The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 185: Monster Remains

Vol 2 Chapter 185 Monster Remains

The flesh-blood cocoon continuously undulated, within it an unknown life gestated, and the aura it emitted gradually grew increasingly strange.

It wasn't Fourth Tier; it seemed to be a higher-tier lifeform, but its mode of existence was not normal. Sylutia frowned slightly.

She hesitated no longer. One by one, purple eyes opened beside her, and then brilliant rays of light converged in a focused barrage, piercing through the flesh-blood cocoon. Bloody fluid continuously gushed from the holes.

However, this cocoon did not die immediately. Instead, it began to struggle violently. From within it, a humanoid figure slowly stood up. The aura emanating from its body also gradually climbed from Fourth Tier to Fifth Tier.

Faced with this, Sylutia felt a sense of oppression slowly spreading, making her breathing somewhat difficult.

This is very bad. She took a deep breath, then retrieved a large, white two-handed greatsword, gripping it in her hands. Immediately, a dazzling white light enveloped her entire body. The knightly maiden who once galloped across Regas once again manifested within this labyrinth.

Feeling the solid and reassuring Aspect of 'Castle' covering her body, Sylutia gradually calmed down. Her gaze fixed tightly on the humanoid figure gradually taking form, and then she raised the greatsword in her hands.

[Amos's Sword]

Sylutia silently recited Emersand's ancient prayer. Strands of outlined text gradually appeared on the greatsword, and tiny silver fragments continuously peeled off from the blade, drifting down through the air.Sylutia took a deep breath and chanted the ancient oath. "I vow to drive out the monsters of the wilderness, to resist the erosion of dusk, to burn like a furnace, to be as resilient as steel, and to guard this land."

Dazzling radiance manifested from the blade. Under the empowerment and response of the oath, Sylutia's entire body was enveloped in boiling, pale flames.

Then the greatsword swung down. A torrent of blinding light erupted from the blade, washing over and submerging the gradually rising crimson humanoid figure.

The monster, just resurrected, let out a wail amidst the blinding sword light, then shattered within the pale flames. Its newly condensed form gradually dissipated.

Is it over? Sylutia looked at the monster that had stopped gestating and was gradually turning into fragmented flames. Her heart settled slightly as she panted softly.

Soon, the strange flesh and blood remaining on the ground were completely incinerated. Sylutia's heart finally relaxed.

Although she didn't know what was being gestated and resurrected just now, the other party was definitely not benevolent. Killing it before it succeeded was likely the best choice.

At this moment, she surveyed her surroundings again, wanting to find the location of the exit. But she suddenly discovered that the ritual magic array here had not ended. The rising pale red light still flowed slowly, without collapsing.

This...

The ritual is still ongoing! Sylutia suddenly realized.

But, besides her, are there still enemies? Is someone else still presiding over the ritual?

Sylutia leaped up, her body floating and turning in the air as she looked down to search. She still found no other life, nor any structure or passage that could be an exit.

Could it be that this place wasn't designed with a way out? This clearly defies logic.

Just as Sylutia was pondering how to escape from here, the great hall began to shake. The originally perfectly flat floor gradually warped and twisted. Many ornaments fell from the ceiling and surrounding walls.

Only then did she understand. This underground ruin, all the structures of the labyrinth, were inside the body of a colossal being.

When exactly did she enter its body? Was it the tunnel at the very beginning, or a certain level within the labyrinth, or the final Gate she stepped through? Yet even her Discernment Eyes and alien star perception had not detected it.

There was no time for more thought. The entire hall began to writhe. The once-laid floor and walls reverted to flesh and blood. The ritual magic array was also distorted, its eerie red light permeating the entire space.

[Thump]

A ripple from a heartbeat pulse spread, causing Sylutia, who was inside the monster's body, to feel her own heart contract, a sharp pain shooting through it. This was the power of a high-tier 'Bloodline' Aspect—using one's own powerful heartbeats to resonate with and shatter the hearts of weaker surrounding lifeforms.

Fortunately, this effect only occurred with the first heartbeat. Afterwards, this enormous monster, like a started engine, continued to beat its heart, but the resonant vibrations it emitted were no longer intense.

Does it not intend to kill her? No, more likely it doesn't have that level of precise control.

Among the three major Aspects mastered by the Named One 'Pallen Markov', 'Bloodline' is not included. The other party cannot finely manipulate this massive flesh-and-blood power.

The young girl had many doubts in her heart, but now was not the time to consider them. She had to figure out how to break out.

Once again gripping the greatsword in her hands tightly, Sylutia channeled the power of her condensed Aspect of 'Castle' into it. Dazzling light bloomed from the blade, and the inscribed silver characters shone brightly.

Emersand's prayer and oath resonated in echo, and glorious radiance rose.

Sylutia pulled her arm back, clenched the blade, and slashed down with all her might. A massive blade of light cleaved through. When the glorious light touched the flesh and blood, it splattered like boiling water, then reacted violently.

Amidst sizzling sounds, a foul-smelling smoke filled the air. Finally, a narrow breach appeared at the end of the torn wound. Sylutia's figure flickered as she shot out through that breach. Outside, rocks tumbled, boulders crumbled, and dust scattered everywhere.

Continuously dodging, Sylutia escaped the utterly chaotic underground and finally flew up to the surface. Her figure ascended further, reaching the clear, high sky.

Now, she finally saw clearly what was below. It was an enormous monster with a body exceeding a kilometer in length. It resembled a flesh-beast carcass, as if its fur had been stripped, its long horns plucked, and its toes and teeth removed.

This was definitely not Pallen Markov's original body. It seemed more like some kind of sacrificial scapegoat, likely a body Pallen Markov had possessed to evade enemies.

The original body of this monster should have been around 'Seventh Tier'. But after being crippled, it might have only been Sixth Tier. And after a millennium of suspended animation, burial, and decay, its current strength probably wasn't even Sixth Tier.

The awakened monster, like a gigantic flesh lizard, slowly raised its head. From within its writhing body, a pair of malicious eyeballs slowly grew out, then fixed on Sylutia floating in the air.

"Hiss—"

It slowly opened its indistinct mouth. Countless streams of air poured into it, then aimed at Sylutia in the air.

A violent gust of air abruptly shot out, carrying with it countless blood-red insect eggs. After flying out, they hatched mid-air, transforming into a sky full of enormous black mosquitoes.

They flapped their wings, their slender proboscises thirsting for blood. Like ten thousand black specks, they swarmed toward the sole, tiny silver moon.

Once again swinging her blade, a sweeping massive light blade shattered a large number of black mosquitoes. But even more black mosquito-like insects spewed from the monster's mouth, charging into the sky.

How utterly annoying, the young girl mentally complained.

She hated mosquitoes in her previous life. Who would have thought she'd be chased by mosquitoes in another world too. Besides, this monster seemed to have an obsession with her, absolutely refusing to let her go.

Logically speaking, she's only Fourth Tier now, and her body isn't that large. Even if it ate her, it wouldn't recover much power. Yet it's expending such great effort, using secret arts to attack and pursue her.

Did she disrupt its resurrection ritual, making it fly into a rage out of humiliation? Or is it because the ritual wasn't completed, and she has become some kind of flaw or breakthrough point for it?