[Its towering figure resembled an ancient, gnarled tree, yet it was far from the appearance of an ordinary giant. Its flesh was cracked like rotting bark, with sticky spores and fungi growing in the crevices, glowing faintly in shades of green and purple.]
[Its face was even more terrifying. One cheek had completely rotted away, exposing twisted teeth and a jagged jawbone. It had five eyes—two in the usual positions, with additional ones sprouting on its forehead and temples, glowing a sinister red.]
[A massive hump grew on its back, continuously releasing clouds of spores. Any living being that inhaled these spores would slowly begin to decay.]
[It had four arms, each in a different stage of decay. Bones jutted out through some, while others oozed sticky, melted flesh.]
[With each step it took, the ground beneath it rotted away. Whenever it opened its mouth, a black toxic mist seeped out. Through the decaying flesh, its exposed organs pumped out dark, viscous fluids.]
[Wherever it passed, only rot and disease remained. More formidable than any other creature in the Forest of Demonic Beasts, we gave it an ancient name—
[Morbus, Lord of Decay and Disease.]
A massive shadow loomed between the rotting trees. As it came close enough for its form to be discerned, the stench of decayed flesh filled the air.
With every step Morbus took, a grotesque, sucking sound echoed, like something being pulled into a swamp.
When Morbus spotted the intruders, it let out a deafening roar.
GAAAAAAH!
With just one cry, the poisonous mist spread in all directions. A normal knight would collapse the moment they inhaled it.
But those present were not ordinary.
"Ugh… That's poisonous."
Jerome grimaced and waved his hand, casting an air-purification spell around them.
Whoooosh!
Even with the purification magic, the poisonous mist did not dissipate easily. That was how powerful the poison was.
However, the people here were skilled enough to suppress the toxicity. And among them stood Piote.
"O Goddess!"
As Piote prayed, a brilliant light of purification spread outward from him, far stronger than Jerome's spell.
Sizzle!
The holy flames burned away the toxic mist in an instant, simultaneously purifying the poison that had seeped into the superhumans' bodies.
Parniel gripped her mace tightly and looked toward Ghislain.
"I see its heart. Should I destroy it?"
The pulsing black heart, pumping out dark fluid, throbbed violently within the decayed flesh.
[…Morbus had no weaknesses. Count Kaien Balzac once cleaved its heart, but it suffered no damage. Instead, Count Balzac was counterattacked and forced to retreat with injuries.]
Ghislain shook his head.
"No, that won't work. We have to crush it completely—down to powder."
"How do you even know that?"
Ghislain grinned.
"Don't you know? I'm rumored to be a saint. The Goddess told me everything in my dreams."
Parniel scoffed in disbelief. If this weren't the battlefield, she might have bashed him with her mace and begun an inquisition right away.
For now, she set that thought aside and said,
"I'll go first."
Ghislain asked Parniel.
"You remember what I said earlier, right?"
"Yeah. I'll give the signal, then we'll pour everything we've got."
"I'll cut off one of its arms."
"Understood."
With divine light radiating from her, Parniel charged forward.
The others followed closely behind her.
Whooooom!
Morbus's massive hand came crashing down toward Parniel.
Facing the shadow of death, Parniel raised a shield of light.
Boom!
With a blinding flash, the shield blocked the blow, but it couldn't completely nullify the impact. Parniel was sent flying backward. The sheer power matched its monstrous size.
While Parniel held its attention, the others launched their attacks.
Crack!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bolts of lightning struck Morbus's body, cast by Jerome and Vanessa's magic.
Its rotting flesh exploded, sending dark fluid pouring out like waterfalls.
Graaaaaah!
Morbus felt no pain due to its decayed state, but the destruction of its flesh enraged it.
Slash! Crunch!
Before it could react, Yulian and Gillian severed its ankles with their blades.
Splaaash!
Meanwhile, Belinda's daggers pierced its joints, attempting to disable its movements.
But Morbus kept moving. The dark, sticky fluid oozed out, reattaching its severed parts.
Gaaaaargh!
As it prepared to swing its four arms, it sensed a presence above.
Clang!
Ghislain's aura blade flashed, splitting Morbus's head in two.
A normal monster would have died instantly. But Morbus's body was already akin to a corpse.
A black void appeared within the split head.
From that void—
Whoooosh!
A torrent of poisonous breath shot toward Ghislain.
"Urgh!"
The overwhelming toxicity caused Ghislain to stumble. His vision blurred, as if he had consumed a powerful liquor.
His skin rapidly decayed, turning purple and oozing dark fluid, making him look like a walking corpse.
Graaaaargh!
One of Morbus's massive arms came crashing down toward Ghislain. He narrowly dodged and gasped for breath.
"Phew!"
Meanwhile, the others resumed their assault, giving Ghislain a chance to recover.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Graaaah!
Morbus howled as it wildly swung its four arms, slamming bones and flesh into the ground.
Its relentless attacks made it difficult for anyone to approach.
