[The Glutton] – The Prophet's Part (18)

Jessica's hellfire erupted violently, engulfing the entire monster. The countless mouths across its grotesque body gaped open, screaming in agony. A tentacle on its head suddenly elongated, lashing out toward Jessica. Though the flames scorched its flesh, the burns vanished almost instantly, replaced by fresh skin. Its regeneration was even faster than the damage inflicted upon it.

Ron and Fiona's wind and blades failed to inflict any significant wounds. Even a single one of its tentacles was enough to keep them from getting any closer. This one was on a completely different level than the other monsters in the castle!

Boom!

A deafening sound echoed as Ron was suddenly struck by one of the monster's tentacles and sent flying. His body slammed into the ground, causing cracks to spread.

"Ron!" Fiona cried out. She lunged at the monster, her sword slicing through the air incredibly fast.

But in that instant, the monster's numerous tentacles twisted together, forming an impenetrable wall.

Clang!

Fiona's sword snapped in half. Time seemed to slow as the monster's tentacles shifted, morphing into a massive thorned whip that sent her hurtling through the air!

Fiona spat out a mouthful of blood as she was flung backward.

A powerful gust of wind caught her just in time. Ron hurriedly asked, "Fiona, are you okay?!"

Fiona wiped the blood from her lips, only to cough up another mouthful. Yet she still stood, ready to continue fighting.

Drake's cold voice rang out at that moment: "Regroup and protect the Prophet. I will fight the monster!"

The moment his words fell, the others immediately obeyed. A massive fire ring surrounded the Prophet, forming an impenetrable barrier against the monster's attacks. Meanwhile, Ron and Fiona relentlessly tore through its writhing tentacles at the front lines.

However, Fiona's broken sword seemed to hinder her abilities. She resorted to ripping apart the monster's tentacles with her bare hands, its razor-sharp teeth sinking into her flesh, causing blood to pour freely.

Just then, a brand-new sword materialized before her. It was identical in size and color to her previous weapon, yet its hilt bore the engraving of a single, unblinking eye. Strange markings resembling an unfamiliar language adorned the blade.

"Use it," the Prophet's voice resonated.

Fiona was momentarily stunned. She wondered where the Prophet suddenly pulled a sword from, but then she remembered that he was a god. There was no need to question it. His very existence was answer enough.

Without hesitation, she grasped the sword. She realized it was far superior to her previous one when she swung it. It cleaved through the monster's tentacles effortlessly, each strike eliciting agonized screams. More importantly, the monster's regeneration seemed slow, even slightly.

Fiona stared at the sword in disbelief before raising her voice. "Thank you, Prophet!"

No, Silvanus thought, I should be the one thanking you all for protecting me.

Moments ago, he had used his power—[Creation]—to forge a weapon suited for Alice, granting them an edge in this battle.

Sure enough, the sword was proving highly effective. It seemed the system's abilities were truly designed for a god.

He hadn't expected this ability to consume so much energy—immediately after forging Fiona's sword, [Creation] turned gray, signifying that it could no longer be used.

Just as Silvanus was feeling a bit dejected, a sudden notification appeared:

[Detected: You have 10 Faith Points. Would you like to exchange points to continue using the Creation ability?]

His eyes lit up. So this was how Faith Points worked!

However, Silvanus chose [No]. Right now, he didn't need to create anything else. Something as valuable as Faith Points was best saved for later.

[Oh? So the Prophet can create swords; judging by this one's quality, it's not low-tier. It might even rival Drake's weapon in sharpness.]

[Even so, the Prophet is still a useless god waiting to be protected. Hahaha.]

[Why hasn't the monster eaten the Prophet first? Watching him be a burden to humanity is irritating! If they fail, it's definitely because of him!]

[Oh, look who's talking! If it weren't for the Prophet, humanity wouldn't have even made it this far with their dumb brains! And even if they attack, what then? Aside from Drake, no one can even injure the monster. Wait, except for that girl who got the Prophet's sword. Her most potent weapon isn't even her own, hahaha.]

[It's just the obvious truth. Even a "useless" god is still stronger than humans. I don't get why some people are such die-hard fans of humanity.]

[If the Prophet is so mighty, why doesn't he fight? Why let humans protect him? The Prophet's fans are the real delusional ones!]

Silvanus scrolled through the comments, surprised that he now had defenders. He had assumed that the Prophet's personality wouldn't attract fans. Then again, even in his past life as an actor with countless admirers, he had never fully understood what drew people to him.

At that moment, the monster's attacks intensified—Jessica and the others were on the verge of losing their defensive line. At the front, Drake continued his relentless assault, yet the monster remained unmoved. No matter how often Drake sliced it in half, it regenerated at an absurd speed.

As the two Counts had said, perhaps this creature was a "god" capable of granting eternal life. Killing it seemed nearly impossible.

"Damn it!" Drake snarled, glancing at his struggling comrades. He suddenly roared, and a surge of crimson energy engulfed his body.

Ron and Fiona shouted in unison: "No, Captain!"

Cocona's voice was icy from the sidelines: "He's going to die. Is he doing this?!"

Frank's expression was grim. "If he doesn't, we all die. And if he wins before fully losing himself… he might survive."** But that chance was slim. They had all seen how terrifyingly powerful the monster was.

Drake's blue eyes turned blood-red. His skin cracked open, and scales—like a serpent—began to spread across his face.

The back of his shirt suddenly tore apart as massive, fire-wreathed crimson wings erupted from his back. They were several times larger than his body, radiating an unbearable heat.

His blade grew in size, now wreathed in black flames that burned furiously.

At this moment, he was barely human.

"We need to get out of here!" Ron yelled.

Fiona and Jessica wasted no time—staying meant certain death.

Ron grabbed Prophet's wrist, pulling him along. Though Prophet followed his pace, the blindfolded man's gaze remained fixed in Drake's direction as if he could somehow see the transformation unfolding.

The sky, once a dull gray, suddenly turned blood-red. The wind howled, almost as if weeping.

The monster thrashed its tentacles wildly, its countless eyes bulging in fury.

And in the sky, Drake hovered—a monstrous figure of fire and destruction. His enormous wings pulsed with blistering heat, his face a mask of cold, terrifying rage, and his eyes burned with an untamed fire, ready to explode at any moment.

Then, with a powerful downward stroke of his wings, he dived like an arrow of flame streaking toward the monster below!

[Here it is—the spectacle I've been waiting for!]