The ghoul let out a guttural roar and turned around.
The injury was nothing to it. And yet, it turned around and looked at Zephyr ferociously.
Their eyes locked.
Zephyr saw madness surface in its eyes.
'It is angry.'
'An angry undead.'
'Are you angrier than me?'
Zephyr clenched his jaws.
Although the undead stood there watching him, he couldn't do a thing. He didn't like that one bit.
The feeling of helplessness and powerlessness infuriated him.
'Weakness is a crime.' Zephyr muttered in spite.
Once again, Zephyr realized he was an unlucky person.
Why else would he be in this situation?
At the same time, his cohort realized what was happening.
They turned around hurriedly.
Though late, they immediately jumped into action.
The chief and the fisherman jumped forward to check the condition of the man lying on the ground.
Zephyr had clearly seen the jugular being torn apart and his neck cracking. Still, he didn't stop them from taking care of the corpse. At least, he should give them the time to verify the person's death.
Meanwhile, Jack positioned himself between the ghoul and Zephyr.
Contrary to what he expected, Jack was the calmest among the group. Wearing a grim expression, he lifted the axe, ready to go to battle.
"Sir, Zephyr. I should target the head, right?" He asked slowly.
Zephyr was not used to his clear articulation. Still, he nodded in affirmation.
"Yes,"
"Good. I am going to kill it." Jack added and dashed forward.
The double-handed axe in his hand swished through the air, blazing towards its target.
The ghoul sensed danger and stepped back.
Zephyr took the opportunity to crouch down and take the machete that fell out of the dead person's hand.
The chief and the fisherman were still holding on to the hope that the man would wake up.
However, Zephyr knew he wouldn't.
"Move." He said, looking at the duo, crouched near the corpse.
"..."
They looked at Zephyr, questioning what he meant.
"MOVE AWAY."
Zephyr shouted.
It looked like they wanted to protest. But after seeing the cold glint in his eyes, the duo was compelled to step back.
The Zephyr that was talking was not the Zephyr they knew. He had changed after what happened. And from the looks of it, he was not going to explain anything.
The chief and his companion stepped back in a hurry.
Immediately, Zephyr swung the machete-like sword at the neck of the corpse.
Swish.
With a single clean slash, he separated the head from the body. The corpse was cleanly decapitated.
Although he had never done something similar, he did it without a second thought.
After that, not paying any attention to the shocked chief and fisherman, he walked forward.
Jack, perhaps driven by anger, was moving like a cyclone through the fog. His axe was fiercely slicing the air, aiming for the ghoul's head.
His movement was both precise and swift. It was not something Zephyr expected from the giant of a man.
'I need to find an opportunity or create one.'
The angered ghoul was screeching as it dodged the ferocious barrage of attacks. But if Jack slows down for even a second, the monster would break away, disappearing into the fog.
Which meant another one of them would die.
It could also be him.
Zephyr didn't want that.
'The ghoul is too fast. I won't be able to strike it. But if I can stop it for a fraction of a second. Jack might be able to kill it.'
Zephyr glanced at his bandaged arm and soaked robe.
'I should…'
He decided to take action.
Promptly, he untied the bandage on his arm while taking out a paper.
The wound on the arm was still fresh. Squeezing it a little caused blood to flow out.
Zephyr used his index finger to swipe over the blood, then used it as an ink to draw a rune on the paper.
The rain was fiercely pelting him.
Zephyr used his robe to cover the paper as he swiftly drew a large rune on it.
It was a rune the storm tower was known for.
While he couldn't form an entire spell, the effect from the rune was enough to cause a distraction.
'Now, I need to place the rune on the ghoul.'
Zephyr completed everything he needed to before looking at the battle between the undead and Jack.
His eyes narrowed, moving between the figures in the fog.
The ghoul was smart.
It was avoiding every critical strike while bending its body unnaturally. Those kinds of movements were impossible for a normal human.
'That's why these buggers are classified as higher-ranked undead. As long as the dark mana in its body isn't extinguished, it will continue to fight. Even injuries to what might seem like important organs won't kill it.'
'This friggin world.'
Zephyr complained in his mind.
Even when he played Aracana Link, the ghouls were difficult to defeat. The same seemed to be true in real life.
'But, there is a way…'
Zephyr looked closer at each individual action of the ghoul.
'...there is a way to kill it.'
Despite the fog and rain hampering his vision, he could see a pattern forming in its movement.
Like all creatures, be it beasts, humans, or undead, the ghoul was getting used to the rhythm of the battle.
Initially, it was taking random steps to avoid Jack. But as the battle progressed, it came to the understanding that it could do more with less.
Unlike normal undeads, it was learning.
It was adapting to the flow.
Watching that, Zephyr saw a predictable pattern form in its movement.
'If I left them for their devices, the one who would die would be Jack.' Zephyr concluded.
Slowly, the ghoul was gaining the upper hand. It seems to be betting on the fact that Jack's stamina will run out.
'In a way, that's good. It's underestimating us.'
Zephyr tightened the grip on the machete.
Then, with a loud shout, he ran towards the ghoul.
Since he couldn't win without an opportunity, he had to make one. So, he stepped forward and dashed.
His loud scream was his ploy to distract the undead.
As Zephyr ran forward, the ghoul noticed him.
It tried to jump away.
However, Jack was there to stop it in its tracks.
Realizing that it couldn't escape from the two, the ghoul changed its target from Jack to Zephyr.
Zephyr was obviously the weakest one. Even a dead person knew he was easier to kill than the burly axe-wielding man.
Jack was startled by the sudden change. Although he succeeded in stopping the ghoul from leaving, he couldn't stop it from rushing to Zephyr.
"Grrr."
Clenching his jaw, he chased after the ghoul.
At that moment, Zephyr lifted his machete and approached within arm's length of the ghoul.
The ghoul watched the blade edge inching towards it with a mocking smile.
It was a ridiculous expression.
Zephyr didn't think a ghoul could make that expression.
Still, hiding his thoughts, he thrust the blade towards the ghoul's head.
However, the ghoul was faster.
It tucked its neck, leaned back, and turned to the side to avoid the attack entirely.
'What are you? Michael Jackson?'
Zephyr couldn't believe the gravity-defying step the ghoul pulled off.
He watched in horror as it recovered from its action, launching its hand towards his neck.
'Well…I thought you would do that.'
Zephyr's lips curled up ever so slightly.
The ghoul watched it and felt something was wrong. But it was too late to pull back its hand.