For the [Swarm], as long as you can make yourself immortal, what does it matter if you just sacrifice a disciple who is only halfway apprentice?

Even if it was to lose the lives of all the disciples under his command, or even all the members of the entire Blood Thirst Cult, it was completely worth it.

Subtle rays of light swirled between the mycelium of the mushroom man's canopy, constantly flickering with all sorts of dark thoughts.

But he comforted Byron very kindly:

"Byron, although you have taken a different path than we do, and you do not appreciate the wonderful benefits of being a mushroom, you need not be discouraged.

Whether it is the [Heart of the Swarm], the [Mushroom Colony], or the [Blood Feast Holy Grail], or even the second-best [Gluttonous Monarch], they all have their own strengths.

The Midnight Demon created by the Blood Feast Grail, even among all the inhuman beings in the second ritual stage of the Blood Thirsty Order, is the closest to Lilith, the Mother of Creation, the Source of Knowledge.

Although it will take more effort to achieve the combat power of my shoulders, it is better to be purer and more receptive to the knowledge released by the super-spec being.

It was beyond my expectation that you would be able to gather all the prerequisites for the second ritual in such a short period of time.

If you perform a ritual in the 'Bloodborne Secret Realm' in the Holy Land, not only will you get the best promotion effect, but you will also be able to steal additional forbidden knowledge from the Mother of Creation.

There are only a limited number of times you can open the secret realm each year, so you should definitely seize this opportunity. ”

Hearing his words, Byron immediately put away the "regret" on his face, and promised with a grateful face:

"Yes, thank you teacher for giving me the opportunity to enter the secret realm, I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Speaking of the secret realm of the blood source where countless sacrificial ceremonies were held, Byron couldn't help but think of the [Sleeping God Kraken] who was "still dreaming even though he died".

The other party can rely on the power of dreams, and he still has the ability to plan for resurrection after his death.

If it weren't for the fact that Jörmungard had chosen to target the International Port, he might have succeeded.

And the blood of creation and transmutation extended by the power of [Mother of Creation Lilith] seems to have the same task.

The more sacrifices she makes, the faster Lilith will recover.

But now the focus of all the dark wizard organizations has always been on the forbidden knowledge that comes with sacrifices, and they seem to be completely unaware that behind their continuous blood sacrifices, there may be huge risks hidden.

This is still the Old Gods and the Dark Wizard Organization that he knows, and there are countless people he doesn't know.

Each one is a ticking time bomb.

Byron couldn't help but feel a strong sense of urgency.

I feel that in the direction of the far sea, which is full of unknowns, the dark clouds before the storm are gathering, and there may be a great change that will break the earth at any time.

Of course, this sacrifice has been going on for at least a few hundred years, and this "anytime" time scale may be longer than the life of an ordinary person.

However, since he has been inspired by the "resurrected" [Pig God].

This time, Byron is going to wait and see how complete Lilith's face is, and he may be able to roughly deduce the progress of the other party's recovery.

The swarm was very satisfied with Byron's attitude and nodded:

"Very good, it's not early, let's go."

The tall black mushroom holding hands and the [Pig God] looked at each other tenderly and sweetly, and suddenly exploded into colorful spores in the sky.

The latter disappeared without a trace and reintegrated into the cavern's ecosystem, while the former coalesced into a normal humanoid in a black robe in front of Byron.

It was the human form of the Great Wizard Swarm that tidied up the wizard robes on his body and walked outside first.

Byron was about to lift his heels, but with the help of the hint of the [Logbook], he accidentally noticed a detail.

A cloud of extremely fine spore smaller than dust, disguised by the spectacular scene of a very spore explosion like fireworks in front of them, gradually descended, and fell on the disciples in wisps.

There were even many of them who followed their breath and entered the bodies of these half-human, half-worm dark wizards.

None of them noticed the anomaly.

"What is this?"

The hairs on Byron's back stood on end.

Looking at the combination of "insects" and "fungi" in front of me, I don't know why I suddenly subconsciously thought of a very famous medicinal herb Cordyceps.

They are live insects in winter, and after being parasitized by fungi, they are eaten from the inside into empty shells.

In the summer, they die as bugs, and the mycelium in their bodies breaks out of the insect's head and grows into a rod-like fungal fruiting body.

The mature spores then spread and continue to infect the next wave of bugs.

Within sixty meters is the range where the ability of the [Logbook] can be exerted, and Byron can clearly see the state of the group of insects in front of him.

