I Arrived At Wizard World While Cultivating Immortality Chapter 663: Fusion and Blood Net

By the time Jie Ming finished gathering the last floating step, the remnants of the battle's commotion were so distinct that he no longer required his spiritual perception to pinpoint them. From the depths of the void, a continuous barrage of explosions, the sharp shrieks of colliding energies, and sounds akin to the heavy gasps of a colossal beast assaulted his senses.

He deliberately slowed his pace, utilizing the Great Void Step to suppress his presence to absolute zero.

Moving like an ethereal shadow, devoid of weight, he glided silently across the desolate gray terrain toward the fringes of the conflict.

The central area of this dimension was far more expansive than he had originally anticipated.

It was a cavernous, circular hall, boasting a diameter that stretched beyond five hundred meters, its interior presenting a vast, unobstructed expanse of unblemished gray-white ground.

Suspended at the very heart of the hall was a colossal orb of light. Its hue shifted and flickered between a pale gold and a milky white, pulsating erratically like a vital, yet ailing, heart.

An intricate network of fine, perpetually shifting patterns adorned the surface of this luminous sphere. With each discernible pulse, it propagated a ripple of energetic waves outward.

Positioned directly beneath this pulsating mass of light stood Professor Victor Raine.

The lenses of his silver-rimmed spectacles became mirrors, reflecting the sphere's ethereal luminescence. His white shirt was rolled up at the elbows, exposing a dense tapestry of runes etched across his forearms. These markings appeared to be born from beneath his skin, their glow synchronizing with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

His hands were pressed against a hovering array, his ten fingers dancing with relentless agility across the embedded runes, as if performing a silent symphony on an invisible instrument. Each precise activation of a rune induced a minute alteration in the light sphere's pulsation, the entirety of its being meticulously calibrated by the delicate touch of his fingertips.

Less than fifty meters away from the epicenter of this phenomenon, three formidable individuals from the Spirit Medium Association maintained their positions.

Their President occupied the foremost spot, his formidable Storm Strange fully unleashed and ready for combat.

However, his assaults were not directed towards the professor, but were instead concentrated on the monstrous entity positioned directly before him.

This creature was a grotesque amalgamation of flesh, metal, and fragmented Strange essence, standing approximately three meters tall. Its form was encased in what appeared to be bone-like armor plating. Its limbs were not conventional appendages, but rather two immense, fleshy pillars that terminated in hammer-like extremities, each swing generating potent, howling gales.

The President's lightning strikes impacted its structure, erupting in crackling blue arcs across its armored shell, yet the monstrosity merely staggered back a few paces. The fissures that appeared on its casing mended themselves completely within mere seconds.

The female reinforcement unleashed a sonic blast that impacted its frame, causing its body to convulse violently. Nevertheless, its feet remained immovably anchored to the ground, refusing to yield even an inch.

The male reinforcement initiated a pincer maneuver. His Strange morphed into a sinuous black shadow, endeavoring to circumvent the monster and strike directly at the professor. Yet, with astonishing alacrity, the seemingly lumbering entity reacted.

Its body executed a ferocious rotation the instant the shadow drew near the professor. The massive flesh pillar swept outwards, violently repelling the encroaching shadow.

The three alternated their assaults. A variety of Strange powers erupted and detonated throughout the vast hall.

Still, the monster persevered in its role as a barrier, positioned between the professor and the luminous sphere, functioning as an unyielding, self-regenerating bulwark.

Although the entity exhibited no overt aggression, its defensive capabilities were astonishingly robust.

Under the relentless barrage of attacks and subsequent regeneration, its physique became progressively more weathered. The hue of its armor shifted from a dull gray-white to a deep, somber gray, and the intricate patterns adorning its surface grew significantly denser.

Its resilience against the trio's combined onslaught intensified, reaching a point where their combined efforts proved insufficient to breach its defenses.

A grim expression contorted the President's features, as he recognized the entity before them.

“Collins!” His voice, cutting through the cacophony of explosions and thunder, carried an almost desperate plea. “Do you still recall your identity? You are a sworn member of the Spirit Medium Association! For over two decades, you have been the stalwart protector of this city! Do not permit a deranged individual to extinguish the final vestiges of your consciousness!”

The monster's colossal frame faltered.

The flesh pillar, poised to strike the female reinforcement, froze mid-swing. Its head slowly rotated, turning towards the President.

Upon its visage, distorted to the point of near inhumanity, its mouth creaked open, emitting a guttural sound, as if struggling against an obstruction in its throat.

While the sound was not particularly loud, the President perceived it clearly.

