Blood Feast: Phase Two

Valen's voice fell, and the Banquet Hall suddenly went quiet.

The other three, who had been fighting desperately, all looked at Isolde at once, their expressions like they had just been slapped across the face, filled with disbelief.

Zheng Chuan pushed himself up against the broken long table, practically exploding. "Weren't you captured?!"

Luo Qi had drawn his bowstring halfway, his fingers trembling.

"She's on the BOSS's side! She's been deceiving us all along!"

Remembering everything that had happened since entering the Castle, the flesh on Zheng Chuan's face twitched. Gripping his iron axe, he charged at Isolde.

"Damn it! I'll kill you!"

He had barely taken a step when the Blood Feast mark beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

An invisible force pressed down on his knees, forcibly pinning him back in place.

[Blood Feast rules are now in effect.]

[Warning: Guests may not leave their seats without permission.]

[Forcibly leaving will trigger execution.]

Zheng Chuan's knees buckled. He hurriedly braced himself with the axe handle, veins bulging in his neck, his eyes red enough to devour someone.

"Get in here if you've got the guts! Let's see if I don't chop you in half!"

Meng Yinyin's expression was awful, but she regained her composure faster than they did.

"Idiots!" she cursed under her breath. "Forget about her for now! Kill the BOSS first!"

Zheng Chuan roared, "She tricked us!"

"Then we have to get out alive before we chop her up!" Meng Yinyin gritted her teeth. "Wasting stamina now—do you want to die even faster?"

Isolde ignored them.

She looked up at Valen. The panic on her face lasted only a moment before she forced it down.

It was not yet time to tear off the mask. If she was exposed now, everything she had done would be wasted.

Isolde anxiously took half a step toward Valen.

"Father, you misunderstand. I wasn't helping them."

Valen's huge body leaned forward slightly.

The stench of rot washed over her. His weight squeezed a ring of dark red bloodwater out across the carpet.

"Then why did you let that woman live just now?"

Isolde lowered her gaze to the rotten flesh arm that had been smashed apart on the floor and answered seriously.

"Because she still has a use."

Meng Yinyin cursed viciously in anger.

As though she had not heard it, Isolde continued, "These three are Adventurers. They have great value. If Father smashed them all to pulp in one go, that would be such a waste."

She raised her eyes and looked at the three furious people in the Banquet Hall as though inspecting meat on a chopping block.

"An intact skeleton, a living heart, and a soul still struggling are the most valuable."

The candle flames above the Banquet Hall flickered. Isolde could feel Valen's scrutiny still bearing down on her.

Her mind raced.

Valen was suspicious, but he was greedy.

As long as she seized on the points of "perfection" and "materials," he would give her a little more time.

A little was enough.

Valen's bloated human face slowly lowered until it was nearly pressed against hers.

"If you weren't helping them," he rasped, "then prove it to me."

Isolde's fingertips froze as she watched an ugly smile spread across Valen's twisted face.

"Help me dissect one of them right here. Let me see whether what you brought back are materials or accomplices."

Luo Qi immediately cursed, "Touch me, and I'll nail you to the wall first!"

Isolde stood where she was and did not answer at once.

Then she suddenly gave a low laugh.

It was not loud, but it sent chills down the backs of the three uneasy Adventurers.

Isolde slowly drew the bone knife hidden on her person, excitement gleaming in her eyes.

"My beloved father, I've actually wanted to do this for a long time."

Isolde turned her gaze toward Luo Qi. Startled by her, he took a step back.

"Him, then. I watched him when he drew his bow earlier. His arm muscles are sturdy, and his heart is beating fast. Once he's opened up, he should be very fresh."

Luo Qi erupted into curses. "You bitch! Why me?!"

Why him?

Because he was the loudest.

Isolde ignored him and tilted her head toward Valen.

"But I'm not very strong. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold him if he struggles too fiercely. Father, could you secure him for me?"

Those words suited Valen perfectly. He liked Isolde like this.

