Even as his flesh fell apart, Morbus did not lose his fighting spirit. A monster that knew only destruction had no concept of retreat.
Boom!
With a sound that seemed to rip through the air, Morbus's massive fist slammed down toward Ghislain.
Ghislain's body plummeted to the ground like a lightning bolt.
"Ugh!"
His skin and muscles instantly began to rot, exposing the bones beneath. The poison surrounding him seeped even into his bones.
Yet, a smile spread across Ghislain's lips.
Sssssss…
As if time were reversing, his decayed and crumbling body rapidly returned to its original state.
With the combination of his ability to absorb poison and his immense regenerative power, Ghislain remained completely unaffected within the poisonous mist. At this point, it was hard to tell who the real monster was.
"Hmph!"
With every breath Ghislain took, the poisonous mist around him was drawn into his nose and mouth.
The deadly poisonous mist that filled the surroundings visibly thinned. Those watching widened their eyes.
"Wow, this is a real treat."
The smile on Ghislain's lips deepened. His voice was filled with delight, like a gourmet who had just discovered a new delicacy.
Once again, a gust of wind erupted from his feet. Ghislain charged at Morbus with lightning speed.
Boom!
With the continuous attacks from the superhumans, Morbus's body began to crumble bit by bit.
The decayed flesh and organs of the creature that had ruled this forest with terror burst apart, leaving behind nothing but pale bones.
Grrrrraaaarrrgh!
Morbus let out a horrifying scream. It was a blood-curdling sound, like the gates of hell had opened.
Even reduced to bones, Morbus moved freely, wielding the power of decay. This fact alone proved just how revolting a being it truly was.
However, even the power of decay had weakened significantly due to the holy power continuously emitted by Parniel and Piote.
From the start, the superhumans' attacks were merely meant to incapacitate Morbus's physical form. The real goal was to eliminate the power of decay with holy power.
"Let's end this."
Boom!
Ghislain's sword flashed like lightning, shattering Morbus's cracked skull.
At the same time, Yulian and Gillian's swords broke Morbus's ribs from both sides, collapsing its upper body.
Boom! Boom!
Belinda's daggers danced through the air, slicing through bones with each strike.
Parniel's mace struck Morbus's lower body, and the bones crumbled like a sandcastle.
Jerome and Vanessa used gravity magic to crush the remaining bones.
Crunch! Crackle! Crunch!
The shattered bones writhed desperately, trying to reform.
The pieces squirmed like living organisms, showcasing an astonishing resilience.
"Phew, let's start the purification."
Parniel traced the sign of the cross and poured holy power onto the pile of bones. Piote also unleashed all his remaining holy power onto Morbus's remains.
The two streams of holy power intertwined, radiating a brilliant light.
Only after the two had poured out their energy for a long time did the trembling bones finally stop moving.
"It's over now. That wasn't too bad, right?"
Ghislain collapsed onto the ground, and the others shrugged.
Morbus had been a formidable monster. Aside from the dragon, it was likely the most powerful creature they had ever faced.
But those gathered here were strong, and they had experienced even more dangerous battles before.
If this group couldn't win, no one could.
Still, it had been a grueling fight. Everyone had exerted considerable effort and remained seated on the ground to recover.
Belinda shot Ghislain a disapproving look.
"I tried so hard not to feed you weird things when you were a kid. Now you're practically drooling over poison. You're like some kind of poison monster…"
"Ordinary poisons don't even faze me anymore."
In truth, most poisons no longer had any effect on Ghislain. Practicing mana refinement was more beneficial now.
However, Morbus's poison had been powerful enough to affect even superhumans. For Ghislain, it was like a precious elixir.
Jerome looked incredulous.
"Seriously? Getting stronger by consuming poison? How is that even possible?"
"My mana refinement technique works surprisingly well with poison. It's like I absorb only the essence of the poison's energy."
"How does that even make sense?"
"I don't know. I discovered it by accident. Maybe you could learn to do it too."
"How?"
"You know that magic tome I told you about? If you can find it, you might figure it out."
"Hmm?"
Jerome frowned and tilted his head in confusion, while Ghislain simply laughed.
The tome focused on how to manipulate energy.
Ghislain had studied it and adapted his mana refinement technique to amplify his energy. Unexpectedly, it also allowed him to absorb the energy of foreign substances.
Aside from a dragon's heart, poison contained some of the most potent energy.
Shaking her head in resignation, Belinda glanced around.
"This area won't be easy to reclaim anytime soon."
"Yeah, it'll take a while to purify everything."
Although Morbus was gone, the area was still deeply corrupted. Poison seeped from every corner.
Purifying such a vast, decayed region would take a long time.
Ghislain suddenly spoke up, as if struck by an idea.
"Absorbing that thing's poison increased my mana faster than training. What if I come here regularly and absorb all the remaining poison? It could speed up the purification process."
Even now, Ghislain was steadily converting the poison he had absorbed into mana.
The others gave him slightly disgusted looks. It was the first time any of them had seen someone treat poison like a gourmet dish.
Amused by their reactions, Ghislain continued.
"We can deal with this area later. The land we've secured so far is already enormous."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The territory claimed from Morbus was vast, but it was only a fraction of the entire Forest of Demonic Beasts.
They had advanced almost in a straight line toward the center, gaining massive territory and resources.
Now, all that remained was to explore the central region. Everything else could be developed at a slower pace afterward.
Once it was all done, the Kingdom of Lutania would enter a golden age.
Jerome asked curiously,
"So, no more strong monsters, right? They've all been disgusting so far."
"Probably not. This one was guarding the center."
