Thanatos’s Call

This, however, was precisely what Yodel Finn had intended.

“Yelica, charge!”

Indeed, his intention was to draw all attention, diverting the full brunt of the attack onto himself to forge an opening for Yelica, much as they had done when they collaborated to eliminate Baldy previously.

This strategy, however, demanded time, during which Yodel Finn was forced to contend with Balin’s full, suffocating assault entirely on his own while Yelica gathered her strength.

From the very outset, Yodel Finn had been relentlessly assailed by deathly premonitions clinging to him; each narrowly evaded attack immediately gave rise to a fresh wave of these chilling illusions.

His evasions were no longer fluid or effortless; instead, they grew increasingly perilous, as a suffocating deluge of thorns threatened to swallow his very form, compelling Yodel Finn to cling to survival within the narrowest of margins.

Yet, his tenacious stand proved effective; Yelica’s preparations for her attack swiftly concluded, significantly quicker than her previous confrontation with the bald living corpse, a testament, no doubt, to the advancements in her power since becoming a Bishop.

“Slaying the Demonic!”

A familiar flash rent the sky, but this time, it erupted directly over Balin’s position, detonating into a miniature mushroom cloud whose concussive blast nearly sent Yodel Finn hurtling through the air.

Only after the two had regained their footing and the pillar of smoke dissipated did they fully grasp the devastation: the plaza floor was now riddled with fissures, resembling parched, cracked earth, a direct consequence of the devastating strike.

“Surely he’s utterly annihilated this time…” Yelica murmured, pressing a hand to her chest as she gasped for breath, battling a wave of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her.

Having endured two grueling battles, even a Bishop found her reserves depleted.

In the distance, Yali Miller, who had been lost in awe of her brother’s singular prowess in perfectly holding Balin at bay, finally snapped back to reality:

“Is that monster dead?”

The male student gazed vacantly at the dissipating mushroom cloud, nodding numbly. “That power… it’s nearly on par with a railgun,” he mumbled. “Taking a hit like that to the face, he must be scattered into a hundred pieces by now.”

However, Yodel Finn’s anguished cry abruptly shattered their collective illusion. “Gods above!” he shrieked. “What unholy abomination is this tenacious?! Are you the King of Resilience, so utterly indestructible?!”

As if in direct defiance of his words, Balin’s head slowly materialized from the settling dust and smoke of the explosion.

Indeed, only his head emerged. A voluminous mass of thorns had usurped Balin’s body, now serving as the grotesque support for his disembodied head, rendering him eerily akin to a colossal jellyfish.

This was, quite literally, a being that was all ‘legs’ below the neck.

Yet, the spectacle was far from over. The thorns swiftly elongated and shot outwards in all directions; both Yodel Finn and Yelica instinctively prepared to defend, only to realize that the projectiles were not aimed at them, but at the hordes of living corpses.

In a horrifying instant, dozens of unfortunate living corpses were ensnared by the thorns, hoisted aloft, and dragged inexorably towards Balin’s floating head.

Then, with a sickening precision, these thorns began to stitch the living corpses together like grotesque needles and thread; some were molded into arms, others into legs, and still others into… something else entirely.

In mere seconds, a monstrous giant, stitched together from the raw flesh of living corpses, slowly lurched upright, Balin’s disembodied head now perched atop it, gazing down upon the two of them with an unnerving superiority.

The third phase…

“You two! Are you ready to become a part of me?”

The vacant expression that had previously marred Balin’s face had vanished entirely, replaced instead by an unsettling blend of madness and savage ferocity.

“How is he speaking so clearly now?” Yelica questioned, her hand pulling Yodel Finn back as they retreated.

Balin merely let out a booming laugh, providing the answer for Yodel Finn himself:

“Hahahahaha, this new body of mine possesses thirty brains and thirty hearts, leaving no deficiency in either intellect or physical prowess! This, you see, is the very pinnacle of life, the true answer to eternal existence!”

As Balin’s maniacal laughter echoed, the thirty living corpses comprising his new form simultaneously joined in, their synchronized, grotesque smiles and chilling bursts of mirth sending shivers down both Yodel Finn’s and Yelica’s spines.

As for the dwindling band of survivors, being mere ordinary citizens, they had never witnessed such a horrifying spectacle.

“This thing is no longer an ordinary monster, is it? Can humans really deal with it?”

One survivor, having witnessed Balin resurrect twice, each time more formidable than the last, felt their sanity fray at the edges.

Someone offered hollow words of comfort, urging everyone to place their faith in Yodel Finn and the esteemed Bishop, yet even their own voices betrayed a distinct lack of conviction.

Indeed, the duo possessed immense strength, but ultimately, they were bound by limits. Balin, however, had long since abandoned his humanity, resolving to slay Yodel Finn even if it meant transforming into an even more grotesque monster.

