The entire mass of flesh suddenly exploded, sending a crimson light darting out.
Germain immediately went on alert, his eyes fixed tightly on the glowing red dot.
The crimson light paused, then revealed its true form.
The "Flesh" had reverted back to a small humanoid creature, but this time, its limbs and torso looked somewhat awkward and mismatched.
On its head grew a pair of horns—one pointing forward, the other backward—completely asymmetrical.
Dozens of eyes were densely packed across its stitched-up face, each looking in different directions, creating a chaotic and irregular pattern.
Among the sharp teeth in its large mouth, one fang jutted out like a tiger's tooth and was embedded directly into the flesh of its own chin.
Its entire body was a deep red, with some areas covered in scales, others embedded with bone, and patches swollen with lumps of flesh.
Germain frowned.
But the "Flesh" seemed very satisfied with its form.
"Strange, isn't it? This is only the first step in my evolution towards the perfect being. If it weren't for idiots like you constantly interfering, I'd have reached the second and third stages long ago!"
It raised a hand, sharp nails pointing directly at Germain.
Suddenly, a buzzing filled Germain's ears, and his whole body stiffened.
He found himself suspended mid-air, unable to move.
At the same time, numerous flesh tumors sprouted all over him, and swollen blood vessels bulged out, twisting and destroying his body relentlessly!
He swung the bone spikes, clashing violently with the onrushing Germain.
The collision rang out in a series of sharp metallic echoes.
After a single swing of his Sacred Moonlight Greatsword, Germain suddenly changed weapons.
He shifted to the Burial Blade—and launched a relentless assault against the creature of Flesh, completely abandoning defense and evasion.
Slash. Slash.
The bone spikes pierced through Germain's skull and heart in rapid succession.
Yet, even as the creature watched, Germain's scythe cut cleanly through its outer shell of flesh.
Not only that—Germain's life force had surged back above the threshold of death.
The sight made the creature's scalp prickle with unease.
Only then did it fully understand the terrifying nature of this weapon.
The Burial Blade was not only sharp enough to wound it, but it also granted its wielder an ability beyond reason: as long as he pressed forward—attack, attack, and attack again—death would not immediately claim him.
Even with his skull and heart pierced, Germain still had a moment, a single breath's worth of invincibility.
If he faltered, hesitated, or allowed fear to cloud him for even an instant—if his next strike failed to wound the creature—then death would come for him without mercy.
The Burial Blade was truly a weapon meant to bury gods, a blade belonging only to those with unwavering resolve—the fearless slayers of divinity.
The more the creature realized this, the more furious it became.
Suppressing Germain was growing impossible. Forget transforming him later—killing him now was becoming uncertain.
But even if the Burial Blade was terrifyingly sharp, the creature's regenerative power was unmatched.
It could endlessly replenish itself, drawing upon the remnants of flesh scattered around the battlefield.
The real question was—how long could this continue?
The raging storm above was tearing apart the vast net of flesh suspended in the air.
Soon, its supply would run dry.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck.
All at once, the many eyes on its grotesque face glowed crimson, unleashing beams of searing light toward Germain.
He darted aside, evading the strike—only to see the creature abandon their duel.
With explosive speed, it plummeted downward like an arrow loosed from the heavens, diving toward the earth.
In that instant, Germain immediately understood its intention.
Without a shred of hesitation, he unfurled his wings and pursued at full speed.
——
At the same time.
Ancient labyrinths, coastal fortresses, Greed Island, transfer base islands, and the Gate of Limits—twenty-five teleportation points in total—all trembled at once.
From each location, a pillar of light shot straight into the sky.
Humans, demi-humans, magical beasts, and wild creatures alike—any being capable of movement—instinctively turned their heads toward the radiant spectacle.
The light then rippled outward, spreading in thin waves across the land.
The wave swept across countless living beings, yet most felt nothing unusual.
Only those who had once unleashed the power of "Virtue and Torment" were left stunned as markings surfaced upon their bodies—symbols of a silver halo and a dark crown.
The markings shimmered, dazzling and mysterious, like stars scattered across the night sky.
Two figures clashed high above, colliding again and again—one glowing silver, the other blazing red. Each impact thundered across the heavens.
Yet the "Flesh" was no longer focused on its battle with Germain.
Its will was directed toward the ground, where vast patches of earth had been drenched in blood, transformed into a land of flesh and gore.
By drawing power from this blood-soaked terrain, its regeneration could continue without end.
Germain quickly grasped its intent and pursued relentlessly. But even so, he lacked the means to completely restrain it.
Then, suddenly, Germain shuddered. The silver and dark lights on his body flickered violently.
In the next instant, they surged outward, swelling like flames.
Visions unfolded before his eyes—faces both familiar and unknown.
He saw their current actions, heard their voices, as if the entire world's tapestry was laid bare before him.
The "Flesh" sensed this transformation as well. Its many eyes widened in shock as it looked back at him.
But it did not stop.
Without hesitation, it abandoned its counterattacks against Germain and hurled itself straight toward the earth.
As long as it reached the ground… as long as it touched that land… then surely—
Boom—
The sound of an explosion thundered through the sky.
The "Flesh" was still a hundred meters from the ground when, in the blink of an eye, it sensed another presence beside it.
The moment the "Flesh" turned its head, a dark spear pierced into its side, the immense force sending it flying sideways!
With a sudden motion, it shattered the black spear with a burst of bone spikes—only to see a figure charging straight at it.
It was still Germain.
His face and body hadn't changed much, but the silver radiance and the darkness that enveloped him had grown even stronger.
He drew out the Resentment Badge, unleashing one of the very roots of the "certainty" he had spoken of to Ging when he declared that single word: "Yes."
The "Flesh" possessed the ability to stitch and repair itself using the flesh and blood of other creatures.
If that was the case, then after its battle against the Curse of Resentment, there was no way it had spent a thousand years unable to repair its body.
What it had been repairing—was what the Curse of Resentment had been able to wound.
Its soul.
That meant the Resentment Badge might very well be the natural nemesis of the "God of Flesh"!
Buzz—
The "Flesh" let out a hideous roar, its soul wounds having only just begun to scab over.
But the deaths of the three "Apostles of God" had ripped those scabs open again, tearing the wound anew and weakening its soul further.
And now, the Resentment Badge once again wrenched at those soul wounds, unraveling it piece by piece.
Germain had been right.
He only had this single chance to defeat the "God of Flesh."
If the deity's soul and body were allowed to fully heal, if it was able to select new Apostles and seize both the eastern and western shores…
Germain would never get such an opportunity again.
And now—the moment was right before his eyes.
Germain raised the Burial Blade.
With the might of a demigod, he swung down from on high, his strike filled with contempt and judgment.
Boom—
The blade tore into both the flesh and soul of the "Flesh," forcing a scream from its throat that it could not suppress.
From the darkness, chains emerged, coiling around its entire body, tightening with every second.
A crown of thorns, black and jagged, appeared upon its head—embedding itself deeper and deeper into the bone.
His body began to collapse uncontrollably.
Asymmetrical horns, countless compound eyes, rows of jagged fangs, bone spikes, scales, swollen flesh—all of it dissolved one after another.
"Human!" He glared at Germain with venomous hatred. "Human! I…"
Before he could finish his words, his body vanished completely.
On that severed head, only a pair of eyes remained—but even they had lost their light.
Pfft—
The head wearing the dark crown shattered into pieces, scattering into dust.
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer