Ryan studied the spirit coldly.
This thing was powerful, and its abilities were unnatural.
It was a Revenant, born from a botched resurrection and now a vessel for collective hatred.
It grew stronger with every kill, and every soul it consumed became its slave.
The wraiths Ryan had just slaughtered?
They would just reform unless the core spirit was destroyed.
It would be an endless tide of undead, enough to wear down even the strongest hunters.
Furthermore, the existence of each evil spirit strengthens the malevolent entity.
The combined power of dozens or even hundreds of evil spirits can elevate the entity to an unprecedented level of strength.
Without the aid of dozens or hundreds of evil spirits, Ryan might not have been able to destroy the powerful malevolent entity.
However, this entity was clearly not very smart.
It actually summoned all these evil spirits in an attempt to wear Ryan down with a series of attacks.
This tactic might work against others, but not against him. It was basically offering free meals.
After all, his sacrificial ability didn't depend on whether the spirits could be resurrected.
As long as the sacrifice succeeded, the evil spirit would vanish and the malevolent entity would permanently lose a portion of its power.
It just stood by and watched as he sacrificed all the evil spirits.
Now, it was left as a lone commander.
"With such low intelligence, I almost feel bad for bullying you."
Ryan shook his head.
He had thought this entity would be a challenge, but it had practically dug its own grave.
Without the spirits, the resurrected malevolent entity was reduced to its initial state at birth.
It was stronger than an ordinary evil spirit, but not by much.
Given his current strength, dealing with this evil spirit would be like a gold-medal-winning fitness coach beating up a three-year-old child from the next village.
He was almost afraid he might accidentally crush it to death with minimal effort.
"Killing you seems like a waste."
Ryan crouched down to observe the malevolent entity, whose severed limbs were slowly regenerating.
Even the detached limbs seemed to have a consciousness of their own, wriggling toward the main body.
Its vitality was truly tenacious.
He couldn't help but marvel; he had never seen anything that could survive such dismemberment unscathed.
The body revived by the resurrection ritual existed in a unique state between life and death.
If he had to describe it, he would call it a living corpse.
Thus, this thing had no concept of life or death.
It was merely a collection of living organs and flesh.
When assembled, they formed a single entity.
If disassembled, each part could survive independently.
The same applied to its soul.
The malevolent entity had no soul of its own; its soul and consciousness were a twisted amalgamation of resentment from aborted fetuses and hatred from victims, all of which had accumulated in the basement.
It was like building blocks pieced together to form a model.
When assembled, they could become a work of art; even when separated, however, they remained intact because they were independent entities.
They were inherently independent entities.
Thus, as long as even a trace of its soul or body remained, it couldn't truly be considered dead.
Even if it was critically injured and reduced to just a head or a finger, it could harvest organs from other corpses, transplant them onto itself, and achieve resurrection.
This was the horror of the resurrected malevolent entity.
It could never be truly killed unless burned to ashes and its soul ground to dust.
Otherwise, the entity would never truly die.
To ordinary people, this might seem terrifying.
But to Ryan, it was the perfect alchemical material.
It had near-immortal vitality, self-regeneration, and the ability to grow through slaughter.
It could even create minions like a necromancer.
A necromancer's undead army is fearsome enough.
But compared to the resurrected malevolent entity, ordinary necromancers were mere amateurs.
After all, necromancers could only rely on snowballing undead hordes.
While they could sustain their forces through battle, losses were inevitable, and their summoned undead could eventually be wiped out.
The resurrected malevolent entity, however, was different.
As long as it lived, the evil spirits it summoned could be resurrected endlessly, no matter how many times they were killed.
If he could transform it into a 100% loyal alchemical puppet, he couldn't imagine how powerful it would be.
It would be an undead army that could neither die nor be destroyed.
It would be an immortal malevolent entity, equivalent to the combined strength of an evil spirit legion.
With ten thousand evil spirits, he was confident that he could easily destroy a small nation.
"Transforming it into an alchemical puppet might be a bit troublesome, though."
Ryan stroked his chin as he watched the resurrected malevolent entity squirm like a maggot.
Turning it into an alchemical puppet was simple. However, creating the perfect alchemical creature he envisioned required a vast amount of alchemical materials.
