Chapter 423: Unexpected Counterattack

“Raaaargh!!”

“Kyaahahaha!!”

“Screeeeech!!!”

The Corpse Dolls—Duncan, Seamus, Batory, and the female necromancers—all screamed as they dove towards the falling Flesh Cook.

The Flesh Cook, who had been dominating the fight, was stunned by the sudden reversal, but only briefly.

He quickly accepted the situation and launched a counterattack. Compared to the challenges he had faced in his life, this was nothing.

“This is nothing…”

The Flesh Cook unleashed his volatile emotions, sending giant blades in all directions.

The high-density emotional blades, formed from pure hatred and rage, shot towards Oliver under the magician’s will, and Oliver countered.

[Ptah’s Assistant]

Oliver generated a mechanical hand with magic, covered it with the Emotion Robe, creating numerous black hands, and gently caught the incoming blades.

The blades were sharp enough to slice through concrete and earth, and they tried to cut through Oliver’s black hands. But just before being severed, Oliver intervened, barely wresting control over the emotional blades.

“…!!”

The Flesh Cook was shocked by what he saw.

Earlier, he had lost control once, but that was because he was holding back to capture his opponent.

This time, however, he had given it his all, not caring if he lost a limb in the process.

Yet, the enemy still took control.

This was truly startling.

While it was a fundamental rule of dark magic to use others’ emotions, the difficulty skyrocketed depending on the quality and quantity of the emotions, as well as the target’s willpower.

It was like water in some ways.

The water flowing from a tap is safe and convenient, but a tsunami or flood’s water is not.

Because of that, the Flesh Cook had rarely lost control of his own emotions.

His anger was enormous, fueled by being betrayed and abandoned by the world.

The fools who died trying to use his emotions against him were proof of that.

Yet, the enemy had taken it. His true anger.

‘This guy is…!’

As his suspicion grew to certainty, the Flesh Cook brandished the blood-forged French Knife and swung it fiercely.

Planning to split everything in front of him in half.

Whoooosh!!

The unseen strike flew forward, intending to slice through everything.

Just like when his livestock betrayed him in the past.

At that moment, Batory’s apprentice, the female necromancers, sprang forward and activated blood magic to erect a massive blood barrier.

Amazingly, they managed to block the Flesh Cook’s attack.

While the blood barrier and even the necromancers themselves were sliced in half, taking massive damage, the Flesh Cook’s attack lost its power and dissipated.

‘They shouldn’t be this strong.’

The Flesh Cook was surprised by the astounding resilience of the Corpse Dolls. At that moment, through the shattered blood shards and the fallen dolls, something approached.

It was Corpse Doll Duncan.

Bang!!

Corpse Doll Duncan… No, the Force that had taken over Duncan delivered a punch aimed at the Flesh Cook’s face using all his strength, embedding the Black Suit, various disease and enhancement dark magic, and tonfa made from flesh.

A massive crashing sound reverberated as three shockwaves echoed through the air, and the Flesh Cook collided with the ground.

The impact cratered the earth, creating a massive hole, as if a meteor had struck.

Yet despite this, the Flesh Cook was unscathed. He caught Duncan’s arm, but the Force within the Corpse Doll channeled all its remaining energy into the captured arm, thrusting it forward once more.

“Argh!!”

The Force’s desperate struggle cratered the ground once more, causing it to completely collapse.

Though this resulted in the destruction of Duncan’s arm.

“Third.”

As Oliver softly called out, Third moved to take over from Force.

Third had entered Corpse Doll Seamus.

With the strength of a bean stalk, Third pulled Duncan back and pulled out a branch from his chest, infusing it with all his natural powers.

The branch greedily absorbed the natural energy, rapidly growing into a massive pillar rivaling the size of a building.

Corpse Doll Seamus bound the pillar with the bean stalk and slammed it down towards the Flesh Cook.

Boom!!!!

As the colossal pillar hit the basement floor, a massive shockwave and cracks spread, upturning the ground and everything around it.

The weakened basement collapsed completely. The force allowed them to get closer to the lowest level, where great magic flowed.

