Before Spain could even touch the magic book, something strange occurred: the book began to bubble, its shape shifting rapidly as countless liquid tentacles erupted from it, some wrapping around Spain's arm.
“What the hell is this?”
Spain cried out as his right hand quickly went numb.
“It’s a Shoggoth, a small Shoggoth!” Xu Lin and Alexander immediately realized.
The magic book in Janet’s hand, “The Confessions of the Mad Monk Crittanus,” was actually a small Shoggoth in disguise. It's said that powerful Shoggoths can alter their form, and surprisingly, they can even mimic objects like books.
Meanwhile, the mutated gigantic Shoggoth let out a whistling cry, unleashing countless appendages that spread in all directions, each capable of piercing human flesh with ease.
At the same time, the previously motionless Deep One Roland leaped up, swinging his giant axe toward Eric’s head.
—The situation had suddenly and dramatically shifted, catching everyone off guard!
“You fools dare to threaten me!”
Janet suddenly darted forward with lightning speed, displaying astonishing physical prowess, intervening just as Alexander was about to fire. However, instead of attacking Alexander, he grabbed Annandon by the throat and lifted him up.
“You think he’s truly my weakness? What a joke. My cousin, Annandon Williamson, is nothing but a fool in my eyes!”
Crack! Without giving the terrified Annandon a chance to speak, Janet snapped his neck with a single motion.
“Alexander, you foolish idiot, thinking you’d identified my weakness—this was never a weakness for me.” Janet’s face began to change, sprouting scales as he transformed into a Deep One.
Simultaneously, his physical abilities surged, much like the Deep One Roland, his body thickening into a powerful frame.
“Boom!”
With a single hand, Janet snapped Annandon’s arm and charged forward to deliver a devastating punch.
Alexander felt this punch was beyond human strength. Even though his body had been enhanced by 0.2 times, he knew trying to block it head-on would result in serious injury.
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Reacting with his impressive adaptability, he rolled to Janet’s right side, coming into a crouch and ready to fire.
This was a tactical maneuver; Alexander felt his body move smoothly and lightly, rolling agilely before firing continuously…
Bang, bang, bang! Three shots hit Janet’s right side, but his skin was covered with scales like armor, and he remained unfazed.
“Just like Roland? Our bullets can’t hurt them!” Alexander felt a deep sense of frustration. Even if he’d foiled the opponent’s scheme, he felt powerless against Janet's strength.
No, I can't give up so soon. The sacrifices of Jin Jianshu, the elder, Carmen, and others can’t be in vain.
“Their deaths cannot be meaningless!”
“No one should die so brutally and pointlessly in a world without rhyme or reason!”
“I will reject this existence…”
His eyes burned with a small flame, a spark that might one day ignite into a blaze and consume everything.
Janet could feel the fire in Alexander’s heart, a look that made him inherently uncomfortable, hateful, and disgusted.
“Die!”
His body grew larger, his face contorting with ugliness. Yet what was more grotesque than his appearance was his twisted heart, willing to trample anyone, be it family, friends, or innocent people, to fulfill his desires.
Janet was now intent on killing him. His fingers sprouted webbing and sharp claws, forming hook-like appendages aimed at Alexander’s head.
“Thunk!”
A flail came swinging through the air, hitting Janet squarely, azure flames bursting with a sizzling noise.
It was Xu Lin; in a critical moment, he had thrown the flail over ten meters, striking Janet directly.
“You deal with Janet; I’ll handle this…”
Xu Lin rolled up his sleeves and injected himself with more magic potion, quickly unleashing his fragment magic—Turandot. The petrification beam emitted an icy blue glow, spreading outward to continue suppressing the large Shoggoth.
“This guy never had the magic book in hand; that means our assumption was wrong. Could it be that he can still cast powerful spells without the book?”
Alexander’s mind raced, recalling everything that had happened since entering the cave.
“No, he’s still using the magic book; it’s just hidden nearby.”
He quickly surveyed the battlefield, noticing something surprising: Janet always maintained a deliberate distance from the large Shoggoth.
“It’s that large Shoggoth; the magic book is hidden inside it. Deep One Roland can move freely, but since appearing, that large Shoggoth has stayed close to Janet…”
The reason was clear: Janet needed to maintain a certain proximity to the magic source to use it effectively. Without a doubt, this was a prime opportunity to take advantage.
“Right, the core of that giant Shoggoth is likely the magic book…”
Alexander realized something: perhaps Xu Lin’s petrification beam couldn’t affect the Shoggoth because of the magic book inside. As he considered this, Roland’s axe came crashing down toward Eric.
Eric couldn’t help but scream, but the axe slid past his face, cutting through Linda’s chains with precision.
“Snap!”
The chain was severed, and Deep One Roland set down the axe, grabbing Linda’s hands and yanking hard, breaking the handcuffs as well.
“Roland, how dare you defy me!”
Janet screamed furiously, pointing at Roland, who suddenly showed a pained expression, collapsing to one knee.
“Do you think you can resist my control? That’s a delusion!”