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What followed could only be described as "horrific."
The decaying human limbs embedded in the body were torn apart by the halberd, while the knight's armor suffered increasingly severe fatigue wear from the intense and demanding combat.
Not enough... My current methods of attack are insufficient to kill this demon; its power increases as night deepens.
The knight's left arm guard made a tearing sound, the sound of the leather snapping beneath the plates. In addition, the rivets at its joints began to loosen.
The strategy of accumulating damage has been proven ineffective; the demon's regeneration rate is beyond imagination. And the weapon in his hand has no enchantment or blessing whatsoever; it can only be considered ordinary iron. And this body, increasingly approaching collapse…
Once dragged into a protracted battle, you will inevitably be the one who loses in the end.
But it currently lacks even a decent piece of weaponry; how can it possibly find a way to defeat its enemy in one strike?
...No, that method does exist. N
The reason I can possess and activate this armor right now is because of the blessed emblem, therefore it must possess psionic properties.
Just then, decay, its body swollen and increasingly bloated, surged towards the knight's armor with unstoppable force. Its limbs entangled most of its opponent's body, frantically and gleefully dismantling the armor.
This annoying metal shell is finally dying, and I'll finally be able to enjoy her... Five
The exhilarating feeling of impending success fueled Corruption's growing rage, causing his body to tremble violently, like a heart pounding.
Suddenly, the knight in armor raised his still-intact right arm, clenching his fist with his five fingers.
"Peng!"
The next moment, the fist slammed heavily into the decaying "head," shattering its mouthparts and scattering pale human teeth across the ground.
"Ho—" Si
Its shattered mouthparts emitted an almost frantic hiss before it was firmly held in place by an extremely powerful iron hand, utterly unable to escape.
The knight allowed it to get close precisely because it was waiting for that moment of point-blank contact. It forcefully shoved its fist into the creature's mouth, until it was submerged in the mangled throat, and then desperately began to twist and churn with all its might.
In an instant, corruption felt an unprecedented fear.
It could feel its body becoming sluggish and powerless, the healing of its wounds being halted by some unspeakable force. It was a blazing light, the color of molten gold, yet carrying a profound, icy chill...
What was the purpose of this metal shell?
Corruption felt its body rapidly dissolving and decaying, but it was completely powerless to stop it.
Despite its despair and resentment, and its desperate last struggle, it was ultimately consumed by the intense light, turning into a pool of dried, rotten blood.
Under that strange and unpredictable force, corruption could not resist its demise.
As the victor, the knight's armor was now completely battered and bruised.
Large sections of its armor had peeled away and crumbled, and nearly half of its body had been destroyed by the relentless onslaught of decay. Most importantly, it had exhausted the last of its strength to sustain its existence.
The knight slowly opened his clenched fist, revealing a golden emblem in his palm.
"Crack, snap, snap."
The soft sound of clapping echoed crisply through the corridor.
"Mr. Knight, well done. I didn't expect you to be able to win against a stronger opponent even in this situation."
Fran clapped his hands and walked lightly toward the fallen knight, offering a heartfelt compliment.
The knight lying on the ground remained silent, showing not even the slightest reaction.
It had exhausted its psionic energy to sustain its existence in the previous attack, and now it had transformed back into an ordinary suit of armor.
"Hmm... Let me guess, you're planning to fake your death and launch a sneak attack, right?"
Fran did not step forward directly, but instead raised his wrist slightly. The "Reaching for the Moon" technique immediately released a rope-like black bio-material, which wrapped around the golden emblem in the knight's palm and then quickly retracted.
Almost simultaneously, the fallen knight, his armor gleaming, thrust his long halberd outwards towards the seven directions ahead!
A deafening explosion that tore through the air suddenly rang out. But just like before, there was no real sensation of it hitting flesh... after all, the doctor was standing extremely cautiously eight meters away.
As the last vestiges of his spirit dissipated, the eerie blue light in the knight's visor finally dimmed and went out completely.
"I'm not even willing to communicate with anyone. Am I that hateful?"
Fran slightly pursed his lips, then wiped the gold emblem clean with a handkerchief and put it back in the medicine box.
Although the knight punched the decaying body with the emblem in his hand, the emblem itself remained pristine and seemed untouched by any filth.
"Having been delayed for so long, Tames must be getting impatient, right?"
Having completed this final task, Fran gradually stepped into the depths of the corridor, his figure slowly disappearing into the shadows of the candlelight.
……
Before that, Fran let Tames and Davis wait in their guest bedroom.
After all, he was to guide the knights to confront corruption head-on. This was a complex and risky process that required him to remain hidden for a long time, and having someone follow him would only add to the inconvenience.
In addition, she is less concerned about her own safety when she is alone, making it easier for her to escape.
"Dr. Fran hasn't come back for so long... could something be wrong?"
Davis glanced at Tames with some concern. The lawyer was casually reading a copy of the fairy tale "The Nightingale and the Rose," which she had taken from the bookshelf, seemingly quite relaxed.
"will not."
She answered Davis's question with great certainty.
"Even in his current state, Professor Fran could easily escape from those two. There wouldn't be any danger."
"That's it..."
It must be said that Tames's confident tone and overflowing self-assurance reassured Davis considerably.
But he didn't really know where the lawyer's confidence in Fran came from, since she seemed to have never used any mysterious powers... and would choose to shoot to solve most situations.
However, given that Dr. Fran is Tames' teacher, he must possess far more skills than what she has seen...
"I am back."
Fran knocked on the door and walked in with a relaxed expression.
At this moment, the strange influence that had enveloped her had completely dissipated. She had also transformed from a naive young girl back into her original doctor form.
"Phew... this is much more comfortable. That summer dress was really too cold."
Fran straightened his doctor's coat and tightened the tie of his inner blazer.
