Chapter 591: The Creature that Devours All

Crash! Boom! Bang! Boom!

As Leviathan twisted its enormous body, the sea cracked and a gigantic tsunami rose.

It was like the maw of a demon.

The sea giants, who had been battling Leviathan, tried to destroy the tsunami with their tridents, but their size was no match. Three of the four were swept away and destroyed.

The one sea giant that barely held on.

But before relief could settle, Leviathan emerged from the waves with its massive maw open.

Boom!

When Leviathan closed its maw, the sound of the earth cracking filled the air, and even the remaining sea giant was reduced to foam.

The sea roared and trembled as if the Earth itself was shifting. A sea monster covered in white foam caused all this destruction, and a man looked on and spoke.

“Ho…”

Not out of fear but with a tone of interest.

Ha ha ha ha…!!

Leviathan, displeased by the sight, let out a ferocious roar and summoned twelve massive water spouts.

The water spouts surrounded Merlin, attacking him from every direction.

Each water spout was large enough to shatter dozens of warships, but Merlin stood still, holding a book in one hand.

Flash.

At the moment the twelve water spouts were about to reach Merlin, a flash of light streaked from the heavens.

It all happened so quickly, it was impossible to tell what had occurred.

Only after the sound of thunder echoed did it become clear that lightning had struck.

Thirteen bolts of lightning, to be exact.

Ssshhh!

The water spouts, struck by the lightning, collapsed into the void and turned into rain, falling into the sea. The shadow-creatures parasitizing Leviathan screamed in agony.

One of the thirteen bolts of lightning struck Leviathan right between the eyes.

The shadow-creature clinging to Leviathan’s brow weakened from the shock, and during that moment Merlin regained control of his body, leaping towards Leviathan and opening his massive maw once more.

It was a wise move. Even though it regained control, Merlin had no intention of letting it go, so attacking was the better choice.

A pitiful creature born not by the hands of the gods, but still quite smart.

“But even so— hmm?”

Just as Merlin concentrated his magic to create a large, thick barrier to strike down Leviathan, he hesitated.

Leviathan’s maw was filled with a large amount of seawater.

As suspected.

Leviathan took control over the seawater in its mouth.

Thousands of water blades shot out, slicing through Merlin’s shield before Leviathan snapped its jaws shut.

The shield, shredded by the thousands of water blades, shattered into pieces, and Merlin was swallowed by Leviathan’s maw.

“Quite a decent trick.”

Merlin’s voice echoed from the sky, despite being swallowed by Leviathan.

Leviathan, startled, rolled its vertical pupils, and soon saw Merlin standing even higher in the sky.

What Leviathan had swallowed was nothing more than Merlin’s avatar, and as Leviathan turned towards the real Merlin again, baring its teeth, the important thing wasn’t the real body.

The truly important thing was the amount of magic embedded in the avatar.

Because the magic in the avatar was so immense, even Leviathan was fooled.

There was far too much magic for it to be simply a trick of deception. Rather…

“As much as my skill, but… [Big Bang].”

As Merlin chanted, the avatar inside Leviathan’s stomach exploded, tearing apart Leviathan’s stomach and stomach lining.

The sight of Leviathan’s belly, as large as a small continent, bursting was a spectacle in both a good and bad way.

Leviathan fell into the sea, creating a massive pillar of water. Merlin was about to use the rising pillar to recreate the sea giant and wipe out Leviathan along with the shadow controlling it.

Because the ominous demonic aura greatly disturbed him.

“…Huh?!”

As Merlin was about to move the sea giant to finish it off, he sensed something strange. With an uncharacteristic quick turn of his head, Merlin reacted.

This feeling…

Shhh!

As soon as Merlin’s eyes turned, a sound like hot metal plunging into water echoed, and flames began to rise from the ocean.

Steam filled with powerful toxins shot up into the sky, blinding Merlin’s sight.

But Merlin controlled the air, gathering the towering steam into his hand, crushing it to extinction.

With his vision restored, Merlin saw Leviathan aflame like a log, the sea evaporating alongside the flaming Leviathan, and the sea giant disintegrating from the heat.

“Could it be that they’ve bestowed such blessings?”

Merlin muttered in shock, staring at Leviathan, or rather the shadow-creature nestled between Leviathan’s brows.

