Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 578 - 531 Absolute Command

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Devouring the finest flesh nutrients, a corrupted monster named the son of Lyle appeared on this land, rooted in the lifeblood like a parasitic flower. These creatures unfolded their wrinkled flesh petals, spraying an intolerable stench into the air as malignant mud oozed down the petals, revealing densely packed wailing missiles within. The four sons of Lyle emitted cries mixed with canine barks, as if celebrating their birth.

"How beautiful..." Mr. Crimson stood aside, stroking his chin as he watched this grotesque assembly of life’s poison.

Such a thing, far beyond the aesthetic, even the members of the Necromancer Figure Club couldn’t express approval.

"Plague Doctor is indeed rotten through and through." With such a bizarre creation, its creator must not be much better.

"Completely alienated flesh, oh, not alienation, but a return to the primordial flesh of the Evil God. It has excellent contamination, strong regenerative properties, attack methods including shadow corrosion, mental oppression, magical decay, and assimilation... Even its appearance can cause mental shocks." Mr. Crimson applauded.

"Plague Doctor’s Flesh Summoning Study final project, if such a creation were the answer, that would be perfect. Although making use of innate talents is a bit of a shortcut, who can blame him when the flesh of Evil God is such an outstanding existence. It’s just a pity..."

Mr. Crimson, with a praise before criticism? The Necromancer Figure Club became curious about his following words. Having heard so much praise for Lyle from professors and mentors, they were eager to hear the dissenting opinion of Mr. Crimson.

"A pity about what, Mr. Crimson?"

"It’s a pity that Plague Doctor’s final project was already completed long ago, and an apprentice cannot leave two theses behind in the academic record. I would love to attribute this perfect work to his student’s file, but Plague Doctor’s other achievement is clearly superior. If I were to change it on a whim, I’d probably cause trouble for myself."

The requirement for graduating from advanced Flesh Summoning Study is to research an experimental result that satisfies the memory stone carvings of the Blood Nest Great Tree. That means, the flesh data of the sons of Lyle was now qualified to become part of the Spirit Summoning Studies heritage knowledge in the Blood Nest Great Tree. The thing Mr. Crimson mentioned, more suited to be the thesis, could only be that experiment to change the status of Liches, initiated during the academic gathering in the City of Machinery, flesh disguise.

After all, that was a legitimate academic research achievement, and its impact on the Andrey race was far greater than any single creation.

Plague Doctor attends classes the least, but he has already fulfilled the graduation requirements.

The four Liches expressed their admiration for someone not present, their actions synchronized, they looked up at a 45-degree angle into the sky, gazing at the cloud ring left by the pierce of the Genesis Beam.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

The burning heatwave slapped the unbearable stench onto their backs, almost turning the area into night with black smoke.

The Soul Fire burned within the skulls, the Liches unaffected by the missile exhaust turned their heads back as SS, with night vision mode on, flailed his hands in panic.

"It wasn’t me, I didn’t touch anything."

Just then, all the flesh missiles loaded inside the sons of Lyle took to the sky, extending the polluted smoke from the ground to above the clouds.

"No need to explain."

"But I really didn’t launch them!"

"I know, no need to explain." Mr. Crimson gazed at the still shiny Nest of Machinery, "It was remotely controlled, Plague Doctor couldn’t wait." The Liches were completely unaware of their own efficiency issues, if Lyle really had handed the launch task over to them, the mechanized Lyle would surely be doomed.

"How do you resolve the guidance problem? Those are dozens of fully-powered large missiles, not even the best Beast Tamer could command a furious horde." SS observed the remnants in the sky, tracking the trajectory of those missiles. They scattered in all directions like blooming flowers, and probably only one-tenth could bombard the Nest of Machinery. "Lyle is too hasty."

"Plague Doctor is not a Beast Tamer. The flesh of the Evil God has an instinct to return to its origin, they are not a herd of beasts running in terror, but offspring obeying the call to return to the parental body."

Black missile rain descended from the cloud tops, the screaming warheads diving straight for the dazzling pyramid, for that raised withered hand.

The petrified smile of the Omen Giant in Dorothy’s vision was eerie, and behind [Lyle], the howling flesh missiles formed a corrupted and evil canopy.

As if supported by the power of the Evil God, the hardened outer layer of the Omen Giant began to flow, and from the cracks, tendrils grew again.

