CHAPTER 350: CHAPTER 250: LOYALTY IS NOT ABSOLUTE..._1

The Heretic Warrior dueling Boudica to the death originally thought he could take down a leader to boost morale.

Unexpectedly, his combat skills were completely suppressed by Boudica. If not for his decent recovery ability, he might have already been cleaved in two. This, however, also meant he could only desperately hold on, let alone organize an attack.

Unfortunately for him, the power contained within his body had its limits. Boudica keenly noticed that the speed of his wound healing was slowing, proving that the enemy was beginning to weaken.

Boudica made a probing attack, and the man instinctively crossed his claws before him. This time, however, the War Halberd didn’t chop down. Instead, Boudica swept it horizontally.

The axe blade hacked directly into the man’s waist. By the time she pulled the War Halberd out, his entrails were nearly spilling out.

"Ah!"

With an injury of this severity, there was no need for a finishing blow. The blood spurting from the wound drained his last vestiges of Life Force, and he staggered before collapsing.

Great weapons do not require human manipulation.

Nevertheless, Boudica remembered her boss warning that these men were trouble. She swung her War Halberd down onto his head. He lacked a Ghoul’s physical resilience, and his head was severed in a single blow.

Boudica fluidly kicked the severed head away. It rolled like a soccer ball, causing all cultists in its path to hastily dodge.

Seeing their comrade’s pathetic end, any morale the surrounding cultists had mustered quickly collapsed. Everyone ran for their lives, not caring about anyone else.

These enemies died when killed, a simple fact that, in some ways, made the soldiers realize these foes weren’t as terrifying as imagined.

Only some of them fled to the rear. Most of the truly seasoned Heretics were already fighting the army on the front lines.

Fearless of pain and heedless of death, they charged recklessly, absorbing spear thrusts and barely pausing even when bullets struck their Flesh.

Clearly, these men had undergone ritualistic Strengthening of their Flesh. Though only a dozen or so strong, they posed a substantial threat to the army.

But what is an army?

An army is the embodiment of collective strength. Intense training forges soldiers into a cohesive unit, whose coordinated power can erupt with a force that no mere band of brutes, however fierce, could hope to withstand.

These individuals were powerful and fought with desperation, but they were still no match for the army’s collective might and were quickly contained.

Whenever the line faltered, Reynard charged in with his Longsword. Against large enemies or monsters, he often felt his strength was difficult to bring to bear.

But when facing humanoid enemies, he would show them what it meant to be strong and forceful!

His Longsword shot out in a Thrust, piercing a Heretic Warrior’s chest. He parried the enemy’s weapon with a backhanded pull and an upward slash, then let out a thunderous shout.

"Accept your punishment!"

His Sword Blade flowed smoothly, decapitating a Heretic Warrior who was about to break through the encirclement. The entire sequence was completed in a single breath.

These fellows were only so brazen due to their fearlessness and regenerative abilities. To an experienced warrior like Reynard, their fighting techniques were riddled with openings.

Unlike Boudica, Reynard didn’t enjoy toying with his prey; he preferred to end fights quickly and conserve energy.

This was a training exercise. Lance did not engage, observing the battle instead.

During his observation, he noted that no Ascension Cultists implanted with the "Seed" appeared to be present in this camp.

The abilities these seasoned Heretics displayed were merely enhanced physicality and some regeneration, negligible compared to the exaggerated healing granted by the "Seed."

Thinking about it, it made sense. Ovando City was a major urban center nearby and one of the Ascension Sect’s main areas of activity. The clubhouses served as their cash cows and key contact points, so it was natural for a few experts to be stationed there.

And the sheriff of that thousand-person town? How could he have been persuaded to wholeheartedly develop the Sect without being offered substantial benefits?

This place was just a makeshift, rundown camp. Trained members were sent out from here, making it unlikely any experts would be stationed in such a place.

Otherwise, if individuals with the "Seed" were everywhere, the "Seed" would lose the rarity they claimed it possessed.

From these two encounters, Lance had a rough understanding of the "Seed’s" effects: fusion granted physical enhancement and regenerative abilities.

Non-fatal injuries healed quickly. However, a fatal injury would trigger mutation, granting even more formidable strength and recovery, but with the clear consequence of uncontrolled proliferation, turning the host into a monster.

The difference between the sheriff and those in the clubhouse was probably the degree of integration. The sheriff, having just been implanted with the "Seed," could only use its power passively, while those in the clubhouse basement seemed to have a degree of control.

The most direct example was the man who had disguised himself to infiltrate the town. His degree of fusion was likely the highest encountered so far, as he could control the mutated tentacles, though he ultimately became a Heretic.

Many details remained unclear. What Experiment had the ’ancient one’ performed on the human body to create such Ascended Warriors?

It seemed he would have to leave a few alive for Paracelsus to study in detail...

Among the cultists were not only men but also a few women.

"Don’t kill me... I was captured by them... please, save me..." a young, pretty-faced woman sobbed as she rushed forward, her every movement straining the ragged clothes that barely concealed her vital parts.