Infinite: Starting from Infiltrating Other Spaces

The two sides fought at least one major battle, leaving behind numerous traces. It is also possible that the battle took place in the sky, thus leaving no obvious traces.

However, judging from the aftermath and the scene of the battle, the people who killed these overlords were not incredibly powerful.

"It shouldn't be Simmons."

Victor stared intently, letting out a soft breath. His expression was ambiguous, whether it was relief or disappointment.

"At least Simmons won't have such a hard time beating this guy. Even if you despise Simmons's character, this fallen archbishop can still be considered the strongest in the world."

Even in a class of its own, the good news is we don't have to face Simmons right now.

The bad news is, we'll most likely still have to go to Edmunds, overcome numerous obstacles, and fight the enemy leader in their own backyard.

"Furthermore, the other side is somewhat picky about food. Apart from the regional overlord, the Abyss Shark, none of the other monsters had their flesh and blood absorbed."

What does it mean?

Don't like it?

Iris also offered her own perspective:

"Or is it that someone under Simmons has finally lost his ambition and wants to challenge Simmons through this method of devouring flesh and blood and sucking marrow from bones?"

"No, he's not one of Simmons's men!"

Victor shook his head again, denying the conjecture, and pointed into the distance with great complexity and doubt.

"Do you see that? That used to be a fortress of the Church of the Night, and it was the enemy we attacked during our last great expedition, which was lured by false intelligence."

In any case, the flags and lighthouses there would never be lowered or extinguished, but now not only are the flags and lighthouses gone.

Even the fortress has collapsed beyond recognition….

"Do we have backup?"

"How could someone using this method be our accomplice...?"

Ruthlessly shattering Iris's conjecture, Victor returned to the bow of the ship, straining to see what lay ahead.

"That's right, the fortress has collapsed!"

"Never mind that—"

Li Xia calmly patted the roaring dragon egg, signaling it to set off again.

The car traced another curve in mid-air and moved toward its next target.

Each subsequent location made the team even more silent.

..........

The Green Swamp Poison Lizard, the master of the swamp's poisonous miasma, lay in the center of its favorite swamp, with only a small part of its head exposed, while most of its body was swallowed by the swamp.

The savage lord of the forest—the ferocious tiger—had its entire head shattered, and its remains, like a tattered rag, were carelessly tossed beneath the red maple tree.

As for the Lord of the Mountains and Rivers—the Rock-Splitting Demon—it simply shattered into small stones, which scattered all over the ground.

Clearly, the monster was growing stronger by constantly absorbing the flesh and blood of the regional overlord.

Upon discovering this fact, Iris and Victor were clearly on edge.

To deal with the current Church of the Night, attacking them in a scattered manner is the best solution they can think of.

At this point, any unexpected and powerful assistance will lead to a complete replanning of the project.

They thought they would continue on this journey until they reached their final destination, Edmunds.

They continued until they crossed the mountain where the Rock Demon lived and found a strangely familiar figure near the riverbank close to Edmons.

The figure was leaning against a huge rock, seemingly resting. What drew attention was the figure's unusually swollen abdomen and sudden...

Li Xia slowly stretched his hand to his side, pulling the long spear that crackled with electricity out of the air.

His expression was unusually serious, yet he showed no surprise:

"Collins!"

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Dear readers, I am very sorry, but Little Carp has discovered a new situation and is actively looking for a hospital to prepare for treatment.

Therefore, there may be instances of needing to take leave in the coming period (one day off at a time).

I was originally hospitalized for pneumonia, and since my electrocardiogram showed some abnormalities, I scheduled a cardiac ultrasound to give myself peace of mind.

The result... congenital heart disease.

When I saw the results, my mind went blank, and this afternoon I've been making phone calls nonstop, trying to find people to inquire about my condition.

Fortunately, it was discovered early and the condition was not too serious. In addition to the ventricular septal defect, there was also pericardial effusion and ventricular and atrial hypertrophy.

We have decided to have the surgery at the children's hospital, but we still need to go through the examination process again. The specific surgery time is yet to be determined.

So I'm really sorry, I'll probably have to take about four days off each month until the surgery is over.

Thank you for your understanding and support, and thank you for your continued companionship. Thank you!

[P.S.: I took my little koi fish to the hospital at 7 a.m. this morning and didn't get back until tonight. I almost fell asleep while writing the second half, so some parts might look a bit strange. Please forgive me.]

Chapter Thirty: The Goddess's Decree

Collins?

The Burning Heart Trio stared in astonishment at the figure in the distance, completely unable to reconcile the extremely deformed-looking monster with the serious and upright Collins they remembered.

The spear was swung in mid-air, its blade pointing diagonally at the ground, and with just one movement, a large cloud of dust was stirred up on the ground.

Li Xia slowly walked towards Collins, while the three little ones spread out behind him, shielding the frail Fafner and Iris behind them.

