Chapter 136: I Came Out, Then I Went Back In

Herman had been keeping an eye on Saul’s movements. The moment he saw Saul suddenly approaching, he immediately halted his healing, teleporting to another subordinate’s side.

That subordinate had no time to react before Herman grabbed him and threw him toward Saul.

However, Saul simply swatted the apprentice aside with one hand and continued striding toward Herman with unwavering determination.

Herman teleported again, retreating to a different location. Seeing this, the nearby apprentices immediately scattered in all directions.

Saul wasn’t in a hurry. He simply adjusted his angle and continued approaching at a leisurely pace, as if taking a casual stroll.

Herman wanted to escape again, but suddenly, a sharp pain struck his forehead, forcing him to his knees.

His previous spellcasting had been interrupted, leaving his spiritual body wounded. Combined with multiple high-speed teleportations, his spirit was now trembling violently, making it impossible for him to continue casting spells.

Saul wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

Just moments ago, he had seen Herman and his two companions suffer spell disruptions. The higher the level of a wizard’s magic, the worse the backlash when their spellcasting is interrupted.

To combat the evil spirit, Herman and the others had undoubtedly used Second-Tier Spells.

Although the injuries from interrupted spellcasting could be treated with potions, the shaking of the spiritual body was much harder to recover from.

Saul gradually closed the distance between them at a steady pace.

Even though he had regained temporary control over his body, he couldn’t manipulate it as freely as before.

It felt as though there was a layer of separation between him and his own flesh, making it difficult to clearly perceive his body's sensory feedback.

Walking felt like being a puppet on strings, requiring conscious effort to direct his limbs.

But that didn’t stop Saul from closing in on Herman.

Despite Saul’s slow pace, no one stepped forward to help Herman escape.

Everyone simply watched in silence as Saul moved closer.

Even the Head Monsters grew quiet, their eyes widening in excitement, saliva nearly dripping from their mouths as they eagerly watched the scene unfold.

Just as Saul reached Herman, the seemingly paralyzed wizard suddenly raised his head, pulling a rusty dagger from his robe and thrusting it toward Saul.

Saul saw the dagger and knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.

Yet, instead of trying to evade, he curled up slightly, relinquishing control of his body back to the evil spirit, who was on the verge of breaking free.

Herman had expected the evil spirit to dodge or block the attack, but to his surprise, the dagger pierced the evil spirit’s chest without resistance.

"Splurt!"

A flash of joy flickered in Herman’s eyes as he immediately forced his spiritual power into the rune-inscribed dagger, activating the enchantment.

The dagger erupted with a blue light, momentarily transforming from a melee weapon into a ranged one.

The flash of light passed in an instant, and the dagger shattered into pieces, clattering to the ground.

But it had left behind a head-sized hole in the evil spirit’s chest.

Seeing this, Bill and Wright did not share Herman’s optimism.

“The evil spirit didn’t dodge—not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t need to!”

Realizing this, Bill grew even more fearful and urged Wright, "Hurry up!"

Wright didn’t respond. He remained on the ground, pretending to be severely injured and unconscious.

Just as Bill and Wright had anticipated, the evil spirit took another step forward, unfazed by the gaping hole in his chest.

But he was furious.

One moment, he had blacked out, and when he regained awareness, he found himself standing before Herman—with a dagger sticking out of his chest.

He immediately concluded that his momentary loss of control had been Herman’s doing!

Enraged, he grabbed Herman by the hair and shoved his face directly into the wound on his chest.

“Bastard! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to find such a good body? And you dare to damage it?!”

Herman struggled to escape, but just as he was about to gather his remaining strength, a horrifying howl erupted by his ear.

The evil spirit lifted Herman’s head, pressing his mouth against Herman’s ear, and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

A violent explosion seemed to go off inside Herman’s mind.

The silver metals embedded in his body all detonated, crashing to the ground.

His consciousness faded instantly.

The evil spirit, now sneering, reached out and ripped Herman’s face off—along with his ghostly-white soul.

Unlike the other apprentices, Herman’s spiritual form still struggled violently as it was dragged from his body, attempting to strike the evil spirit.

But the evil spirit only laughed, entirely unconcerned. He shoved Herman’s soul into his own body.

As the Third-Tier Apprentice’s soul was absorbed, the gaping wound in the evil spirit’s chest rapidly began to heal.

The Head Monsters erupted into cheers again.

“Lord Morden is the strongest!”

“Lord Morden is eternal!”

Amidst the uproar, no one noticed the subtle change in the evil spirit’s gaze.

Suddenly, Saul dropped Herman’s corpse, his movements slightly stiff.

His vacant eyes locked onto Bill and Wright, who were lying nearby.

Completely ignoring the weaker apprentices surrounding him, Saul lifted his foot and began marching toward them.

The Head Monsters, recognizing his intent, eagerly withdrew to create a clear path, ensuring that the two remaining Third-Tier Apprentices had no room to escape.

They were thrilled.

They loved nothing more than watching powerful individuals struggle helplessly before their inevitable demise.

The other apprentices cautiously distanced themselves.

Even though they understood that Bill and Wright were their only hope of survival, the overwhelming gap in strength made it impossible for anyone to help.

Instead, they hoped that once the evil spirit had devoured a few more souls, he might lose interest and spare the rest.

A stark contrast formed between the chaotic, frenzied cheers and the silent, terrified apprentices in this small section of the battlefield.

At the very center, Saul continued advancing toward Bill and Wright with rigid steps.

The two wounded apprentices, lying on the ground, stared at Saul’s approach, seemingly having given up on resisting.

But just as Saul was about to step within five meters of them, he suddenly heard a strange noise.

He froze mid-step.

The next moment, the ground beneath Wright suddenly cracked and caved in, collapsing in a five-meter radius.

Bill and Wright immediately fell along with the crumbling earth.

Even Saul, standing near the edge, plummeted into the pit, along with several Head Monsters who had been too close.

Could a Third-Tier Apprentice really create such a massive collapse?

As he fell, Saul’s mind instantly processed the situation.

"This must be a higher-tier spell, and the terrain here likely amplifies its effect."

"Are they really going to escape?"

With that thought, Saul immediately released control, allowing the evil spirit to take over.

When the evil spirit regained dominance, he found himself lying at the bottom of the pit.

Sunlight streamed through the collapsed ceiling, though thick dust obscured the view.

The Head Monsters scrambled to climb out, though their odd body structures made it difficult.

One by one, they vanished into the shadows.

From deep within Saul’s consciousness, he watched this scene intently, a new idea forming in his mind.

But the evil spirit didn’t care about them.

He could sense two figures desperately fleeing deeper underground.

“So, you want to escape through the tunnels?”

He grinned wickedly.

“How foolish.”

Next Chapter

Table of Content