Translator: SumTLMan
Angel recalled an incident. After Tulas was struck by the white light bullet, he had transformed into a half-ghost state instantly, much like her.
What set Tulas and the thirteenth daughter of King Guman apart from other ghosts after they were struck? What was the common factor between them?
“Could it truly be due to possessing a special soul?”
Before Tulas transitioned from a ghost back to a normal soul, he indeed was a soul endowed with unique powers, capable of spatial displacement at will.
Thus, the only similarity Angel could discern was the aspect of a “special soul.”
As Angel was pondering, Sanders conveyed through a mental connection, “There might be other reasons, but as of now, no one can clarify what is happen to her clearly.”
No one can clarify? Angel furrowed his brows, whispering, “No, someone can.”
“Who?”
“She herself.”
Sanders, taken aback by Angel’s unexpected answer, raised an eyebrow and questioned, “Do you intend to save her from the engulfing abyss of negative energy?”
Angel nodded, a glint of excitement evident in her eyes, “Isn’t this a rather extraordinary case?”
Having been a half-ghost for so many years, could she be further transformed from this state to a regular soul?
Regardless of the outcome, whether favorable or otherwise, such a unique case would undoubtedly enrich the —Experimental Reports on the Prelude of Reincarnation—.
The exhilaration evident in Angel’s gaze already spelled out his determination. Sanders didn’t intervene, yet he was skeptical about the feasibility of Angel’s plan. After all, undertaking such an experiment would require an explanation from Black Castle.
They didn’t have to wait long, for in roughly two or three minutes, Isabelle’s silhouette graced the hall.
Not only did Isabelle make an appearance, but Isabella was there too. However, she merely floated serenely behind Isabelle, without the intention of either stepping forward or speaking.
Isabelle first acknowledged Angel with a nod, then turned her gaze to the others in the hall.
Her icy eyes swept across the gathering, causing a chilling sensation in the soul of anyone who dared to meet her gaze. As a result, each individual instinctively lowered their head, not daring to lock eyes with her.
After her survey, Isabelle calmly stated, “Those in the front row, follow us later to assist Sir Pat in resolving the ghost issue. The rest will stay in the Soul Domain and… reflect.”
Her words subtly conveyed two attitudes.
Firstly, her way of addressing Angel was clearly respectful, surprising everyone present, even those who were formal witches.
Isabelle’s designation serves as a benchmark for everyone in Black Castle. If she showed respect to Angel, it implicitly meant that others should undoubtedly respect him too. This was the message Isabelle intended to convey, and it caught Angel off-guard. Furthermore, he noticed that neither Kimberly nor Isabella disagreed. It seemed they had already discussed this privately and reached a consensus.
The second key point in her statement revolved around the “front row” and “reflect.”
While Angel might not grasp its significance, all the extraordinary beings of Black Castle understood her meaning perfectly.
In the front row sat a handful of individuals, fewer than ten in total, all recognized as formal witches. What set them apart from other witches of their status was the absence of resentful ghosts clinging to them.
That is to say, they had never partaken in Isabella’s “Blood Baptism” ritual.
Isabelle had purposefully sent these individuals out, leaving the others to reflect, essentially sending a covert message to everyone about her stance on the Blood Baptism. At the same time, she reminded the others that the past strategies of Black Castle needed to be overturned.
Because Angel and Sanders were present, Isabelle didn’t specify outright but instead conveyed her message in this more cryptic manner to those assembled.
Change was on the horizon.
Isabella continued to withhold her opinions. The others exchanged glances and lowered their heads, choosing to remain silent.
“It’s time for us to move forward. The old wounds need to be exposed,” Isabelle said in a measured tone. “Only by excising the rot and removing the malignancy can Black Castle see a new dawn.”
With the conclusion of Isabelle’s words, those responsible for managing the spatial nodes promptly initiated the teleportation process.
The group entered the spatial node in a single-file manner and vanished into thin air.
…
Upon stepping out of Black Forest node, Angel had already prepared a defensive spell, following a prior warning from Kimberly. Yet, the scene that met him was even more astonishing than he had braced himself for.
Even though Angel had mentally prepared himself, the moment he exited the node, he found himself nearly nose-to-nose with a grotesque face!
Angel was about to fire with his Prelude of Reincarnation, but before he could act, Kimberly’s warning echoed by his ear, “Watch out!”
Angel was caught off guard, confronted up close with the spectral visage of a ghost, which twisted in an unholy grimace before its skull contorted into a grotesque 180-degree turn. What sent chills down Angel’s spine was the appearance of a sinister grin on a face that emerged from the tangle of hair at the back of the ghost’s head.
A nauseating stench filled the air, lifting the ghost’s hair, causing Angel’s eyes to narrow in horror.
