Chapter 573: Warrior of the Consciousness Shell

"Please speak."

Luo De nodded, showing little expression.

No matter how these Bahadur people thought, Luo De's attitude was clearly directed at them.

He knew nothing about any maze entrance or cat spirit.

The female hero Gre cleared her throat.

"They are conducting human experiments using a spell, primarily by infecting subjects with crystalline disease to remove chaotic energy's effects on the body."

Luo De sneered: "Still doing good deeds, huh."

"Not good deeds, Mr. Luo De."

Gre shook her head. "They released chaotic energy among these mercenaries without their knowledge, showing zero regard for the harm and collateral damage caused—this is an inhumane live experiment."

The female hero's expression was grave.

Clearly not the type to joke, she hadn't caught Luo De's sarcasm.

Or perhaps, having seen too much death on the battlefield, she still held respect for life after retirement.

Luo De suppressed his smile, showing a degree of respect.

"My apologies."

Then he remembered how the Igo Cult recognized minor sects and appointed Cremation Officers.

Two months ago, the Holy Flame Sect brought to Shiying Town by Baron Ram did indeed aim to eliminate plague.

After they resolved the strange illness in Windstorm City,

aside from some local physicians being displeased,

ordinary civilians were still deeply grateful to the Holy Flame Sect.

Only Luo De, bearing the 【Cruel Mark】, had reacted strongly—yet they never acted violently.

Then,

after spending an afternoon in the underground prison, the Tooth Fairy Xiao Feisuo extracted the truth: "The Windstorm City plague was deliberately released by them."

Their motive was simple and straightforward:

to rapidly expand their influence, seize control of discourse, and eliminate any possibility of plague in this region.

Their methods were extreme and cold-blooded, embodying a clear philosophy of sacrificing the small for the great.

Yet their desire to eradicate plague was genuine.

Luo De rubbed his chin.

In that case,

using live experiments to research solutions,

these Bahadur Magic Academy people's methods are somewhat similar to the Igo Cult's.

"If it's a live experiment, why not use animals—pigs, sheep, cows?"

Qila raised her hand enthusiastically.

"I know this!"

The half-deer wore a fitted shirt; her movements were slightly exaggerated, causing the small bun on her chest to tremble.

Luo De raised an eyebrow.

He had previously clashed with these two in Kawa Kingdom.

He had grabbed Qila's chest several times.

The forest ranger's evaluation: slightly small.

The forest half-deer Xiao Ke was even smaller.

Even now, with warmer temperatures and Xiao Ke's chest fat reduced, her dimensions still surpassed Qila's.

Pathetic.

The female hero Gre suddenly turned and shifted her stance, perfectly blocking Luo De's gaze from her chest.

"?"

Innocent and pure Qila didn't notice.

She said: "Because chaotic energy primarily interferes with the minds of sentient races—even when transformation occurs, it's the materialization of spiritual power. Perhaps for this reason, live experiments must be conducted on humans."

Luo De nodded: "But overall, I believe the Bahadur Magic Academy people have ulterior motives for doing this."

Gre said: "You mean the 【Magic Singularity】 they're seeking?"

"Yes. This Shemers once spread beastification disease near my hometown, intending to awaken that ancient, long-dead formless entity through mass infection."

The two girls heard this.

Beastification disease was another incurable illness, and its contagion rate far exceeded that of chaotic energy contamination.

Hundreds of years ago, when beastification disease ravaged the land, countless died.

Their gazes toward the bound Shemers now held clear revulsion.

Qila huffed: "No wonder, Lord Luo De, you came specifically to hunt him down!"

"Not specifically—I happened upon him, so naturally I couldn't let him go."

Nearby, Shemers sensed their stares.

He turned his head.

He smiled obsequiously at Luo De.

Classic Bahadur Magic Academy behavior: opportunistic, cowardly, terrified of death.

Every time they lost, their first instinct was to beg.

It had its advantages.

It made extracting information unusually easy.

For instance, Gre's interrogation—no need for violence or torture; they themselves blurted everything out.

"Clatter!"

At that moment,

a clattering sound of falling equipment came from the back experimental chamber.

All three turned their heads.

It was the very chamber where Luo De and Tally had just "rested."

Tap—

The platform formed by 【Activated Trees】 trembled slightly.

The heavy curtain of the experimental chamber was pushed open.

A trembling 【Biological Weave】 puppet emerged, stitched together with mismatched flesh tones.

Its movements were stiff, utterly violating anatomical logic.

It had no facial features.

Its abdomen was torn open in a large gash.

Tissue fluid and intestines dragged behind its hips and thighs.

"Success?! Success!"

Before they could speak,

Shemers, watching from afar, cried out in excitement.

The nearby mages also grew excited.

But one calmed down:

"No— the core is gone! The shell warrior has no core!"

"What?! How is that possible! My remote core-linking ritual hasn't even been inscribed yet!"

"Could it be… autonomous linking?"

"Impossible! Without life-creation-level energy, autonomous linking to a shell warrior is impossible!"

Gre raised her massive steel spear, face cold: "Mr. Luo De, did your and Miss Tally's 'resting' activity affect him?"

She emphasized the word "resting."

"Of course not…"

Luo De remembered—the gaping hole in its abdomen was his doing, and he had taken the core from inside.

He'd been playing with Tally and hadn't had time to retrieve it, so he'd grabbed the core and directly touched the abdominal muscles.

Hmm…

When he released the lock, the force had been too strong—it had splashed onto it.

Could it really be because of that?

"."

Luo De's arm blurred for an instant.

【Sacrificial Sword Offering】 had completed its draw, slash of 【Screaming Blade Wave】, and sheathing.

The piercing shriek faded away.

The shell warrior froze, then split from the waist downward, sliding apart.

It became two halves.

The mages' discussion ceased instantly.

They glanced at Luo De, shrank their necks, and dared not speak again.

Luo De stepped toward them: "Tell me, what is that?"

Seamus forced a grim smile: "Mr. Luo De, that is a mindless shell warrior, requiring no magic or spiritual energy to drive it, and certainly no aether or spiritual energy from the other dimension."

"And?"

"Once successful, they will be deployed on the battlefield between the Heavenly Court's Flower Nation and the Kingdom of Ethelon, unleashing a merciless slaughter devoid of honor, fear, anger, hatred, or fanaticism."

(End of Chapter)