Chapter 981 - Corpse Fiend Hennibal
The cult leader held nothing back, unleashing his full power and hurling a barrage of fireballs at Han Wu.
Han Wu absorbed every fireball with glee. Using Energy Conservation, he converted all that Fire Energy into Bone Energy, producing vast quantities of bone sand. Under Han Wu’s manipulations, this bone sand formed a single massive Jackal Deathsworn.
Its base attributes reached ordinary Ninth Form levels. It hefted a giant axe and swung at the cult leader. The cult leader tried to shift into his Seventh Form, a pure fire elemental body, to dodge the blow, but hadn’t expected the Jackal Deathsworn’s attack to carry a darkness attribute.
The axe bit into him, blood seeping through his flaming body as he cried out, “Corpse Fiend, this kid is strange. Help me!”
Hennibal had been watching Han Wu’s techniques with keen interest.
“Very well,” he said, stepping forward and producing a handkerchief to dab at the corner of his mouth. “Young man, I hope your flesh is as sweet as the power you’ve shown.”
Han Wu ordered the Jackal Deathsworn to attack. It swung its massive axe at Hennibal. The darkness-infused blow would deal devastating damage on contact.
There was no trace of panic in Hennibal’s elegant smile. A long horn shot out from beneath his foot and impaled the Jackal Deathsworn, lifting it into the air.
“This horn came from a giant unicorn,” Hennibal explained. “I cut off its head and braised it for three months. I can still remember the taste of that rotting, stinking head.”
Han Wu’s expression hardened. He dissolved the Jackal Deathsworn back into bone sand, reformed it, and sent it in again. As long as Han Wu was alive, the Jackal Deathsworn could regenerate from any wound.
Since the Jackal Deathsworn couldn’t get close, Han Wu changed tactics, sending his thirteen Shadow Blades lancing toward Hennibal from every angle.
Hennibal raised both arms. Bulging blue-black muscle tissue erupted across his skin, hardening to the strength of steel. The thirteen Shadow Blades struck but couldn’t pierce through.
Han Wu switched strategies again. The Shadow Blades stopped stabbing and wrapped around Hennibal instead, binding his body and restricting his movement.
Thankfully, this worked. Hennibal couldn’t break free.
Lunging forward with his hooked claws, Han Wu attacked with everything he had.
“Crushing Claws!”
The raw physical power behind the strike, combined with his razor-sharp claws and the devastating skill, was enough to tear gashes in a Microcosm.
At the last second, Hennibal erupted with new power. Red-hot dragon scales sprouted across his body. His limbs transformed into dragon legs and claws. Wings burst from his back, and a thick dragon tail grew behind him.
His strength surged, allowing him to tear the thirteen Shadow Blades apart with ease and meet Han Wu’s claws with dragon claws of his own. Han Wu gouged several dark red wounds across Hennibal’s body. Hennibal, in turn, tore a small chunk of flesh from Han Wu.
Dragon claws were no joke. While Han Wu was processing this, Hennibal lifted the scrap of flesh to inspect, drool already running from the corner of his mouth.
“What exquisite meat! If the situation weren’t so pressing, I’d use the finest spices to marinate it and serve it on the most beautiful plate. Then, with a grateful heart, I’d savor every bite. I’m too hungry to wait, though. I’ll just have a quick taste.”
Flames erupted along his dragon claw, searing Han Wu’s flesh on the spot. The heat resistance of his flesh only excited Hennibal more. He didn’t bother checking whether its doneness before shoving it into his mouth.
The flavor drove him into a frenzy. Drool poured from his mouth, and all traces of elegance vanished.
“Delicious!” he reveled, luxuriating in the taste. “Absolutely exquisite! I’m going to eat you. Skin, sinew, bone, organs, hair, every last bit of you!”
Han Wu looked at the man and saw nothing but a deranged lunatic. Hennibal’s strength was not to be underestimated, though.
The taste of Han Wu’s flesh seemed to have changed something in Hennibal, as his attacks noticeably became more aggressive. The giant unicorn horn jabbed from every direction. Tumor-like muscle masses swelled across his body, with new limbs bursting out from them.
Within three minutes, the once-elegant Hennibal became a hulking monstrosity. His body was a patchwork of limbs harvested from dozens of species. It reminded Han Wu of the Origin of Mutation. The two weren’t just similar; they were practically identical, except that the Origin of Mutation used genetics while Hennibal relied on consuming.
Han Wu quickly found that his Merged Form’s attacks could no longer break through the defenses of Hennibal’s new monstrous form. Fortunately, Han Wu was fast enough that Hennibal couldn’t catch him.
Still, evading alone wouldn’t do. Han Wu’s goal was to kill Hennibal, not spar with him. Coming to a decision, he changed Forms once more.
He activated Demon King Transformation, which pulled in his Third Form, Swordwind, and Sixth Form, Fire Dragon Knight, causing them to manifest simultaneously. As his Great Dragon Ring appeared behind him, his concentrated aura took the shape of an invisible Great Dragon and unleashed a deafening roar.
The roar froze Hennibal in place. He stared at Han Wu’s Demon King Transformation, a body assembled from the parts of different species, with gleaming eyes. At long last, he had found someone who shared his aesthetic!