“Don't forget, the pendulum inside is the true core.”
Old Ed added another stinging remark to the situation.
“Even if you exhaust every effort to reach John's corpse, that's merely the first step.”
“For instance, if you truly intend to rely on an internal detonation to blow it apart completely...”
The old man saw right through the possibility Elias had been considering in his mind.
“By my conservative estimate, you'd need to stack at least ten resonance stacks with that Roaring Cane in your hand.”
Ten stacks.
It was a number that invited despair.
“Given your current foundation and the total spiritual reserves you can funnel into the Roaring Cane...”
“You would need to completely fill the spirituality required for every single resonance stack.”
Old Ed paused, setting a nearly impossible passing grade.
“I'm afraid it would drain you dry just to have a fighting chance.”
“At that point, you'd have to find the perfect timing to detonate the stacks, charms, and thunderclap bullets you previously planted in Finn's head all at once.”
“With all those measures hitting simultaneously, it's not entirely without a chance.”
The old man's tone suddenly shifted.
“However, trying to precisely deliver ten resonance stacks to John's original body in such a chaotic situation... that's probably as difficult as ascending to the heavens.”
“And the most expensive price comes after that.”
Old Ed issued a warning.
“Ask yourself: with your current soul strength, can you withstand the backlash of the Soul Screams from a ten-stack instantaneous explosion?”
“Of course, considering the unique nature of your soul, maybe there's a chance?”
“But Elias, as a friend, I still think this is a desperate gamble.”
Ten stacks of Soul Screams.
Usually, triggering just one or two stacks was enough to make Elias break out of a dream demon curse through sheer pain.
This was why Old Ed had repeatedly emphasized that Elias shouldn't use it on himself before the battle.
For a fragile combatant like him, applying a debuff to himself before the fight even started was generally a bad idea.
If ten stacks were to overlap.
It would absolutely churn a normal person's consciousness into a pot of boiling mush in an instant.
“Dammit!”
Elias gritted his teeth, complaining irritably in his mind.
Behind him were his brother and sister, and the civilians of the entire city.
He had no choice but to do this.
If all else failed...
Should he try blowing the bone flute?
No!
He had to try his own way first!
That thing should be saved for the final moment; that was the only right way to use it.
“This monster absorbed so many random corpses, how come those corpses don't count as its body?”
“Wasn't John all too happy to possess others when he was alive?”
“Now that he's dead and turned into a monster, he's suddenly drawing such a clear line?”
He offered a small jab at the logic.
But despite the complaints, he quickly turned serious, grasping the tactical core of the old man's words.
“So, what you're saying is...”
Elias stared intently at the behemoth in the distance.
“Even if I risk my life and hit any part of the outer layers of this mountain of flesh with the cane, it won't count as substantial damage to the core body?”
“Exactly.”
Hearing Old Ed's affirmative answer, Elias felt a massive headache coming on.
What did this mean?
It meant that if he wanted to ensure the explosive firepower was enough to blow the entire mountain of flesh apart from the inside.
He would have to endure the storm of flying limbs.
He would have to climb all the way up and force his way close.
Then, he would have to accurately strike John's head at the very peak of the mountain of flesh.
A full ten times!
Ten times didn't sound like much, right?
But in front of this eight-meter-tall mountain of flesh that was like a mobile building.
How was he supposed to cross that distance of death?
Moreover, this wasn't the only monster on the battlefield.
How was he supposed to face the indiscriminate attacks of the mountain of flesh while also being hounded by an alchemy puppet with Scale Four strength?
This was essentially a hell-difficulty speedrun condition.
A single mistake meant death without even a corpse left behind.
“Sir...”
As Elias was running tactical simulations in his mind.
The blood-covered mystic asked in a tentative, low voice.
His voice was filled with the hope of someone grasping at a final straw in the midst of despair.
“Have you... thought of a countermeasure?”
“I have some ideas.”
Elias's gaze remained locked on the battlefield ahead. He didn't look back, giving a steady answer through the mental channel.
He had to use every resource available.
“What spells can you still cast on me?”
Elias asked quickly, his tone sharp and decisive.
“Tell me the ones that take effect immediately. We don't have time to stand around and channel.”
The mystic swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva and unhesitatingly listed his remaining cards.
