[The Glutton] – The Prophet's Part (17)

Tears streamed down Leo's fat face as he cried and begged desperately, seemingly terrified that Drake would kill him with a single slash.

Drake frowned. Something didn't add up—Leo was supposed to be at least a boss. But looking at his bloated body and utterly useless demeanor, Drake couldn't help but feel ridiculous.

He suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Boss or not, let's find out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his blade, the edge flashing in the dim light. Leo barely had time to let out a terrified scream before his head rolled across the ground, his face frozen in pure fear. But what was surprising was that his body didn't dissolve into a pool of blood like the other monsters.

Drake was sure that Leo was the multi-armed monster that had chased his group the previous night. A monster that strong couldn't possibly die so quickly. There had to be a reason why it hadn't dissolved yet.

"Leave it to me!" Jessica's voice suddenly rang out. At that moment, a massive blaze erupted with Leo at its center, radiating an unimaginable heat. Yet, despite the intensity of the flames, nothing else around them burned.

"I hope my fire can burn it away… before it transforms into something even worse," Jessica murmured, though deep down, she knew things wouldn't be that simple.

The sheer number of monsters had completely covered the castle, but Drake's group comprised elite humans, veterans who had survived countless Dungeons and slain countless creatures. The monsters were utterly wiped out in what felt like no time, leaving the castle in ruins.

The floor was drenched in black, putrid blood, turning into a giant swamp reeking of death. Most of the walls had collapsed, covered in gashes and scorch marks. The once grand, ancient castle was now little more than a barren ruin.

Fiona wiped the blood off her face. One side of her hair, already short, had been slashed even shorter by a monster's attack.

"Is it over?" she muttered.

Ron, not even caring about the blood pooling beneath him, dropped to his knees, panting. "We killed all the monsters… The system should've given us a notification by now…"

Drake's voice suddenly rang out, full of frustration: "It's not over yet!"

Everyone turned to look—Leo's burning body suddenly erupted into an even fiercer blaze. Jessica pushed her power to the limit, trying to incinerate him completely. But the impossible happened—Leo's charred wounds began to heal before their eyes. His body moved. Slowly, he stood up, motionless like a massive mountain.

"My fire isn't working on him!" Jessica shouted.

Drake ordered, "Fall back!"

Almost the instant he finished speaking, an enormous surge of energy descended from the black hole in the sky, enveloping Leo's body. Thunder roared, and the sky darkened into an abyssal night, void of a single ray of light.

From within the black hole came a bizarre, unsettling sound, something beyond human comprehension—like the voice of an entity they had never known.

Something was coming.

Silvanus watched the apocalyptic scene unfold before him, his expression grim. He could only hope that the God Realm's seal would actually be able to contain whatever it was, as the system's description claimed.

The system suddenly spoke as if reading his thoughts: [You may doubt anything… but you need not doubt the description.]

Silvanus wanted to ask why but knew now wasn't the time.

The aftershock of the energy surge was so powerful that the ground caved in, sending debris flying in all directions. The others had no choice but to retreat.

Drake, however, stood firm, shielding Silvanus. His blade moved so fast that not a single shard of debris touched him. His gaze locked onto Leo—then, like a bullet, he launched himself straight toward the monster at the heart of the energy storm.

Drake's massive blade clashed against the colossal energy vortex, producing a deafening sound like crackling thunder. The force radiating from it was so immense that the others felt they were about to be blown away. Yet, Drake remained unaffected, his brows furrowing as he exerted even more strength. 

At that moment, the black hole in the sky expanded at an unimaginable speed before crashing down onto the ground with a thunderous roar! The energy vortex surrounding Leo suddenly erupted, blasting Drake backward. He flipped midair before landing, his body slightly crouched—like a panther locked onto its prey. 

A smirk curled on his lips. "Looks like the main course has arrived." 

Leo's severed head, lying lifelessly on the ground, suddenly snapped its eyes open and let out a piercing scream—so loud it could make an ordinary person's ears bleed. Then, the head dissolved into a pool of blood, seemingly marking the end of his existence. However, his body remained standing tall within the energy vortex. 

Under everyone's horrified gazes, Leo's body rapidly withered, deflating like a punctured balloon. Then, from the stump of his neck, countless tendrils burst forth—long and writhing, each lined with sharp fangs and numerous eerie eyes. 

Leo's chest suddenly split into six sections, peeling open like a blooming flower. Each "petal" was layered with rows of razor-sharp teeth, oozing a vile black liquid dripping down like drool. When the liquid touched the ground, it sizzled and corroded the surface, creating deep pits. Soon after, more "petals" unfurled across various parts of his body. 

A sickening squelch echoed as a massive eye abruptly opened within the gaping maw on his chest. The eye was huge, yet its black pupil was a tiny dot. Almost simultaneously, countless other eyes emerged from within his mouth and all over his body, making him look like a grotesque amalgamation of bizarre mouths and eyes. 

The monster's clawed hands slammed onto the ground, its back hunched. The enormous maw on its chest let out a deafening roar before spewing a deluge of venom. A fierce gust of wind swept through, forming a barrier against the toxic rain. 

The creature was impossibly fast. Before anyone could even process what was happening, the tendrils on its neck shot forward, lashing straight toward the Prophet. 

The others were caught off guard—no monster had ever prioritized attacking the Prophet! 

Drake reacted the fastest. He positioned himself in front of the Prophet, his blade slicing through the air at such speed that only afterimages remained. But the monster's regeneration was even more terrifying—the tendrils continued their relentless assault as if they had never been severed in the first place. 

Drake frowned slightly but didn't forget to glance at the Prophet with a mocking smirk. "Looks like this one isn't afraid of you. So this is why you insisted I protect you." 

[At this moment, in the eyes of the monster, you're nothing more than a growth stimulant.] The system suddenly interjected. 

Silvanus wanted to scream: [What's so appetizing about me? Aside from being ridiculously handsome, I'm just an ordinary human!] 

The system: [… It seems you indeed aren't afraid at all.] 

Silvanus scoffed: [At this point, just treating the monsters as horror movie props makes everything easier.] 

[For horror movie props to be this realistic, your old world must not have been ordinary.] 

Silvanus ignored the system—because things were only getting worse!