He ordered more than a dozen skeleton soldiers to shoot at the headless corpse. This time, the headless corpse was finally unable to withstand the attack and fell to the ground. A white shadow flew out from the broken corpse, trying to escape into the ground, but was pierced by a spike. The white shadow let out a scream and returned to its approximate human form, breaking free from the spikes and trying to flee, but was surrounded by a group, including the evil spirits Franz and Mari and several ordinary ghosts, forming an encirclement and trapping the white shadow.
At this point, Alex appeared and captured the spirit body, adding fifth one Elora to his collection of the six Erzoron banshees. Meanwhile, inside the castle, in the ice cellar where ingredients were stored, a white shadow lazily lay on top of half a fan of pork, as if it were napping. Nysa, the last remaining banshee of Erzoron, did not know that her five sisters had been captured and was still hiding in the ice cellar, believing that Alex would not be able to find her. However, at that moment, there were footsteps outside and a sneaky figure entered the ice cellar, moving things to reveal the ice bricks below.
The ice cellars of aristocratic families in this world are special structures, created by magicians using ice bricks that are carefully crafted to be highly transparent and pure, much like a glass window. These cellars are located underneath Goldert Castle and serve as a place to store ice throughout the year, thanks to the magic that is used to preserve it. However, when a middle-aged valet, who seemed to be a devout follower of the Yin Spirit Tower, removes one of the ice bricks, a hidden tunnel is revealed.
The valet eagerly pries open the entrance to the tunnel, using a crowbar to knock on it. Soon, four people emerge from the tunnel – three men and one woman, all armed and ready for action. They exchange a few muttered words with the valet before drawing their weapons and quickly exiting the ice cellar.
Nysa, who had been watching this process unfold, is now wide awake and ready to take action. She transforms into a white shadow and burrows into the body of a female half-elf with pointy ears, hidden under her hair. This half-elf is a high-level sword spirit apprentice, skilled in melee combat and espionage, and is typically armed with rapiers or long daggers.
However, before the female half-elf can use her abilities to defend herself, she is secretly possessed by Nysa. Despite her attempts to struggle and call for help, Nysa powerful mental power suppresses her, causing her to sink into a coma within just a few breaths.
Nysa is the strongest and most potential of the six banshees of Erzoron. When the six Erzoron died and became banshee spirit bodies, Nysa inherited almost half of Erzoron' spiritual power, while the remaining five banshees shared the rest among them. This demonstrates the significant difference in power between Nysa and the other banshees. Nysa's immense spiritual power often causes her to fall asleep unexpectedly and behave oddly, as the current spirit body cannot handle the strength of her power. It ends up being a burden rather than a benefit.
Nysa possesses the body of a half-elf named Aida and devours their soul in order to replenish the spirit body that is constantly being drained by the large amount of spiritual power. Nysa was famished and let out a subconscious cry, announcing his hunger to those around him. The young men walking in front of her, turned back upon hearing her muttering and asked what she was talking about. However, Aida was not truly in control of his body at the moment, as his soul had been consumed by Nysa, a being that relied on devouring souls to sustain itself. Nysa had taken over Aida body and was using it to devour Aida's soul.
"Oh, it's nothing." Nysa responded perfunctorily.
"Don't gossip!" At this time, the bearded strong man walking at the front scolded in a deep voice, with a warning in his tone, and gave the young man a stern look.
The bearded man at the head asked the middle-aged valet, "Where are Viscount Ashby and his son Alvis now?" The valet, who worked in the kitchen as a servant, replied regretfully, "They should be in the study above, but I am not qualified to enter the upper level of the castle. Plus, with the recent strange occurrences in the castle, the guards have increased their patrols, especially in the upper level, making it difficult to blend in." The bearded man responded, "In that case, it seems we have no choice but to attack. We do not have much time left. The battle at the town hall won't last long. We must kill Viscount Ashby and his son as soon as possible to complete the task entrusted by the adults." His eyes showed a fanatical and firm belief, giving off a tragic aura of determination.
However, at that moment, an untimely belch interrupted the tense atmosphere. Everyone turned to look at the person who hickuped, Nysa, who appeared embarrassed and sarcastically smiled. She had just digested the soul of the half-elf Aida and replenished her spiritual body, feeling so comfortable that she could not help but burp after a full meal.
The bearded man was both angry and helpless. These few people were only temporary partners and, although he was nominally in charge of the mission, there was no real hierarchy between them. He couldn't really treat them kindly, even if he was no longer used to their behaviours.
Fortunately, the other two people were very serious about the task of sniping Viscount Ashby and Alvis. The employer behind it was offering a very high price and, if they succeeded this time, they wouldn't have to continue fighting as mercenaries for the rest of their lives.
Just then, a sharp voice interrupted them. "Who are you? Who let you in?" A stout maid approached carrying a wooden basin, looking like she had been in the ice cellar getting frozen meat. She coincidentally met the infiltrators and, because they weren't too careful and didn't use their extraordinary abilities to detect her, she was able to shout out and alert the castle.
"Damn it! We are exposed, do it!" The bearded man immediately gave the order and, at the same time, threw an iron Tribulus Terrestre's, killing the maid with a loud bang. However, it was too late. The patrols, who were not far away, had heard the screams and immediately ran over to see what was going on.
The patrols of the Goldert family were well-trained and loyal to the family. Even now, they displayed few signs of passive sabotage. A chaotic and hurried footsteps could be heard as patrols in groups of twelve quickly arrived and began to fight with the four invaders.
The inner valet, who was actually very clever, realized the situation was wrong and immediately retreated to the ice cellar. He then climbed into the tunnel and escaped.
Although the patrols were ordinary people, they were equipped with enchanted pistols and sophisticated short swords. However, they were still not a match for the extraordinary individuals. In just over half a minute, the battle was over. All twelve patrolmen were killed in a very tragic manner, with amputated limbs and bloodthirsty chest wounds. The strong smell of blood quickly spread and, just as the gunshot sounds had completely exposed the situation, more guards were attracted.
"Go! We'll storm it." The bearded man wielded a short-handled tomahawk and led the other three people towards the upper level of the castle.
The group of attackers stormed into the castle, with one man leading the way, armed with a short-handled tomahawk. They had memorized a map of the castle beforehand and were heading towards Viscount Ashby's study. Upstairs in the castle, Viscount Ashby and Alvis were already aware of the invasion. Alvis was filled with anger and despair, regretting his lack of effort during his time at the Knight Academy. He now realized that wealth and status were meaningless, and that true strength was the most important asset.
Viscount Ashby, on the other hand, seemed to have anticipated this situation and remained calm. He explained to Alvis that the power and wealth possessed by their family had made many people desperate and envious, leading them to try and take advantage of any weakness. He compared their current situation to the fall of Baron Albert, whose greed and desire had blinded him to the dangers around him and ultimately led to his downfall.
However, Viscount Ashby assured Alvis that they were not helpless like Baron Albert had been. The Goldert family had made preparations and would not allow themselves to decline. With a cold glint in his eyes, Viscount Ashby declared that they were ready for whatever may come.