Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Scribe Level Relic [Charles II's Beheading Curse]. The mortal King of the previous Era, who ruled with tyranny, was beheaded at the guillotine during a rebellion initiated by his subjects. His enraged and hideous spirit transformed into a parasitic curse due to the influence of a sinister Evil God worshipped by his former admirers. The relic itself is a parasite, and anyone cursed by it gains the ability to safely detach their head from their neck. Initially, this only results in head separation, but later the head gains powerful abilities such as flight, invisibility, and spitfire. These infected creatures feed on the brains of intelligent beings."

Mr. Madison introduced:

"But don't worry, this lady is directly parasitized by the curse, while we are merely infected. Each time the relic appears, it must grow continuously from larval form to unleash its full power. Currently, the 'parasite' is still in its juvenile state; it can curse ordinary people, but because it has parasitized us four Ring Sorcerers, it consumes too much, leading to malnutrition, so it cannot move itself."

Shard and Dr. Schneider both breathed a sigh of relief, while Princess Margaret, disguised as "Miss Mary," felt somewhat puzzled:

"According to the Academy's containment data, even a juvenile parasite should infect multiple High Ring Sorcerers to become this nutritionally deficient. How did it become so weak after infecting just the four of us?"

Shard and Dr. Schneider were both surprised, thinking it was due to their own causes:

"Malnutrition?"

The doctor immediately asked.

"Yes, after all, it's only Scribe Level. The parasitic curse follows its instinct to try to infect powerful individuals as much as possible. Fortunately, there are no ordinary people here; otherwise, not only would the person definitely be instantly infected and die, but it would also allow the parasite to reproduce into two, complicating matters further."

Upon hearing the word "death," Shard and the doctor both glanced toward Mr. Jimms, who was lying asleep at another table. This gentleman was sleeping soundly, thanks to the doctor's quite professional hypnosis.

"What should we do now?"

Shard asked.

"Subdue her."

Mr. Madison pointed at the woman frozen in place:

"She now only retains some instincts but still possesses significant attack power. We need to subdue her together and then proceed with containment."

"Is she very strong?"

Dr. Schneider asked.

"No, the key is, we cannot attract the attention of ordinary people."

Princess Margaret said softly; although her appearance was disguised, her voice was not, so she deliberately lowered her voice to sound as if her lungs were injured.

The doctor nodded:

"So, how about we discuss a strategy now? I'll..."

"No, no, since we couldn't immediately subdue her earlier, the situation might become a bit troublesome now."

Mr. Madison sped up his speech:

"In a moment, I'll take the initiative; when she is under mortal threat, her head will abandon the body and detach. I'll stay here and guard the body, preparing containment measures while you pursue the detached head. Capture the head and bring it back as quickly as possible. Remember, do not cause too much disturbance."

"How strong is a lone head?"

Shard asked. Mr. Madison slightly shook his head and looked at Miss Margaret, who then said:

"Equivalent to an Inner Ring Sorcerer, but currently only its instincts are left, so it is almost without wisdom. The only thing to note is that since we were also infected by the parasite, it possesses the power to detach our heads. Therefore, we must not let the head's body make contact with our heads."

"Understood, I don't think there is a problem."

The doctor nodded; if it was just an Inner Ring Sorcerer, he believed it shouldn't be a problem:

"However, Alan, since Shard and I were accidentally caught in this, you will have to compensate us after this affair concludes."

"This is a commission I took from the Academy; after the matter is resolved, I can pay each of you twenty pounds."

Princess Margaret said, Shard nodded to the doctor, who also seemed agreeable.

"Act in three seconds—"

Mr. Madison spoke with a hint of tension, holding a yellow brass rod in each hand, the metal surface densely carved with patterns:

"3, 2, 1!"

The two metal rods shot out like bullets, instantly piercing through both shoulders of the motionless woman. The rods remained within her body, and the copper-colored runes flowed from the wounds like water, spreading to the neck area.

The woman's previously frozen expression immediately became vivid and filled with malice, staring at the four individuals, but the Circle Sorcerers remained unmoved. As the Whisper Element fluctuated, just as Mr. Madison said, that head luridly flew off the woman's neck.

However, as the four had a momentarily blurred vision, the single head in the air became two, simultaneously descending and speedily flying along the floor toward different directions.

"What?"

Dr. Schneider exclaimed, but due to his ample experience, he instructed:

"Shard, let's split up."

With that, he quickly pursued the head flying close to the ground towards the stairwell. The scene was extremely horrifying, but fortunately, the second floor was empty, making the head flying so close to the ground hard to notice.

Mr. Madison took off his coat and lunged at the headless woman's body, which was also imbued with the power of a Relic. Shard didn't hesitate, immediately chasing another head. Princess Margaret knew Dr. Schneider was the group leader and the highest-ranking, so she followed behind Shard.

