The Frenzied Pumpkin Head Soldier Takes the Blame

As legendary Spirit Ashes, Lhutel retained the exceptional combat wisdom she had possessed in life. She was not like those ordinary puppets that only knew how to fight to the death.

Xia Tong lowered his voice and carefully explained his plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain to Lhutel.

"Captain Lhutel, if you think it'll work, do this."

Xia Tong made an OK gesture.

Lhutel turned toward the square, seeming to assess the risks.

After a while, she slowly raised her hand and made an OK gesture as well. She looked rather adorable doing it.

Then Lhutel's figure faded into the air and vanished.

When she reappeared, she had silently teleported to the side of the sleeping Pumpkin Head Soldier.

Meanwhile, Xia Tong lay behind a barricade at the other end of the square, holding his breath as he watched Lhutel's actions.

The Frenzied Pumpkin Head Soldier was sleeping exceptionally soundly.

Even though the Misbegotten around him were holding their frenzied ritual in full swing, with drums and gongs roaring loudly, he seemed completely oblivious and continued sleeping in the corner.

Lhutel the Headless slowly drew out her knight's spear.

Then she swung with all her strength, viciously striking the enormous pumpkin-shaped metal helmet on his head!

"Clang—!!!"

The blow was so powerful that a tremendous metallic tremor boomed out, drowning out all the noise in the square.

After delivering that strike, Lhutel did not hesitate in the slightest. She merged into the night once more, teleporting away and hiding in the shadows of the bushes beside the square.

The Frenzied Pumpkin Head Soldiers had originally been gladiators.

After undergoing physical modifications and engaging in endless bloody battles in the arena day and night, they developed severe mental disorders—what would be called PTSD in modern terms.

They were extremely prone to madness and exceptionally sensitive.

Only by stuffing their entire heads into specially made metal helmets that were pitch-black and shut out all light and sound could their sensitive nerves feel the slightest bit of peace.

But now, that last trace of peace had been utterly destroyed.

The deafening strike echoed madly inside the fully enclosed pumpkin helmet!

To a mentally sensitive Pumpkin Head Soldier, that sound was no less than torture.

"Roar—!!"

The Frenzied Pumpkin Head Soldier immediately fell into a state of complete rage and madness.

His already none-too-bright mind instinctively decided that these noisy, hateful Misbegotten before him had disturbed his sweet dream.

He sprang up from the ground, grabbed the giant hammer lying nearby, and charged recklessly into the Misbegotten crowd.

"Bang!"

The giant hammer howled through the air as it smashed viciously toward the nearest Winged Misbegotten.

That Winged Misbegotten was still staring at the ritual and howling when the hammer fell from the sky, crushing it on the spot into a mangled pile of flesh.

"Awo! Awo! Awo!"

The other Misbegotten scattered in terror at the sight.

But soon, a strong Scaly Misbegotten at the head of the group became enraged!

It seized the long-handled battle axe embedded in the ground and rushed toward the Frenzied Pumpkin Head Soldier in a few enormous strides.

It brought its axe down hard upon the other's massive metal helmet!

"Clang!"

The strike was immensely powerful, sparks flying in every direction.

It sent the off-balance Pumpkin Head Soldier staggering back again and again, nearly making him fall flat on his backside.

However, aside from leaving a white mark, it caused almost no real damage.

That lump of iron was simply too hard.

Seeing this, the Scaly Misbegotten barked a string of unintelligible orders at its companions.

At once, several Winged Misbegotten took flight, wielding longswords and iron blades as they surrounded the Pumpkin Head Soldier and slashed at him, avoiding his hardened head.

The Pumpkin Head Soldier was already clumsy, and rage had now completely robbed him of reason. He only knew how to charge with his head and swing his hammer wildly.

After using brute force to kill five or six unlucky ordinary Misbegotten, he was finally overwhelmed. Wounds covered his body, especially a huge gash in his abdomen that poured with blood. In the end, he collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The leading Scaly Misbegotten raised its serrated battle axe again and cruelly chopped toward the Pumpkin Head Soldier's unprotected chest.

"Slash!"

The axe blade buried itself straight into his chest. The Pumpkin Head Soldier twitched twice, then stopped struggling.

The leading Scaly Misbegotten immediately began howling excitedly.

They directed the remaining Misbegotten to drag the massive corpse into the center of the bonfire, intending to hang it high as well and roast it over the flames to vent their anger.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the Scaly Misbegotten turned its head smugly, a spear carrying the aura of death shot toward it from the darkness!

It failed to dodge in time and was instantly pierced through the shoulder.

The intense pain nearly drove it out of its mind.

The Misbegotten present all turned their heads toward the source of the attack.

On top of the high wall on the other side of the square stood a majestic Headless Knight, though no one knew when she had appeared.

The Deathbird cloak behind her snapped in the night wind. She held a massive tower shield bearing an eclipse pattern and looked down at them provocatively.

In an instant, all their hatred was completely redirected.

The Winged Misbegotten flew into the sky one after another, shrieking as they charged toward Lhutel the Headless.

Meanwhile, the Scaly Misbegotten on the ground that could not fly also roared and rushed over, wielding enormous poleaxes.

Lhutel remained unhurried.

She ran lightly atop the high wall, always keeping just enough distance to stay out of reach, drawing all the enraged Misbegotten away from the square and toward the distant edge of the castle wall.

"Now!"

Seeing that the square before them had been cleared, Xia Tong made his decision without hesitation.

He led Irina and the remaining Spirit Ashes battle group, crouching low as they quickly crossed the mound of corpses that reeked of decay.

Afterward, they passed through a corridor without incident.

They continued sneaking through the darkness for five minutes.

The sky had become completely dark, and Xia Tong's group could only proceed by the faint moonlight.

They occasionally encountered one or two ordinary Misbegotten wandering alone along the way, but Xia Tong quickly dealt with them without making much noise.

At last, they arrived before a room resembling a warehouse.

Xia Tong turned to Irina and asked quietly,

"Is this the place?"

"This is it."

Irina nodded with certainty.

No one knew Castle Morne better than she did, even though she could not see.

The entire layout—the terrain, every passageway, and the arrangement of every room—was deeply engraved in her mind.

After all, she had lived here for more than a decade.

"From behind this warehouse, there's a path that leads directly to the upper levels of Castle Morne."

The warehouse doors had already been completely destroyed and could only hang half-closed.

By the moonlight, they could see mountains of clutter piled inside.

"Lord Xia Tong, there are some weapons collected here in the past."

"If you find anything suitable, you may take it and use it."

Xia Tong took out the Demi-Human Queen's Staff and gently channeled his spiritual power into it.

The glintstone at the tip of the staff glowed faintly, giving off a pale, cold light.

Compared to a torch, the light was less conspicuous, but it was still enough to see what was in front of them.

Xia Tong looked around.

There truly were a great many old weapons piled up here.

Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, hooked clubs, stone hammers, even massive ship anchors, miners' pickaxes, and wheels from torture devices...

"Wait, these things can be weapons too?"

Xia Tong could not help complaining as he looked at the enormous wheel.

The people of the Lands Between really had an abundance of martial spirit. Did anyone actually fight with this thing?

"Oh, right, I remember now."

Irina suddenly said,

"My father once said there was a portrait of a knight inside this room, and a sword was hanging behind it. It was a treasured family heirloom."

"Hm? There's something like that?"