Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Four

This summons blows with the silent breeze that blows only in the realm of the mind.It turned relentlessly toward the farm outside Karadon, and the giant Volbo who had long been the summoner's reserve vessel. Cadderly felt the fear of the Fubo giant out of sight, and knew that the ghost was calling. Keeping it easy, the young priest telepathically informed Vander.Don't let your fear or anger keep me from our sympathy. Cadderly knew that the deep fear—he hadn't expected it in such a powerful and proud giant—had not gone away, but Vander's mind drew closer to him, strengthening the bond.

The ghost's summons came roundabout; Cadderly shooed it away. Vander?The killer in the distance asked. Like a mirror, Cadderly didn't answer anything, just bounced the telepathic question back into the wind intact. Vander! anger.Cadderly felt it clearly, among his emotions.The young priest smiled, happy to know that, despite the importance of his mission, he could keep the tiny killer agitated. Then the summons disappeared.But Cadderly guessed that this killer who had been chasing him would not give up such an important connection easily, so he didn't relax his vigilance. Vander gritted his teeth and gasped; Cadderly heard the sound clearly.

"Fight on!" cried the young priest, shouting in his mouth and heart at the same time.Ivan and Pikel ran to the door of the stable, the weapons in their hands were ready, and they followed Cadderly's previous instructions.If the killer got into Vander's mind, the dwarf brothers would attack him before he could figure it out. But Cadderly had absolutely no intention of letting the ghost intrude, didn't want the trickster to use his body as an open escape route, safely outside of Cala Radon.The young priest created the image of the Frisbee spinning, and Vander watched it too, and together they stared at the hypnotic dance, remembering the defensive spell Cadderly had taught the giant.

There are other more evil feelings attacking them, disturbing the space between them and another angry will.Cadderly prayed that the ghost would not understand the confluence state, that Vander had a helper beside him. Cadderly chanted the spell as he watched, and the Volbolt managed to keep Cadderly in his mind despite his rage rising dangerously. Together they worked together to drive away the unsuccessful possessor. ※※※ "You defy me?" the ghost asked in the dark alley.In any case, this assassin whose weakness has been revealed without Van der knows that this kind of disobedience must never be allowed.Vander was his exit, his last escape in any situation.He would never allow the Volbol to somehow or find the power to resist his distant instructions.

somehow?somewhere? The skinny killer sighed deeply.What the hell happened on the farm?he guessed.He was afraid that Cadderly had something to do with it, but how could it be?If someone attacked, Vander would surely notify the ghost, right?Could it be that Cadderly and his friends had stormed the farm so quickly that the Fubo giants had no chance of survival? Ghost dismisses the idea.Vander was still alive; the ghost recognized the vessel on the other end of the telepathy.He told himself that he was delusional, which was a dangerous state of mind for a killer living on the edge of art and disaster.After all, Vander had defied him before, from far away, and the power of the weapon could not be used as usual.

In a few hours, the ghost can summon the Fubao giant again and enter his body.Vander's mental resistance could not last long.A malicious grin crossed the evil man's face as he thought of the endless possibilities of punishment. The smile didn't last long.Doubts clouded his mind.This turn of events was so unusual, so dangerous, that the ghost could not readily accept the possibility that Vander had for a moment found strength against him.The killer hadn't located Cadderly and his friends for hours. "Go to the farm." The killer secretly decided.He'd go to the farm, punish Vander, and regroup his men.

He slipped out of the alley and approached an armed man sitting comfortably on a fine horse. "Excuse me, my lord," the ghost said meekly to the city guard.The killer was wearing his asymmetrical gloves. Be careful. ※※※ Danica was on top of the farm house, wearing the black and silver half-mask and inconspicuous clothing that belonged to a Mask of the Night killer, and a long black hooded coat with the hood pulled down.Now she was watching the riders—two men on a single horse—approaching steadily from the road.The monk aimed his crossbow as the two entered the farm yard.She recognized the man sitting in the back as the killer they had found in "Dragon's Fig Leaf."Danica's first instinct, and first outrage, was to shoot the man off the horse, but Cadderly warned her not to do that, because the man might not be who he seemed that person.

There was another factor that prompted Danica to stop shooting: the man holding the reins was wearing the uniform of a Carraton city guard. "He's one of us," the killer yelled when he saw Danica on the roof. Danica smiled under her drawn-down hood, pleased that her disguise had clearly fooled the two. "Our people," said the city guard.He rode out into the yard, said something Danica couldn't hear to the other man, and then dismounted and headed straight for the barn. Danica is confused and worried.Cadderly had expected the weak killer to go in and face Vander, not come with a city guard.She still gripped the crossbow, still wanted to shoot an arrow in the womanly face of the wicked man.

