"Are you ready, brother?"
I nodded, raising one hand. Two Deathbane Aura Blades materialized at my waist, the Deathbane Shotgun slung across my back. John Chou idly toyed with his weapon, the Beauty.
Outside my Shadow Realm, violent streams of colliding energy erupted, as fierce and chaotic as ever.
Gradually, John Chou's body dissolved into blood-red particles and merged into mine. Instantly, I felt a force threatening to tear me apart from within. Because my Deathbane Aura was corporeal, I could serve as a vessel for ghostly possession—attack was only possible by striking unexpectedly.
With a swift motion, I drew both Deathbane Aura Blades. Not far away, Adam Dale pounded the ground, searching for Basil Bertram. In the distance, Lao Chongyuan battled Mona Ouyang in midair. I looked up, and at the gaping hole torn in the sky, Xu Fu smiled quietly, watching me.
"I've been waiting for you, Ethan Zhang. Where did you just disappear to?"
Xu Fu's languid voice drifted down. In an instant, he floated before me, black energy swirling at his feet. Step by step, Xu Fu approached, while the gaping hole in the sky—previously blasted open by Adam Dale's power—slowly began to close.
"Perhaps fate is a better word for it. This is our third confrontation, isn't it?"
I said nothing, only nodded. Calmly, I stared at Xu Fu. He raised both hands in a helpless gesture.
"So we just started fighting—do you ever wonder what we're really fighting for?"
I let out a cold laugh and replied.
"What do you think, Xu Fu? My lover and my friends—all killed by your Immortality Society."
"So that's it—hatred. Then tell me, Ethan Zhang, if you kill me as a human, will that solve everything?"
"At least it can sever the legacy of evil."
I raised my Deathbane Twin Blades. Suddenly, John Chou's voice echoed in my mind.
"Keep listening to this lunatic, brother. Leave the timing to me."
"What is good, and what is evil?"
Xu Fu pressed on, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I may not know your definitions of good and evil, but I know right from wrong. For your so-called immortality, you walked to the present day over countless corpses and rivers of blood. Have you never felt even a shred of regret?"
I stared blankly at Xu Fu. The smile on his face slowly faded.
"Regret?"
"Of course not, right..."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Xu Fu began to laugh, then shook his head.
"Regret—so much that it can't be counted or poured out. In the long lives of the thirteen of us, it towers higher than the corpses we've left behind. You really think I don't regret? Watching my father die and doing nothing, even turning the woman I loved into an experiment and seeing her die, powerless—these things happened when I was young. Again and again, they became nightmares that woke me from sleep."
I looked at Xu Fu in surprise. His eyes held a trace of sorrow, which gradually turned to grief.
"But did I have a choice? Did any of us? In that era, without a good birth, you were meat for the slaughter. Even with a good birth, war would eventually make you a casualty. Do you think our evil comes from wanting immortality?"
His words moved me for a moment, but I quickly shook my head.
"Go tell someone else. I'm not your confessor."
"Everything we've chased is for one word—life. In that era, you could die nameless and starve by the roadside, or leave your name in history. Why do you think there are strong and weak?"
I gazed quietly at Xu Fu, then answered.
"The strong learn to resist; the weak endure sorrow."
"You've grown, Ethan Zhang. As you said, that's the difference between the strong and the weak—either die in silence or erupt from it. Feels like we've switched places now, doesn't it?"
I let out a cold laugh and shook my head.
"Sorry, Xu Fu, I'm not you, and you're not me. You want to give me the illusion called Xu Fu, but that's not what I need. From the beginning, I've believed people are warm and kind. You, on the other hand, think people are cold and cruel. That's why we can't speak the same language, or walk the same path."
With a rush, I flew at Xu Fu, Deathbane Twin Blades whirling. His smile froze as he dodged nimbly, Deathbane Aura bursting forth. Black blades struck the ground, kicking up clouds of dark sand.
"A pity, Ethan Zhang. I thought you could understand us."
With a swift motion, I thrust my Deathbane Aura Blade at Xu Fu's neck. He caught my blade with both hands, staring motionlessly at me.
