Amid the chaos that had erupted, the people naturally left their homes after seeing the sky illuminate with brilliant light. Many simply admired the spectacle overhead.
Meanwhile, the Second Princess, Jina Joul, descended from the palace rooftop and entered the main hall. She found the family members, guards, servants, and even the other teams participating in the examination gathered there.
Everyone had seen the signal.
"Your Highness! What happened?!"
"Tell us who attacked you and we'll tear them apart!"
"Do not worry! You are safe with us now!"
The noise inside the palace intensified.
Celesia Joul, irritated by the uproar, temporarily took control of Gina's body and spoke coldly,
"A cursed doll has taken the life of your family head… and intends to kill everyone here."
The entire hall froze.
The Kito family members shouted in disbelief:
"How could you say such a thing, Your Highness?!"
"Our family head is not someone who could be killed so easily!"
"And what doll are you even talking about?!"
Yet despite their disbelief, everyone understood this was no time for jokes—especially after the emergency light signal had been used, something reserved only for extreme danger.
Still, doubt lingered—
But it was as if the strongest corruption mage, Roto Night, did not wish to leave room for uncertainty.
He appeared in the center of the hall.
Though his appearance resembled Kedna Kito, it had become horribly distorted, and when he spoke, it was with the voice of a man,
"I must admit, little girl… you have a remarkably intelligent boy among you. One capable of seeing through my plans."
Everyone was horrified by his grotesque appearance.
Their legs trembled from both pressure and fear.
A man fell on his knees pointing at her with trembled voice,
"Y..you... can't be..... Kedna!!"
Roto didn't act to the miserable man and looked through all of them.
No one could deny how terrifying he was.
Celesia narrowed her eyes.
"Corruption Mage… Roto Night!"
The crowd became even more shocked.
"Who in the world is that?!"
"What is wrong with that doll?! Is it some kind of inheritance key or something?!"
"But who is its heir?"
"He's from the Night Family, isn't he?! Then how dare he disrespect Her Highness like this?!"
The whispers spread rapidly throughout the hall.
Roto ignored all of them.
"Little girl," he said calmly, "tell me where the white-haired boy is, and I will kill only him while sparing the rest."
Shun Ranus heard those words and immediately realized the doll was referring to his brother.
He seized the opportunity.
"He's my brother, sir."
Roto looked at him briefly.
"I don't believe you."
Shun was stunned by the response.
Seeing his confusion, Roto continued breaking him,
"You are unbelievably stupid… and far weaker than him. Unlike you, that boy is truly powerful."
Shun's anger ignited.
"I hate him too! I would gladly exchange the lives of everyone in this province just to get rid of him!"
Jina was horrified by those words.
She attempted to regain control of her body, but Celesia restrained her.
"We are not strong enough to fight him. If he decides to act, everyone here will die within moments."
And continued as if she found the opportunity,
"And I cannot allow Shion to be handed over like that either. But if his own disloyal brother exposes him… then it works in our favor and implicates your brother instead—"
Before she could finish, Jina forcefully reclaimed control of her body.
"You dare call yourself his older brother?!" she shouted furiously.
"Even animals are better than you!"
Shun put a faint smile on his face and said,
"Will our princess push us all to death for one person? He's not even your fellow."
The murmurs spread in the hall and Roto found it amusing.
Jina said coldly,
"I'm not someone trade the lives of the people. I'm not disgusting like you!"
She took her breath with an ignite in her eyes and continued,
"I'll handle you later!"
Then she turned toward the doll.
"You're only a guardian spirit, aren't you? If another spirit appears, your power becomes meaningless, correct?!"
Celesia immediately realized what Jina intended.
"If you forcibly summon me, your soul will be damaged!"
But Jina ignored the warning completely.
She was prepared to fight Roto herself.
Then—
A cold voice descended from above.
"You're not the only one who wants to kill this bastard."
Roto looked upward.
There stood Solan Neumann in her true form, her breathtaking beauty stunning everyone present.
Polter and Bloom floated beside her as they were healed after freeing Roto.
Jina stared in surprise.
"Aren't you supposed to be part of Sol Hart's inheritance?"
Solan answered calmly,
"I only exist within the Spirit World. Sol was merely a medium that allowed me to speak with Shion Lan."
Her eyes turned cold as she put her finger on Roto and continued,
"But I discovered that this bastard pushed him into such a miserable state…"
Everyone was stunned by this sudden confession.
Solan had not even bothered constructing a convincing lie.
Yet the most shocked people present were Polter and Shun.
Shun, completely oblivious to the danger surrounding them, shouted bitterly,
"Why?! Why does everything always go to that son of a—"
Solan heard him.
She simply pointed at him.
An overwhelming pressure instantly crushed his back.
"You shameless piece of trash," she said threateningly.
"You couldn't accomplish even half of what your brother did, yet you dare act like the victim?"
She asked angrily,
"Who was the one willing to sacrifice him simply to get rid of him?"
Shun attempted to respond—
But suddenly realized his tongue had betrayed him.
"Yes… I hate him. I desperately want to destroy him."
Everyone heard the confession.
The spirits even broadcast Shun's words throughout the entire province.
Shun himself was horrified by what he had said.
Solan said indifferently,
"I'm the Pure Spirit. You can't hide your truth before me you trash."
Every one was shocked even Jina had not expected this outcome.
"Did she forced him to say that?"
She was amazed by the power of the Pure Spirit.
Yet the one enjoying it most was Roto.
