Chapter 65. The Prophet of the Red Flesh (1)
“Aaaaah!”
A soldier lunged out from the corridor, trying to take a bite out of Isaac. A quick slap from Isaac and he kept on marching forward.
When Owen Renly morphed into a colossal flesh monster by absorbing soldiers, Isaac darted into the castle’s depths. He figured the beastly creature wouldn’t squeeze into the castle due to its size.
At that moment, Isaac thought he had a brilliant plan.
Until Owen started chasing him, turning the hallways into a flesh-filled nightmare.
“Aaaaargh!”
The soldier that Isaac had smacked down was now part of Owen’s flesh amalgamation. It looked like all the soldiers were being ambushed inside the castle. Luckily, the monster wasn’t swift enough, giving Isaac the upper hand in escaping.
But the abomination was finding its own twisted ways too.
“We took out Raela. But…”
“She came back, right?”
“Did you predict this?”
Predictability at its finest.
The Prophet of the Red Flesh was a familiar face in the game, leading to countless battles and missions. She’d never reveal her true form unless absolutely necessary.
“Raela’s just a vessel for the Prophet of the Red Flesh.”
Isaac said, scanning for the abomination beyond the corridor. Strangely, it wasn’t on their tail anymore, but Isaac could feel its eerie presence.
“Owen, that abomination, is different. It’s not a mere servant; it’s like an angel’s flesh molded together en masse. Easily discarded once its purpose fulfilled.”
Whether it was the will of the Prophet or Raela, distinguishing between them was trivial. To wield such power, it had to be viewed as an extension.
Hesabel looked puzzled at Isaac’s words.
“If she’s just a shell… then why bother with the assassination?”
“No, it totally meant something,” Isaac said with a smirk.
Isaac had a few goals in mind. He wanted to test Hesabel’s loyalty and catch the attention of the Prophet of the Red Flesh. If those two things panned out, then their little scheme would be a success. And of course, he also wanted to drain Raela’s energy.
The Prophet of the Red Flesh needed Raela’s body to be alive to keep using her as a puppet. If she got hurt, the Prophet would have to constantly use its powers to keep her kicking. But Hesabel went and gave Raela a fatal blow, essentially killing her off. That meant the Prophet lost a chunk of its power.
It’s like trying to hold a heavy weapon with just your fingertips instead of a good grip with both hands. Much harder, right?
Isaac gave Hesabel props for going above and beyond. She was stunned by the unexpected praise and nervously touched her face.
“So, what’s the next move? That monster flesh thing isn’t tailing us anymore, but if we bump into the Prophet…” Hesabel trailed off, unsure of what to do.
Just then, Isaac and Hesabel came to a halt.
But it wasn’t because of a new enemy blocking their way. It was more like there was no way forward.
The path they needed to take had vanished, the corridor twisting like a closed sack’s neck.
Isaac looked back, and the darkness and eerie quiet of the corridor gave him chills. It felt like they had stepped into a beast’s belly.
“We’re like prey in a hunting game now,” Isaac remarked.
***
Zihilrat sensed a shift in the atmosphere of the castle.
The scent of sweat and tension hung heavy in the air. Even though he wasn’t divine anymore, his past beastly instincts and connections to the underworld beneath the monastery allowed him to pick up on these changes.
Some strange entity seemed to have taken control of the castle above, but Zihilrat was focused on a different task given to him by Isaac. He continued his exploration underground.
The castle’s depths held unconscious servants and sensitive individuals who were kept alive but unable to escape. No guards were needed down there as the capable ones were all on the surface. However, a new presence made itself known.
Out of nowhere, bats descended upon Zihilrat, their red-gleaming eyes revealing their divine nature. These weren’t your ordinary bats; a single bite could be deadly.
The creatures sank their teeth into Zihilrat, but to their surprise, they encountered an unexpected defense. Crunch! Another set of teeth tore through one of the bats, causing chaos among the swarm.
Despite their attempts to retreat, the bats couldn’t escape the unexpected resistance.
Crunch, snap, crackle.
Zihilrat’s body was all twisted up, like, totally unnatural, snatching and trapping those poor bats. Even though he was a total predator, the bats just kept flying right into him. The tables turned real quick, with the predators becoming the prey in this cramped, ceiling-hugging maze that turned into their own personal jail.
Whoosh, screech.
Even the bats trying to make a break for it got caught up in Zihilrat’s grip and squished to bits. Soon enough, the corridor looked like a crime scene, nothing left but bloodstains, no flesh or bone in sight.
Zihilrat licked his lips, grabbed his helmet, and that’s when he noticed someone in a nearby cell eyeballing him.
