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Dean Bruce finally understood: the bodies had never left the capital!

It made sense. No matter how strange and powerful the purple mist was, it would have been impossible to transport all those bodies in one night.

As for Nicholas William, it was likely that the person responsible had used a diversionary tactic, leading Dean Bruce and the others to focus elsewhere, making it much harder to unravel the truth.

In hindsight, the culprit\'s strategy was quite clever—nearly flawless.

Thanks to the presence of high-level archmage magic, the spells concealing the missing family\'s estate were finally dispelled, and the real scene was revealed.

Though there were no signs of battle, the courtyard was covered in dust and fallen leaves.

Scattered among the leaves lay numerous bodies, some half-buried, others out in the open. One couldn\'t walk more than a few steps without stepping on someone.

As they carefully examined the scene, Dean Bruce and the others grew somber.

The bodies of the servants were in terrible condition—mangled and decayed.

In some, worms crawled through the rotting flesh.

"Keep going, we need to look further inside."

Dean Bruce commanded without slowing down, leading the group deeper into the estate. When they reached the noble family\'s living quarters, they found a protective magic array still in place.

With a casual spell from Rulda Chel, the array was broken, and Dean Bruce was the first to step inside. To his relief, the bodies of the nobles were preserved perfectly.

It was clear that the mastermind didn\'t want the Empire of Lane Cloud to collapse entirely. They had taken care to ensure that the bodies of the high-ranking nobles were left unharmed.

As for the servants?

In this world, nobody cared.

Even Rulda Chel and Nicholas William, while visibly shaken by the gruesome state of the dead servants, showed no real concern for them. Their shock was more at the horrifying manner of death than any sympathy for the commoners.

The rescue proceeded smoothly. Other than the Soul Blood Nail eventually losing its hold, allowing the mastermind to escape Miranda Joy\'s body, there were no other significant obstacles. All the missing officials and their families were successfully found.

Afterward, the group returned to the royal palace with the recovered bodies, reuniting the souls with their vessels for restoration.

Dean Bruce understood that the mastermind behind all this would not give up so easily. While escorting the bodies back to the palace, he remained cautious, reminding Rulda Chel and the others to stay alert.

However, despite their precautions, as soon as Dean Bruce and his group stepped into the palace, they fell into a trap.

Whoosh—

A violent wind howled behind them, and a sudden chill filled the air. When they turned around, a curtain of frost had formed, sealing off the entrance to the great hall.

The moon overhead took on an eerie hue, its purple light casting an unsettling glow over Dean Bruce and his companions.

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness began to creep in. Dean Bruce quickly realized that the magic in the area was rapidly diminishing.

"This is bad—it\'s an anti-magic field!"

Rulda Chel shouted in alarm, causing Dean Bruce to narrow his eyes.

While his own level was lower and his magic relatively weak, his strength lay in his ability to cast high-level and even Ultra-High-Level spells, provided there was magic in the environment. That was his key advantage.

But in an anti-magic zone, without access to magic, Dean Bruce would be left with only his physical abilities—and that was far from ideal for confronting powerful enemies.

At this moment, Dean Bruce could only hope that the artifacts and tools he had obtained earlier would help him get through this.

"Hehehe! As expected of an elder from the Magic Guild headquarters. In such a short time, you\'ve unraveled all my plans!"

A cold, mocking voice suddenly echoed through the hall. "Unfortunately for you, I\'m not acting alone. When I summon the souls of the ancient times, let\'s see if you\'ll still be able to stand against them!"

As the voice spoke, everyone looked up and saw a figure slowly descending from the sky. She wore a dark purple and black mage\'s robe, her features strikingly beautiful, but her expression was twisted with malice. Her exposed hands were pale and delicate, yet they moved rapidly, forming complex magical seals.

"Wait… something\'s wrong!"

one of Rulda Chel\'s companions muttered. "Anti-magic fields don\'t discriminate. Our magic is being suppressed, so how is she still casting spells?"

"Even magical tools and scrolls shouldn\'t work in an anti-magic field!" another exclaimed, their faces filled with shock.

Dean Bruce, however, sensed something different. After a brief moment of concentration, he understood. "That\'s not magic," he said quietly. "She\'s using some sort of special artifact. It doesn\'t contain any magic at all."

"Hehehe!" the woman let out a sinister laugh. "As expected of an elder from the Magic Guild headquarters. Even though your power may be weaker than the Grandmaster\'s, your insight is truly remarkable! You\'re right, this isn\'t some ordinary magical artifact—this is a Blood Pact Relic."

