Chapter 65: A Sudden Turn (7)
As the name suggested, the Tainted Unity Church aimed to ultimately become one.
Of course, the method was to consume and put them inside the stomach.
Thus, whether it was a follower or a monster, enemies of the Tainted Unity Church were often obsessed with eating something special and consuming a lot.
In reality, they would become stronger each time they do so.
This was why Edmerek was quite an oddball among the followers of Tainted Unity.
He didn’t consume to become one, but it was about consuming and then regurgitating what was inside him.
As a result, the accumulation of his main body’s power was very slow.
However, this didn’t mean that Edmerek was weak. If he were, he wouldn’t become an Archbishop.
Everything he consumed became avatars, and these avatars were like his extensions.
Thus, Edmerek was known for his avatars.
Instead of strengthening himself to become one with what he consumed, he became a horde, inflating his bulk.
That was Edmerek.
Naturally, each avatar had its own role… And surprisingly, the main body’s role wasn’t combat.
Unlike most power-obsessed followers, Edmerek was a little more faithful.
He believed that endlessly increasing his numbers, like a queen ant, was his mission, to the point where he willingly gave up his own strength.
That was why Edmerek’s moniker was the ‘Vomiting Edmerek.’
He constantly vomited his avatars.
And wasn’t it mentioned that Edmerek wasn’t one with what he consumed but a horde?
The strength Edmerek gave up didn’t just vanish.
It concentrated on the other avatars created for combat.
Yes, like the weird giant avatar coming their way now, it had tentacles instead of a head.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Gwooooooar!
“Where is that sound coming from when it doesn’t even have a mouth?!”
“Maybe there are small mouths inside those tentacles… Ugh, sorry. I just imagined it grabbing prey with its wriggling tentacles and chewing with its inner mouth…”
Elisha was horrified by the peculiarities, and Vincent was unnecessarily imagining it.
While Helena was blocking the avatars with the other students, Elisha, Vincent, and I decided to confront Edmerek’s main body.
Vincent might be a bit flawed, but we were the strongest among the people here.
But there was one problem.
“Yandel! Is that giant avatar included in your plan?!”
“No! I only found out today that when he eats a boss, he can produce a boss-level avatar as well!”
An unexpectedly strong enemy had been added.
H&A was trying to suppress Edmerek outside, so we really didn’t know this could happen…
Of course, no matter how much I whine now, it wouldn’t end in a draw, so there was only one way.
“Glenchiel, Vincent, can you two handle that guy?”
“I think I can knock it down with my firepower alone…”
“You’re worried if Vincent can hold out until you unleash all your firepower. I understand.”
“…Sorry.”
“No. It’s not your fault. It’s Edmerek’s fault for creating such a thing without warning.”
Blaming Vincent’s weakness here was useless. I brought him here despite knowing his situation.
So, it was all the evil cultist Edmerek’s fault. Anyway, that was that.
Both of them looked perplexed by my one-sided blame-shifting but now was not the time.
“First, let’s knock down that giant avatar. We’ll deal with Edmerek after.”
“True. It’ll be tough to fight while ignoring that thing.”
“I agree.”
A translucent sphere symbolizing water and wind floated above Elisha.
Vincent, holding his sword, charged straight ahead.
I also began casting magic with my staff.
Elisha was rapidly shooting water and wind magic spells behind the avatar.
So, what I had to do was not directly damage it, but hinder the giant’s tentacles so that Vincent could hold on a bit longer.
And when it came to blocking, nothing beat earth magic.
Thump.
The mana core’s vibrations resonated with my heart, attracting the surrounding mana.
Thanks to the system correction, I naturally completed the magic without concentrating too hard.
By the time I finished casting the spell, a rock that was larger than my upper body floated in front of my staff.
It didn’t spin or sharpen.
It was magic that focused on mass rather than attacking.
“Rock Throw!”
It was such a crude name, but the magic itself was crude, so it couldn’t be helped.
