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Chapter 32
🕑 Added 2023-11-14 01:10:45 +0000 UTC"Priority target retrieval in progress... Analyzing target No.1... Analyzing target No.2... Target re-evaluation postponed... Maximum priority hunt... Target No.1..."
As that voice resonated, the massive tentacle launched a fierce attack on Lynne. However, just as it was about to strike Lynne, two tentacles of the same kind burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around the attacking appendage.
"Run!"
A ghastly voice emanated from within the creature. It was the voice of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit! She wasn't dead! She was still inside the creature, battling it!
"Lady!" Lynne roared. Yet, in the very next instant, the tentacle controlled by the Blood Clad Evil Spirit slammed heavily into Lynne. His eyes widened in shock as the force of the blow sent him hurtling through the streets, into the enveloping darkness. His view was quickly obscured by layers of black mist. He flailed his arms, retreating backward, as his vision continually receded. The only sound left was the howling wind in his ears.
Thud—
Lynne's body hit the ground hard, quickly getting to his feet, he panted heavily.
How did this happen?! Why did everything change so suddenly?! Everything seemed under control just moments ago. How did it turn into this?!
Without any hesitation, Lynne gritted his teeth and sprinted back in the direction he came from. But soon, he halted.
"No way!"
His head shot up abruptly. He realized that if even the Blood Clad Evil Spirit couldn't contend with that monster, then going would simply mean walking into death's embrace.
So was he supposed to turn tail and flee now? To run away like a coward, and then seek an opportunity for revenge later?
"What a joke!"
Gritting his teeth, Lynne bolted in that direction. However, he didn't rejoin the fight. Instead, he swiftly darted into the potion shop and dashed to the backyard. He rummaged through his belongings frantically. Soon after, he retrieved all the stashed Flesh Regeneration Potions he had hidden away.
"If she can hold on, there must still be a way to save her!"
Just as he was about to leave, determination etched on his face, he stopped suddenly. In an instant, he quickly turned, his breaths short and hurried, approaching the entrance to the basement.
"That's right! Master's pet... that creature can surely help!"
With a clang, Lynne forcefully threw open the basement door, and a pungent stench immediately assailed him.
"Hey!" He yelled into the darkness below. "I know you're playing dead, and I'm well aware you've always despised me, resentful of the expired potions I feed you daily. But now, the situation is dire, and regardless of what you are, I need your help!"
"Master is in peril, and that beast has come knocking! Its target is our Bloodsaw potion shop, and if I die, being part of this shop, you won't escape either! Hey! Did you hear me?!" Lynne roared. In his anger, he hurled several stones downward.
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -1]
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -1]
A hissing sound, reminiscent of an angry snake, echoed eerily from the shadowy depths below. And then, in the next moment, with a whooshing sound, a colossal, serpentine figure surged out from the basement. Its immense shadow immediately enveloped Lynne.
Lynne's eyes widened in astonishment, his face pale with shock.
"This is..."
[Babe]
[Level: ???]
[Affiliation: Lawful Evil]
[Race: ???]
[Combat Ability: ???]
[Description: A tongue that lurks within the basement of Bloodsaw Potion Shop. It seems to be a part of some entity, willingly taken in and cared for by Bloodsaw for reasons unknown. It hates the expired potions it deems to be crap and even more so, the human boy who's been feeding it those for two years...]
"Babe?" Lynne murmured.
Hiss--
The elongated, massive tongue looked down upon Lynne. At its tip was a slit, from which protruded another tongue identical to it. And from that tongue, yet another identical tongue emerged.
In an eerie and bizarre manner, it confronted Lynne.
Hiss-hiss-hiss--(FU)
It stared at Lynne.
Somehow, Lynne immediately understood the meaning behind its hissing.
Irritated, Lynne reached out and yanked its papillae, demanding, "Say that again?!"
Hiss-hiss-hiss--(YMF)
Grinding his teeth, Lynne tightened the coating of the big tongue, saying, "Fine! Curse all you want! But right now, we're in a crisis. My friend is out there fighting that creature. And just so you know, that creature came for us!"
"Even though you're both ugly and cowardly, you are still part of our Bloodsaw Potion Shop! I raised you on potions I meticulously tried and tested! Think about it! If my friend is taken down and I fall next, who's next in line? That's right! It's you, the ugly and cowardly tongue!" Lynne roared at it.
