Chapter 123: Self-Regeneration

The Butcher's muscles bulged, layer by layer, as if something were writhing beneath his flesh. In the blink of an eye, he had expanded by a full size, to the point where the stitches holding his skin together seemed unable to withstand the immense pressure, threatening to burst at any moment.

Simultaneously, he surged forward like a wrathful Rakshasa, his broad-bladed cleaver swinging toward the body of the Corpse Giant. In Fan Li’s eyes, this lethal strike was shrouded in a faint, spectral aura; he could vaguely discern a multitude of skulls clustered around the blade. These were the souls of those slaughtered by the Butcher—he did not merely destroy the physical bodies of his enemies, but consumed their very essence to nourish his cleaver.

Fan Li’s own katana possessed a similar quality, yet while his blade was still in its nascent form, the Butcher’s cleaver had been stained by untold amounts of blood. As it cut through the air, it carried the piercing shrieks of the unjustly dead, instantly filling the vast hospital with an atmosphere of ferocity, brutality, and cruelty. Under such a ferocious assault, even an elephant standing in its path would have been severed in two, with no chance of defense. This was the terrifying essence of the Butcher; while speed was his weakness, few monsters could rival the sheer pressure and destructive power he unleashed.

"Splat!"

The Corpse Giant’s arm, caught in mid-swing, was severed instantly. As it hit the ground, the fused, mangled limbs scattered, leaving Fan Li with the nauseating sensation of standing in an anatomy lab.

A master of slaughter, the Butcher did not pause. After crippling his foe, he stepped forward, raised his cleaver, and aimed a strike at the giant’s neck. The Butcher’s attacks were fast, accurate, and ruthless. However, just as the blade was about to connect, the Corpse Giant used the dozen or so mismatched legs clinging to its waist to anchor itself, pivoting its entire body horizontally to evade the fatal blow.

At that moment, the Corpse Giant’s form underwent a rapid transformation. From the wound on its right arm, a pus-like substance sprayed forth, deforming and solidifying upon contact with the stump to reform a cluster of limbs. The giant opened its hand, revealing five human arms in place of fingers, each ending in five smaller digits resembling barbed thorns. Fan Li had not expected the creature to possess self-regenerative capabilities; the severed arm had grown back in an instant.

The Butcher was too close. The Corpse Giant’s five-armed hand splayed out, clamping firmly around the Butcher’s waist. The grip tightened inch by inch, as if the creature intended to crush this detestable enemy to death.

"Waaah!"

Just as the trapped Butcher found himself in a bind, a petite figure appeared atop the Corpse Giant’s head, wielding a massive hammer that smashed down with force. The hammer’s friction against the air produced a thunderous boom, as if the weapon were about to ignite, casting a burning aura around it.

It was a testament to Ellie’s terrifying explosive power. The Butcher was known for ignoring faction loyalties, so Fan Li had to choose the perfect moment to deploy Ellie. Her 80-point affinity ensured she listened closely to his commands. She had waited until the Butcher was pinned and unable to escape before appearing to deliver this devastating blow.

"Crunch!"

Like stepping on a cockroach, the giant hammer struck, turning the Corpse Giant’s head into a pulp of gore.

"Gurgle..."

Despite its head being destroyed, the Corpse Giant remained standing. A sense of foreboding washed over Fan Li. A second later, a sound like boiling water erupted from the puddle of flesh where the neck had been. Arms began to sprout from the remains, woven together like a wicker basket—only instead of vines, the material was human organs. A dense thicket of arms and legs emerged, and a new, hideous, bloated face manifested once more within the hospital.

It was unimaginable—decapitation was useless against such a monster. Furthermore, having been wounded repeatedly, the creature seemed to enter a state of frenzy. It lowered its head and opened its mouth, revealing rows of human figures lined up inside. These figures, like demons from a bottomless abyss, resided within the Corpse Giant’s throat. Upon spotting their prey, the figures opened their eyes and reached out with their arms, clawing toward the Butcher.

It was attempting to consume the Butcher.

Fan Li watched the scene with intense focus. Seeing this, his eyes hardened with resolve. He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the monster. As he drew nearer, the shadow behind him began to oscillate, transforming into a dozen tentacles that shot out like arrows, coiling tightly around the monster’s body.

"Shadow Touch!"

This was the special ability granted to him by the Monster Manual, a reward for subduing the Button.

"Wooo..."

With the monster restrained, the Butcher seized his chance. He raised his triangular crown high, and a piercing alarm siren blared through the hospital. Fan Li’s vision slowly faded into darkness. He quickly clicked on his flashlight, only to find that the surroundings had changed completely.

The Otherworld had descended!

Man and monsters acted with startling synergy. As Fan Li bound the Corpse Giant, the Butcher pulled the hospital into the dark dimension.

Struggling sounds echoed nearby. Fan Li glanced back to see the severed limbs that had fallen from the Corpse Giant suddenly surging and swelling. Before long, they had transformed into figures dressed as nurses. These nurses had graceful frames covered in red filaments, but their faces lacked features, replaced by deformed, fleshy tumors—a jarring collision of beauty and grotesque horror.

The Otherworld had breathed new life into the severed limbs, turning them into evil spirits within this dark realm. They raised their hands, wielding needles, scalpels, and razor-sharp fingernails. Countless negative emotions—fear, pain, greed, loathing, guilt, and sin—were embodied by these nurses. Even knowing they were summoned by the Butcher’s dark energy, Fan Li could not help but take a step back.

"R... e... d..."

A raspy roar erupted from ahead. As if awakened, the nurses twitched their bodies and then broke into a sprint, charging forward.

Fan Li swung his flashlight around, only to see the Corpse Giant, which had been holding the Butcher, now bound by countless iron chains and hoisted off the ground. Yet, even in this state, it did not release the Butcher; its five-armed hand remained clamped tight, a testament to its singular, murderous intent.

At that moment, the nurses, answering the call, launched their assault upon the Corpse Giant.