He had initially assumed that this ghost had a face at the back of its head, but that was not the case. Beneath the matted locks lurked a chaotic assortment of misshapen facial features. Multiple mouths, arranged haphazardly, were accompanied by eyes and noses, all devoid of symmetry.
Upon witnessing this, a memory of Kimberly’s words flashed in Angel’s mind: “A Merging of Dead Souls!”
Several ghosts had been fused together to form a unique composite soul entity.
Such a soul form was characterized by its extreme instability!
As Angel grew wary of her identity, her already faintly glowing ghost suddenly erupted in brilliance.
“Is she self-destructing?”
The explosion occurred so swiftly that Angel barely had time to register it. A terrifying roar, combined with the violent outpouring of energy and blinding white light, erupted right in front of him.
The defensive spell Angel had cast earlier proved futile, shattered instantly by the force.
With a thunderous crash, Angel was sent flying, tracing an arc through the air before crashing heavily a dozen meters away.
“Are you alright?” came Sanders’ voice through the mental link.
“I’m fine, just thrown by the force. No injuries,” Angel reassured, pushing himself up from the parched earth. Wisps of mist, which were the Phantom Limbs that had shielded Angel from the blast, slowly dissipated around him.
Though the defensive spell proved futile, the Phantasmal Limb managed to withstand the blast’s fury.
Yet, a veil of gravity weighed down on Angel’s demeanor. For in that fleeting moment, the power of the Phantasmal Limb drained almost ninety percent, illustrating the terror that a self-destructive explosion could unleash.
Should a few more transpire, Angel wasn’t certain he would remain unscathed.
As Angel was responding to Sanders, a chilling breeze caressed his back. Turning around, he was met with the malicious gaze of a ghost, seemingly sprung from the very shadows.
Reaching for the Prelude of Reincarnation, Angel readied to shoot the specter.
But before he could fire, as if sensing impending doom, the ghost hastily retreated, dissolving into the darkness.
“A special soul,” Angel murmured. Seeing it had fled, he paid it no further mind.
Angel thought his fortune had faltered, stepping from the node directly into the path of an explosive entity. Yet, compared to others, he was blessed. For as the strange ghost vanished, Angel was alerted by a deafening roar echoing from behind.
Looking back, he saw the forest node, which was now consumed entirely by a blazing white light!
From the unknown emerged nearly a hundred merged ghosts, each self-destructing in unison!
A terrifying surge of energy radiated from the epicenter, with a searing gale rushing forth.
The earth ascended, leaving its place of rest, while withered trees were uprooted, only to be instantly turned to dust by the engulfing power. Everything was reduced to nothingness.
In Angel’s eyes, all that reflected was pure white. Amidst this luminance, he could faintly discern the silhouettes of several witches who had exited the node with him.
The roaring persisted, echoing for what felt like eternity.
Initially, it was merely a cataclysm of ghosts, but Angel soon discerned spatial energy woven into this explosion, surmising even the nodes of Black Forest had been obliterated.
Energies interlaced, producing a colossal orb of radiance expanding outwards.
Still reeling in shock, Angel heard a voice, Sanders warning, “Get away from here!”
Heeding Sanders’ alarm, Angel swiftly retreated hundreds of meters.
As the luminous orb gradually faded, Angel could vividly perceive that the former node of Black Forest had vanished, leaving behind an enormous crater over twenty meters in radius.
Near the crater’s edge, several witches who failed to escape in time lay bloodied and battered.
Witnessing this, Angel felt a stroke of fortuitous timing. He’d only just stepped out of the node when he encountered the merged ghosts, which immediately blasted him away, sparing him from being at the very heart of the blast.
Had he been at the epicenter, even with his robust physique, he’d likely have been badly scorched.
As Angel grappled with the devastation before him, the sound of swift movement sounded behind him. Turning around, it was Isabella and others joining his side.
Sauntering up, Sanders remarked, “Your luck truly is remarkable.”
Sanders’ statement earned nods of agreement from the rest.
Upon leaving the node, they had all been watching over Angel, fearing mishaps. Unexpectedly, Angel was the first to confront the ghostly entity and, fortunately, the weakest of them. Though he faced a slight peril, he narrowly missed the brunt of the explosion, which indeed spoke of his incredible luck.
Rubbing his nose and smiling sheepishly, Angel chose not to react to Sanders’ playful tease.
Gazing at the distant devastation, a surge of relief welled up from deep within.
Angel had once boasted that with the Prelude of Reincarnation, he alone could handle this, not requiring assistance. Now, witnessing this scene, such confidence evaporated into thin air.
Ghosts are formidable, and those strategically controlled by leaders are even more terrifying.