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -10]
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you -10]
Hiss-hiss-hiss-hiss--(YFMC)
"..."
"..."
Lynne, visibly annoyed, "That's not crap! It's a potion! Yes, it might be a bit expired, but it's still a genuine potion!"
Hiss, hiss-hiss-hiss--(YFMCE)
Lynne, infuriated (〃′皿`)q, gripped the base of its tongue, exclaiming, "Fine! If you come with me now, for the next two months, I promise to feed you top-notch potions every single day! Potions that will make you feel absolutely exhilarated! How's that sound?"
A brief silence ensued.
Hiss--(D)
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you + 0.001]
The next moment, the serpent-like tongue swiftly unraveled from the cellar, elongating wildly. It quickly coiled around Lynne. Within a blink, it shot towards the entrance of the shop. This truly was an extraordinarily agile tongue!
...
On the streets.
In less than five seconds, Lynne and the colossal tongue returned to the battlefield. The scene before him left Lynne utterly stunned.
The entire street was barely recognizable, littered with fragmented tentacles. At the center of the street, the creature, ensnared by countless arms, pulsated rhythmically, much like a beating heart.
"Complete consumption progress... 54%... 55%... Detected proximity of target no. 1... Highest priority for extermination... Switching target..."
Whirl--
In a flash, a multitude of enormous tentacles, riddled with vertical eyes, erupted frenziedly from the ground.
The tongue: "!!!"
Immediately, the tongue turned to flee.
"Three months!!" Lynne, visibly agitated (艹皿艹), hastily grasped the tip of the vast tongue, shouting: "Rescue my friend! For the next three months, I promise to feed you high-quality potions every day!"
[Ding! Babe's Favorability towards you +0.01]
Hiss--.
The very next moment, the tongue writhed with sudden vigor.
Lynne quickly set the child aside, giving its beastly ears a flick. With gritted teeth, he declared: "We charge!"
Instantaneously, Lynne (艹皿艹), wielding his blade, charged at an unimaginable speed with the tongue toward the central cocoon.
"Deal with those tentacles! Once I get close to that monster, I can save my friend!" Lynne roared.
Hearing this, the tongue swiftly coiled around Lynne multiple times, poised and ready, its tip darting out threateningly at the encircling tentacles. The very next moment, the tentacles, with their vertical eyes, launched their assault.
"Attack!"
With a fierce shout, Lynne pointed forward with his blade.
Swish--
Suddenly, the long and agile tongue lashed out at blinding speed, lapping directly at one of the tentacles.
Slurp--
A loud licking noise echoed. Before Lynne's very eyes, the massive tentacle dissolved instantly, turning into a thick pool of blood under the saliva's disgusting touch.
[Ding! This tastes like crap, Babe's Favorability towards you -1]
[Ding! Absolutely don't want to lick that, Babe's Favorability towards you -1]
"Well done!" Lynne exclaimed with glee. He adjusted his hood and once again upped his pace. The huge tentacles blocking their path were transformed into thick sludge and blood under Babe's distasteful licks.
A hundred meters!
Eighty meters!
Thirty meters!
Closer!
Even closer!
"Target no. 3 analysis... Missing colossus structure ... Priority... Highest containment... Anti-corrosion form activated... Anti-curse form activated... Containment initiated..."
Buzzing—
In that split second, Lynne suddenly noticed a dense web of vein-like barriers emerging on the tentacles that were regrowing from the ground.
Whizzing sounds—
Within moments, those tentacles moved with unfathomable speed, brushing past him and swiftly ensnaring the giant tongue from all sides.
"Babe!" Lynne cried out in alarm. The entrapped tongue began to thrash with great force, its surface secreting copious amounts of viscous fluid. Drops of this fluid sizzled on the ground, instantly corroding it, and creating deep trenches. However, the tentacles entwining it seemed utterly unaffected by this corrosive substance.
Squeal—
The massive tongue let out a tormented cry. But at this moment, Lynne couldn't spare a second for it.
With fierce determination, he lunged forward, heading straight for the monster ensnared by countless hands.
One step!
Two steps!
Three steps!
Crackling sounds—
The numerous arms on the monster began to part, revealing a colossal vertical eye that slowly emerged from the widening gap.
