Inside the palace, whose main structure had largely collapsed, a "bone dragon" had pinned a knight-like wraith beneath its claw. Immediately after, a near-invisible, transparent breath descended, enveloping the knight's entire body.
Just a few minutes earlier, Ebner had followed three official Beyonders into the partially ruined palace. As soon as they stepped through the broken gate, a knight clad in black armor had raised a heavy flail and charged at them with incredible speed.
"Damn it!" Captain Diful of the "Purification Light" squad cursed, then quickly added, "It's actually staying in the foyer today… We'll draw its attention—buy you time!"
As he spoke, he exchanged glances with his two teammates, silently affirming their shared resolve.
Clearly, although they acknowledged Ebner's strength, they didn't believe he could contend with an ancient wraith empowered by the ruins to the point of having partial demigod strength.
But what followed—the giant dragon pinning down the knight and releasing its breath—left all three of them stunned in place.
"Who exactly is this young man? He's clearly not even a demigod, yet he suppressed an ancient wraith so effortlessly!"
Ebner, however, wasn't as relaxed as they imagined. At that moment, he swiftly disengaged from his fusion with the "bone dragon." Taking advantage of the wraith's torn psyche and punctured spirit body, when it had no way to respond, he immediately summoned "Holy Light." A pillar of pure, scorching, radiant light burst forth and pierced through the wraith's form.
This was "Holy Light" simulated through the "Pure White Eye." According to confirmations from the "Magic Mirror" and the former pope of the "Eternal Blazing Sun," its effectiveness even surpassed that of a real "Priest of Light."
In Seyrow's words, it was as if the true Sun itself had shone down in divine judgment.
Of course, Ebner strongly suspected that this was an exaggeration meant to flatter him...
Nevertheless, given "Holy Light's" absolute suppression of undead, the knight wraith at this moment was like a candle thrown into a blazing hearth, suffering devastating damage beyond imagination.
The knight wraith opened its mouth in agony, about to unleash a silent scream.
But as a "Mysticism Magister" capable of discerning enemies' strengths and weaknesses, who often seized control of the tempo before any confrontation even began, how could Ebner give it the chance?
An invisible force instantly clutched the knight's throat, preventing even a whisper from escaping its parted lips.
At the same time, Ebner directed the "Magic Mirror" to unleash the power of the "Black Knight" core, opening a gaping, fang-filled maw on the mirror's surface, poised to devour the ancient wraith.
But just then, the wraith suddenly vanished. In its place was a paper effigy caught in the mirror's bite, while its true form reappeared behind the three official team members.
This was the palace—or more precisely, the tomb's—empowerment at work. It helped the wraith suppress the negative effects Ebner had instilled in its psyche during the bone dragon fusion, allowing the partly lucid spirit to avoid clashing directly with the terrifying young man and instead target his allies first.
As veterans who had survived in these dark ruins for nearly twenty years, Captain Diful and his companions were naturally rich in combat experience.
Despite being shocked by Ebner's suppression of the wraith, they remained vigilant and immediately sensed its approach, preparing to act in unison.
But they clearly overthought it. Ebner, having known in advance that the ruins would enhance the ancient wraith, had already accounted for it escaping the breath's influence.
The wraith's current actions were all within his calculations—perhaps even implanted directly into its mind by him.
Just as the knight raised its weapon, formed from condensed resentment, to strike, it suddenly felt as though its power was being drained. Its movements slowed to a crawl, and even its very existence teetered on the brink.
Only then did Fors and the three official Beyonders realise, to their shock, that the knight wraith now stood outside the palace gates.
Wraiths and evil spirits all had restricted movement zones. Even a powerful evil spirit like the "Red Angel" could only remain within the underground ruins without a "Gatekeeper" to escort it—it dared not leave.
Once outside those bounds, not only would their strength plummet, but even their existence would destabilize.
Ebner understood very well that this palace was essentially one of Roselle's tombs, built by a being approaching godhood. Even in ruin, its empowered wraiths were extremely difficult to destroy.
