Eros’s abnormal behavior naturally drew the attention of others. Saliba, watching Eros walk alone into the sea of spirits, felt a flash of bewilderment cross his pale face. "What is he doing?" But alas, his lackeys were all dead, so there was no one left to echo his confusion.
Eros kicked away a spirit that tried to lunge at him. He took the alchemical longsword and drew it across his palm. Crimson blood surged from the wound and spread along the blade. This time, he no longer suppressed the aura of life contained within his veins.
A terrifying aura of vitality erupted from the sword, causing the entire battlefield to momentarily freeze. The next second, countless crimson eyes snapped simultaneously toward Eros. The sheer greed for that life essence allowed the low-level spirits to snap the control the Beyonder-level spirit held over them. Driven by primal hunger, they abandoned their current opponents and charged madly toward Eros.
Without hesitation, Eros turned and sprinted into the thick fog, vanishing from sight. The spirits followed him like a dark tide, and in the blink of an eye, the number of enemies on the main battlefield dropped by more than half.
"What... what just happened?" one student muttered, staring blankly at the receding tide. No one answered; everyone was equally dazed.
The remaining spirits, being further away from Eros, hadn't felt the aura strongly enough to break the High-position spirit’s command. Once Eros was distant, they resumed their assault on the students.
In the fog, Eros glanced back at the pursuing horde and smirked. This should take a lot of pressure off that 'stinky younger sister' and the others. It wasn't that he didn't want to lure them all away, but Barbara had warned him that the moment he released his life aura, the Beyonder spirit had accelerated its approach toward him. He had to lead the threat away immediately. If he had stayed longer to attract more small fry, the Beyonder spirit might have revealed itself to the entire group, which would have defeated the purpose.
After several minutes of high-speed flight through the mist, Eros came to a halt. It wasn't because he was tired, but because a colossal, grotesque entity—ten meters tall—had blocked his path.
Eros let out a long breath. With a flick of his wrist, the alchemical sword in his hand ignited with emerald-green flames. Since he’d been caught, it was time to fight.
"What a pleasant surprise... I was already interested in the flesh of the Angel-blood among you, but I didn't expect to find someone even more delicious like you."
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"A truly unexpected joy... Hehehe..."
Countless mouths across the massive mound of flesh spoke simultaneously. Male voices, female voices, and distorted shrieks melded into a single, skin-crawling sentence. Eros wasn't surprised that a Beyonder spirit possessed intelligence; what surprised him was the mention of an "Angel-blood."
He was shocked to learn that there was a descendant of an Angel among the students. He wanted to know who it was, but the meat-mountain before him clearly wasn't going to give him the chance. Yellowish-green bile leaked from the thousands of mouths covering the creature’s body. The singular, giant eye in the center of its belly was filled with unbridled greed.
Without warning, the spirit thrust a massive, rotting palm toward Eros, desperate to consume his flesh. Simultaneously, the low-level spirits that had been trailing Eros finally arrived. Driven by their hunger for his life force, they no longer feared the High-position spirit and swarmed toward him.
The meat-mountain roared in fury as it saw these "insects" trying to touch its food. "GET OUT!"
With a sweep of its tentacles, the leading spirits were instantly pulverized into mists of blood. Yet, the attack failed to instill fear; the low-level spirits continued to surge forward madly.
Eros dodged a massive claw and used the chaos to whisper to Barbara: "Do we have a chance?"
Barbara’s voice was solemn. "My recovered strength is limited. Facing a Beyonder spirit head-on is a stretch. Last time I could devour that 'Gree' (诡物) spirit only because she had faced That Person and her mind was on the verge of collapse. We don't have that luxury now."
"We have to try regardless!" Eros gritted his teeth.
"Fine!" The moment Barbara spoke, Eros’s left eye turned pitch black.
Shadow tentacles erupted from the Beyonder spirit’s own shadow, coiling around its massive frame. The creature paused in surprise, then its thousands of mouths began tearing at the shadow restraints. "Shadow power? Are you a believer of the Night?"
Eros didn't answer. He ducked under a lashing tentacle, and in the split second before the second one could strike, he leaped into the air. He swung his blade at the creature’s main head—the one covered in the most mouths.
Surging power flowed from his left eye through his entire body. It was Barbara’s power, and for a fleeting moment, Eros’s strength touched the Beyonder rank.
Puchi! The blade sank into the meat-mountain’s head, shearing off half of it.
The spirit let out a harrowing shriek of pain and instantly broke free from the shadow bindings. A tentacle on its shoulder lashed out, striking Eros in the midsection while he was mid-air. The blow sent him flying backward, crashing through a dozen low-level spirits.
The nearby spirits tried to swarm him to feast on his flesh, but before they could get close, tentacles rose from their own shadows and dragged them into the darkness.
Eros used his sword to prop himself up, struggling to stand. A moment later, a surge of green light washed over him, healing his injuries and making him "as good as new."
However, the meat-mountain’s severed head fell to the ground and instantly dissolved into thousands of transparent worms, which wriggled back into the creature’s body. In the blink of an eye, the head grew back perfectly.
Clearly, the burst of power from Barbara hadn't dealt substantial damage. This was bad. Barbara’s power was finite, while the meat-mountain was a true Beyonder entity—it could outlast them easily.