What surprised her even more was that instead of entering the barn, the city guard went to a drainpipe in the corner and started climbing.The man on the horse didn't really notice him until he was about halfway up the tall building, and Danica found his reaction—eyes wide and pale—very strange. "What the hell is going on?" the young woman whispered.She looked around the yard, wondering if Ivan or Pikel had slipped out of the barn, to see if anyone inside had noticed something strange going on in the yard outside. The city guard climbed onto the roof.Danica looked up to see him, and pulled her hood tighter, afraid the man had climbed up to get a better view of her position, or her.

However, he paid little attention to her.Standing on the edge of the roof with asymmetrical gloves on, he looked down at his companion, who was now dismounted. "You're useless," said the guard.He laughed wildly, clapped his hands, and fell headfirst off the roof. His laughter turned to screams, to moans as he hit the ground, and finally to silence. Danica was breathing heavily, completely unaware of what had just happened.She looked down at the man standing next to the dead Guardsman and saw that it was he who was now wearing those strange gloves.He looked up, shrugged at her, and rushed for the barn door.When he arrived, the gloves were gone.

※※※ "You disobeyed my summons," said the ghost to Vander. "We've discussed this." "This assassination... was ugly," Vander stammered back, visibly nervous to come face-to-face with his long-tortured man.Beneath his bushy red beard, the Volbo giant bit his thick lips, hoping his newfound ally would rush forward and put an end to his humiliating nightmare. "I'm not talking about little Cadderly!" retorted the ghost. "He will be taken care of soon, don't doubt it. I'm only looking for you here, how dare you defy my summons!" "I don't……" "Shut up!" the ghost ordered. "You know that disobedience will be punished. With you here as a reluctant associate, safe out of town, I cannot complete the mission." Reluctant vessels, Vander corrected, but he took the thought wisely to heart. The ghost took a few steps across the barn, peering out through a crack in the side wall. "Remember your brother?" he said teasingly, referring to the Volbo giant he had slain when Vander fled from him all the way back to the far Spine of the World. The vicious little killer turned, grinning even more maliciously, as he noticed Vander's huge fist hanging at his side, clenched in helpless rage. ※※※ Ivan looked out through a crack in the stable wall, then looked back worriedly at Cadderly and Pikel. The young priest was so focused on his telepathic connection with the giant Volbo that he paid no attention to the dwarf.He sensed Vander's growing anger, a hindering feeling that would weaken their bond.Things had gone as Cadderly had expected, but he was no longer sure how he should react.Even if one were many miles away in Caladon, the spirit intrusion of ghosts was already quite difficult to stop.How would Cadderly and Vander react now that the dastardly killer stood just feet away from the Fubo giant? Calm down, he teleported towards the giant Fubao.You must remain calm. ※※※ "Punishment," said the ghost with enjoyment, placing a finger on his tightly pursed lips.With his other hand he was playing with something, some kind of round golden object, though Vander couldn't think of what it could be. "I never told you," the killer continued, his voice unbelievably smooth. "I did more than snap his arm off your son. Poor boy." Vander's eyes widened.Huge hands clenched and trembled, and then his roar shook the wooden walls of the barn. "Do you want to act?" Under the cover of this long howl, Yiwen asked boldly. A fiery red wall filled Cadderly's mind, showing Vander's uncontrollable rage.The young priest was out of touch with the Volbo, and he knew that, and he knew that by the time he could find a way to get in touch with his ally again, the disaster would probably be almost over.He stretched out his legs that had been coiled beneath him, and stood up supported by Pikel's arms.Neither his Frisbee nor his enchanted staff gave him much confidence that he could defeat a giant, so he clenched his magic ring hand and reached into his coat pocket to grab the wand. "No!" he yelled, leading the dwarves into the middle of the barn.But Cadder immediately calmed down, and so did Ivan and Pikel behind them. They looked at the scene in front of them together, and Vander obviously controlled the situation. Sweating and roaring, the volbo giant grabbed the skinny killer by the throat and lifted him into the air, shaking him vigorously, though the man was clearly dead. "Vander," Cadderly said quietly, trying to calm the Fubo giant's anger. The Fubao giant paid no attention to him.With another roar of rage, he snapped the killer back in half and slammed it against the barn wall. "He will come back!" said the giant angrily. "He will always come back for me! I can't escape!" "It's like a goddamn carousel," Ivan remarked, standing next to the Volbo giant, his voice