However, the Flesh Cook wasn’t defeated. He pierced the wooden pillar with his hands and tore it apart.

But it didn’t matter.

Corpse Doll Batory, who contained the First, was preparing large-scale blood magic with the flowing blood in the basement.

First pulled out the well-tamed blood stored in his cotton vest, using it as the central catalyst. Gathering the large amounts of blood pouring into the basement, he crafted a massive stake.

As soon as it was complete, First perched himself atop the head of the stake, drawing in as much magic and emotion as possible before driving it downward.

[Punishment]

With a deep rumble, ripples and magical patterns spread from the impact point, recombining the pooled blood into a massive lump of iron at the molecular level.

Anyone who saw it would surely think everything was over.

Even with the Flesh Cook’s superhuman physique, he was nothing but an insect to be crushed by the massive mass.

All that was left for the Flesh Cook was to be smashed flat by the weight.

That’s what they thought.

“Roooooaaaaar!!”

As the lump of iron began to fall, the Flesh Cook let out an inhuman scream.

His roar was so powerful it visibly tore through the air, and his already immense life force bloomed into a massive size.

More than just a giant.

Proving his vitality, the lump of iron, the size of a building, stopped its descent.

The Flesh Cook had halted it with sheer strength. But that wasn’t the end.

Crack!!

As soon as he stopped the iron mass, the Flesh Cook unleashed a massive blade, exploding with emotion.

This time, instead of scattering it, he focused it forward, slicing the iron mass cleanly in half and aiming to cut even further.

Clang!

However, Oliver intercepted it, cutting it in half with a dagger.

The Flesh Cook, now sporting a pair of horns, scales, dragon wings, and a tail, was doubtful.

How could someone, who had been weakened by disease-relating dark magic, now wield such power?

But that wasn’t the end.

[Black Javelin]

[Targeting]

[Strengthen]

[Heavily]

[Acceleration]

Oliver multi-channeled these spells into the Quarterstaff and threw it.

Enveloped in massive emotions, the Quarterstaff fell like a javelin toward the Flesh Cook.

The Flesh Cook tried to block it by enchanting his scaled arm with dark magic.

If he had managed to block Oliver’s earlier attacks with just his body, he might have blocked this one as well. But fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Thud!

Oliver’s Quarterstaff pierced through not only the Flesh Cook’s arm but also his body.

It was truly fortunate.

With this attack, Oliver had poured every ounce of the Flesh Cook’s energy he had just absorbed, as well as his own emotions, magic, and life force.

The Quarterstaff, brimming with energy, pierced the Flesh Cook and fell downward, breaking through the sewer’s floor, plunging into the lowest level where the massive emotions flowed.

Oliver, now unarmed, followed behind.

‘…So hungry.’

Upon arriving at the lowest level of the sewers, Oliver clutched his rumbling stomach.

It couldn’t be helped. It had been a while since he was this hungry. Not since the orphanage and the mines… No, it might have been even longer.

Now it was growing painful, even more than just hunger. At least in the orphanage and the mines, he hadn’t starved this much.

‘No… Maybe I have.’

In the lowest level of the sewers, where the massive emotions flowed like rivers, Oliver found himself deep in thought.

If it had been any other time, he would have been fascinated by the scene before him, but his hunger was reaching its limit, dulling even his usual curiosity.

‘There were one or two times… Times when I was this hungry.’

In the city center of the Capital of Gallos, at the lowest point in District 1, Oliver was lost in his thoughts.

There were one or two times he had been this hungry.

When he was blamed and punished or had his food stolen by other kids.

Back then, Oliver was too weak to resist.

‘When that continued… Strangely, one of the other kids would die… How odd.’

Reflecting on past memories he hadn’t thought of before, Oliver found himself amazed.

Wasn’t it strange? Every time he continued to starve, the other kids would die one by one. Now, looking back, it seemed like a bizarre coincidence.

‘…So hungry.’

The sharp pain of hunger brought Oliver back to reality, and he looked ahead.

He was so exhausted from hunger that he had fallen to his knees, and his wrists had become extremely thin.

His mind grew hazy, and reality seemed to fade away.

