The eerie flower retreated swiftly along the outer wall of the tall building.

Eight spider legs stretched out from An’s back, their tips sharp as blades, stabbing deeply into the vines—only to be dragged downward.

On the ground, a few members of the security squad remained. When they saw the man-sized flower crawling downward using its vines as limbs, they immediately raised the iron rod-like magical tools in their hands and aimed at the enormous blossom.

However, before they could unleash the lesser flame orbs embedded in their tools, they noticed a woman clinging to the flower’s stalk.

As the two got closer, they were even more stunned to see that the woman had eight spider legs protruding from her lower body!

For a moment, the security squad didn’t know whether to point their rods at the grotesque flower or at the strange woman behind it.

The giant flower didn’t even spare them a glance. From the fourth floor, it suddenly leapt into the air, its vines casually skewering several unfortunate souls. Amidst the cries of panic, it dove into a nearby underground drainage entrance, leaving a trail of blood behind.

The entrance was narrow, blocked by railings. While the slender stem slipped through, the massive flower head couldn’t fit.

The creature instantly abandoned the floral portion of its body.

It was left stuck outside the sewer entrance, leaving behind huge, blood-stained petals like shattered doors.

An saw the blocked passageway. Though she could use magic to cut through the railings, it was clearly only a pipe inlet, narrow within as well.

Even if she broke the bars, there was no way to expand the entire tunnel’s diameter.

A flicker of fierceness lit up her eyes—she directly abandoned her body and entered soul form, slipping in after it.

This was actually extremely risky. After all, she wasn’t in complete soul form. All of her energy came from Saul’s support.

But An could no longer afford to care.

Not long ago, she and Saul were attacked by unknown roots during a trip.

She was nearly dragged underground.

Just as her body was halfway buried, An suddenly sensed a familiar aura from the plant attacking her.

That aura was like a trace of mint in salted fish—startling her into clarity, awakening the hazy memories from her fragmented soul fusion.

“Du… Mo!” An gritted her teeth and spat out the name.

She pursued the fleeing vine downward, veering from the sewer halfway and diving into a fissure.

She didn’t know how far she chased. As she tunneled through the soil, An suddenly felt herself pass through a kind of barrier—and everything ahead opened up.

Open, yet dark.

She sensed an enormous object, dozens of meters ahead, blocking her path. It was vast and boundless, its ends lost in darkness.

The vine she had been tracking leapt up onto the massive obstruction and then drooped powerlessly, as if it had instantly gone from a living creature to a dead thing.

The familiar aura she had been chasing vanished as well.

Floating closer, An still couldn’t discern what the colossal object was.

She was only at its midsection—both top and bottom lost to the shadows, and its sides extended beyond sight.

An struck the surface of the object with her hand, only to find it smooth as jade—yet impervious to her entry.

“Does it have some soul-repelling magic on it?” She scrutinized the surface but didn’t sense any magical energy.

“Dumo… why are you hiding in a place like this?” The trail gone cold, An grew anxious, knocking once more against the barrier.

Suddenly, a dozen pale root-like tendrils sprouted from the object’s surface, wrapping tightly around her arms and yanking her inward.

With the roots’ appearance, the familiar aura returned.

“Dumo! Is this all you’re capable of now? Skulking in the dark? Where’s that boldness you had when you fought me for the heir’s position in the family?!”

The spider legs behind An blurred into motion, slashing hard.

But despite their sharpness, they only managed to cut through the outer layer of the tendrils, failing to break free.

She attacked again, this time lacing her strikes with corruption and erosion. After a few blows, she finally severed two tendrils and broke partially free.

But before she could get away, several tendrils clustered together and formed a hand-like shape, grabbing her face and pulling her violently into the massive object.

Her upper body vanished instantly, only her lower half still thrashing.

Her eight spider legs hammered against the giant object, trying to pull herself out—but to no avail.

At that moment, a deep, oppressive voice echoed through the dark, chaotic space.

“You’re still as foolish as ever. I left only a hint of bait, and you followed it like a rat.”

The smooth surface of the object rippled like water, revealing a male face.

As the voice spoke, An struggled even more violently.

Her spider legs finally braced against the surface, and with a surge from her waist, she yanked her head out from inside.

“Dumo!” Her face looked like melting wax, barely intact—but her features were still recognizable, twisted in a sneer. “Hahaha, look at your disgusting face! You sacrificed our entire family to Bayton for some baseless legend, and this is what you became? Not human, not ghost!”

The man’s face twisted slightly. “You always knew how to provoke me.”

“It’s your stupidity that enrages you.” Though An was in soul form, her spirit was clearly damaged—her upper body beginning to dissolve.

As she spoke, her facial features slid down her skin.

Even in this state, she continued to mock Dumo.

“Bayton sure favored you. Did they raise you as a monster? Did you hand that artifact over to them?”

Dumo’s sculpted face trembled slightly, then slowly calmed. “Do you want to know my story? Then merge with me. You’ll understand everything. You’ll see my choice was right… my dearest sister.”

More pale tendrils grew from the smooth surface, dodging the spider legs, wrapping around An’s dissolving torso, digging deep into her soul, and pulling her in.

Pain flickered across An’s face, but her mouth remained sharp. “I’m not your sister. The moment you betrayed the Bloodrose Family, you were excommunicated!”

“Excommunicated, so be it. The Bloodrose bloodline is already dead.” The face showed no care. “But you’re still my sister—my soul’s other half. I need you. Only with you can we complete the greatest blood-flesh magic in Bloodrose history: Soul-Flesh Fusion!”

An continued to struggle, her melting face now dripping to her neck.

A voice came from her chest. “Fusion? You just want to devour me!”

“Don’t say it like that. It’s about becoming one.”

As her body was slowly pulled inside, the face smiled in delight.

“Sister, if you love the Bloodrose so much, I can rebuild it for you. Just come quietly.”

Her face was once again pressed against the giant surface and began to dissolve into it.

Her voice came now from her abdomen. “You betrayed the Bloodrose for a baseless legend. It doesn’t need your resurrection. Go cling to your stupid hardbound book and rot!”

At the mention of the hardbound book, Dumo’s face twisted again, his voice growing heavier.

“How unfortunate. That legend turned out to be false. What let me reach Rank Four was still our family’s blood-flesh magic…”

“No.”

“What?” The face was stunned. He looked downward—by now, most of An’s body had been pulled in, the remainder too melted to resist.

Where had that voice come from?

“I thought you were the barrier itself. Turns out, you’re just a broken spirit being raised here.”

Dumo was horrified to realize—the voice was coming from his own mouth.

“You… how is that possible?!”

“Did you really think I’d lost my mind to pollution, or been blinded by hatred?

“No. I let you devour me on purpose.

“Poor, foolish brother—how could you be so naïve as to believe that once we merged, your consciousness would be the one to prevail?”

Background: The Blood Rose Family was the original clan of the Bloodthorn Family, destroyed centuries ago. One of Kismet’s victims. The Dead Wizard’s Diary was accidentally sold to the Wizard Tower by a Bloodthorn descendant. An’s soul is largely sourced from the secret lab of Bloodthorn family head Ralph.

(End of Chapter)

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