revealing a great deal of sympathy for the beleaguered giant. "Rolling game?" Cadderly whispered, and the word sparked an idea. Raising his clenched fists in front of him, the young priest yelled "Fett!" and shot a burst of flame at the corpse. He was relentlessly focused, determined to burn all the regenerative powers of the wretched man he could, determined to set Vander free.He glanced at the Volbol next to him, noticed the satisfied expression on Vander's face, and noticed, strangely, that Vander was wearing a gold ring. Strange indeed, Cadderly thought, looking back at the charred corpse, for he was looking for such things in the ghost's blackened body. Cadderly searched his memory at once; Vander was not wearing any rings. Aurora. "Evan!" Cadderly called, stopping the flames and turning quickly.The giant moved too, swinging his huge sword right at the unaware Ivan. It turned out that Cadderly was one step ahead. "Mas Illu!" he screamed, drawing his wand at the same time.A burst of colored light burst out in front of the giant Fubao's face.The giant, blinded by the light, continued to swing his sword, aiming at where Ivan had been standing. The dwarf, who had heard the warning but was also dazzled by the light, backed away.He heard the great swish of the air as the greatsword passed, and the sword not only knocked off his helm, but made him spin in a wide circle with the force of the cut. "I knew I still had a chance!" growled the tenacious dwarf when he finally found his footing.Yiwen Ke never escaped any battle, he rushed back with his ax raised. Danica also came to the barn, and she saw the situation immediately, and shot a crossbow arrow into the belly of the giant Fubao. The giant screamed in pain, but that didn't stop him from parrying Pikel's powerful lunge, sending the off-balance dwarf sideways and crashing into a post. The giant pretended to thrust forward with his sword, but kicked his foot out, sweeping Ivan aside again. Another crossbow arrow hit him, this time in the shoulder, but he still didn't seem to care. Danica was at the door, Ivan and Pikel fell on either side, leaving Cadderly as the closest target.The young priest's first instinct was to use the magic ring to drive the monster back with a blast of flame so his friends could regroup. He understood, however, the tragic consequences of doing so for Vander; the poor, proud Vurbo, trapped in his frail body, tossed aside like a piece of rubbish.There is no way for the magic ring to repair the burnt flesh, and if this body is also scorched like the body of the killer opposite, the Fubao giant will never be able to return. The giant staggered and was bumped from the back of the knee by Pikel, who was charging back.With a low growl, the monster reached behind and grabbed the green-bearded dwarf, lifting him into the air. Pikel met the bloodshot eyes of the angry giant, then quickly thrust his foot into the giant's open nostril, wiggling his knotty, smelly dwarf toes. Half-sneezing, half-choking, a sickening giant threw Pikel back against the far wall, wiping his face with his arm.When he looked back at Cadderly, he found himself staring at the tip of the thin wand.The ghost tightly closed its eyes, preparing for the oncoming attack. "Illu," Cadderly said calmly, and the whole barn seemed to be illuminated by the sun shining on a large open field at noon, making it extremely bright.Cadderly's aim, however, was very precise, and soon the light created by the wand was concentrated on the Volbol's face, especially the eyes. White light?When the ghost opened its eyes, it saw only a white light, so bright that the eyes could not see it.The whole world is bloody white!Or, the ghost guessed more curiously than fearfully, he was transferred to another dimension. Another painful crossbow shot into his stomach drove the thought away. A roar shook the surrounding walls again, and the giant, blinded by the light, charged forward toward the archer he could not see, his sword flailing wildly.He hit the edge of the open barn door, it fell off, and he kept going. Danica jumped away briskly, determined to follow through on her role in the fight.Another crossbow hit the giant, luring him forward. The ghost felt a club hit the back of his knee again, but this time it slipped between his huge feet, tripping him as he tried to turn to meet the fight.The giant fell sprawled to the ground, crushing a sink with his face and hands. Something heavy and sharp—an ax perhaps—slashed into his ankle; a crossbow arrow shot into his shoulder and clicked against his huge collarbone. The stubborn wretch struggled to his feet and staggered forward.His already injured ankle was hit with a heavy wooden club. He turned, sword first, but the dwarf was out of range, and the massive weapon slammed into a young tree, uprooting it.The ghost roared angrily, and heard the sound of the enemy's footsteps grinding on the ground. They continued to approach from the side, trying to surround him. He tried to conjure the summoner, though he knew his body was inaccessible, and knew that even if he mustered