"That would require you understanding me first."
Xu Fu's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at me. My expression remained calm as I looked back at him.
"What do you understand about me, Xu Fu? The Ethan Zhang you know—what is he really like? Always meddling, always wanting to help others, stubborn to a fault, risking his life every time to get things done. To many people, I'm just a joke. So, what exactly do you understand about me?"
Xu Fu stared blankly at me. I watched him in silence.
This Ethan Zhang grieves for friends, family, and loved ones—something you can't comprehend. Maybe you'll never understand someone like me, and I, in turn, will never understand someone as evil as you.
Xu Fu was completely stunned by my words, but I wasn't boasting—I was simply speaking my truth. Toward him, I felt only pure disgust, even hatred. Nothing more.
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The Deathbane Twin Blades in my hands began to tremble. Xu Fu's face twisted into a wide smile, slowly warping into something sinister and cold.
"Goodbye, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, my eyes widened—Xu Fu had vanished from sight. I kept swallowing, watching as the Deathbane Aura Blade in my hand dissolved into particles, disappearing. I looked down at my chest—a gaping hole had been punched through it. I hadn't even felt the moment I was struck.
I felt nothing at all. Xu Fu stood behind me as I slowly collapsed, a hand reaching out to steady my body.
"Since it's come to this, I'll unleash my full strength and put an end to all of this."
I turned my head slightly to look at Xu Fu. His face was cold, utterly expressionless. He raised one hand and swung it toward my head.
Suddenly, blood-red particles appeared at the gaping hole in my chest. Xu Fu instantly noticed and floated backward, but with a flash of red light and a sharp crack, Belle pierced straight into Xu Fu's heart. My eyes widened as I slowly fell to the ground. John Chou gripped Belle with both hands, crouching low, driving the blade into Xu Fu's heart.
With a dull thud, I hit the sand. John Chou lowered his head, looked at me, and let out a soft laugh.
"Brother, those words just now were impressive. Rest up and recover."
I nodded slightly. Xu Fu stared quietly at John Chou, his face utterly calm.
"Xu Fu, aren't you going to say something about me? You just spoke so much—I bet you know me pretty well!"
"Can't figure you out!"
Xu Fu's expression turned completely dark, but he smiled. He gripped Belle with one hand. I watched, worried—even though I couldn't hear Xu Fu's heartbeat, he still seemed to have plenty of strength left. That stab likely wouldn't be enough.
Just as I started to get up, Xu Fu suddenly swung a fist at John Chou. With a sharp crack, John Chou pulled Belle free and immediately widened the distance between himself and Xu Fu.
I saw twisted spaces flying toward John Chou. He twisted his body, maneuvering Belle through the gaps between those warped dimensions, and slashed at Xu Fu.
With a crisp ring, a flash of deep blue light appeared—Xu Fu's Zhanlu sword blocked John Chou's attack.
"Didn't you always think your body was invincible? What's the matter—afraid now?"
Xu Fu said nothing. The two immediately clashed, each strike aimed to kill. The suffocating intent to murder mingled between them.
"You ruined my good mood, John Chou."
For now, the two separated. John Chou spun Belle in his hand, then sat back comfortably in midair, crossing his legs and pressing his palms together, staring blankly at Xu Fu.
"Same here, Xu Fu. Ever since you came back to life, you've ruined my mood too."
"In all our past fights, I've never lost, John Chou. You know that perfectly well."
John Chou didn't answer. He seemed deep in thought, intently watching Xu Fu.
"The grudge between us really comes down to a difference of position—or maybe it's just that two similar people can't both be number one. There can only be one at the top, so we fight to see who it is."
At this, John Chou laughed easily, then shook his head and replied.
"That's just your self-satisfaction, Xu Fu. I've never thought that way. You're just a stumbling block on my path. All I want is to kick you aside and keep moving forward."
Xu Fu burst out laughing, then lowered his voice and said:
"Too bad—I'm not a stumbling block. I'm a tiger blocking the road."