He may not be able to see the gender of the worms, but he can clearly see that each person's name has an abnormal state of "fungal parasitism".

Moreover, the spirituality of each person has a faint connection with the [Swarm], and the harmony continues to deepen as time goes by.

After reading the details of the abilities that emerged in the follow-up, Byron almost shivered on the spot:

'Parasitic strains!

After the fungus successfully parasitizes other flesh and blood creatures, it can steal the host's nutrition, flesh and blood, and spirituality to feed itself, greatly increasing the spiritual growth rate of the mushroom at the source of the fungus.

Become a spiritual exploiter and consumer, not a decomposer who can only eat scavengers.

Even when one's own body is completely dead, it can directly seize everything from the host with the help of mature strains and regenerate life in the host.

Note: Hosts with the same transcendent route and the same or homologous forbidden knowledge have the best effect.

At this time, although the [swarm] is not as good as the pig god equivalent to an ecosystem, it is already extremely difficult to kill. ’

At this point, Byron finally realized why the swarm was so confident to compete for the position of the current high priest of the Blood Thirsty Order.

Just as the [Night Demon] can easily suppress the [Ghoul] as a minion, the [Mushroom Man] can also easily control and digest those [Wormmen].

Even if there is a lucky person who relies on the [Swarm], the original mushroom man, to transform into a new mushroom, it is only the "grass" that grows on the worm's tail.

It has long since turned into a [swarm] from the inside out.

One in a group, one in a group!

If this great wizard can be ruthless, it is not completely impossible that the entire "Book of Giant Worms" will become his fungal petri dish at that time.

Moreover, Byron's forbidden knowledge is also of the same origin, and must be guarded against.

so as not to be secretly plotted by this old fox who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger.

Well, in the 24 hours before you make the Cordyceps vaccine with Immune Blood, you must be very, very careful!

"Besides, this thing is too dangerous, it's better to find a way to grab it when you have the chance.

It's safest only when it's in my hands. ”

The [Swarm], who was walking in front, didn't realize that his biggest hole card after achieving the mushroom man had been quietly exposed in front of Byron.

The reason why he only parasitized those disciples of the first and second orders and did not immediately attack Byron was not because he didn't want to, but purely because he was not sure.

Even if the swarm gained a new form, the core spiritual level still failed to exceed the third order.

In addition to survivability and strange means far surpassing Byron, there is a high probability that the head-to-head duel is still not Byron's opponent of the [Storm Admiral].

It was too risky to plant a secret hand on Byron without him noticing.

Promotion Ceremony: The Holy Grail of the Blood Feast has not yet been held, and he still needs to continue to maintain the character of a good teacher.

It's best not to take risks rashly, it's easy to be self-defeating.

Anyway, the other party is a principled and loyal "fool", and the moral shackles in the heart may be more effective than the physical ones.

Don't rush it.

"The location of the Holy Land is in the Bahamas, on the edge of the Sea of Monsters.

I'll take you on a walk, and after you complete the promotion ceremony and get access as a third-order great wizard, you can come and go on your own. ”

Byron nodded, he knew that the Blood Thirsty Order had a tradition of holding a small sacrifice once a month and a large sacrifice once a quarter, when all members participated.

"Teacher, please, the deep-sea jump of the [Golden Deer] and the fiddler crab is ready.

The Bahamas, 3,000 kilometres away, is just around the corner. ”

Hearing this very desirable arrangement, the biters became more and more satisfied with Byron:

"Yes, I've heard that you stole the fiddler crab from the Barbary pirates.

The stronghold of these pirates is also in the Bahamas, and in the past, they relied on the support of a [Ocean Throne], which caused trouble for the peripheral forces of the Order.

You can make them suffer, and the title of [Sea Hunter] is well deserved. ”

The master and apprentice, who were in harmony on the surface, walked out of the mushroom forest with a smile and a smile.

The remaining dozen or so Zerg disciples turned their heads in unison and saluted in the direction where the two had left, all of which had a "kind" smile on the corners of their mouths that was exactly the same as that of [Bug Swarm].

In the dim cavern, it looks particularly terrifying.

And this may be the real "swarm"!

Soon, the two of them flew out of the Mine Cave one after the other and landed on the trestle bridge at the Rapids Harbor Pier.

Violet, dressed in a gentle white dress and tortoiseshell glasses, holding a contract conch, and three large sea monster fiddler crabs have been waiting here for a long time.

