Echoes of the Past

Chapter 124 Live Material

The highly toxic, foul-smelling slime that could corrode the soil was casually tossed on the ground by Nan'an. The glutton's attempt to increase the thickness of its shell to prevent its black mist body from being penetrated failed once again.

Nan'an's simple and brutal tactics left it exhausted and unable to retaliate.

The tentacles extending from its body were torn off and crushed by hand before they could even be swung.

The glutton endured the mounting pain and glared angrily at the three people providing support to Nan'an not far away.

"I'll eat you all first!"

With a sudden change of direction, he forcefully broke free from Nan'an's entanglement, and the glutton's illusory giant mouth crackled once more.

The corners of the crow's mouth curled up slightly. The metal box in his hand was already open, and the wet, sticky flesh had fallen to the ground and blended into the darkness.

It was a scarlet membrane, as if it had just been peeled off a living body.

The fleshy membrane grows close to the ground, with a pulsating quality like that of a living creature.

It spread from the feet of the raven to the feet of Gunn, and from the feet of Gunn to the side of Vahdion, like a scarlet carpet being woven.

The moment the void devoured and fell, the flesh membrane suddenly swelled up.

The scarlet flesh membrane, as thin as a cicada's wing, bulged like an inflated balloon, forming a blood-red arc in front of the three people.

Under its protection, the bewitching raven raised its head, and the countless fine networks of blood vessels were clearly visible.

"laugh!!!"

The teeth marks from the void's gnawing left crisscrossing bite marks on the surface of the flesh membrane. Fresh blood gushed from the cracks, exploding into a crimson mist under the moonlight.

The tunica vaginalis turned outward, revealing tender, pink, still-wriggling tissue underneath, like a fresh wound that had been forcibly torn open, so vivid it was almost unsettling.

The gnawing power, strong enough to cut through rocks and crush stones, could not tear it apart.

The flesh-and-lichen trembled violently in front of the three people, caved in, and steadily contained the destructive divine and demonic power.

The scarlet membrane slowly contracted under the moonlight, and the rolled-up tear began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

New granulation tissue grew from the edges of the wound, gradually filling in those horrific bite marks.

"What the hell?"

The glutton stopped attacking, and he was shocked to find that the ground around him had been covered by a strange, lichen-like layer of flesh and blood.

Nan'an also calmed down from his battle mindset and stared at the [Flesh and Blood Lichen] that was still slowly spreading outwards like a fungal carpet at his feet.

Over a century of exploration into breaking through the fog, E'lu's gains in controllable gods and demons go far beyond the meaningless existence of things like the Echo Sandbag.

【Flesh and Blood Lichen】

They obtain energy by consuming matter in their surrounding environment, especially biomass.

It can regenerate at an astonishing rate.

In tests and real-world records, even when riddled with holes, it can heal quickly by growing new granulation tissue.

During its spread, the fleshy lichen extends countless tiny tentacles, invisible to the naked eye, from its surface to sense and attach to objects it comes into contact with.

When its coverage area is large enough, users can sense the general activity within the coverage area through vibrations and temperature changes on its surface.

Of course, its most powerful and useful abnormal characteristic is that it can be "targeted enhanced".

When fed specific types of potions, such as those that enhance defense, magic resistance, or strength, the flesh lichen will absorb them rapidly and evolve the corresponding properties within a short period of time.

Fifty years ago, the Crow witnessed a vast "carpet of flesh and blood" deep within the black fog, stretching to the horizon and covering all the terrain and remaining buildings.

There was no sign of life in the area; it was utterly silent.

On the "carpet of flesh and blood," countless "trees" resembling the convergence of human meridians and blood vessels grow.

The "trees" throbbed continuously, delivering a viscous liquid.

In the heart of this "forest", a huge heart is beating powerfully.

Based on his extensive experience traveling through the black mist, the crow made a decision: it would not venture any deeper, but instead chose a nearby large tree and cut off its heart.

After being severed, the heart rapidly shrank, first melting into blood, then slowly solidifying, and finally becoming the relatively stable [Flesh Lichen] currently contained.

The severed portion is insignificant compared to the entire "mother body," and that desolate area of ​​flesh and blood still exists deep within the black mist, with witnesses still breaking through the mist in recent years.

However, due to the previous instability of gods and demons, it is impossible to confirm whether what the Mist Breaker and the Bewitching Raven witnessed was the same one.

According to regulations, gods and demons resembling flesh-and-lichen cannot leave the underground containment facility in the Twin Crown Mountains.

