"Hmmmm!"
A muffled moan that conveyed the surging waves of ecstasy the alluring fiend felt at the time.
Hettie's body language started showing signs of lustful fervor as the latter's hands started exploring her mature and tempting fiend body.
This was so that she could invoke the sense of Lust within her, allowing her to cultivate the Lust Mana that was being provided to her in abundance.
Hettie's fiendish abilities surged, fueled by the infusion of Lust Mana into her essence. This mystical energy not only bolstered her strength but also initiated a profound transformation within her.
It rendered her flesh more resilient while simultaneously enhancing its suppleness. Her bones grew denser, and her heartbeats slowed, a testament to her exceptional metabolism.
The alterations Eren had introduced to her body in the eleventh hour left Hettie with a sensation akin to being submerged in scorching lava, causing her to experience a feverish heat.
"Haaaaah!" Hettie gasped for breath when Eren broke his liplock with her.
Her misty eyes grew even cloudier. Her expressions conveyed a deep longing as she gazed at Eren, silently urging him to continue.
"Hmm, there are indeed some changes in her," Eren mumbled as he observed the sharp fangs that had sprouted in Hettie's mouth. These fangs were certainly not present when he initially created her.
They had manifested after he injected her with more Lust Mana, supplemented by a touch of Gluttony Mana to restore equilibrium between her attributes. He had deliberately minimized the inclusion of Wrath Mana to build her foundation primarily on Lust and Gluttony-related Abilities.
Hettie now appeared even more alluring and enchanting than before. Her skin had taken on a slightly paler hue, and her allure had intensified. Alongside these changes came an increased appetite for devouring the Life Essence of potential victims and an undeniable desire to mate with Eren.
It could be said that Hettie had evolved into a fiend capable of rivaling a Grandmaster Ranker with a solid-state mana core status. Eren's recalibration of her constitution had elevated her fiendish abilities to greater levels, making her as potent as someone at the peak of the A-Rank.
"So, the combination of Gluttony Mana and Lust Mana yields this type of fiend," Eren contemplated, his thoughts veering towards Layla's fantasy stories and the term "vampire."
Lost in contemplation, the butcher absentmindedly kept kneading Hettie's mushy buns with both his hands while also preventing her from kissing him. His actions were driving Hettie into the realm of blissfulness and restlessness at the same time.
"Aaaaaah! My lord," Hettie's misty eyes suddenly developed two distinct dark blue pupils as her assimilation with the Lust Mana reached its zenith. Her fingers extended and her nails transformed into talon-like appendages, giving her a truly fiendish appearance.
Hettie had once employed her mummified, elongated fingers as conduits to extract Eren's life force and mana when she fought against him as a female wraith over a decade ago. Back then, the elongation of her fingers signified her activation of the Life Drain Ability to consume her victims' essence.
However, this time, she unconsciously used her Ability to expel the surplus Lust Mana that had overwhelmed her body, preventing her from perishing due to the process Eren had subjected her to.
Naturally, Hettie had limited control over her bodily functions and abilities after being exposed to Eren's Lust Mana. Her mortal vessel could no longer contain the assimilate with the additional Lust Mana within. Her skin was turning paler by the second and she was about to turn into an undead.
Two potential outcomes loomed if Eren persisted: either Hettie's powers would skyrocket to a critical stage, propelling her into the realm of fiendish power akin to S-Ranked entities, or her body would rupture at the cellular level, resulting in her demise. The chances of the latter were staggeringly high.
Recognizing the perilous situation, Eren halted his actions, taking two steps back from Hettie. When she made an eager move to bridge the gap, he fixed her with a stern gaze and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Tch. What are you doing? This is hardly the appropriate time for such activities." Eren continued, addressing Alephee and Naya while adjusting his attire and running a hand through his hair.
"*Cough. I was merely improving this poor witch's abilities, seizing an opportunity as it presented itself," he explained preemptively, even though no one had asked for an explanation.
He then smiled at Hettie, who wore a look of longing, and whispered in a low voice, intended only for her ears, 'Some other time, my dear.'
Alephee chuckled and offered further insight.
"It seems you now have added motivation to expedite your quest for the remaining Sin Series Marks, Eren. If you can achieve this level of success with just three Sin Series Marks, obtaining the remaining four could elevate this fiend creation project to even greater heights in the future.
Yet, the true treasure lies in obtaining those Sin Series Marks themselves. I have a strong feeling that the Elder Ichor coursing through your veins will grant you benefits beyond your wildest imagination once you possess all the Marks."
The butcher nodded in agreement with Alephee's observation. "Indeed, Miss Timeless. I must confess I never fully comprehended the true worth of this Elder Ichor bloodline.
For the most part, I merely treated it as a passive blessing that lets me wield any element with equal proficiency. It seems I underestimated its true potential."
He said with a voice mixed in anticipation and newfound realization, raising his hands and studying them with contemplative fascination. His attention fixated on the emerald veins coursing beneath the surface of his skin, acutely aware of the life force surging through them.
He balled his hands into fists, his expression resolute.
"I guess I owe a strange debt of gratitude to that old hag's constant pressure. It was the relentless push she imposed on me that drove me to relentlessly pursue power.
Over the past decade, it was this pressure that compelled me to experiment tirelessly. To keep on improving myself in various ways. Using every trick I had in my sleeves.
Without that drive to maximize my trump cards, I might have remained oblivious to the potential of my bloodline. I might have remained oblivious to the real truth of the world and the worlds that are beyond the reaches of Anfang."
Eren shifted his gaze to the sky, his thoughts drifting.
"I think I have done all I could to make the Lazarus Project end on my terms. I'll explore the other facets of Elder Ichor in the future because it clearly has a lot more to offer. For now, I must focus on my current priorities," he declared aloud.
He acknowledged that the fear of death and the prospect of losing what was rightfully his were powerful motivators. Eliza's demanding tasks had pushed him to his limits, but they had also revealed the untapped potential within him.
***
Eren concluded his inspection of the remaining fiends. Each one possessed remarkable and unique abilities, but none appeared to possess qualities that set them significantly apart from the others. With the destruction of Eliza's Purgatory's root array, achieved by liberating all the imprisoned souls, Eren's accomplishment was tantamount to achieving a perfect score in Eliza's testing tower.
In a swift transition, a spatial portal materialized before him. Eren wasted no time and stepped through it.
In the blink of an eye, Eren found himself within another familiar setting within Eliza's Purgatory – her castle. There, before her throne, were meticulously arranged skeletons of Titans, like eerie decorations. Among them stood an eerie statue of the Seven-Headed Serpent, the object of his quest.
The mysterious sculpture gave off an overwhelming and otherworldly aura. It stood at three times Eren's height. It had a unique design, with its upper portion expanded laterally while maintaining a smaller size at the bottom, as all seven-headed serpents shared a single torso.
"Kekeke. I kept you waiting, didn't I?"
The butcher's emerald-green eyes gleamed with excitement. He completely disregarded the unsettling aura exuded by the Titan skeletons now that he could mimic Titan's bloodline. Instead, he directed his focus to the long-sought statue.
"Damn. This has been long overdue. Let me get those remaining Marks. Nice and easy," Eren mumbled to himself as he walked towards the statue.
AN: The Seven-headed Serpent statue was first mentioned in chapter 351.
VEH crosses another milestone with this 1500th chapter. Check the comment section for new artworks. Cheers! ;)
