Great Blood

As the gnome's mad voice rang out, all the mouths on the tumorous monster roared at once. The piercing sound seemed ready to shatter everyone's eardrums, and under its influence, the entire sea of blood, along with countless corpses, surged toward the monster.

At the same time, the monster's sixteen gaping maws opened and closed without pause. Whether it was rubble or corpses flowing into its mouths, it swallowed them together with the blood. Before long, less than two-thirds of the original sea of blood remained.

"Stop it!"

At a time like this, Li Wen had no choice but to speak up with a warning.

Moria moved even faster than her warning. He tentatively cast a holy prayer upon the creature made of flesh and blood, but the light that burned hotter than fire fell upon it without producing the slightest reaction. It did not even pierce its outer scales.

This was absolutely no creation within the bounds of convention, nor was the flesh forming its body that of any ordinary lifeform.

The "Great Blood" Zotes had spoken of was likely something that the unnamed, mysterious Alchemy Master had obtained from the Black Dragon. This bizarre monster might have been one of the results of his research into Great Blood.

But... an Alchemy Master? He was clearly a master of the Blood Lust Lineage, skilled in molding flesh and blood.

Having pieced together most of the truth, Li Wen realized what the consequences would be if that flesh-and-blood creature were allowed to keep feeding.

Yet all she could do now was grip the Eye of the Transcendent tightly and prepare to flee at once should Moria be defeated.

As for Moria, he watched the monster indulge in its gluttonous feast without reacting... perhaps that was not quite fair to say. After all, he had already tried; ordinary Divine Arts simply could not inflict effective damage on the monster.

Every spell cast by a priest of the Path of Sacrifice consumed not only mana, but also the caster's own life force. Moria had used too many Divine Arts by now, and clear weakness showed on his face.

Zotes realized this as well. He urged the monster to speed up, complete its final metamorphosis as soon as possible, and then crush that damned knight.

After the monster chewed and swallowed its final mouthful of severed limbs, its body had expanded into an enormous mountain of flesh. Even so, its sixteen mouths still let out hungry wails. It needed to feed. It needed more flesh and blood, more intense satisfaction, so that it could ascend even higher!

Cracks began to appear across its bloated body. Spikes resembling both white bone and rock thrust out from the fissures, followed by huge, deformed claws, dripping wings of blood-soaked flesh, and finally a head bearing no fewer than six mouths.

As though shedding its skin, the monster cast off a shriveled, flesh-colored shell and abandoned its original form. In its place was... a deformed, grotesque dragon.

Every piece of flesh on its body seemed alive, writhing and changing shape. It was covered in wounds, scarlet liquid constantly dripping from them. Once those droplets hit the ground, they too seemed to be granted life, transforming into all manner of malformed Flesh-and-Blood Creations.

Zotes cheered as he walked before the Flesh-and-Blood Dragon. Waving his arms in excitement, he shouted, "Good! Very good! Excellent! Kill them! Kill everyone!"

The Flesh-and-Blood Dragon had no eyes. It felt only endless hunger and pain. Driven by those overwhelming urges, it swallowed the gnome whole, gulping him down without even chewing, leaving behind only a pool of blood.

But that was not enough. Far from enough.

The Great Blood flowing through its body and controlling everything needed more nourishment. It shrieked hysterically and roared in fury.

More blood, more flesh!

Beating its blood-drenched wings of flesh, the Flesh-and-Blood Dragon lunged toward the others.

Moria had long been waiting for this moment. He raised his longsword, and the candlelight in his eyes grew brighter.

"We honor those who offered themselves to the fire, for their souls shall endure with the light!"

White flames ignited across his body, covering every inch of his skin. The knight of the Holy Temple calmly raised his longsword and leaped onto the dragon's back.

The sword was wreathed in bright white and vivid crimson flames. They merged into one, becoming a radiance like the sun. The knight plunged the sword into the dragon's body. The flesh-and-blood monster howled, trying to move, trying to resist, but the flames were already burning within it. Every piece of its flesh and every drop of its blood would become fuel, like a candle.

The Flesh-and-Blood Dragon's body melted rapidly like a burning candle. In an instant, only a blaze remained where it had stood.

Was this the Firstborn of the Holy Temple? Li Wen found it hard to believe. This Flesh-and-Blood Creation made by an Alchemy Master of the Blood Lust Lineage had seemingly only just completed its juvenile metamorphosis, yet it was at least a Stage Three monster. And still, it could not withstand a single strike from Moria.

Her impression of this future legendary figure still came from when he had pursued her. Back then, he had been overwhelmingly oppressive and had repeatedly driven her into desperate situations... but looking at it now, had Moria been holding back immensely at the time?

Moria walked out of the flames without any visible change in expression, as if that attack had taken less effort than a Divine Art.

The Wild Mage Halik immediately dropped to his knees.

"O Radiance! Such beautiful light! From this day on, Radiance shall be my only faith!"

In truth, he was covering his face and weeping inwardly. Why had he run into such a ruthless man, only to be captured by him on the spot? Was it still too late to repent?

Moria ignored him. He was quietly waiting for something.

As the flames slowly died down, a figure still struggled to survive at the center of the fire, where the Flesh-and-Blood Dragon had originally stood.

It was Zotes.

Though he had been swallowed by the dragon, he had also happened to avoid Moria's powerful Divine Art and narrowly kept his life.

"I... I haven't lost yet..."

By now, Zotes had lost his entire lower body and right arm. Struggling, he clutched a wondrous object in his only remaining left hand. It looked like congealed blood, yet also like a crimson gemstone. But whatever it was, everyone's first reaction upon seeing it was—this thing was alive.

"Great Blood, Great Blood! You will all die!"

Zotes used all his strength, trying to stab the object into his body. Yet some invisible force snatched it away in an instant, leaving him no chance to resist.

"This is that so-called Great Blood?"

The object that had been in the gnome's grasp now floated before the Wild Mage Nasha. She stared blankly at the gemstone, wanting to touch it but not daring to do so.

"No! My Great Blood!"

His final hope had been taken so easily, and by a Wild Mage he had never even looked down upon. Zotes collapsed completely.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

Moria walked up to him.