I will be crowned king

"Plop! Plop! Plop..."

This... looking at the beating heart, Anson's eyes froze instantly.

On the surface dripping with blood and full of scorch marks, there was a six-pointed star engraved exactly like his own!

It's different from the marks left by the brand, but more like marks made by some kind of sharp weapon.

Is the six-pointed star carved on the heart with a sharp blade the symbol of a blood mage...

While Anson was still dazed, the still-beating heart suddenly began to spurt out stinking pus and plasma from the breach; the tattered wound began to squirm crazily, and sarcoma wrapped in pus began to grow.

The dense pustule completely surrounded the heart, and began to expand outward with the overflowing pus and flesh, and soon formed a boneless "trunk"-shaped sarcoma.

Is it trying to resurrect? !

"Plop! Plop! Plop..."

Anson stood up immediately with a stunned expression. His body in severe pain threw himself at Kroger's charred body in the sea of ​​​​fire. He aimed his revolver at the heart and fired rapidly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The lead bullets that hit one after another exploded near the sarcoma and heart, and the flesh and blood mixed with pus exploded around, pouring out like a geyser.

The bloody center of the torso, torn by lead bullets, once again exposed the beating heart.

It's now!

Anson gritted his teeth and jumped directly into the sea of ​​fire. With a "pop!" sound, his open right hand stabbed directly into the center of the expanding sarcoma, and forcefully pulled the heart out from inside.

Anson's right hand, which was covered in pieces of flesh and blood and sprayed with pus, tightly held Kroger's heart, which was still beating in his palm!

Almost at the same time as he clutched his heart, he felt a stinging pain in his palm - the pus that was constantly overflowing from his heart was eating away at his right hand, and was attaching the expanding sarcoma to his arm at a speed visible to the naked eye. superior.

Anson's pupils shrank suddenly, and without any hesitation, he held the still hot and smoking saber and stabbed it into his heart, pulling off the flesh of his right palm and forearm!

The heart that had been pierced by the saber was still beating, spurting out pus and plasma. At the same time, it hungrily devoured Anson's flesh and blood attached to the sarcoma, corrupting and dissolving it bit by bit, and finally completely dissolving it in the ever-proliferating flesh. among pustules and sarcomas.

So...is this the secret of the so-called "infinite proliferation of flesh and blood"?

It does not proliferate indefinitely, but like a flesh bag that is always hungry, constantly devouring the flesh and blood that is close to it; even if it touches it, it will be quickly corroded and assimilated...

And "its" host will continue to devour and lose itself bit by bit in the process of "becoming stronger" - flesh and blood, internal organs, brain...

When Kroger Bernard, who was shot in the head by Lisa for the first time, stood up again, how much of his "self" did he still have?

Staring at the heart that was still beating after being pierced by a sharp blade, Anson, with a complicated expression, slowly raised his right hand and lightly snapped his fingers with a "pop!" sound.

The heart that had been imprinted with [Gathering Flame] ignited with fire. Under Anson's silent gaze, it lost its vitality bit by bit under the attachment of the flame, shrank, and turned into flying dust and black smoke in the air. Drifting away.

it's over.

Looking at Kroger Bernard disappearing into smoke, Anson, who tried his best and even risked his life to survive, felt no joy of victory in his empty heart.

Only blood can lead to immortality... This is the ultimate fate of Kroger Bernard, who became the "blood mage".

What about yourself?

Only destruction can lead to greatness... If you choose the path of a conjurer, what fate awaits you?

There was only dead silence in the dimly lit main hall.

A minute later, rapid footsteps sounded from the stairs on both sides of the main hall at the same time.

Before he could even walk down the stairs, Karl smelled the pungent smell of blood and gunpowder smoke.

When the soldiers rushed into the main hall, everyone was stunned.

The colors of blood and fire filled every pair of eyes with dilated pupils.

The stinking pus and plasma covered every wall they could see; corpses with broken limbs and strewn about were soaked in the pool of blood that overflowed the floor; burning flames were like liquid in the pool of blood. It keeps flowing and making a "sizzling" sound...

Seeing the scene in front of them that was like a burning hell, the pale-faced recruits fell to the ground one after another, vomiting violently uncontrollably.

Carl Bain, who felt nauseated, frowned and looked around the entire hall. Except for his captain, he did not see the guy who should be here.

Kroger Bernard.

Among the corpses everywhere, there was no figure of the commander of the imperial garrison!

The corpse, the head...even the military uniform that could prove his identity was gone, leaving only the tearing sword that a normal person could never use, lying quietly in a pool of blood next to Anson.

What happened? Even if it was blown into pieces by a grenade, it wouldn't be like there were no bones left, right? !

Recalling the way Lisa danced and gestured when she came to find him, Karl thought it would be better not to ask.

Taking a deep breath and holding back a lot of questions, Carl pretended that he saw nothing and that nothing happened, and walked towards Anson, who was stunned in place.

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Captain?"

"Ah, nothing."

Anson, who came back to his senses, glanced sideways slightly and looked at Karl, who was smiling reluctantly: "Where's Lisa?"

"As you ordered, I sent you to deliver the order to the artillery base - only an inconspicuous little person like her can sneak out of the battlefield that is so bloody."

Karl shrugged, and his keen eyes immediately noticed Anson's bloody right hand and obviously burned left hand; but his chest was covered in blood and his uniform was torn to pieces, but there was only an inconspicuous bruise.

"So...win?"

"Won."

Anson nodded.

"Where's Kroger Bernard?" Karl asked deliberately.

Anson's expression was a little melancholy:

"He...is no longer important."

"……All right."

Resisting the urge to ask, Karl nodded: "Then what's next - it's still very dark outside, and if there's trouble, the thousands of people in the levy army will be kicked out by the dregs of the empire - what should we do?"

"Simple." Anson picked up the tearing sword on the ground and threw it to Karl:

"We triumph!"

"Triumph?!"

Karl caught it in a panic, holding the hilt of the sword with both hands, and was almost killed on the spot.

"Yes, triumph!"

Anson nodded vigorously and raised the corners of his mouth, striding towards the private soldiers lying on the ground vomiting:

"Soldiers, listen carefully - the First Infantry Regiment...we! We captured the main fort of Thunder Castle, killed the commander of the imperial garrison, and won the most critical victory in this battle!"

"Tell me, what will you do after victory?!"

"Triumph, triumph..."

The soldiers who were still vomiting shouted weakly in twos and threes.

"Louder, I didn't hear you!" Anson shouted, holding his saber high.

"Triumph—!! Triumph—!!! Triumph—!!!!"

Loud shouts came one after another, reverberating deafeningly in the main hall.

"well said!"

He suddenly clenched his fist on his chest and swung his sword to the main entrance of the main castle: "We have won the battle, and we want to triumph! So we have to walk out of the main entrance upright and give a fatal blow to the scum of the empire who are still stubbornly resisting!"

"First regiment, two columns follow me! Target Thunder Castle, move towards victory - advance!"