The logbook had said as much. Written by Duke Delphine, who had nearly conquered the Forest of Demonic Beasts, the information was likely accurate.
No more major obstacles lay ahead. They just had to keep moving forward.
Ghislain's heart raced slightly.
'We've finally made it this far.'
He had always vowed to conquer the Forest of Demonic Beasts. In many ways, this forest had been the starting point of everything.
The fall of Perdium, Ghislain's rapid growth after his regression—it all stemmed from this forest.
'At first, even entering was a struggle.'
He had risked his life countless times, knowing a single mistake could mean death.
But now, he had reached this point more easily than he'd ever expected—all thanks to the people who had believed in and followed him.
'I'll finally get closer to the truth.'
Ever since obtaining the holy relic and having that dream, Ghislain had been curious about the war a thousand years ago.
Hearing parts of the story from Erenes had only deepened his curiosity.
There had been more pressing matters to handle, so he had put it aside until now.
But something in the forest's center would surely offer answers.
What had Duke Delphine discovered there?
What had they been trying to do?
Ghislain couldn't wait to find out.
"Let's rest for a bit before moving on."
No reinforcements could reach this place. Only those currently present, capable of enduring the poisonous energy, would advance to the center.
Lingering here for too long wouldn't be wise. While poison acted as an elixir for Ghislain, the others had to continuously suppress it with mana.
If Parniel and Piote hadn't occasionally purified the surroundings, they would have had to leave long ago.
Ghislain tilted his head slightly toward Yulian.
"What do you think? Isn't this fun? Isn't this exactly what I meant when I said we'd be taking it easy?"
"....."
The others sighed and squinted at him. They still couldn't understand what Ghislain's standards for 'taking it easy' were.
Yulian, however, was different. A flicker of contemplation passed through his cold eyes.
He was genuinely reflecting on what aspects of this situation were fun and leisurely.
Noticing Yulian's hesitation, Ghislain's eyes sparkled mischievously, like a playful child.
"Doesn't it feel like we're on a trip? Camping together, seeing strange monsters, getting some exercise with a few fights. And most importantly…"
Ghislain's voice brimmed with excitement.
"We'll finally get to see the center of the Demon Realm that Erenes talked about. Weren't you all curious about it?"
At those words, everyone nodded. They were now one step closer to uncovering secrets from a thousand years ago.
Of course, unlike Ghislain, the others were more grounded in reality. They didn't expect to find any grand relics or shocking revelations here.
If something that extraordinary had existed, Erenes would have led the expedition herself.
Yet, Erenes had neither participated in nor opposed this mission. She simply remained silent, staying in her quarters.
Because of that, the group only anticipated seeing traces of ancient myths or remnants of the old war—like tourists visiting ancient ruins.
Only Ghislain, guided by his visions of the saintess's dreams, believed something special awaited them.
"Hm."
Yulian found Ghislain's words reasonable.
He had lived in isolation for a long time, shunning the world. Though he was stronger than most, he was, in some ways, as inexperienced as a child.
But now things are different. Meeting Ghislain and the others had changed his life.
'We've been through so much.'
They had led armies to victory and saved the continent.
They had trusted one another completely, even in battles against formidable foes like Hellnik and Artherion.
In this forest, they had encountered countless strange monsters. Fighting them hadn't even been particularly difficult.
They had explored ancient ruins and had meaningful—albeit sometimes unusual—conversations.
For Yulian, all of these were new experiences.
Emotions he had never once felt while isolated in his tower had begun to accumulate within him.
And after arriving in Fenris territory, those emotions had finally taken shape.
If he had to give a name to this unfamiliar feeling...
'I see.'
Yulian let out a faint smile. He could no longer deny it.
The feeling he had right now was 'joy.'
"Wait, wait! Did you see that? He smiled! I was right, wasn't I?"
Ghislain spun around and pointed at Yulian. The others widened their eyes, staring at him in disbelief.
The smile on Yulian's face, so rare and warm, was like sunlight breaking through on a spring day.
As everyone's gaze fixated on him, Yulian let out a small, amused chuckle and said,
"Yeah, I guess it is fun."
That single sentence made everyone freeze. For the first time, Yulian's voice—usually cold as frost—carried a hint of warmth.
It was as if solid ice had begun to melt, revealing glimpses of the person hidden beneath.
They looked at him as if they had discovered a rare animal.
Feeling their eyes on him, Yulian's expression quickly returned to its usual blankness.
But now, they all knew.
They had seen the real Yulian, the one slowly thawing as he spent time with them.
Squish, squish, squish…
After resting, the group resumed their march toward the center.
There were no more monsters, as nothing could survive in this place.
Even so, the rotting stench and the sticky, oppressive atmosphere were hard to endure.
"Ugh, it's so sticky. Are we sure this place isn't still alive?"
Jerome grimaced as he stepped into a puddle of black sludge.
This place was disgustingly filthy.
He had considered flying alone, but guilt made him stick with the group—and now he regretted it.
Fortunately for Jerome, the scenery soon changed.
Before long, an overwhelming sight unfolded before them.
"Whoa…"
Jerome, who was usually the most expressive, let out an awestruck exclamation.
They stood at the edge of a vast clearing.
The blackened ground looked like a scorched wound, torn open with deep, jagged cracks.
Thick, dark steam writhed upward from the fissures, and faint moans echoed from deep underground, as though something was trapped beneath.
The corrupted sludge and poisonous energy that had tormented them so far seemed to be held back by an invisible barrier, unable to cross into this place.
And above that desolate, deathly plain…
A colossal black curtain loomed, so massive and incomprehensible that no human words could describe it.