Chapter 1302: Chapter 1302: The Gardener and the Shovel
The Ghoul, being a more common undead race, varies in individual strength from Mia-level to Shard-level. In a loose sense, the giant amputee undead abomination that appeared at the last battle in Midshire Fort can also be categorized under the “Ghoul” lineup.
However, the gardener before him was clearly different from normal ghouls. He certainly possessed the decayed body of a typical ghoul, but seemed to retain human intelligence. Upon emerging from the snow, he first bowed slightly to Haila Osenfort, then adjusted his hat and gripped his shovel as he looked towards Shard.
Black particles drifted from his skin, floating skyward against the direction of Snowfall, with pitch-black runes crawling over his skin surface, although the twisted patterns failed to form words.
The power of Desecration gave his originally shriveled skin a hue, and even the ordinary shovel became frightful once tainted with the black patterns spreading from his hands.
“Asking people for help, and it turns out you have to fight first.”
Shard muttered, not opposing the sentiment. He frowned as he observed the ghoul, and as his eyes blinked, the Arcane Technique “Demon Vision” activated once more. In the strange vision, the only anomaly around the ghoul was the decipherable twisted patterns on his body, signifying “Demonization,” “Obedience,” “Desire.”
This did not clarify what the Demon truly was.
“Speaking of which, can this be considered a summoned entity?”
Shard thought internally, and if it counted as a summoned entity, his Yellow Moon Magic “Muddle” would work perfectly.
[Probably not.]
“She” responded in Shard’s mind as the demonized ghoul charged forward.
Black particles clung around him, exceeding speed limits. Just as Shard tried to fend off, the ghoul vanished into particulate matter within the snow, yet Shard still saw obvious distortion traces in the snowy air:
“Invisibility?”
[Indeed, but it’s not a threat to you.]
As they closed in, the invisible ghoul swung the shovel at Shard’s head, but with a clang, Spark flew, as the black Chains in Shard’s dual grip completely blocked the shovel that could almost cleave the Earth.
He felt his Spirit slightly reduced, barely noticeable unless he concentrated.
[It absorbs Spirit through attacks, but poses little threat to you.]
“Do demons always like to absorb something?”
At the next moment, the shovel’s power dissipated, with the twisted silhouette of the ghoul bursting into black Light Trace, followed by the sound of wind behind Shard.
[Spatial Movement.]
No time to turn, he kicked backward fiercely. As the ghoul twisted its action in response, Shard sidestepped and kicked the visible enemy into the snow.
[It can’t maintain invisibility during Spatial Movement.]
“What good is that to me?”
He did not summon the Moonlight Greatsword, which might reveal his identity, merely gripping the Chains bearing four Great Sin Runes. His right hand swung, making the Chains whirring through the air, while the ghoul climbed from the snow, the shovel glowing with a ghostly blue light. Though ordinary at a glance, it was extraordinarily unique up close, even if not a Relic.
Haila Osenfort watched silently from beneath a nearby tree, witnessing the ghoul disappear again into the snow. But this time, as Shard stomped on the snowy ground, earth and snow splashed simultaneously, and a clear ripple appeared across the snowfield:
“Spatial Stabilization Aura!”
His Chains, like a long Snake, lashed out. Amid the Spark burst and clang, the invisible ghoul slashed the shovel towards the tip of the Chains. Yet, pressed to the snowy surface, the Chains nimbly evaded the shovel, swiftly coiling around the ghoul’s legs.
[The Great Sin Chain isn’t very effective against it; the ghoul can still move. As Shard retrieved the Chains to try pulling it down, the Ghoul Gardener unhesitatingly smashed its leg with the shovel, though no blood flowed from the wound.
It kept retreating, the severed right leg rapidly regrowing, and once it reached the point beyond Shard’s Spatial Stabilization Aura’s influence, it quickly relied on its own Spatial Power for transfer, dodging the pursuing Chains.
The creature had considerable combat intelligence, having realized that getting close would definitely lead to being controlled by the Chains. It continued roaming at the edge of the Spatial Stabilization Aura. Normally, Shard could easily rush to resolve it, but this time he chose not to expose too much, deciding to employ less common methods.
As the shovel swung overhead, crescent-shaped blue light arcs flew out. Shard sidestepped, dodging seamlessly while the ghoul used Spatial Transfer to reappear far behind him, only for the next crescent-shaped blue light arc to be shattered by the swinging Chains.
Clang!
The Great Sin Chains swept around, smashing two simultaneous light arcs. The Arcane Technique “Great Sin Chains,” though lacking Attack Power, boasted durability comparable to the Moonlight Greatsword, perhaps even harder.
“It’s time to end this.”
Single-handedly wielding the Chains, Shard pointed at the ghoul intent on evading his Chains. Yet, instead of employing Moonlight Series Magic, he resorted to Sorcery:
“Summon Big Snowball!”