Obedient, cruel, and capable of choosing materials.

Valen's massive tail slammed into the ground.

The long table in the Banquet Hall split down the middle. The crimson tablecloth curled like a living thing, forming a blood-red barrier.

Zheng Chuan and Meng Yinyin were forced back to the other side.

The Blood Feast mark beneath Luo Qi's feet abruptly expanded. Dark red threads burrowed from the carpet, wrapped around his body, and hoisted him into the air.

[Duke Valen activated: Blood Feast Split.]

[Luo Qi has been restrained.]

[Movement restricted.]

Meng Yinyin's expression changed. Without a second thought, she began casting [Blessing] on Zheng Chuan to restore his condition.

Taking advantage of the opening, Zheng Chuan immediately used [Heart of Protection] to increase both his physical and magical resistance.

Then, while Valen had just used a skill and was still in its recovery animation, he hacked at him wildly. The scene once again descended into a fierce brawl.

Seeing this, Luo Qi shouted, "Damn it! Save me first! If I die, don't even think about surviving!"

Holding the bone knife, Isolde slowly walked toward Luo Qi.

He was suspended in midair, unable to move either his hands or feet. He could only twist his neck and curse at her.

"Don't come over here! If you dare touch me, I'll definitely kill you—"

Isolde stopped in front of him, raised the bone knife, and pressed its tip against his arm.

She wanted to drive the blade in just like that.

Better yet, to slice off his flesh bit by bit, carve out his bones, and let him experience what despair truly meant.

Luo Qi's voice trembled. Rough breaths squeezed from his throat, and he even shut his eyes in fear.

Isolde's knife paused. Suppressing the urge in her heart, she leaned closer and spoke in a voice only he could hear.

"I can help you kill Valen."

Luo Qi froze. He quickly came to his senses, leaving only anger on his face.

"You're still trying to fool me?"

Isolde pressed the bone knife downward. The tip sliced through his skin, and beads of blood immediately seeped out.

The pain made Luo Qi's shoulder jerk. Isolde did not stop, lowering her voice even further.

"The Blood Feast Formation requires living blood to activate. Valen uses it to restore health, and he also uses it to control you."

Luo Qi gritted his teeth. "You lunatic, what are you trying to say?"

Isolde raised her head slightly. "I know his weakness. I can turn it against him."

[Witch's Mask] activated silently.

She spoke more slowly. "You have no choice now. Besides, your teammates don't seem to be planning to save you. Will you let me cut open your stomach and die here, or listen to me and take a gamble on killing Valen? Maybe afterward, I can even help you kill them."

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Cold sweat rolled down Luo Qi's forehead.

He hated her. He wanted to chop her into pieces.

But he had indeed noticed that Zheng Chuan and Meng Yinyin did not care whether he lived or died. They were even using him to tie up part of Valen's skillset.

He could not let the other two benefit for free.

Luo Qi's Adam's apple bobbed. "What do you want to do?"

Isolde smiled. "I only need a little blood."

With that, she slashed downward hard with the bone knife.

Luo Qi cursed into the air, "You're actually doing it?!"

Blood gushed out at once, running down Luo Qi's arm and dripping into the dark red formation beneath the carpet.

The formation lit up immediately, like something that had been starving for ages.

Bloodlines crawled along the pattern toward the center of the Banquet Hall, flowing all the way to Valen, who was still fighting.

Valen recovered some health, and a smile returned to his face. "Very good, my daughter."

Isolde lowered her head, her voice obedient.

"As long as Father is pleased."

The next second, her fingers flipped.

The bone nail, bleached white after being soaked in Degraded Purification Holy Water, appeared in her palm.

Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her hand and drove it viciously into the formation's core.

The instant the bone nail entered the ground, the Blood Feast Formation shuddered violently. Within the dark red glow, fine white threads burst forth like electric currents.

The smile on Valen's face froze.

"Isolde?"

Isolde abruptly raised her head and shouted at Zheng Chuan, who still did not understand what was happening. "Now! Keep attacking!"

