The Great Ascendant did not retreat; instead, he pressed forward.
His right arm, which had already discarded its fist, suddenly extended. The arm split open at the stump of the wrist joint, its silver-alloy shell springing open to both sides to reveal a thick cannon barrel inside.
The muzzle aimed directly at the churning mass of flesh.
“Boom!”
A Ghostly Green Alchemical Fire erupted from the barrel.
Its temperature and destructive power far exceeded that of a furnace sprayer. This was a unique technique of the Ascension Society. The ghostly green flames, carrying a blinding light, plunged headlong into the massive pile of flesh.
The flesh sizzled and churned within the ghostly green fire, letting out a grating, high-pitched screech.
The attendant reacted immediately without needing to be told.
His aura surged violently, his eyes flashing with a deep purple light as a multitude of purple cracks surfaced on his skin.
The ground beneath his feet began to tremble.
The purple cracks spread from the soles of his feet, radiating outward with frantic speed, covering the floor of the entire void in the blink of an eye. Faint, ethereal purple tentacles reached out from the fissures, swaying slowly.
Countless beams of purple light swarmed from the cracks, shooting toward the mass of flesh being scorched by the ghostly green fire.
The purple light and the ghostly green fire poured into the flesh mass simultaneously.
Under the dual assault, the mass of flesh struggled desperately, churning violently as fist-sized blood bubbles bulged on its surface, bursting, healing, and bursting again. The ghostly green fire scorched finger-thick holes into the meat, each opening emitting foul-smelling black smoke.
The mass of flesh began to curl and shrink, letting out a silent wail.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the sight. From the looks of it, the thing was surely dead.
But just as everyone thought it was about to die...
In the next instant, the flesh mass, which should have been heavily wounded, suddenly broke free.
An extremely powerful pollution wave exploded from its body, more intense than the previous one, causing the very air in the void to hum with the vibration.
Its injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The scorched holes closed up more than halfway within a few breaths, and the purple light filaments were strangled and swallowed section by section.
Even the Great Ascendant’s cannon barrel suffered a backlash. The ghostly green fire was abruptly extinguished, and a layer of greyish-white frost appeared at the muzzle. The temperature inside the barrel dropped sharply as the pollution siphoned away the heat.
Splattered bits of flesh landed on the Great Ascendant.
His mechanical body, protected by both high-temperature heat and silver-alloy, was actually corroded in several places, leaving behind pits and dents.
Though they weren't deep, the silver-alloy surface was visibly indented, the edges turning a dull grey after the corrosion. Even an alloy body in a high-temperature state could be polluted?
The Great Ascendant’s expression shifted.
However, the only piece of good news was that after this round of combat, the flesh mass had clearly grown weaker.
Its volume had shrunk by nearly a third, its writhing speed had slowed, and the frequency of the churning on its surface had diminished.
“Now, kill it,” the Great Ascendant’s mechanical voice rang out from the scorching steam.
The four of them pressed forward simultaneously.
The Great Ascendant struck out suddenly, his remaining left fist, wreathed in scorching heat, slamming toward the flesh mass. The attendant’s purple light surged again as he exerted power with both hands despite the injury on his right arm, weaving the purple light filaments into a massive net that cast down upon the entity.
The hooded Nightwatcher’s flesh-blades shot out, each carrying a piercing force as they stabbed into the weakened flesh mass. His arms were already shaved down to the bone, and he was prepared to discard this flesh at any moment.
Lake’s Swarming Worms also pounced, the dark red meat-worms huddling into a mass as they tried to devour and tear at the weakened tissue.
Just as the four attacks were about to land...
A sound echoed from the deeper part of the passage.
“Thump... Thump...”
It was dull and ancient, like a violently beating heart, coming from a depth far older than the ghouls.
Just these two beats, these two tremors, instantly disrupted the rhythm of the four attackers.
The Swarming Worms retracted sharply back onto Lake, the dark red meat-worms clinging tightly to his skin, none of them daring to venture out.
The attendant’s purple light net loosened for a split second, the hooded Nightwatcher’s flying blades veered off course, and even the Great Ascendant’s left fist was half a beat slow.
The flesh mass, which should have been shredded, suddenly reacted.
It contracted at that same moment.
The churning meat and the scattered fragments of tissue retracted sharply toward the center, condensing into a single mass. Its size was significantly smaller, and it was clearly heavily wounded, but it wasn't dead.
The shrunken mass of flesh bolted toward the deeper depths with extreme speed, trailing a dark red streak. Within a few breaths, it had vanished into the darkness of the deeper passage.
They couldn't catch it.
“Thump... Thump...”
Deeper inside, the heartbeat sounded twice more, low and long, carrying an indescribable pressure.
Lake’s expression changed drastically.
He stared at the passage leading further down, the Swarming Worms on his body trembling frantically.
“Retreat! Now!”
...
While they were fighting for their lives beneath Bronze City, Lu Yuan had already been on the road for an entire day.
When they left Oakwood City, many caravans could still be seen on the imperial road, with merchants and travelers passing by in small groups. Figures were visible both near and far.
However, the further west they went, the fewer people they encountered. After crossing the Oakwood City boundaries, the number of living people they met could be counted on one hand.
