The mountain of flesh's massive frame exploded instantly under the influence of the extreme kinetic force field.
It was no ordinary explosion.
It was a firework of flesh and blood, composed of rotten meat, bone fragments, black blood, and shriveled internal organs.
The massive energy shockwave, like a tangible hurricane, swept across the entire cemetery.
The air was thick with a suffocating stench.
Not far away.
The two alchemy puppets that had just been frozen into giant ice sculptures by the Freezing Ray bore the brunt of the blast.
Before they could even begin to thaw, the terrifying energy tore through the outer layer of ice with destructive force.
The two expensive killing machines were thus blown into a flurry of ice shards and metal scrap.
On the other side.
Seeing this, Guss's eyes lit up with a terrifying, predatory light.
A perfect opportunity!
Facing the Divine Smite swinging toward him, he closed the distance.
He couldn't help but complain that these alchemy puppets truly had no intelligence.
The holy light slammed violently into the barrier generated by his amulet.
Holy Retribution sent all the radiance energy right back.
At the same time.
He swung the Ever-Burning Sword in a wide arc.
With savage strength, he sliced the remaining alchemy puppet clean in half at the waist!
His other hand followed up immediately, swinging the silver longsword.
The ear-piercing sound of tearing metal rang out.
Sparks flew.
The alchemy puppet's head was also chopped off.
The metal wreckage crashed to the ground.
At the ruined entrance of the chapel.
Luke's expression was unsightly in the extreme.
He stared blankly at the shredded meat falling from the sky.
Shock.
Beyond shock, it was an indescribable awe.
Even if he racked his brain, he couldn't understand.
How on earth did Elias do it?
That was a damn eight-meter-tall necromantic monster!
It had thick hide, incredible defense, and could seamlessly cast various high-level spells.
And yet, it was blown to pieces... physically... by a mere Scale Three transcendent?!
Not even a bone larger than a pebble was left!
"This guy..."
Luke swallowed a mouthful of saliva that tasted of soil.
A deep, unmaskable dread flashed in his eyes.
This person was an absolute monster.
He had to report this to the higher-ups!
If they didn't strip every secret from Elias, the company's internal evaluation system would be a complete joke!
A cold wind blew, making Luke shiver.
Recalling everything that had happened tonight, he felt like he was in an absurd, surreal nightmare.
Originally, the opening had been perfect.
The script was flawless.
According to the agreement he and John had made early on.
In tonight's play, John was supposed to be the aggressor leading the charge on stage.
John's task was actually quite simple.
He was to use the necromancy spells attached to the Soul Pendulum to cause a large enough commotion at the convent.
This would lure away all the Life Scholars stationed here.
Naturally, it would create the illusion of a massive invasion by the Hand of Necromancy.
During that time.
He was to kill as many Life Scholars as he could.
It should have been an easy and pleasant job.
Dark erosion energy naturally countered the life recovery spells of those Life Scholars.
Furthermore, this dilapidated cemetery was filled with all sorts of ancient corpses.
For a necromancer, being here was like a mouse falling into a grain bin.
Resources were abundant and ready for use.
So, the plan had been implemented very smoothly at first.
Smooth sailing.
Everything was progressing step by step.
Just how smooth was it?
Yesterday, he had followed that fool Henry to stake out the Golden Rose Hotel.
They were preparing to capture Brian.
As luck would have it, they ran into Elias there.
The clumsy little trick Elias played...
To Luke, it was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy!
His original calculations were very precise.
He intended to use Brian as a pawn to create a massive disturbance.
This would pin Ms. Cecil's attention firmly on the Golden Rose Hotel.
Then, he would send someone to notify Branch Manager Guardian.
But honestly, that combo was very dependent on field execution.
He used to get a headache just thinking about it.
It would have required an immense amount of persuasion and the fabrication of a seamless lie to facilitate that perfect distraction.
But who could have guessed?
That kid Elias actually brought along some old geezer from out of nowhere.
The two of them were acting like they were performing a double act!
And the best part?
The best part was that Henry was right there watching the whole thing!
He could even help corroborate it!
At that moment, Luke was practically blooming with joy.
The heavens were helping him!
He didn't even need to change the script; he could just copy theirs.
If he didn't take advantage of the situation then, he, Luke, would have been a truly brainless idiot.
And so.
The subsequent events were executed many times more smoothly than his original plan.
Ms. Cecil had even mysteriously disappeared for an entire hour last night!
It was a godsend.