Byron's promotion time has not been determined, and of course it is impossible for these three "Mr. Krabs" who carried half of the sky of the West Wind Express to follow him.

The waste of transportation capacity is small, and the delay in making money is big.

Seeing Byron fall in front of her, Violet knew that his progress on the transcendent path was about to come ahead of her.

But he didn't care, only happy when he was happy.

Raised his hand to comb a strand of silver hair in his ear, and smiled playfully at him:

"Okay, when you complete your inhuman transformation, all the blood in your body will become [Transmutation Blood], and you will also use it to engrave a spell mark for me."

Wait for Byron to complete the second ritual and realize the sublimation of blood and the qualitative change of the essence of life.

The blood in the body will completely metamorphose into the [Transmutation Blood], and it will continue to produce new blood without killing anyone.

Not only does he have all kinds of incredible abilities, but even birth, old age, sickness and death have begun to leave him.

Transmutation is metamorphosis, replacement, and it is also the magical substance that represents "change" in this world's transcendent system.

The blood level is higher than that of those sea monsters, and it is also more versatile, which can fully meet the requirements of "deep-sea traceability".

Especially since the blood of the Octopus Battleship is connected to the dream realm of the [Sleeping God], it is very necessary to find another existence of the same level to neutralize it.

"Of course, no problem, it's on me."

Byron immediately smiled and nodded in agreement, and by the way, he put aside the worries in his heart for the time being.

Worrying about the revival of the old gods all day is like worrying that one day the sky will fall.

The only thing you can do now is to improve the strength of yourself and your companions, and face all changes with your fists.

Coupled with his own transmutation blood, the promotion preposition of Violet Beast Number 666 has been enough for two-thirds, and becoming a witch is a matter of front and back.

Now I'm already looking forward to the girl's three extra-human monster forms.

[The Swarm] didn't understand what they were talking about, but he was glad to see that Byron had a stronger willingness to advance on the inhuman path.

Reach out and pat him on the shoulder:

"O Byron, though you have followed me for the shortest time.

But among all the disciples, the one I value the most is actually you, and I have always regarded you as a confidant and successor.

Child, I believe that with your qualifications and unique resources, one day in the future, we masters and apprentices can live forever together."

The voice did not fall.

Squeak——!

Suddenly, there was a piercing scream of insects in the chests of the swarm.

The dark wizards of the "Book of Giant Worms" know that this is a necessary [Black Magic: Clever Heart] for their own adventures:

"Grow a very special kind of parasite that lives on your own heart.

It has powerful senses and intuition far beyond humans, especially in the event of a danger to life, and can warn the owner in advance.

More acute than the wild instincts of adventurers. ”

Byron subconsciously tilted his head slightly when he heard the sound of the past.

A bullet glittering with a strong transcendent aura happened to fly from a hill very far away from the docks to the west of the port city.

Carrying the air flow of the riot, it will pass past his ear, tearing off a strand of hair from his sideburns, and by the way, the head of the [swarm] next to him will be exploded!

Syllable!

The head, which still had an encouraging smile, was like a big watermelon smashed by a hammer, and the brains, broken bones, and scalp were blown up everywhere on the spot.

If Byron hadn't turned his head just now, this powerful bullet would have hit him in the head!

"Not good, there is an assassin, at least an elite sniper of the third order!"

Byron immediately realized that the bullet was coming at him.

It's just that [Swarm], the "teacher" who values himself very much in the eyes of others, is too close to him to hit the auxiliary car by mistake and makes him suffer on behalf of his disciples.

Byron's first reaction was to set off a gust of wind that slammed Violet towards the Golden Deer docked on the shore.

At the same time, the bullet that had exploded the head of the insect swarm was carrying a bright orange-red line of fire, which turned back at an acute angle in place and blasted towards him again.

Byron drew his sword with a lightning-fast backhand with the world's best hand speed and the "sword drawing technique" that had been tempered for thousands of years.

Clang!

With the sound of metal like the shelling of the ironclad chariot, a silver projectile with red flame patterns was cleverly flown by the blade tilted by the white frost.

Even though Byron had the realm of "flow" and tried his best to unload the huge kinetic energy carried on the projectile, he still couldn't stop "oh ooh

It seems that this was not from a bullet, but from a close-range shell from a small-caliber gun.

His heart was suddenly filled with anger, and he looked at the direction where the bullet came from at the beginning, and his eyes showed a fierce light:

"Not only is this assassin a sniper who is at least a third-order [musketeer], but the musket he wields is definitely not an ordinary thing.

