Chapter 207 - 206: Saturation Strike
"BOOM!!!"
A continuous series of explosions rang out.
The already corrupted flesh and tissue were easily blasted apart, splattering everywhere under the impact of the Flame and Arcane Energy!
"Gah!"
Gray leaped to the side uncontrollably, instinctively trying to dodge the fleshy shrapnel.
For some reason, he was reminded of his childhood, of watching other kids throw rocks into a cesspool just to see it splash.
The adults passing by would jump away just like he was doing now.
But it was useless. The blast radius was too large.
Large clumps of scorched, steaming flesh still splattered onto his body.
Soon, the entire herd of parasitic deer was wiped out in the skirmish.
After the battle ended, the already ravaged patch of forest was left in even worse shape.
It wasn’t hard to imagine the severe devastation the Gray Wood Forest would suffer if the Life-Devouring Blood Boils were allowed to spread unchecked.
Zelir walked forward.
He could even see severed limbs on the ground, blown off by the explosions, with fleshy buds still instinctively wriggling, trying to crawl toward nearby remains to fuse and regenerate.
Zelir stomped on one, crushing it to a pulp.
Eliminating these flesh-parasitized creatures had increased his Experience Points by a small amount.
Level 20 (143/575) -> Level 20 (158/575).
"So disgusting." Gray gagged, forcefully wiping the viscous gore from his body.
The bloody fluid had already soaked through the outer layer of his clothes, leaving dark red stains.
Fortunately, they had all worn a special Lining made of waterproof fabric underneath their clothes.
"Don’t worry, it’s all been sterilized by high heat," Zelir said with a smile.
Marcus and Maki didn’t look much better. They had been closer to the fight and were covered in charred, fleshy matter.
It was unavoidable for those who engaged in close-quarters combat.
"Was that the vanguard of the Life-Devouring Blood Boils?" Maki frowned, wiping some bits of flesh off his goggles.
"Perhaps."
Marcus flicked his Battle Saber, using Blood Vibration to shake off the clinging flesh. "Let’s keep moving. The sooner we eliminate the source of all this, the sooner we can go back."
Even he was getting sick of this scene.
As they ventured deeper, the path ahead grew more arduous.
Not only did the layer of fleshy humus thicken, but its color also deepened, shifting from bright red to a dark, gloomy hue.
Moreover, a suffocating stench permeated the air...
"Be careful..."
Valles nocked a Feathered Arrow and drew his bowstring slightly. "I have a feeling it’s close..."
"I think we know that without you telling us."
Gray tightened his grip on his sword hilt and scanned his surroundings. "These things can barely contain themselves."
Behind the tree trunks, dark shadows shifted and stirred, accompanied by an unsettling RUSTLE.
In an instant, it was as if the entire forest had come alive, the dark figures slowly closing in from all directions.
Now, the party members could see them clearly.
It wasn’t just deer; nearly every animal in the vicinity had been parasitized by the flesh.
Rabbits, wild boars, snakes, leopards, and—most familiar to Zelir—wild wolves.
Even in the air, birds flitted past. A closer look revealed that they, too, had been parasitized.
Their once-light feathers had been replaced by a viscous, fleshy membrane, their flight patterns twisted and bizarre.
It wasn’t just the animals; the plants were affected as well.
A massive curtain of Flesh and Blood Vines hung down from the trees, swaying gently as if searching for their next host.
Controlling so many parasitic creatures was definitely beyond the ability of a single Life-Devouring Blood Boil. It seemed the intelligence from the Adventurer’s Association was correct.
Several Life-Devouring Blood Boils were gathered here!
Faced with the shrinking encirclement, the team remained calm and did not panic.
Their formation shifted into a circle.
Marcus, Maki, and Gray were on the outside, with Zelir and Valles in the relatively safer positions toward the center.
"These are all just things infected and parasitized by the Life-Devouring Blood Boils... so where are the main bodies?"
Maki glanced around warily. "What does the bestiary say about their main bodies?"
"They have no fixed form. They’re basically just masses of flesh with a consciousness of their own," Marcus said in a low voice, observing the parasitic creatures slowly closing in.
With a roar, a wild wolf with half its skull rotted away suddenly charged, lunging at Marcus!
Marcus smashed his shield down, directly shattering the creature’s skull. Yellowed brain matter splattered all over the ground.
The other parasitic creatures also began to close in, each letting out a shriek. At a glance, it looked like an army of zombies.
Just as Valles was about to draw his bow for a volley of rapid shots to take out the foremost creatures, Marcus’s shout rang out.
"Zelir, Valles! Don’t waste your energy on these things! Leave them to us."
He roared, raising his shield to draw the attention of the other creatures. "You two find the main bodies of the Life-Devouring Blood Boils!"
"Got it!" Valles responded loudly to Marcus’s command.
The battle on the front line erupted!
Maki and Gray joined the fray.
Gray was more than capable of handling these mindless parasites that only knew how to charge forward.
With a clean thrust and slash of his Longsword, he finished off a parasitic deer before nimbly retreating to dodge.
As for Maki, his fighting style was as brutish as ever. He used Charge while twisting at the waist, swinging his Heavy Sword along with the movement.
Tornado Slash!
He spun like a steel top twice, and the creatures shredded by his blade splattered to form a virtual wall of blood.
’Life-Devouring Blood Boil... Life-Devouring Blood Boil... Where is your main body?’
Valles’s eyes searched anxiously.
However, the form of a Life-Devouring Blood Boil was just like the thick layer of flesh clinging to the tree trunks, making it extremely difficult to distinguish by sight alone.
Moreover, they hadn’t made a move yet, as if they were deliberately lying dormant to avoid being found.
Just as Valles was still trying to discern them, several Fireballs shot out from beside him, blasting toward the surrounding areas where the layers of flesh were thickest.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM...!"
A continuous series of explosions echoed as the Fireballs created dazzling flares on the layers of flesh.
"Zelir..."
Valles turned to look at him, stunned. "Did you find them?"
"Why bother looking?"
Zelir sneered. "A little saturation strike will do the trick."
’If you won’t show yourselves, I’ll force you out.’
Soon, another Fractal Fire was condensed.
This time, Zelir reduced the Magic Energy Storage for each individual Fireball, sacrificing some of their power to create more than a dozen of them!
"Go!"
The Fireballs scattered like a shower of celestial flowers, their bright trajectories dispelling the bloody aura that permeated the forest.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM...!"
Another chain of explosions rang out.
Valles followed Zelir’s lead.
He began infusing his Arrows with a small amount of Thunder Fighting Qi and started bombarding one suspicious area after another!
For a moment, the forest was filled with the intersecting flashes of fire and lightning from the relentless bombardment.