Chapter 551
“What… what is that?”
Nevilos recoiled in shock, his eyes darting toward the ominous noise echoing from the far end of the corridor.
When he first ascended to the material realm, he had thought of it as nothing more than a buffet of defenseless souls gathered together. But after being captured by Zeke and spending time with him, he realized that this world was teeming with bizarre entities, the likes of which he had never encountered even in the demon realm.
The creature now emerging was likely another unexpected anomaly.
Squelch! Squelch!
With a wet, slithering sound, a grotesque being appeared in the hallway. It was a massive, writhing mass of flesh, reminiscent of a giant caterpillar. Hundreds of legs, resembling human hands, sprouted from its underside, supporting its bulk as it moved.
Nevilos was horrified as the monstrous creature slithered toward him.
“What on earth is that thing?”
Even as a demon, Nevilos felt an instinctive fear and revulsion at the sight of this grotesque creature, something he had never seen in the demon realm.
Goooooo—
The mass of flesh emitted a strange noise as it advanced on Nevilos. Suddenly, part of it stretched out like rubber, attempting to snatch him.
“Ugh!”
As an inspector of the abyss, Nevilos quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the creature’s grasp.
“Damn it.”
He had intended to return to the demon realm immediately, but his attempt to teleport failed. Left with no choice, Nevilos summoned his power once more.
Rumble—
Undead creatures rose from the ground at his command, their eyes glowing with a blue flame.
“Attack it!”
The undead charged at the mass of flesh, weapons drawn. But to Nevilos’s shock, long arms shot out from the creature, ensnaring the undead and pulling them into its body.
Crunch—
Nevilos watched in disbelief as his summoned undead were absorbed into the creature’s flesh.
“What in the world…”
It was absurd, but the fact that it could absorb his undead so effortlessly suggested it was no ordinary creature.
Nevilos drew his staff, channeling his energy.
Hiss—
Green smoke billowed from his staff, spreading a toxic mist throughout the space occupied by the creature. If it was an organic being made of flesh and blood, it would be vulnerable to poison.
His assumption proved correct as the creature began to react to the toxic mist.
Gurgle!
The creature halted its advance, writhing in place as if in pain.
Seeing its reaction, Nevilos intensified the poison.
“Die quietly, you hideous abomination.”
Gurgle!
The creature’s form twisted and contorted, unable to maintain its shape, as if it were being trampled and crushed like mud.
Goooooo!
A distorted wail escaped the creature as its flesh split open.
Splurt!
From the cracks, a foul-smelling black fluid began to gush out.
Nevilos had expected the creature to collapse and die after spewing its blood, but its unexpected reaction left him bewildered.
“Damn, it just won’t quit.”
The creature, now smaller after expelling the black fluid, extended its long arms once more, reaching for Nevilos.
Goooooo!
The arms stretched out, trying to grab him. Panicked, Nevilos fired magical blasts at the creature while continuing to release the toxic mist.
But the creature only spewed more black fluid, its movements unrelenting.
“Ugh!”
As Nevilos retreated, he failed to dodge one of the arms that shot toward him.
Swoosh!
Caught by the arm, Nevilos felt his magical energy being drained away.
“I can’t move.”
He realized why his undead had been helplessly absorbed into the creature’s flesh.
Unable to muster his power, he was dragged toward the creature, which was still oozing black fluid.
Just as Nevilos was about to be engulfed by the creature, a green flash erupted from the opposite side.
Boom!
Arataso appeared, unleashing a green energy blast from his lance.
Thud!
The attack struck the creature, which had been focused on Nevilos, causing it to howl in pain.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Zion appeared from above, using telekinesis to pry open the hand holding Nevilos.
“Ugh!”
Freed from the creature’s grip, Nevilos regained his ability to use magic.
With Nevilos out of harm’s way, Arataso and Zion launched a coordinated assault on the creature.
Boom! Boom!
Assailed from both sides, the creature trembled violently, unable to withstand the onslaught.
Screech!
In a desperate move, the creature elongated its body, slipping through a gap like a long branch.
Hiss—
In an instant, the elongated creature vanished from sight.
Arataso approached Nevilos.
“So that’s where you were. Caught by that thing, huh?”
In truth, Nevilos had tried to flee back to the demon realm, but fearing Zeke’s retribution if he confessed, he quickly agreed with Arataso’s assumption.
“Y-yes, that unidentified creature ambushed me from behind.”
Boris and his group, who had ascended from below with Adol, looked at Arataso and Nevilos.
“It seems like an experimental creature made by the Abyss, but its exact nature is unknown. It devours anything it catches… but once we blow this place up, it won’t matter.”
Arataso and Nevilos nodded in agreement with Boris.
Then Shadia, standing next to Boris, spoke up.
“Did the master really order us to blow this place up first?”
Arataso nodded in response to her question.
“Yes, to keep the Abyss’s priest occupied, we must do so.”
Shadia realized that Zeke intended to end things here.
Boris nodded, adding, “It’s best to follow the boss’s orders. We’ve set all the explosives, so let’s get out of here. Staying here would be a pointless death.”
Arataso and Nevilos nodded in agreement and began their ascent to the surface.