Of course, it also required more specialized biological knowledge.
With his current level of expertise, he could, at most, create a human-like shell.
Crafting a perfect alchemical creature that was indistinguishable from a human, inside and out, was still beyond him.
"Such good material shouldn't go to waste."
Ryan muttered to himself as he used magic to outline complex barrier arrays on the ground.
After half an hour, he had inscribed a complete barrier capable of suppressing dark energy.
The barrier's function was simple: to suppress all evil energy within it.
With this barrier in place, a malevolent entity couldn't cause any trouble.
"Stay put here."
Ryan slowly stood up and glanced at the motionless malevolent entity.
Since the entity relied on the basement for its existence, it couldn't be stored directly in his portable space and taken away.
He would leave it there for now, gather all the alchemical materials he needed, and sacrifice a few more biology books.
Then, he would have plenty of time to transform it into an alchemical puppet.
After taking one last look at the chaotic basement, Ryan discarded all the organs preserved in glass jars.
Leaving these things behind would only cause trouble.
The fewer people who knew about the resurrected malevolent entity, the better.
He exited the basement and used a restoration spell to repair the shattered wall.
Then, he slowly walked out the door.
"Are you okay?"
Vanessa, who was waiting outside the villa, hurried over with concern when she saw Ryan emerge.
"These minor evil spirits can't hurt me."
Ryan shook his head and explained, "The evil spirits in the villa have basically all been dealt with. However, the malevolent entity in the basement is quite troublesome. It's complicated to purify, and I'll need to return on Halloween to completely cleanse it."
"Is there still an evil spirit left?"
Upon hearing this, Vanessa's expression turned fearful.
She looked at the villa as if it were a monstrous beast.
Ryan felt a bit helpless. Had this woman not been listening to him?
"The evil spirits have been dealt with. The malevolent entity in the basement has been sealed there by me. As long as you don't enter the basement and destroy the seal I left, it won't be able to escape."
Ryan explained carefully, but fear still lingered on Vanessa's face.
After all, who would dare live in a house knowing a powerful evil spirit was sealed beneath it?
It would be like playing with fire.
She wasn't that brave.
What if the malevolent entity broke out?
Ryan sighed helplessly.
Glancing at the darkening sky, he realized it was late. He couldn't just leave the mother and daughter on the street.
From Vanessa's expression, it was clear that she would rather sleep outside than go back home.
Taking them to a hotel in the city seemed like too much trouble.
After a moment's thought, Ryan said, "How about I stay with you two in the villa tonight? With me here, you won't have to worry about evil spirits attacking you."
Vanessa was tempted by the idea.
If an exorcist was with them, then even if the evil spirit broke out, nothing should happen, right?
Seeing that she tacitly agreed to his suggestion, Ryan led the way back into the villa.
Vanessa cautiously followed, holding her daughter's hand.
After escorting the mother and daughter to the bedroom, Ryan was about to leave when Vanessa stopped him.
"Don't go. Sleep in this room with us."
She brushed her hair back, her eyes fixed on Ryan.
Huh?
So bold!
Ryan was taken aback and instinctively replied, "This isn't appropriate, is it? The child isn't asleep yet."
They had only known each other for a few days, and she was a married woman.
Was she already inviting him to share a bed?
Ryan felt he might have underestimated this neighbor.
Or were women in this world, just this open and bold about such matters?
"What are you thinking?"
Vanessa's face flushed slightly, and she shot him a coquettish glare.
She couldn't deny that such thoughts had crossed her mind in the past few days. But right now, her mind was filled with evil spirits.
The thought of an evil spirit still lurking in the house left her in no mood for such things.
"I just want you to stay with me and Erina. What if an evil spirit really appears?"
This bed is big enough for three people."
Vanessa placed her daughter in the middle and spoke openly.
Only this way could she feel somewhat secure.
"I see."
Ryan suddenly understood, feeling a twinge of disappointment.
He had thought he might enjoy a delightful encounter with the lovely married woman, but it seemed he had overthought it.
Then again, she was a sophisticated young woman who had seen the world—nothing like the inexperienced girls at school.
If she were more outgoing and fiery, like Vivian, she might have already made a move by now.
