The noise was harsh, unlike anything I'd heard before—not quite human, nor ghostly. It sounded like some wild beast howling, yet there was an undertone of excitement. My vision blurred, but I could sense those creatures gathering around me.
"Blackfang, are you feeling any better?"
Kane sat quietly beside me. He looked pale—his wounds had healed, but his aura was weak. I struggled to sit up, and the sound from outside, like a funeral wail mixed with excited cheers, drifted in.
"The Wraith Enforcers are celebrating, Blackfang. That big creature you took down is being moved in piece by piece. They're thrilled—the meat will last them more than a month."
"Is that so."
After I got up, Ghost Painting Book Immortal came over, placing one hand on my head.
"Strange... Your body was a wreck, but now it's miraculously recovered. Truly odd. Could it be related to Ethereal Isle?"
I shook my head and smiled.
Outside, Wraith Enforcers kept soaring into the sky, heading out, while those returning carried chunks of meat. Every one of them cheered, their smiles genuine and heartfelt.
I never expected such a group to show such genuine smiles.
"What's wrong? Whether you're human, ghost, or something else—if you're happy, you'll smile."
Isabelle Frost muttered beside me. At that moment, Nightshade Yu flew toward us from the distant sky.
"Impressive, Blackfang. How did you manage to take down that thing? It's unbelievable. I hope you'll teach us soon."
I made a noncommittal sound.
"I'm a bit injured. It'll take a while. Nightshade Yu, do you know how to reach the upper islands?"
Just as I spoke, Nightshade Yu's smile faded, but she quickly smiled again.
"No idea. Flying up is impossible. In the tall forest up there, plenty of flying beasts wait. Getting up is basically out of the question. You should teach us soon—how do we use the weapons you've conjured?"
"Once I've healed."
Nightshade Yu left, heading for the sky. The sun above glowed with an eerie green light—it was already night, yet the Wraith Enforcers were still busy hauling food.
"Look."
Felix Zhou kept a watchful eye on the area where food was being distributed. The portions weren’t equal—those with strength claimed the larger chunks, while the weaker ones had to settle for scraps.
“Looks like their hierarchy is strict. These Wraith Enforcers—no matter how hard they try, they’ll never be able to conjure firearms like we do.”
Black Moon chuckled to himself. He didn’t need to state the obvious—we all knew it. Thanks to my instincts, I could use Deathbane Aura to forge firearms. No matter how clever the Wraith Enforcers were, they simply couldn’t do the same.
“Still no good. The ghost energy is being suppressed.”
Ray Lin spoke as the green glow faded from his hand. The air here didn’t affect our inner souls, but the moment we unleashed ghost energy, it was swallowed by the dense supernatural aura in the atmosphere. No matter what we tried, it was futile.
Felix Zhou couldn’t use curse power either, since its foundation was ghost energy. Only I could wield Deathbane Aura. I’d considered using it to form wings so I could fly, but the real problem was that they couldn’t use their powers at all.
“If I don’t recover soon, I’ll be the first one those monsters eat.”
Felix Zhou shot Deathcurse an unhappy look.
“Don’t worry. We’ll think of something. Besides, isn’t their food supposed to last over a month?”
Huang immediately shook his head.
“Not necessarily. That’s just how Wraith Enforcers are. Once they know you’re useless, they won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“Hey, aren’t your clanmates a bit too ruthless? Worse than actual demons.”
Walter Cao couldn’t help but interject. Huang lowered his head.
“The key is stalling them. At least until our powers return.”
Black Moon spoke, and the others nodded. His powers were even more restricted here than ours—a bad sign.
Sure enough, the next day, when the sky glowed purple, Yu arrived with a group of Wraith Enforcers—over a dozen men and women. As soon as we stepped out, we were surrounded. They were all armed, wielding long spears or Nightshade Tridents.
“Alright, Blackfang, hurry up and teach us.”
I grunted, raising my hand as Deathbane Aura began to condense. A black Deathbane Revolver materialized in my grip.
“I don’t know all the details, but this ability feels innate. How much you learn depends on you.”
I told a few Wraith Enforcers to step aside. Raising the Deathbane Revolver, I aimed at a wooden spike and fired. Six pitch-black Deathbane Rounds slammed into the wood, leaving deep dents.