Kindred Meeting?
"Are you sure this Cipher you mentioned will work out as a replacement?" The voice of a woman rang through the underground facility below Serenity Hollow.
"Yes, Madam Ghost-Hand! We have studied the properties of the Cipher and concluded that this will indeed work for our puppets. I'll personally show you our first successful bodies." Claude Fallar answered, dressed in a white coat and wearing a mask.
"Hmph, the results better be up to standard. I have already invested more than I had planned. If this doesn't please me, then you can forfeit your and your family's lives to me. I'll make a good little ghost out of you."
Claude shuddered at the fate he just envisioned but tried to remain calm.
"Madam, you will be pleased with our results."
Ghost-Hand chuckled at the intimidated young master and gestured for him to start the tour around this facility.
[Around the same time]
"Good, we're inside," Seraphina said, wiping sweat from her forehead. Determining the correct location and gaining access put a bit of a strain on her mental energy.
"Alright, I'll move alone since I need to locate the Cipher as fast as possible." Seraphina declared and dashed off before the rest of her team could say anything.
It was due to a strong Qi presence she had found inside the network. She estimated the cultivator to be around Core Harmonization Stage.
She guessed that the person must be one of the 42 commanders from the Covenant. Their hierarchy consists of one true leader, three leaders, twelve generals, 42 commanders, core disciples, and thousands of cannon fodder.
Core Harmonization meant that the person inside the facility must be one of the commanders. It was an unexpected variable, but Seraphina was confident in taking care of the commander due to her improved physique.
She knew about the unique abilities and dangers of each of the commanders. The rest of her teammates couldn't take them on, so she left them to search for the Duskins and possibly destroy them.
She silenced every guard, researcher, and other affiliates within the facility since their contribution would have been part of a world-ending scheme.
Before she looked further, Seraphina instinctively dodged to the left and looked for potential enemies.
A trail of molten matter was left where she once stood, and a tall woman slowly walked out of the shadows.
"Oh my, to think you could dodge that?" The woman asked Seraphina in an amused tone. She rested her left hand on her cheek and gave Seraphina a contemplating gaze.
Seraphina was a bit surprised and could take a proper look at her attacker. Her hair is a stunning shade of white, cascading down her back. Against her attire, its pristine color stands out, emphasizing her uniqueness. Her eyes are an intense shade of black, resembling onyx orbs that reflect a depth of experience and knowledge.
'Oh shit, it's Madame Ghost-Hand.' Seraphina concluded from the striking physical appearance of her enemy.
Madame Ghost-Hand was a mid-level villain who fell in love with Kael after losing to him in a battle. She developed yandere tendencies for him and even betrayed the Covenant at a certain point to give Kael life-saving intel in her sect's movement.
Of course, Kael took the information and brought her into his harem but never looked after her again.
Claudia Trone, Ghost-Hand's real name, was raised as a mortal inside a village in Terrana before the Covenant came, burning everything down and taking her away. While she trained to be a weapon for the Covenant, she never forgot the cruelties they had done to her family. Her only regret was that she couldn't find her sister, whose body was missing from the massacre.
Seraphina concluded that the only reason she fell in love was due to Kael being a hope for her to find her lost sister. But Claudia died after an ambush led by the Covenant while Kael was climbing the Spire.
Sylvia Throne appeared later in the story as the holy child of the Celestial Phoenix Sect. The novel only hinted at a necklace that held the engravings of C.Trone.
Seraphina decided to use the information to her advantage and pull Ghost-Hand over to her side. But another incoming attack brought Seraphina back to reality.
"Alright, I must admit you have some skill." Madame Ghost-Hand said as another attack failed to hit Seraphina.
"But you can't dodge forever!" Ghost-Hand added before she formed hundreds of crystallized razor-sharp claws aimed at Seraphina.
"See, this is the difference between us." She confidently called out before she initiated the attack.
Seraphina was in a disadvantageous spot. She tried to dodge every incoming attack but failed a few times, resulting in many cuts around her body. The wound was not deep, and Seraphina knew that it would heal quickly, but it didn't matter much since Ghost-Hand had more Qi and could outlast her in this fight. She couldn't gap-close without tanking many of these claws, and her seals don't work well on higher-realm opponents without preparation.
The crystallization was one of the many advantages a Core Harmonization Stage cultivator had over the lower realms. They could form their own Qi into weapons and then harden it to make them deadly.
The fact that Seraphina could last this long was due to her improved physique and battle instincts instilled by Elder Nyra.
Madame Ghost-Hand observed her opponent before sighing and declaring.
"Little one, you have lasted quite a while, but this is getting boring. You'll soon know why I'm called the Ghost-Hand."
After that, she attached a claw to her right arm and slowly moved in.
"Let's finish this, Claudia!" Seraphina said. With that, she threw out the bait and waited for Ghost-Hand to take it.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?" Ghost-Hand stopped and emitted her blackish aura to intimidate Seraphina.
Seraphina was unfazed by that and calmly replied.
"I know a lot of things about you. Don't you want to see your sister?"