The headless torso stood there stiffly.
Everyone waited for it to fall.
But it did not.
The Baron's body seemed not to realize its head was gone. It remained standing in the middle of the study, both feet planted firmly on the stone slab floor.
"Come with me..."
The Baron's final words came from his chest. Then, the sound inside his chest began to change, like tree roots burrowing through soil, or something swelling madly within its shell.
Gray-green liquid dripped from Hogger's blade as he stared at the headless torso, his expression changing sharply.
The severed stump of the Baron's neck exploded.
Woody fibers burst from the opening.
Gray-green branches shot toward the ceiling like compressed springs suddenly released, accompanied by the sound of tearing Flesh.
The thickest was as wide as a forearm. It smashed through the stone bricks overhead, and debris came crashing down over them.
At the same time, roots pierced through the soles of the Baron's boots and drove into the stone slab floor.
The cracking of the slabs mingled with the dull tremors of the floorboards.
The entire building shook.
The furniture in the study was swallowed beneath the crushing branches. Bookshelves were knocked over, wall lamps along half the wall were swept away, and Copper lampstands hit the ground and rolled, spilling lamp oil everywhere.
The flame on the overturned Copper desk lamp had not gone out. The oil on the floor caught fire, and thin lines of Flame raced through the cracks between the slabs.
But the branches spread faster than the Flame.
The gray-green branches rolled over the firelines and crushed most of them out, leaving only scattered flames flickering in the corners.
Gray-White Text exploded across his vision.
``` [Target detected: Von Linde (Aberrant · Out of Control)]
[Host consciousness