"I'll think about it."
Eren said and smirked. The divine flame was not lit up on the altar anymore. He then summoned his two swords and jumped. His two powerful slashes caused the altar to crack.
"You…"
As the connection was severed, the voice could not finish speaking its thoughts. The spatial fabric returned to normalcy when the altar cracked and another huge amount of sacrificial energy was released from it.
Alephee helped Eren condense the energy in a sphere of 10cm radius before freezing it with her time element spell. Like this, Eren had severed Anfang's connection with Echidna for the time being.
'When I am ready…'
Eren said and smiled crookedly while spinning the sphere over the tip of his index finger. In the next moment, the sphere was stored in his storage, disappearing from the view.
He jumped from the altar that was almost cut in half and landed near Kirin. He offered her a hand to get up and led her towards a certain place.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of war drums was heard once again as the Echidnae saw their newly crowned king lead Kirin towards the throne platform that was located beside the altar platform.
The butcher sat on the throne first. He then invited Kirin to sit on his lap before looking at the crowd.
"You wanted to know my name, right?"
Eren's voice sounded in the ears of his audience. The spectators started looking at him keenly as a result. His soul sense spread in the audience, letting them know that he was in complete control of the situation that was unfolding in front of them.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The war drums didn't overshadow Eren's voice with their sound. Instead, they provided a mystic charm to it, as if what he was about to say next wouldn't be a casual statement but a prophecy.
The children of Echidnae were influenced by the unique atmosphere that was created in the sacred hall at this point. They all knew that from this point on they had cut their ties with Echidna. They were now a different breed of beings that did not belong to the foreign world they thought they belonged to.
They belonged to their new king. The king they had seen transform into many of the children of Echidnae in front of their eyes. They needed time to process what they had experienced today.
But at this point, nobody held any doubt in their minds that Eren was their king. They listened to him intently as he addressed them and was about to say his name.
"I am the man who will join the pantheon of the highest order there is.
Sages or Sovereigns are only titles for entities standing at the top of the food chain in the land of the faithless. I will exceed those peaks– those titles of Anfang one day and search for higher peaks."
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Eren said and wrapped his arm around Kirin's waist. Because she was so close to him, she was affected by his charisma and his soul sense the most out of the audience. The butcher caressed her rosy cheek with his fingers before adding up.
"I am not saying I'll be the most benevolent leader you will ever have. I might end up being more tyrannical than Har Jahar ever was.
But I can assure you this. You won't have to risk your lives without the promise of gaining anything of equal importance anymore."
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Eren felt the emotions of every Echidnae that were directed towards him and smiled. He tucked Kirin's golden hair behind her elf-like ear and pinched her earlobe a bit before speaking further.
"What are my goals you ask? I want the power of every form so that I can enjoy the freedom of every kind.
This was something that was said to me when I was very small.
Have dreams larger than your existence.
Through dreams, you gain strength.
Through strength, you gain power.
Through power, you gain victories.
Through victories, your chains are broken.
I didn't understand it back then. But now I do."
The effect of Eren's soul sense on his audience increased as he spoke. The spectators started feeling a bit of a headache because of it. Some gritted their teeth and tried to keep their sanity in check while under the influence of what they considered to be a spiritual attack.
Even Eren wasn't able to use his soul sense on so many people all at once. Despite this, he discovered that he had the capacity deep within him to maintain its effects before speaking further.
"Being weak is a crime. Glorifying that weakness and trying to make it a norm is even worse.
Thus, I shall seek power, wealth, and more.
I will be evil about all my needs and desires, no matter what the cost is. And do my absolute best to achieve them."
Eren had beads of sweat on his forehead as he felt his soul sense won't be able to hold out much longer. Unlike the mana sense which wasn't taxing to use in most cases, the soul sense was taxing on the person's very soul.
Still, he held on. This was the absolute control Eren wanted to imprint on every monster that was present in the sacred hall today. This was the proof of power he wanted everyone to have of him.
Eren looked at the now-pale faces of his spectators and couldn't help but smile. The sight somehow gave him the strength he needed to conclude things.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Anfang, Echidna, or the countless worlds and countless universes I know nothing about. My goals won't change no matter where I end up.
You all have three choices now.
You can join me in my quest to reach for that pantheon. Be a spectator on the sidelines and watch me do the same without you. Or you can oppose me and get your existence erased from your current reality.
Either way, I'll get there. Either way, I shall reach the pantheon of infinities and claim my throne there."
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Eren Elijah Idril. That's the name you shall be loyal to. From now on and forever."