The speed of the horrifying "Flying Head" was extremely fast. Instead of choosing to go upstairs or downstairs, it flew straight to the deserted wall and then flew out from a high window.

"Quick, chase it!"

Princess Margaret hurried from behind Shard and, seeing that outside the window was an unoccupied alley, pressed down her skirt and jumped out directly.

Knowing they needed to fight on this outing, Her Highness the Princess wore flat shoes. With a strong physique, she landed smoothly and straightened up in the foggy alley, while a large area of steam mist had already appeared behind Margaret Anjou.

Steam whistles sounded, and the bell tolled. The Ring of Fate of the Four-Ring Sorcerer emerged behind the Princess in the scorching white mist. With the flickering Spiritual Light of the Core Spirit Rune [Puppet], the Female Sorcerer took a toy puppet resembling a keychain from her waist. The puppet floated in the air as she touched her right hand and the index and middle fingers of her left hand together and quietly chanted Spell Words. The keychain-sized puppet kept enlarging, transforming into a half-human sized little boy with a black hat.

The jointed wooden structure was exceptionally visible, the hat glued directly to its head, and the button-made eyes made the puppet look even eerier:

"Assassin Jack."

Princess Margaret uttered the puppet's name. "Assassin Jack" bowed to the Princess and then, holding a dagger, alertly prepared to attack.

The smog was particularly severe in the city this afternoon. In the windless, secluded alleys of the Lower District, visibility was less than ten meters.

The Princess, breathing in the nauseating and sharp smell of the alley and stepping in unidentifiable muck, attempted with her puppet to capture the head hiding in the mist.

Thinking about the possibility of a flying head peering at her in the fog made Margaret Anjou's skin crawl. Yet, this unease made her more alert, helping her to capture traces of the Relic as much as possible.

"There!"

She suddenly pointed to the right, and the "Assassin Jack" puppet, waving its dagger, rushed over but found nothing within the fog.

At this moment, a shadow appeared in the thick fog behind the Princess. Margaret Anjou had anticipated the sneak attack long ago. She turned her sapphire ring on her thumb against her index finger, aiming it behind her:

"Freeze!"

The sorcery exerted its power, causing the thick fog stirring with the airflow to solidify in view. Yet, the shadow in the fog continued to fly, albeit very slowly:

"Assassin Jack!"

The Spiritual Light cast by the Core Spirit Rune intensified, and simultaneously, the Miracle Soul Rune [Sharp Blade] lent its light to the puppet. The dagger in the puppet's hand seemed to wiggle and lengthen slightly as it rushed into the fog and slashed at the head, but the metallic dagger collided with the skull, sparking upon impact.

"What?"

Immediately, the head opened its mouth and bit down on the dagger, gnawing a notch into it.

Princess Margaret frowned slightly, stepped back quickly, thinking of reaching for the other puppet hanging at her waist.

But at that moment, another shadow appeared in the dense fog behind her. The Female Sorcerer immediately abandoned casting, swiftly turned, and blew gently in front of her.

A cold current surged from her lipstick-stained red lips, spreading frost towards the dense fog. It only slowed the second head's speed, unable to completely stop its approach:

"It can still split into clones, which one is the original?"

At that moment—

"Lady, back off!"

Brilliant moonlight cleaved down through the fog overhead, for a moment almost making her believe she was seeing daylight moonlight.

The silver moonlight pierced the gray mist and struck the approaching woman's head. The head, which a dagger couldn't pierce, turned into black sludge under that moonlight and fell to the ground.

In the fog-covered sky, Shard descended through the mist. Upon touching the ground, without any cushioning action, he propelled forward with inertia, pouncing like a hunting leopard towards the first head battling the puppet.

"Psychic Shockwave!"

With one punch, just before the punch connected with the head, it shattered into pieces. Yet, no bizarre red or white liquids flew, just black sludge within the burst head.

"That head can still split into clones!"

Princess Margaret reminded.

"Indeed."

Shard replied, as he saw something amiss from above and leapt down to assist.

He grabbed the Princess' puppet, despite slight resistance, and reunited with her, then seriously looked at the dense fog ahead. Princess Margaret's Gaze Power was no match for Shard's, so initially, she wondered what he was looking at.

But soon, she saw dense black shadows writhing, approaching from the depths of the gray mist. Low murmurs connected into a chorus, like ghouls moaning in a nighttime cemetery. She instinctively felt uneasy, and at the same time, the black lines on her pale neck itched.

Shard stood in front of Princess Margaret, but she could clearly see the dense black shadows steadily approaching, revealed to be hundreds of heads. Hair interlinked like a net in the mist, the gruesome faces overlapping like maggots in decaying food or larvae in dirty puddles. Those flying heads approached them like a dense wall of human heads.