Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil-Chapter 1937 : Placing a Bait for the Big Fish

"Indeed, we have never met. But do you remember what you did before you were captured by those Raashim Temple goons?"

Eren asked as he looked at the sea monster.

He always felt odd whenever he triggered the Titan Transformation. His physical senses became skewed, making him perceive everything from the perspective of a giant.

Just moments ago, he had felt like an ant before the massive sea monster. But now, after the transformation, the creature in front of him appeared to be of normal size—neither too big nor too small.

Meanwhile, Azurea and Marina looked like miniature beings, as if they belonged to some dwarf race. Of course, this was only because the twin dragonsses were in their humanoid forms.

"Something I did?"

The sea monster was genuinely surprised before falling into deep thought. It was as if he was searching through his memories, trying to find a connection to Eren's words. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall anything relevant.

"Don't stress yourself if you don't remember, elder brother. It's perfectly fine," Eren said, trying to ease the sea monster's worries before continuing.

"You see… you tried to merge with that artifact on your back, didn't you? Although the merger is incomplete, and your body and soul have some issues, the fusion still took place. And because of that fusion, you became my brother."

Eren smiled, his golden Titan eyes locking onto the sea monster's golden gaze.

"Hm? I… I do remember doing something like that in the past," the sea monster muttered, recalling the desperate moment when he had forcefully tried to merge with the artifact. He had been in a dire situation, and in his desperation, he had attempted the merger to prevent the artifact from being taken away from him.

However, the sea monster shook his head and spoke to Eren in a dismissive tone.

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"Even if I did something like that, what does that have to do with you? I thank you for breaking that damn barrier for me. But don't get in my way. Today, I must deal with the Raashim Temple and all its lackeys," he said, looking at Marina and Azurea with suppressed anger and contempt.

"We will indeed take our revenge on Raashim Temple. After all, my brother's enemies are also my enemies," Eren said, nodding in understanding before continuing.

"However, the Raashim Temple isn't going anywhere. Our revenge on them can wait. First, I need to help you stabilize your bloodline. Otherwise, it will kill you before you manage to step into SS-Rank. You'll die from excess vitality that your body won't be able to control," Eren said seriously, locking eyes with the sea monster.

"Woah! H–How did you know about this problem of mine?"

The childish sea monster was genuinely surprised.

Despite his altered psyche, as someone on the verge of SS-Rank, the sea monster was still aware of his body's condition. The reason he had survived inside the barrier was that his body was overflowing with vitality after merging with the Immortal Artifact.

In fact, the barrier had helped stabilize the monster's condition, allowing him to progress rapidly in his ranking journey while ensuring he didn't harm himself or damage his foundation in the process. One could say that it was a much-needed punishment for the monster.

Of course, the Immortal Conch was the source of the monster's excessive vitality. It possessed wooden-element Immortal powers capable of transforming an entire barren world into a lush paradise if wielded by a capable user. However, such overwhelming vitality was not something a mortal being could handle, no matter how strong their physical form or Ranking Status was.

The reason the sea monster had gone mad and started hunting everyone—including Marina and Azurea—was partly due to the Artifact Spirit of the Immortal Conch affecting his psyche.

However, the artifact also flooded his body with an overwhelming amount of vitality. In his rage, the sea monster subconsciously sought a way to vent this excess energy, leading him to attack the most powerful beings in Labh Salem's seas.

His rampage naturally infuriated Raashim Temple, the twin dragons, and all their dragonkind underlings. In retaliation, they launched coordinated attacks, trying to subdue the sea monster and end his artifact-induced madness.

However, the sea monster's immense vitality made him nearly unkillable, no matter how many opponents he faced or how many traps they set. He became a burden to the dragonkind and Raashim Temple—something they could neither control nor abandon. As a result, they decided to seal him inside the barrier, hoping it would contain him until his excessive vitality was drained by the barrier's unique properties.

Yet both the sea monster and Raashim Temple had underestimated the power of the Immortal Artifact. The barrier only managed to slow the rate at which the sea monster generated vitality to a somewhat manageable level. The rest of the overflowing vitality fueled his rapid progress in his Ranking Journey.

However, with the barrier gone, this excessive vitality would eventually cause his body to explode. Too much of anything was harmful, even if it was beneficial.

The same applied to vitality. The sea monster's physical form could only contain a limited amount of it. Exceeding that limit wouldn't just fail to help him—it would put immense pressure on his body. Once that pressure crossed a certain threshold, his body would simply rupture from within.

Of course, Immortal Artifacts were often inconspicuous in their effects. The sea monster had no idea how Eren had figured out the problem he was facing. After all, not even Raashim Temple or the dragonkind were aware of it. If they had known, they wouldn't have attempted to contain him inside such a convenient barrier in the first place.

Eren smiled. "Keke. Of course, I'd know how my brother feels and what kind of problem he's facing." Looking at the sea monster with apparent care and affection, he continued, "Didn't I tell you already? You are my brother, and we share a very unique bond. This bond tells me that you're in a bit of a pinch. The sooner I take care of your problem, the better it will be for you. Don't you trust me?"

"I… I don't," the sea monster replied immediately. However, he no longer seemed in a hurry to take revenge on Raashim Temple. He was clearly tempted by the prospect of Eren removing the ticking time bomb inside his body as soon as possible. Yet, he remained hesitant about Eren's true intentions.

What was Eren planning? How could he be sure that Eren wouldn't harm him if he decided to follow his advice? What kind of consequences would he suffer if Eren was leading him into a trap? Even if it wasn't a trap, the sea monster knew that nothing in the world came for free. What price would he have to pay to make Eren work in his favor?

Moreover, this so-called "little brother" was only a Grandmaster Ranker. Even if Eren's intentions were genuine and he truly knew how to resolve the issue, did he even have the power to execute his plan using only his Grandmaster Ranker abilities?

The sea monster had many doubts.

Eren wasn't offended by the sea monster's blatant distrust. He could read this "elder brother" of his like an open book. He knew that the first step in taking control of the creature was establishing trust. So, he immediately pointed out the monster's problem and offered a solution.

Of course, Eren wasn't entirely honest. He had sold the sea monster a false sense of urgency. While everything he said was technically true, the monster's excessive vitality wasn't life-threatening for at least another decade or two. There was no real reason for him to accept Eren's offer right away. But how could Eren allow his "elder brother" to slip from his grasp? Even though the sea monster wasn't dumb, he wasn't sharp enough to see through Eren's mix of truths and half-truths.

Eren smiled inwardly when he noticed the hesitation in the sea monster's eyes and body language. It was easy to read a creature with such a childish personality. No matter how much the sea monster tried to act like an adult, it was clear that he couldn't really refuse Eren.

"Can… can you really cure me?" the sea monster asked with clear doubts in his voice.

Even though he wanted to rush at Azurea and Marina, subdue them, and then destroy Raashim Temple, something told him he should at least hear Eren out. Even though there was likely a trick involved, Eren had at least identified his problem right. That was half the battle won already.

Plus the monster's naive mind couldn't sense any deception from Eren. or rather, he couldn't get a read on him.

In the end, there was no harm in trying whatever Eren suggested—he could always eliminate him in an instant if he detected any threat. After all, Eren was merely a Grandmaster Ranker. Even if he was a Sage, the sea monster had nothing to fear.

"Indeed, I can help you. And it won't even take much time. You can carry on with your revenge almost right away," Eren said with a smile.

In his mind, Eren celebrated. The big fish had finally taken the bait. It wouldn't be long before he had it completely wrapped up in his net.