Two black stilettos were already gripped in Wraithshade's hands. He hovered in midair, his black cloak billowing, and his lower body dissolved into smoke and dust.
John Chou drifted in the air.
"Brother, and Earthly Soul, watch closely—what is a true boundary? I’ll make an exception and let you both see for yourselves."
With a whoosh, John Chou drifted eerily toward Wraithshade. Yet I couldn't sense even a trace of ghostly aura from him. It was just like that time with Xu Fu—he stood in a place of sky-blue water, and there was nothing, not even a hint of power, only an extreme sense of tranquility.
With two swift swishes, the stilettos in Wraithshade's hands stabbed toward John Chou at lightning speed. Yet in an instant, John Chou vanished like a phantom.
"He’s actually mastered the Shadow Technique."
Wraithshade exclaimed in surprise, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Heh, it’s not that difficult. Compared to ritual arrays, it’s much simpler. I’ll teach you both in a bit—once you learn it, you’ll be able to move freely through any corner of the Dark Banquet."
I nodded, watching in astonishment as John Chou reappeared more than ten meters to Wraithshade’s left. At that moment, Wraithshade, too, vanished like a flickering shadow, only to reappear with his stilettos stabbing forth.
"That was close."
John Chou flickered through the air, dodging several assassination attempts as Wraithshade attacked relentlessly.
"Hurry up and show me—what is Awakening, really? You’re using it, aren’t you? I can’t sense any ghostly aura from you, yet you’re floating in midair. For a ghost, being able to float without ghostly aura is absolutely impossible, isn’t it?"
"It’s only impossible in your understanding. There’s nothing truly impossible in this world—just the limits of your vision, the depth of your knowledge, and the extent of your insight."
"Such a silver tongue."
Wraithshade stabbed furiously, each attack perilous, yet John Chou dodged them all. I watched the battle anxiously—Wraithshade wasn’t using any ritual arts, just pure power to fight John Chou.
"Why aren’t you using ritual arts?"
With a boom, a streak of black light flashed past. John Chou dodged sideways and asked softly, but Wraithshade only sneered in response.
"Because the clash of raw power lets you probe more clearly for what lies beyond pure strength. Smart move—no wonder you’re an elite."
With sharp whooshes, every one of Wraithshade’s attacks was deadly accurate. I was curious how John Chou managed to dodge, but Earthly Soul beside me looked completely different—he seemed to have realized something, his eyes wide and focused on every detail of John Chou’s movements.
"Still not planning to use it—Awakening?"
Wraithshade asked, and John Chou shook his head.
"I’ve already used it. Do you think I’m dodging your attacks purely by experience? If that’s what you believe, then you’ll never comprehend Awakening!"
"Hmph, nothing but ghostly nonsense."
With two booming blasts, two intersecting streams of dark power erupted from the ground. In an instant, Wraithshade aimed his black stilettos at John Chou, sealing off all his escape routes.
With a bang, amid the explosions of dark power, I saw John Chou pierced through. Wraithshade burst forth from the darkness, raising his stilettos—yet the smile on his face vanished immediately.
"Do you understand now? Or is it still beyond you?"
John Chou stood unharmed about ten meters behind Wraithshade. I hadn’t sensed any movement at all—my Specter Web had spread out completely, but I still couldn’t detect even the slightest ghostly aura from him.
But how did John Chou move? If he had, the air—filled with thin traces of dark power—should have changed, since the addition of ghostly aura would alter its quality.
"Teleportation? Impossible."
John Chou shook his head. This time, Wraithshade waved both hands, conjuring streams of dark power that turned into black skulls in midair, their wails echoing. Several black skulls blocked John Chou’s escape from nine different directions, as Wraithshade charged at him.
At that moment, John Chou held Belle in his right hand, silently smiling, utterly unconcerned as the stilettos aimed for his eyes.
I was about to cry out, but saw Earthly Soul laughing—he plopped down on the ground, roaring with laughter.
"I may not fully understand, but deep down, it feels clear now. Everyone has their own Awakening—you’re trying to show us that, aren’t you, John Chou?"
Following Earthly Soul’s gaze, I stared in astonishment as the black skulls, gnawing at something, slowly faded away. Wraithshade crouched in midair, panting, sweat pouring from his brow.
"How did you do it?"
Wraithshade, usually calm, now roared in fury. John Chou shook his head helplessly.
"Long ago, I heard Yuna Ji talk about her past. It was her tragic fate that led me into that wretch’s trap. She’s a prodigy—if you don’t know her well, she hides countless blades behind her smile. Even if you spot a few, in the end, those blades still pierce your heart. Do you really know her?"