Witnessing this subtle reaction, a flicker of hope ignited in the President's eyes, and his voice amplified. “Yes, it is you! Collins! You still reside within! You can perceive my words! You retain a measure of control! You need not shield him any longer. We can assist in extracting that Strange from your being. The association possesses the requisite technology…”

The monster's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The mouth atop its warped face opened once more. This time, the utterance was more distinct, though still heavily distorted and unclear.

The President failed to decipher the words, but Jie Ming, through his spiritual perception, apprehended them.

Jie Ming's expression turned intrigued, as he realized the syllable was not directed at the President, but rather at the conjoined Strange entity itself.

“Can’t… retreat…”

Every trace of expression was wiped clean from that face, as if an eraser had obliterated all human emotion. Eyes, mouth, brows—every feature capable of conveying feeling smoothed into a blank, featureless expanse.

The monstrous entity righted itself once more. The flesh pillar, which had been momentarily halted, resumed its descent, hurtling towards the female reinforcement with even greater ferocity.

A flicker of sorrow crossed the President’s countenance.

He understood that Collins's endurance was rapidly waning.

With each inflicted wound and subsequent regeneration, the integration between the 'Strange' entity and Collins's own being grew deeper.

The moment he lost himself entirely, Collins would cease to exist, replaced by the very monster he fought.

Positioned behind a stone column jutting from the hall's grey floor, Jie Ming’s gaze shifted from the creature to the professor.

Victor’s expression remained remarkably tranquil.

He observed the relentless assault by the three Spirit Medium powerhouses on the monster, his face betraying no sign of agitation.

His fingers continued their swift dance across the array, the inscribed runes glowing with a steady azure light.

His eyes occasionally strayed from the intricate patterns to rest on Collins.

He was assessing the remaining integrity of Collins's form, the extent of the fusion with the Strange entity, and how much more valuable time this bought him.

The tempo of the trio’s fierce offensive quickened discernibly.

The President had unleashed his Storm Strange to its absolute peak, lightning illuminating the entire hall with the brilliance of daylight.

The female reinforcement’s sonic blasts transitioned from focused strikes to widespread saturation, each wave causing the monster’s form to convulse momentarily.

The male reinforcement’s shadowy attacks grew more insidious, specifically targeting the recently mended fissures in the monster’s carapace, inflicting fresh wounds with every pass.

The amalgamated monster finally began to falter under the sustained onslaught.

Its outer shell was now riddled with countless cracks from the ceaseless barrage, and its regenerative capabilities showed a marked decline.

These fissures propagated inwards, from the surface to its very core, and from isolated points across its entire being.

Its physical movements became erratic. The swings of its massive flesh pillar lacked their former power, and its footing grew unsteady.

Witnessing this deterioration, the three combatants simultaneously intensified their offensive efforts.

The President’s lightning coalesced into a thick, cerulean beam, descending like a celestial blade from the ceiling.

The female reinforcement’s sound waves, entwined with the thunderous energy, unerringly struck towards the monster’s chest.

The male reinforcement’s dark shadow transformed into a swarm of razor-sharp projectiles, encircling the lightning and impaling the monster’s form from every conceivable angle.

Confronted by this synchronized, decisive strike, the monster’s body stiffened abruptly before erupting into violent tremors.

An explosion of cracks webbed its shell. A dark, viscous fluid erupted from these ruptures, pooling into a significant puddle on the floor.

Despite its deteriorating state, it remained standing, obstructing the path between the professor and the luminous sphere.

However, its physical integrity was clearly beginning to disintegrate.

The professor's lips curved slightly, a subtle expression akin to a resigned sigh.

“A pity,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Still falling short. My technique… remains insufficiently perfected.”

He withdrew his fingers from the arcane array.

Then, he extended his hand and clasped the radiant sphere suspended above his head.

The instant his fingers made contact, the sphere unfurled like a blossoming flower, bursting open.

Innumerable fissures fractured its surface, releasing an effulgent, milky-white light that enveloped the professor entirely in a blinding radiance.

Runes began to emanate from his forearms, ascending his limbs to his shoulders, then spreading across his torso and back, and finally enveloping his entire body.

Beneath these glowing markings, his skin seemed to turn translucent, revealing the intricate process of his blood vessels and muscles being reshaped by an unseen force.

The professor’s form distorted within the light, as though countless unseen tendrils were reaching out from within him.

He tilted his head upwards, his gaze piercing the luminous haze to fix upon the monster, which had already started its descent into collapse.

“You have labored well.”

His voice, though soft, resonated with absolute clarity throughout the hall, each syllable distinct.

The monster’s frame convulsed once more.

The maw on its now-blank visage opened again.

This time, the sound it emitted was clearer than any previous utterance.

