At that moment, time seemed to freeze. The elderly man with the weathered back stood as still as an ancient sculpture by the edge of the blood pool. Shrouded in a crimson glow, his figure appeared exceptionally mysterious and eerie.
His movements were slow and deliberate, as if every minute gesture held profound meaning. He slowly reached out his hand toward the blood pool closest to him.
Inside, the blood churned and bubbled like a geyser, giving off a sickening, metallic stench.
Finally, his hand made contact with a blood-soaked severed arm. Having been submerged for so long, the limb was bloated and swollen, with shreds of raw flesh still clinging to its surface—a truly stomach-turning sight.
Yet, the old man showed no fear. He gripped the severed arm tightly as if it were a priceless treasure. He slowly lifted it from the pool, drawing up a string of crimson droplets that splattered onto the ground, blooming into eerie patterns of blood.
However, the appendage he used to grab the arm was not a human hand, but an incredibly long, slimy tentacle.
Dripping with thick gore, the severed arm was lifted high by the tentacle, which paused briefly in midair.
The old man seemed to be deep in thought, contemplating how he should “sculpt” this masterpiece next.
Before him stood a mountain...
A small mountain of flesh and blood, constructed from the severed limbs and heads of countless drow.
Irene's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not long ago, she had personally slain one of these mutated drow flesh mountains.
What she saw now only confirmed the origin of these monstrosities.
Just then, the old man seemed to find the perfect spot.
He thrust the severed arm into the flesh mountain.
Instantly, purple veins began to pulse beneath the skin of the lifeless arm.
A sickening series of cracks and pops followed.
Like mechanical parts clicking into place, the severed arm regained its vitality, beginning to flail and claw wildly...
...just like the countless other twisted, squirming limbs covering the entire mountain of flesh.
Countless drow heads wailed in agony, their souls—unable to dissipate—forcibly bound within this mangled flesh.
They were subjected to ceaseless, excruciating torment.
“...Who might you be, Your Excellency?”
Standing up in the blood pool, Arthas asked in his deep, muffled voice.
But before the old man could respond, the slimes floating in the pool suddenly began to tremble, letting out a series of frantic “Muyi” squeaks.
This naturally drew the attention of everyone present.
“Cough, cough... Pfft!”
At that moment, Christine scrambled out of the blood pool in a rather disheveled state. He spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling gore and wiped the blood from his face.
Hearing the cries of the slimes, his gaze froze.
“They say...”
Meeting the questioning looks of the others, Christine stared at the distant, elderly figure with a bizarre expression.
“He is... the Mother of Mutation and Flesh.”
“What?”
Lucia’s mouth fell open in shock. In her astonishment, her usual ladylike poise completely vanished.
“He is... the Mother of Mutation and Flesh?!”
“How is that possible?! There's no way this old geezer is a female! He... he clearly looks like an old man!”
Before Christine could reply, her outburst was interrupted by the sound of two objects falling at high speed.
Two loud splashes echoed in quick succession.
The group turned to look, their expressions varying.
There, they saw the former Saintess, Vina, struggling to stand up from the bloody water with the support of her attendant, Laya.
“It's you!”
Staring at these two familiar faces and feeling the connection of their symbiotic contract, the soul fire beneath Arthas's helmet flickered intensely.
“Cough, cough...”
Vina coughed up bloody water and broke free from Laya's support. Her gaze swept over the gathered crowd with some unease before finally locking onto the hovering Lucia with deep resentment.
Looking at this person she had met once before, Irene tilted her head.
Most of the doubts in her heart had now been resolved.
It seemed that the ones who had been obstructing them all along were indeed these two.
Rate on N.U.