Yet, the very moment that eye fixed its gaze upon him,
Lynne, using every ounce of his strength and with all the tentacles on him propelling him forward, lunged fiercely at the massive cocoon.
His crimson cloak flapped loudly in the wind.
Baring his teeth, Lynne, descending from the sky, stretched out his hand.
Aiming straight for the very center of the giant pupil.
"I've reached you!!"
In an instant, with the assistance of the [Blood Phantom's Cloak], Lynne's phantom form seamlessly merged into the enormous cocoon.
Endless surges of writhing flesh appeared before him, as Lynne's expression twisted in rage. And then, under the guidance of his spectral vision, he swiftly grabbed onto the mangled arm in sight.
The stopper of the Flesh Regeneration Potion was violently popped open. With a guttural scream, he yanked the almost-shattered core of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit towards him, pressing the entire bottle of the Flesh Regeneration Potion, including the flask, against her chest.
Swishing sounds—
The instant the potion made contact, her shattered limb began to regenerate, teeming with the tumultuous shrieks of countless spirits converging.
As an amalgamation of evil spirits, how could she be easily consumed entirely?
"Just one last step!"
Lynne gritted his teeth, swiftly reaching out.
[Resentful Spirit Hair Strand]!
In a blink, several hair strands swiftly entwined around the Blood Clad Evil Spirit, while the other ends, with all the might Lynne could muster, shot outward, wrapping around the buildings on both sides of the street.
"Move!" Lynne roared.
In an instant,
The Resentful Spirit Hair Strand began to tighten, hauling the ever-consuming and rejuvenating form of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit, forcibly pulling her out.
Flesh continuously compressed, and the cocoon bulged.
A cold voice emanated from within the monster.
"Target No.2 extraction in progress... Switching to highest priority target... Target No.1... Initiating spectral countermeasure... Beginning assimilation process..."
And in that pivotal moment of target transition, the ghostly Lynne bellowed to the giant tongue outside: "Now's the time!"
Throughout Lynne's skirmishes with this beast, he had pinpointed its sole vulnerability. During each target transition, a significant lapse would occur. During this lapse, actions directed at the previous target would falter, and the directive for the next target wouldn't be fully executed. And it was this very moment, which presented the prime opportunity to rescue Blood Clad Evil Spirit!
A [Resentful Spirit Hair Strand] was instantly commanded by Lynne, shooting towards Babe, who was ensnared by tentacles in the distance and immediately wrapped around its tip. In that crucial moment, Babe exerted force, pulling back sharply.
Squish—
With immense force, the ever-regenerating form of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit was violently yanked from the monster's cocoon. And Lynne, in his spectral state, was also dragged out, propelled alongside Blood Clad Evil Spirit.
Hope seemed so near.
Lynne's pupils dilated, the looming dark mist of the outer world felt tantalizingly close. With all his might, he stretched his hand forward.
"Spectral countermeasure initiated... Assimilation process started... Highest priority... Target No.1..."
Vrrr—
Suddenly, Lynne felt his spectral form being forcibly constricted. His pupils, too, froze in place.
The Resentful Spirit Hair Strand shattered in an instant under the effect of the spectral countermeasure.
Just a moment... that very last second... it felt like the difference between life and death. The Blood Phantom's Cloak crumbled instantaneously. His skin was swiftly enveloped by myriad growths, massive flesh walls tightened abruptly, and his body, with a harsh crack, twisted grotesquely, almost wrapping in on itself. Consciousness too seemed on the brink of shattering.
In this moment, it seemed no one would mourn for him, no one would grieve his passing. No one could even witness his end.
Was this truly the end? Was this fate? Was the life he had just started destined to be snuffed out halfway? If that's the case...
Lynne, now compacted and distorted, struggled to raise a defiant middle finger.
"Screw this!"
Crack—
Crack—
Crack—
The Flesh Regeneration Potions he had stashed in his cloak, crushed almost simultaneously under the immense pressure. The spilled potion began to permeate the contorted mass of Lynne's flesh.
It wasn't over! If he truly couldn't escape death, then he'd make sure to leave a massive mark before the end!
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 3 mutation!]
[Warning! The host has consumed an excessive amount of Flesh Regeneration Potion at once; mutation will become uncontrollably aggressive!]
[Warning! Warning!]
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 4 mutation!]
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 6 mutation!]
[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 9 mutation!]
