NOVEL NEXT Chapter395-Daniel’s Realization
Fleshheart could never have imagined that the Void Pearls would prove so difficult to handle.
Every time one of them was shattered, it would instantly restore itself, returning to its pristine state, and its rainbow-colored glow only grew brighter and more dazzling.
Break apart, then return whole again.
Fleshheart began to sense something disturbing. With each cycle of destruction and rebirth, the Void Pearls did not weaken. They seemed to grow stronger.
It was strange, irrational, and utterly contrary to its understanding of how reality should work.
But Fleshheart had no choice in the matter. The orbs had encircled it, hemming it in from all sides. No matter which way it turned, escape was impossible.
It had tried, of course. It had attempted to flee from the battlefield, lashing out and retreating at the same time. But no matter where it went, the Void Pearls followed relentlessly, like maggots clinging to bone.
Defense, destruction, avoidance—it made no difference. The orbs ignored every attempt, always reforming, always surrounding.
"Daniel!" Fleshheart roared, its voice edged with fury and a creeping panic. "What have you done to me? What in the abyss are these things?"
But its cry was met only by Daniel's cold, unblinking gaze.
Daniel slowly raised his hand. Above, the sky itself darkened. From horizon to horizon, shadows gathered like an endless storm.
His Domain of Darkness unfurled.
And the instant his domain expanded, the Void Pearls gleamed even brighter, as though drinking from the night. Their brilliance became nearly blinding, shining against the black void.
They pressed closer, clinging directly to Fleshheart's body.
The next heartbeat brought pain.
A searing, corrosive agony began to devour Fleshheart's flesh. Its body writhed and twisted, the unstoppable corrosion spreading through its mass.
Even a Fake God Rank being such as Fleshheart could not withstand that torment.
Its screams shook the sky.
"Daniel! You will never kill me!" it bellowed. "As long as my hearts continue to beat, I will be reborn again and again! You cannot destroy me!"
…
On the Continent of Flesh, countless human awakeners and those of allied races had stopped in shock.
They had not expected this. They had never imagined such a grotesque and horrifying sight waiting for them on the other side of the land.
The endless mass of flesh and sinew covering the continent churned and writhed. Many of the soldiers gagged at the sight, fighting the urge to vomit.
But then they remembered their orders.
"Forward! Brothers, charge!" one voice rang out. "Follow Emperor Daniel's command—slay everything here!"
"Burn this flesh! Destroy it all! These abominations are the very source of sin!"
They roared as one.
These awakeners were not weak. Each had reached at least Demigod Rank. Their combined assault struck the Continent of Flesh like a storm of divine weapons.
Every strike, every burst of energy, ripped away the layers of Fleshheart's corruption clinging to the land.
Their mission was simple. Clear away the flesh that had attached itself to the surface of the continent.
If they could cleanse the land, then when Daniel finished off Fleshheart itself, the creature would have no anchor to return to.
Without its foundations, it would perish completely.
The operation had even been given a name—The Purge Initiative.
As awakeners poured across the continent, patches of land were swiftly reclaimed.
"Sector 0731 cleared!"
"Sector 0328 has been purged!"
"Team 0491 still needs a little more time, but progress is steady."
"Sector 0917 under heavy attack—requesting immediate support!"
All across the Continent of Flesh, progress advanced with startling speed. Land after land was restored to its original, clean state.
And as the flesh was destroyed, so too did Fleshheart weaken. Its power visibly faltered, dropping with every passing moment.
Fleshheart's monstrous face contorted into a hideous mask of rage. It glared at Daniel, eyes burning.
"Damnable humans! What are you trying to do? Do you not understand the fury you are provoking?"
Its roar went unanswered.
No one cared.
Daniel ignored its threats. He simply increased the rhythm of his assault, pushing Fleshheart to the brink.
The creature was overwhelmed, struggling to keep up.
And then, suddenly, the battlefield shifted.
All across the Continent of Flesh, the ground split open.
From beneath the soil, thousands of massive flesh tendrils erupted. They lashed outward, stabbing into the bodies of many awakeners.
The victims screamed as the corruption surged into them. Flesh spread across their bodies, swelling grotesquely. Within seconds, their forms twisted and mutated into monstrous abominations.
Chaos swept through the ranks.
Fleshheart's face split into a triumphant grin.
"Do you see now, Daniel?" it sneered. "You send ants against me, but what good are they? With a single thought, I can turn them into my slaves. They will fall one by one, and your army will crumble to dust."
But Daniel did not answer.
He continued his assault, silent and focused.
Meanwhile, among the awakeners, panic began to settle. But it did not last.
For within moments, calm returned.
From the Infinity Divine Temple, prepared medicines were distributed. The concoctions flared to life, purging the flesh corruption from their bodies.
One by one, the infected soldiers reverted back to their human forms, whole and unharmed.
Only a handful were not so lucky.
Those who failed to endure the first surge of corruption perished quickly, their lives snuffed out.
But even that was not the end.
For Daniel had planned even this. Resurrection points had already been set across the Continent of Flesh.
The fallen awakeners revived instantly, returning to the battlefield to fight once more.
Fleshheart's confidence faltered.
It had never imagined that its most dreaded power, Flesh Corruption, would be neutralized so directly, so brutally.
Its greatest weapon, undone by Daniel's foresight.
And Daniel was not finished.
A new command echoed in his mind, his orders flowing through the psychic network that bound his people.
"Phase One completed. Commence Phase Two."
Phase One had been the cleansing of the surface—the eradication of every visible trace of Fleshheart's corruption.
That stage had gone smoothly, completed even before Fleshheart's counterattack had begun.
Its desperate retaliation had been anticipated. Daniel had predicted every step.
Now, with the land reclaimed, the true mission could begin.
Phase Two—the heart strike.
Fleshheart did not possess a single heart.
It had many, hidden deep within the earth, pulsing with foul vitality. Each was a core of its existence.
The awakeners' next mission was clear: find every one of those hearts and destroy them.
To carry out this task, Daniel reorganized his forces.
Teams of five were dispatched across the Continent of Flesh.
Each squad had a precise composition: one with perception-oriented talents, two with combat-focused gifts, one with abnormal powers, and one with elemental mastery.
Every strength was accounted for. Every possibility covered.
It was Daniel's special gift to Fleshheart—a combination of talents so varied that no matter what form of resistance it attempted, it would be countered.
Guided by the perceptive awakeners, the squads spread out.
One by one, they uncovered the hidden hearts buried in the earth.
Each pulsed with heavy, unnatural life, throbbing with blood, the rhythm echoing like war drums through the soil.
The battle had entered its true stage.