Wood fibers and flesh began to weave themselves back together, making it impossible to tell which belonged to the Aberrant on the left and which belonged to the one on the right.
Bones were reforged, organs rearranged, and muscles reconnected.
The entire process took almost no time at all, too fast for anyone to react.
The Amalgam took shape before everyone's eyes.
It was a full size larger than the original Aberrants.
The wood grain across its skin ran deeper, and there were more cracks around its joints. Through every crack, they could see fibers and veins constantly writhing inside.
It stood up first.
Then something sprayed out from countless ruptures across its body at once.
Spores spread over a vast area, nearly covering the entire street.
Bolen reacted extremely quickly.
The old man's cane struck the Stone Slab three times in rapid succession.
"Bzz!"
Three dark-gold Inscription rose before him, connecting into a low wall like a waist-high partition.
The barrier blocked most of the liquid rushing in from the front. Black-green droplets struck the Inscription with hissing sounds and were evaporated by the heat.
Haimeng was not slow to react either. The instant the spores erupted, a melodious tune rang out.
It enveloped Lu Yuan, Hank, and the others, blocking all the spores.
But Bolen's side could not manage the same. The barrier had limited width.
From the corner of his eye, Bolen caught sight of Kael's position.
"Quick!"
The old man shouted at Kael.
Kael froze for a moment.
Just for that moment.
But it left his shoulder outside the barrier's protection.
A drop of contaminated fluid flew from the Amalgam's scattered spray.
Lu Yuan saw it.
He was too far away to warn him in time.
"Slap."
The drop landed on Kael's shoulder, soaking into the