Alephee had managed to attack the second array eye all by herself while fighting off with the runic chains. She also didn't let Kavach and Hath Oda escape unscathed.

With her unpredictable lightning, fire, and time element attacks, she had almost killed the two rankers. Both the members of Tumko's team were in grave danger of dying. They had missing limbs and cauterized injuries as their medals for surviving Alephee's attacks.

And this was when she wasn't really trying to kill the two rankers. Eren had told them to be easy on Tumko's team.

Eren had a wild thought of killing Tumko right here and robbing him of his Ability with his bloodline powers. However, he knew that Tumko's Ability was so unique that only he could bring out its true potential. The Mentalist class was the furthest away from him. Thus, the Ability that focused so much on his class wasn't going to be of any use to him.

As such, it would be beneficial if he brings Tumko back to his team. He had contacted Agatha and Levine. Through them, he knew that there was a chance of war breaking out shortly between Edinburgh and Layos.

He knew all about Tumko. After all, Eren had dug up all that he could find about the guy that was public knowledge. The broken him had found a light of hope in his struggles.

Tumko had put in a crazy amount of effort to get to where he was. The guy was as hardworking as the current Eren if not more. In fact, one of the reasons Eren could stick to his bloody routine these days was because he knew that there was one guy out there who could pull off something like this. If Tumko could do it, so could he.

Tumko's awakened Ability wasn't a fluke just like it wasn't for Eren. both had made conscious efforts to become one of the most norm-defying Adept-ranked entities.

Tumko was strong. His entire team was strong.

Eren needed strong allies in these turbulent times. So that he could make the right use of these times of war for himself. There were plenty of opportunities waiting to be claimed if and when the war did break out, provided that one was prepared.

Eren wasn't expecting war to break out in this timeline. He could guess that it was the butterfly effect at work. Nevertheless, he didn't regret any of his decisions. He even preferred there to be war.

Eren wasn't as weak as before. While he was still in the D-Rank stage, he could already tell that he was stronger than the last timeline's Adept-ranked-him.

Only strong and capable people were able to take advantage of the turbulent times. The low-ranked entities would be used as disposables in such times. The most casualties would come from them.

'A future that is unknown to me. This is fun.'

Eren thought to himself and smiled. He took out his Sativa stick and lit it up. He looked at the vigilant Tumko before speaking up.

"You were saying something to me?"

Tumko didn't try to rescue any of his team members. He knew that Eren was a deterrent he simply couldn't ignore. Also, he felt that Eren and his team members had not attempted the kill despite having the capability.

Tumko wasn't an idiot. He could see that Kirin was a capable fighter herself. Just a bit naive. As if she hadn't faced any real danger all her life despite being a C-Rank-- a sheltered ranker.

However, Tumko labeled Alephee to be the most dangerous among them all. He had watched her fight. For some reason, his senses as a veteran ranker were telling him that this black-haired girl alone was enough to take care of them all.

Still, they were all alive.

That could only mean one thing. The last chance. A way out.

"I… I am sorry that we tried to interrogate you. I just wanted to know if…"

Eren chuckled before speaking up.

"Heh! I'll be honest, Tumko. I have been to that place. I found everything I was looking for."

Eren said while releasing a dense cloud of smoke before continuing.

"As someone who has been into the Oni dungeon, let me tell you that it couldn't have given you any lucrative results. You would have died there or been taken as a guinea pig to a place you knew nothing about.

Especially during this period."

Tumko was trying to discern whether or not Eren was telling the truth or not. He was caught off guard when he heard his next words.

"I know about your Mentalist class. You can somewhat read minds and tell if a person is lying or not, right?

The reason you were asking so many questions was that you guys wanted to get a read on us. So pay attention to me using your psychic powers when I say this: you would never be able to loot the riches that the Oni dungeon has to offer. At least not the way you would have wanted to.

Some or all of you would likely have died inside as sacrifices. Furthermore, you can't enter the place now since it's been locked. You can check the entrance yourself if you want to confirm."

Tumko found out that Eren had said these statements with clear consciousness, sans any mental fluctuations. It could only mean that he was speaking the truth. Or that he was a damn good liar.

***

At first, Eren didn't understand why Tumko would try to access the entrance to the Oni dungeon this early in this timeline. In the previous timeline, he had taken his leave from the army and had been away for several years before coming back to this place.

However, Eren quickly zeroed in on a possibility after he heard Agatha's report right after he got out of the Oni dungeon.

War!

Tumko couldn't count on the fact that the region would be forbidden to be entered during times of war. It could become a conflict zone.

Therefore, he rushed to explore the Oni dungeon. As a result, he was here doing one final recon before proceeding with his plans. This was how he clashed with Eren and his team.

***

"I… I see."

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