Who was it who wanted to kill me, and sent a master of this level as soon as he made a move?

Is there any enemy I've provoked that hasn't been able to cut down the roots?

It's too dangerous, wait for me, I'm going to kill your whole family! ”

The next moment, he had the answer.

The [Logbook] automatically appeared with the information about the projectile just now.

- The world's first arquebus buckshot to be fired!

"It turned out to be him!"

Byron's eyes lit up, and just by a name, he instantly guessed the identity of the assassin and the main messenger behind the scenes.

Because the very famous [Holy Relic: The World's First Arquebus] once belonged to the Strait Fleet of the Heights Kingdom (Chapter 20).

Even if the location where the other party was hiding had far exceeded the observation limit of sixty meters in the log, Byron had already treasured the ability of that treasure:

"The earliest arquebus, the Snake Pole Arquebus.

Before the invention of the flintlock pistol, an arquebus was ignited using a smoldering fire, hence the name arquebus.

A string or strip of cloth made of flax is usually soaked in saltpeter-dissolved liquor or sour vinegar for 24 hours, and then removed to dry to act as a slow-burning rope.

The construction of the earliest arquebuses was also very simple, consisting of a barrel, a barrel, a snake shaft excitation device, an arquebus, and a bullet.

The ability is not simple.

First, the first projectile.

When activated for the first time each day, the flight speed is forcibly increased to three times the speed of sound, and the headshot effect is always triggered.

Just like many weapons have the rule that blood must be seen when unsheathed, it is full of ferocity, and it will never stop without blowing up a head.

It can only be recalled after it has been stained with blood.

Second, the first musket.

Only one projectile can be fired at a time, but the projectile can be dodged in the air at will, depending on the gunman's mind.

It is not until at least ten attacks have been performed, or ten targets have been attacked, that the power will gradually decrease, and the kinetic energy will eventually be exhausted.

Even if it is not as good as the automatic aiming of the [Must-Hit Gun], it requires the gunner's eye to aim, and it is still an extremely difficult weapon.

The power of weapon transformation in the tide of history is far more powerful than an ordinary third-order mid-sequence transcendent. ”

And at the moment when the Yorkists inherited all the inheritance of the Kingdom of Hatins.

It is no longer known who would beat himself with such a big killing weapon.

"It has to be you, Warwick the Kingmaker!

This old thing is really insidious, and two days ago he praised me to my face for having vision, and even stabbed me in the back as soon as I turned my head.

According to the time reckoning, the killer must have been sent more than a month before I succeeded as governor.

Except for a boatload of tax inspectors who killed you, who used you as a shield, and passively became a hero of the royal party, they didn't offend you much else, right? ”

Clang!

The eye is quick, and the incoming bullet will fly again.

Fortunately, Byron clearly knew the destiny and weakness of every holy relic on the official face of Darkens.

Although this knowledge was originally only available to the heirs, his cousin Edward was completely transparent with him.

As a kobold strategist and the mastermind behind countless troubles, Byron knows more secrets than that rectum.

For example, the historical destiny of [the world's first arquebus]:

"Starting with the snake-pole arquebus, individual thermal weapons have completely changed the form of warfare for thousands of years and achieved a revolution in thermal weapons.

The user must not use a sword or any melee cold weapon for the rest of his life, or he will surely die by the sword. ”

Whoever wields this musket will have a major weakness in melee combat.

This is the chance to kill him!

Byron resolutely shouted:

"This is an assassin sent by the Earl of Warwick the Kingmaker.

He clearly can't see that His Majesty may live forever.

If you want to kill us directly, delay or even interrupt the possibility of the [Eternal Blood] coming out at the source.

The time has come to be loyal to Your Majesty.

Teacher, please give me a hand! I'm here to contain the most dangerous bullet of all. ”

Byron shouted as he took a step back and protected his beloved teacher in front of him.

"Warwick? That's right, it's him! ”

The [Swarm], who had just blocked a shot for him, had recovered, and when he heard this, he immediately felt that this speculation was completely reasonable.

He was not a fool of Byron, the "foolish king", and it was none of his business to be loyal to Edward IV, but anyone who stood in the way of his eternal life deserved to die.

"Squeak——!

Immediately, it exploded on the spot into a dark cloud composed of countless pitch-black locusts, and pounced in the direction where the gunman was hiding.