Chapter 46: Add More Fuel to the Fire
Saul waved his hand, trying to push the hardcover book aside.
He had no time to check what changes had occurred to the mask in his hand—he had to keep a close eye on the internal struggle between the evil spirit and Peggy.
Since Peggy's plan to divert the trouble had failed, the evil spirit must have realized something was off, and the two were now fighting for control over the body.
He couldn't let his two enemies reconcile—he had to add more fuel to the fire.
"Senior! What do we do? The evil spirit didn’t take the bait! Do you have a way to lure it onto this mask again? I promise I’ll catch it this time!"
One of Peggy’s eyes had turned completely black, sclera included, while the other remained normal but was bloodshot. That normal eye shifted toward Saul.
"You bastard, I underestimated you!"
Saul didn’t give her a chance to continue speaking. He stood up, holding the mask, and made a aiming gesture from time to time.
"Senior, force the evil spirit out! Once it appears, I swear I’ll trap it—ugh… if I don’t get suffocate it first!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Peggy’s other eye also darkened, and her expression contorted with pain. She no longer had the energy to pay attention to Saul.
She clutched her eyes, as if trying to gouge them out, but in the end, she could only grab at her eyelids.
"Rip—"
Saul flinched instinctively, nearly breaking character.
"Senior, hurry and force it out!"
Suddenly, as if something clicked in her mind, Peggy, her face covered in blood, turned and screamed at Saul, "Give me that mask! Now! Or I'll kill you!"
"Alright," Saul responded immediately, tossing the object in his hand. "Catch it, Senior!"
Peggy’s vision was already distorted. All she saw was Saul throwing something toward her.
"At least he knows his place," she thought. "I’ll give him a quicker death later."
She reached out and grabbed it, feeling the rough texture of the leather—it was much larger than a mask.
"Is this… my skin?"
Doubt flashed through her mind for a split second.
"Quick, Senior! After being possessed by the evil spirit, the mask underwent an incredible transformation!"
Hearing Saul’s urgent tone and with her mind already in chaos, Peggy had no time to think. She quickly pressed the leather against her face.
But the moment it touched her skin, she realized something was wrong.
The evil spirit didn’t flee as expected. Instead, it screamed and burrowed even deeper into her mind.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Ugh!!!"
"Eek!!!"
Peggy’s voice fluctuated between shrill and guttural tones.
She knew she had fallen for another trick.
This piece of leather was definitely not her own skin.
Moreover, it seemed to have some sort of trapping and concealing property. The moment she covered her face with it, the evil spirit, which had initially intended to leave her body, suddenly shrank back inside!
"You… b…ast…ard!!!"
Her vocal cords had torn, making her speech unintelligible.
Abandoning the fight for control over her head, Peggy regained control of her hands and desperately tried to tear the leather from her face.
But at that moment, Saul, who had been observing from afar, lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. He pressed both hands tightly against her face, ensuring the pale yellow leather stayed in place.
Yes, this pale yellow leather was the very same one Kongsha had lent Saul to mask the scent of corpses.
On a whim, Saul had used it to trick Peggy—and surprisingly, it worked.
As long as the evil spirit stayed trapped inside Peggy’s body, it didn’t matter what happened next.
"You two can fight all you want, just don’t come out."
"Mmmph—"
Peggy had completely given up on the evil spirit wreaking havoc inside her.
At this moment, she hated Saul the most.
Her hands, now resembling a vengeful spirit’s claws, reached out, desperately trying to scratch at Saul’s face.
At the same time, she kicked wildly, attempting to throw him off.
But the evil spirit inside her was dragging her down, preventing her from exerting full strength.
Time passed bit by bit. Peggy’s struggles grew weaker and weaker until, finally, she stopped moving.
Saul didn’t let go immediately. He kept pressing down for another ten minutes.
He figured he had probably flattened her face by now.
Then, he began chanting a spell while slowly freeing one hand to make a gesture.
Once everything was ready, he abruptly lifted the pale yellow leather and cast spell on Peggy’s face.
Her body trembled but showed no other reaction.
Her face was pale blue, her mouth hung open, and deep strangulation marks covered her face and neck.
It was unclear whether the evil spirit had killed her or if Saul had strangled her to death.
But one thing was certain—if Peggy and the evil spirit hadn’t weakened each other, Saul wouldn’t have stood a chance of killing her.
Even now, he didn’t dare to relax. He cast another spell on her face.
Two spells were his limit.
Panting, Saul climbed off Peggy’s body.
"…Huh?"
A faint sound came from behind him.
Saul jolted in shock and spun around.
Standing at the door was Senior Byron, looking around the room in confusion.
"Senior?"
Saul was completely drained, with almost no magic power left. He could only stand there, chest heaving, hands trembling.
Byron strode inside, shut the door behind him, and pulled Saul behind him.
His mouth moved, producing a series of rapid, inaudible tonal sounds. Then, he pointed at Peggy’s body.
At that moment, Peggy suddenly sprang up, mouth wide open, lunging toward Byron—only to be struck by a thin black line from his fingertip.
Peggy’s body and soul shrieked in agony.
Her grotesque features rapidly decayed. Before she could even reach Byron, she collapsed, turning into a dried corpse.
Even so, in her final moments, she—or rather, the evil spirit within her—launched one last attack.
A gust of wind, sharp as blades, sliced into Byron, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds across his body.
Blood soaked him instantly.
But that was all. Peggy’s body could no longer move.
The evil spirit's shadowy form dissipated, leaving only a wisp of black smoke.
Saul, his hands still trembling, pulled out the Necromancer’s Terror Mask he had just obtained.
Suppressing his nausea, he put it on and observed.
A moment ago, he had seen Peggy die, but he had been careless. If Byron hadn’t noticed the evil spirit’s lingering presence, Saul might not have survived.
Now, he saw no trace of the evil spirit.
Byron’s final attack had completely eradicated all threats.
Before he could start gagging, Saul quickly removed the mask and wrapped it up with the pale yellow leather that concealed odors.
Meanwhile, Byron’s wounds were slowly healing.
A Rank 2 apprentice was already this powerful…
And yet, despite Byron’s strength, he still hadn’t advanced to Rank 3 before turning thirty.
Saul’s heart sank as he realized just how difficult it was to become a full-fledged wizard.
But he didn’t dwell on it for long.
He walked over and belatedly asked, "Senior, why are you here?"
Byron turned, his gaze unreadable.
Then, he spoke.
No—his wounds spoke.
A chorus of voices echoed from his gashes.
"I saw your note. But I was in the middle of a critical breakthrough to Rank 3, so I only came today."
"Senior… you’ve become a Rank 3 Apprentice?" Saul grinned, baring his teeth in genuine joy.
"Not yet. But I should finish my breakthrough within the month.
"More importantly—why are you here? This wasn’t a fight you should’ve been involved in."
Saul chuckled bitterly.
"I didn’t have a choice."
He briefly explained the entire process of design and counterattack.
"You... really surprised me. Perhaps just now, even if I hadn't acted, you could have dealt with that severely injured evil spirit."
Byron's voice began to weaken as his wounds were healing.
He looked at Peggy, who was unrecognizable on the ground, and shook his head, saying, "I was the one who brought Peggy in to take over my work, but I didn't expect her to die just after a few days."
Saul felt a pang in his heart, "Senior, were you quite close to her?"
Byron shook his head, "Between apprentices, it's just a matter of mutual benefit. I had no relationship with her, but I owe you, Saul..."
Less go
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