The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

What kind of "holy remains" are these...?

This is clearly a fat worm encased in a bloated stone shell, its entire body covered in dark purple magic patterns!

Upon closer inspection, the ashen gray skin wrinkles contained many broken monster skeletons, as well as some standard weapons from different eras and a lot of ores embedded in it!

The stench was not simple either; it seemed to be the fermentation of the remains left behind after thousands of battles between the monsters that tried to take over the lair!

Seth dispersed the fog before his eyes, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the "miracle" wriggling out of the pit, and at the twisted "sin" that had crossed into the mortal world.

"Prepare for the Holy Judgment!" Seth shouted, but he took a few steps back without making a sound, and also accidentally threw the Holy Word Compass into the sand.

As soon as the words were spoken, the paladins immediately acted as "shield guards," slamming their silver-white greatswords into the ground—the Church's unique fourth-tier combat skill, [Holy Light Barrier]!

Behind the enclosure formed by the high golden walls, a dozen or so believers chanted loudly.

The sunlight shining down at this moment materialized, diffused and focused by the seemingly invisible lens in the air, becoming a Damocles' sword hanging over the giant insect's head!

"I swear on the honor of the Holy Prayer that upon our return, you will all be favored by my God," Seth raised his left hand, infusing the [Holy Judgment] with a vast amount of magical energy. "Now, kill this worm."

The golden giant sword transformed into a guillotine, striking the giant insect's incredibly thick shell squarely!

boom--!

Smoke and dust, mixed with roars, spread through the most intense parts of this trembling battlefield of yellow sand!

However, this desperate scene unfolded.

The [Holy Judgment], solidified by the combined efforts of more than a dozen people and capable of instantly slaying a seventh-tier demon, vanished without a trace upon contact with the stone shell, as if a mud ox had entered the sea!

Aside from the initial few "ripples," the giant worm suffered damage...

better than nothing.

The dark purple patterns on the stone shell flickered, as if mocking the ignorance and weakness of these newcomers.

Through thousands of years of assimilation and absorption, it has long since absorbed the strengths of all kinds of magic, and has become almost immune to all kinds of magic!

The purpose of this stone shell is "isolation".

"My God above..." A priest, trembling, raised his staff, staring intently at the giant worm that had twitched a few times, and said in disbelief, "The Holy Judgment has failed?"

The church's prized thunderous killing technique has failed?

Click... Click...

A series of soft but crisp cracking sounds rang out.

The giant worm ignored the stubborn little snacks and instead frantically shed crumbs from its head, revealing rings of sharp, barbed tentacles and mouthparts!

Those tentacles were like sunflowers sensing the sunlight...

Point to where there are people.

Even though its vision had long since deteriorated in the endless darkness, in this vast desert that it regarded as its territory, any slight vibration would be captured by its extremely keen senses.

Seth squinted, seeing everything clearly.

One of the worshippers took a step back in alarm, his boot heel scraping against the rubble with only a soft thud...

The next moment, the giant stone-shelled worm moved!

Its bulky and enormous body burst forth with a disproportionate speed, its slender, camel-like tail being swung high into the air!

boom!

The air currents alone were enough to turn that cultist into minced meat!

The blood splattered onto the stone and yellow sand, disappearing instantly...

"Don't move, it's finding people by sound..." Seth's voice echoed in everyone's minds, but his hands behind his back were not so still. Instead, he was using [Wind Breath] to outline an inconspicuous small wind field.

This thing isn't particularly dangerous, but the breeze is pushing the sand against each other, creating that piercing sound that defies natural laws...

The giant stone-shelled worm's head, covered in tentacles, suddenly turned towards the side where the cultists were most concentrated.

Even though Seth repeatedly emphasized that "staying still will save your life," those cultists only realized this when they actually faced this terrifying monster...

How luxurious it is to imagine "the butterfly's legs stopping their flapping."

There is no doubt that fear is contagious.

The believers panicked, frantically squandering their magical power in an attempt to use a barrier of holy light to block the immense impact.

But the giant stone-shelled insect, like a fully insured semi-trailer truck, smashed directly through the hastily constructed barriers.

Screams, the sound of bones breaking, and the rustling sound of the giant worm chewing together created a unique, bloody symphony.

Seth stood there, hands behind his back, calmly watching everything unfold before him.

Unfortunately, some believers still had to remain.

It's convenient for reporting to Uriel, and also convenient for...

Seth looked into the distance, waiting for the person who could bring a true curtain call to this "side story".

Back to the point, during the lull in the carnage, the giant stone-shelled insect seemed to undergo some strange changes... a heavily armored outline slowly rose up on its back.

Is it a cocoon?

Seth frowned.

The bitter struggle continues, or rather, a one-sided, crushing massacre is being orchestrated by an "insider."

When the two figures in black robes reached the edge of the battlefield, a hellish scene unfolded before their eyes.

Upon seeing the giant insect, Iseria frowned and, in tacit agreement with Yunevo, shut their mouths, instead communicating secretly using a method unique to the two of them.

"That insect... is an acquaintance," the beige-haired girl sensed an unusual fluctuation, the same as that "obsession," but different due to evolution.

"It's an acquaintance, even now..." Yunefu squinted, the [Unquenchable Firewood] beating in unison with his heart in his chest, "We've known it for hundreds of years."

He sensed that obsession, and he also sensed... the anger from his old friend.

The anger at that protection being so easily desecrated.

Eunice removed his hood and surveyed the battlefield, where he "happened" to spot the Holy Prayer Seth, who was feigning command but actually slacking off.

"It seems this is still a four-way battle?"

The church, the sand armor, and Yunevo and Iseria... all reunited on this subsequent golden trade route.

And at the very bottom of that "grave," deep within that unclaimed nest, lie two sets of "insect eggs" radiating ominous signs...

Waiting for the right opportunity to see the light of day again.

Yunevo said no more, and silently walked towards the center of the battlefield under Seth's watchful gaze...