William's blade made contact with the ghoul. He directly severed neural connection from the head to the rest of the body, causing the ghoul to drop. Surprisingly, the crossbow shattered into fragments once the user took a dirt nap. Even more surprisingly was that the shattering was noiseless.

The sneak attack was a success! The other ghouls had not noticed the assailant. In fact, the ghouls carried along in their patrol. The path to the tower was secure for now. Xavier can ascend the tower if he pleases.