Consuming the Void! An Unusual Mutation

"Hee hee hee—hahaha—"

From within, a series of eerie childish giggles echoed, sending chills down the spine of the Blood Clad Evil Spirit. Her pupils trembled. For that laughter mirrored the very same deranged chuckles she herself emitted when she transitioned into her combat form.

For a fleeting moment, a horrifying suspicion took root in her mind. Inside the beast, some unimaginable catastrophe was unfolding, and among it, remnants of the curses and shards of her body that had previously been consumed.

"What... what is this...?"

Suddenly, she witnessed the arms that sprouted from the monster retract as if they were being pulled directly into its core, collapsing inward. One after the other. In just a blink, all of its arms were yanked forcefully into its body.

"Hee hee hee—hahaha—"

Following closely, the tentacle covered with Lynne faces that had previously erupted from the creature was also abruptly drawn into the monster's form. And after that came the countless, terrifying embryos spilling out.

Crunch—crunch—

The dreadful sound of gnashing emanated continuously from the creature's insides.

[Blood Clad Evil Spirit's Sanity -10]

[Blood Clad Evil Spirit's Sanity -10]

"Warning… Warning… System failure… Damage to body at 88%… Warning… Target begins to consume the core… Target commences consumption… Sss… Warn…"

The Blood Clad Evil Spirit shuddered violently. The abruptly interrupted voice filled the Blood Clad Evil Spirit with an overwhelming surge of unease. Then she saw the monster's pupils quickly fade, its massive body, as if drained of all strength, collapsed to one side. It was as though something had completely hollowed it out from the inside just moments before!

Crack—

A gash appeared on one side of the body. A blood-soaked hand dangled out from the gash, twitching slightly before falling still.

Blood Clad Evil Spirit stood there, stunned. For a moment, her mind was utterly blank, lost in bewilderment. It wasn't until she snapped back to reality that her breathing became labored.

"The flesh puppet... is dead?"

...

Meanwhile, in the Dark World, within a tower that stood inverted on the ground.

Boom—

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from some facility at the base of the tower. The violent energy fluctuations instantly wiped out all life within that area.

"Warning… Warning… [Blood-Flesh Puppet Type 3] connection lost… Target search initiated… Damage at 98%... Complete linkage failure…"

Inside the Hanged Tower, piercing warning alarms continued to sound. Fierce flames spread from the control facilities, and countless personnel, their faces pale, fled from the corridors in panic.

"What's happening?!"

From the deepest part of the Hanged Tower, a somber and raspy voice emanated from a large bubbling container.

"Master! The Type 3 flesh puppet we dispatched to hunt down Bloodsaw and his allies has lost connection! The backlash wave burned the Type 3 puppet's control base!"

A figure cloaked in black robes hurriedly entered the chamber through the main doors. Around that immense container, at the many massive tables, dozens of demonic beings all changed color in shock.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" A towering demonfolk, several meters tall, stood up, his face twisted in rage. "The Type 3 Flesh Puppet is the pinnacle hunter of our Demonfolk Association, unmatched except by Origin-level beings and those of the King class! Who in this Dark World could possibly oppose it?!"

The surrounding demonfolk all wore grave expressions. For in recent times, the destructive power and hunting prowess of the Type 3 Blood-Flesh had been evident to all.

Within the last three days, all the rebels of the Demonfolk Association who refused to return had been almost entirely wiped out by the relentless pursuit of the Type 3 Puppet. And just five days prior, one of their Puppets had even engaged with a mighty being of the King class. Though it was defeated, the opponent also struggled against their puppet.

"Bloodsaw?" From the immense container at the center of the hall, a raspy voice emerged. "I am familiar with him. The original puppet was led by him and four others in a five-member council. However, the current generation of flesh puppets has far surpassed that era. He doesn't have the capability to destroy my masterpiece."

The crowd exchanged glances, all with furrowed brows.

"Order," The raspy voice sounded again. "Pinpoint the location where the connection to the Type 3 Puppet was lost. Immediately dispatch the Predator Squad and send the Type 3 Puppet Unit 4 to the target site for urgent reconnaissance. We must obtain the most accurate information!"

"Yes!"

The crowd bowed in acknowledgment.

...

Wandering Soul Lane.

A street enveloped in a rising dark mist.

The Blood Clad Evil Spirit rushed swiftly to the fallen creature, forcefully tearing open the gash on its body. But when she saw the interior, even she couldn't help but gasp, her complexion turning ashen.

For the inside of the beast seemed to be entirely hollowed out, leaving just a thin outer shell. The inner walls were littered with countless gnawing marks.

Clearly, not long ago, an indescribable and terrifying mutation occurred within this monster. Now, all the mutated flesh tissues were gone, which led one to speculate whether they had been entirely consumed by something.

"Lynne, are you alright?"

She gritted her teeth, swiftly shaking her head to cast all the fear behind her. With swift motions, she broke through the monster's empty husk, grabbing the hand and forcefully dragging it out from the shell.

Splash—

A torrent of putrid blood gushed forth. Lynne's body resembled a freshly born infant. His clothes had long since been lost, but what was eerie was that his body remained undamaged, not missing any parts.

It was as if all the horrifying events that had just transpired had nothing to do with him. And the more normal he appeared, the more she felt an indescribable sense of strangeness and horror.

"No time to think! Let's get out of here!"

The Blood Clad Evil Spirit swiftly hoisted him onto her back. Lynne leaned against her shoulder, eyes shut, his left hand hanging limply, swinging with inertia. But what went unnoticed was a long tongue that suddenly extended from the palm, licking the bloodstain on the back of his hand, before quickly retracting.

...