Chapter 144: Tracking Device? I Have One Too!

Having been repeatedly toyed with by Saul, Morten finally lost his composure. Grabbing the battered Herman, whom he had just struck away, he showed no concern for potential indigestion and twisted his head off without hesitation.

Saul was too late to save him and could only retreat beyond the circle while holding Herman’s headless corpse.

"I finally know who you are." Without chewing, Morten swallowed directly. His voice, thick and murky like a giant crocodile’s, emerged from his mouth as he locked eyes on Saul. "You are the owner of this body."

Grinning hideously, he grabbed the spirit bodies on him one by one and violently stuffed them into his mouth.

In an instant, only he and Saul remained standing on the round platform!

"I just realized something," Morten stared at Saul with unwavering eyes. "Even if Yura comes, she won’t be able to resurrect me. So why should I bother maintaining my sanity?"

He suddenly raised his head and let out a long howl. His wide-open mouth generated a massive suction force.

Countless "snowflakes" swirled into Morten’s mouth.

This time, Saul did not step forward to interrupt him. Instead, he stood quietly outside the circle, watching.

Morten’s massive claws extended again, his tail regrew, and even the missing parts of his body were restored.

"I don’t need sanity," Morten finally stopped after absorbing all the snowflakes. Lowering his head, he gazed at Saul. "I only need power! Once I devour you, even sunlight won’t stop me!"

Saul took a few steps back as he watched Morten.

The creature before him had completely turned into a monster.

Morten’s arms now dragged along the ground, each thicker than an average person’s torso. His original beast-like skin cracked apart, revealing not muscles, but numerous eyes of varying sizes.

His newly regrown tail no longer resembled a tail—it was now a bundle of tightly bound, pale arms.

The soul-devoured wounds on his body had indeed healed, but they had been replaced by the very heads he had just swallowed whole.

Some of those heads howled in agony, others roared in rage, some wept bitterly, and others silently shed tears.

The most terrifying change was his mouth—it had grown even longer and larger, completely taking over his original head.

If Morten had once looked like a human face with the maw of a giant crocodile, now his entire head had transformed into nothing but a massive mouth. Only a pair of blood-red eyes remained on his upper jaw.

"Now…" His enormous mouth opened, exhaling white mist. "I feel fantastic!"

Morten took a step forward, voluntarily stepping out of the central circle.

—

Saul, who had been standing in the magic formation with a grim expression, suddenly closed his eyes and collapsed backward.

Nick, who had been watching Saul closely, immediately turned to Byron with concern. "What do we do next?"

Byron stared at Saul’s fallen body, noticing his chest still rising and falling. "Wright, can you still fly?"

"I can, but it’s a bit of a strain."

Byron didn’t hesitate after hearing the first word. "Fly over and check Saul’s eyes. Are they normal?"

Wright forced a smile, enduring the headache caused by his drained mental energy. He flew above Saul and carefully lifted his eyelids.

Confirming the situation, he quickly flew back.

"They’re still human eyes."

Hearing this, Byron immediately told Nick, "Turn off the electromagnetic sensor."

Nick hurriedly complied.

As soon as the device was turned off, Byron hesitated for a moment before asking, "Nick, if I remember correctly, your sensor can attack spirits attached to a body, right?"

"Yes, but this one isn’t as powerful as the one in the lab. It’s effective against vengeful spirits, but against an evil spirit, it might only cause minor harm."

"That’s enough. Max out the frequency and target the evil spirit on Saul."

Nick clutched the electromagnetic sensor tightly.

If they actively attacked the evil spirit and it ended up overpowering Saul, regaining control of the body, it would soon realize everything had been a deception.

At that point, an even more terrifying, even stronger evil spirit would hunt them down.

Byron heard no movement from Nick and knew he was hesitating.

"Once you turn on the device, you and Wright should leave immediately."

But Wright spoke up, "Forget it. The mountains outside are crawling with those head monsters. In my current state, going out is just suicide. I’d rather stay and fight to the death here. If I survive, I can at least make up for my past mistakes."

Nick finally stepped forward, placed the electromagnetic sensor on the ground, and started adjusting the settings.

"If you two third-levels aren’t leaving, then as a second-level, I’d just be walking to my death out there." Nick muttered, but his face returned to its usual emotionless expression.

—

Saul rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the massive tail formed of tangled arms.

With a thunderous crash, the tail struck the ground, shaking the entire platform.

Saul panted heavily.

Though his soul-state didn’t require breathing, he maintained the habit of a living human.

The evil spirit continued to swell, taking three-meter strides. Its tail stretched ever longer, its attack range nearly covering the entire platform.

Compared to it, Saul’s smaller body had to rely solely on his speed to evade its relentless assaults.

The difference in size was enormous, and the gap in power grew wider. If not for Morten’s mindless, instinct-driven attacks with no technique, Saul would have already lost.

Even so, his situation was growing increasingly dire. The platform beneath them was cracking under Morten’s relentless attacks.

Despite being at a clear disadvantage, Saul wasn’t entirely in despair.

"This guy is like an overinflated balloon—one poke and he’ll pop." Saul leaped onto Morton’s incoming arm, quickly flipping off before the other could swat him away. "But this balloon’s material is tough as a tire. My attacks won’t break through easily. Damn it, why can’t my hands turn into a knife? Even a needle would do!"

Suddenly, the snowfall overhead stopped, and Morten’s attacks momentarily ceased.

He looked up and let out a strange chuckle.

The next moment, his assault resumed at an even faster pace, overwhelming Saul.

Saul failed to dodge in time and was struck by the tail, sent flying into the ground.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he rolled to the side just as Morten’s massive claw slammed down where he had landed.

Suddenly, a warm current surged through Saul’s body—meanwhile, Morten howled in pain.

"Damned tricksters! Once I get out, I’ll rip off your heads and stick them on burrower worm asses!" Morten roared in fury, continuing his attack, but the intermittent pain made his movements sluggish.

"An opening!"

Saul’s eyes lit up. Instead of retreating, he charged forward.

Dodging the evil spirit’s tail and hands, he rolled beneath its bloated body.

Morten’s true form had swelled like a balloon, seemingly ready to burst at any moment.

Saul needed to find a weak spot—his missing lower torso.

Finally reaching it, Saul pressed his palms together like a dagger and stabbed downward.

However, souls weren’t like physical bodies.

As his hands struck, he felt like he had hit a sponge—it only dented inward but didn’t break.

Morten’s claws and tail came swinging. Saul quickly withdrew and evaded, but a sharp claw still slashed across his cheek.

Feeling his face, Saul suspected he had touched his own teeth.

No doubt, he must look utterly miserable.

"Fighting barehanded is too much of a disadvantage." Saul muttered, struggling to stay focused.

"If the tracking device is the key… I have one too!"

Although the diary wasn’t visible on his shoulder, he could sense it within him, their connection unbroken.

The only question was—could he pull it out?

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