I stared at Justin Huang's severed right hand—the back of his hand was pressed flat against his wrist, and when he let it drop, it just hung there. The bone was completely broken, with only a thin layer of skin holding it together. Just looking at it made me wince in pain, yet Justin's face remained remarkably calm. Aside from the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, I couldn't see any trace of agony in his expression.
"Are you alright, Justin?"
I asked worriedly, but Justin just shook his head and glared fiercely at Old One-Eye ahead.
"Hmph, Hugh Thompson, sometimes being too clever isn't a good thing. I advise you not to resist any further—it's useless. Leave Ethan Zhang behind, and I'll let the two of you go."
"You all went to such great lengths, so you must have a purpose. After all, you have over a hundred people here. How many of the Elite Ghost Operatives have come?"
"Heh, only seven of us came this time, including myself among the Elite Ghost Operatives."
I looked suspiciously at Hugh Thompson. The pistol in his hand hadn't left Leah King's head for a moment, but he still seemed completely at ease. Had he already devised a plan to resolve this crisis?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Hugh Thompson glanced at me.
"Ethan, I don't have a solution."
I gasped, as Old One-Eye began to approach, step by step.
"Your bullets are fast, but have you ever encountered a ghost faster than a bullet?" As soon as Old One-Eye finished speaking, we all felt a chill run down our spines. In an instant, the three of us stared in disbelief—Leah King, who had been held hostage by Hugh Thompson, had vanished from his grasp.
"Duskmourn, well done." With Old One-Eye's words, we saw a short figure with rodent-like eyes, a member of the Ghost Syndicate, looking smug. Leah King was already in his hands.
"I gave you a chance before, but since you don't value your own lives, heh, you'll become my meal instead. Come forth, Soul-Eater Wraiths..."
With a bang, the long jar on Old One-Eye's back popped open. Instantly, a jet of black mist erupted like a geyser, pouring out endlessly from the jar.
Through the haze, I saw those black vapors slowly transforming into wispy, half-bodied ghosts with no lower halves—their bottoms looked like tattered curtains, and their faces twisted in snarls.
Each black ghost opened its mouth wide and floated toward us. In the blink of an eye, the three of us were surrounded.
I hurriedly ignited a flame in my hand. The ghosts circled around us like vultures, never stopping.
"You'd better be careful. My Soul-Eater Wraiths aren't ordinary ghosts. If they devour you, they'll swallow your soul along with your flesh. Heh."
One of the circling ghosts couldn't hold back any longer. With a whoosh, it turned into a cloud of black mist, rushing at us with incredible speed. Justin Huang swung his left fist at it, but his punch went right through the mist. Instantly, the vapor wrapped around Justin's body, and a dark head appeared at his neck.
I quickly leapt up, fire blazing in my hand, and punched at it. But in that instant, Justin cried out loudly.
"Ethan, don't come any closer." I froze, blood spraying through the air as a chunk of flesh was ripped from Justin Huang's neck, black blood splattering everywhere.
"Polarity, earth is yin, three feet square—Flame Spirit Bind..."
Hugh Thompson suddenly began chanting, then crossed his hands in a gesture, extending two fingers from each hand, half-squatting as he traced a pattern on the ground.
With two booming sounds, two flaming streams shot toward Justin Huang, wrapping around the ghost. A piercing, shrill scream erupted as the black mist entwined with Justin quickly flew upward.
I suddenly noticed that Hugh Thompson was holding a small stick, over twenty centimeters long, with five colors: black, brown, blue, crimson, and yellow.
"Ethan, take this."
With a swift motion, Hugh Thompson pulled aside his clothes, revealing stacks of talismans inscribed with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. He handed me a stack of Fire Elemental Seals, and gave another to Justin Huang.
"These ghosts have a Metal element—use fire against them."
"Let me do it," I said, igniting a flame in my hand. But Hugh Thompson suddenly scattered a large number of yellow talismans behind me.
A burst of fire lit up the area. The ghosts that tried to approach screamed miserably and flew back into the air, circling around us.
