Chapter 95: Knowledge Merged Into the Body (13)

"What kind of Saya no Uta…?"

Herbert walked through a world forged of flesh, curiously examining its structure.

He uprooted the flower that had been staring at him, strolling idly as he casually dismantled its anatomy.

【This chunk of flesh is the hamstring tendon, this one is a heart valve, this spike is a lumbar osteophyte…】

Herbert didn't know why he understood such obscure, arcane knowledge, but one glance was enough for him to effortlessly identify the nature of these tissues.

In just moments, he had fully disassembled the flower, and even its eyeball he rolled between his fingers.

After playing awhile, he tore up two more flowers and juggling three eyeballs in his palm.

Just as he was about to seek a fourth, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Hm?

He looked down at the eyeballs in his hand; the three eyes stared back at him in confusion.

Five eyes met, leaving only blank bewilderment.

Herbert: "Hey, what's going on?"

The three eyes: "Kid, what's going on with you?"

With a flick of his finger, Herbert casually tossed the three eyeballs onto the roadside; the flesh on the ground devoured them, and soon three new small flowers grew back.

It was a bizarre scene, but after witnessing it, Herbert felt nothing strange—it seemed perfectly natural, as if this were common sense in his mind.

Herbert squinted, silently analyzing: "... This place is off. My mind certainly isn't this 'healthy'!"

"Am I being altered?"

He scanned the ground and walls around him, and his mind rapidly analyzed their composition—even faster than before.

Faster and faster!

Vast quantities of unfamiliar knowledge surged into his brain like a storm.

【Vessels filled with brain matter, walls formed from gastric lining, bricks of diaphragm, sphincter muscle's…】

"Huh? Sphincter muscle? Is this really suitable as a doorframe?"

Simultaneously, as these knowledge flooded his mind, Herbert's spirit was gradually being altered.

It was foreseeable that the longer he stayed in this world, the deeper his alteration would become.

He was being assimilated by this world.

That mysterious force was eroding his spirit.

Upon realizing this, Herbert halted his aimless wandering.

This world was too vast, with no visible end; continuing forward held no meaning.

He entered a house beside the path and sat down on a chair assembled from stacked bones.

【Scapula, clavicle, sternum, ribs, spine…】

Herbert unconsciously analyzed the room's composition while frowning in thought, under the silent gaze of every object.

"What does Svan-ni's flesh contain?"

Fu Leimei's scales held ancient mermaid bloodline legends, Valentina's hair carried dragon bloodline heritage, Eliza's blood contained memories of her 'father'…

Then… Svan-ni, what does your flesh contain?

He had expected to see ancient dark elf legends, perhaps even their origins, but instead he saw only this bizarre world.

"This damn place has nothing but flesh—am I really supposed to find Saya here…?"

【Peripheral nerves, pituitary gland, pancreas, prostate…】

"Damn, this thing is made of prostate?! Wait…"

Herbert recoiled from the grotesque fleshy handle, then his expression changed—he finally realized the problem he'd unconsciously ignored.

"This world isn't empty…"

"It's full of knowledge."

He stepped out of the room, surveyed his surroundings, and couldn't help but squint.

【—】

The once-quiet world now screamed in his vision; the knowledge howled like wailing entities, shrieking their names.

Knowledge was chasing him.

No.

Herbert even felt these knowledge were beating his brain…

Trying to kill him, then drown him completely in this world, making him one of its parts.

"…"

Herbert fell silent for a moment, then bent down and removed his boots, bare feet touching the muddy, rotting flesh.

The slimy sensation made him squint, instinctively wanting to put his boots back on.

But soon, another sensation surged into his heart.

He "heard" the pulse of the earth, the whispers of the flesh-flowers, felt the breathing of the buildings, the gaze of the blood moon above… all impossibly clear.

Simultaneously, the knowledge flooded into Herbert's mind at an even more astonishing speed.

But, it wasn't enough.

Herbert unbuttoned his clothes, stripped them off, and stood naked at the world's center—then fell straight backward.

Plop.

His back felt no impact, only sinking into soft, yielding flesh.

Gently enveloped, smoothly consumed.

Herbert sank slowly, becoming one part of this world.

【————】

That knowledge poured into his body at ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times the previous speed.

He was merging into this world.

No…

Herbert was letting this world merge into him.

Herbert, whose flesh and blood had been gradually dissolving, suddenly flung his eyes open and violently raised his right hand.

Boom!

A colossal hand of flesh and blood burst up from underground, slammed heavily onto the ground, and pressed down with force.

Boom, boom, boom…

Accompanied by a tremendous roar, a giant formed entirely of congealed flesh and blood drilled up out of the ground.

He staggered as he took a step, his foot crashing down heavily onto the earth.

He dropped to his knees several times, but each time slowly rose again, and at last walked properly.

Every step he took drew in the surrounding flesh and blood, fusing it into his body to become nourishment for his continued growth.

The giant grew ever more massive, his pace ever faster, yet his movements became ever more agile.

Boom, boom, boom!

Amid the world-shattering roar, he finally broke into a run!

Fair skin grew over the giant's body, snow-white strands of hair spread and lengthened, and at last he took on a handsome appearance — an appearance identical to Herbert's.

When the last trace of flesh and blood completed Herbert's body, his appearance swiftly shifted; flesh and blood sprouted and spread, and in the span of a few instants he transformed into a crimson giant dragon.

Roar!!!

The dragon violently spread its wings, leapt with tremendous force, and shot explosively toward the "Blood Moon" hanging in the high sky.

In a few breaths it pierced through the heavens and arrived before the "Blood Moon" — a blood-red eyeball several times larger than the dragon itself.

The instant it made contact with that enormous eyeball, the dragon whipped its tail with all its might and lashed it heavily against the orb.

【— Eye of God!】

"Look! Look! Look!"

"I'll make you goddamn well stop sneaking peeks over there!"

Poof!

The eyeball burst apart in an instant, dissolving into a great shower of flowing light.

Bathed in that golden light tinged with blood, the dragon threw back its head and roared skyward within the world of flesh and blood!!!

(End of this chapter)