The dude stared blankly for a sec, then locked eyes with Zihilrat, who was still changing shape. Next thing you know, the guy muttered something, rolled his eyes back, and passed out cold.
Zihilrat took a moment to check out the guy before sauntering into the cell. His wriggling body busted through those iron bars like they were nothing. After making sure the guy was okay, Zihilrat shot a message over to Isaac.
[I found Kyle Hendrake.]
***
Owen wasn’t charging straight in for the attack anymore. It’d be dumb to try and get at Isaac with him chilling in the castle.
Instead, Owen knew the layout of the castle like the back of his hand. It was easy to steer Isaac where he wanted, especially towards this long hallway that should’ve been open but was now all collapsed.
So, he kicked off his own style of siege.
He morphed his huge body to slink around like a snake.
Owen, now this freaky creature, was sneaking through the halls. The guy who once dreamed of being a knight was now a whole different beast.
Plus, his brain was on autopilot, just focused on taking down Isaac.
“Rrrraaaagh!”
A bone-chilling roar boomed through the hallway as the flesh monster slithered in, shaking the entire corridor. Isaac glanced around, realizing there was no way out.
The castle that Isaac thought would be his safe haven had turned into a dire trap.
“Lord Isaac, leave it to me!”
Hesabel bravely stepped in, getting into position. But her sword, dagger, and crossbow seemed like child’s play against this monstrosity.
She was ready to try out some new moves but ended up giving Isaac a lost-puppy look.
“What now?”
“I thought this was the part where you’d tell me to scram and handle it yourself…”
She kinda underestimated the situation, hoping for a chance to show off her skills. Classic move from a family of schemers and quick-thinkers.
“Scram.”
Isaac stepped up with his sword. He had his own plan, even though it wasn’t all worked out yet.
As Isaac advanced, the abomination roared and swung its arms with swords. But Isaac was on point, deflecting each strike.
Clang, screech, thud, crunch!
The sounds of slicing through bone and flesh were chilling, but Isaac stayed cool as a cucumber.
“Wow…”
Hesabel was in awe of Isaac’s sword skills.
But Isaac was just playing the game.
‘Yup, it’s as weak as I thought.’
In the gaming world, abominations were tough but had low defense, making them more like HP tanks with loads of health but lousy protection.
Hey, buddy, their bodies can morph at will, so their muscles gotta be super flexible, and their bones gotta be bendy. No chance they’re sporting tough shells. That made slicing off limbs as easy as cutting tofu for Isaac.
Plus, this cramped space trapped Isaac, but it also saved him from getting squished by the abomination’s heavyweight. If that monstrosity had attacked from all angles instead of head-on, Isaac would’ve been in real trouble.
All that was left was a newbie swordsman with seemingly endless HP.
Isaac wasn’t about to be taken down by that.
‘The only worry is…’
Isaac mused as he stepped over the gory mess at his feet.
His concern? Running out of steam or getting drowned in the abomination’s flesh and blood as the corridor filled up. He had no way to stop that. Isaac had to move forward, but specific conditions needed to click into place.
And then, a message from Zihilrat popped into Isaac’s mind.
[Kyle Hendrake found.]
A grin spread across Isaac’s face. The final condition was met.
The furious abomination, maybe ticked off by Isaac’s smirk or frustrated at the failed attacks, bellowed and charged.
“Now, there are no witnesses left in this castle.”
The abomination’s claws jutted out, looking like wrecked armor. Instead of parrying or dodging, Isaac thrust his fist at them boldly.
Bam! The sound was thunderous, and it was the abomination’s claw that got crushed.
Isaac’s tendrils shot out, coiling around the abomination’s appendage and squeezing it like a clam. As the innards spilled out, the abomination howled in pain and fear, yet pushed on eagerly.
“Ooooooh!”
At that moment, a flood of thoughts from the abomination bombarded Isaac. By touching its flesh, Isaac got a direct line to its twisted intentions.
‘Idiot! You fool!’
‘Gulp him down! Consume him!’
‘Make him one of us!’
The abomination wasn’t looking to crush Isaac but to absorb him into its mass through contact.
That power was the abomination’s deadliest trick.
As if manifesting the creature’s thoughts, the tendrils that had crushed the fist dissolved rapidly, closing up the wound. The skin healed over, and the bleeding ceased.
The abomination began to engulf Isaac, ready to take him in.
But Isaac met its gaze calmly, already having received the long-awaited message.
[‘Abomination’ has been devoured.]
[‘Devouring’ perk enhances intake efficiency.]
[‘Physical Fusion (Temporary)’ perk secured.]
[Blessings last until digestion.]