This allowed him to lead Branch Manager Guardian to the North District sewers without any hindrance.
Even now.
He didn't know what kind of sinister trap the big shots above had prepared down there.
But it had actually kept the powerful Guardian from arriving to support them until now.
The delay was a resounding success.
The overall situation was under control.
All external resistance had been cleared.
Everything was perfect.
But who the hell could have guessed!
The biggest problem in the entire plan, the only link that collapsed, actually happened here at the cemetery!
Luke rubbed his temples in pain, feeling a wave of dizziness.
When he had gone through so much trouble to find John...
The man was distressed because his physical body had been destroyed, making him unable to personally retrieve the Fifth Element in Moon Bay.
That was the Fifth Element.
A treasure capable of driving any transcendent insane.
After that, the two of them naturally reached a cooperation agreement.
The terms were clear.
One would provide resources, channels, and cover.
The other would provide combat power, necromancy, and the pendulum.
They shared the Fifth Element in Moon Bay as their ultimate goal.
Not only that.
To show his sincerity, Luke had patted his chest and promised.
He would help John deal with all external interference so he could smoothly obtain Elias's body.
And complete a perfect possession and reconstruction.
However!
As God is my witness!
Even if Luke lived until the next century, he never would have imagined!
That John, a guy holding the Soul Pendulum!
Could actually fail the possession?!
This was beyond ridiculous!
How could he possibly fail that?!
Of course.
As someone who always liked to keep a backup plan.
He did have a contingency for John's failure.
After all, one couldn't put all their eggs in one basket.
But the problem was!
Who knew that this contingency, which he saw as a double insurance, would also end in complete failure?!
One link after another collapsed.
And the only variable that caused all of this...
Was that Elias!
If it weren't for this god-awful variable!
The current script should be:
He, Luke, leading those members of the Mist Veil Society who were meant to be cannon fodder, would have successfully completed the backstab.
They would have sent the entire investigation team, led by Finn, straight to hell.
Even if a waste like John failed the possession and was killed...
It wouldn't have mattered! It wouldn't have affected the big picture at all!
He would only have needed to hide in the shadows.
Wait for both sides to be mutually wounded, then jump out to finish off everyone still breathing.
Finally, he could unhurriedly use these high-level alchemy puppets to kill the mountain of flesh formed by John's corpse.
A perfect conclusion. He would take the pendulum.
Then he would vanish, leaving his name and deeds unknown.
And yet!
And yet the opponent had to be this damn Elias!
This guy was like he was using some incredible cheat.
Not only did he reach the terrifying level of Scale Three in just two months, like he was riding a rocket.
He was also so damn hard to kill!
He was practically an indestructible iron cockroach!
The living corpse Finn turned into couldn't kill him.
The Mist Veil Society lackeys couldn't kill him.
Even the mountain of flesh couldn't kill him!
Instead, it was blown into a rain of blood by him!
Fine.
You're tough, aren't you?
You have a lot of trump cards, don't you?
At worst, I'll just stop being honorable and use premium items to crush you with alchemy puppets!
And the result?!
Without a word, the guy directly summoned an infernal demon to crash the party!
An infernal demon!
Does that even sound reasonable?!
How on earth did a lighthouse keeper get in touch with the infernal abyss?!
It was absolutely inconceivable!
Fine, if you're calling for backup, so be it.
Don't demons love soul coins?
Any problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem.
At worst, I'll just pay double the price to bribe him!
And the result?!
This damn demon turned out to be an unyielding freak too!
Not only did he not want money, he even turned around and dismantled the alchemy puppets into scrap metal!
One thing after another.
Everything had veered off course.
Thinking of this, Luke couldn't help but feel a massive headache.
The veins on his forehead throbbed as if they were about to burst.
Watching his last bit of capital...
Those incredibly expensive alchemy puppets being wiped out.
He finally lost his composure and could no longer sit still.
If he went back empty-handed...
Not only would he be unable to explain it to the higher-ups, but all his years of planning would have gone down the drain.
"Send the rest!"
Luke gnashed his teeth and let out a hysterical roar.
"Make sure you get that pendulum back!"
"At all costs!"
Following the command, from behind the convent.
The final three alchemy puppets charged out!
Luke stared intently at Elias in the distance, his hands clenched into fists.
He prepared to welcome the results brought by these final trump cards.
However.
Right at that moment.
His eyes suddenly widened.
In the distance, Elias suddenly collapsed straight down.
Motionless.
Wait? Something good like this?
Rate on N.U.