But Morbus couldn't act freely either. Jerome and Vanessa's constant bombardment of magic forced it on the defensive, tearing apart its rotting flesh repeatedly.
Graaaaah!
Enraged, Morbus released a black mist, engulfing the surroundings in death.
Sizzle!
Yet, the superhumans remained unscathed, protected by Piote's divine light.
The light burned away the encroaching poison.
Except for Ghislain.
He had told them not to cast purification on him.
Instead, he inhaled deeply, absorbing the poison.
"Hrrrrgh!"
The five cores inside Ghislain spun wildly, converting the deadly toxin into mana.
His decayed flesh regenerated, and his purple-tinged skin returned to normal.
"This is intense."
The poison was so potent that even he felt dizzy and sensed danger.
But the risk brought immense rewards. Ghislain's mana surged explosively, as if he had consumed a dragon's heart.
"Grrr… Ugh!"
Reaching his limit, he vomited black blood, unable to absorb more.
Sizzle!
The spilled blood hissed and evaporated, releasing toxic fumes.
"Well, guess I'll just have to absorb more as we fight."
Wiping his mouth, Ghislain's sharp gaze locked onto Morbus.
From the moment he saw the records, he had anticipated this fight. The stronger the poison, the stronger he would become.
Rumble!
With his five cores fully activated, Ghislain shot toward Morbus. His aura blade had grown even larger than before.
Kwaaaaang!
A flash of light erupted as one of Morbus's massive arms was severed.
This was the signal—Ghislain had absorbed enough poison.
At that moment, the others unleashed their full strength without holding back.
Grrrrraaaaah!
Before Morbus's scream had even ended, Yulian's sword gleamed. His will flowed through the blade, radiating brilliant light.
Slash!
Yulian's sword carved through another of Morbus's arms. Black smoke poured out of the severed stump like a waterfall.
Parniel didn't miss the opening. Channeling holy power, she struck the wound with her mace.
Kwaaaang!
Sssssssssss!
The rotting flesh sizzled as it burned and hardened. No more dark fluid seeped from the stump.
Suddenly, Belinda emerged from the shadows behind Morbus and shouted,
"Piote! On my weapons!"
Flash!
Holy power enveloped the dozens of daggers Belinda had prepared.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The daggers rained down like a meteor shower, piercing Morbus's back. The holy power embedded within them surged into its flesh.
Graaaargh!
Morbus roared. Though it could not feel pain, the holy power binding its body and attacking its soul was unbearable.
As Morbus writhed in agony, Gillian relentlessly hacked at its ankles.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Like a lumberjack cutting down a massive tree, Gillian focused solely on one of its ankles.
Kwaaaaang!
Finally, one of Morbus's ankles was severed, causing it to stagger and lose balance.
Grrrrraaaaah!
Morbus raised its remaining arms, trying to crush Gillian beneath them.
Creak!
But this time, its movements were noticeably slower. Jerome had cast a gravity spell, binding Morbus's arms with immense force.
Graaaargh!
Though the spell was powerful enough to flatten ordinary monsters, Morbus resisted and continued to move.
"Fall back!"
Jerome shouted, and the others immediately retreated from Morbus's range.
In the sky above, Vanessa hovered with her arms raised.
She extended her hand, and a massive spear of flame shot toward Morbus.
Kwaaaaang!
The first spear pierced Morbus's abdomen, followed by a thunderous explosion that shook the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky turned crimson as multiple flaming spears rained down in rapid succession, piercing Morbus's body repeatedly.
Dark fluid and spores erupted into the flames, igniting like fireworks. The surrounding swamp and trees were soon engulfed in fire.
Sssssss!
Flames consumed Morbus's body, but the foul black fluid kept extinguishing the magical fire.
Smoke, heavy with the stench of burning flesh, filled the air as the flames flared and died repeatedly.
Even through the flames and explosions, Morbus survived. Torn apart, pierced, and burned, it refused to fall.
Boom! Boom! Kwaaaaang!
Led by Ghislain, the superhumans launched another wave of attacks. Their strikes rained down like lightning, cutting into Morbus's flesh.
Graaaargh!
Morbus roared in rage. Once the supreme predator of this forest, it now faced an existential threat from these intruders.
The monster's attacks corroded armor and flesh with even the slightest touch, but Parniel and Piote's holy power swiftly healed the injuries.
With those two present, Morbus struggled to unleash its full strength.
Furthermore, these superhumans had slain dragon before. No matter how strong Morbus was, it could not withstand their coordinated attack.
Kwaaaaang!
Grrraaaaah!
Ghislain's blade struck deep into Morbus once again. Morbus no longer controlled the battlefield—the balance had shifted.
Continuously absorbing poison and growing stronger, Ghislain resembled Morbus's natural predator.
Boom! Boom! Kwaaaang!
Unlike before, where Parniel had led the charge, Ghislain now spearheaded the attack against Morbus.
As his ferocious attacks drew Morbus's attention, the others exploited every opening, striking without pause.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Morbus's flesh was carved apart like meat in a slaughterhouse.