The Final Card! Heart of the Faceless

To his astonishment, the creature could target him even while he wore the Blood Phantom's Cloak!

Thud—

Lynne's body tumbled across the street for several meters. Clutching his bleeding left eye, he gritted his teeth, quickly rolled over, and plunged underground. Moving ceaselessly, like a specter, he swiftly retrieved the Flesh Regeneration Potion and poured it determinedly over his wounded cheek.

Swish—

His flesh mended rapidly.

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

In an instant, a tear appeared in his neck, revealing another new specter vertical eye. Dual Vertical Eyes!

Almost simultaneously, the aura of the previously vanished creature reappeared within the sight of the two vertical eyes. The moment he discerned it clearly, Lynne's pupils constricted sharply. He saw the ethereal massive hand that ceaselessly chased him from behind.

The arm of that hand was still connected to the creature, but its wildly growing arm seemed to ignore the barriers of the ground, persistently pursuing him. Moreover, because they were all spirit state, the giant hand could harm him even through his cloak! And one of the creature's eyes was firmly locked onto him, tracing his every move.

"Damn it!"

Lynne couldn't help but curse under his breath. The situation had turned on its head in an instant. What had been an advantage under the cloak now became his vulnerability.

Trapped beneath the cloak, Lynne was powerless to launch any sort of assault, even firing his gun was impossible. But that monstrous hand could, and was relentlessly aiming to attack him!

"I must find a way to shake off that hand!"

Gritting his teeth, Lynne's gaze darted around rapidly. In an instant, his eyes settled on the Bloodsaw Potion Shop. Without a hint of hesitation, aided by the four tentacles, he accelerated to his maximum speed, rushing from beneath the earth into the shop.

Swish—

He hastily tore off the cloak. Moving like a spider, Lynne used the tentacles to swiftly climb the walls, charging straight into the loft where he slept.

"Found it!"

Frantically, Lynne threw open the cabinet door. His eyes fell upon the abundant potions inside. Yet, almost simultaneously, within the sight of his specter eyes, that spectral hand burst through the ground, directly piercing towards the loft.

That moment, Lynne's eyes narrowed sharply. He swiftly raised his boning knife, its gleaming sharp edge shimmered, and with a swish, he shattered the potions in the cabinet. The green potion splattered all over him, tainting the crimson blade in his hand.

"Damn it!"

In that moment, every muscle in his body tensed. Knife gripped firmly in both hands. Using all his might, he stabbed downward at the floor! And almost simultaneously, the screeching spectral hand tore through the floorboards, the blade stained with the potion impaled the center of the monstrous palm.

Hiss—

The sound of dissolving rang out, and the hand let out a scream akin to a scorched infant.

Creak—

Creak—

The potions on the ground acted like sulfuric acid, rapidly stripping the skin off the spectral hand.

[Spirit Materialization Potion]

A concoction his master had developed, capable of allowing physical beings to interact with ghosts and spirits! As an apprentice, he had stored copious amounts of this potion! For on a regular day, facing a variety of customers, one must be adequately prepared! And now, it was clearly the time for this potion to shine!

Squish—

With a fierce expression, Lynne yanked out his boning knife and with one decisive slash, severed the encroaching arm. The contents of an entire cabinet of potions spilled heavily onto the floor, the viscous liquid splashing across the bedroom. The demonic limb slammed against the wall. It contorted violently, emitting smoke as if it had been scorched.

Gasping for breath, Lynne didn't hesitate for even a moment. He quickly reached into the cabinet, snatching up more potions. He knew he couldn't linger here, he had to...

Suddenly, a piercing sound resonated as flesh was penetrated.

Lynne's pupils dilated in shock, the front of his throat bulging out. From behind him, on the floor smeared with green potion, a slender hand manifested, driving directly through the back of his neck, grasping his spine.

Drops of crimson blood dripped down. The vertical eye on the back of Lynne's neck trembled as he recognized the hand that attacked him. He knew that hand all too well. It belonged to the fairy.

Instantly, memories flooded back – the fairy had come to the potion shop, speaking of her encounter with a giant. She'd narrowly avoided being devoured, sacrificing an arm in her escape.

The realization hit him. The giant she'd met was this creature! And it meant that after consuming her arm, the beast had gained a strong resistance to potions. The common potions had no effect on that hand!

Despair. Overwhelming despair washed over him. Yet, just as the hand threatened to snap his spine, Lynne let out a guttural roar, directing all his blood towards the four tentacles.

The sound of piercing was incessant.

Under Lynne's desperate control, the four tentacles rapidly coiled and burrowed into the slender hand that clamped down on his spine. Yet, even then, cracks began to form on his spine. But Lynne's frantic resistance made a difference, causing the hand to falter slightly under the writhing grip of the tentacles.

Seizing this brief respite, Lynne violently broke free from the hand's grasp. With a fierce turn, he swung his boning knife. The hand, along with his tentacles, was cleanly severed in two. It dropped heavily onto the floor, still attempting to crawl, its eerie shrieks echoing.

Gritting his teeth, Lynne mustered his remaining strength to pin the wriggling hand to the floor with one last stab. But then, his strength waned, and he slumped against the cabinet. He didn't even have time to use the Flesh Regeneration Potion, for in his spectral vision, he saw the creature returning to the entrance of the potion shop.

Time was running out.

In this dire moment, Lynne reached into his pocket, his bloodied hand gripping the heart tightly.

[The Heart of the Faceless!]

Images of the beast flashed across his mind, and with his spectral gaze, he fixed his attention on the creature below.

"Let's play," Lynne snarled. His fingers plunged into the heart, and inky blood gushed out, as if countless spirits screamed within.

Almost instantly, downstairs, the immense creature froze. Its enormous eye contracted sharply. It was as if its core had been struck with unimaginable force. One by one, its eyes burst like exploding beads, oozing thick, viscous fluid.

The countless arms sprouting from its body seemed to lose control, writhing and violently tearing at its own flesh. Distorted human faces emerged from its bloated form, screaming, as if something was trying to burst out from within.

"Core heart... struck by unknown effect... Holy resistance malfunctioning... spectral sensing failing... cellular restraint weakening... curse binding diminishing... Initiating emergency repair... countdown... 20...19...18..."