Though the presence of The Burned One was felt, he didn’t expect this magnitude.

A chill ran down Merlin’s spine.

He doubted the intentions behind why the silent demon bestowed such blessings and why they intervened so much.

‘No way…’

Odd premonitions always prove true.

The shadow-creature that had been parasitizing Leviathan’s brow suddenly regained consciousness, flew out at high speed, leaving a trace of crimson behind.

Not missing a beat, Merlin tore a Paper and sent it flying.

Fwoosh!

But the fire Leviathan spat, as its body burned like a log, turned the Paper to ash.

The flames that incinerated Merlin’s Paper exploded as they fell into the sea, instantly engulfing the surroundings in flames.

It was as if the fires of hell had descended.

The terrible heat filled the sea, and dozens of massive fire whirlwinds rose. The fire waves engulfed both Merlin and Leviathan from all directions.

In an extreme environment where just the heat could kill, Merlin, having regained the vitality of youth, cursed with a familiar sense of despair.

“Damn it… Is it really unstoppable?”

***

“Phew…”

Inside the Verdant Forest, at the Flesh Cook’s secret vault.

Lighting a Filgarett made from the Flesh Cook’s emotions, Oliver stepped forward.

As he inhaled the Filgarett, Oliver could feel the emotions and memories of the Flesh Cook.

It was similar to when he smoked the Filgarett in the New Continent and when he reunited with Marie for the first time.

By inhaling the emotions, Oliver not only indirectly experienced the emotions but also the memories embedded within.

How poor the Flesh Cook had been as a child.

When he was abandoned twice by his parents, how deeply he felt powerless and humiliated.

When he discovered that the woman he thought was his savior was actually a witch who maintained her youth and life by cannibalism, how he despaired.

How miserably he felt when his forgotten sister saved his life.

Though it wasn’t a beautiful light that would deeply resonate with Oliver’s emotions, the Filgarett helped Oliver satisfy his curiosity.

Why the Flesh Cook desired wealth and power so much.

Why the Flesh Cook betrayed even the one he loved, Bathory.

Why, even at the cost of his life, the Flesh Cook tried to save his sister.

It was because of guilt towards his sister, atonement, and a genuine love for his family.

It was ironic.

That the flesh-eating monster who divided the underworld of Gallos could harbor such emotions.

Although it was a fact he already knew, it felt strangely ironic.

Humans, it seemed, were truly contradictory and complex beings.

“…”

Since it wasn’t a beautiful light, Oliver quickly snapped back to reality.

The surroundings were filled with silence. In front of him were Fen and a creature, and behind him, Jane and the children were all quietly watching Oliver.

As if they were watching a bomb that might go off at any moment.

“…”

Not feeling particularly pleasant, Oliver turned slightly and gave Jane a look.

He signaled her to take care of the children.

Luckily, Jane, sharp-witted as always, understood Oliver’s intentions and quietly gathered the children.

Although they hesitated, glancing at Fen.

Fen’s voice echoed again.

“I went through the trouble of creating an island for you all, and now you’re going to betray me and run away?”

At those words, the already rigid children stiffened even more.

They were so paralyzed that even their legs, which had been moving slightly due to Jane’s guiding hand, came to a complete halt.

It wasn’t just because of fear. Fen’s words stirred their hearts, rousing feelings of guilt.

“I was the one who brought you in when no one else cared for you on the streets. I gave you new names, gave you opportunities, and provided you with a place where you could be happier than anywhere else. And now, here you are, trying to leave me? After promising you’d stay?”

Both Fen’s children and the forgotten children trembled with fear.

It stemmed not only from fear of Fen but also from the guilt Fen stirred in them.

Fen was terrifying, yes, but it wasn’t as if there weren’t any positive feelings either.

Whatever the reason, it was Fen who took in the orphans that no one else had cared about. Even if it was for the sake of using them, Oliver could understand why the children reacted as they did.

After all, help is help, regardless of the motive.

“Now you’re trying to betray me and leave, just like those who abandoned y—”

“—Mr. Fen.”

Before Fen could finish, Oliver interrupted him.

“I’m sorry, but could we continue this conversation just between us?”

Oliver spoke as he took a drag from the Filgarett.

At that, the twisted creatures standing behind Fen growled, and the three Zombie Puppets behind Oliver grimaced as well.

