Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 98: Fleshwither

Chapter 98: Fleshwither

After a bit of deliberation, Klaus drew a deep breath and slowly — carefully — began to lower himself down. Though he strained to smother the rising panic, his body betrayed him, trembling with every movement. Guiding his limbs with painstaking precision, he crept down from the ridge, silently begging not to be heard, sensed, or noticed by any unnatural means.

Fortunately, the monster remained unaware of his presence.

Upon reaching the ground, Klaus backed away, eyes locked on the ridge. Turning around felt like inviting death. Invisible needles pricked at his spine with every hesitant step. Forcing himself forward, the young man slipped into the shadows and moved as quietly as possible toward the place he’d last seen his companions.

A few minutes later, he returned to the group’s location. Morgan was already awake, her expression taut with unease, mirroring Seraphim and Adrian, who stood alert, clearly awaiting his return.

"Hey, it’s me," Klaus announced his arrival and at the same time, stepped out of the darkness.

The group lifted their heads at his approach, only to avert their gazes a moment later. Their expressions were grim, shadows cast across weary faces.

There was nothing Klaus could say to break the tension. So instead, he turned to Adrian and asked:

"Have you explained the situation to them?"

Adrian nodded.

"Yeah, I’ve already filled the girls in on the Nightmare Carapaces. Though... I didn’t expect you to stay behind. Did you see anything else?"

Klaus exhaled slowly, feeling more depressed than when he first arrived in this forsaken world. Then, with a somber expression, he explained:

"As you saw back there, there are at least a hundred Nightmare Carapaces crawling beneath a stone ridge not far from here. But they’re not the real threat. The real danger is something worse; a terrifying abomination, as big as a house, made entirely of shadowy tendrils, with unnaturally long limbs ending in three-bladed claws, curved like sickles. It lurks inside a cavern at the same site. I watched as the Carapaces dragged the half-devoured carcass of a giant, demonic whale-like beast toward it... one that held two Transcendent shards. They were offering it to the creature."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words settle, then continued:

"That thing... it’s called a Fleshwither. I read about it before we left the academy. It’s an Awakened hollow capable of dominating other hollows of equal or lesser rank. Which means, as you’ve probably guessed, the Nightmare Carapaces are under its control. Looking back, that would explain their strange behavior these past few days. They weren’t just randomly roaming the terrain, they were simply looking for prey to give as offering to the creature."

After his quite long explanation, there was an uncomfortable silence.

After Klaus’s long explanation, a heavy silence settled over the room.

No one spoke. His words lingered like a thick fog, heavy with implications they all understood. The danger was real. With each second that passed, Klaus felt the silence closing in on him, strangling him. He was slowly losing his grip.

’Why the hell is everyone quiet?! Nobody is speaking and this is starting to feel weird. The situation is already bad enough. So please, someone — anyone — just say something!’

Just as Klaus opened his mouth to break the silence, Adrian beat him to it. His expression was serious and thoughtful.

"A Fleshwither, was it? That’s not something we’re equipped to deal with. And if what you’re saying is true... we’re in more trouble than we realized."

Following his words, Morgan began chewing her fingernails, muttering under her breath. Klaus tilted his head. When did she pick up that habit?

The disguised succubus murmured:

"This is bad. A creature that can control others is already a serious threat. But if it’s absorbed those two Transcendent shards... then it’s not just getting stronger, it might be preparing to evolve. That would explain everything. If it’s on the verge of transformation, it makes sense it would stay hidden, letting its underlings hunt and bring offerings in its place."

Perhaps her murmuring was louder than she intended, because everyone heard it and frowned deeply. Then again, it wasn’t like they didn’t already suspect what she was talking about.

The evolution of monsters differed greatly from that of humans and demons. They didn’t require a Baptismous or Unholy Slate to reach the next stage. With enough spirit shards, they simply evolved. In the case of the Freshwither — an Awakened-rank creature — absorbing those Transcendent shards would trigger its transformation into a "Wraith," the next progression in the Beast hierarchy.

Though Wraiths couldn’t be compared to Corrupted Tyrants, beings capable of decimating an entire country, they were still powerful enough to raze cities unless stopped by Inquisitors. All of the Ascendants present, including the involved succubus, only possessed Shrouded spirit cores.

If the Freshwither evolved and obtained a Forsaken core in such a scenario, victory would be impossible. Worst case scenario, it might awaken the ability to manipulate people too.

How had things gone from "bad" to "worse" in just a matter of minutes?

No matter how Klaus looked at it, this was clearly a sign of misfortune. The absoluteness of his [Fateless] attribute was truly terrifying.

Eventually, still wearing a deep frown, Adrian spoke up:

"We need to leave. If it’s using the Carapaces to collect offerings, then we’re right in the middle of its hunting grounds. Worst-case scenario, it finds us before sunrise."

Klaus shot him a glance.

"And go where, exactly? The entire area is practically swallowed by darkness. Even if we wanted to move, our strongest asset — the Stalker — is severely injured, and the rest of us are running on fumes. Moving through the night would be the same as handing our throats to the wolves."

Hearing this, something flashed in Adrian’s eyes, then he lowered his head and clicked his tongue.

"You’re right... but what choice do we have? It’s either we move, or we sit here and hope for the best. Just what the hell are we supposed to do in a situation like this, huh? Ideally, I wouldn’t want to set foot in this cursed place after dark... but honestly, our chances of surviving out there are still better than staying put and praying we don’t get found."

