Saul waved his hand, wanting to shove the stiff-bound book away.
He had no interest right now in checking out what new changes had happened to the mask in his hand. He needed to stay focused on the internal struggle between the wraith and Peggy.
Since Peggy's plan to divert the disaster had failed, the wraith must have caught on. Now, the two were fighting for control over the body.
He absolutely couldn't let his two enemies reconcile. He needed to stir the pot—add more fuel to the fire.
“Senior! What do we do? The wraith didn’t fall for it! Do you have a way to lure it onto the mask again? I swear I can catch it this time!”
One of Peggy's eyes—sclera and all—had turned pitch black. The other eye, still somewhat normal, was bloodshot and swivelled toward Saul alone.
“You bastard, I underestimated you!”
Saul didn’t give her a chance to keep talking. He grabbed the mask and stood up, occasionally striking a pose like he was about to capture something.
“Senior, hurry and force the wraith out! Once it’s out, I guarantee I can trap it—ugh—it won’t escape!”
“AHHHHH!!!” Peggy’s other eye also turned black. Her expression twisted in pain; she no longer had the energy to pay Saul any attention.She pressed her hands to her eyes like she was trying to gouge them out—but in the end, she could only tug at her eyelids.
Rip—
Saul involuntarily flinched, almost breaking character.
“Senior, hurry up and force it out!”
Suddenly, it was like Peggy had a revelation. Blood covering her face, she turned and screamed at Saul, “Give me that mask! Now, or I’ll kill you!”
“Alright,” Saul responded instantly, tossing what he held. “Senior, catch!”
Peggy’s vision was completely distorted now. She only saw Saul throw something over.
“Good, he knows what’s good for him. I’ll give him a quicker death later.”
She reached out and caught it—rough leather under her fingers, much larger than the mask.
“Is this… my skin?”
A fleeting doubt passed through Peggy’s mind.
“Quick, Senior! The mask changed in strange ways after the wraith possessed it!”
Hearing Saul’s urging, Peggy—her brain already mush—didn’t have time to think. She hurriedly slapped the piece of leather onto her face.
But the moment it touched her skin, she realized something was wrong.
The wraith showed no sign of being repelled—on the contrary, it shrieked and dove straight into her mind.
“AHHH!!!”
“URGH!!!!”
“EEEK!!!!”
Peggy’s voice constantly shifted between shrill and hoarse.
She knew she’d been tricked again. That leather definitely wasn’t her leg skin.
And what’s worse, the leather seemed to have a kind of binding or masking effect. Once it was on her face, the wraith—who had been on the verge of leaving her body—immediately shrank back!
“Y-Y-Y-YOUUUUUU!!!!”
Her vocal cords were shredded. She couldn’t even form proper words.
Peggy gave up fighting for control of her head and reclaimed her arms. She tried to rip the leather off her face.
But just then, Saul, who had been watching from a distance, suddenly dove forward, pinning Peggy to the ground. He used both hands to press the leather tightly against her face, not letting it lift an inch.
Yes—that pale yellow leather was the same piece Kongsha had lent Saul to suppress the stench of corpses.
Saul had just acted on impulse to see if it could mess with Peggy a bit. He didn’t expect it to work this well.
Either way, he couldn't let the wraith escape from Peggy’s body.
As long as the two of them stayed inside and fought, he didn’t care what happened.
“Mmmph—!”
Peggy gave up on the wraith causing chaos inside her. At this point, the person she hated most was Saul.
She reached out with ghastly, ghost-like hands, desperately trying to scratch at Saul’s face. Her legs kicked wildly, trying to throw him off.
But the wraith inside kept dragging her back, preventing her from using her full strength.
Time passed bit by bit, and Peggy’s struggles grew weaker—until she finally stopped moving.
Saul didn’t let go immediately. He kept pressing down—for a full ten minutes.
He figured her face had probably been flattened by now.
Then, he began chanting an incantation and slowly freed one hand to make gestures.
All set, he suddenly yanked off the pale yellow leather—and unleashed a Strike Undead spell on Peggy’s face!
Peggy’s body jerked but showed no other reaction.
Her face was purple and blue, mouth agape, deep finger marks on her face and neck.
It was hard to tell if she’d been killed by the wraith or strangled by Saul.
But one thing was certain: without the internal struggle between Peggy and the wraith, Saul would’ve stood no chance of killing her.
He didn’t relax just yet and hit her face with another Strike Undead for good measure.
That was the most he could do for now.
Panting heavily, Saul climbed off Peggy.
“…Hm?”
A faint grunt came from behind. Saul jumped in fright and turned around fast.
Standing in the doorway was Senior Byron, who hadn’t shown up for ages. He looked around the room in a daze.
“Senior?” Saul was completely drained, his magic nearly depleted. He could only stand there, chest heaving, hands shaking.
Byron strode in, shutting the door behind him, and came up beside Saul, pulling him behind his back.
His lips moved, releasing a string of short, unintelligible notes. Then he pointed at Peggy on the floor.
She suddenly sprang up, mouth open wide, lunging at Byron—only to be struck by a black thread of energy from his fingertip.
Peggy’s body and soul both let out a wailing screech.
Her twisted form rapidly decayed midair. She collapsed to the floor, now a mummified corpse.
But even then, she, or rather, the wraith inside her, managed to launch one final attack.
A sharp gust slashed like knives, carving deep gashes in Byron’s body.
He was instantly covered in blood.
But that was all.
Peggy’s decayed body could no longer move. The shadowy form of the wraith dissolved and scattered, leaving only a thin wisp of black smoke.
Saul, hands trembling, pulled out the mask he had just obtained. Holding back his nausea, he placed it on his face to inspect the scene.
Just now, when Peggy died, he’d cast two Strike Undead spells but was still too careless. If Byron hadn’t realized the wraith lingered, Saul might not have made it.
Now he couldn’t see the shadow anywhere.
Byron’s final strike had completely wiped out the threat.
Before he could puke, Saul quickly took off the mask and wrapped it in the pale yellow leather that could hide its aura.
Meanwhile, Byron’s wounds were slowly healing.
Second Rank apprentices were that powerful.
And yet, even someone as strong as Byron still hadn’t become a Third Rank apprentice before thirty.
Saul’s heart sank. The road to becoming a wizard was truly tough.
But he didn’t stay dejected for long. Walking over, he feigned a late realization and asked, “Senior, how come you’re here?”
Byron turned, his gaze complex as he looked at Saul.
He opened his mouth, but the sound came not from his throat but from the wounds on his body.
A constant hum, as if many voices were speaking at once.
“I saw your note. But I was in the middle of a key phase of my promotion to Third Rank, so I only came to find you today.”
“Senior, you’re becoming a Third Rank apprentice?” Saul grinned, showing a full set of little white teeth.
He was genuinely happy for Byron.
“Not yet. But I should be able to complete the promotion within the month. Enough about that—why are you here? This isn’t a fight you were supposed to be part of.”
Saul gave a wry smile. “I was dragged into this mess.”
He briefly explained the entire plan and counterplay.
“You... really surprised me. Maybe, even if I hadn’t stepped in, you could’ve dealt with that heavily injured wraith.”
Byron’s voice was growing fainter as the wounds on his body healed.
He looked at Peggy’s unrecognizable body and shook his head. “I was the one who recruited her to take over my work. Didn’t think she’d be dead in just a few days.”
Saul’s heart clenched. “Senior, were you two close?”
Byron shook his head. “Among apprentices, it’s all about mutual benefit. We weren’t close. But you, Saul… I owe you.”
(End of Chapter)