"Guys… little help would be appreciated!" Piers shouted in frustration. His body was pinned beneath the Abomination that had once been Cody. The elderly man used his arms and legs to brace against its neck and lower body, while simultaneously jamming his gun barrel into its mouth to keep it from snapping at his face.
"It's not that I don't want to, but from this angle, it's pretty hard to get a shot."
Nicholas was currently aiming his gun at the monstrous figure —but with the target thrashing nonstop, he couldn't find a clean shot.
Then again... even though Nicholas had been practicing his marksmanship recently, it had only been for a short time. Expecting him to shoot a beast while it was wrestling with Piers like this was a bit too much to ask.
"Evelyn! A little help here!"
" "Someone needs to keep watch on the surroundings."
"That excuse doesn't hold up at all!"
Evelyn gave no further response. Her gaze continued to sweep the area, as if she hadn't noticed the chaos unfolding right in front of her.
Piers couldn't help but curse under his breath. Things hadn't gone according to plan, but it seemed he had no choice but to handle this himself.
"Yorn!"
The moment he called out, the child spirit materialized out of thin air. Yorn let out a shrill cry like a wailing infant. Its insect-like body rapidly expanded, more limbs sprouting from its torso as its spiritual power surged, radiating a dark gray glow.
Yorn lunged at the abomination crouched on top of Piers. Its previously translucent form became vivid and solid—like an illusion made real. It was now the size of a grown man
Thud!!
A crashing sound rang out as the monster was now sent flying several meters away.
Freed from the weight, Piers scrambled to his feet. His experienced eyes remained locked onto the Abomination ahead, cautious and alert.
Of course, he could have ordered Yorn to finish the creature off immediately—but he was still wary of the strange ability it had displayed earlier.
BANG!
A gunshot echoed. A Spirit Bullet streaked through the air and struck the Abomination at the ankle. Its leg was severed cleanly, causing it to lose balance and collapse onto the ground.
Seeing the opening, Piers immediately commanded the child spirit to attack with full force. Yorn's body solidified once more before charging at the struggling Abomination, which was desperately trying to regain its footing.
"Shot the leg to create an opening for me, huh? Not bad."
Piers praised Nicholas, who still held his revolver steady in an aiming stance.
'...I was aiming for the head.'
…Once again, Nicholas chose not to say what was on his mind.
Even if it hadn't gone exactly as intended, the result was good enough.
Not long after, Yorn—in its enhanced form—managed to completely subdue the Abomination.
The child spirit's body could switch back and forth between spirit form and physical form. Therefore, ordinary physical attacks were useless against it, making the Abomination little more than a punching bag for Piers's Bound Spirit.
Furthermore, in terms of spiritual power, Yorn could be said to possess spiritual power at the level of a Vengeful Spirit. Therefore, the gap in strength between the two was quite clear.
"It hasn't used its ability again since then… Does that mean there's some condition preventing it from doing so?" Piers mused as he walked back to join Nicholas.
"Obviously."
"What did you say?"
"I said... I think you're right."
After all, he was the one who had used the position-switching ability earlier. If the creature could use it now, that would've been truly strange.
A shrill, agonized scream from the Abomination drew their attention. Yorn's sharp, insect-like limbs had pierced through its body at multiple spots. The beast's body was now pinned down, unable to move.
"Let's end this quickly,"
Piers gestured for Nicholas to follow. The two approached their target, staring down at the immobilized Abomination. It continued to struggle violently, even as its movements only worsened the tears in its already ruined body.
"Is there any way to turn him back into human?" Nicholas asked.
"I think you already know the answer to that, rookie. They're already dead. There's no way to bring back those who have already passed."
Perhaps it was wishful thinking... but deep down, Nicholas still wished there were a way.
At the very least, sending him off in peace was the best they could do now.
"Go ahead." Piers folded his arms as he spoke.
Part of the reason he wanted Nicholas to deal with the creature was to test him. The other part was to help him grow accustomed to what it meant to be a member of the Order of Spirit Mediums.
Nicholas wondered if using his power as Judicial Representative might bring some peace to the man once known as Cody.
But revealing that trump card in front of others was clearly not a wise choice.
He looked at the writhing figure before him. His eyes were filled with pity—Yet there was not a trace of hesitation.
Click! Bang!!
Nicholas aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The Spirit Bullet pierced through the Abomination's skull and exploded. Its body twitched for a moment before going still.
Seeing this, Piers couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Though an Abomination was merely a soulless corpse, its body still bore a resemblance to humans. At first, he had expected at least a hint of hesitation from the rookie Spirit Medium before him—But who would have thought that when the time came, he would act so decisively?
...As if this wasn't the first time he had killed someone.
"Not bad for a first mission," The vice-captain of Division Four whistled as he praised him.
At the sound, Yorn's body gradually shrank back into its childlike form before leaping up onto his shoulder.
Nicholas watched the scene with interest. Compared to the terrifying combat form from earlier, the little spirit now almost looked… cute.
"Evelyn! We're heading back—call the guide spirits."
Piers waved his hand, signaling Evelyn to recall the scouting spirits that had hidden themselves during the fight.
…But she didn't move.
Instead, she stood perfectly still, her eyes tense as they scanned the fog-covered graveyard.
"They're all gone."
"What do you mean, they're 'gone'?"
But soon after, Piers immediately understood what she meant.
Something had frightened them—enough to make them abandon the task assigned by a Spirit Medium.
"If you're not too numb from old age, you can feel it too, right, old man?"
It wasn't just Piers—even Nicholas could sense the presence surrounding them. Strangely, as the seconds ticked by, the sensation of being watched only intensified. The numbers were growing!
The movement was eerily silent, which was why it had taken all three of them this long to notice. Since Evelyn had been observing the surroundings from the start, she had sensed the disturbance slightly earlier than the others.
These unexpected visitors were moving in an organized manner, closing in to encircle them from every side.
"We need to move. Now."
For the first time, urgency crept into Piers's voice. Nicholas could see beads of sweat forming on the man's forehead—indicating the gravity of the current situation.
Shadowy figures lurking in the thick mist slowly began to reveal themselves. At first glance, they looked like ordinary people, However, their bodies were disproportionate. Their limbs and organs were mismatched in size, and dark stitches crisscrossed their flesh...
As if they were nothing more than pieces of different bodies crudely sewn together.
Unlike Abominations, they didn't howl or charge at Nicholas and the others the moment they saw them. Instead, they stood still as their eyes fixed on the three mediums.
...Which made them feel even more unsettled.
"Looks like we've hit the jackpot." Piers muttered.
Earlier, they had worried about what kind of trouble they might run into—But now, it seemed all that speculation had been pointless.
Because who would have thought that in the end... They'd end up facing both threats at once?
"From here on, I don't know how much I'll be able to protect you. So prepare yourself, rookie."
Piers drew his gun, his voice turning ice-cold.
"You're facing a Tría-level Corpse Puppeteer."
09.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit medium (Éna)