’Damnit. This guy... You think I don’t already know that.’ Klaus thought bitterly, grinding his back teeth as his spirit dropped even lower.

Was their situation truly that helpless? But he failed to notice something else.

Throughout the entire conversation, Seraphim remained eerily silent. Had anyone looked into her eyes just then, they would have seen something cold and calculating. A few seconds later, a divine spark flickered across them before vanishing, leaving behind a flat, inscrutable shade of grey.

After thinking for a moment, she finally reached an inevitable conclusion.

"Running away is no longer possible. There’s only one correct decision we can make in this situation."

As the others turned toward her, Seraphim delivered the final blow with icy certainty:

"Fight."

† †

Everyone, Klaus included, stared at her in stunned silence.

The idea was insane. Suicidal, even. Fight that thing? Wasn’t the whole point to figure out how to escape? And now she was suggesting the most dangerous, irrational option of all?

Before Klaus could shut it down, Morgan beat him to it.

"Are you crazy?"

From there, she began to lay into Seraphim without mercy.

"We’re talking about an awakened monster that controls others. Maybe you could take down one, regardless of its strength. But what are you going to do against one hundred of them?"

Her argument was solid. Klaus had been about to say the same thing, though he would’ve phrased it more politely. Then again, she was a demoness so he couldn’t say that her being harsh was unexpected. Still,

’That’s not how you talk to someone, even if what they’re saying is completely insane. I guess she gets a few points for honesty,’ he thought with a sigh, expecting Seraphim to be upset.

Watching her expression, he noticed a slight frown, but her next words caught him off guard.

"I understand where you’re coming from, and I know my words might sound unreasonable."

No, actually, your words are very unreasonable, Klaus thought.

Seraphim took a slow breath.

"This isn’t about careful planning anymore. We don’t have a choice."

She swept her gaze across the group, then continued:

"We’re outnumbered, exhausted, and more importantly, surrounded. But if we keep running, we’ll only delay the inevitable. That thing will find us eventually. And when it does, we’ll be even weaker than we are now."

She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in.

"We also can’t leave the cliffs until morning. The same applies to the monsters. When the light returns, even if it’s only the dim glow of a grey sky, they’ll be able to see us clearly. And when that happens, they’ll strike. We’ll lose the only advantage we have right now, which is the element of surprise. If we have to fight, it’s better to be the ones who act first."

Seraphim glanced up and added:

"It’s not completely dark yet. We can still see. And among us, two people have perfect night vision; Nikolaos and myself. Once full night falls, that advantage will disappear too."

Klaus blinked, narrowed his eyes, and swiftly cut her off.

"I’m sorry, but what exactly are you trying to say? That we should take on a horde of Awakened monsters and a half-evolved one at the same time? Is that it? Because if so, I have to agree with Morgan. This plan is completely unreasonable."

With a pause, he explained:

"You do realize that we, as Shrouded humans, only have dormant abilities, right? Our powers are still in the manifestation stage. They’re undeveloped. The fact that we’ve even managed to survive against Awakened beasts so far is already a work of miraculous fortune. And now you’re talking about fighting over a hundred of them? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

Seraphim sighed, as if his argument had completely missed the point.

"Can’t you see it by now? Do you really believe any ordinary Strider could have survived in a place like this? We’ve made it this far because each of us is special in our own way."

She then met his dark gaze.

"So how can you dismiss our survival as nothing more than luck?"

Klaus furrowed his brows, already disliking the direction this argument was heading. But Seraphim didn’t stop.

"Morgan can manipulate minds, and her blood has the unique property of turning anything that drinks it into her servant. Adrian controls the wind. You possess exceptional strength, agility, and adaptability. As for me, I wield both light and darkness, along with a Nightmare that produces azure fire."

She paused, letting that sink in before adding:

"And let’s not forget the Stalker. An Awakened ghoul is a powerful ally."

Her tone grew more resolute.

"If we combine our strength, abilities, and strategy in a surprise attack, we have a real chance at victory. Especially now, when the creature is on the verge of evolution. That makes it vulnerable. This is our best shot."

Klaus scowled:

"That won’t change anything. It could still crush us like insects. No matter how we spin it, there’s a very real chance that one of us, or all of us, won’t make it out alive."

Following that, Seraphim immediately countered.

"And there’s also a real chance that we will survive. It’s a fifty-fifty risk. I’m not saying it will be easy."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke quietly.

"But the truth is, we don’t have much of a choice."

He paused, struggling to find a solid counter. Her argument made sense so far. But just because something sounds reasonable doesn’t mean it’s the right answer.

For instance, many researchers once argued that humanity was accelerating the threat of global warming through unchecked pollution. Some extremists even claimed the only solution was to eradicate humanity itself in order to save the planet. The logic, while structured, was deeply flawed. Therefore, reason alone doesn’t make a conclusion right.

The same truth applied to this scenario. But it seemed him himself could not convince this suicidal woman alone.

With that thought, Klaus turned his attention to his last hope — the blonde Strider who had been silently listening to the back-and-forth

But there was something off about Adrian’s eyes. The young man was avoiding Klaus’s gaze, like someone caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

A creeping sense of dread began to settle in Klaus’s chest. And when Adrian finally spoke, that unease solidified into cold fear.

"I’m sorry... but I have to agree with Seraphim on this."