Upon becoming Fallen, the Evil Spirit also lost the human intellect used for thinking, making it impossible to communicate or negotiate with. Only the most intense instinct remained, following the established rules of the demonic breed—to devour humans!
At this mont, Velazquez was chosen as its "keeper," its "long-term al ticket."
Capturing its master’s wish, it extended a hand to lightly touch the parchnt, and a new agreent imdiately materialized on the Faustian Contract:
"By sacrificing one thousand people, the Faustian Contract will employ the omnipotent ’Life Alchemy’ to fulfill two of your wishes. The contract supports a lending model, with 10% interest charged for each day of delayed paynt. If the contractor breaks the contract, their soul will be devoured by this contract."
Although Velazquez didn’t inherit the [Lantern Carriers]’ explicit guardian responsibilities like Byron did, this didn’t an there was no cost at all. Byron simply needed to accept Faust’s Mandate of Heaven and be a person in pursuit of truth and freedom to use the "Faustian Contract" at will. However, every ti Velazquez used it, a price or sacrifice was required. Of course, its ability to make wishes by directly using the [Philosopher’s Stone] as a makeshift Wishing Machine was a capability the white contract lacked.
"A price?"
Veins throbbed on Velazquez’s forehead, but he still unhesitatingly signed his na on the lending agreent.
Using others’ lives for one’s own business was always much better than spending one’s own money to do so.
As long as he could win this battle and scatter a vast amount of Gold Coins, it would be a piece of cake for the slave traders to capture one thousand people as sacrifices from the native islands.
"The contract is set; no turning back."
The Faustian Contract imdiately spat out a gold-red [Philosopher’s Stone]. It bounced twice on the ground before explosively unfolding into a huge Alchemy Array.
Clearly, during these years of garrison life, Flint himself had also hoarded quite a few top-quality stones. All of it benefited that Evil Spirit.
Red lightning exploded. Velazquez’s severed leg began to regrow rapidly, completely restoring itself in just a few breaths. This regeneration did not consu the cells’ own lifespan. The blood spilled on the ground was not wasted either. Under the catalysis of Life Alchemy, it proliferated rapidly. First, it wriggled like millions of tadpoles, then clumped together into indescribable blobs of eerie flesh. It then continued to differentiate into muscles, organs, and bones.
Byron, of course, could not allow the enemy to counterattack leisurely. Although he was a step slower than the Shadow Gate, he had already caught up to them.
"Enough of your desperate struggles! All of you, off to your deaths!"
He rode his warhorse, speeding through the storm of arrows unleashed by Velazquez’s [Shadow Serpent Breath · Barrage]. Behind him, Andrew, another Storm Admiral, followed closely. He swept at them viciously with the [Fingertip Spear] technique, identical to the one his uncle used. The extrely sharp sword qi transford into wind blades, like a thousand cuts, instantly slicing several Supernatural Officers on the periter into minceat. Only a few blood-drenched Gold Coins clattered to the ground. However, they were desperately blocked by Herman, the nearly invincible Quasi-Sword Saint, and Velazquez, who scattered a large number of cards.
Amidst the intense battle, the rapidly dividing and proliferating flesh on the ground wriggled crazily before growing into several skinless giants, each over three ters tall. Their bodies were blood-red. They had no facial features or hair on their heads, only a vertical, ferocious mouth filled with sharp teeth in the center of their faces. Each one grabbed its own spine and slowly pulled it out. In the flickering red lightning, each spine transford into a revolting cleaver of connected flesh and bone, lined with rib-like serrations.
With a slash of such might, even a "living dead" would be cleaved in two on the spot. Moreover, the [Devil of the Contract] had embedded a cursed Gold Coin into the forehead of each giant, adding another layer of reinforcent.
Witnessing such an exceedingly evil scene, Byron’s heart skipped a beat.
This is... Life Alchemy: Human Transmutation? Even if it hasn’t achieved sothing on par with the three great jewels of Alchemy—transmuting complete humans with souls, touching the domain of the creator—it’s still considered a simplified version. By pursuing the Cultivation of this forbidden knowledge to its extre, could one truly obtain such ga-breaking abilities? In this world where the collective is king, if one could infinitely spawn soldiers from enemy corpses, creating an army of clones, wouldn’t one eventually beco invincible?
"AWOO!"
Dozens of monstrous "sons," spawned from Velazquez’s blood, raised the flesh-and-bone cleavers in their hands and charged at Byron and Andrew. The uncle and nephew were like two leaves, drifting backward on the howling air currents.
SCRRRAPE—!
The colossal cleavers gouged a deep ravine where they had just stood. This strength had obviously surpassed human limits. They must have stimulated all their life force in a short ti and would soon die. But before their deaths, they were capable of causing imnse destruction. Aside from the two [Storm Admirals], no one else dared claim they could survive until the monsters self-destructed.
Just then, Violet’s shout ca from behind, "Byron, get out of the way!"
Byron’s body moved faster than his thoughts. He pulled Andrew beside him into the air. Glancing back, he saw that Violet had sohow quietly approached the swarm of Insect-n, gathering all the Philosopher’s Stones they had produced.
Although none were as fine as the superior ones offered by the Devil of the Contract, quantity could compensate for quality.
The girl flung them into the air, unfolding a vast Alchemy Array. Amidst the flickering electric light, hundreds of gleaming golden Bronze Cannons burst forth from the Underworld, encircling the battlefield with their muzzles aid.
This battle was a genuine clash of [Orthodox Alchemy] versus [Life Alchemy].
With Philosopher’s Stones being universally potent, Violet, a Third Order Grand Artificer, manifested remarkable creativity far beyond her own limits.
"I’ll handle the guidance! You command the Storm Elves!"
Upon seeing so many cannons, Byron’s hunter’s instinct thrilled. For the first ti, he showcased the outstanding artillery skills of a Storm Admiral. In fact, it was a unique skill he had creatively conceived, inspired by his own trajectory-bending [Gun Dueling Technique]. Each Storm Elf, resembling a Thunderbird that flickered in and out of existence, dove into a cannonball.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
As the cannons fired simultaneously, flas erupted and shells soared from the barrels. The Storm Elves also followed Byron’s orders, "steering" their own shells. They provided lateral wind force along the entire trajectory, fine-tuning the flight path and significantly increasing the hit rate.
Byron dubbed this "Manual Guidance," "Hand-Controlled Guidance," and even "Kamikaze Bombs!"
With this craft, if a Storm Admiral had enough "hands," they could achieve fleet-level precision maneuvers. The only problem was that it was sowhat "hand"-intensive.
This was the true pinnacle of their synergy!
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