But the Eredi do have some privileges.

As the first to discover and realize that it was controllable, the Bewitching Raven, after reviewing the long-term experimental data of the Black Mist scholars, submitted an application to the Chief Elder who knew the inside story, in order to deal with special divine and demonic events.

Use gods and demons to defeat gods and demons!

The glutton felt the passion of the flesh-and-blood lichen. The body, shrouded in black mist, seemed like an unparalleled delicacy. The flesh-and-blood lichen, spreading out like a fungal carpet, extended tiny tentacles the size of toothpicks, swaying gently in its direction.

It vaguely revealed within it—a longing?

The glutton, who had always regarded other living creatures as food, felt as if he had become a bloody lump of flesh.

Countless low murmurs echoed in its ears, urging it to return to the embrace of flesh and blood.

"Disgusting! I feel nauseous!"

The glutton stomped hard, crushing the flesh and lichen that had reached his feet, but involuntarily, a strange thought arose in his body.

Maybe it'll be delicious?

"Bang!"

The swollen, enormous mouth was met with Nan'an's powerful punch.

The glutton's body, shrouded in black mist, flew up, spun around, and landed heavily, its body covered in countless sticky pieces of flesh and blood.

They resemble maggots, crushed and separated from their original bodies, yet still stubbornly wriggling, beginning to gnaw at the black mist on the surface of the glutton's body.

The defenses that Nan'an had only managed to shatter through the power of divine and demonic suppression were now being devoured by maggots.

In just a few breaths, the glutton was astonished to find that the black mist, which was immune to magic, had developed a large number of rice-grain-sized holes.

The writhing flesh crawled through the gnawed holes and into the black mist, continuing its feast.

He summoned divine and demonic power, healed the black mist, crushed the blood maggots that had burrowed into it, and then looked up—

"Bang!"

Nan'an's unreasonable heavy punch once again knocked him to his knees.

Pressing down its enormous maw, Nan'an stared directly at the little demon eye that had already been crushed to death by Elmarhern.

"A true master of crushing newbies is consistently good at it."

As he said this, he took a deep breath.

The spell for great sound is ready.

Unable to think of anything to say for the moment, he simply followed his heart and offered blessings to the glutton.

"NMSL!!!"

Most novice mages have some misconceptions before they get to experience actual combat, such as believing that higher-ranking spells are more effective in real battles.

Firepower anxiety is a hurdle that both newcomers and seasoned veterans must overcome.

All of Red Rat's finishing moves, except for the nerd who is fast, accurate and ruthless in casting spells and loves to unleash firepower, are combos of small spells.

Asri Pan is fond of vocalization.

In close combat, after a brief build-up, a high-decibel roar upon approaching has more than just a deterrent effect.

The sound waves, amplified by magic, can easily shatter eardrums, causing enemies to lose their balance and become disoriented.

Many of the unfortunate souls who were killed by Aslipan's yelling not only had blood flowing from their ears, but also had their eyes wide open and bloodshot.

There is reason to believe that he was frightened to death by a violent shock.

The Glutton's defense is indeed heaven-defying. If it were a Living Eclipse, it would have been hit by Nan An's full-body "massage" and would have been at the point of death long ago, but it was still alive and kicking.

I can't imagine how much effort it would take for Bewitching Raven to completely restrain and subdue him without him today.

The black mist surrounding the glutton's body suddenly dissipated.

The impenetrable darkness peeled away from it, turning into nothingness, revealing the undefended flesh and blood beneath.

The glutton struggled to his feet, swaying from side to side like a drunken duck.

Its limbs swayed uncoordinatedly, and two dark red liquids spilled from the corners of its eyes and slid down its cheeks.

The glutton opened his mouth as if to say something, but only a series of indistinct and broken syllables came out of his throat. His unfocused eyes were fixed on the direction where Nan'an was.

His face, contorted with pain, was filled with resentment and unwillingness.

If it weren't for Nan'an, but only for Huoya, he would definitely have a chance to take another step forward!

Nan'an didn't waste any words; he struck while the iron was hot, a lesson the Red Rat Adventurers taught him on the very first day.

He leaped forward and delivered a powerful punch to the jaw.

Without the protection of the black mist, the Glutton's obese body was immediately lifted off the ground, its upper body leaning back, its whole body drawing an arc in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

The fleshy lichens, clearly hungry, immediately gathered together, displaying a joyful air of preparing for a feast. Their fleshy tentacles stood up high and swayed gently, but were stopped by the bewitching ravens.