Fen glared at Oliver and opened his mouth. His emotions revealed some tension, anticipation, and determination.

“…Why should I?”

“Because you invited me here.”

Oliver referred to the fact that Fen had kidnapped Jane. Fen accepted that.

“Oh… That makes sense. But, how’s your side doing? It must hurt a lot.”

Fen pointed to Oliver’s left side, where Jane had stabbed him.

Throb.

As Fen said, Oliver’s side was not in great shape.

Although it was stitched up with [Ptah’s Assistant], and appeared fine on the outside, Oliver could still feel the pain from being stabbed due to the demonic power dwelling in the shadow.

He had endured it so Jane wouldn’t worry.

‘Well, it’s bearable.’

It was a ridiculous thought, but also a truth.

Even at this moment, the pain of a knife stuck in his side surged through him, but bizarrely, the burning pain in his right arm and the constant hunger made it quite tolerable.

It was like the pain was distributed, just barely.

Because of that, while it was harder to move more vigorously than before, it wasn’t unbearable.

“Dave…”

Realizing that Oliver’s wound hadn’t fully healed, Jane froze.

That was exactly what Fen had aimed for.

“Miss Jane.”

Oliver called Jane’s name, and with a glance, he reminded her of her duties. Jane closed her eyes tightly, then resumed comforting and guiding the children.

With Jane moving, Oliver also got to work.

“I’ve heard about you, Mr. Fen.”

“Hmm?”

“How you created Neverland for the children and brought them here?”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

“Then, shameless as this may be, how about letting them go? If this really is for their sake, I think that would be best.”

“You… You really are shameless.”

“You invited me here, so I trust you’ll tolerate it.”

For the first time, Oliver spoke without backing down.

Maybe because of that, the children felt as if they were being protected by Oliver’s voice and back, and a few of the children who had been frozen by Fen’s appearance slowly began to move again.

Fen caught sight of this and tested them with a question.

“Do you really want to leave here?”

The children didn’t answer, only moving step by step towards Jane.

That response was enough.

“Fine, go ahead… Leave! Go back and grow up! But let me warn you! Once you leave, you can never come back. Never!”

A threat disguised as a warning. Yet the children no longer hesitated and gathered around Jane.

“Oh, right! Before you leave.”

“…?”

“Return the gifts I gave you!”

As soon as Fen finished speaking, the weapons carried by his children— clubs, toy guns, wooden swords, popguns, and slingshots— lit up and embedded themselves into the children’s bodies, trying to consume them alive.

It wasn’t the children who owned the weapons, but the weapons that owned the children.

No wonder they used considerable black magic, despite not being specifically trained.

Shing!

As the weapons tried to devour Fen’s children and take them as hosts, Oliver quickly spun around, using his bandaged right hand to yank the weapons out.

Surprisingly, even though he forcibly removed the weapons, the bodies of the children into which the roots had burrowed remained unharmed.

The children looked at him, shocked.

Ignoring their gazes, Oliver turned to return the weapons to Fen, but before he could even fully turn around, hundreds of twisted creatures charged at once.

There was no way Fen intended to let them go.

Sensing this emotion in advance, Oliver naturally pulled out one last Zombie Puppet from the shadows.

Zombie Puppet— Seamus.

“Meeh…!”

As soon as Seamus appeared, Third entered him, and Seamus’s head turned into that of a goat.

A sign that power had been drawn up instantly.

With his head transformed into a goat’s, Seamus pulled out thorny vines from his chest and planted them in the ground, infusing them with a large amount of natural energy.

The thorny vines grew explosively, creating a massive wall.

Crunch! Crack! Crack!

Crash! Smash!

Boom! Crack! Smash!

Yet Fen’s creatures, unfazed by the sudden appearance of the thorny wall, launched a fierce attack, destroying it quickly, almost palpably fast.

At best, it only managed to stall them slightly.

At this rate, they’d have to face hundreds of twisted creatures.

With Oliver’s power, he might have been fine, but the children wouldn’t survive, so when Jane asked, Oliver reassured her.

“Force.”

Upon being called into action by Oliver, Force, who resided within the Flesh Cook, curled up and transformed into a dragon once more.

