But the thing… or things that shocked Eren the most was the entities living here in this isolated space beside him.
Various mana beasts and monsters were present all around Eren. Several of them were only F ranks. But some were in the same rank as him. What generated the drops of sweat on the butcher's forehead was the presence of entities that had higher ranking status than him. And there was quite a lot.
Eren was going to make accusatory remarks about Alephee about her way of giving him a heads-up. But then he thought of checking the location again. This time more thoroughly than before.
Seeing this isolated space, Eren concluded that it wasn't normal. That's because even after he came here in this space all of a sudden without being invited in the middle of so many entities, he wasn't attacked or stared down. That was odd.
In the end, Eren discovered that these ranked monsters and mana beasts were slumbering inside an array dedicated to each of them. The runic chains were bound to each of their limbs, ensuring that they stayed in the array all the time.
Eren walked over to a wood-element E-Rank Red deer that was placed near him. He didn't enter the array. He did not touch any part of it. He just stood beside the array and watched what was going on.
Eren had started to form an idea as to what this place was after seeing the array setup up close. He also checked up on the mana beast that was trapped within it. Even though he was no good at the subject of array traps, the study of array traps was now making him understand the few basic array functions and ways to identify them.
Alephee decided to pitch in and fill in the blanks in Eren's predictions.
'You are on the right track, Eren. These are the same monsters and beasts that you had been fighting over since last week.'
'How?'
Eren asked with a light of curiosity in his eyes. Alephee didn't take long to answer.
'The array setup in which these creatures are locked creates real-life-like spectral copies. These spectral copies with mana bodies were what you and other competitors fought with.
The array is these creatures' prison and what keeps them alive. The array setup also puts the creatures to sleep.
But the array setup can not completely mimic the state of epiphany. Therefore, a makeshift system has been introduced in which food is supplied externally.
So those runic chains that you see seeped into the creatures' limbs also provide them with bio-energy to sustain them. In a way, those chains that are imprisoning them are also the ones that are keeping these prisoners alive.'
Understanding dawned on Eren as he processed Alephee's explanation. So this was how the enemies for the contestants were created. All those monsters and beasts he and the other guys killed were only copies of these animals with their mana bodies. They were acting and appearing just the way the organizers wanted them to.
'Does that mean Eliza also has a setup like this inside her Purgatory?'
The recurring spectral enemies and how they can become near invincible, so they can exhaust the champions. This was the same setup Purgatory had. Eren couldn't help linking what he had experienced in Purgatory with what he was seeing right now.
Of course, Purgatory didn't only contain spectral targets. The Draconic Lizards Layla talked about were real. Otherwise, the butcher's Life Drain wouldn't have worked on them. Plus, the wraiths that had been summoned weren't a spectral rendition of something alive.
'More or less, yes. But we can see that Eliza had been dabbling with the concepts of life and death. She is trying to revive herself from the grave that she has almost fallen into. So her experiments with wraiths and Draconic Lizards aren't part of the same setup.
So she also collects the souls of those who have died there and experiments on them when she feels like it. The wraiths she had made you fight with must be part of her experiments, failed or otherwise.
What you see here are only ranking entities that are bound to their mortal shells getting rendered in spectral forms. What Eliza has run in Purgatory can be called an advanced form of the same setup.'
Alephee explained to Eren and made him realize the difference between the two setups. Seeing that he seemed interested in learning more about the array set up, she explained it in detail as well.
Eren nodded his head when Alephee was done explaining. After understanding the nitty-gritty of the setup, the butcher couldn't help but smile wickedly at the potential opportunity that he can make use of when the time comes.
'Eren, your wounds are kind of serious if left untreated for long.'
Alephee's timely prompt made the obsessive-compulsive serial planner snap out of his chain of thoughts. He looked at his body by looking downwards before looking at his arms. Gritting his teeth, he decided to make use of his ability that he seldom used.
Life Drain!
The first victim of Eren's Life Drain was the E-Rank Red deer. Alephee navigated his way inside the array without triggering any of its defense mechanisms. Once in, all he needed to do was penetrate his fingers deep inside the beast's body on its exposed back.
The beast didn't wake up. It couldn't. The array's consistent operation ensured that the butcher could use his Life Drain on his first victim without experiencing any conflict.
Eren's injuries started healing at a rapid pace when the ability got activated. He then closed his eyes and channeled his ranking technique once again. When he received a unique supply of mana, his mana core spun rapidly. A unique atmosphere was created around the butcher as he felt every cell in his body was getting rejuvenated.
The mana purified by the Life Drain also entered other parts of his body, strengthening his muscles. The butcher felt like he had just had a satisfying meal when he was done with the Red deer. By now, the beast's corpse had been mummified.
'Heh. I feel like my ranking status is improving. It is a bit slow, but progress is progress. And this is as good a time as any to test the full extent of Life Drain.'
The opportunist in Eren couldn't let go of so many defenseless preys laid in front of him like a gourmet buffet. He was seen walking towards his next target with his claw-like fingers outstretched. Blood from its latest victim dripped from the tip of his sharp nails.