"Oh, that's interesting. Hugh Thompson, is that stick in your hand for measuring the five elements?"
Hugh Thompson ignored Old One-Eye's question. The three of us stood back to back, clutching Spirit Charms, watching the sky as countless ghosts circled overhead.
"Ethan, your yang fire isn't actual flame, so it can't hurt them."
Suddenly, several more ghosts tried their luck, turning into black mist and rushing at us. Justin Huang, though in pain, quickly scattered several Spirit Charms. With bursts of fire, the ghosts retreated.
"Heh, Hugh Thompson, you're smart, but haven't you heard of the principle that extremes lead to reversal in the five elements? Alright, children, don't be afraid—he can't hurt you."
In an instant, Hugh Thompson pulled open his clothes and took out a thick stack of talismans marked with Water. He scattered them toward the ghosts attacking us. Justin Huang and I hurriedly tossed our fire talismans, but the ghosts easily devoured them and the flames died out.
But the water talismans Hugh Thompson threw hissed and released clouds of vapor when they touched the ghosts. Justin and I watched in surprise as the ghosts retreated again.
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Hugh Thompson took off his glasses and smiled. In that instant, I saw Old One-Eye's face turn green with rage.
"I already figured it out—your ghosts can switch between the five elements. When your ghost bit Justin Huang, I realized it had an earth attribute, then switched to metal to bite through his neck. Impressive, but as I said before, being smart can save your life."
Justin Huang and I smiled with relief.
"Old One-Eye, stop wasting time with them. Kill them, you—" Starbane couldn't hold back, but was immediately silenced by Old One-Eye floating in midair.
In midair, Old One-Eye raised a hand, and the ghost swarm circling above our heads began spinning wildly, faster and faster.
Hugh Thompson immediately handed all the Elemental Seals to Justin Huang.
"Listen carefully—don't mess it up and waste the seals."
Justin Huang and I stared at the sky. In an instant, ghosts rushed at us one after another, turning into clouds of black mist.
"Fire first, then wood."
Following Hugh Thompson's instructions, Justin Huang and I threw the seals one after the other. The ghosts whimpered and retreated.
"You brats, I'll give you a quick death."
"Enough, One-Eye. Your bad temper hasn't changed after all these years. Look at you—still playing games at a time like this?"
A muffled voice rang out, and instantly, everyone from the Ghost Syndicate dropped to their knees. Amidst swirling red turbulence in the air, a man's voice came from the platform. Then, from within the red mist, we saw a young man, looking no older than his early twenties, emerge.
The man before us wore a loose, ornate red robe over a pale blue bodysuit, his muscles clearly defined.
As soon as he appeared, even Old One-Eye, who had been floating in the air, landed and bowed respectfully.
None of the Ghost Syndicate spoke. After the man appeared, he smiled at us, and my head buzzed. A wave of excruciating pain swept through my body, and I felt a surge of heat before collapsing, motionless.
Hugh Thompson and Justin Huang also fell to the ground, blood streaming from their bodies. The man in the red robe smiled coldly at us, glanced at us, then left.
"Hurry up—we can't wait any longer. If the other Ghost Sovereigns notice, things will get complicated."
Before losing consciousness, I heard the man say just that.
In a daze, I realized I was back in my apartment building. Cold moonlight shone down—was I dreaming? I looked around in surprise, then called out to the spirits in the courtyard.
No one responded. The apartment building was empty as ever; the scenery was unchanged, but there wasn't a single person around.
"Brother, what is it? Trouble again?" It was John Chou. I looked around but couldn't see him—his voice seemed to come from all directions.
"John Chou, where are you? Did you get out yet?"
"Heh, not yet, brother. Things are a bit tricky on my end. Looks like you're in trouble too. I can only contact you like this for now. You ended up working for Basil Bertram, huh? Heh."
"What exactly is going on?"
John Chou burst out laughing.
"Basil Bertram really is the most prideful among the seven of us. Heh, you'll understand once you wake up. Remember, brother, don't forget your beliefs. If your faith collapses, you could... die."