As they made their way out of the labyrinth, the creature that had fled was once again on the hunt, searching for something to satiate its hunger.
And then, it caught a whiff of something delicious from one side.
It had found something nutritious enough to satisfy its hunger and replenish its energy in one go.
The creature swiftly moved in that direction.
Zeke looked at Harvey West and spoke.
“The power of re-creation, the ability to recreate what once existed. That’s the power of the arrogant savior.”
The ability to summon a vanished legion or wield the power of a lost artifact. Even beings that seemed destined for annihilation by the soul blade could be restored to their original state.
All of this was the re-creation power of the arrogant savior.
Zeke turned his gaze back to Harvey West.
Hum—
The chaotic energy from Zeke’s Levatein began to surge.
He pointed his sword at Harvey West and said, “But it seems your power has a weakness. You can’t create anything new. You can only recreate what once existed.”
Harvey West’s eyebrow twitched at Zeke’s words.
“Stop your futile resistance and follow me, Zeke Draker. Otherwise, all that awaits you is eternal despair and annihilation.”
“No matter how powerful your ability is, if you can’t use it, it’s useless.”
Until now, Harvey West had been able to fully recover in a different way from Zeke, thanks to the power of the arrogant savior.
The re-creation power could even reconstruct a shattered soul.
Zeke realized that if Harvey West’s immortality was due to the power of the arrogant savior, then it was possible to attack him using chaotic energy.
Zeke would lose the power of the immortal body, but Harvey West would also lose the power of his ability, making a direct confrontation possible.
Previously, Harvey West had various plans in place to deal with Zeke, but those had all been thwarted.
Now, the chaotic energy could finally unleash its full potential.
Harvey West, who had been listening quietly, slowly shook his head.
“Zeke Draker, you’ve forgotten how to see the truth amidst all the lies and deceit.”
Zeke didn’t respond, instead releasing the chaotic energy from Levatein.
Harvey West furrowed his brow at the sight.
He looked at Zeke and said, “It’s pointless. No matter what you do, my existence cannot be erased.”
“That’s something we’ll find out.”
At that moment, the homunculus in front of Harvey West moved again.
Whoosh—
The homunculus charged at Zeke, unleashing a field of hydraulic force.
A wave-like blade surged toward Zeke, ready to strike.
Zeke, having grown accustomed to the movements of the homunculus, countered with a surge of hydropower, deflecting the incoming sword strike.
Boom!
The elemental swords clashed, neutralizing each other in a dazzling display of energy.
Behind him, Harvey West formed a series of hand seals, summoning the arrogant savior’s power once more.
Rumble!
With the energy he unleashed, the very fabric of space began to shift and warp.
Zeke quickly realized that Harvey West was attempting to draw him into his own domain by deploying a unique barrier.
‘He’s avoiding being consumed by the chaos,’ Zeke thought, noting the change in tactics.
Sensing a chance for victory, Zeke gritted his teeth and unleashed the chaotic energy of his own domain to counter Harvey West’s barrier.
Vroooom!
The two domains clashed, each trying to pull the other in. At the boundary where they met, a dimensional storm erupted.
Crash!
The risk was immense; if the boundary opened, the space itself could collapse. Yet neither Zeke nor Harvey West could afford to back down. In the midst of this fierce territorial battle, something unexpected intervened.
Roar!
A bizarre creature, drawn by the promise of a nourishing meal, burst through the dimensional storm, revealing itself.
Zeke frowned at the sudden appearance of the grotesque entity. ‘An experiment from the abyss, perhaps?’
Expecting an attack, Zeke prepared to summon shadows within his chaotic domain. But to his surprise, the creature moved in the opposite direction.
With a body as slender as tree branches, the creature rapidly expanded, wrapping itself around the homunculus standing before Harvey West.
Swoosh!
Caught off guard, the homunculus was absorbed by the creature before it could react.
Harvey West’s expression twisted into something unreadable.
“…An angel’s fragment? Why is it here now?”
He seemed genuinely taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
The creature, having devoured the homunculus, appeared thoroughly satisfied. Despite consuming countless knights and mages, none had provided the nutrients it craved. But this latest meal was different, fulfilling all its needs.
Rumble!
Amidst the clash of domains and the ensuing dimensional storm, the creature began to transform.
Crack!
Limbs sprouted from what was once a mere mass of flesh. As the creature’s form solidified, enormous wings unfurled from its back.
Roar!
With a monstrous cry, a head began to emerge from the evolving body.
Harvey West’s eyes flickered with disbelief.
“The fragment is blooming now?”
Though it was something he possessed, he had sealed it away, unsure of how to trigger its awakening. It had shown power, but only in its bizarre method of absorbing life forms. All previous attempts to awaken it had failed, leading him to believe its spirit had vanished. He never imagined that Kaishir’s homunculus would be the key to its awakening.
Zeke, observing the emergence of this new entity, furrowed his brow.
‘Even he seems surprised. This wasn’t planned.’
The aura emanating from the mysterious being was unlike anything Zeke had encountered before. Yet, it reminded him of something he had faced in the past.
‘Nephilim?’
Ancient beings crafted from the divine blood of the constellations. But the aura from this new entity was even stronger, exuding a power that surpassed that of the Nephilim.