enough concentration to summon it, somehow Cadderly would be able to follow his mental activity.But he couldn't do that anyway; the attack came too quickly, and from all directions. He turned sharply, first to one side and then the other, each time simultaneously swinging his sword low in front of him.Anger was his only defense, and he was confident that he could move fast enough to keep the enemy at bay.Only exhaustion would slow him down, and he wished his blind strikes could last until the bloody white faded from his eyes. Another crossbow arrow whized, this time in the giant's lung, and the ghost heard the breath of his own life whizzing out of a bloody hole. He spun again, and again, flustered and dizzy.He lost his balance and gasped as he growled.He tried to take a step forward, but his badly injured ankle could no longer support him, and he leaned forward, bending low. It happened to meet Yiwen who was waiting there. The ax sank into the Volbolt's back; the ghost felt a searing pain, and then was completely unconscious from the waist down.His momentum took him another big step forward, an inappropriate step for his stiff, already unsupportable legs, and he fell and rolled, crashing into a giant elm next to the house bottom of. Just a white light, pain and numbness. The ghost heard the steps of three men approaching him, but did not have the strength to raise his sword to defend.What's more, he heard the sound of bloody breathing coming from the side of his body. "Down him," Ivan remarked to Cadderly as he rushed to join his friends. "Do you want us to tie him up and let you question him?" The young priest looked grim and did not answer, for he understood that the loss of physical body would not end the menace posed by the evil of the ghosts.He walked up to the helpless giant, frisbee in hand, and hit the Fubo giant with all his strength on the temple. The giant with its shattered head twitched oddly once before slipping to the ground next to a tree. Danica lowered the crossbow in her hand, and seeing her lover's unusually cruel behavior, she couldn't help gasping with her mouth open. "Pull out your arrows," Cadderly instructed her, "but never remove his ring!" The last thing the young priest saw was his friends exchanging puzzled glances, but he didn't have time to explain. Souls are waiting for him. ※※※ Cadderly followed the flow of Denir's song and entered the world of Hades without hesitation.The real world blurred to his eyes; his friends seemed like indistinct gray dots.As Cadderly expected, he saw the ghostly spirit sitting near the body of the fallen giant—or rather, on one of the lower trunks of the elm—the spirit resting its head on transparent palms, patiently Wait for the magic ring to open the body container and let it go back. Cadderly knew now that he had two choices: return to his body and remove the ring from the giant's hand, or seek out the true owner of the body that was about to be reoccupied.He ordered himself to go to the barn, leaving his body behind, standing beside his friends, feeling nothing. Vander's soul huddled in the barn, terribly afraid and uncertain. The same to you?His thoughts asked Cadderly. I am not dead, Cadderly explained, and he beckoned the Volbol to follow him, telling him what his lost friend must do next. The two souls work together to take revenge on the ghost.There was nothing they could do to do real damage to the killer's soul, but they mentally pushed him back, combining their wills to create a spiritual wind that kept the evil spirit even further away from the recuperating body. You cannot stop me, the spirit of the vile villain told them, its spiritual power searing their hearts. Cadderly looked back and saw a glowing ring-like object next to the giant's massive body.Go, he told Vander. The giant's spirit rushed forward; the ghost's spirit quickly followed. Cadderly held up a hand.No, he ordered, and the ghost slowed, almost to a halt, as it passed the mental barrier the young priest had cast.The arms of Cadderly's spirit gripped him, slowing his movements even more, and the young priest saw Vander's spirit thin like an arrow through the glowing ring and into the waiting giant. body.Cadderly's soul smiled as did his body. You lose, Cadderly told the killer, and let go of his mental grip. The ghost didn't hesitate; he rushed to the only remaining unclaimed body. ※※※ "If this guy doesn't come back to life, you can shave my beard off!" Ivan snarled, holding his ax dangerously over the giant's head. "As long as these big arms move, I'll give him a good headache..." Danica grabbed the dwarf's arm and told him to be quiet, explaining that the volbol giant was no threat to anyone, alive or dead.The assurance made Pikel jump up to the giant head, bending down curiously to see what the resurrection would look like. Cadderly made an eerie muffled noise that made them all turn around.The young priest's body trembled, one eye twitched violently, and his lips twisted as if trying to say something but couldn't control his movements. The ghost arrived first, slipping into Cadderly's