"Should have killed me the first chance you got?
Do you think I didn't have a plan if you had decided to backstab me before the Lazarus Project? Did you read Layla's books to cure your boredom in the past? Do you think I'm some D-grade villain in a story in which you are the heroine?"
Eren asked Eliza mockingly. As he spoke, his vision was getting blurry. His thoughts were turning hazy. But he held on and stood straight.
"Why… why aren't you answering me?"
Eren used his left hand to pop in the left eye hanging by the veins back in its rightful place. He then shook his head and focused his bloodline regenerative Ability around his left eye. His vision soon returned to normal and he could clearly see Eliza's face stepped on by his right foot.
"Oh…. I see… I see… My bad. Let me ungag you."
Eren said and lifted his right foot, removing his heel from her busted mouth. Some of Eliza's teeth could be seen lodged inside his skin.
Eliza looked at Eren as soon as he gave her some space to do so. But there was no hatred or signs of broken pride laced within her gaze. The way she looked at Eren was enough for the latter to figure out it wasn't Eliza but Lady Zee who had taken over the body.
"Gui… guild master… Er… what? Why? How did…"
Lady Zee tried to speak but since her jaw was broken and her tongue was injured as well, she was having a hard time pronouncing her words. She looked distraught, confused, and fearful.
It was as if Lady Zee was so shocked after seeing the reality around her that she had rejected it to some extent. Instead, she was inclined to believe that this was a nightmare.
Eliza should have died by this point after Eren broke her pride completely. This was because her always-active Sin Series Ability had heavy repercussions on her if someone managed to hurt her pride. The moment Eren stepped on Eliza's face was the moment Eliza's soul had relinquished control over Lady Zee subconsciously, saving her life.
However, Lady Zee was not Eliza Samael even though the two had their souls fused together. As such, a loophole was created in the penalty of using an always-active Sin Series Ability.
Earlier, Lady Zee's soul fusion with Eliza had helped the latter attract a lighter Calamity in herself to gain the right of passage for her rebirth. After all, even though Eliza had lived for thousands of years and shouldn't have been alive, Lady Zee's soul made it possible for her to survive the Calamity with lighter punishment.
The loophole in the Always-active Sin Series Ability was also another of the perks that was granted to Eliza by a mere coincidence.
Eren could sigh realizing it was Lady Zee he was speaking to. As someone who could wield the Sin Series Authority, he could understand the nuances of Eliza's Sin Series Ability fine. After gaining his divinity and claiming Aleph's throne, the butcher could practically read the Faustian Contract's details on her soul.
As such, he really found it odd that he had managed to strengthen his opponent by providing her with a loophole in her Sin Series Ability.
"I guess Aleph was right. Curses and blessings do come hand in hand."
Eren sighed before looking down at Lady Zee's poor form.
"No hard feelings. But I gotta finish what "she" started, Lady Zee."
Eren said and drew out his sword from his storage. Earlier, he had decided to torture Eliza to his heart's content, keeping her alive for longer for his satisfaction. However, her consciousness had been forced to slumber deep within her soul, allowing Lady Zee to take over.
No matter what kind of grudges Eren had with Lady Zee in the past, she didn't deserve to be tortured by Eren for it. At least that's what the butcher believed. Thus, he decided to end her life quickly and painlessly.
Eren raised his sword above her head, ready to slash down on Lady Zee's neck and sever her head from her torso in one go.
"Er…. wait… what…"
Lady Zee was frightened by what she was seeing at the time. She tried to stop Eren with her stuttered speech and broken words. However, it didn't look like they were enough to stop him.
Swoosh. Zoom. Bang.
Eren's Anduril sword swung down at a rapid pace. However, it hit a semi-transparent protective layer before it could end Lady Zee and Eliza's life.
It was a Soul Spell. And Eren was surprised to find out that it had a familiar feel to it.
"Eren, wait."
Alephee intervened.
She came from behind Eren and held onto Eren's hand holding the sword. She didn't try to take away Eren's sword. But it didn't look like she intended to let go of Eren's hand either.
"Miss Timeless, what is the meaning of this?"
Eren asked in a cold tone, showing his displeasure at Alephee's actions. The latter took a deep breath before speaking up.
"You have already beat her," Alephee spoke calmly as she looked into Eren's eyes. "She can no longer use her Sin Series Abilities on you. Heck, she can not even use her Enderflames on you. What's more? Her soul is fused with Lady Zee who you can control."
"So?" Eren asked while still looking down at Lady Zee with the eyes of a passerby, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes.
"So she is no threat to you anymore," Alephee maintained her composure as she spoke.
"I can not say for sure. But I believe she has strong fate supporting her. So she is more useful to us alive than dead. Had Reen not survived in the aftermath, I wouldn't have come between you and your vengeance. But this… this is enough.
You have achieved all that you wanted to achieve, right? Now you have to prioritize your interests. Or did you forget about the Anfang Alliance altogether?"
"You and I both know that I can deal with the Alliance. It would only be more troublesome, that's all," Eren said in a neutral voice.
