A Crisis Arises! Synchronized Evolution

The sound of gunfire echoed—bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

[Ding! You've killed an eyeball entity x1, your firearms mastery +1]

[Ding! You've killed an eyeball entity x1, your firearms mastery +1]

[Ding! You've killed an eyeball entity x1, your firearms mastery +1]

Swiftly, Lynne closed his revolver. Clutching the giggling child, he quickly retreated. He could only fire six consecutive shots. To shoot again, he would need a few precious seconds for ammunition recovery. These moments were perilous.

"I need more limbs!"

With haste, Lynne reached into his pocket and gulped down a vial of Flesh Regeneration Potion. He had already mutated, so there was no need to fret about any further bizarre growths on his body.

In an instant, the blood absorbed by the faceless heart rejuvenated swiftly due to the potion's effects. Simultaneously, the four tentacles he had lost earlier started to regrow, nourished by the potion.

The system's notifications rang beside Lynne's ear.

[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 1 mutation!]

[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 1 mutation!]

[Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 2 mutation!]

Whoosh—

Tentacles sprouted wildly from Lynne once more. But compared to the Blood Clad Evil Spirit's monstrous appendages, his were adorably petite.

Lynne spun around and hung the giggling child on one of his tentacles, his expression instantly turning grave. Gun in one hand, blade in the other. Several sharp tentacles aimed at the surging tide of eyeballs.

Lynne's gaze sharpened. With each gunshot, he moved briskly, his knife swiftly cleaving through dozens of the approaching eyeballs. And from behind, his tentacles meticulously punctured each eyeball, bursting them one after the other.

[Ding! Your combat experience +1]

[Ding! Your combat experience +1]

[Ding! Your combat experience +1]

Bang, bang, bang—

Bullets struck their marks, each hitting an eyeball dead center. A cascade of system notifications sounded in Lynne's ears. With the aid of the demon vision, even though his firearm proficiency remained basic, his targeting capability had massively improved.

Furthermore, facing these lesser creatures provided the perfect opportunity to gain experience. With a swift slashing motion, his blade cleaved through another dozen eyeballs.

[Ding! Your combat experience +1]

[Ding! Your combat experience +1]

"Ola Ola!"

The little child, dangling from a tentacle, laughed as it swung around. In its hand, it held an eyeball, taking a bite out of it as if it were an apple.

Swiftly, under Lynne's relentless assault, the oncoming tide of eyeballs diminished, with clusters of them precisely eliminated with each stroke.

"You've become braver, young one!"

The Blood Clad Evil Spirit, who had been coiled around the monster, feverishly devouring and wrestling with it, turned her head. She revealed a half-smile, a face of madness, as she praised him.

With one slash, Lynne severed several eyeballs, giving the spirit a thumbs-up. His smile gleamed brilliantly.

"Minor creatures like these are no match for me!"

The situation was rapidly improving. The low-tier eyeball horde, under Lynne's onslaught, couldn't inflict any significant damage. The primary body of the monster was effectively immobilized by the Blood Clad Evil Spirit. At least, that's how it seemed on the surface.

Time ticked on.

"Lady! How's it going on your end?!"

Having dispatched the last of the eyeballs, Lynne shouted in the direction of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit.

The countless tentacles and faces of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit almost entirely ensnared the creature, wrapping it akin to a dumpling, as blood incessantly trickled from the gaps of the tentacles.

"Heeheehee! I'm burrowing deep into its core," the maniacal laughter of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit echoed from the tentacles. "The most vulnerable part of these flesh marionettes lies there. Once its core is extinguished, this creature will be nothing more than a heap of scrap!"

Inside the fleshy construct, a sharp barb relentlessly pushed forward, inch by inch, making its way toward the monster's very heart.

"I've reached it," the Blood Clad Evil Spirit whispered, her tongue wickedly tracing her lips.

Slowly, the barb that penetrated the creature began to morph, ultimately taking the form of a razor-sharp hand. Bit by bit, she grasped onto the monster's vital core.

With a wet sound, her nails dug deep into its core. However, before she could finish her declaration, a chilling voice once again emanated from within the monster.

"Secondary target analysis complete... Initializing countermeasures... Evil spirit conglomerate counteraction engaged... Evil spirit curse countermeasure activated... Priority target shifted... Target 2... Execute the highest kill command... Hunt... Counter... Decrypt... Execute consumption command synchronously..."

In an instant, the Blood Clad Evil Spirit felt an indescribable sense of impending doom envelop her. At that very moment, Lynne saw the myriad tentacles that enshrouded the monster convulse violently as if something within was frenetically surging.

"Something's amiss!" Lynne exclaimed, his gaze abruptly lifting. And in the blink of an eye, with a series of wet tearing sounds, multiple human hands burst forth, shattering the tentacular embrace.

These hands swiftly seized the outer surface of the ensnaring tendrils. In no time, they formed an encircling web composed solely of hands, ensnaring the Blood Clad Evil Spirit's tentacles in a counter embrace.

Lynne was taken aback. Could it be... Had the creature been targeting him all this while, only to carry out a synchronized analysis and counter against the Blood Clad Evil Spirit? Was it adapting and gathering data?

"Damn it!" Lynne darted forward, breathing heavily as he charged towards the creature. From within the myriad of hands, he could hear chilling sounds of gnashing and tearing, reminiscent of flesh being ground to bits.

Simultaneously, the numerous tentacles that had sprouted from the ground, all belonging to the Blood Clad Evil Spirit, started to convulse and wriggle violently, as if something was tearing and devouring her from within.

"Aaaahhh—"

An ear-piercing scream of anguish echoed. The next moment, a massive tentacle closest to Lynne twisted and writhed, taking on the form of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit. Her body started sprouting countless tiny arm-like protrusions at a visible rate, as though something from within was consuming her.

"I was wrong! Wrong. Heeheehee— It's not afraid of me... It believes... I'm no threat... Heeheehee— While I'm consuming it... it's... analyzing me... Heeheehee... Truly, a formidable foe... Heehee..."

With the maniacal laughter echoing, the tentacle-formed Blood Clad Evil Spirit was swiftly consumed by the myriad of tiny arms from the inside, turning her into masses that resembled maggots.

"Lady!" Lynne rushed forward desperately.

"Hunt... Consume... Generate... Dismantle curse... Absorb... Assimilate..."

In the blink of an eye, as Lynne watched in horror, a massive, blood-soaked tentacle sprouted from the ground in front of him, blocking his path.

With a crisp sound, the tip of the giant tentacle split open to reveal numerous barbs. At the same time, several vertical eyes opened along the tentacle.

[Warning! Crisis level rapidly escalating!]

[Warning! Current crisis level 70%]

[Warning! Current crisis level 87%]

This wasn't the Blood Clad Evil Spirit's tentacle! It was the tissue of... the monster that had been assimilated!