"Oh, teacher, were you cold earlier? You could have worn my coat..."
Tames stepped forward, her expression showing some concern.
"Don't worry, it's just a little uncomfortable. Hmm... Tames, are you worried I'll catch a cold?"
Fran's amber eyes held a hint of a smile.
Davis, who had been keeping a close eye on the toy house, was more concerned with the important matter at hand. He had seen the clay figurines representing the two monsters shatter together, so he asked her about the details with great curiosity.
"Dr. Fran, how are the corruption and the knights outside...?"
"It's all resolved."
Fran answered quite easily.
Davis was speechless for a moment after hearing the almost nonchalant remark, "It's all been taken care of."
Reason told him that Dr. Fran should take advantage of the conflict between the two sides and then clean up the mess himself... But even so, it was by no means an easy task.
If he were the one carrying out the task, he would probably die suddenly halfway through due to a mistake at some point...
Just then, Fran took out the little girl's diary from before.
The moment the corrupt monster perished, the chilling spiritual influence transferred from her to the book, and the torn pages were restored.
Embracing the spirit of sharing, she turned to the no longer tattered pages of the book and showed them to the two of them. ≡Part Two
[January 25th of the lunar calendar. The weather is getting colder.]
I feel like my dad's gaze towards me is strange... He seems to be coming into my room more and more often. I don't know why, but my parents have been arguing a lot lately, and my mom has been wearing gloves, but I noticed bruises on her arms.
[March 4th, lunar calendar. Why is Mom lying in bed with her eyes closed, not responding to me...? She loves me the most, and she always hugs me whenever she sees me... Dad says she's just asleep. But why won't she wake up?]
On this page, you can see some small creases, which seem to be traces of tears that have been wetted and then dried.
The handwriting at the back of the diary began to become illegible, and the dates were no longer marked.
Last night, I saw the shadow of a foot in front of the crack in my door.
I hid under the bed. Later, I saw the door open and someone walk in. His face... appeared beside the crack under the bed. It was Dad. He smiled and said to me, "Shh... next time, don't breathe so loudly."
After reading the diary, Tames' gaze narrowed slightly, and she fell silent for a moment.
She originally believed that the death of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter were the reasons why Count Ferdinand fell into hysteria.
But it seems that he may have brought his own nightmares upon himself. However, the information currently available only indicates that he is a psychopath; the reason why Hanover became like this remains unanswered.
"Instead of guessing, we should go see Count Ferdinand directly."
Fran put down her diary, clearly ready for a formal consultation. Treating Count Ferdinand was the top priority of this quarterly rounds, and she needed to be appropriately serious.
Of course, as for what to do after the treatment... that's up to Tames to decide. I'm just a doctor passing through; my top priority is to do my job well.
“Yes, Yue Fei ±☆ Group 】【: Eight Things {↑Qi≌〕∪、、4-°Two.
Tames nodded slightly, dispelling the emotions that had just surged within her.
Based on the information currently available, Ferdinand is undoubtedly a monster in human form. His acts of cannibalism of his wife and defilement of his daughter push the boundaries of human depravity.
But for a "judge," strong personal feelings would only affect the impartiality of her judgment. She must discard them and gain a deeper understanding of the specific facts.
"So, we're going to the main hall to find Count Ferdinand next?"
Davis asked Fran.
Although he had mentioned it a few times before, he still wanted to confirm it more directly.
“That’s right. What’s wrong, folklorist, are you scared?” Fran blinked and asked with a hint of amusement.
"There may be some."
He admitted this quite frankly.
"But... it's probably more dangerous for someone to stay here alone. Just like in those suspense novels, the one who's always alone is more likely to get into trouble."
Although his words were somewhat sarcastic, Davis was actually more excited than fearful at that moment.
As a folklorist, one inevitably has to explore and research the eerie legends of various remote areas, thus inevitably encountering the shadows beneath the bright world. And Dr. Fran... is a guiding light that allows one to better understand the mysterious world.
That composure displayed amidst the eerie atmosphere and malevolent spirits... is truly enviable.
"Don't worry, Davis. There's no danger."
Sensing Davis's underlying emotions, Fran offered him a comforting reassurance.
-
Although it was already late at night, the entire mansion was dark and gloomy.
But Fran had already memorized the architectural structure of the side hall and the main hall, so he quickly arrived at the door of the master bedroom where the count was.
This is a door made of ebony, inlaid with an unknown jade, and with silver carvings on the frame.
The door search bar is located in the center of the six doors, where a line of small characters is etched.
Fran picked up the candle and carefully examined the handwriting, quickly confirming... this was the last poem in the manor's poems. Just as the original "Ghost House" had six poems, the short poems in the Hanover manor also had six.
There was one in each of the five guest rooms, so the last one undoubtedly appeared in the Earl's master bedroom.
Now, as guests enter the mansion, through the blood-red window frames, they will see evil spirits roaming freely in the shadows, accompanied by discordant melodies.
Like a rushing river, it surges past the pale, desolate doorway.
[The clowns dance wildly, clad in filthy clothes, swarming through the crowd.]
[Fawning smiles filled the air, a cacophony of noise filled the air—yet no genuine smiles were revealed.]
[The Nuo mask brings joy, a false object brings ultimate pleasure. Those who wear it are silent, their sorrow devoid of tears.]
"Finally, we've collected them all."
Fran gently stroked his palm, his deep amber-gold eyes curving slightly.
She never hesitated to complete and collect information that could be pieced together into a coherent whole. And each time she finished, she felt an indescribable sense of immense satisfaction…
It's like filling in the last piece of a puzzle, collecting the fifth Exodia card in your hand, or assembling dozens of unopened parts into a complete Gundam... It's truly captivating.