Our Family Has Fallen

Boudica, who should have been lying down, also struggled to her feet. Large patches of blood were visible on her; the Limping Walker’s backhanded whip strike had nearly torn her to pieces.

Fortunately, Lance had kept Flesh Reconstruction activated and had pieced her together quickly enough to avoid a situation where she was ”short a bit of flesh and blood.”

But that near-death experience took Boudica a good while to recover from.

Neither being corroded by the poison fog nor nearly dying could make her even consider fleeing.

Instead, she fiercely resisted the aftereffects of her grievous injuries, struggling to regain control of her body. She managed to stand, her gaze fixed on the battle ahead.

The Boss needs me, she thought. I can’t just lie here.

As for whether she would die, that wasn’t something she considered.

She should have died back then, anyway.

Leaning on her Axe Spear, she slowly straightened her hunched body, gasping for air, preparing for the next charge...

Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone, the frantic Alhazred was also gradually regaining consciousness.

As a powerful Mystical Scholar, Alhazred’s performance had indeed been somewhat lacking, not even comparing to Boudica’s.

But he had his own unspeakable burdens. It was undeniable that he had obtained power surpassing humans, but only he knew what price he had paid for it.

Even across the barrier of reality, *they* could erode his sanity. Being dragged into this unknown Void, stripped of reality’s Sanctuary, the pressure he had to endure instantly skyrocketed to an unquantifiable degree.

He felt his soul was like a small boat adrift on a vast ocean, the lamp hanging from its prow in the darkness becoming a beacon for certain entities.

They swarmed towards him. Beneath the endless whispering, the veil of the Void grew so fragile it seemed it would tear the next second. Boundless malevolent energies surged from all around, trying to snatch away his sanity.

Thankfully, Lance and the others had repeatedly stepped up, successfully holding off the Limping Walker. Moreover, the Bless Lance had cast before departing helped dispel the alien presence within him.

Even those entities revered the Lord’s formidable power. The whispers pouring into his ears vanished, and the pervasive, prying gazes disappeared, pulling him back from the brink of collapse.

Otherwise, there would be more than just one monster in this Void now.

And now, he had finally quelled the turmoil within him, refocusing his attention on the battle unfolding in this Void.

The battle was far fiercer than he had imagined. The Lord’s valiant struggle against the Limping Walker showed him the true meaning of courage and strength.

”Being so terrified is foolish enough! I absolutely cannot remain like this!”

Alhazred was still human. The fact that he hadn’t been devoured by terrifying entities and transformed into a monster was proof enough that his will was not as fragile as it seemed.

Once he managed to withstand the pressure, he immediately began to chant, holding up the Skull Candleholder.

The world’s Sanctuary was gone, and with it, the world’s restrictions. The dense power permeating the Void was now his to command...

Suddenly, Alhazred raised the Skull Candleholder with one hand, his other forming a mudra. A dense, almost black, blood-red luminescence materialized upon it, wreathed in flowing crimson flames, as if he were wielding a black sun.

Powerful energy suffused the artifact, causing it to levitate. Two beams of light shot from its empty eye sockets into the Void, as the Candle on top violently ignited with blood-red flames.

Abyssal Force!

「 」

After creating some distance, Lance gasped heavily. He felt increasing pressure as time wore on; the Limping Walker’s diminished strength was recovering.

If this dragged on, the situation would likely become even more troublesome...

However, just as Lance paused, the Limping Walker seized the opportunity. Its tentacles retracted, revealing hidden pustules that looked ready to spew poisonous fog.

But the Void quaked, and from it, countless shadowy tentacles extended to ensnare the creature.

Since Alhazred had intervened before, Lance instantly recognized who had cast this.

However, the major difference this time was that the tentacles were thicker, more numerous, and covered a far larger area, actually managing to temporarily restrain the Limping Walker.

Seizing opportunities is crucial in battle. The moment the Demon’s Hand bound the Limping Walker, Lance moved.

The distance was almost negligible given his explosive speed, and Wolf Fang descended, poised to kiss the Limping Walker’s forehead.

However, trying to bind a Void Demon with a power of the same origin proved somewhat difficult, even with Alhazred’s power fully unleashed.

Just as Lance swung his blade, the Limping Walker still managed to break free from the shadow’s control, two tentacles rising to block the strike.

This time, there was no clash of hooked barbs against blade, nor obstruction from other tentacles. Wolf Fang, at full power, sliced clean through the tentacles barring its path as if they were the Limping Walker’s own arms.

The severed tentacles, along with ichor-like blood, scattered into the Void.

Unfortunately, that slight delay was enough for the Limping Walker to break free from the shadow’s restraint. Perhaps it was the pain from the severed limbs, or perhaps Lance had instilled in it a profound sense of crisis; as it broke free, all its remaining tentacles thrashed wildly.

At this point, even Lance could only evade temporarily, creating distance and awaiting the next opportunity to strike.

But then, another bizarre situation unfolded.

The tentacles Lance had just severed were still thrashing wildly where they landed, but they soon began to change. The cut ends started to swell continuously, sprouting numerous bubble-like, bulbous protrusions. Purple blood vessels extended from these, anchoring into the Void and allowing the entire segments to stand upright.

From the other end, new, pale tentacles sprouted. Simultaneously, along the edge of the split opening, a ring of pinkish-purple eyeballs continuously emerged. The sucker-like mouths originally on the tentacles also stretched and expanded, revealing horrifyingly sharp teeth from within.

And this was not an isolated incident; both tentacles Lance had severed underwent this transformation.

These offshoots derived from the Limping Walker’s severed limbs quickly metamorphosed, resembling sea anemones rooted in the starry expanse, swaying under the illumination of Starlight.

But anyone who underestimated these things would surely pay a price. As Lance merely approached, he triggered it. All the oral cavities and white tentacles on it displayed unprecedented aggression.

Hooked tendril thrust!

The anemone-like form swaying in the Void suddenly elongated, lunging towards Lance like a stretched Fijian Cup.

Lance swung his blade. The sharpness of Wolf Fang was undeniable; the blade sliced through, revealing that this Limping Walker offshoot was far less resilient than the main body.

Not daring to risk the severed piece continuing to grow, Lance immediately used Sacrifice on it.

In this space, it still could not resist his power and was instantly consumed, its Spiritual Essence flowing into Lance.

Lance, who had been somewhat frustrated, suddenly had a change in expression, his movements even slowing.

This… This Spiritual Essence is so much, isn’t it?

The Spiritual Essence from half a Limping Walker offshoot was actually comparable to that of a Pigman Mob, perhaps even more!

In Lance’s eyes, the Limping Walker’s grotesque body was no longer hideous but a treasure trove.

Isn’t this way faster than reaping easy profits or running some kind of scam?

But just as Lance was momentarily stunned, the severed section of the offshoot had already regrown. Meanwhile, the other one was absorbing the boundless power of the Void, rapidly growing at an unimaginable speed.

From landing to full formation took only a few breaths. If this continued, there would soon be a second and third Limping Walker, perhaps even stronger ones!

The unexpected incident with the Saintess of the evil cult had already taught Lance a lesson; he didn’t want to invite more trouble just for Spiritual Essence.

Sometimes, greed is the starting point of sin, but I can control it well.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lance drew his blade and slashed at the Limping Walker offshoot, cleaving it in two from the top, then used Sacrifice on the entire thing.

Immediately after, he charged towards the other one. However, the recovered Limping Walker, burning with fury, bore down on him. Even Lance, despite his formidable presence, was forced to a halt.

He could only watch as the remaining Limping Walker offshoot continued to absorb the power of the Void and grow...