"Brat, you don't know what you have done. You don't understand the gravity of this thing. We didn't want to scare the traffic generated by the city we were about to take over from you.
But now that it has come to this, I hope you, your city, and your guild members are ready to face the consequences of your impudent actions."
While controlling his summoned creatures, Roy asked them to stay alert. By this time, the giant tree monsters known as Turlang had uprooted themselves from their rooted position by the side of the roads. They were surrounding the two Remus clan members as well.
This was the true prowess of a summoner who knew what he was doing. Unlike Rodrick who had the potential to become a stellar summoner but no experience to back him, old Rey was the seasoned summoner who had really honed his class and spells related to it.
Approaching Roy wasn't easy with all these wood-element creatures surrounding him. They were completely loyal to him and would do everything in their power to keep the old man out of harm's way.
Furthermore, Roy had Janos who was a mid-range fighter and dedicated to protecting Roy in case Eren tries to get close to him.
It was easy for Eren to take care of Roy if and when he gets within striking distance of him. The old man had the lowest body stats even when he was ahead of him in terms of ranking status.
However, getting Rey close enough to land a blow on him was the real challenge. He was surrounded by his mini army of creatures. Being protected by an Expert ranker on top of it.
Eren shook his head and chuckled. He stepped away from Kirin who was half embracing him and started walking ahead. His looks started changing as he walked.
Eren's hair turned white and his eyes turned blue. Tribal tattoos appeared on his skin. His mana signature changed and his aura changed drastically.
Since he received this class, Eren had been enriching his summoning spell arsenal in the background. He would often practice his class and spells related to it whenever he got time.
Alephee's spell integration inspired Eren a lot. Her demonstration of how summoning spells can be used enabled him to see the benefits of having a summoner class.
Eren hadn't used his summoning class in real combat since he received it. He would practice the spells related to it while he was alone or when he was sparring with Alephee. But that was it.
Alephee's guidance in the Oni dungeon had spurred Eren's growth as a summoner. He had made much progress during his long stay in the Oni dungeon.
And now was the time to test the effects of his labors.
Eren's otherworldly blue eyes fixed on his opponents as he spoke up.
"Old man, you don't understand the future of your clan members, do you? I'm planning to gulp down House Remus as a whole without a burp. I'll not even leave the bones behind for the vultures to pick on when I'm done with it."
Eren said in a casual tone that made it seem sinister somehow. His two Oni horns appeared on his forehead when he finished saying it.
Kirin liked her husband's revised appearance, of course. It was apparent she had started missing her own horns because she was trying to feel their now-phantom shape with her hands.
Eren commanded Kirin to guard him while he performed his summoner class. Although he wasn't a glass cannon like the old man, he didn't want to underestimate Janos who was a rank higher than him. An Expert to counter an Expert.
A completely different Eren stood in front of his opponents when he stopped in his tracks. Both Rey and Janos had decided not to be surprised by Eren's actions. But they failed at their task when the butcher changed his entire existence for them.
"Who… who the fuck are you? Are you one of those cultist lowlifes?"
Rey pointed at Eren and spoke up in a shaky voice. He could tell that the vibes he was getting from Eren were not normal. He could tell this was not a spell-generated visual transformation. Eren's entire existence had been altered for him to look this way.
"I am what I need to be."
Eren said and spread his hands apart. He started casting his integrated spells while speaking up.
"I hope you serve as a reliable dummy for me, old man. I hope to learn a lot from you before claiming your class-related gains and attainments for myself.
You'd have to forgive me if I make any silly mistakes as a summoner. This would be my first fight as a summoner, you see."
Eren said nonchalantly before casting his integrated spells. Something he had learned to cast ever since he achieved minor success in manually controlling his mana circuits.
A bunch of three-meter-long fire snakes started appearing all around Eren. The mana bodies started solidifying before developing runic patterns of their own.
Intelligence can be seen in the eyes of these snakes. Plus, it looked like they were many times more dangerous than their normal counterparts Eren used to cast when he was just being a close combat expert.
However, the snakes' manifestations didn't end there. Another wave of mana fluctuations occurred and the snakes started growing wings behind their backs.
Wind-Fire Wings + Fire Snakes
The first spell combo Eren integrated was derived from the spell he had created while inside Altashia's burning abode. This particular spell integration came easily to him because he was already familiar with Wind-Fire Wings.
He had taken a page from Alephee's book and decided to do something different with the idea. Thus, he came up with his own spell integration.
Eren summoned fifty flying snakes in total. Ten belonged to the D-Rank while the rest belonged to the E-Rank. This was his counter to Rey's summoned creatures.
Rey and Janos watched in horror and part stressed expressions as Eren's summoned creatures took flight in front of them. These snakes stared at the woodland creatures on the ground like hunters would look at their prey. Their forked tongues came out of their mouths and rattling sounds could be heard in the surroundings.
Only now did Rey realize what Dianna was trying to say to him a few months back when he had started having designs on White Raven city. She had warned him that messing with this psychopath would be an error of catastrophic proportions for the entire clan.
'That… that wasn't a warning. That was a premonition.'
AN: Dianna warns Rey Remus in chapter 713. Alephee demonstrates to Eren how summoning spells and spell integrations can be used in chapters 735 and 736. Lastly, Wind-Fire Wings gets introduced in chapter 590.
VEH punches in 800 chapters with this release. Cheers! ;)
