High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2882: Chapter 1103: Flesh and Blood

Doctor Du Zemu took a small breath of cold air.

Even though he had guessed that Professor Montreya’s situation was very bad, actually witnessing it surpassed his imagination. The professor before him had dried-up blood and shriveled flesh, like a corpse barely revived by necromancy, resembling a skeleton. The wide black robe draped over him hung loosely, with almost nothing to support it.

If it weren’t for the steady and forceful breath he heard a moment ago, he would have almost thought the professor was dead.

As he stood there, stunned.

A low laugh came from Professor Montreya beside him.

"—Ah, I am very sorry for bringing you to my laboratory." He seemed unaware of the astonishment on the doctor’s face, and his rough, hoarse voice even carried a hint of mockery: "Last time, when I went to your laboratory, you said I shouldn’t disturb you during the day; the time before, I chose to visit at night, and you said I shouldn’t disturb you then... So this time, you came to my office. I have no objection; you can come day or night."

However, Du Zemu wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

"How did it get this bad!"

He took a step forward, as if wanting to pinch the Big Wizard’s flesh. But as he extended his hand, he suddenly realized the other was an authentic Big Wizard, and his arm froze in mid-air, mumbling with a somewhat uncontrolled expression: "—Is it the fragment of the Philosopher’s Stone forged with blood that’s the problem? Or was there an error in the transformation experiment? How did this happen? This shouldn’t be possible?"

He couldn’t help but feel at a loss of soul.

Because, according to the initial agreement, once Professor Montreya succeeded with his experiment, he would provide him with a piece of ’Real Flesh’ which could be used to condense his true form—this was his only hope of breaking his own shackles and achieving the status of a Big Wizard.

But now, seeing the professor in this state made his hopes nearly collapse.

Click.

A black metal box clicked shut lightly.

The owner of the office raised a hand and swept it, and the box silently disappeared into his sleeve.

"The fragment of the Philosopher’s Stone you refined has no problem, and my transformation experiment was also successful."

Perhaps the silver-grey smoke, like a mist, took effect just then. Professor Montreya’s face seemed fuller, and even his voice wasn’t as stiff: "The only mistake was that we underestimated the significance of the words ’Big Wizard.’ Only after truly becoming a ’Big Wizard’ can you understand the relative concept of ’big and small.’"

As he spoke, he raised a finger and tapped twice in the void.

Two droplets of water floated in front of Doctor Du Zemu.

They seemed to be of similar size.

Yet one felt like a grain of rice, while the other felt like a watermelon.

"... When you try to incorporate the concept of ’big’ into your ’existence,’ your mind will immediately transform to an unbelievable degree."

Professor Montreya squinted, his eyes unfocused, seemingly returning to the moment of his advancement. Doctor Du Zemu held his breath and concentrated—not every registered wizard had such an opportunity. At the same time, he understood that this guidance was to some extent a compensation from the professor: "—The quality of your original body cannot satisfy the rapidly expanding ’vessel.’ The empty body will continuously devour your existence. To maintain the existence and growth of your true form, you must continuously conquer and fill the void inside your body, which feels like a black hole—unless you, like Fosca, choose destruction when you cannot create, rejecting everything that exists—otherwise, when you can no longer satisfy the ’big,’ you will be consumed by the emptiness day after day, utterly lost, losing the meaning of existence."

Doctor Du Zemu took a soft breath, frowning.

"Is this the reason for your blood depletion?" he asked somewhat uncertainly.

Professor Montreya shook his head.

"The derivative and invasive capabilities of demon flesh are strong enough to meet my burgeoning bodily needs." At this, he suddenly let out a bitter laugh: "Yet, because it was too strong, my body is somewhat out of my control now, like, like..."

He held his withered hand in front of him, pondering for a moment, and finally thought of an appropriate example.

"... It’s like a school hosting a hunting tournament, with students from Alpha and Jiuyou sitting together, highly enthusiastic. Everyone leaves the stands, cheering heartily for their respective hunting team, and then, inevitably, clashes occur."

Du Zemu immediately realized.

Alpha or Jiuyou likely referred to ’demon flesh’ and ’Professor Montreya’s original flesh,’ so if clashes occurred between them, it meant—

"—Clash represents chaos, indicating the collapse of order."

"Is this how Walter lost control?" he couldn’t help but ask—the incident involving the sudden advancement of a black wizard during the school’s winter break hunt with Trident Sword had long been privately discussed in detail. According to wizards who participated in the battle, that black wizard had advanced to the pinnacle of a Big Wizard level, which was quite terrifying.

Professor Montreya nodded slightly.

"Walter allowed his flesh to devour demon flesh, thinking he could rely on will to reverse everything."

He tugged at the corner of his mouth with difficulty, showing a mocking smile: "But it didn’t know that breaking the balance was never the way to save the collapsing. The fundamental way to restore order is to make everyone realize the importance of order, to engrave the concept of ’Order’ into their minds. During this period, I’ve tried many methods, the most effective of which... is still too little."

His last words were somewhat vague, and Du Zemu found it hard to fully grasp.

While the doctor hesitated on whether to pursue further questioning.

Professor Montreya already shifted the conversation, mentioning another possibility: "—There’s another simplest and most straightforward method, which is to bring those who can completely suppress these students onto the stands. Such as the professors, the principals, or even those few."

He touched his sleeve.

Where the black metal box was stored earlier.

Du Zemu finally understood the reason for Montreya asking him for this item.

Perhaps because he spoke much, his essence and spirit were slightly more consumed. In just a few minutes, Professor Montreya’s face visibly shriveled down again—Du Zemu realized this was probably what he mentioned earlier about continuously filling the black hole of the body to maintain the true form’s appearance.

Click.

The black metal box appeared once more.

Professor Montreya opened the lid, and with a slight hook of his little finger, another wisp of silver-grey smoke rose from something that resembled a withered tree branch, enveloping his face.

Doctor Du Zemu closely observed this rare ’digestion’ process.

Until the smoke dissipated.

He glanced at the piece of deadwood in the box, shaking his head: "—Too fast. At this current rate of consumption, this piece of ’Primordial’ flesh won’t last long either."

Professor Montreya let out a low laugh: "It’s alright, a few days are enough."