Looking at the unconscious glutton, Elmarhern's demonic eyes flashed.

"Give it to me! I want him to witness himself turning into a lump of aging pork fat!"

"You've got a sharp tongue, haven't you? Didn't you show any skill? You're the first one to open your mouth after the war?" Nan'an sneered.

"His little aging demonic eye—pfft, pfft, pfft, his bootleg demonic eye, wasn't it the one I crushed?" Almarhern felt deeply defiled. "I don't care, I'm going to torture him!"

The crow raised its eyebrows in displeasure, but considering her performance tonight, it simply restrained itself.

Almar Hern easily located the location of the divine fragment within the Glutton's body—below the throat.

Nan'an reached out and gently pressed down, severing the connection between the dangerous forces that were binding the glutton's entire body and the gods and demons.

"What are we waiting for if we don't kill him? What kind of humanitarian organization is Ellu? Are you planning to treat him to a good meal before he dies?" Elmahern rambled on. "You guys are much more efficient at killing confirmed infected survivors than I am."

"Shut up!" Nan An snapped. "Since I woke up, all I've been dealing with are long-winded, nagging people like you—"

Has the good fortune of being a bookworm in a past life been passed down to this day? Have you all taken a share of her six senses?

Needless to say, Suiyue is only able to chirp in Nan'an's ears because the recent situation has become increasingly serious, leaving her with no room to speak.

Coralina is slightly better, but she still has a bit of a sissy personality.

If she doesn't talk much normally, you should worry that she might suddenly pull something big in a conversation, such as deliberately teasing you and then laughing out loud when you show a surprised reaction.

Linem ————

He's also a chatterbox.

Although she is different from the previous two, she is a pitiful child, purely out of repression, but her talkative nature remains the same.

Given that Slatur has tacitly approved of Elmarhen's existence, she will be a figure in Kren City in the future.

And since he was an Elu, he had no choice but to deal with her.

Nan'an sighed, suddenly reminiscing about the wonderful times she spent bickering with the bookworm.

The glutton slowly awoke.

His hands were restrained by Crazy Raven and Gunn respectively.

Wahedeen stood to one side, holding an enchanted light blade.

Almahern's eyes were filled with rage as she muttered "squeeze out the lard."

Suiyue, the only one who could be considered kind, spread her wings of light under the moonlight, exuding an aura that suggested she might self-destruct at any moment.

Finally, his gaze fell on Nan'an, who was suppressing the operation of the divine and demonic power.

"You won."

I had expected the glutton to complain and vent their frustrations, but what I got in return was an unusually calm statement.

Almahern persisted, "Give up! Are you no longer arrogant? Where did your aura of wanting to defeat the entire Nora go, you piece of trash!"

The glutton sneered, his jaw bruised and his voice trembling: "You think I lost to you? Without Nan'an, what are you? Alma Hen, when I bit you in the wild and you were running away in panic, you were more like a wild dog than I was."

The demonic eye of aging suddenly unleashed itself, piercing the face of the glutton.

Nan An had anticipated this, and with her other hand, she directly blocked her vision and then slapped her eye socket.

"If you mess around again, I'll kill you too!"

"I have Slatur's permission!"

"What's it to me? If I kill you, would His Majesty Slaturu blame me?"

Almahern choked, panting as she turned her face away and closed her eyes.

"Your Excellency Nan'an is a respectable person and is willing to grant me basic human dignity, for which I am very grateful."

The crow said, "As an opponent, you've still managed to retain some dignity up to this point, which is to be expected."

"Ask me anything, and I'll answer. But—I don't want to be judged in any sense. Give me a quick and painless end."

Knowing full well what awaits them ahead, the glutton becomes increasingly indifferent, as if they are not discussing their own life or death.

"Where did your divine and demonic power come from? Given your status, you shouldn't have been able to access the fragments of gods and demons," the bewitching crow asked, puzzled. "Did you secretly venture deep into the black mist?"

"I've always heard Lord Pirion say that the Senate of Solitz is too harsh on Elru—now I believe it."

Nan An frowned: "The two are related?"

"It seems that Ellu is unaware that there has always been a smuggling route between Kren and the Rostarek border, and that some strange things occasionally appear along this route."

The crow pressed on, "What is it?"

"At the time, I knew nothing about this, but after becoming a living Eclipse, I understood everything—someone successfully extracted and solidified fragments of gods and demons into living materials, constantly traveling back and forth between the border and Kren."