Chapter 378: Dead Thing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 378: Dead Thing
There was no need for hesitation, no need for communication, and no need for wasted words.
In that instant, facing those rising "little suns," everyone instinctively channeled their mana and fighting spirit, launching their strongest attacks at the charging demon hounds.
If they stood there like idiots and let the hounds actually release that terrifying combined magic, they might barely manage to block it, but they would be left with no strength to face the subsequent waves.
The number of demon hounds was staggering. Those currently casting magic were only a fraction; in the darkness behind them, more were continuously pouring in to replenish their ranks.
When facing an enemy that vastly outnumbered them, choosing to shrink back was equivalent to voluntarily becoming fish on a carving board, waiting for the slaughter.
Therefore, a preemptive strike was a far better choice than waiting for death behind a defense.
Only by doing this could they carve out a sliver of a chance for victory!
In a heartbeat, boundless mana and fighting spirit surged. Brilliant magic and martial techniques rose, eclipsing the light of those "little suns" and evolving into a searing torrent of destruction.
Earth-fire erupted, lightning crackled, gales howled, and ice shards fell like rain.
Amidst the roar, countless streams of brilliant light tore through the darkness, completely engulfing the demon hounds.
Muen, who had turned his head away, felt a stinging pain in his eyes. He could only vaguely see a large number of demon hounds being shredded within the flood of destruction, but some "fish" still managed to slip through the net and successfully cast their magic. Light collided with light, and the entire space felt as if "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" had come for a pleasant, synchronized visit.
Muen, who wasn't particularly skilled in magic or high-powered techniques, didn't charge forward to swing his blade like a fool. Instead, he casually tossed out a good number of the high-powered magic items he had purchased earlier.
At a time like this, no one could afford to be stingy. Besides, to him, those items weren't anything particularly special.
"A pity I lost my previous storage ring."
Muen couldn't help but sigh softly.
Otherwise, with the new-model military magic cannons and alchemy bombs he had kept inside, he could have performed a saturation strike on the only staircase entrance. Provided this space was sturdy enough, he could have forced those demon hounds back for at least fifteen minutes.
"That should buy us a little time."
Fei'er kicked away a fragment of a demon hound that had flown toward her, her eyes flickering as she calculated the hounds' losses.
"How long, exactly? Be precise."
Annie’s expression was grim.
In the chaos just now, several people had been grazed by the hounds' beams of light, triggering their teleportation scrolls and knocking them out of the trial. The next wave of the offensive would likely be even harder to withstand.
"Three minutes," Fei'er spat out a number.
"It might be even shorter," Margarita added.
"Those demon hounds may have come to life, but they aren't truly living beings. Setting aside whether they feel pain, based on my observations, they certainly don't possess anything like fear."
The others' expressions shifted.
They hadn't noticed this issue earlier, but it was clearly a disastrous realization for their current situation.
"In other words, we have to find a way to deal with this damn thing in three minutes or less?"
Muen looked at the Prisoner, who was wobbling as he stood up from the ground, and sighed:
"That sounds like a bit of a tall order."
The two rounds of attacks just now had indeed tested some of the creature's traits, but the results only made things feel more troublesome.
Attacks were useless. The body was incredibly hard, resistant to blades and spears, and even successful strikes to vital points seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
He didn't seem like a person; he seemed more like...
"An alchemical item."
Suddenly, a gentle voice that felt like a spring breeze rang out. The saintly Freya, accompanied by Brian—who was no longer merged with the shadows—appeared beside Muen at some unknown point. She said softly:
"This person has indeed been refined into an alchemical item."
"I thought you were going to keep spectating for a while," Muen said expressionlessly, glancing at Freya.
"Mr. Muen always has such a strong prejudice against me. It's truly heartbreaking," Freya said with a pitiful expression. "I haven't been slacking off, you know."
"Perhaps."
Time was pressing, and Muen didn't have the leisure to engage in idle chatter. He got straight to the point:
"What did you mean by 'alchemical item'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Freya pulled out that eyeball-like sphere—the replica of the All-Knowing Eye—and gave it a gentle shake toward the Prisoner.
Instantly, countless golden runes surfaced on the Prisoner's body, squirming back and forth like a dense swarm of tadpoles.
As those golden tadpoles appeared, Annie’s face changed instantly. For the first time, this haughty loli lost her composure:
"It really is alchemy?"
"Is it that unbelievable?" Muen asked, frowning.
"Of course it's unbelievable!"
Annie’s eyes flickered as if her worldview was being challenged. "This is alchemy! Its essence is the mutual transmutation of matter! But the transition between life and death is not part of it! This touches upon the very foundations of alchemy..."
"Don't forget those demon hounds," Muen said calmly.
"..."
Annie froze, her mouth hanging open, the rest of her words dying in her throat.
Everything before them was indeed incredibly unbelievable.
But the power of a deity was just that irrational.
To easily change the rules that men believed in was nothing more than a flick of the wrist.
"The Prisoner before us has been completely turned into an alchemical item. From what happened just now, he seems to be one with those demon hounds. Simply put, he is the 'switch' that controls them."
Freya toyed with the replica of the All-Knowing Eye and said, "In short, we cannot bypass this thing no matter what. We can only face it head-on."
"Stop with the nonsense. I just want to know if there's a way."
The demon hounds had already launched their attack again. Although everyone was doing their best to stop them, the gap in numbers was not small. Some hounds had already bypassed the defensive line and were charging toward the group in front of the door.
Fei'er waved her hand, and a massive black snake manifested out of thin air, swallowing a demon hound in one gulp.
"There's no more time to stall."
Everyone fell silent, lost in thought.
Freya didn't say anything more.
Knowing the nature of this monster didn't make the situation any better; if anything, it made it more troublesome.
If it were an enemy, they could simply kill it. But how were they supposed to deal with a mere "item"?
"Monster."
Suddenly, Liya, who hadn't spoken since the beginning, tugged at Muen's sleeve. She seemed to have discovered something. "Those monsters."
"What?"
"Don't you think so, Muen? This person... is very similar to those twisted monsters we met before."
"Monsters?"
Muen was taken aback.
Although the Prisoner before them looked extremely wretched, he felt that this thing couldn't be equated with those previous monsters. They were clearly two different things.
"No, they're the same. The feeling the soul gives off is the same."
Liya stared fixedly at the Prisoner, speaking as if to herself:
"It's painful, very painful. His soul is just like those monsters we met before—it's crying in agony. Can't you hear it? He's calling for help. Just like those souls from before, he is also calling for help."
"Liya, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Purification!"
Liya raised her voice. "The method we used to deal with those monsters—Purification! Purify the soul!"
"Purify the soul..."
Muen frowned. "But... back then, didn't we have to kill the monsters before we could purify them?"
And the problem now was that attacks were useless against this thing. That was the real headache...
"Why do we need to kill him?"
Liya looked into Muen's eyes and suddenly said:
"Isn't he... already dead?"