“I can still cast 【Arcane Weapon】, 【Blade Song】, 【Arcane Ward】, and 【Protection from Energy】.”
“Only...”
The mystic's tone dimmed.
“【Arcane Ward】 and 【Protection from Energy】 require time to prepare.”
In other words, the protective spells needed to be set up.
“What do the first two do?”
Elias decisively filtered out the useless chatter and got straight to the point.
“【Arcane Weapon】 can imbue your weapon with arcane properties.”
The mystic forced himself to focus, quickly explaining the spell's mechanics.
“Essentially, it adds a layer of arcane energy to your weapon, making your attacks more powerful.”
“And 【Blade Song】?”
“【Blade Song】 is a buff.”
The mystic took a breath.
“It instantly enhances your muscle strength and mental concentration.”
“Most importantly, it makes it harder for your spells that require concentration to fail when you take damage.”
Concentration.
Hearing this, Elias instantly understood the strategic value of the spell.
What did concentration mean?
For example, his commonly used 【Moonlight Veil】.
His stealth and protective spells had always had a fatal weakness.
After casting them.
If his physical body suffered severe external damage, or if he himself experienced intense mental agitation or fear.
The structure of the spell would become unstable.
It might even fail instantly.
That was what the other man meant by "needing to maintain concentration."
And this 【Blade Song】 spell.
It could stabilize his mental threshold.
Ensuring that in the upcoming fierce battle, he could still maintain the operation of his spells.
This was exactly the melee god-tier skill he needed most right now!
It was a pity.
He couldn't rely on those heavy protective spells.
He could only depend on the Moonlight Barrier on his person and the warding charms in his pocket to tank the hits.
Elias kept his eyes on the battle while quickly taking inventory of his stock.
Though he had prepared well before coming out to dig graves, bringing over a dozen inscribed charms.
He had already used three in the earlier clash with the living corpse Finn.
He had also stuffed two into Finn's head.
He had eleven left in his pocket.
Among them.
Two link charms.
Four force field charms.
Five warding charms.
Facing a Scale Five mutated mountain of flesh.
Plus a tireless alchemy puppet with Scale Four combat power.
Given the destructive power of these two monsters.
These mere five warding charms probably wouldn't last long at all.
Elias was starting to admire himself a little.
A transcendent who had just promoted to Scale Two.
Fighting two terrifying monsters with scale levels significantly higher than his own in this eerie graveyard all in one night.
Who would believe such a record if it were told?
Who else could handle this kind of pressure?
Elias briefly dropped his veil to reveal himself.
This gave the mystic behind the cover a window to cast those two precious buffs on him.
The deep blue light of 【Arcane Weapon】 flowed over the body of the Roaring Cane like water.
The rousing melody of 【Blade Song】, sounding as if it came from an ancient battlefield, began to echo in his blood and meridians.
A flash of inspiration struck Elias's mind.
He suddenly remembered that he seemed to have another "ally" on him.
As strength flooded his entire body.
Elias didn't hesitate for a second.
He reached into the shriveled Gluttonous Stomach.
He felt a cold, rough object in the bag.
It was the infernal horn Guss had given him.
Elias pulled the dark red horn out.
The moment the horn was exposed to the air.
Even without being blown.
A terrifying aura from the inferno spread through the air of the cemetery.
In the distance.
The massive mountain of flesh, which had been wildly waving its limbs to attack the hard stone walls of the convent, suddenly froze.
Countless writhing severed limbs went stiff in an instant.
It seemed to sense some kind of evil power capable of threatening its existence.
It stopped its attack. Lightning suddenly swirled around one of its massive arms.
With a single swipe, it swatted the alchemy puppet that was flying toward its head into the stone wall.
Its mountain-like body crushed the tombstones beneath its feet as it slowly turned around.
The empty sockets of its head locked onto Elias's direction.
The mystic, seeing the infernal horn Elias had suddenly produced.
Trembled violently with fear.
“Si... Sir!”
The mystic's voice cracked, his face full of terror.
“What are you trying to do?!”
Wasn't this just leading a tiger to kill a wolf!
This thing looked even more evil than the mountain of flesh!
Elias gripped the cold horn.
Meeting the mystic's terrified gaze.
He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up beneath his mask.
“Calling for backup!”
Rate on N.U.