Wraithshade stood up, his gaze calming slightly.
"Of course I know her. It’s because I know her that her kingdom fell. So..."
"Is that really what you believe? Because of you?"
In an instant, the smile vanished from John Chou’s face, replaced by contempt and anger.
"Wasn’t she the one who orchestrated it all? Heh, is everything you know really as you see it? Have you forgotten—the three times Yuna Ji killed you, those bitter defeats? If you still think you’re above her, then tell me, Mr. Wraithshade, with all your careful planning, why did you die by her hand three times? Especially the third—though we’re both Ghost Sovereigns in the Ghost Path, your Ghost Mound was no small force. Yet in your duel, you died and lost. If not for the Dark Banquet, you’d be long dead."
I swallowed hard, my mind filled with Yuna Ji’s mischievous grin. Was she really so despicable? At first, most Ghost Sovereigns called her a wretch, but after getting to know her, I thought she was just clever—a bit smarter than Redmane, but nowhere near John Chou. Yet after hearing this, I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Let me see your attack, John Chou. After all you’ve said, only by killing me can you prove you’ve truly used Awakening."
A fleeting afterimage—everyone’s eyes widened as Belle, raised by John Chou, left a trail of shadows in its wake.
"It’s not just people or ghosts—everything in this world has its own Awakening, right, Lady Cecilia?"
"Impossible."
My eyes widened. John Chou now stood behind Wraithshade, blood dripping from Wraithshade’s chest, staining his black clothes. His chest was pierced, and John Chou stood silently behind him, coldly watching.
"Why, John Chou? You nearly died before—if you could use this move..."
John Chou immediately shook his head, raising Belle overhead, admiring it.
"Truly Eugene Smithson’s greatest masterpiece. My teacher’s feud with that woman, my birth and my foolish sister’s—all of it is bound up in Belle. That’s why I’m using Belle’s Awakening. After all, my Bloodbane Aura is still in the Sanzu."
"You’re lying."
Wraithshade turned around, the wound in his chest slowly healing. A chorus of wails rose as ghosts emerged from his back, dissolving into ash and vanishing.
"You wiped out a hundred of my ghosts in one blow, John Chou."
Everything before me defied imagination and understanding. Belle was formidable, but in John Chou’s hands, a blade with no real power became something else entirely.
"Have you forgotten, brother? Mirage Hall—this is Belle’s Awakening. You’ve seen it before, but sadly, you can’t grasp it now. Still, when your stubbornness finally breaks through, your own Awakening will come. I look forward to that day—when the light and power hidden within your Awakening will outshine everything!"
"You scum."
Suddenly my eyes widened—a hand pressed down on my head. It was Wraithshade, furious, his eyes burning with murderous intent. There was no time to react.
With a swish, a flash of pink light flared around me and Wraithshade. Dozens of graceful belles appeared, instantly winding around him, hugging and entwining him. His eyes went wide.
With a swish, Belle instantly severed Wraithshade’s hand. The belles overlapped, merging into afterimages that stacked atop each other, right on Wraithshade’s body. He screamed, clutching his head with one hand.
"Mirage Hall—Drunken in the Mortal World, that’s the name, isn’t it, Lady Cecilia?"
Like a leaf in autumn wind, Wraithshade drifted slowly to the ground, blood spraying from countless wounds as if his body had split open all at once. He looked at John Chou in bitter defeat.
"Do you understand now? What Awakening truly is, Mr. Wraithshade?"
With a wave of John Chou’s hand, Belle flew toward me. I caught it and examined it closely—it seemed no different than before. I couldn’t sense anything at all.
Wraithshade crawled up, clutching his throat and vomiting. I saw ghosts flowing from his mouth like water, dissolving into ash.
"How many souls have you absorbed? That last strike must have been over a thousand."
After a while, Wraithshade crouched on the ground, raising his head.
"Once more, John Chou. I want to see again—what Awakening truly is."
With a furious roar, John Chou descended slowly to the ground, sighing helplessly.
"If you keep this up, all the souls you’ve painstakingly collected will be wiped out."
"Show me—Awakening."
John Chou drifted to Earthly Soul’s side, reaching out his hand.
"As you wish. This time, I’ll show you—this Awakening, which still has no name. Is that all right, Earthly Soul?"
With a crackle, Earthly Soul handed Endbringer to John Chou. Gripping Endbringer, he turned to face Wraithshade.
"This time, it might mean death."