Seeing the slight disappointment in Ryan's eyes, Vanessa's heart raced.
If it were him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
She already had some fondness for Ryan, and in this tense, high-pressure situation, she needed an outlet.
Alone together in a room, that fondness was beginning to feel like more than simple affection.
But then she glanced at her daughter nearby and immediately suppressed the rising desire.
This was her and her husband's room, with their wedding photo hanging on the wall.
Thinking of the vows she had made at her wedding, she felt ashamed of the thoughts that had just crossed her mind.
The atmosphere grew quiet as Ryan leaned back against the bedside.
After a day of extreme tension, Vanessa had long reached her limit.
Now that she finally felt safe and relaxed, an indescribable exhaustion washed over her.
Soon, the sound of even breathing filled the room.
Ryan glanced at the sleeping mother and daughter. His gaze suddenly paused.
Perhaps because she was in the familiar environment of her own home, Vanessa had let her guard down completely, and she slept with remarkable freedom and relaxation.
As usual, she lay on her side with one leg bent and her arms around the blanket.
The perfect curve of her back was fully exposed to Ryan's view.
Her long, soft, form-fitting white shirt had ridden up to her waist with her movements.
She seemed to have forgotten one thing, though—she was only wearing a thin layer.
With just one glance, Ryan etched the flawless curve of her peach-like figure into his mind.
Hiss!!
Was this woman doing this on purpose or by accident?
Ryan took a sharp breath and forced himself to look away.
He wasn't the type to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state. Even if he wanted to pursue this married woman, he would do so openly and honorably.
He had principles; he was no predator.
Sneaking around while someone was asleep? That would make him a creep.
Even a rogue had to have some professional ethics.
Ryan suppressed his rising desire, but his sharp memory replayed the image he had just seen from every angle.
It was so vivid that he could almost see the pores.
Even Ryan had to admit that it was incredibly tender.
In this regard, Western women had an absolute advantage and a natural gift that Eastern women couldn't match.
No matter how many experiences they had or how old they were, most Western women maintained an appealing freshness.
Tsk!
Ryan shook his head and cast a sleep spell on the mother and daughter.
This spell would ensure they slept soundly until morning.
For extra safety, he set up a purification barrier in the room.
Even if the evil spirit broke free from its seal, it wouldn't be able to harm anyone inside.
Once everything was taken care of, Ryan walked into the bathroom and opened a portal.
He stepped through it and instantly found himself in a fairy tale world.
The bright sunlight made him squint slightly.
Because of the time difference between the two worlds, it was late at night in the real world, but a new day was just beginning here.
"Time for an adventure!"
Ryan blew a whistle.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop
Duskstrider emerged from a swirling mist of darkness.
Ryan mounted the steed and pulled off the necklace he was wearing. It instantly liquefied and enveloped his body.
An exquisitely crafted suit of armor materialized around him.
The black armor was adorned with intricate patterns and covered him from head to toe, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Ryan moved his limbs experimentally. Though it felt a bit awkward, it didn't hinder his mobility.
If he was going to play the role of a knight, he had to do so convincingly.
Armor was expensive in this era, and only a select few could afford a full set.
Many knightly families passed down a single suit of armor for three generations—the armor outlasting its wearers.
With repairs, a set could last a century.
Of all the weapons he had bought from Dog, this was the only one that cost over ten thousand.
With this armor, no one would suspect his identity.
He gently shook the reins, and the Steed gradually picked up speed.
They circled around mountains and traversed desolate wilderness.
Two hours later, a remote town came into view.
Ryan pulled out a map and glanced at it, narrowing his eyes.
The Kingdom of Austin—he had arrived.
He rode into the village intending to ask for directions to Earl Austin's castle.
If all went well, Little Red Riding Hood's aunt should be there.
As for the map in his hand, it wasn't that he couldn't read it; it was just drawn rather abstractly.
The journey that should have taken an hour and a half ended up taking over two hours.
As soon as Ryan entered the village, he witnessed a chaotic scene:
A burly, bearded man was chasing a thin, frail young man.
"Jack, you damned thief! If I catch you, I'll beat you to death!"
"Haha, Uncle John, catch me if you can!"
—