NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Punishing Virus, Absorption!
"That is no kin of ours, merely mindless beasts with a fundamental difference from you and me. Don't compare us to such lowly creatures," Indivilia's eerie crimson eyes gleamed with disdain, as if she found it beneath her to be grouped alongside the Tyrant-class Rapture beside her.
"Besides, as long as the goal is achieved, does it really matter? Assigning some higher meaning to it—that's just the foolish sentimentality of humans."
Chatterbox did not argue further with Indivilia on the matter. His gaze remained locked on the distant, blood-red landscape, which resembled a vast field of blooming phantom lilies. His entire body was tense, showing not the slightest sign of letting his guard down.
"My instincts tell me that… that human won't die so easily in a trap."
Indivilia seemed to hear something utterly ridiculous. The corner of her lips curled up into a subtle smirk, her expression filled with mockery and scorn.
"Do I need to repeat myself? That substance is more toxic than any poison. Even the slightest contact results in devastating corrosion. You and I can barely resist its madness, let alone a mere human. He is as good as dead."
That substance had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
It did not discriminate between friend or foe—whether it was a Nikke or a Rapture, it would devour them all.
It was even more insidious than the Rapture virus.
Heretics like them had only managed to escape by severing the infected parts of their bodies. If one were fully submerged in it, their fate would be no different from those Raptures that had inadvertently fallen into it.
Even Indivilia herself was wary of it.
That was why she was certain—Mo Chen was doomed!
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Mo Chen plummeted from mid-air, plunging into the massive sinkhole beneath him.
SPLASH!
It was as if he had fallen into water, his entire body submerged. The sheer impact sent waves rippling outward, splashing high into the air.
In that instant, the stillness of death was shattered.
Like plunging into a lake, an icy chill surged over him.
The abyssal depths of the liquid felt like they were trying to swallow him whole. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, blending with the sound of the undulating liquid, forming an eerie rhythm.
From all directions, countless hands seemed to reach out, grasping at his arms, his legs. Indistinct, shadowy figures swayed in the murky depths, trying to drag him into the endless abyss below.
Mo Chen gathered his energy into his feet. In an instant, Shunpo activated.
BOOM!
With a powerful force, his body rocketed skyward. At the same time, he stretched out his hand—Ryūjin Jakka manifested in his grip. With a swift slash, a fierce blade aura tore through the liquid-like hands surrounding him.
BANG!
Mo Chen burst through the surface from below, soaring like an arrow loosed from its bow. The sheer force of Ryūjin Jakka split the liquid in half, parting it like a tsunami.
However, he quickly noticed something odd—his clothes weren't wet. They were completely dry.
That meant… this wasn't water.
Instead, it was a dense, viscous substance composed of the same crimson material.
Thick and clinging.
Upon closer inspection, the seemingly calm surface of the crimson lake was roiling beneath—
Above, the water was placid, like a mirror reflecting the sky and surrounding ruins. Yet beneath this deceptive tranquility, an unseen force churned.
From the depths, eerie, guttural noises occasionally rumbled forth. These sounds carried a chilling horror, as if some unknown entities were lurking in the darkness below, silently watching the world above.
This eerie soundscape only heightened the ominous aura of the blood-red lake.
A thought struck Mo Chen.
He rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm before his eyes.
Mo Chen's pale arm suddenly displayed vein-like patterns—an eerie crimson, distinctly different from the usual bluish veins. These lines were unnervingly straight, running parallel to each other, only intersecting at branching points.
The sight immediately reminded him of the spikes that had pierced Otto in Honkai Impact 3rd and the markings on Gilgamesh's Ea during his battle with the King of Conquerors in Fate.
The crimson veins spread beneath his skin, creeping outward like a beast greedily devouring its prey.
In just the blink of an eye, the red lines had extended from his arm to his shoulder, from his shoulder to his neck, and even part of his lower cheek was already marked by their corruption.
Was he being infected?
Mo Chen was startled.
Yet, he felt no pain whatsoever. If anything, the most terrifying sensation was feeling absolutely nothing at all.
However, he did not panic. He quickly calmed down, his mind working with the clarity of still water.
It was obviously some kind of virus.
And if it was a virus, then the Punishing Virus could consume it.
The very moment he was being corroded, Mo Chen activated the power of the Punishing Virus.
Remaining composed, he raised his arm, spread his fingers wide, and clenched the air with a sudden grip.
A surge of crimson light erupted from his body, dazzling like an aurora blooming in the eternal night.
When he reopened his eyes, his pupils had turned pitch black—no, rather, they were an abyssal shade of deep crimson, a red so intense it seemed to swallow all other colors, unfathomable and enigmatic, like the depths of the underworld.
The Punishing Virus flared.
A torrential force awakened within him, akin to a dormant volcano suddenly erupting.
Something strange happened.
The crimson veins on Mo Chen's body were absorbed as if sucked into a sponge, rapidly dissolving and fading away. At the same time, the fine, thread-like strands of the Punishing Virus wrapped around him like a cocoon, drawing in every trace of the red network beneath his skin.
Encased in the shimmering crimson glow of the Punishing Virus, he resembled a blood-drenched cocoon, pulsing with an unsettling yet mesmerizing brilliance.
"Punishing Virus growth: 25.7%."
A system notification popped up.
Mo Chen froze for a moment.
Summoning the system interface, he carefully checked the logs.
Simply by absorbing this virus, the Punishing Virus had grown by over 2%.
That was far beyond the growth he had experienced while dealing with Alteisen MK.VI.
In other words, the Punishing Virus could use this red tide-like infection to evolve?
Even someone as mentally unshakable as Mo Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of exhilaration as he gazed at the endless crimson sea below—like stumbling upon an abandoned fortune lying on the street.