Chapter 1950 Tactical Approach Over Long-term Planning
1950 Tactical Approach Over Long-term Planning
"Don't get it confused."
Azurea corrected Eren when she heard his murmurs.
"Those two factors only make you qualified to pursue the SSS-Rank breakthrough. The true hurdle is passing the test of Creation itself.
Plus, even if you successfully complete the evolution process and become an SSS-Rank entity, there's always a risk that your transformation won't stabilize, leading to an uncontrollable mutation of both body and soul.
That's why anyone who successfully attains SSS-Rank is highly regarded by all divine and demonic factions.
My father is one such individual. Even though he can't yet fight against Immortals, he is still formidable—so much so that even Demigods like Shir willingly extend their hands in alliance," Azurea said, feeling proud of her dragon father.
Eren frowned once again but didn't counter Azurea's statements right away. He could tell that the only reason she was willing to share this information with him was to mentally pressure him.
Now that he had nearly backed the Raashim Temple into a corner, Azurea no longer considered extending Shir a helping hand. Since the Temple was as good as destroyed anyway, why not use the opportunity to carve out a piece of the pie for herself?
Although Azurea and Marina had been instructed by their father to lay low until his return, Azurea could still take advantage of the chaos Eren had caused and secure benefits for herself and her sister without being in the limelight.
Plus, by securing a reserved sanctuary for herself and the dragonkind, they wouldn't need to rely on either Raashim Temple or Eren's forces anymore.
Furthermore, it would be Eren who would bear the responsibility of protecting their interests in Labh Salem's seas against the inevitable wave of factions swarming in like a pack of hyenas to claim their share of the lucrative territory.
All the benefits with none of the responsibilities—this was how Azurea saw the deal she had proposed to Eren.
Of course, Eren wouldn't agree to such terms so easily. That was why she decided to pressure him using her father's influence. With enough pressure, she knew it wouldn't be long before he caved.
As for marrying him? Azurea didn't take the matter seriously. Why would she, when Eren was merely an A-Ranked Grandmaster and a mere human? Or at least someone who was used to being human.
Even though he had become much more than being a human, he was still not a True Dragon.
However, Eren only pondered for a moment before collecting his thoughts. A smile formed on his lips as he shook his head and responded.
"Your father is indeed a strong deterrent. However, he is not strong enough to make me change my plans," Eren said calmly, narrowing his eyes at Azurea and Marina.
"Now that things have come to this, I won't just take control of the sea region that was once under Raashim Temple's influence—I'll make it grow. And you both, along with your underlings, will help me do just that. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."
Eren didn't want to mess with someone of the Calamity Rank yet. However, he could not back away from this fight. If he were to back away for every little hurdle, he would stop growing as a demigod.
Eren's divinity was such that it required him to take the initiative. His demonic lineage was supposed to grow stronger in chaos and danger.
He was also short on time and needed to take control of the Labh Salem's seas so that he could proceed further with his other plans. As such, the butcher decided to deal with the problems one step at a time.
Why worry about future troubles when he was surrounded with many issues today?
Future troubles should be kept for future Eren to solve. The current Eren would worry about his own damn problems.
Sometimes a tactical approach was better than long-term planning.
***
"You… you fucking lunatic! Did you just decide to ignore everything I said?"
Azurea clenched her fists in anger. She felt aggravated that all the time she had spent boasting about her father had gone to waste.
Not only had it failed to intimidate Eren, but it seemed that it had also made him even more determined to claim them as his wives. It was as if he didn't care about the possible retaliation from her father at all.
Marina, on the other hand, was somewhat relieved after a moment of shock.
The elder dragoness had long wanted to escape her father's clutches.
Whenever the Calamity Dragon was around, she felt suppressed, as if her own will was being robbed from her. Although she had grown significantly stronger over the past few centuries in her father's absence from Labh Salem, she still felt powerless whenever she considered rebelling against him and joining a different faction.
Eren was the first person to offer her a way out. Although he wasn't stronger than her father—at least not yet—he had his own advantages due to his demonic lineage and demigod status.
Plus, Marina had seen Eren's potential firsthand by battling him. She was certain that, given enough time, Eren would rise through the ranks and help her break free from her family's influence.
Of course, she also wanted this freedom for her little sister, Azurea, even though the latter had yet to realize its importance.
Thus, after learning that Eren was on the brink of creating his Immortal Domain despite being only an A-Rank Grandmaster, Marina agreed to marry him. An Immortal Domain could prove to be a game-changer in Eren's eventual clash against her father.
After all, an Immortal Domain was a personal space belonging to an Immortal, where they could reign as a god.
No matter how powerful an Immortal's enemies were, they would never risk barging into an Immortal Domain controlled by a living Immortal—that would be suicide.
Even though Eren could not directly confront Marina's SSS-Rank Calamity Beast dragon father, as long as he managed to establish his Immortal Domain, he and his allies would be safe from her father's wrath.
She and her sister could also use this Immortal Domain as a hideout to buy some time.
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AN: Immortal Domain was explained in chapter 1843.