The incantation should represent the magic best.
Whooosh.
The rock flew with a heavy crash.
With this, the gigantic tentacle avatar would hesitate.
Vincent could seize the opportunity to cut off its legs, taking away its mobility.
Meanwhile, Elisha would be able to cast even more potent spells to ensure damage to it.
I thought I had chosen the magic wisely, but sadly, I couldn’t see the result.
In the corner, like a few moments ago, I thought Edmerek, who had been fighting with his avatars, would spit out another one.
It was because he was reaching out to me.
He closed his hand and made a gesture that looked like a beast was opening its jaws and biting down.
It was Air Devour, a precursor to Chain Devouring, which was a common ability for priests.
The effect was simple. It was just repeating Air Devour three times.
“That crazy bastard!”
Then I threw myself to the side with all my might.
Crack!
Then transparent teeth were about to bite down in my direction.
If I had noticed his preparatory movement as when I first dodged Air Devour, it wouldn’t have been so hard to avoid.
…The problem was that it didn’t end there.
Roll.
“Wind!”
I cast a spell to push my body, rolling quickly on the ground.
Chasing after me, I heard a creepy scratching sound from behind.
Only after barely dodging it three times did I rise to glare at Edmerek.
Then he laughed softly and wobbled towards me.
“Did you think I’d just stand still?”
“You had been until now.”
“You came here, not the dungeon entrance. It seems you researched quite a lot about me, but as I said at the beginning, the situation is special now.”
From beneath his fluttering robe, Edmerek’s thin arm appeared, looking like a rotten tree branch.
And that arm pointed at me again.
As I quickly got up, a transparent jaw tried to engulf the air again.
Seeing Elisha, who had been flinching and frequently looking this way, I waved and shouted,
“Just buy some time! We’ve already stopped him from continually spitting out avatars, so please hold on until Helena finishes up and comes to help!”
Then I started running.
While Air Devour was potent, it took some time to prepare, and since he had to aim directly at the target, if I kept moving or maintained my concentration, it was easy to dodge.
Hence, the cultist priests of the Tainted Unity Church had no distinct offensive powers aside from Air Devour, so there was no need to worry about anything else besides its unique patterns.
Given the situation, I led Edmerek and dragged him along.
Since I’d completely memorized the pattern, I could at least buy some time.
However, while Edmerek was casting magic around himself, he never took his eyes off me, still calmly speaking.
“Unlike the other higher-ups who designated you as a threat to the altar, he directly commanded your death. I have no choice but to act differently this time.”
The magic spell I preparing now was Thunder Bolt.
Although the priests of the Tainted Unity Church mainly used Air Devouring, it was because they could handle most situations with just that one skill.
Thus, the fastest and most direct magic that I could activate without special preparation would be best to counter it.
“Everything will go according to his will.”
Edmerek raised his hand toward me once again.
But before his frail-looking fingers could fully close, I released my magic first.
“Thunder Bolt!”
Zap!
A blue lightning bolt pierced through the void.
Of course, it wasn’t as fast as real lightning. It was just a copy created by my imagination and magic.
However, it should still be at a speed that was hard to follow with the eyes.
“Air Devour.”
Suddenly,
A translucent jaw from the void bit into the lightning, making the magic vanish without a trace.
Damn. Even if I expected this, seeing it directly was still unbelievable.
Could magic be devoured and nullified like that?
Although I anticipated the Air Devour, I blocked one attack and prepared for the next.
However, rather than continuously using Air Devour, Edmerek unexpectedly pointed at me with his index finger.
“No one can escape hunger. You will soon become like me.”
It was a short declaration. Immediately after, I felt an intense hunger.
Regardless of my will, my legs twisted on their own, and I tumbled to the ground.
“Cough!”
I had a hunch of what was happening. But that made it even more confusing.
After all…
This was a debuff that Edmerek originally used in the final phase.
“Damn.”
Setting up a fake pattern and cursing—that was just like Evande.
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