That was why Ebner had only one goal from the start: force the wraith to step beyond the palace's range, where it could no longer draw on environmental empowerment.
To do that, he first used his strongest fusion—becoming a dragon—to heavily wound the wraith. Then he unleashed his unnaturally powerful "Holy Light," convincing the ancient wraith that its existence was truly at risk.
This provoked it into using a blink-like or spatial jump ability. Then, using the "Tudor Mutated Emblem," he amplified the blink's range and distorted its target location, ultimately forcing it outside the palace perimeter.
For this, Ebner had blocked the three officials at the outset, keeping them stationed just beyond the doorway.
In a way, they had indeed fulfilled their earlier promise—they had become bait for his plan.
As for Fors, would Ebner let her take such risks? Of course not. He never even let her set foot in the palace.
Now, realising its condition, the knight wraith stumbled forward in a panic, trying to return to the palace's protective bounds.
But with the three official Beyonders now fully alert, how could they let it succeed?
Madam Dacy, the "Appraiser," immediately bit her finger and smeared her blood onto a ruby ring.
"Imprison!"
With that cry in ancient Hermes, an invisible barrier blocked the wraith's path.
At the same time, golden flames surged up before "Solar High Priest" Dorne, spreading with a vast sacred aura.
Moments later, the flames engulfed the wraith, drawing another pained howl and prompting it to pound frenziedly at the invisible wall.
Blood streamed from Dacy's eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Her brain felt as though steel needles had been stirred through it, an unbearable pain piercing her skull.
She groaned and almost withdrew the barrier. But then she recalled her fallen comrades, remembered that killing this thing might be their only chance to leave this cursed ruin—so she clenched her teeth and held firm, barely keeping the shield intact against the wraith's assault.
Just then, Captain Diful raised his arms as if welcoming divine grace. Looking toward the "Flame of Light" cloaking the wraith, he intoned in ancient Hermes:
"God said—effective."
Boom. The flames flared hotter. The knight wraith, which had barely withstood the earlier burning, now shrieked in agony. Though it desperately tried to extinguish the flames with its own power, it was useless. All it could do was watch as the spiritual armor on its body was slowly scorched through and burned away, eventually revealing a twisted female face contorted in pain.
Even so, even twisted and grotesque, it was still possible to see that the knight had once been a beautiful woman.
Strangely, as Ebner looked at her, he felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if he'd seen her somewhere before.
Outside, Fors had a similar reaction. Studying her face carefully, she suddenly exclaimed, "Isn't that the woman from that monstrous couple who injured Xio with the 'black mark'?"
Hearing that, Ebner instantly recalled where he'd seen that face:
"Madam Austin, Baron Conva's woman? How did she end up here… and as an ancient wraith?
"Hmm, according to Mr. Azik, Baron Conva's condition is very peculiar. That woman by his side was just a manifested part of his psyche—essentially still him, not the real Madam Austin...
"So the real Austin is here? But why would she be helping Roselle guard a tomb?"
With those thoughts in mind, Ebner no longer allowed the official Beyonders to continue attacking the wraith. Instead, he once again summoned the "Magic Mirror," letting its jagged-toothed maw yawn open.
—Originally, he'd intended to leave the wraith for the "Purification Light" squad to avenge themselves. That's why he hadn't acted further until now.
But now, the ancient wraith, weakened by the barrier and the enhanced "Flame of Light" beyond the palace's range, couldn't resist the mirror's pull. Its body was drawn in almost helplessly. After a brief struggle, it disappeared into the mirror, leaving behind only a comb seemingly made of crystal, and shimmering dust like crushed gemstones.
Between the two lay a near-invisible crystalline fragment of residual spirituality.
"Cursed Item of an Ancient Wraith," "Ancient Wraith Dust," "Residual Spirituality of an Ancient Wraith"...
The first two were main ingredients for the potions of the "Scribe" and "Marionettist" paths. The last was an essential auxiliary material for both.
(End of Chapter)