As his sharp and enormous body broke through his clothes, both Jane and the children gaped in awe, and Oliver instructed Second to unleash an assault ahead.

“Please.”

At the exact moment he made his request, the thorn wall shattered, and hundreds of creatures appeared, but simultaneously, the dragon-formed Flesh Cook’s flames and Durance’s bullets poured forward.

The harmony of flames and bullets blasted forward, sweeping away not only the creatures but also Fen, their master.

Whoosh! Bang bang bang…!

The overwhelming force incinerated hundreds of creatures into ash in an instant, shocking everyone present. At that moment, Oliver called out to Jane.

“Miss Jane, take everyone and climb onto Mr. Flesh Cook’s back. Quickly.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not over yet.”

Before Jane could respond, Seamus extended multiple beanstalk tendrils to tie Jane and the children to the Flesh Cook’s back.

Though startled by the sudden action, it wasn’t a bad decision, considering the circumstances. Because—

“—Is this all you’ve got?!”

The flames spewed by the Flesh Cook split like the Red Sea and instantly extinguished.

Seeing ahead, a burnt shadow and an unharmed Fen stood behind it.

Jane and the children’s faces went pale at the sight. It was understandable, given that those were dragon flames.

But the Children didn’t stop working.

Seamus, who had hoisted the children with beanstalks, now pulled out grapevines, forming them into a barrier that protected the children. Durance entered the barrier and deployed another shield.

Though rough, the power of magic and nature combined somewhat.

As soon as the barrier was secured to the Flesh Cook’s body, the Flesh Cook sprang into the air, but at that moment, the ground trembled.

Fen’s Shadow plunged its hand into the ground. The spade-shaped Neverland shook violently, and a huge flower petal emerged from beneath the sea, covering the sky like a bud.

It was clear that they couldn’t just break through.

Whoosh!

Before they could even try anything, the sky closed, the light was cut off, and Neverland became a completely darkroom.

It was similar to the inside of the mines in the New Continent, where The Burned One had been summoned.

Fwoosh!

As soon as they began to rise, the sound of a match striking echoed, and for the first time, light appeared in the pitch-black Neverland.

Fen’s shadow caught fire, just as it had when The Burned One was summoned.

“Did you really think I gained nothing from there?!”

“First.”

“I, too, received the demon’s blessing there. I also received it!!”

Oliver drew his Dagger from his waist and cut a small wound on his finger.

“With that power, I controlled Leviathan and defeated you once before! You’re not the only one chosen! You’re not the only special one!!”

Oliver carefully dropped a single drop of blood from the wound onto the kneeling and pious First.

It was like a king rewarding his loyal subject.

“No one can escape from here! If you can, try to get out!”

“Understood.”

Fen shouted, and Oliver responded. Using the burning shadow as a light source, he pulled out several blood balloons from his shadow.

As soon as First saw the blood balloons, he wasted no time in popping them. He then controlled the large quantity of blood inside, rotating it in the air, mixing it with Oliver’s blood.

“Grrrrrrrr…!”

It seemed difficult to mix Oliver’s blood, and First groaned. However, after Oliver encouraged him by patting his shoulder, he managed to successfully merge them.

In that state, Bathory flew into the sky, landing on the head of the Flesh Cook—who had transformed into a dragon. A thin layer of blood coated the Flesh Cook, from head to tail.

The Flesh Cook, now tinted in red, drew upon life force, magic, and emotions, chanting with Bathory.

[Blood Dragon]

With blood as the medium, life, magic, and emotions all ignited simultaneously.

There was a powerful explosion that erased the surrounding darkness, and the Flesh Cook began to burn.

The flames overwhelmed those from Fen’s shadow.

The Flesh Cook, with Bathory standing on its head, looked at Oliver, and Oliver nodded.

“Please.”

After hearing Oliver’s request, both Bathory and the Flesh Cook nodded in unison. Pressing their bodies to the ground, they shot into the sky in a blaze, creating a massive pillar of fire.

Jane shouted,

“Dave…!!”

Regardless of Jane’s shout, the pillar of fire soared into the sky and collided with the bud that covered the sky, creating a large hole and escaping out.

A ray of light shone through the hole, falling upon Oliver’s shoulder.

Oliver slipped the finished Filgarett into his chest pocket and sat down.

“Shall we have a real conversation now?”