As these fears mounted, the monstrous flesh-and-blood tentacles surged towards Yodel Finn, who, as a matter of course, braced himself to anticipate the assault using his deathly premonitions.

But the deathly premonitions failed to materialize!

A flicker of panic seized Yodel Finn. His gaze darted to the periphery, only to realize with a jolt that the deathly premonition now clung to Yelica.

Damn it! Balin had grown cunning, developing a new layer of deception.

Knowing Yodel Finn’s ability to foresee attacks, Balin had initiated a feint, only to shift his target mid-strike, aiming to ambush Yelica instead.

Under ordinary circumstances, Yelica would likely have evaded the blow, but after two brutal engagements, her physical and mental reserves were teetering on the brink of exhaustion, leaving her utterly unable to react to Balin’s cunning feint.

“Yelica! Dodge!”

“Hmm?” Dazed and disoriented from her immense exertion, Yelica swayed unsteadily, seemingly unsure of where to even attempt to dodge.

And the deathly premonition clinging to her, naturally, remained stubbornly in place.

This grim reality meant that unless Yodel Finn could conjure a solution, Yelica would undoubtedly succumb to the fate depicted in the premonition, with no possibility of her escaping death on her own.

With a sudden, hardened resolve, Yodel Finn lunged directly at Yelica, and as he shoved her to the ground, he watched, his eyes wide, as the deathly premonition shimmered and transferred from her to himself.

Amidst Balin’s triumphant, sinister chuckle, a thorn ripped through Yodel Finn’s outer garment, carving a gash so deep upon his arm that the bone beneath was clearly visible.

“Yodel Finn!” Yelica cried out, scrambling to her feet and instantly fixing her gaze upon the profusely bleeding gash on his arm.

The blood, however, was not a vibrant crimson, but an unsettling, eerie green.

“Hahahahaha, truly, I am the most perfect life form! Not even a God-blessed individual can resist my transformative touch!”

The grotesque flesh-and-blood tentacles adorning Balin’s body thrashed wildly, a tangible manifestation of his surging excitement and unhinged delirium.

“Ah, the anticipation is exquisite! Once I integrate you into my very being… all your formidable abilities shall become my own!”

The situation plummeted into dire straits. Yelica hastily pulled Yodel Finn, attempting to intone a purification spell, but the first prayer only triggered a splitting headache, forcing her to cease immediately.

She was utterly spent, her spiritual essence so profoundly overdrawn that she couldn’t even conjure the simplest incantation.

Meanwhile, the virulent infection on Yodel Finn’s arm continued its rapid expansion, threatening to consume his entire body in less than thirty seconds, and she could only watch, utterly powerless.

“I’m so sorry… Yodel Finn… It’s all, all my fault… I’ve only held you back.”

Large, glistening tears cascaded onto the grotesque wound, yet they were powerless to stem the relentless spread of the infection.

“Brother… he’s hurt?” Yali Miller felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over her, her mind instantly conjuring a terrifying vision of Yodel Finn transformed into a living corpse.

“No… no, why…”

She suddenly found herself gasping for air, her body swaying precariously. A female student, noticing her distress, rushed to offer support, preventing her from collapsing outright.

“Don’t despair,” the red-haired boy offered, his voice hollow as he gazed at the nearly fainting Yali Miller, unsure of what else to say. “Mr. Finn is so formidable; he’s bound to find a way.”

“Heh.”

A soft, self-deprecating chuckle escaped Yodel Finn’s lips. He gently pushed Yelica’s hand away, and among all those present, it was he, the man on the verge of death, who appeared the most serenely composed.

“A brilliant ‘Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao’ (TL Note: An ancient Chinese military strategy where one attacks the enemy’s capital or a strategic point to force them to withdraw from an ongoing siege elsewhere) gambit… I actually fell for it. To think, after all this effort, it’s still come to this.”

Balin’s lips stretched into a wide, grotesque grin that nearly reached his ears. He taunted them with unrestrained glee, for he was certain he had already secured his victory:

“Are these your final words? I concede, as an opponent, you have performed admirably.”

“Indeed, these are my final words, the last testament of this particular life…”

“?”

Yodel Finn slowly raised his revolver, but Balin’s face contorted with disdain; such a paltry handgun couldn’t even pierce his defenses, rendering it utterly devoid of threat.

Yet, the barrel was not leveled at Balin, but pressed firmly against Yodel Finn’s own temple.

“How truly regrettable… to have disturbed you once more.”

“Thanatos”

A spectral white butterfly alighted upon his shoulder, and a faint, ethereal voice resonated:

“Have you finally remembered me? I’ve been awaiting your call for quite some time!”