waiting body.Cadderly then rushed in, feeling the burning pain of being back into reality, and realizing, too, that he wasn't alone there. "Get out!" He finally managed to yell out, yelling from his mouth and heart at the same time.The ghost didn't respond, just pushed Cadderly's soul.The young priest felt the burning pain return and knew it meant he was sliding out of his body. But if he is pushed out now, he will lose his physical body forever.Cadderly recalled the experience of spiritual battle, remembering the battle with the little demon Druzil in the forest, and at the same time summoned the song of Denir, hoping to find some clues in the notes of the song, so that he could Have a little advantage. But ghosts also have a lot of experience to rely on—the experience of exchanging souls with many unwilling victims for three lifetimes. This is a battle of willpower, a battle of mental strength. Ghosts stand no chance. "Get out!" Cadderly yelled.For a moment he saw his friends clearly, and then slipped back into the spirit world to see the startled ghosts of ghosts drifting away helplessly. You haven't won yet, promises the defiant killer. Your way out is all over now, Cadderly argued.You've run out of magic rings to put on a dead body and bring you back to the real world. I have weapons, the evil spirit retorted.You have no idea of ​​its power!There will be other victims, foolish priests, weaklings who will lose to me.Then I'll come back to you again!Remember, I will come back to you again! The threat worried Cadderly, but neither did he feel the promise of the ghost.A small black dot emerged from the ground, accompanied by a growl, confirming Cadderly's suspicions. The passage between you and the real world is now over, Cadderly said again, seeing the confusion of the soul across the way. what happened?The ghost yelled at Cadderly, clearly showing his panic. A black hand leaped from the ground, grabbed the evil spirit's ankle, and held on tight.The ghost struggled frantically to get free, tripped over itself, and sat down on the ground. More black hands emerged to grab his wrists; snarling shadows surrounded him completely. Cadderly blinked and then opened to see his friends with concerned faces; Danica and Ivan held his arms while Pikel examined his face.He felt very unstable and completely blown out, so he was very grateful to his friends for support. "Huh?" the green-bearded dwarf squealed curiously. "I'm fine," Cadderly assured them, though the tremors in his voice softened the claim considerably.He looked at Danica, and she smiled, sure that it was indeed Cadderly standing in front of her. "The giant is alive again," Ivan said in amazement. "It's the real Vander this time," Cadderly assured them. "He's back through the power of the ring." He took a deep breath to keep the world from shaking.His headache was terrible, never as bad as he could remember. "Go to the barn," he directed, and he stepped away from Danica and Ivan clasped his hand. He fell obliquely to the ground, exhausted. When the young priest regained consciousness, it took him several minutes to figure out where he was.He was in the barn—the stench of burnt flesh told him more than the blurry images dancing before his half-closed eyes. ※※※ Cadderly blinked, rubbing his blurry eyes.All three of his friends were by his side; he realized he hadn't been unconscious for long. "They just appeared," Danica explained to him, directing his gaze toward the objects—a small gold-rimmed mirror, and a pair of asymmetrical gloves.They were next to the charred and mutilated body in the corner. "Vehicles," Cadderly said, remembering the names the ghosts used to call the objects.The young priest stared at the objects carefully, sensing a simmering, hungry evil.He looked around at his friends, rather worried. "Did you touch it?" Danica shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "We feel that the best solution is to bring these things to the Mengzhi Library for further examination." Cadderly didn't think so, but he nodded, deciding it was best not to argue. "Has the Fubo Goliath woke up?" he asked. "He won't be up for a few days," Ivan replied. Again, Cadderly thought otherwise.He knew the regenerative power of magic rings, so he wasn't surprised when Vander, who heard their voices discussing, walked into the barn a few moments later. "Shave me off," Ivan whispered. "Ooh," Pikel agreed. "Welcome back." Cadderly greeted the giant. "You are free from the ghost's grip—you know that—and you are free to move. We will accompany you to the Snowflake Mountains." "You shouldn't make such an offer so lightly." The giant's booming voice interrupted him, and Cadderly wondered if he had misjudged the giant, maybe Vander wasn't so innocent.The others evidently thought so too, for Ivan and Pikel put their hands on their weapons for another fight. Vander smiled at them all, and had no intention of reaching for the greatsword strapped to his waist. "I know where the Fortress of Trinity is, and they are your real enemies," the Fubao giant explained, "and I will repay my favor."