Even if Red expected to hear this, he still felt surprised. Was changing and possessing bodies something a ghost could do so casually?
Eiwin also looked shocked at these words, but she kept her composure.
“Is this what this is about, then? Just looking for another body to take over?” Eiwin’s contempt for the ghost seemed to grow at every exchanged word. “Have you no pride left as a cultivator?”
“Pride?” ‘Narcha’ shook her head. “I thought you would be smarter, but it seems as if your upbringing has left you severely unaware of how the cultivation world works. Pride serves as nothing but chains. Sects use words such as ‘duty’ and ‘honor’ only as a means of maintaining order at their convenience. When it suits them, they don’t let such matters keep them from their objectives. Any successful cultivator would never let such matters get in their way.”
Eiwin stared at the ghost with disdain. “Is this supposed to convince me?”
The ghost laughed. “You? Nay, you monks are very set in their ways. I know the only way to convince you, Eiwin, is by using your care and worry for your companions against you. So this is why I am offering you a deal.”
The younger woman frowned. “My body for Miss Valt’s safety, then?”
“Indeed.” The ghost nodded. “Your body and temperament are more suited to me. It should last a few months, at least until I can find the Black Marsh necromancers. Your talent, too, while not outstanding, is better than this girl’s. Not to mention I know you have been practicing a body refinement cultivation art. It should prove useful in case I have to fight any more of these pests.”
As if to display her point, the ghost kicked the body of the knight in the ground.
“Of course, we need to be fast.” ‘Narcha’ said. “These Curse Breakers are like cockroaches. Where there is one, there is likely to be a nest of them nearby, and I would rather not take my chances.”
Eiwin fell silent. She stared at her possessed companion, dozens of conflicting thoughts passing through her head as evidenced by her changing expression. The ghost, in the meantime, just smiled at her.
The sight of Narcha staring at them with such an unfitting expression sent a shiver down Red’s spine.
It seemed that Eiwin, too, had let go of her rage and was considering things more calmly, at least as far as the boy could judge from her expression. He could guess where her doubts were coming from, but there was no way for Red to answer her without the ghost hearing it. Not to mention, the boy himself wasn’t too certain his exorcism method would work against this opponent.
Allen seemed to pick up on Eiwin’s hesitation. He looked at her with a worried expression. “Y-You aren’t thinking about accepting it, right?!”
Eiwin frowned at the young master’s words. She looked over at Red too, but the boy maintained his steely expression, afraid to give out anything to the attentive ghost. In the back of his mind, however, he was still afraid he would misinterpret Eiwin’s intentions, if she was indeed trying to communicate one through her silent gaze.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Remember what Master Hector told us, Red? The priority of our mission?”
Red hesitated. “… The safety of our sect is our priority.”
Eiwin nodded. “Indeed. This also means that we have to make tough decisions for the future of our sect if need be. As the leader, this is my duty and obligation.”
Allen’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about-”
“I can’t beat her.” The young woman cut him off. “I can’t leave her to her fate either.”
Red sighed. The ghost’s strength was evident. There was no hint of spiritual energy emanating from Narcha’s body, which meant that whoever had possessed her used nothing but her own skills and limited physical capabilities to defeat this knight who was likely in the Lesser Ring Realm, if the state of the battlefield was any indication. It was possible that the ghost also had hidden abilities, like the one who possessed Allen, and this one still seemed in complete control of their mental faculties.
If that was the case, did Eiwin have a chance of winning, even with her special abilities?
“So you’ve come to a decision?” He asked.
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She nodded. “Make sure to take care of Allen, Miss Valt, and the others… And if the opportunity presents itself, try to save me in the future too.”
“Eiwin, no!” Allen looked like he wanted to rush forth, but Red held him back.
“Don’t!” The boy shook his head. “Trust her, Allen.”
The young master gritted his teeth and looked over Red’s shoulder at Eiwin.
The woman continued to ignore him, however, and turned to glare at the ghost. “My body for her freedom. Is that correct?”
“Indeed.” the ghost nodded. “Unlike what you may think, I have no interest in killing mortals. As long as I can have what I want, what is the point of engaging in pointless murder? I also do not intend on having your elder or his friends hunting for me.”
‘She knows about that too.’
Red didn’t know how much the ghost could discern from Narcha’s memories, but if he was to assume they knew everything, then any kind of trickery became extremely hard to execute. The boy could only hope Eiwin had a good plan.
“What must we do?” Eiwin asked with a scowl.
“It’s simple.” the ghost said. “Approach me and I will do the rest. As long as you do not resist, the process should be painless.”
“… And Miss Valt?”
“The girl will wake up like normal in a few hours. Some side-effects of the possession will still linger, but she will recover from it.”
