Chapter 1439: Chapter 1437: The Cost of Victory
In ancient times, the [Black Flesh Mountain] was crafted at the expense of the Elder Raceâs utmost effort and blood.
At the final moment of the London game, it served as the carrier, shielding against the risks of inter-dimensional crossing, successfully transporting all personnel back to the original world.
It was firmly rooted in the deserted area where the original London stood.
The Flesh Mountain that underwent dimensional transfer lost only a few large chunks of meat, some areas flattened and scorched, yet its overall structure showed no signs of instability.
However.
For the Human Expeditionary Army stationed within the Flesh Mountain, the experience was by no means pleasant.
This was the ultimate nest of the Shoggoths. It relied on the domains maintained by several squad leaders to counteract the pinnacle of putrid contamination while simultaneously preventing lethal plagues from infiltrating.
As the Flesh Mountain fully rooted into the ground, everyone gradually adapted to the discomfort caused by dimensional migration.
The expeditionary forces immediately withdrew, with some knights seeking the mages from the Witch God Knight Legion to conjure clean water and wash off the overwhelming stench clinging to their bodiesâsome knightsâ skin had even developed hyperplastic tissue resembling clusters of eyes.
The five squad leaders also gathered at this moment.
There was little joy derived from victory; even the usually cheerful Marlon couldnât muster a smile.
The Great Demon Leader had reverted to a normal human form, his gelatinous face split open into a mouth.
âWe are currently tallying personnel losses⊠the situation doesnât look optimistic.
The final decision made by the enemy upon their arrival inflicted devastating losses, with at least 30% of the knights consumed in the explosions.
The Holy Knights Groupâs [The Shield of the OrderâFeto Walton] fell during an encounter with a King Level in London. Additionally, 21 elite knights perished during the London War.
To all squad leaders, I commend your efforts.
For now, we can only hope that the Demons will offer a fair and impartial evaluation.â
âIt was my impatience⊠If only I had set the necessary limitations in advance, the catastrophic [Explosion] conclusion might have been avoided.â
Marlon was deeply remorseful over his final decision.
If he had been more thorough, setting sufficient restrictions to imprison a King Level and isolate the Blacksmith Third Generation earlier, all of this might have been prevented.
âDonât overthink it, weâve done the best we could.
The outcome has already surpassed all expectations. After all, facing the sudden shift of the main battlefield, the battle plan I proposed to the Demons was premised on the destruction of London City and the sacrifice of a massive number of personnel.
Unexpectedly, the Demons still had a contingency prepared for this very moment.â
The Great Demon gazed at the Flesh Mountain, which was even grander in scale than London, with both awe and trepidation.
Evidently, the Flesh Mountainâs covert deployment must have been a strategy set by the Demons from the very start, kept concealed throughout the war only to be unleashed at the critical last moment.
âŠ
The depths of the Flesh Mountain.
The original form of the Shoggoth, the Fifth ElementâEugenes, soaked within metallic containers in the Elder Raceâs laboratory, accelerating his physical recovery through specialized technology.
Among the ten Elements, Eugenes ranked first in terms of the severity of his injuries.
âThis game⊠should suffice by now.â
Eugenes stared into the distance at the [Shoggoth Master], now entirely reduced to a dried corpse.
The Master and the Flesh Mountain had long been fused into one.
This inter-dimensional crossing was sustained solely by the Master, who sacrificed even mythology to ensure the Flesh Mountainâs overall integrity.
Through âsacrifice,â he obtained ultimate victory, securing a glimmer of hope for the Shoggoth tribe and a future for Eugenes.
The Master was dead.
The ownership of the [Black Flesh Mountain] now belonged to Eugenes.
Additionally, due to the portable modifications made earlier by the Upper Old King from the Void, the Flesh Mountain could now be âpackagedâ like Makoms City.
It could even shrink into a flesh-ball small enough to fit directly inside Eugenesâ pocket.
Currently.
The Mother of the Black Night had nearly exhausted her energy during the final escape phase and was resting quietly.
Father Lysos was organizing the church to count the survivors, while those severely injured were utilizing the Flesh Mountainâs facilities for treatment.
Targeted siege and infinite soldiers formed through program networks, alongside program-enhanced Mythic Bodies during the initial stages of defense, had suppressed the Demon forces at the outset of the war.
Mr. Wims from the Terminal North Continentâa white wormâwas left with only half of his worm body, frozen within the glacier.
Ingrid from the Black Forest had her goatâs hoof severed, her soul heavily damaged, leaving her in a state of deep coma; her Mythical Scrolls were on the verge of shattering.
By comparison.
The ten Elementsâ overall condition was better than the Mythic Bodies behind them, each fulfilling their purpose within the London gameâexcept Eugenes, whose condition was the worst.
Green was almost entirely unscathed but had paid the price by devouring all the forces he had brought along.
âŠ
The depths of the Flesh Mountain.
A sealed secret room constructed with special stone, containing the âDoor of Fateâ modified by Elder Race technologies inside.
Han Dong once escaped Eugenesâ pursuit here.
Now, Han Dong stepped out of it once again.
âAfter the prior Antarctic incident, Eugenes carried out extensive modifications here? It seems like this guy entered Fate Space once after his loss to me. Not bad.
Letâs go borrow something from him.â
Following a familiar path, Han Dong returned to the Elder Raceâs laboratory.
However, the mythical aura lingering here had entirely dissipated. At the end of the lab, where the Flesh Mountainâs core was symbolized by a massive tumor-like lump of flesh, only a dried-up giant corpse was bound to its surface.
âEugenes accomplished a major achievementâŠâ
The scene before him inevitably raised Han Dongâs concerns.
The Shoggoth tribeâs performance would undoubtedly add bonus points to the Demonsâ evaluation, lowering the contributions credited to the human side.
After a short while.
Following the aura trail, Han Dong entered a special treatment room filled with blood-flesh conduits and flourishing tumors exuding vitality.
His gaze settled on a figure submerged within a glass tank, whose body was densely covered with glowing green eyeballs, emitting a faint eerie light.
Before Han Dong could utter a word.
A hoarse voice squeezed out from between the clusters of eyes:
âNicholas, youâre such a coward⊠hiding in Fate Space out of fear? Disgusting.â
Han Dong showed no signs of anger; instead, he responded with a smile:
âRegarding the Flesh Mountainâs stability, I dare say I understand it better than most Demons. As a dimensional carrier, itâs far more reliable than London City⊠transferring using the Flesh Mountain is much more stable.
I just had urgent matters requiring a visit to the Fate Transfer Station.
By the way, was the Flesh Mountain idea yours?â
âNone of your damn business!â
âI figured. Such a far-sighted setup couldnât possibly be your doingâŠâ
âYou!â
Eugenes, already irritated by Han Dongâs presence, exploded with anger at the remark. Several eyeballs burst instantly, intensifying pain in certain areas.
âOh, donât get so worked up~ Youâre a patient, after all.
First, my thanks to you and the Shoggoth tribe for your contributions during the war.
The reason Iâm here, however, is that the Elder Race I borrowed during the war unfortunately perished, so I need to replenish my collection of Elders.â
âGet lost!â
âAh, I nearly forgot to mention⊠Iâm not asking youâI just wanted to inform you as a courtesy beforehand.â