Chapter 42: All Things Obey |
"Fields of disorder, heed my command."
"Ashen embers, gather and take form."
"Shape all creation, blooming from within."
"Now is the moment to act, obey the laws of Heaven''s Mandate!"
As the final incantation fell from her lips, Nemus could clearly sense everything in their surroundings undergoing a drastic change.
The dirt, vegetation, shattered house debris, and even the air itself shifted in response.
These elements seemed to melt together like running paint, followed by the sudden manifestation of a single spark of fire.
The dissolved matter unified, condensing into a single, controllable energetic substance.
This substance mutated rapidly. In the next breath, it transformed into a fluid-like state, surging like a tidal wave toward Big Black.
Furthermore, the upper limits of such techniques generally far exceeded those of physical disciplines like Sword Arts.
They could continuously amplify a Spellcaster''s Mental Power, leveraging it to pry open greater natural forces and ultimately produce devastating effects.
However, because of this immense power, the execution of Spells was an exceptionally delicate process.
It required a considerable amount of preparation time.
If Isabella were to fight Nemus, setting aside any prior preparation, the sheer duration of this single incantation would give him more than enough time to hack her to pieces over a dozen times.
The instant it was engulfed by the energetic substance, Big Black''s body began to thrash violently.
"Shaping Spell: All Things Obey."
"A genius," Nemus marveled, admiring Isabella''s innate talent.
A Spell of this magnitude was not something an ordinary Priest could ever hope to touch.
Even many Priests at the Iron Rank had no grasp of such magic.
This was simply not an orthodox Priest''s Spell.
Through countless eras of evolution, Spells had fragmented into numerous intricate factions.
There were magics derived from Demon Spells, techniques independently researched and developed by Mankind, and even simplified variations of Divine Arts.
Each category of Spell interpreted the world from a unique angle, discovering new ways to exploit its ambient power.
The more potent the Spell, the higher the demand for the user''s precision and control.
It was much like Nemus''s Thousand Moon Extermination Flying Bird Transcendent Sword. Many could try to learn it, but they would only grasp a hollow shell. Unable to unleash its true might, they would inevitably end up injuring themselves instead.
The majority of Priests unified their Mental Power through faith. This extraordinary mental stability provided a significant boost when casting Holy Spells and magics associated with their respective pantheons.
Yet, when attempting to cast Spells from other disciplines, this innate advantage completely vanished.
Shaping Spells, in particular, were heavily favored by Warlocks.
They used their own minds to manipulate specific elements, molding them into new forms.
For Isabella to execute something as formidably complex as All Things Obey without any faith-based amplification for her Mental Power, Nemus had to admit—her sheer talent was fast approaching his own.
Countless streams of energetic substance rapidly shifted, piercing directly into Big Black''s form and compelling its physical body to undergo synchronized mutations.
This particular Spell was an absolute classic within the realm of Shaping Spells.
It transmuted physical matter into a pure energy state, then manipulated it through various reconstructions. During this process, the engulfed individual would also undergo countless structural alterations.
If a living organism had even its most fundamental structure reshaped, the only possible outcome left was death.
Big Black thrashed relentlessly, desperately trying to break free from the invading energetic substance.
Then, its body suddenly reached a critical breaking point. The massive network of black blood vessels covering its form violently intertwined.
Its body visibly compressed for a fleeting second before rapidly bloating and violently detonating. Copious amounts of flesh and blood splattered in every direction as a solitary head rocketed high into the air, completely breaking free from the energetic enclosure. A dense cluster of black blood vessels wove together to form a pair of wings, enabling the severed head to glide swiftly into the distance.
Faced with absolute destruction, Big Black had clearly chosen to sacrifice the rook to save the king, discarding its entire body just to preserve its head.
At that same moment, Isabella began to cough uncontrollably. Her body went limp as she collapsed to the ground, immediately doubling over and retching.
This was one of the severe side effects of overdrawing Mental Power.
Nemus watched the fleeing head but chose not to pursue it. As for the chunks of scattered flesh littering the ground, they had not entirely died off just yet.
However, stripped of the brain''s central command, these fragments were left with nothing but blind instinct.
Driven by the thrashing black blood vessels, bits of ruined meat lashed out to attack everything in their vicinity. Some chunks could even be seen violently striking themselves.
A few seconds later, the majority of the gore gradually ceased moving. A single glance revealed that the dormant flesh had all taken on bizarre new characteristics.
Some sections had completely lignified into solid wood, others hardened into rigid stone, while the rest turned as loose and soft as crumbly dirt.
This was the terrifying effect of All Things Obey—it effectively and forcefully reconstructed the foundational structures of anything it swept up.
If Big Black had hesitated even a fraction of a second longer before detonating, or if Isabella had managed to sustain the Spell a bit longer, the massive monster would have likely been fully transmuted into a block of wood or a lifeless stone statue.
"Are you alright?" Nemus asked, reaching down to help Isabella to her feet.
Having emptied her stomach, the intense pressure on her mind eased slightly, allowing her to recover a sliver of strength.
"I am fine. I just need to rest and use a few Divine Arts to recuperate before I can fight again." Regaining her clarity, Isabella quickly began exchanging information with Nemus.
They discussed the Old Priest''s suspected Bloodline Experiments and his historical ties to the Dartmenerly Family.
"I see. So the Bloodline Experiments conducted by the Dartmenerly Family are actually the continuation of the Old Priest''s earlier research?" Only now did Nemus understand why the old man had claimed he owed Nels for certain things.
Yet, this revelation only highlighted the deep contradictions within the Old Priest''s character.
On one hand, he might genuinely harbor intense guilt toward Nels, deeply desiring to repent for his sins.
But on the other hand, he relentlessly pushed his experiments forward, watching with cold indifference as his actions birthed endless tragedy and chaos.
A self-contradiction this extreme was usually described by most people as—pure madness.
"If that is the case, then Jacques is likely in terrible danger," Nemus stated with sudden certainty.
"The Old Priest is not at the Cathedral. He is almost certainly with Opper."
"Now that his secrets have been exposed, there is no telling what a cornered man like him might do. But the most probable scenario is that he will attempt to forcefully push the experiment to completion." Nemus was not entirely surprised that Jacques had chosen to stick around.
He possessed a rather firm grasp on the intricacies of human nature.
Jacques simply was not the type to tuck his tail between his legs and flee in disgrace.
However, what Nemus had not anticipated was that Jacques would actually head straight for Opper''s Caravan.
Compared to the Cathedral, which was now devoid of the Old Priest, the Caravan was the true danger zone.
The Old Priest had completely lost his mind. Judging from the current situation, his lifelong obsession was entirely bound to that cursed Bloodline Experiment.
Placing himself briefly in the old man''s shoes, Nemus could easily deduce his overarching motive: the experiment had to succeed, no matter the cost.
Only then would everything he had sacrificed not be entirely in vain.
Only then could he consider his atonement truly complete.
"Driven by that exact mindset, the moment he realizes exposure is imminent, he will gamble everything he has to finalize the experiment," Nemus explained.
"It is highly probable that Opper was coerced into this collaboration."
"While the Old Priest was trapped in a daily struggle with his conflicting emotions, Opper was likely employing Duplicitous Compliance, merely pretending to obey while secretly plotting against him."
"But at this late stage, we may have inadvertently helped the Old Priest make up his mind."
(End of Chapter)