On the road leading to Bronze City, there wasn't a single soul to be seen.
No longer needing to accommodate a large caravan, the speed of the three carriages picked up significantly.
Bo Er held the reins tight. The sound of hooves hitting the stone-paved road was fast and dense, with the two carriages behind following closely. The sound of wheels grinding against the road echoed across the empty imperial road.
No one spoke.
Bo Er was wiping his blade. Dunn leaned against the back of the carriage, disassembling his short crossbow to inspect it piece by piece. Every component was scrutinized.
The other Nightwatcher brothers were also organizing their belongings. Some were wrapping new cloth strips around their sword hilts, while others were regathering their mithril into the leather pouches at their waists.
Everyone was doing the same thing: preparing to dive into battle at any moment.
Lu Yuan sat in the lead carriage, the handwritten Ancient Music Theory Manual given by Haimeng tucked into his robes. His fingers unconsciously pressed against his chest.
The situation in Bronze City was definitely not optimistic. Returning this time meant they would inevitably have to deal with ghouls.
Furthermore, this attack was clearly different from the previous one. The communication crystal had been dead silent the entire way, without a single message getting through. No matter how one looked at it, it was not a good omen.
He didn't say it out loud; there was no need. Everyone present was well aware.
After the sky turned dark, the group found an abandoned waystation by the road for a brief rest. They took turns keeping watch, and with the sandworm oil lamps hanging, the night passed without incident.
They continued their journey before dawn.
On the evening of the second day, a fog rose on the road.
At first, it was just a thin layer floating against the ground, but in less than half an hour, the fog grew thick. It became so dense that one couldn't see beyond five steps, and even the silhouettes of the trees by the road blurred into greyish blobs.
Bo Er frowned and slowed the carriages down.
“I’ve traveled this road no less than twenty times, and I’ve never seen such a heavy fog.” His voice was low, his eyes fixed on the greyish blur ahead.
Fortunately, they were familiar with this imperial road. The road surface was made of stone slabs, so they could judge if they were veering off by the feel of the hooves and the sound of the wheels. However, their speed had slowed significantly, though they could still move forward.
Suddenly, a sound came from within the great fog.
It was the sound of footsteps, heavy and slow. Something very heavy was shifting through the fog.
Almost at the same moment, the grey-white text jumped out in the corner of Lu Yuan’s vision.
【Environmental Perception: Relatively strong pollution source... Please move away immediately.】
Lu Yuan’s expression changed.
Without hesitation, he immediately turned and signaled the two carriages behind him. He pressed the communication device to his lips, his voice extremely low: “Gather close, huddle together, and stop the carriages right where you are.”
The carriages slowly drew together in the thick fog. Bo Er had already drawn his blade, holding it against his leg in silence.
Dunn and the other brothers also reached for their respective weapons, forming a semi-circle with their backs to the carriages.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the fog.
The heavy, slow footsteps did not stop, nor did they draw closer. They just paced back and forth nearby.
Lu Yuan stared intently at the whitish void within the fog. The grey-white text still hung in the corner of his vision, the words “Relatively strong pollution source” glowing quietly.
The thing in the fog didn't attack them.
To be precise, it wasn't coming for them at all.
At a certain point, the footsteps stopped.
Lu Yuan felt a gaze.
He couldn't see the source or discern the direction, but the gaze truly fell upon him, carrying a very strange... curiosity. It didn't feel like it was about to attack.
Another line of grey-white text appeared.
【You are being watched by an unknown entity... Sanity check in progress... Check successful.】
Lu Yuan’s breath hitched for a second.
In the next moment, a voice came from within the great fog.
It was “speaking.”
Lu Yuan, relying on his translation ability, barely managed to pick up several blurred fragments of meaning.
“...Strange... You... can hear...”
Lu Yuan didn't move.
His hand had already gripped the revolver at his waist, instinctively holding his most reliable weapon.
The gaze in the fog remained fixed on him.
It seemed it had never seen such a thing—a human at Rank 2 who could actually receive its intent.
Lu Yuan knew he was walking a tightrope. The grey-white text labeled this as a “relatively strong pollution source.” This thing’s strength was far beyond his own; if he provoked it, everyone present combined wouldn't be enough to stop it.
But it showed no intent to attack.
“What are you?” Lu Yuan spoke, his voice kept very low, so low only he could hear himself.
There was no response from the fog.
After a few breaths, more fragmented intent was transmitted.
“...You have... a familiar scent...”
Lu Yuan’s heart tightened.
That “scent” was what the hyphae core had once called the “aura of its own kind.” He carried too many things on him: the Sea of Knowledge, Authority, and that mysterious aura he had encountered even before touching the Sea of Knowledge.
He didn't pick up on that topic, instead asking a question of his own.
“Where are you going?”
The fragmented intent paused for a moment before continuing to transmit.
“...Something... is about to wake up... Going to see...”
It was just that one sentence, without beginning or end. He couldn't tell what it referred to or where it was.
But Lu Yuan’s back stiffened instantly.
Something is about to wake up? What is it? Where? Could it be Bronze City?
He tried to ask more, wanting to pry for some information.
Rate on N.U.
