"Ethan Zhang, Ethan Zhang, you..."
A sudden jolt made me open my eyes. Huang Mingfa stood before me, his face full of confusion, both hands gripping my shoulders. I shot him a glare and he immediately backed off. The guys on the street were much more obedient now.
They kept their distance, not daring to come near. The Deathbane Aura within me had begun to seep out. Though only a faint trace, my aura was far stronger than theirs—strong enough to kill them at any moment.
I watched them quietly. Many of their eyes showed fear—something I had never seen since coming here.
But John Chou's words still echoed in my mind. Once again, he had helped me. The third method—perhaps the one I'm most familiar with: relentless repetition, forging myself through countless trials.
Strands of black Specter Web began to emerge from my body. Suddenly, I understood why Deathbane Ghost had brought me here.
"I really am different from these people."
I murmured, a smile tugging at my lips. The Specter Web spread out like countless fine spider threads, sweeping across the street. In an instant, everyone panicked. Those who tried to run found themselves stuck, unable to move once the web clung to them.
"What are you doing, Ethan Zhang?"
Huang Mingfa stared at me in terror.
I closed my eyes, feeling bit by bit as a stream of images flooded into my mind—memories from these thought-forms, angry, sorrowful, each distinct memory pouring into my head.
"Instinct... coexistence..."
Strands of black and white energy began to swirl around my body, gradually spreading like scattered ribbons—part human, part ghost, just like the starkly divided forces within me.
But slowly, the interwoven Deathbane Aura turned gray. The street dwellers entangled by the Specter Web fell silent, collapsing one by one, their bodies sinking into the ground bit by bit.
The Deathbane Web connecting me grew thicker, as the Deathbane Aura from their bodies slowly flowed into mine.
I could feel a distinct change in my body—the quality of the Deathbane Aura was rising. Gradually, my consciousness began to fade; in a haze, I heard sobs and furious screams, but those sounds drifted farther and farther away.
All around me, particles of black and white light mingled. I was within these particles.
"Looks like you finally realized something, Ethan Zhang."
The Deathbane Ghost's voice came from far away, then closer and closer. I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself atop a gray lake. Only then did I notice the circular lake was emitting a gentle glow, particles of light rising bit by bit. All around, black waterfalls surged up from muddy streams; when black Deathbane Aura poured into the lake, it turned gray.
"You're the first one to notice this, Ethan Zhang."
I let out a quiet sound, staring at the Deathbane Ghost across from me. Now, he was gray.
"Maybe I was born gray."
"If Deathbane Aura only contained killing intent, it wouldn't truly be Deathbane Aura, Ethan Zhang."
"There's also vitality."
I muttered quietly. This thought struck me after defeating those thought-forms—the act of killing means stealing another's life, which produces Deathbane Aura. Its cause is killing intent, but those whose lives are taken were once living. To steal their lives is to take their vitality.
And the stolen vitality is hidden within the Deathbane Aura, like two forces standing in opposition yet miraculously fused together, with life residing at the core of death.
"Thank you, Rachel Lan."
A faint smile appeared on my face. I owed all of this to Rachel Lan—if I hadn’t felt the breath of life so closely in her instinct space, I never would have realized. Ordinary ghosts can’t perceive vitality, since they are dead. Vitality doesn’t exist in their bodies. But although I’m a ghost now, I was once human. My power of coexistence preserves both human and ghost abilities. Now, the ghost side dominates, and my human power is nearly gone, but it still exists within me.
"The simplest things are right in front of us, but most people never notice. Those thought-forms can manifest because the vitality in their Deathbane Aura leaks out, allowing them to take human form and linger. What you did just now was to steal their vitality, returning them to pure Deathbane Aura."
I nodded. The Deathbane Ghost’s body gradually turned black, and the lake beneath us darkened. The white particles rising into the air vanished. I could feel how dense the Deathbane Aura beneath my feet was; no matter what power I used here, nothing would go wrong.
"Let me see for myself, Ethan Zhang—what are you truly like?"
As the Deathbane Ghost spoke, he raised a hand. A black blade appeared, identical to my Belle. I smiled slightly, reaching behind my back as Deathbane Aura condensed. I drew my Deathbane Shotgun and aimed at him.
Belle slowly materialized in my left hand. After absorbing the vitality from those thought-forms, Belle began to repair itself. Now I understood: Rachel Lan’s ability to find me in the void wasn’t a coincidence. At the moment I was about to die, her instinct resonated with the vitality in my Deathbane Aura, so she found me and saved me.
"The last Ethan Zhang who came here never noticed. What a shame."
I let out a sound, then smiled and shook my head.
"Maybe he’ll never notice—the white in the shadows."
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With a whoosh, the Deathbane Ghost charged at me. With a click, I pulled the trigger on my Deathbane Shotgun twice, the recoil sending me sliding backward.
Thunderous explosions erupted—two black blasts, but the Deathbane Ghost dodged with ease. I blocked with Belle, a sharp clang ringing out. Half-crouched, teeth clenched, I felt the crushing pressure radiating from him.
"It’s just like people—so focused on what’s right in front of them, they ignore everything else. Even when it’s right behind, no one wants to turn around and look."