brink of collapsing, her pallid face glistening with sweat.
Alephee, relatively speaking, was in better shape, yet even she displayed signs of exhaustion from their perilous endeavor to pilfer the very heart of House Lancelot.
Eren had engaged and vanquished two Master Rankers and wounded a Grandmaster Ranker from House Lancelot, employing the limited Pearls of Gluttony he had amassed over a decade. He had used these precious Trump cards liberally during their audacious heist within the City of Lancelot.
Alephee had vanquished two Grandmaster Rankers from House Lancelot and inflicted injuries upon a recently promoted Grandmaster Ranker. In this brief but intense heist, she, too, had expended numerous trump cards and reserves.
It was as though Eren and Alephee had meticulously saved their most potent tactics for this decisive confrontation, channeling their every resource to secure the coveted Shallot's Mirror and the ancient Titan's corpse.
The formidable might of the Lancelot Guild was not easily overcome by Eren and his allies alone. Their successful theft of Shallot's Mirror and the Titan's corpse from the City of Lancelot was made possible by the fact that the Lancelot Guild had diverted most of its resources and manpower into the ongoing war between the two kingdoms. Without this distraction, Eren's audacious theft would have been nigh impossible.
Naya's role had been to dismantle the ice-element runic array formation that had long safeguarded the Titan's corpse. With the appropriate tools and resources provided by Eren, Naya had successfully completed her task, hastened further by Eren's use of his own ice-element powers. Together, they had seized the Titan's corpse, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
The trio had sent shockwaves through the very heart of the City of Lancelot. Luckily, they hadn't lingered in the city long enough to be encircled by reinforcements. Eren's meticulous preparations, carried out under his alter ego Leo Longblade, ensured that their plan proceeded with minimal disruptions.
"We… we left Argo behind," Naya murmured softly, casting a concerned glance backward. Eren cleared his throat, spitting out the blood that had pooled there due to internal injuries. He wiped his bloodstained lips with the back of his hand before speaking in a somber tone.
"I... I warned him not to engage in such a fierce battle with the city lord," Eren coughed slightly, calming his racing heart and chest before continuing. "But I suppose things rarely unfold as smoothly as we hope. Life doesn't often adhere to our daydreams, does it?"
Eren's gaze hardened as he looked ahead. Leaving Argo behind was not part of his plan, but he understood that, at his current level, he would only be a burden to his S-Ranked demon beast. The best assistance he could offer was to refrain from intervening in the showdown between Argo and Avir Lancelot.
"Eren, it appears that Argo is close to defeating Avir, but there's trouble incoming. Three more Sages are headed his way, and my bet is they're from the Anfang Alliance."
Alephee informed Eren as she gazed towards the battlefield where Argo and Avir clashed. Eren cursed softly upon hearing Alephee's warning. He relayed the situation to Argo through their mental connection and then clenched his fists, his determination clear on his face.
"Fuck! I couldn't make Sansara Sage's runes work for an S-Ranker like him. He progressed way ahead than my current capabilities. Argo... he will need to handle this on his own. We can't afford to wait here. Let's keep fucking moving."
Eren stated before tapping into the space-element runes he had diligently cultivated. With each use, he found himself more attuned to his Elemental Attainments. However, there was no time for celebration, given the daunting tasks ahead.
Naya and Alephee exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. They activated Sansara Sage's space-element runes provided by Eren, following his lead toward their next destination.
***
In the desolate forest just outside Eliza's Purgatory, the same location where the Witch of the Enderflames and her entourage had been only minutes ago, Eren and his allies materialized.
It was the exact place the butcher had once narrowly escaped from.
"It appears she was here recently," Eren remarked in a cold, calculated tone. He activated his Soul Sense, meticulously examining his surroundings to draw conclusions.
Alephee nodded in agreement and added.
"Indeed, to be precise, Eliza is currently with Reen and Leela, the girl you met inside Purgatory. She's even brought her real body along, showing her unwavering commitment to see the Project through to its conclusion, whatever that may be."
Eren, with narrowed eyes, decided to proceed with his plan. Leading the two women, he guided them to the lake that he had once used as an entrance to Eliza's Purgatory. Without hesitation, he dived into the water, moving gracefully like a natural-born swimmer. Alephee and Naya closely followed suit.
Within a few moments, Eren arrived at the hidden cove where he had previously met Lady Zee and her group. This cave-like structure was only accessible by traveling through the lake.
"This… this certainly brings back memories," Eren murmured to himself as he surveyed the surroundings. He then turned to Alephee, awaiting her confirmation.
She nodded in agreement, and after a quick exchange with Naya, they set to work on prying open the entrance to Eliza's Purgatory. Time was of the essence, and Eren took this opportunity to devour the ancient corpse he had pilfered from House Lancelot.
Eren retrieved the Titan's corpse from his ID storage. Though once a massive Titan, the form before him now was that of an ordinary-sized denizen from the world of Allansia.
AN: Pearls of Gluttony were explained in chapter 1131. Allansia was first mentioned in chapter 1076.