This sorcery was obtained from Silver Snow Mountain when Miss Chloe the Witch was met. The summoned snowballs are not only gigantic but also difficult to destroy, possessing effects such as mind paralysis and freezing. As Shard cast the spell, the snowball descended like a meteor from the sky, but the ghoul managed to dodge it.
Shard continued using the sorcery anyway, as its consumption was low, while the ghoul kept dodging amid occasional remote attacks.
With more and more gigantic snowballs in the yard, the space the ghoul could dodge in became extremely narrow. When Shard felt it was enough, the chains in his hands flew out again, but this time not to attack, but swiftly pierced through each snowball, forming a dense web like a spider’s web in the backyard under the Snowfall.
The chains need to contact the target to be effective, but such a dense blockade made it even harder for the ghoul to dodge unless it fled to a farther place away from the battleground. However, since this was a duel, neither side was allowed to escape. Therefore, the creature could only desperately slash with its shovel between the snowballs, trying to cut the chains. Meanwhile, standing in the center of the battlefield, Shard had already begun to pull the chains toward one point.
The hard-to-destroy snowballs moved toward the center with the chains, eventually engulfing the ghoul in snow, forming an even larger snow-pile conglomerate.
The Great Sin Chains intertwined within the snow, wrapped around that shovel, tossing it afar. The ghoul, rigid all over, struggled out of the snow, its thoughts frozen, now resembling a normal ghoul, charging at Shard like a mad dog.
Shard could have dispatched the opponent directly at this moment, but he retracted the chains, standing still and watching the horrific creature charge straight at him.
He frowned slightly, clasping his hands tightly, raising them to the right side of his face, closing his eyes, counting down in his heart: three, two, one. When he reopened his eyes, the terrifying crimson sword light blossomed between his hands. This was the [Moonlight Greatsword] of the Red Moon, associated with the divinity of the Vampire God, making the bloody red color particularly unsettling.
With both hands holding the sword, he swung forward; the arc-shaped light trace lingered in the air for a long time, and the ghoul froze before Shard, motionless.
The red moonlight in his hands gradually subsided, the upper half of the ghoul’s body slipped along the tangent towards the ground, falling into the snow, followed by a crash as the lower half also toppled down.
“Is it done?”
He asked the woman who had walked back, Haila Osenfort nodded slightly:
“It’s done… the power of sin, I kind of understand why he took a liking to you.”
“Stop with the useless talk, ma’am, where are the clues?”
“In his eyes, I cannot directly reveal the truth to you; else my husband would find out. But his eyes indeed saw part of the truth before his death.”
The woman pointed towards the gardener, Shard frowned slightly, gathered the ghoul—split into two and completely “dead” due to the Red Moon’s power—like a toy, and put away that shovel too. Although a special item, using a little extra spirit allows recovery.
Then he summoned flames to melt those snowballs and smoothed out the traces from the small-range battle earlier.
Extracting memory from a dead person’s eyes, Shard couldn’t do it himself, but this ability wasn’t rare; Dr. Schneider, a Dream Master, could achieve it.
“Not enough, I need further clues. You understand your husband is not easy to deal with.”
He continued making his requests, Haila Osenfort nodded again, then slightly turned to see the maid carrying her painting tools, walking against the wind and snow towards the pavilion.
Thus, from behind the veil, her mouth barely moved as she softly said:
“Go find the director of Randall Valley City Statue Museum, Mr. Fernandez.”
Coincidentally, the porcelain vase among the three auction items Shard sought was in that statue museum.
“I thought you’d send me to some folklore expert.”
Shard put his hands into his pockets, stood side by side with the veiled noble lady, looking towards the desolate garden amidst the snowfall, seeming as if he had been admiring the snowy scene since a moment ago. And the maid was already very close, Haila Osenfort could only say the last sentence:
“He is indeed a folklore expert.”
Shard was presently thinking whether that Mr. Fernandez might know his friend Professor Manning from Tobesk. And thinking of Professor Manning naturally reminded him of Mr. Lyman, who he met through the Time Key, as their interests are strikingly similar.
[Aren’t you the same?]
“She” suddenly laughed and said, Shard immediately retorted in his heart:
“I like cats, not cat girls.”
[I didn’t say cats, I meant the Dragon Maid.]
“She” laughed more briskly, while Shard maintained a stern face, gazing at the snowy scene.
He hadn’t found the time yet to seek out Mr. Lyman’s descendants locally. But thinking about it, the folklore expert in the statue museum might be able to provide some assistance. Old family lines have always been a focus for folklore experts, and the gift Mr. Lyman mentioned that Sister Perry left him in the cemetery was indeed a matter of great curiosity for him.