With a sly grin, she suddenly slammed her palm into her own chest, causing blood to spurt out, staining her hands crimson in the eerie glow of the purple moonlight.

Buzz—

In an instant, a strange energy surged, and peculiar lights began writhing through the air, twisting and forming into doorways.

"Roar—"

"Howl—"

As the doors opened, eerie howls echoed through the space. From within, countless ghostly and monstrous figures began to emerge, their eyes glowing a fierce red, all locking their gaze on Dean Bruce and his companions. The weaker members of Prani Joy\'s group stumbled backward in terror, their faces pale with fear.

Swish, swish, swish—

The creatures, though spectral and lacking physical form, moved with incredible speed. Their attacks were bizarre, almost unnatural, as they seemed to be able to harm Dean Bruce and the others with ease.

At this point, the advantage of having Rulda Chel and the others became clear. Even though their magic was sealed and they couldn\'t cast spells, they still rushed forward to protect Prani Joy from the ghostly threats.

Meanwhile, Dean Bruce was focused on taking down the mastermind. His eyes darted quickly, and with a calculated decision, he pulled out the Bronze Golems that he had modified earlier.

Although the Bronze Golems were powerful enough to stand against mages, their movements were powered by crystal cores, meaning they weren\'t affected by the anti-magic field.

Clank, clank, clank—

A crisp sound echoed as Dean Bruce released more than twenty Bronze Golems. Under the eerie purple moonlight, they emitted an unsettling gleam.

In an instant, everyone—except for Nicholas William and Shelly William, who already knew about them—was stunned by the sight of the Bronze Golems.

"What are those?"

"They look like humans, but their entire bodies are made of bronze!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to make of it. But before they could fully comprehend what was happening, Dean Bruce had inserted a crystal core into each of the golems, and what happened next left them all in awe.

In their astonishment, they watched as the bronze-bodied golems soared into the air with incredible speed, charging head-on toward the ghostly apparitions.

The modified bronze golems were terrifyingly efficient. Flames erupted from their shoulders, followed by the pungent smell of burning, as the fire consumed many of the ghostly shadows in an instant.

"Hmm?!"

"Is this… ancient golem magic?" A startled voice echoed from the air, causing Dean Bruce to raise an eyebrow.

She even knew about that?

This realization made him even more determined—she couldn\'t be allowed to escape!

With a mere thought, one of the bronze golems packed with explosives shot forward, heading straight for the mysterious woman. Its shoulders flared up, and the explosive power rippled through the entire space.

Even Rulda Chel and the other archmages stood in stunned silence.

The ghostly apparitions, which seemed so menacing before, crumbled like paper tigers under the onslaught of the bronze golems. The explosive charges reduced the ghosts to nothing more than scattered, wailing fragments, obliterating them in an instant.

The woman\'s own anguished screams soon followed. There was no escape in the anti-magic field, and aside from summoning these spectral creatures, she was unable to use any of her own magic. She stood no chance against the relentless assault of the bronze golems.

In a matter of moments, the golems had knocked her from the air, sending her crashing to the ground. Her once-imposing magic robe lay in tatters, her skin scorched black—she looked utterly defeated and pitiful.

Dean Bruce and the others quickly approached, scrutinizing the fallen figure.

Prani Joy also moved closer, peering at her for a moment before a puzzled expression crossed his face. He asked, "I\'ve never seen you before. Why do you hold such hatred toward the Joy family?"

"Hatred…? Hatred?" The woman\'s eyes flared with fury as she glared at Prani Joy. "I don\'t hate your family—I hate the Empire of Lane Cloud! Thirty years ago, your empire expanded by wiping out my people! Tens of thousands from my tribe were slaughtered in your wars of conquest!"

"And you ask if I shouldn\'t seek revenge?"

Hearing this, Prani Joy sighed, his expression filled with regret. "Thirty years ago, I wasn\'t even the king. You seek revenge against me for that?"

"Enough, enough."

Prani Joy then turned to Dean Bruce, bowing slightly out of respect. "Mr. Dean, since you were the one who captured her, I leave her fate in your hands. You decide what\'s to be done."

The woman\'s face contorted with rage, yet she didn\'t beg for mercy. Instead, she sneered. "Old fool, do you really think I was the only one involved in this plot? Go ahead, kill me! But once Dean leaves, your Joy family will still face destruction!"

"I refuse to believe that an elder from the Magic Guild headquarters would stay here forever!"

Thud!

Suddenly, the sound of a dagger piercing flesh filled the air. The woman\'s body jerked violently, and blood poured from her mouth.

Looking down, she saw a dagger had pierced straight through her chest.

But everyone\'s eyes shifted toward Dean Bruce.