Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 531: Transformation

The howl was more than a mere bestial cry. Sound waves ran through the world, pushing it away, almost making Liam’s ears bleed.

Liam squinted, tremors afflicting his mind, clouding his awareness. He felt dizzy, but the attack wasn’t unbearable. It wasn’t an attack in the first place.

As the world cleared, Liam was able to see the source of that deafening cry. Despite everything that had hit the Inquisitor, he was still alive and on his feet, albeit changed.

Most of the Inquisitor’s white robe was no more, leaving him virtually naked, completely exposing the thick layer of blonde fur that had covered his body.

Moreover, a new set of fang-like canines were sticking out from the Inquisitor’s lower lip, interlocking with the upper ones. His nails on his hands and feet had grown, too, thickening and curving, resembling claws.

That was a proper transformation, one that didn’t seem to come from special techniques, but that couldn’t confuse Liam. As shocking as the event was, he knew what was at play there.

’The Ancestral Wolf’s bloodline,’ Liam realized.

The fur, long claws, and fangs put the Inquisitor in the Ancestral Wolf’s lineage, but the transformation was nothing short of unnatural. After all, Liam knew more than most what those bloodlines could grant, and those twisted changes weren’t it.

It was as if the ancestral bloodline had taken over the body rather than blending with it, like an infection going awry, but there was an explanation for that, too.

’Is it because the Church forcefully implanted that lineage?’ Liam considered. ’Is that how the Church wants men to become ancestral?’

The theory was somewhat sound. The Church was just imitating the Ancestral Beasts in the end, using a more direct method rather than the magical rain of blood that had tainted humans.

Still, the Church didn’t want to stop there. It wished to unite the ancestral bloodlines, and the Inquisitor only seemed to carry one.

’An initial successful experiment?’ Liam wondered. ’It looks more homogeneous compared to Julian and what I’ve seen in the Mutated Battlefield.’

The brainstorming couldn’t last long. While relatively monstrous, the Inquisitor’s transformation couldn’t distract Liam from the main goal, which was luckily still underway.

The Inquisitor might have survived the onslaught of attacks and gone through a glow-up of sorts, but the accumulated damage hadn’t disappeared.

The golden fur was burned in many spots. Black patches still afflicted the Inquisitor’s chest, and dark-green Qi leaked from his figure from time to time, revealing the ongoing infection.

Blood also leaked from the Inquisitor’s mouth, nose, eyes, and other orifices. Liam’s rank 2 poisons were still doing work. The mid-stage branching expert stood tall and firm, but he wasn’t well. Chances were he was on the brink of death.

So, Liam grunted, standing up, walking out of the yellow swamp, greatsword on his shoulder, fan in his right hand. He was also at his limit, but the last Qi-Storage pill would give him access to at least four of his best attacks. He just had to make them count.

As soon as Liam stepped out of the swamp, Red Boar landed at his side. The latter pretended to be well, even mimicking his stance with his huge hammer on his shoulder, but his pale, sweaty face told a different story.

"Are you done already?" Red Boar questioned. Unlike Liam, he couldn’t see his companion’s state due to the large hood hiding his face.

"You said it yourself," Liam responded. "Do I have a choice?"

Red Boar threw a look at the caped figure. He had plenty of reasons to be at odds with Liam but couldn’t deny his prowess. A mere rooting expert was at his third fight in a row against a branching expert, but he was still on his feet, pulling his weight in the face of impossible odds.

"So," Red Boar muttered. "Nine spiritual roots, huh?"

"Are we making conversation now?" Liam asked. "With the man-wolf-whatever watching us?"

"I can’t exactly put drinks down," Red Boar pointed out. "Do you know what that is? Did the Archbishop tell you?"

"You are of the Wolf," Liam said. "Can you grow fur and fangs, too?"

"I’m just hungrier than most cultivators," Red Boar explained.

"Then," Liam continued, "It should be the Church’s attempt to elevate men to the level of the ancestral bloodlines. Maybe it’s an adverse reaction."

"It is not," The Inquisitor announced, his voice resounding through the area, a growl accompanying it. "We are the new Men. Perfect child of the Heavens, even you can’t be a match to us who have claimed the divine."

Liam wanted to say otherwise, but the previous exchanges had more than proven it. Inquisitor Cornelius’ physical strength was beyond what most descendants wielded. It was actually closer to his own, and he was a proper son of an Ancestral Beast.

It seemed the forceful harnessing of the ancestral bloodlines also carried a certain degree of density. The Church had no interest in creating common or even illegitimate descendants. It wanted the best those lineages could offer.

"He shouldn’t have long," Liam guessed. "As long as we make him use his Qi, he won’t be able to fend off the infection."

"Just don’t infect me, too," Red Boar snorted.

"It’s pointless," Inquisitor Cornelius declared. "The Church is done with its preparations."

As if to prove the Inquisitor’s words, black symbols suddenly appeared over the battlefield. Golden light even shone everywhere, transforming the area.

By the time the light faded, Liam saw a new encirclement. Five of the dark, inscribed pillars had teleported to the battlefield’s edge, together with their teams, each featuring a Priest.

Liam’s troops couldn’t help but retreat at those sudden reinforcements, but there was nowhere to go. Barriers weren’t in place, but the sheer number and quality of cultivators that had refilled the Church’s ranks created an insurmountable obstacle.

As if that weren’t enough, the air over the battlefield started to shine golden, brightening around anyone wearing white. Injuries started to heal everywhere, including the Inquisitor’s.