The next morning.
Bisky's "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" helped relieve the pressure on Shizuku and Menchi a bit more, so they retrieved "Sleeping Girl" and prepared to set off.
They crawled out of the cave. The army of ghouls from last night had already vanished, but their footprints were still visible on the ground, chaotic yet orderly.
The sky outside was still gloomy. Large, greyish-white clouds covered the sky, blocking the sunlight, making it look as if it was still night.
In the distance, the greyish-white "aurora" in the sky had yet to dissipate, and everyone headed toward that direction.
As Nen users, they moved swiftly and gracefully, like swallows, darting between the grey-white rock formations, their figures almost invisible.
In less than half an hour, they arrived at a simple stone bridge formed by nature's craftsmanship and gazed at the view in the distance.
In the barren wilderness, the undead were gathered together.
They were bustling and moving in a cleverly arranged circular formation, completely blocking the path ahead of the Germain Squad.
Not only was the ground blocked, but the sky above also had no escape.
The vengeful spirits floated in the grey-white smoke-filled sky, resembling schools of sardines gathering on the sea's surface, a sight both magnificent and terrifying.
In the center of this array of vengeful spirits and undead, there stood a spear-like plant, grey-white in color, piercing the clouds.
The surface of the "Grey-White Spear" was covered with many black spheres, densely packed and moving up and down like tumors.
Its base had two huge "leaves," curving downward, resembling a pair of large thighs, supporting its massive body upright.
This was the Germain Squad's target—the "Disease Spreader."
Germain lowered his binoculars and turned around. The others were sitting cross-legged on the stone bridge, eating cookies with a crunching sound.
"What do you all think?" Germain asked, "About the massive formation next to the 'Disease Spreader'?"
Shizuku adjusted his glasses. "It feels like pilgrims are gathering for a pilgrimage."
"It feels more like an evil ritual site," Bisky bit into a sandwich cookie, a bit of jam on the corner of her mouth. "Look, the cultists are offering their bodies and souls."
"You two are actually saying the same thing," Menchi sat cross-legged, leaning forward with one hand on her cheek and the other resting on her thigh.
Bisky pouted. "Holy prayers and evil rituals can't be mixed. Although I've never seen Shizuku pray, she's practically half a believer, right? What you're saying is insulting her faith."
Shizuku, however, was gently touching her inverted crucifix necklace. "I don't mind. I believe in God because I grew up in a church. The old priest protected me and taught me theology."
"Don't say that, Shizuku, if you keep talking like this, the old priest from Meteor City will cry," Bisky couldn't help but comment. "I suddenly realize, we're all a bunch of weirdos here."
Ging listened to the three women easily divert the conversation and quickly cleared his throat. "Let's get back to the current situation. My thought is that this is both a ritual and a form of protection."
"Protection?" Bisky raised an eyebrow, interested. "Protection from what? If your ancestor didn't deliberately mislead us, then they should be immortal, right?"
She spread her hands. "I don't understand, why would an immortal 'disease-spreader' need protection?"
"The answer to this question is probably related to how we acquire the 'Alchemy Plants'..." Ging pointed toward the 'disease-spreader' and the 'ritual formation.' "We can get the 'Alchemy Plants' by attacking it."
Bisky didn't say anything. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the stain at the corner of her mouth, quietly listening as Ging continued.
"We need to go back to the 'Disease Spreader' itself," Ging said. "It's actually the 'Philosopher's Stone' that alchemists dream of."
"The 'Philosopher's Stone' mentioned by alchemists is a miracle. It can transform into the four elements of 'wind, water, fire, and earth,' and can make a person immortal."
"I believe that just as the 'bloodletting method that cures all diseases' likely came from the 'Bloodthirsty Apostle,' the ancient legend of the 'Philosopher's Stone' probably originated from the 'Disease Spreader.'"
"The 'Disease Spreader and Alchemy Plant s' can indeed make creatures immortal, but the cost is that their souls turn into eternal vengeful spirits, and their bodies become like walking corpses."
"It can also transform into the 'four elements,' but the price is that it has to absorb many vengeful spirits, and only by consuming them can it unlock the power of the four elements."
"In this regard, vengeful spirits are not truly immortal because the 'Disease Spreader' holds their life-and-death power."
"Vengeful spirits are just resources for the 'Disease Spreader,' and during the process of absorbing and consuming them, it is at its weakest, which is why it needs so many walking corpses to surround and protect it."
"So, does that mean now is the best time to attack?" Bisky asked.
"We need to wait a little longer," Ging pointed at the sky above the 'Disease Spreader.' "Do you all remember the 'aurora' you saw last night and this morning?"
"I remember," Bisky nodded.
"Now the 'aurora' has disappeared, and the 'Disease Spreader' hasn't moved. I think that aurora was its way of showing it was absorbing vengeful spirits."
"The 'Disease Spreader' is probably digesting the power of the vengeful spirits it has absorbed, which is why it has stopped moving."
Ging said confidently, "As soon as that 'aurora' appears again, the 'Disease Spreader' will make a big move, and it's likely it won't be able to stop. We can use that chance to attack."
"If that's the case..." Germain interrupted, "Then now is the time."
Everyone turned in surprise at Germain's words, and sure enough, they saw a gray-white 'aurora' appear in the dark sky, much denser than the previous dust-filled one.
The "gray-white aurora" was being spewed from the sharp tip above the "Disease Spreader," making it look like a chimney.
In the next moment, the vengeful spirits, like a school of fish, twisted into a giant vortex in the air.
Amidst their high-pitched wails of "Wuuu wuuu" and "Ugh ugh," they burrowed into the black tumors on the surface of the "Disease Spreader."
Before long, the "Disease Spreader" trembled, and more black tumors began to grow with a soft, squelching sound.
These tumors, which could give anyone with a fear of clusters a panic attack, were almost swallowing up the surface of the "Disease Spreader."
"It looks like we need to hurry," Ging said. "If I'm right, when the black tumors reach a certain number, the 'Disease Spreader' will be fully charged and at its most powerful."
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer