Hack. Slash. Boom.
The group that Eren brought onto the battlefield looked very strange to the other Rankers.
One part of Eren's team consisted of Rankers who had distinctly different mana signatures. They resembled humans but had an eerie quality that set them apart as unusual or even monstrous.
These were none other than Eren's newly created fiends, which he decided to deploy in battle as part of the Lazarus Project.
Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.
Another portion of Eren's group appeared severely wounded and near death. They fought without regard for their own lives, launching suicidal attacks against anyone who obstructed Eren's path through the battlefield. It took some time for Rankers from both sides to realize that these injured individuals were the fallen warriors from both factions who had recently perished on the battlefield.
"No… no… no…. Make him stop!"
"What… What is going on? Why is Madeek fighting alongside Grimdawn?"
"This… Grimdawn is desecrating the bodies of our dead warriors! Attack him."
"Where are Grandmaster Rankers? Are they not here yet?"
"Make Sages stop their duels and come down here! This Grimdawn had gone fucking mad."
The sight of deceased Rankers joining the ongoing battle was unsettling and grotesque to the observers. Some were moved to tears, while others felt anger as they watched the lifeless bodies of these Rankers employ the same powers and abilities they had possessed before their deaths.
Corpse Dance!
This phenomenon was the result of Alephee's time-element powers. Through a technique called the Corpse Dance, she could compel the deceased Rankers to perform the spells and Abilities they had mastered before they died. With a surplus of deceased bodies to manipulate, the group fighting alongside Eren against both factions grew steadily.
Rankers soon realized that Eren had someone in his group who could manipulate the bodies of deceased Rankers from both sides to fight for him. The Rankers of Anfang had rarely come across necromancy. So they did not know how to deal with what Alephee was doing.
Furthermore, Corpse Dance was not technically a necromancer's power in the first place. It was so insidious that it made the live Rankers fight with someone they knew or already slain, causing frustration and psychological trauma.
Things were getting worse for the Rankers of both sides as the chaos started to make its presence felt across the entire region. However, the Rankers collectively felt that they could not let Grimdawn remain unchecked on the battlefield.
They intensified their efforts against Eren, recognizing that this newly emerged third faction on the battlefield was becoming increasingly dangerous. They could battle with each other all they wanted and seek each other's blood all over again if and when they killed Grimdawn and his allies.
Of course, they had completely given up on interrogating Grimdawn or asking for the reason he was doing this. Inquiries and digging into people's past to judge their present actions was not something that was being done on the battlefield. It only demanded two responses: kill or be killed.
The reason for Eren's betrayal could be found later on when they neutralized him alongside his allies. Some influential Rankers were even happy that someone like Eren had finally "cracked", giving them plenty of reason to punish him and seize all his assets.
Even the high-ranking individuals contemplated setting aside their conflicts to confront Eren and his group, which had appeared on the battlefield for unknown reasons.
***
Eren had only been on the battlefield for less than a minute, yet he had already single-handedly taken down over 45 Rankers.
The casualties caused by his forces were even more significant. Right behind him, Alephee followed closely, utilizing the Corpse Dance to resurrect fallen foes as allies. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, wielding two daggers with finesse just like Eren.
Ivor, another formidable member of Eren's group, proved unstoppable as well. His battle style mirrored Eren's, relying on lightning-fast speed and area-of-effect lightning-element attacks to incapacitate multiple opponents before finishing them off with precision.
"Eren!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice cut through the chaos, drawing the attention of all present. It belonged to Ariella Lowin. The Rankers were astonished to see a new faction on the battlefield, composed entirely of half-blood Rankers, specifically from House Lowin. Leading this group was Ariella Lowin herself, who had come with the intention of targeting Eren as soon as he appeared.
Ariella had come prepared, with Grandmaster-ranked members of her clan separating themselves from her and approaching their counterparts of equal standing on the battlefield. While Ariella had initially planned to wait for Demonmir's arrival before targeting Eren, something about the situation had unsettled her. She suspected that Eren was somehow connected to Demonmir's sudden disappearance and believed that he held the key to locating him.
Ariella had already aligned herself with Demonmir's interests, and with his whereabouts unknown, she couldn't afford to let Eren continue unchecked. She knew that waiting would only allow Eren and his forces to grow stronger. As a result, she decided to confront him directly.
Eren locked eyes on the approaching group, led by Ariella. The half-blood Rankers faced little resistance from the other Rankers, who recognized the animosity between Eren's forces and Ariella's team. Hoping the two factions would eliminate each other, they allowed Ariella's group to pass without interference.
Eren's forces clashed head-on with Ariella's group, leaving their leaders to confront each other. A fierce battle erupted around them as both sides sized each other up with intense gazes.
"Where is Demonmir?"
Ariella demanded in a cold, unwavering tone as she locked eyes with Eren. It was as if there was a voice within her head that made her sure that Eren was definitely behind Demonmir's disappearance.
Part of her wished to flee from this confrontation, but her newfound loyalty to Demonmir had given her the strength to face Eren. For some reason, she could feel a bubbling anger building within her as she stared at him, propelling her to do whatever it took to ensure Demonmir's safety.
"I don't have time for this. Either get fucking lost or get fucking killed!" Eren paused for a breath before speaking up right after.
"You know what? Scratch that. Just get fucking killed."
AN: Corpse Dance was explained in chapter 862.