Even as he saw the Flesh Cook flying towards him with dragon wings spread wide, Oliver felt no fear.

All he could think of was finishing the fight quickly so he could eat, anything.

[Black Sun]

Just as the Flesh Cook raised a dragon claw to snatch Oliver’s head, Oliver chanted more quickly.

It was a technique originally used by the Angel’s Son, Lumen, reinterpreted as black magic.

Between Oliver’s hands, a small ‘Devouring Fire’ ignited, exploding, and consuming the area’s emotions to form a perfect sphere.

The speed was incredible, and the overwhelming physical and magical power pushed the Flesh Cook back, burning him… Yes, the Flesh Cook, who had never taken damage, was burning. Even his supernatural body.

“…!!”

The Flesh Cook showed intense emotional turmoil at the sight of the Black Sun in the basement.

But instead of retreating, he reached into the dark orb, trying to grab Oliver with sheer determination.

As a result, the Flesh Cook’s skin, as well as the tissues and muscles beneath, were burned, but his hand got closer to Oliver.

Not that Oliver cared.

The size of the Black Sun grew proportionally to its mass, devouring even more emotions and burning the Flesh Cook with greater intensity.

—!!!!

For the first time, Oliver saw it.

The Flesh Cook was showing more than just shock.

His invulnerable body, which was unscathed by any attack, was now burning down to the bone.

“I am…!”

The Flesh Cook shouted something while facing the Black Sun.

But as Oliver’s hunger grew unbearable, he paid no attention and focused on expanding the sun to incinerate the Flesh Cook.

In order to finish quickly and eat.

“Big—”

“—Aaaaargh!!!”

As Oliver tried to detonate the emotions within the Black Sun to erase everything around him, the Flesh Cook screamed.

Whether it was the hunger affecting his vision, Oliver wasn’t sure, but the Flesh Cook’s arm had transformed into something reptilian, growing massive, and crushed the sun in its grip.

Miraculously, just before the explosion, the sun’s spell collapsed and dissipated.

“…”

Oliver, always calm, was momentarily speechless at the sight before him, having never imagined it would go this far.

The Flesh Cook slowly approached Oliver, who was at a loss for words.

His recovery was as impressive as his defense; most of his burned body had already healed.

“Don’t underestimate me… I didn’t just survive… I survived for hundreds of years, without any blessing… I didn’t just survive!'”

The Flesh Cook’s voice, filled with frustration, carried a sense of pride, but Oliver, who was on the verge of collapsing from hunger, didn’t respond and remained on his knees.

He was just hungry.

Meanwhile, the Childs rushed to rescue Oliver and attacked the Flesh Cook. Although they had expended significant energy, they were quickly overpowered by the Flesh Cook’s slashes and claws.

In the midst of this, the Flesh Cook’s attention was drawn to Batory, who had lost all her limbs, dead.

“I am…”

Thud….

Just as the Flesh Cook was about to say something, he heard a sound that didn’t fit the scene.

It was the sound of life force being extracted.

Turning his head towards the source, the Flesh Cook saw Oliver on his knees, draining his life force.

Even the Flesh Cook, who lived on human flesh, had never witnessed such a technique.

However, having been subjected to a fierce assault, mocked by the corpse of his former lover, and now having his life force stolen, the Flesh Cook let his anger take control rather than wondering about Oliver’s technique.

The Flesh Cook clamped Oliver’s mouth shut and lifted him into the air.

This guy was dangerous.

Just like when they first met in the basement. He felt like he should avoid consuming this one.

What was it about this guy that made him, who had struggled to live for hundreds of years, feel this way?

Was it really what the witch mentioned? But in the end, it didn’t matter. He would be devoured by him and his sister regardless.

With that thought, the Flesh Cook moved to crush the insolent mouth, but then he felt a sharp pain.

Reflexively, he let go and checked his palm.

There was a bite mark. A bite mark.

“…”

Quietly looking ahead at the surreal sight, the Flesh Cook saw Oliver, frail and thin, standing.

Oliver was chewing on something.

Half-lidded, Oliver spoke.

“So hungry…”