White light crawled across the floor toward Valen. As though struck by electricity, his entire body began to convulse.

The Blood Feast should have replenished him with the players' blood.

But after the holy-water-soaked bone nail was driven into the formation core, the corrupted power within the formation was forcibly purified for an instant.

That instant was enough to reverse the healing channel.

The blood that had been flowing into Valen became electricity that burned him.

Valen let out a scream.

Large chunks of rotten flesh peeled from his body, still twitching after they hit the ground.

[Duke Valen has been purified by the Blood Feast.]

[Corruption protection weakened.]

[Corruption protection: 60% → 20%.]

[Luo Qi's restraint released.]

Luo Qi crashed heavily to the ground. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed his bow and fired at Valen.

He did not know what Isolde was trying to do.

But system notifications did not lie. Valen's defenses had dropped.

If they did not attack now, they really would die.

Meng Yinyin reacted as well. Nearly exhausting the last of her mana, she raised her staff and attacked.

"I'll chop you to death!" Zheng Chuan roared. Red light spread across his axe as he swung it viciously at the weakened Valen.

The iron axe cut into the rotten flesh far more easily than before, slicing away huge chunks of meat.

[Duke Valen's health has decreased.]

[Current health: 60%.]

Valen's body began to writhe violently.

The entire Banquet Hall shook with him. The candles overhead went out one after another, and his roar echoed through the whole Castle.

Seizing the opportunity, Isolde gave an order to Lia, who had been waiting on standby.

"Lia! Move!"

Lia, who had been hiding in a corner of the banquet, raised her head.

She stepped onto an overturned long table and ran forward. The next moment, she used it as leverage to leap up, gripping the bottle of Degraded Purification Holy Water Isolde had given her in advance.

Aiming for the third vertebra of Valen's exposed spine, she hurled the glass bottle with all her strength.

Crash—

The glass shattered.

White liquid seeped through the gaps in the rotting flesh, and Valen's huge body convulsed out of control once more.

[Valen has been corroded by Degraded Purification Holy Water.]

[Flesh stitching speed reduced.]

Silver-white light flashed deep within the rotten flesh, and Isolde's heart sank heavily with it.

But it was not enough. One final blow was still needed.

The battered Valen suddenly turned his head. His bloated human face finally twisted completely as he roared through gritted teeth.

"Isolde—!"

"You dare betray me—!"

The entire Banquet Hall floor cracked from the impact. Corpse hands on Valen's body spread open one by one, like the knuckles of countless dead clawing their way from graves.

[Duke Valen's health has dropped to: 30%.]

[Warning: BOSS has entered an enraged state.]

[Phase transition in progress.]

Isolde gripped the last bone nail. Its tip pierced her palm, but she still held it steadily.

Valen's voice exploded through the Banquet Hall as he activated [Main Contract] in fury to suppress them.

The next second, Lia's body suddenly went rigid.

The moment she landed, her knees slammed heavily into the ground, like a Puppet that had lost all life.

Lia struggled to raise her head, her gray eyes hollow as she looked toward Isolde.

"...Miss."

She only managed those two words before one of Valen's long, rotting arms sent her flying.

Lia crashed into the wall, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface. She slid down the wall, her fingers twitching, but she couldn't get back up.

Zheng Chuan, Meng Yinyin, and Luo Qi were also thrown away by the shockwave. Each of them crashed into the rubble, their health bars visibly dropping.

The peeled-off rotten flesh around them began writhing again. Severed arms plugged themselves back into the body, while more unfamiliar chunks of corpses crawled out from the cracks in the floor and were forcibly sewn into Valen's body.

The third section of his spine was completely exposed. Valen's bloated human face slowly tore apart, revealing densely packed teeth beneath.

His voice seemed to come from hell. "I will sew every last one of you into my body."

A scarlet system prompt frantically flashed before everyone.

[Warning!]

[Valen's Death Frenzy triggered]

[Valen's Blood Feast: Entering Phase Two]