Brunhilde approached with her usual grace.

Though they saw dozens of Phantasm Beast corpses being dragged across the ground behind her. Reinhard saw some Bear-Terrors, Werefangs, and other Phantasm Beasts which seemed to be related to the Eastern Hesod area.

Their bodies connected by what looked like chains of blue flame that dissolved as she stopped. The beasts hit the earth with heavy thuds, their lifeless forms creating small clouds of dust.

Amiya's violet eyes widened. "She killed those Phantasm Beasts so fast?"

Marie giggled, pride evident in her expression. "Our Brunhilde is extremely strong! She is a First Class Beast Master, after all."

Amiya's eyes widened further. "Just like master..."

Reinhard furrowed his brows, looking down at Mimir still perched on his shoulder. The black crow with golden horns tilted his head, golden eyes studying the mutated Werefang's corpse.

"This thing isn't a normal Phantasm Beast." Mimir said as he narrowed his eyes. "It's something new and unknown."

Everyone blinked in surprise before Reinhard's expression grew more serious. Marie tilted her head, Joseph slightly frowned, while Amiya furrowed her brows and clenched her hands. Brunhilde's light blue eyes focused on the corpse with renewed interest.

Then shouts erupted from deeper in the town while the sounds of footsteps echoed. Reinhard turned to see Janus burst into view, his black-blue coat streaming behind him.

Worry twisted his features as his orange eyes swept across them, then the destroyed buildings, then the massive corpse.

"Is everything fine?" Janus asked breathlessly.

Reinhard nodded as he calmly said. "Only some buildings are destroyed, but the townspeople are fine."

Janus sighed in relief as his shoulders sagged. Then his gaze fixed on the mutated Werefang, and his brows furrowed deeply. "What is that?"

Amiya shook her head, curly black hair swaying. "We don't know."

Janus blinked. "Do you think it's a new Phantasm Beast in the forest?"

"Probably." Amiya said with a sigh. "We should inform the Mayor at the very least."

"I'll go do that… Maybe he won't freak as much if it comes from me." Janus turned and rushed off before anyone could respond, disappearing between buildings.

It was then that Reinhard saw the Naraku people emerging from hiding, cautiously at first. Then they started moving out with growing confidence as they realized the danger had passed.

An elderly woman stepped from a doorway, her weathered face pale as she looked at the destroyed house across the street. Her hand pressed against her chest, and she took several deep breaths.

Two young men jogged past, but their eyes locked on the mutated Werefang's corpse. One whispered something to the other while they stared at Reinhard and the others in shock before quickly moving.

Reinhard hummed before walking toward the mutated Werefang and kneeling beside it. Marie joined him immediately, while Amiya knelt on the other side, her Seeker coat spreading across the ground.

They began inspecting the beast together.

"The fur texture here." Marie said, running her fingers along the black fur. "It's coarse and thick, which is similar to normal Werefangs, but it feels denser."

Amiya touched one of the spikes rising from the beast's back. "These are nearly identical to Bear-Terror spikes. Same coloring, same material composition, and same area where it rises up."

Reinhard examined the antlers. "These match Autumn Deer antlers with the same branching pattern, the way they curve, and are similar looking."

Around them, more townspeople appeared.

A mother clutched her two children close, steering them away from the corpse but unable to stop staring.

Her face was pale while her eyes were filled with fear, but her two children peeked around her skirt, curiosity warring with terror.

A middle-aged man walked past carrying a shovel. He paused when he saw Reinhard and the others, then nodded once as he said. "Thank you."

Then he continued toward the destroyed buildings, ready to begin clearing rubble.

Three teenagers approached the cluster of Phantasm Beast corpses Brunhilde had dragged over. Their eyes lit up with morbid fascination. One whistled low, impressed by the size of the Bear-Terrors. Another reached out as if to touch one, then thought better of it and pulled his hand back.

An adult woman passing nearby flinched violently at the sight. She averted her eyes, quickening her pace, and her hands trembled as she clutched a shawl tighter around her shoulders.

"Is a mutation like this possible? It really does look like it has features of multiple other Phantasm Beasts… How is that possible?" Marie asked, pulling Reinhard's attention back.

Reinhard glanced at Mimir, leading to the crow's golden eyes meeting him, and understanding passed between them.

Mimir nodded. "The best information I can give now is that I can see multiple souls in it."

Reinhard blinked in surprise. "Multiple souls? How is that-"

The mutated Werefang's body began dissolving.

They all jerked back. The corpse faded before their eyes, it wasn't rotting or decomposing, but simply ceasing to exist.

Flesh became translucent, then transparent, then nothing, and within seconds, only three balls of soul remain.

The souls then rushed into Reinhard, making him shiver. He felt emotions of regret, terror, and desperation sweeping through him. He then saw flashes of images that were blurry and made no sense as he released a groan.

Then the images and emotions faded after the souls were fully devoured.

But then roars echoed through the area, howls followed that were filled with anguish, and finally a deer's whimper cut through both.

Reinhard quickly stood up while his head whipped around, scanning in all directions. The sounds had come from everywhere, echoing through the area, but he couldn't see anything.

The area remained empty except for them and the slowly gathering townspeople.

Marie stood beside him, Longinus half-formed in golden light before she dismissed it.

Joseph spun in a circle, Arondight flickering in and out of existence. Amiya's scythe appeared in her grip, crimson-black flames licking along its blade.

Brunhilde frowned. "Those noises seemed to come from the multiple souls inside the beast, and it seemed to be their final words before leaving."

Amiya blinked in surprise before her violet eyes widened. "Their final words? How is that..." She paused, processing. "No… Why would they do that?"

Marie furrowed her brows, looking between Reinhard and Joseph. "Doesn't this look familiar?"

Joseph nodded slowly, his green eyes darkening with memory. "It looked similar to what happened in Mensis Town."

"A beast like this appeared there?" Amiya asked urgently.

Reinhard shook his head. "It was similar to the Werefang, but it wasn't a Phantasm Beast. It was people transformed into beasts or creatures, with all their souls stuck together in one body."

Amiya's eyes widened in disbelief as her mouth opened, closed, opened again. Brunhilde blinked in surprise, her light blue eyes studying Reinhard with renewed attention.

"How did that happen?" Amiya finally managed.

Marie sighed. "We're not entirely sure, but it might be someone or something that turned them."

Amiya trembled as her hands clenched into fists.

Joseph stepped forward with a soft voice. "It's just speculation. We aren't sure if they're the same thing. We just find that the phenomenon seems similar."

Reinhard nodded in agreement.

A young boy ran past, chasing a wooden hoop, his mother calling after him to stay away from the destroyed buildings.

Reinhard then blinked as he saw townspeople carrying tools, and others brought water buckets. They began organizing themselves without needing orders, moving toward the collapsed structures.

Could they be used to this? Reinhard thought.

An elderly man stopped beside them, his weathered face creased with gratitude. "You saved lives today." His voice cracked slightly. "My granddaughter was playing near that building when..." He gestured toward the rubble. "Thank you. All of you."

Marie smiled warmly. "We're just glad everyone's safe."

The man nodded with some tears, and then he moved on to help with the cleanup.

Then another set of footsteps approached. An old man with white hair and beard appeared, moving with surprising speed for his age. He wore brown pants, black boots, and a grey silk tunic shirt with a black necklace hung around his neck, and a hat sat atop his white hair.

"Mr. Nigen!" Amiya called out.

Nigen reached them, his eyes sweeping across the destruction before focusing on the group. "What happened?"

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