Marvel's Princess - Chapter 78
The protagonist mentioned by Constance, touted as the most powerful medium on the West Coast, was currently sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck, eating Italian-style ravioli.
The ravioli had no broth, the skins were much thicker than the Eastern kind, and the flavor was notably sweet.
“Water, water! Quick, this stuff is too dry!” Bella patted her throat. Beside her, driving the truck, Sho handed her a bottle of water.
Gulping down half the bottle, Bella finally swallowed the ravioli. She swore never to eat Italian ravioli again. Good or bad taste aside, it just wasn’t to her liking!
“Mm, mm, cough cough,” she cleared her throat.
“That Natasha, she’s so exhausting! Shouting all night, my voice is hoarse!” Bella complained to the ghost, who kept her eyes on the road, not responding at all.
Then, Bella chuckled as she remembered something. “Charlie called, asking what we were doing, why we were out of breath. I said we were running! Haha, I’m so clever!”
Bella talked nonstop, occasionally receiving a response from Sho. Mostly, Sho’s responses were variations of “Take me home,” serving as affirmations, negations, and questions.
Even at night, Los Angeles had its share of pedestrians. The pickup truck sped through the relatively empty streets, following Field South Road, around Hancock Park, to the side gate of the haunted house.
They were there to exorcise ghosts. Originally, they had planned to come three days earlier, but Natasha had been dragging Bella into sparring matches, leaving her too sore and tired for ghost hunting.
Finally, they found some time and were ready.
Seeing no one around, they activated the ghost pickup’s phasing ability, turning the truck into a literal ghost car, driving straight through the front gate.
What they thought would be a tedious search for ghosts turned out to be surprisingly easy. The entire family of ghosts was holding a meeting in the basement. Without a word, they charged into the basement.
At that moment, Constance was still smiling. She was alive, but surrounded by ghosts, showing no fear. Calmly, she lit a lady’s cigarette. The curly-haired young man glared at his mother, holding Dr. Harmon’s daughter, fuming with rage.
Suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice came from behind him: “Take me home.”
Sho, in her white dress, stood behind the young man, tilting her head as she watched the two ‘people’ embrace, seemingly curious.
The house’s ghosts were even more curious.
Who is this? You’re not one of our house’s ghosts!
Perhaps due to the outsider’s presence, several more figures appeared in the basement, all showing signs of violent deaths.
“To be honest, you all scared me. There are so many of you! Must be over fifty, and it looks like there are a dozen ghost babies hiding back there? Jeez,” Bella said from the staircase, looking helplessly at the ghostly gathering.
In the past, she had only encountered individual ghosts. This was the first time she faced an entire family of them centered around a haunted house—a veritable ghost nest!
From her observations, the house itself wasn’t inherently cursed. There were no magical nodes, natural treasures, or supernatural effects. The hauntings stemmed from too many deaths, accumulating negative energy over time. Now, it was on the verge of becoming a magical node.
Bella had never been to the New York Sanctum, but she guessed that this haunted house, with some adjustments, could rival it!
All she had to do was clear out the ghosts, improve ventilation, disinfect regularly, and handle the buried bodies properly. By channeling and harnessing the magic, she could establish a new magical node.
“Your suffering will end today. Let me finish you all off!”
Through the alligator and spider incidents, Bella realized the inconvenience of carrying weapons. She couldn’t always find rebar on-site, it was embarrassing! After much thought, she improved her ice ray, now able to conjure ice swords at will. No more downgrading her combat effectiveness due to a lack of swords.
Her magic wasn’t ideal against alligators or spiders; guns were more effective against physical foes. But against ghosts? That was another story.
Excited, Bella put her arm around Sho. “Let’s split them. My ship’s wheel needs energy.”
“Take me home.”
“Each to our own? Fine by me.”
Before they could finish their conversation, the ghosts reacted.
“She wants you dead! Attack! All of you! They’re just two people!” Constance could no longer maintain her faux elegance, shrieking hysterically.
Just as people vary in intelligence, so do ghosts. Some watched while two young ghosts with freckled faces, bleeding noses, and baseball bats charged.
Without hesitation, Bella slashed with her sword.
Her ice sword wasn’t very effective against alligators but was perfect against energy-based ghosts.
The first ghost swung its bat viciously, but a flash of white light reduced its upper body to frost while its blood-stained overalls continued running a few steps before vanishing.
Bella swung her enchanted amulet, feeling its weight increase as it absorbed the ghost’s energy.
If the Flying Dutchman could absorb enough wraith energy, it could sail the seas again!
Her sword flashed again, cutting down the second ghost and a charred female ghost.
Simultaneously, Sho took action, dispatching the ghostly surgeon and noblewoman with swift, deadly strikes.
Sho’s fighting skills were evident. Her ghostly form turned combat into a deadly dance, blending practicality and elegance.
She kicked the curly-haired man to the ground, absorbing his spirit to strengthen herself.
“Let go of my son, or I’ll kill her!” Constance, frantic, drew a small revolver. Knowing it couldn’t harm ghosts, she aimed it at Bella.
Sho tilted her head, her ghostly eyes glinting.
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