"What can you do in your state?"
There wasn't a minute to spare.
"Mr. Zircon, you've attended the gatherings, so you should know this body is just an empty shell. My spirit is back in my real flesh. But I know the way to the stairs..."
"As long as you don't cause any trouble, we can go together."
The woman said nothing, simply moving to walk close behind Jenkins.
In this state, Jenkins couldn't use his Soul Departure from Dream ability, so they had to rely solely on their hearing to detect danger. Fortunately, Miss Alexandrite's [Dark Vision]—a White Basic ability—was still active. At least it would keep them from blindly walking into a wall.
The gloomy corridor was utterly silent. Jenkins rubbed the gemstone on his ring, following close behind Miss Alexandrite. A trendous rumble echoed from the distance, the vibrations palpable even here, but they didn't break their stride.
The air grew colder, the moisture condensing into a fine mist. They both knew sothing was wrong.
"Wait! Light this place up, now!"
Miss Alexandrite was no longer trying to conceal her voice.
A silver orb of light materialized high above them, finally illuminating the narrow corridor. Even with her [Dark Vision] active, Miss Alexandrite could never have guessed that the ceiling wasn't made of earth or stone, but of a thick, fleshy wall.
"Since when..."
"Forget about that! We need to run!"
Another one who illegally renovated their basent, Jenkins thought. No, wait, perhaps the laws of the Cheslan Kingdom don't forbid this sort of thing.
Guided by Miss Alexandrite, Jenkins chose the correct path at the next three forks. As they rounded the fourth bend, he nearly collided with a dusty suit of decorative armor tucked in a corner. But there it was—the staircase leading upward finally appeared before them.
By the ti they reached it, not only the ceiling but the walls and floor were also covered in sheets of scarlet flesh. It was like a sumr rainforest after a heavy downpour, where a nauseatingly rampant moss—only this was flesh—covered every conceivable surface.
The corridor to the staircase was now sealed by a pink, web-like mbrane of flesh. At its center hung a pulsing clump of tissue, still dripping blood. Amidst a strange gurgling sound, a mangled, bloody face began to push its way out from the middle of the clump.
Half the skin on the face was gone, exposing the muscle fibers beneath. The corners of its mouth were curled upward in a grotesque smile, its eyes were wide and round, and an unnatural flush colored its cheeks.
The ring on Jenkins's hand activated, shielding him from any strange sensations. Miss Alexandrite, however, let out a piercing scream the mont the face appeared. Without a word to Jenkins, she turned and fled desperately back the way they had co.
Everything around him pulsed with a black, spiritual light. The flesh on the floor writhed, straining to get closer, but it was held at bay by the ring designed specifically to counter A-12-02-4219. It could only squirm hesitantly at his feet.
It was difficult to recognize, but the face had to be Mr. Constantine's.
"Hey!"
"Alive..."
"Mr. Constantine?"
"Lifespan... alive... don't want to die..."
"..."
"Eat... hungry..."
The mouth kept uttering disconnected words, yet the face's expression remained frozen. The point of light that signified an Enchanter's power was gone. It was clear that Mr. Constantine had been completely consud by A-12-02-4219.
The Cursed Item A-12-02-4219 originally had no ability to speak; it was just a foul mass of flesh. This new developnt ant that after devouring a level 8 Enchanter, the creature had truly undergone so bizarre transformation.
At the very least, Jenkins had never heard the Keeper of Secrets ntion it could launch a psychic assault on its own.
As Jenkins stood frozen, trapped in a dilemma, a brilliant golden radiance suddenly erupted from his body. A figure erged from his shadow. With a re wave of its hand, all the putrid flesh in the corridor ignited. A sharp, foul stench hit him like a physical blow. Eerie blue flas forced back the writhing at, and the face on the mbrane let out a bloodcurdling scream as it slowly began to lt away.
The figure gave Jenkins a slight bow before sinking back into his shadow. A mont later, the shadow itself vanished.
"So this was the Church's support?"
Jenkins wondered in astonishnt. He didn't have ti to go back for Miss Alexandrite; he bolted for the staircase.
He had to admit, the high-level Enchanters from the Church were truly impressive. The disgusting flesh coated the stairs and the upstairs corridor as well, but the eerie blue flas had already spread there, clearing a path.
Jenkins forged ahead. He encountered no more forks in the path, nor any living thing. He began to suspect the entire castle had been encased by that fleshy mass. It was the only way to explain the complete absence of servants in such a massive estate.
He reached the ground floor shaken but unhard and, without a second thought, crashed through the nearest window to get outside. He rolled to his feet and stood up. Before him was a lush, green forest under a dim sky. A flock of birds flew over the castle, then, for no apparent reason, plumted to the ground.
He raised the tal rod to the sky, steadily pouring his spirit into it. A dazzling golden light flared, but nothing else happened.
But that was enough. The brass-colored rod began to flake as if it were rusting, its surface peeling away. Through his Eye of Reality, Jenkins could see a golden ripple expanding outward. The signal was sent. The mission was a success.
He had no watch, but he estimated he had a few minutes left before his ti was up.
He glanced back instinctively. There, in the shattered window, Mr. Constantine's face appeared at the bottom of the fra, wearing that sa grotesque smile. It was as if he were squatting just inside.
"Hehehe..."
A frantic cackle echoed from the castle's depths, matching the horrifying sight. Jenkins instinctively took a step back and bumped into sothing soft.
He spun around, and his scalp prickled with terror. The forest was gone. In its place stood a towering wall of flesh, covered in pulsing pink buds.
Skinless hands shot out from the wall, grabbing him from all sides. Before he could even think to use an ability, they yanked him into the fleshy mass.
He was surrounded by nauseating, foul flesh. The gemstone ring on his hand held out for less than ten seconds before it shattered.
But it didn't matter. A-12-02-4219 only consud flesh, and Jenkins's current body could hardly be called that. This was one of the main reasons the Church had been confident in sending him.
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