They had barely entered the villa when two desiccated corpses came hurtling straight at them.
Colin blocked them with his blade and shouted, "Come help!"
His second son, Joseph, hurried forward and raised a massive shield in both hands, planting himself in front of Colin.
Joseph had clearly trained with a shield. He lowered his stance, hips and legs working as one, and became like a wooden stake driven firmly into the ground. Shield raised, he held the two desiccated corpses at bay.
His eldest son, Weimar, thrust his spear from a distance and struck one of the corpses.
Unfortunately, he missed the corpse's only weak point—its head.
Fortunately, Joseph had drawn the full attention of both corpses, leaving his brother free to attack. After several thrusts, Weimar finally struck one in the head. The sharp spearhead pierced its face, punched through its brittle skull, and emerged from the back of its head.
The corpse stopped moving at once and swiftly crumbled to ash.
With one enemy gone, Joseph's defense grew steadier. A moment later, Weimar drove his spear through the other corpse's head, sending it to join the first. The two piles of ash lay side by side.
After dealing with the two corpses in the entry hall, the group slowly made its way deeper into the villa.
Joseph led with his great shield, while Pan Long, the most skilled fighter, guarded the rear. Colin stayed in the middle to support them and stressed again and again that if they met too many enemies, they were to retreat immediately. They must not stay and fight!
"Leaping Corpses aren't particularly powerful catastrophes, but once they gather, they're dangerous. No one knows how many experts have been surrounded by packs of Leaping Corpses, only to slip up, get killed, and join