“You’re saying… it’s difficult?”
Man En looked at Laila beside him, his brow furrowing.
“Yes… because Campbell’s consciousness is fused with the Blood Demon’s, all the exits we could use to escape… are under his control.”
“So… if he doesn’t want us to leave, we can’t?”
Laila simply nodded gently at this.
“Then… we’re stuck here!”
“What happens in the end? And what’s the Blood Demon’s current state?”
“…Because its consciousness has separated from mine, the Blood Demon will only grow closer to its initial form.”
“So wouldn’t it be enough if we just waited?”
“No… it’s not that simple.”
As Laila spoke, she shook her head helplessly.
“It will drain you before it returns to its original state…”
“Dodge!”
Before Laila could finish, a giant hammer formed from gathered blood and flesh came crashing down at them.
Man En barely managed to pull Laila out of the way, but his body had nearly reached its limit.
“Huff… huff… Wasn’t that thing trapped? What’s going on?”
“Even as a foreign object, having fused with its consciousness grants it some authority. It just can’t control the Blood Demon’s main body.”
“Big Sister, is there anything else you haven’t told me? Just say it all at once, okay…”
“Stop complaining! And besides, I’m younger than you, so don’t call me Big Sister!”
Looking at Laila, who was inexplicably angry beside him, Man En nearly laughed from frustration.
So your focus was on being called Big Sister?
Well, sorry about that!
But he couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. All his complaints eventually turned into a long sigh.
“Ah… forget it.”
“By the way, can you sense the intersection point between me and the Blood Demon’s consciousness?”
“You mean you want to try opening a gap there?”
“It’s possible, but I won’t be able to move during that time. And your condition…”
Man En understood her implication, but the current crisis left no room to consider such things.
He looked seriously at Laila, then proposed an incredibly reckless plan.
“What if we connect my magic channel with the Blood Demon’s? You can do that, right?”
…
After he spoke, the two were silent for a long time.
“You… are you serious?”
Laila’s lips trembled as she stared at Man En in shock.
“Do you know what the consequences will be? You’ll be eroded faster. How is that any different from suicide?”
“What other choice is there? Should we go back and beg that beast to let us out? Besides, staying like this is just waiting to die!”
“Don’t worry. Just find that intersection point before I’m completely eroded.”
Hearing this, she averted her gaze and muttered the words she hadn’t wanted to ask.
“Do you… still trust me?”
The giant hammer made of flesh and blood came crashing down at them again.
But Man En didn’t answer the question. He simply looked seriously at Laila.
“Let’s begin.”
Immediately after, a sensation like boiling water flowing through his entire body flooded Man En’s mind.
The rate at which his body was being eroded increased several times over. His torso began visibly turning transparent.
However, precisely because he had successfully connected his magic to the Blood Demon’s, his body felt filled with power.
Just as the giant hammer was about to strike them, a calm voice echoed out before it landed.
“Retrospection.”
The next instant, the two returned to a relatively safe spot.
Because she had been entirely focused on finding the intersection point, Laila had completely fallen unconscious.
Man En picked her up and strapped her securely to his back.
Before him, more and more bizarre forms made of flesh and blood were appearing.
“Hah, looks like that bastard Campbell is really pissed.”
He looked down at these grotesque shapes.
“Alright then, I’ll set the target as far away as possible.”
After all, expanding the search range would definitely help.
“Jump!”
With a shift in his thoughts, Man En’s figure abruptly appeared at a location far from the flesh weapons.
After steadying himself, he looked at his side. It had become completely transparent.
“Using the Blood Demon’s magic also accelerates erosion… Is this how it collects interest? I’d better not use it unless absolutely necessary.”
“Though that’s what I’m thinking…”
He looked around. Countless flesh weapons had surrounded him completely.
“Since I can’t avoid it, let’s fight!”
Man En’s expression hardened. Holding two Holy Light Daggers, he charged at the flesh weapons ahead at full speed.
…
She couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t perceive anything.
Laila wandered aimlessly through a chaotic void.
“I need to find a way to speed things up. Brother Man En might not last much longer…”
But no matter how anxious she was, the situation wouldn’t change.
“His aura is completely mixed with the Blood Demon’s. How am I supposed to… Wait…”
In a flash, Laila suddenly sensed an extremely terrifying fluctuation.
Although it had grown incredibly faint by the time it reached her, it still sent chills down her spine.
“This is… coming from Brother Man En, without a doubt. But…”
Why did he have such a fluctuation? Even the Blood Demon’s fluctuation seemed as fragile as a newborn baby’s in comparison.
But there was no time to dwell on this now. She had to confirm the location of this fluctuation.
Immediately, Laila followed the direction of the fluctuation.
But the closer she got, the more bone-chilling cold she felt. An inexplicable pressure nearly suffocated her.
“Hang in there… just a little more…”
Soon, Laila arrived at the spot where the fluctuation was strongest.
Everything around her was deathly silent. Yet for some reason, she felt countless gazes fixed on her.
A low, rumbling sound buzzed in her ears from time to time.
Was she standing still? Or was she sinking endlessly into an abyss?
Even she couldn’t confirm it.
A strange, ancient language whispered faintly in Laila’s ears. The next moment, her consciousness returned. Her eyes flew open, and she gasped heavily.
“Hey, did you find it?”
Man En’s weak voice reached her ears. Feeling his broad back, her emotions settled somewhat.
“I found it. But… something’s not right.”
“Lead the way!”
Man En didn’t say another word. He immediately sprinted in the direction Laila indicated.
At this point, getting out was the top priority. Everything else could wait until they were outside.
Along the way, Man En cut down countless flesh weapons with his Holy Light Daggers.
“Has Campbell completely lost his mind? Why is he summoning so many weapons at once? Can he even control them all?”
“Are you asking why he’s summoning so many weapons?”
“What about it?”
This question struck a chord with Man En.
“Maybe he’s not trying to control these things at all. He just wants to block the path.”
“How much further?”
Laila didn’t speak. She simply pointed at the flesh weapon farthest away.
Man En looked at his own body. It was so riddled with damage it couldn’t even be described as anything less than ruined.
If he used Time Jump one more time, no one knew what would happen to this body.
But he was only one step away. How could he back down now?
“Then let’s go all in!”
Man En stared into the distance and activated his ability once more.