Lord System: Reborn As The Genius Heir To A Noble Family-Chapter 54: Evolving Horror

[Anomalous Entity Identified.]

["J–"] [Level: 28]

As the assigned level increased in direct proportion to his threat, the man he once found recognizable to humans was no longer there. No matter what he said nor the past he once upheld, the man known as "Jon" was dead–all that stood in that room with him was an inhuman existence.

"I’m not a coward, am I?" The man-resembling figure asked.

"--" Leon remained silent, only holding his ground with his sword kept raised.

The ghoulish figure wiped the blood from his nose, staring with his glazed over eyes towards a sky blocked by the ceiling, "Even now...I’m scared to do it. Even if Lord Schoeller is infected, do I have to kill him...?"

Leon felt the same hesitation himself when viewing the expression on Jon’s face; it was that of melancholy, yet it soon turned to resolve.

"No, even if it feels wrong, it’s the right thing to do...It’s what I have to do," Jon shook his head, raising his lance from the concrete. "Lord Schoeller, don’t worry...I’ll take you to the angels. That’s where Ansel and Sophia are, where terrible nightmares can’t reach you."

Nothing else was said as the inhuman figure dashed right for the young lord, forcing Leon to react hastily. The lance was thrust in rapid succession, requiring careful deflection and evasion. Thrust with such force, each miss by the ghoul bore holes in the wall behind Leon. He flipped back as the turned human used the lance like a staff, sweeping it through the crates as wooden chips were sent in all directions.

As his feet landed against the wall, he quickly invoked, "Greater Haste."

Using the wall as a launching point, he flung himself past the ghoul, delivering a swift slash to his neck. It didn’t nearly go deep enough, having felt the lack of sensation as he landed behind the inhuman figure.

"Aaaah..." Jon groaned.

For a moment, the ghoul stood there, turning as blood spewed from the wound on its neck, though there was no urgency from the fiend as though it was hardly a scratch.

"That hurts. That hurts..." Jon repeated under his breath.

In response to the pain, the ghoul’s frame shifted again, this time swelling with newfound muscle as if having worked out for years in a matter of seconds. Leon watched, attempting to understand just what the capabilities of the unnatural entity were.

["–"] [Level: 30]

’It’s evolving by the moment. No, was it after I struck it? The first time, when I kicked him away, now the second after I slashed his neck–I see,’ he realized.

Thoughtlessly attacking the ghoul was an idea he set aside for the moment, only cautiously moving around as to be ready to evade. There was hardly anything left recognizable of who the adventurer once was, as his flesh and bones were taken to their limits.

As the right arm of the former human twitched, he instinctively moved forward while ducking down. It passed like a bullet train over his head; the lance was thrust through the wind, piercing the sound barrier.

Letting that silver spear make contact would only lead to instant, unceremonious death.

"I’m a hero...a hero!" Jon’s voice distorted as he spun the lance around, moving with nimble footwork unbecoming of his uncanny frame. "I’ll save everybody...everybody!"

The aggressiveness was turned up a notch as the ghoul set forth with an unnatural pace. Letting his spine contort like a malleable pole, the figure’s torso whipped around while wildly thrusting the lance in pursuit of the lord.

Leon moved with defense in mind, slipping beneath one thrust before coming to a halt as another strike sailed in front of his nose.

The quickness of the fighter-turned-ghoul was not simply its own speed, but the unnatural flexibility of its body. A missed strike led it to snap its elbow backwards, thrusting the lance behind itself.

It nearly struck him in the side, having to use his blade to deflect the tip of the piercing weapon. As he repelled the attack, he found the unnatural entity lunging forward, using its long legs to drive one of its feet into his abdomen.

"Ghhh!—" Leon spat out the air in his lungs, feeling the force transmit through his gut.

With how sudden the strike arrived, there was no time to prepare himself before being flung back. His back smacked against the concrete wall, taking what little air was left in his body.

It was shocking to feel the monstrous strength etched into the flesh of the inhuman. As his core ached, feeling like fire was being inhaled, he had no time to linger on the pain as the pointy end was sailing towards his face.

He nimbly pushed off the ground, flipping to the side as the lance left a hole in the wall. Landing atop a crate, he had a clear view of the ghoul’s neck while the figure tugged at the weapon to free it from the concrete.

"I have to do this! I have to...!" Jon spouted with a voice deprived of humanity.

Leaping from the crates, he held his sword over his head, aiming to plunge it through the twisted figure’s skull. Just as the lance was freed from the concrete, he brought his sword down with his full weight landing behind it.

In that same moment, the lanky ghoul had stumbled back, causing the sharpened steel to plunge into the left shoulder rather than the skull.

"...I’ll save them!" Jon howled, aggressively contorting its body.

Leon felt the ghoul begin to thrash as an unsettling force pulsated from within its flesh. He felt it echo throughout the steel submerged in the corrupted tissue, planting his boots on the fiend’s torso to free his sword.

Just as he pulled the blade out, a howl left the monstrosity’s lips that burrowed into his ears.

It wasn’t a simple shout of pain; the horrible sound twisted its way into the canals of hearing. The very equilibrium that gave him the ability to stand was contorted, bringing the room to spin around him as he grabbed his ears.

"Nnngh...!" He struggled, attempting to block out the terrible noise.

As the ghoul stood there, emitting the screech like a rooster set off by dawn, its body once more evolved. The armor that once clung perfectly to Jon’s arm melded with his skin, blending flesh and steel into a grotesque unison.

With the ear-eviscerating sound reaching its end, Leon could finally let go of his ears as he breathed out. Ahead of him, he saw the twisted sight left of the figure once known as "Jon."

The lance once wielded to sever the life of monsters now fused into its right arm, becoming a living, breathing weapon in itself.

["Calamitous Ghoul Tyrant"] [Level: 31]