He had previously guessed that the hunters of these monsters were either the Church of the Night or Collins, but now it was confirmed.

What remains is the most puzzling thing for Li Xia: from their first encounter, even when they were more than ten kilometers apart, Collins was able to pinpoint her location precisely.

This suggests that either the other party has a special method, or their perception is exaggerated to an alarming degree.

In either case, Collins should have noticed his arrival much earlier.

Li Xia stopped in his tracks, looking at Collins who was still standing hundreds of meters away. So he was deliberately waiting for him?

"Kara"

Collins, leaning against the rock, finally managed to stand up with some difficulty, his abdomen swollen in an exaggerated way.

The robes covering his body were tattered and torn beyond recognition. Half of his face was normal, while the other half was bulging high, with sharp canine teeth protruding from his lips.

Even one of its dark eyes turned blood red.

"Outsiders————"

The muttering was incredibly strange and sinister; one had to listen very carefully to understand what Collins was saying.

"Why...are you with the people from the Burning Heart Church?"

Li Xia's pupils contracted. As expected, his guess was correct. Collins still had his original memories, but that did not mean that Collins still retained the emotions he had when he was human.

For Collins at this moment, that kind of memory was more like watching someone else's memories; he wouldn't have any emotional involvement, he would just know that it happened, and he wouldn't feel anything.

"What do you think?"

Collins's strange face showed a hint of confusion, as if he hadn't yet gotten used to this roundabout way of speaking.

But he quickly adjusted, becoming a perfect aberration—perfect not just in the body, but in the perfect fusion of the aberration and the original form.

"It seems—you and that being—are completely different—"

Collins spoke very slowly, almost as if reciting each word in a monotonous, mechanical way.

“We can unite.”

Not only Li Xia, but the entire trio of heartbroken people were also deeply shaken.

After saying this, two bulges suddenly appeared on Collins' back. The bulges grew larger and larger, and with a tearing sound, pus splattered out, from which a pair of huge, jet-black wings emerged and unfurled.

It looked remarkably similar to the skeletal wings of a griffin. Collins shook the wings, wiping off the slime.

"brush!"

The wings stretched out to both sides, and with a powerful flap, a strong airflow spread with the movement of the wings, carrying smoke and dust in all directions.

His body flew into the sky at an extremely fast speed, instantly turning into a black dot.

Then a clear explosion came from mid-air, and a very obvious sound barrier cloud appeared in mid-air. Collins flew away in the distance, leaving an unusually clear white trail.

The three members of the Burning Heart Trio and Li Xia were left stunned.

No, tell me how we should unite?

Does saying "unity" mean it's all there is to it?

Li Xia frowned. Even with his comprehension skills, he couldn't understand Collins's bizarre thought process.

But Collins seems to be on their side, which is good news.

Moreover, the way he grew wings at the end was hard to miss. It can only be said that he is a perfect mutant, able to absorb those monsters and directly combine their strengths into himself.

"So... Collins is on our side?"

Iris's expression gradually brightened:

"He seems to remember us, that's great! If Collins is willing to join us, our chances of winning will increase significantly!"

Did Collins overcome corruption?

"I'm afraid not! Iris, do you remember what I told you?"

Victor shook his head, staring intently in the direction Collins had gone, and said solemnly:

Even if the twisted and corrupted monster has memories, those memories are like watching from a third-person perspective to him, and he will not feel anything about them.

If he speaks to you with the same emotional memories as before.

So----"

Iris's face fell, and she said in a low voice:

"Then he must have ulterior motives."

"Very good, it seems you haven't forgotten—"

Victor nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Li Xia:

"Xia, something's definitely strange this time. What do you think?"

Li Xia pondered for a moment, then calmly said:

“I don’t think Collins is lying to us. He probably really wants to join forces with us. Although it’s a bit unconventional, I think maybe Collins left some backup plans before he became completely corrupt, which led to the current situation.”

A second move?

Victor was taken aback, then his eyebrows shot up sharply. His expression clearly showed that he had thought of something, something was about to emerge in his mind, but he was just a little short of it.

"Imperial Edict!"

Fafner's voice suddenly broke in; the old man's gray eyes gleamed with a faint light, carrying a sense of bewilderment and emptiness.

This is a characteristic behavior he exhibits when retrieving information from his mind.

"Collins may have used the sacred artifact of the Church of the Divine Decree—the Divine Decree of the Goddess."

"Yes, that's it, very likely!"

Victor's face broke into an excited smile.

A divine pronouncement from the goddess?

Li Xia became interested, and through Fafner's slow and deliberate explanation, he roughly understood the function of the Goddess's Prophecy.

It's roughly a kind of mandatory order or decree, forcing the subject to act according to the decree.

If I had to explain it, it would be similar to Kotoamatsukami in Naruto and the thought imprint in The Three-Body Problem.

"so--"