"Dorothy, can machines be afraid?"

In the intermittent voice, Lyle saw the coldness in Dorothy’s eyes melting, turning into an emotion he often glimpsed.

Having received a satisfying answer, the giant hand of the Omen Giant weakly swung down.

The terrified, frenzied screams accompanied the explosions of the missiles resounding through the City of Machinery.

An ominous fire blazed through the city, and the Omen Giant stood up again, looming between the dark sky and the burning land, towering over Dorothy as the entire city teetered on the brink.

"Do you like it? The rain of fear we have bestowed upon you."

"Lyle... this is not the first time the City of Machinery has faced an Evil God..." Dorothy stood from her throne, the pyramid collapsing, but countless cables surged out from the tower, wrapping around Dorothy, gathering energy and material together.

"Fear will not bring me down again!"

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"Anti-Corrosion Armor."

Dorothy assembled a layer of thick metal armor upon herself, with electric currents inscribing runes on its surface, those were...

"Dragon Language Runes..."

The Mechanical God Dorothy used all her power to create a set of enchanted armor, all the runes designed to resist the Dragon Language Seal Runes of the slumbering Andrey. What’s worse, the defenses that were effective against the Evil God Andrey were just as effective against Lyle’s corruption.

"Destroy this city if you wish, once the Genesis Star is fully charged, the cleansing light of the world will still eliminate your corruption. Lyle, this is your final struggle."

This was Dorothy’s final trump card, a set of armor completely resistant to the corruption of the Evil God.

The Genesis Beam had nearly killed Lyle, then it entered its charging phase. Lyle used PLAN B to create an aerial bombardment of flesh that should have entirely corrupted the City of Machinery. But now, Dorothy turned invincible, rendering his attack utterly ineffective. Although the flesh barrage continued, the charging of the Genesis also went on.

Dorothy had become invincible, and if Lyle took another hit from the beam, he’d be finished.

As she said, what came next was the final struggle.

"The final struggle, huh? Alright, Dorothy, let me show you my last card."

Dorothy let out a scornful snort.

"Final card? There’s no way to remove my armor, all your struggles are futile..."

"My final card is... a hostage."

The Omen Giant Lyle snatched a tiny humanoid figure from the mud at his feet, black mire corroding and flaking off its metallic casing, its metal skeleton looking like it would break apart at any moment, its original Greek-style robe now a poisonous, festering sludge covering a mummified body—it was the Mechanical Devine Sect’s High Priest, Mr. Delusion, hidden by Lyle from the start.

The Omen Giant flung the tiny mechanical figure around like a toy, right at the center of a barrage of missiles.

"Go ahead and keep hiding behind your armor, Dorothy. Your William, under my flesh bombardment, will turn into a twisted mass of rotten flesh."

Lyle felt a chill, as the cold eyes behind the armor were now filled with murderous intent.

"No, you wouldn’t do that, William is your friend!"

"You’re right, and that’s why I’ll make my friend even more ’perfect’. How many eyes do you think will grow on his face?"

There was no other choice, mechanical life was created by humans to carry out commands, and commands were their reason for existence. Lyle wasn’t sure whether Dorothy from the future could defy this rule. But cornered, he had only this despicable path left.

It was a gamble on values.

Lyle raised his stake high.

"Farewell, Delusion."

Lyle lifted Delusion, positioning him on the trajectory of an incoming Flesh Missile.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

An explosive light burst forth from the spherical Dragon Language Armor, shattering fragments tore apart the body of the Omen Giant.

Shards flew, and the furious angel spread her wings.

In the next moment, Mr. Delusion, about to be swallowed by the black mire, appeared beneath mechanical wings. Dorothy held him close, the curse of corruption binding them together as the Mechanical God Dorothy was eroded by the power of the Evil God.

Firelight illuminated Dorothy’s perfect face; her gaze met with Mr. Delusion’s sparking mechanical eyes, her face marked with the fury of one who had been outsmarted.

"I’m sorry, Dorothy."

"...Fine." Dorothy relaxed her brows, cradling Mr. Delusion’s glowing cube-shaped head, "Goodnight, William... remember to miss me."

The Flesh Missile exploded on the wings, just before a twisting spatter of vile black devoured all...

Two faces pressed tightly together in the light of the flames.