"My apologies, little girl," he mocked. "But I do not believe we are performing some romantic play where the heroine exposes the corrupted villain."
His gaze turned to crescent.
"Still… thank you for giving me time to recharge my power."
Without wasting another second, pulsating blood vessels emerged from the palace walls.
Solan narrowed her eyes.
"It seems I'm not the only one buying time here."
Polter summoned his Spirit Sword.
Bloom raised her Spirit Lantern.
Their power surged dramatically.
But Roto had not finished.
"(Corrupted Domain)."
The domain spread instantly.
Anything approaching it decayed—whether spell or aura.
Everything became worthless before it.
Solan did not remain passive either.
She activated the scroll and summoned the Pure Spirit Domain.
"(Spirit World)."
Countless spirits surged outward.
They belonged to the victims sacrificed by the doll.
Now every vengeful spirit stood beside Solan.
Roto remained calm.
"So now…"
He raised his hand joyfully.
"This is a battle between spirits and corpses.
And I wish to see which side wins."
Puppets emitting the stench of death began forming around him.
They resembled the spirits themselves.
But Roto used regeneration power to restore vitality to several corpses.
Both sides prepared for war.
The moment Jina and the others witnessed this, she immediately shouted,
"We cannot interfere in this battle! Everyone retreat!"
The crowd finally snapped out of their terror and fled desperately for their lives.
But Jina suddenly remembered something important.
"Shion!"
She rushed away immediately.
'Did Sol remove Shion from there? Where is she? Why didn't Solan mention him at all?!'
Ignoring Celesia's warnings, Jina hurried through the palace, consumed by worry.
When she reached the room—
She found Shion lying on the bed.
Using her eyes to examine him, she realized his heartbeat was barely present.
His breathing was extremely heavy.
His body and limbs were freezing cold.
Panic gripped Jina instantly.
"Leave now!" Celesia shouted angrily. "Puppets are heading toward us!"
At that moment, several third-level corpses burst into the room.
Their malicious gazes locked onto them.
Jina did not know what else to do.
She simply raised her needle sword to defend Shion until he recovered.
Celesia tried once more to seize control—
But failed.
Jina's willpower had reached its absolute peak.
She even activated the technique of the royal family for the inherited power of the Golden Eyes.
Veins spread around her eyes as golden light ignited within them.
She immediately saw weak points throughout the corpses.
"These are merely bodies," Jina observed calmly. "Nothing special besides the circles engraved on them and the resources acting as their hearts and aura stars."
She stood confidently.
"Destroying them won't be difficult."
One corpse lunged at her.
But through her eyes, she could perceive everything—
Movement.
Spell activation.
Energy flow.
Weaknesses.
The Golden Eyes themselves were terrifying enough, though she was not yet using their full power.
She dodged effortlessly.
"Despite their strength, they possess no real techniques. Those magic circles merely distribute aura evenly.
So…"
She swung her needle sword.
"(Thunder Birds)."
The attacks shot forth like piercing birds of lightning, striking the weak points within the corpses.
Their energy pathways shattered instantly.
In the next movement, Jina severed their heads at incredible speed.
The corpses collapsed to the floor.
Though the Second Princess had never killed a human before, her perception of reality had changed completely.
She no longer viewed the world as a princess.
Only as a fighter.
More corpses rushed into the room in an attempt to reach Shion.
She continued destroying them.
"What in the world is Solan doing?!"
As if answering her question, a small spirit arrived.
It had come to check on them—
Only to find Jina fighting desperately.
"What is happening in the hall?!" Jina shouted. "I can't even hear battle sounds anymore!"
The spirit hurriedly replied,
"The battle below is completely one-sided! That doll corrupts everything approaching it!"
"Our lady cannot heal everyone because her level is still too low. She wanted me to retrieve Lord Lan and surround him until reinforcements arrive!"
But at that moment—
Red veins spread into the room.
Bloody arms emerged from them.
Roto's corpse puppets!!
"We're finished!!" the spirit cried in fear.
Then—
A calm voice came from the bed.
"I've regained consciousness."
Jina turned immediately.
Shion lay there, raising one hand slightly.
"That corrupted blood poses no danger to me."
Although Shion released the power of (Blood of the Dead), black hair immediately spread across him again.
'I'm still not in good condition…'
He thought with a headache crushing his head.
'Even the slightest use of Shi Yun Lan's power feels like torture now.
But…...I must kill that cursed doll.'
With a single gesture, starlight aura wrapped around the corrupted blood.
The (Blood of the Dead) invaded it completely.
"The blood will be destroyed now," Shion said quietly.
"Then I will return to resting."
The bloody arms paralyzed before it turned into clots and splattered without any effort.
Shion looked toward Jina.
"Your Highness… thank you for saving my life."
The princess's cheeks flushed slightly, though she quickly hid it after remembering their current situation.
"Don't thank me," she replied.
"You saved me from that curse at the beginning of the year as well."
Shion smiled faintly before asking,
"Where are Violet and Sol?"
"Violet went to bring Asin Night," Jina answered. "As for Sol, I don't know. Though Solan might know something since they're connected."
Shion nodded before looking toward the spirit.
"Is Solan alright?"
The spirit nodded repeatedly.
"She's fine, Master! She told me that if you needed anything, I should bring it immediately!"
"I want fire and water spirits," Shion replied.
Both the spirit and Jina stared at him in shock.
"Don't tell me you intend to fight in your current condition?!" Jina exclaimed.
Shion answered calmly,
"I cannot rest here while leaving you alone, Your Highness."