It was a human voice—aged, raspy, imbued with a profound sense of release:

“…Professor… forgive…”

The soundmatic utterance of the monster was cut short. Its body disintegrated completely.

The carapace shattered into innumerable fragments. Dark ichor spouted from between the cascading pieces, bursting outwards to form a colossal black stain upon the ground.

At the epicenter of this dark effusion, a frail, stooped figure clad in a hospital gown descended.

It was an elderly man.

His hair was streaked with grey, his face a tapestry of wrinkles, his lips tinged blue, and his eyes sealed shut.

No spark of life remained within him.

This was Collins.

The President advanced a step, then halted. He observed the frail corpse on the ground, his mouth moving, yet no sound emerged. Raising his head, his gaze bored through the light, fixing upon the professor. "Victor Raine," his voice was low, as if dragged from the deepest part of his chest. "Do you comprehend the number of lives you have shattered?" The professor offered no reply. He stood serene amidst the illumination, witnessing his own form transform incrementally, much like an uninvolved observer. The three powerhouses from the association granted him no further moments. The President, his interest in a response extinguished, brought his hand down with force. The might of his Strange coalesced into a formidable bolt of lightning, arcing towards the professor's head. Hot on its heels came the female reinforcement's sonic waves and the male reinforcement's shadowy tendrils. Three distinct forces intermingled in the atmosphere, weaving an attack that could not be evaded. Suddenly, a crimson net materialized before them. It presented as a net-like barrier, existing in a state between solid and liquid, fashioned from countless minuscule blood droplets. The net's structure was exquisitely fine and dense. Each filament was so attenuated it was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. Yet, their sheer quantity was overwhelming, spreading outward from the professor's body surface and engulfing hundreds of meters around him in mere milliseconds. The President's lightning impacted the net. Blue arcs dispersed along the threads in every direction, akin to water branching into innumerable tributaries. The energy was diluted, scattered, and ultimately dissipated. The female reinforcement's sound waves struck the net, failing to even stir a ripple. The male reinforcement's shadowy forms attempted to penetrate the mesh's apertures, but these gaps constricted automatically the instant the shadows drew near, firmly repelling them. "Blood Net!" The President's voice escalated sharply, quivering with fury. "The Disaster Grade Strange that once decimated over half of Middletown City is actually in your possession!" The male reinforcement's countenance also shifted. Disaster Grade Stranges were not alien to him; he himself was a Spirit Medium who commanded one. However, the aura emanating from this Blood Net was entirely dissimilar. Even at the same Disaster Grade, the pressure this Blood Net exerted felt as if they occupied entirely different echelons. "How can this individual be so potent at the same Disaster Grade?!" His voice betrayed a hint of incredulity. No one could provide him with an answer. Having repelled the trio's assaults, the Blood Net commenced to contract and reshape itself. The delicate threads, imbued with a semblance of life, converged towards the center, weaving themselves into a humanoid structure. First the skeletal frame, then the musculature, followed by the skin... Within mere seconds, a figure composed of blood-red material stood before them. The face was that of Victor Raine. If the professor's prior expression could be described as "composed," the visage on this blood-red entity conveyed an indifferent void, resembling an existence that had transcended mortal sentiment, gazing down upon a multitude of ants. The professor, now reverted to his human form, did not direct his gaze towards the three Spirit Medium powerhouses. He did not even cast a glance in their vicinity. His eyes traversed over the President's head, past the shoulders of the male and female reinforcements, and settled behind a stone pillar at the hall's periphery. Jie Ming released an internal sigh. He recognized he had been perceived. It was not due to any lapse on his part, but rather because of the Blood Net. The instant this Strange manifested, Jie Ming's All-Purpose Eye had identified the underlying mechanism. In addition to the visible crimson threads, countless nearly undetectable filaments radiated from the Blood Net's core, permeating every nook and cranny of the entire hall. This constituted a rare, physically-grounded, comprehensive surveillance system. Each of these transparent lines served as an extension of the Blood Net's perceptive capabilities, sensing anything that made contact—be it physical objects or intangible energies. The Great Void Step allowed him to meld with his surroundings, suppress energy fluctuations, and render himself overlooked. However, it could not render Jie Ming nonexistent. Naturally, Jie Ming possessed methods to circumvent such scrutiny. But... it was unnecessary. The professor's gaze lingered momentarily in the direction of Jie Ming's concealment. Then, he blinked. The three Spirit Medium Association powerhouses vanished simultaneously, instantaneously displaced from their positions by an unseen force. Jie Ming's spiritual markers indicated their relocation to a different sector of this subspace, a distance of several kilometers away. For an instant, only two figures remained within the hall.