The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The billowing corrosive gas and acid quickly took effect on Kenny’s body. Large amounts of his flesh melted away, revealing the stark white bone beneath.

Then, the expanding Energy Flame burned him further, searing him down to the marrow and inflicting devastating injuries. Yet the flesh tendrils were tenacious, and the black blood in his veins began to mount its own defense.

His powerful Recovery Ability and the grievous wounds inflicted by the Witchcraft were momentarily locked in a stalemate.

A trace of surprise surfaced in Wang Ya’s eyes. The modifications Kenny had undergone, along with the special substance in his heart, were clearly different from those of the other followers—they were of a much higher tier.

’This kind of regeneration must be consuming a massive amount of Biological Energy and nutrients.’

’What in the world is that special substance? To support this level of consumption... it’s absurd.’

He knew the cumulative damage his successive attacks had inflicted. Not even a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice could have endured it.

’Truly astonishing Recovery Power and Biological Energy. The assimilating effect on his cells is the strongest I’ve ever seen.’

The fields of Biological Cultivation Science and Extraordinary Anatomy had touched upon this subject to some extent.

’But this defies everything I know.’

’But there must be a reason for the anomaly. Perhaps its tier is just that high... After all, it is related to an Evil God.’

It was all thanks to the special substance within that heart that this grotesque body could sustain itself.

He gripped the black Short Blade, and as Particle Energy flowed into it, the blade began to lengthen, reaching its peak sharpness and durability.

He thrust it violently toward Kenny’s heart.

The tip pierced the flesh, slicing through it with ease. With a push from Wang Ya, it looked as if it would effortlessly run through the entire heart.

Further contamination from the Energy Particles spread rapidly from the blade into the wound, causing the flesh to fester and decay.

Suddenly, he felt resistance from the blade. Wang Ya’s expression shifted; a mass of flesh tendrils had begun to proliferate from the wound, wrapping around the blade and stopping him from running the Shadow Slayer Blade through Kenny’s heart.

Despite the damage from the Witchcraft, the corrosion, and the energy radiation, Kenny’s flesh tendrils had somehow overpowered it all with their absurd Recovery Ability.

The flesh tendrils proliferated rapidly, creeping up the Shadow Slayer Blade. They soon reached the hilt, about to touch Wang Ya’s hand.

”I’ve got you, Wizard!” Kenny slowly raised his head. His eyes burned with hatred and lingering fear, but the dazed confusion from the Dark Realm’s Witchcraft was gone.

He had felt the fear of death; if that strange blade pierced his heart, he would truly die.

Fortunately, he had won. Aided by the Divine Heart, the injuries all over his body were gradually returning to their original, perfect state. His skin was smooth and his hair a handsome, jet-black once more.

The flesh tendrils had completely entangled the Shadow Slayer Blade. His opponent wouldn’t be able to move it an inch.

HUMMM!

An Energy Shield, emitting a crimson glow, blocked the advance of the flesh tendrils.

Kenny paid no mind to the smell of scorching flesh as his tendrils burned. Powered by the Divine Heart, such minor injuries were nothing to him. The tendrils clung to the Shield, tightening their grip and forcing Wang Ya to expend more of his Particle Energy.

It seemed they had reached the final stage. Once his Particle Energy was depleted, the Shield would shatter.

Kenny could already picture the scene: the tendrils’ maws devouring every last scrap of flesh from this Wizard before him.

A smile spread across his face. But then he noticed that the Wizard before him was smiling as well.

The only difference was that the Wizard’s smile was unsettlingly strange.

Kenny’s face froze. An instant later, his mouth gaped open in a silent scream of agony.

Sharp claws had burst through his back, pierced his chest, and were now tightly gripping his special heart.

”A brainless fool with nothing but Power,” Wang Ya’s slightly pale lips moved.

The flesh tendrils seemed to lose all vitality and went limp. He easily pulled out the Shadow Slayer Blade.

Then, with a flash of cold steel, he swung the sharp blade and severed the unique, fleshy right arm.

Wang Ya deftly stored the fleshy right arm inside his red metal ring.

Harak cleanly ripped the heart out, spread its wings, and soared high into the sky.

This was one of Wang Ya’s trump cards. Keeping Harak hidden had played a critical role.

”No! My Divine Heart! My Hand of God! Give them back! Give them back to me...!”

Having lost both, it was as if Kenny’s very source of Power had been cut off. He became incredibly weak, his powerful Recovery Ability gone. The intense heat from Wang Ya’s Particle Shield now seared his flesh, and he began to wail in agony.

His jet-black hair faded back to gray, and wrinkles rapidly creased his face. In the blink of an eye, he had become a decrepit old man.

The blood loss from his severed right arm made it impossible for his aged, weakened body to stand. He collapsed to the ground, looking at Wang Ya with pleading, desperate eyes, reaching out a trembling hand as if to reclaim his lost Power.

But in the end, his arm gave out, falling limply before Wang Ya’s black boots.

Kenny, the Maya King, was dead!!

Wang Ya’s gaze was indifferent as he stepped over the old man’s body. Harak swooped down from the sky. The special heart was still shockingly active; numerous tentacles and fleshy buds tried to wrap around Harak, but they were clearly too weak to even lift themselves.

Unlike the pale red of a normal human heart, this one was a deep, profound crimson that induced a sense of mental confusion and nausea in anyone who looked at it.

Wang Ya raised an eyebrow. ’Even without a host, it can still affect a person’s Spirit.’

’What a rare item. An ordinary Gundas’ Dog is a completely inferior product by comparison.’

A fine, blue light glinted in his pupils. A rare look of excitement appeared on Wang Ya’s face.

This thing had truly astonished him.

’This will absolutely be the most precious specimen in my collection.’

[Target: Unknown Heart]

[Analysis: Based on data comparison, a core, unknown substance exists within this heart. It contains an extremely terrifying amount of Biological Energy and possesses astonishing vitality. Contact with any living organism will trigger an assimilative mutation, causing it to instinctively devour all flesh and soul.]

[Preliminary Hypothesis: This is the origin source of the Gundas’ Dog. Its fundamental nature is of an extremely high tier. Complete analysis is projected to require a significant amount of time.]

Wang Ya took a deep breath. This was the first time the Eye of Truth had ever given such a response.

’Don’t tell me... this unknown substance actually broke off from that Evil God’s body?’

’The value it contains would be simply unimaginable.’

He solemnly took out a sealed glass container from his Silver Bracelet and placed the heart inside.

Only then did he store the container in his red metal ring.

”I’ve lost the connection to the Scarlet Flesh! Impossible! Damn it, who did this!”

An enraged bark echoed from the underground palace beneath the Maya Capital City. Violent tremors shook the catacombs, the Blood Pool churned, and candle flames flickered out one by one.

”The Material Realm is naturally isolated from the Inner World. Without the support of my main body, this piece of Scarlet Flesh represents a fifth of my very essence.”

”No, I cannot lose a part of my essence! No matter who you are, I will make you pay!” Gendas flew into a complete rage. His terrifying will shot up from underground. Throughout the Capital City, his followers melted into pools of blood, the Gundas’ Dogs within them merging with his will.

His power surpassed that of a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, even an Extreme Wizard Apprentice, reaching an entirely different realm.

Even if it meant being discovered by powerful Wizards, he no longer cared.

At worst, after retrieving the Scarlet Flesh, he would abandon everything here, enter the Inner World, and smuggle himself back to his main body.

The giant Gundas’ Dog formed from his consciousness locked onto the location where the Scarlet Flesh had vanished and merged directly into the Void.