196: ghost

Chapter 193: Wraith

Upon returning to camp, Arthur immediately called a war council.

The squad consisted of thirteen people; excluding the three members on alert duty around the perimeter,

the remaining ten all attended the meeting.

Arthur thoroughly explained the situation near the manor to everyone.

"Undead without a Commander are just a disorganized mess," Flora said. "From the intelligence you provided, my Lord,

those Ghouls should be the command core of this group of Undead."

"If we can decapitate them, the subsequent battle will be much easier."

"I have a plan," Arthur interjected.

He then meticulously explained the plan to burn down the load-bearing pillars of the manor.

After listening to Arthur's plan, Sariya immediately discussed it with the veterans in the squad.

Not long after, the plan received everyone's approval.

They all believed that the number of Undead was considerable, and if they were to construct defenses relying on the manor, the clearing operation would only become more difficult.

Furthermore, if they delayed, more Undead would gather.

The difficulty of the mission would only increase.

Conversely, if Arthur's plan succeeded, it would not only eliminate a large number of Undead in one fell swoop but also make the subsequent clearing easier.

Even if some Undead escaped the manor, they would be much easier to deal with than if they remained inside.

"I will lead people to find a suitable position to set up an ambush," Sariya said. "Once those Undead leave the manor, we will assess the situation and begin the clearing operation."

Saying this, she turned to look at Flora and Drax.

"My Lord," she spoke again, "I also need to ask your two guards to assist in dealing with those Ghouls.

Since they are the Commanders, killing them should significantly weaken the enemy's combat strength."

Even if Sariya hadn't mentioned it, Arthur had originally intended to arrange it this way.

The enemy's numbers were too great; they had to avoid direct confrontation.

Eliminating the enemy's Commanders was undoubtedly the safest strategy at the moment.

Arthur said to his two guards: "Drax, Flora, both of you are to follow Sariya's orders."

"Understood."

"No problem."

The two responded in unison.

With the discussion settled, the entire squad immediately sprang into action.

Arthur hoped to end this battle before nightfall.

He took two bottles of Blazing Fire Glue from Sariya.

The Commander had intended to give him all the Blazing Fire Glue.

Arthur believed that two bottles of Blazing Fire Glue, combined with the remaining alcohol in the cellar, would be enough to start a large fire.

Then, he returned to the cellar, following his previous route.

This time, he wasn't as lucky as before.

As he passed, the mounted Ghoul seemed to sense something amiss and actively approached his location.

It let out a hoarse roar, summoning two zombie hounds.

Fortunately, Arthur had managed to hide in the cellar in time before the hounds arrived.

The hounds searched the vicinity but couldn't find any trace of the intruder and began to wander aimlessly.

The Ghoul waved them away, then stared suspiciously in the direction of the cellar for a moment before finally turning and leaving.

Seeing the danger had passed, Arthur cautiously walked deeper into the cellar.

Since he couldn't use a light spell, his steps were exceptionally slow.

Luckily, no other Undead appeared in the cellar.

Arthur briefly inspected the wine barrels and found that most of them were empty.

He used his dagger to puncture the barrels that still contained wine, one by one.

Next, he left one bottle of Blazing Fire Glue next to the innermost load-bearing pillar.

When the wine had flowed out sufficiently, he threw the other bottle of Blazing Fire Glue he held.

Flames instantly erupted, a scene that gave Arthur a sense of déjà vu.

However, he had no time to ponder it and quickly exited the cellar, retreating to the agreed-upon rendezvous point.

The fire spread much faster than expected.

By the time Arthur reached the front yard, the fire had already reached the first floor of the manor.

The Undead guarding the perimeter of the house sensed the anomaly, and their roars echoed one after another.

The main gate of the manor was violently rammed open, and Undead swarmed out, many of them already engulfed in flames.

Just then, the first-floor ceiling collapsed with a crash, and most of the necromantic creatures remaining on the first floor plunged into the inferno.

The flames continued to spread to the second floor.

Arthur saw three ethereal figures fly out of a room on the second floor from afar and heard a mix of roars, shouts, and screams.

The Undead were trying to regroup, but the soldiers, already in position, had launched their attack.

Flora and Drax rode their horses directly towards the Ghoul closest to them.

The Undead were completely unable to organize an effective defense.

Arthur quickened his pace towards the battlefield, chanting a spell along the way, and raised his holy symbol high as he charged into the enemy ranks.

A dazzling light suddenly erupted, and the Undead illuminated by it scattered and fled in all directions.

Many even burst into flames directly.

Arthur had not expected this single holy light to disperse all the Undead, let alone completely annihilate them.

His true purpose was to obstruct the three Wraiths floating in the air.

He removed his invisibility cloak so that his subordinates could clearly see his position.

Thanks to the magic of the holy symbol, Sariya was leading the squad in an orderly cleanup of these Undead creatures.

At this moment, Flora and Drax had successfully killed the first Ghoul.

That Ghoul was already on fire when it escaped from the house.

Drax's tall packhorse directly knocked it flying.

The poor fellow hadn't even managed to get up from the ground before Flora's warhorse trampled it fiercely.

However, with the addition of the mounted Ghoul and the three Wraiths, the Undead finally began to resist.

Arthur shot a guiding arrow, accurately hitting one of the Wraiths.

A zombie hound charged fiercely towards him.

Sariya, quick-witted, intercepted the beast halfway.

The tallest Wraith, seeing the situation was unfavorable, let out a long howl heavenward.

The sharp shriek pierced people's souls.

Arthur saw many soldiers panic and flee, frightened by the shriek.

"Hold your positions, damn it!"

Sariya shouted sharply, trying to get the soldiers back to their posts.

Arthur also immediately began chanting a spell, preparing to cast Calm Emotions to soothe the startled soldiers.

But the Wraith had already noticed him, suddenly turning its head to look, its expression twisted with fury.

"You—damn mortal! You won't stop our great undertaking!" the Wraith roared as it lunged at Arthur.

Sariya finished off the hound with a sword, and as she rushed towards Arthur, she screamed: "Cover the Lord!"

The soldier closest to Arthur kicked away a entanglement zombie and rushed towards his lord at top speed.

He swung his sword, trying to block the enraged Wraith.

The Wraith's erratic movements caused his attack to miss, but it bought Arthur enough time to complete his spell.

The moment the spell was completed, the Wraith also entered Arthur's body.

Sariya saw her lord suddenly freeze in place after casting the spell and immediately felt a bad premonition.

She quickly organized her people to converge around Arthur.

"Face me, Kaven'er," Arthur commanded the Wraith attempting to possess his body. "Now, tell me everything you know."

Arthur was trying to read the Wraith's thoughts.

That's right, he hadn't been possessed by the Wraith; on the contrary, the Wraith attempting to possess him was trapped within his body.

Soon, a name appeared in Arthur's mind.

Kaven'er, the previous head of the Candy Family.

This gentry, who had become a Wraith and held himself in high regard, had never imagined he would encounter such a powerful soul!