As expected, Raymond and his companions were once again entangled, and most of their Summons were slaughtered.
Those Fishman Zombies, crafted through Necromantic Wizardry, were touted as immortal monsters, but in reality, they were merely corpses sustained by negative energy.
This was somewhat similar to the principles of Animation Art—once the Wizardry Energy was depleted or the body that carried it was utterly destroyed, they would truly die.
The damage they inflicted on the Stitched Monster was negligible, but every swing of the Stitched Monster's massive blade could cleave them in half or even reduce them to fragments.
After a series of straightforward attacks, the once formidable undead army was on the verge of collapse.
However, the biggest difference between them and living beings was that their morale was constant—they never felt fear.
They were also unaffected by the Stitched Monster's acid and venom.
They still held the line stubbornly.
"That man hasn't given up yet; he wants to turn the tables!" Roy suddenly realized after watching for a while.
If Raymond wanted to escape, he could have decisively abandoned his undead army and taken the opportunity to flee.
But he didn't do that. Instead, he was hiding nearby, casting spells.
The two intermediate apprentices also unleashed the "Bone Tooth Spell," sending out white, ivory-like beams of Magical Aura as thick as bowls, which struck the Stitched Monster, leaving wounds.
However, these attacks were not particularly damaging and seemed more like harassment, occasionally interrupting and hindering the Stitched Monster's chain-hooking movements.
Finally, Raymond's spell took shape.
He raised the Ogre Skull Artifact in his hand, and as he chanted in a low voice, a dark red flame slowly emerged.
The flame accelerated as it drifted, then suddenly lunged toward the Stitched Monster.
"Netherworld Fire!"
This was a peculiar flame capable of burning both souls and life energy. It could devour not only the life energy of living beings but also the negative energy of undead monsters and the Animation Energy of Alchemical Lifeforms!
The Stitched Monster was engulfed in flames, burning fiercely.
"Great!"
"Success!"
The two assisting intermediate apprentices cheered with excitement.
The Fishman Warriors they controlled seemed inspired, charging forward one after another.
They were using themselves as fuel to assist the flames in burning.
Not long after, several loud explosions shook the surroundings.
These were the Alchemy Bombs hidden within a few of the corpses, detonating.
Necromancers had an evil spell called "Corpse Explosion Spell," but it required fresh life energy and could only be used on recently deceased bodies.
However, planting bombs inside zombies or even refining entire corpses into demonic constructs similar to Fire Tumor Crystals could achieve a similar effect.
But just as Roy thought they might win the battle, an Arcane Imprint appeared above the Stitched Monster like a three-dimensional projection.
The Stitched Monster's aura changed dramatically, and its intelligence seemed to awaken. It bypassed the Summons and charged directly at Raymond.
The Fishman Warriors were unable to stop it and were sent flying one after another.
Raymond was caught off guard and was thrown several meters away.
The Stitched Monster raised its massive blade and swung it down, putting Raymond in mortal danger.
He quickly rolled to the side but couldn't completely avoid the attack. His leg was grazed and severed at the knee.
"That guy's done for!"
Seeing this, Roy was greatly surprised.
"Lord Raymond!"
The two intermediate apprentices cried out in horror.
Fortunately, Raymond seemed to have a strong physique in addition to his Wizardry. With a powerful push of his leg, he lunged toward the Fishman Zombies under his control.
These Fishman Zombies had vibrant scales, indicating they were Elite warriors far stronger than ordinary Fishmen. They rushed forward to block the Stitched Monster.
The Stitched Monster, in a frenzied charge, forcefully pushed through the horde of zombies and cleaved one of the apprentices in front of it in half.
Raymond and his last remaining companion were now in grave danger.
Roy finally raised his armguard and fired a blast of air toward the Stitched Monster.
As the liquid splattered, the Blackening Potion clung to the Stitched Monster's legs and began to corrode at an astonishing rate.
Under the astonished gazes of Raymond and his companion, the Stitched Monster's legs sizzled and quickly melted away.
Their eyes widened in shock: "This... this is..."
This was one of the reasons Roy dared to come here—the Black Iron-tier talent, [Blackening], obtained from that stone pit!
The potion, developed by integrating the knowledge of this talent, had a special effect on flesh and tissue.
Specially concentrated and refined, it granted the potion even greater corrosive properties, making it practical for combat.
In their disbelief, the Stitched Monster's right leg soon broke off, making it lose balance and collapse to the ground with a thud.
Roy fired another shot, decisively melting the Stitched Monster's left arm, which controlled the grappling hook.
He had seen clearly that the sudden attack was extremely threatening. Even he wouldn't have been able to dodge it easily, and a single moment of carelessness could have been fatal.
With the help of the surviving apprentice, Raymond, wincing in pain, moved over ten meters away and looked at Roy in shock: "It's you?"
Night had fallen, and the surroundings were dim.
But both Raymond and Roy had excellent vision, so they could still clearly see each other's faces.
Roy nodded: "That thing isn't easy to deal with. How did you end up provoking it?"
Raymond was momentarily speechless.
Not easy to deal with? It was downright deadly!
He considered himself one of the top advanced apprentices, and he had deeply felt the pressure from its endurance and massive size during the earlier attacks.
But this sudden newcomer had effortlessly taken it down with two 「Acid Splash」 attacks, leaving him utterly astounded.
Raymond snapped out of his daze and said grudgingly, "It was just a coincidence, really! We just happened to run into it!"
Roy said amiably, "Let's kill it together and split the rewards equally. What do you think?"
He didn't make this suggestion without reason. After seeing these apprentices from Nickmansha, he had already begun to form a plan.
He didn't yet have the strength to confront Olen head-on, so it was best not to let him take notice.
Raymond had no reason to refuse the proposal.
He had already lost a lot in this battle, and if he didn't seize the opportunity to kill it and gain something from it, it would be a huge loss.
It was rare for a stranger who had saved them to show such goodwill, and he couldn't possibly refuse.
Thus, the two quickly reached an agreement and began to work together.
The Stitched Monster was indeed thick with flesh, its body piled high with nearly a hundred corpses, making it as large as an adult elephant.
Even though it had lost most of its mobility, it still took them quite some effort to successfully dismember it.
When the Stitched Monster was gutted, revealing the heart that had flowed out from Chalkland, a familiar se
nse of dizziness washed over him.
Roy felt it again—a faint throbbing pain began to emerge between his brows.
A translucent, illusory panel appeared.
[Alchemy Talent Acquiring (0% → 90%)]
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