“Fine.” Eiwin nodded. “Then let us do it.”
Without hesitation, she began to walk towards the ghost. The possessed Narcha simply smiled at her and supported her saber on the ground, waiting for Eiwin’s approach. Unlike what Red was expecting, the ghost didn’t demand Red or Allen to leave this place, as if she was unafraid of their interference.
‘She’s too relaxed.’
The ghost was surely aware of Red’s capabilities and the fact they were carrying talismans, yet they still seemed to keep their guard down. The boy didn’t think this boded well.
There were still 10 meters between Eiwin and Narcha, and Red was already prepared for things to go wrong.
That was when the ghost smiled. “So a fight it is, then?”
Eiwin froze in her steps, her whole body tensed.
“Oh, so young, so innocent…” ‘Narcha’ pulled her saber up. “You think I can’t tell? You think I don’t know the kind of person you are, my dear Eiwin?” the ghost shook her head. “It is a shame, though. I hoped to capture your body with no injuries, but if you must remain stubborn to the end, then I have no choice.”
Eiwin said nothing. Instead, her response came with a silver light that emanated from her skin. Along with it, Red felt her fluctuation suddenly flare with unprecedented power.
He knew what came next.
Eiwin suddenly charged forward with incredible speed, striking at Narcha with an open palm. Her possessed companion, however, reacted in time and sidestepped the attack before it even got near her.
Eiwin didn’t stop in her offensive, though, and sought to follow up with a thrust kick even as the ghost retreated. The possessed Narcha put her saber in front of herself, blocking the blow successfully.
Still, the force behind Eiwin’s kick was enormous, and the ghost found themselves flying several meters backwards, almost crashing against a tree. Yet, throughout it all, Red felt their fluctuation was as serene as it had always been.
“Eiwin!” Allen looked over at Red in alarm. “Red, we need to help her!”
“Not yet!” Red continued to hold him back.
They were not qualified to enter this kind of battle as they pleased. At least, not yet, while their opponent had yet to reveal their true strength.
Eiwin continued to press the advantage, using her explosive and lightning fast strikes to overwhelm her possessed companion. Yet, even after a continuous bout of attacks, she failed to connect with a blow directly. Every step of the way, ‘Narcha’ dodged by a hair’s width or just managed to put her saber in the way of Eiwin’s attacks and block her blows.
To those looking in from the outside, it seemed as if at any point the ghost would be caught by one of these attacks and be knocked unconscious. It was a style of pure desperation, yet Red knew better. In fact, he felt as if he had seen this exact style of fighting before.
The ghost laughed as they moved around. “Ah, the saber! A weapon of brutes, barbarians!”
“Shut up!” Eiwin showed uncharacteristic anger as she pressed her attack.
She threw another punch, which the possessed Narcha continued to dodge, just barely.
“I never liked it myself, you see…” the ghost said. “Yet they always made me train it! It’s in the name of our sect after all, isn’t it?!”
Red felt something stir in Narcha’s fluctuation.
“Eiwin, watch out!” He warned Eiwin.
Yet, it seemed like it was too late. A second later, just as Eiwin threw another open palm at her opponent, the ghost finally seemed to move.
The possessed Narcha dodged to the side, no longer having the desperation from before. Then, like a twirling dervish, she twisted on the sole of her feet, bringing her large two-handed saber down against Eiwin’s back with air-splitting power and speed.
Eiwin didn’t even have time to react. She brought her right arm up to block the slash.
Saber and limb clashed, and a shower of sparks flew out from Eiwin’s arm as if Narcha’s weapon had struck pure metal. The young woman gritted her teeth, apparently still feeling the pain despite the fact her skin seemed as tough as iron.
She tried to counterattack, but the ghost twirled away from her, following the momentum of her attack. Eiwin tried to close the gap, but the saber came down against her once more out of nowhere as the ghost spun like a tornado.
Eiwin was forced to block again, and more sparks flew from her forearms. Yet, the ghost’s attacks didn’t stop, as with every spin of their feet, the saber in Narcha’s hands built up more power and became a deadlier force. It was an impressive and unique sight for Red, and Eiwin soon found herself on the back foot.
The young woman seemed to notice her disadvantage too, so instead of trying to remain in melee range, she jumped backward and distanced herself from her opponent. The possessed Narcha stopped spinning as she noticed this, and stared at Eiwin with a wide grin.
She laughed. “Well then, all bark and no bite? No matter, you won’t learn your lesson until I put you in your place.”
At that moment, Red was suddenly reminded of who this ghost reminded him of.
‘Viran.’
For some reason, that was all the boy could think about as he stared at Narcha.