"Ethan Zhang, do you realize how many times my brother and I have spared you, yet you still don't know what's good for you?"
Mr. White's tone was noticeably angry.
"Bi'an, calm down. At this point, we can only wait until tomorrow night to bring the prisoner back."
"Tch..." Mr. White stabbed the Mourning Staff into the ground with a clang. The Mourning Staff I'd just split open somehow reverted to its original state.
My consciousness began to blur. After another bout of coughing, I forced myself to sit up.
Mr. Black's demeanor was no longer as gentle as before; anger now colored his face.
"Why... even... Vivian Ouyang... must be taken away..." I asked, my voice faltering.
"Because that little girl was already dead from the moment she was born. She... shouldn't exist in the world of the living."
Mr. Black spoke sharply. I stared in wide-eyed shock.
"Ethan Zhang, let me be clear: both of them are to be brought back to the Underworld by order of the King of Hell. It's over. Stop struggling."
Mr. Black spoke, his voice cold as ice.
I leaned my head against the stone behind me, staring at the gloomy sky, my heart filled with desolation.
"Ethan Zhang, in all these years, you're only the second person who's ever managed to injure us despite such a gap in strength."
Mr. White spoke, then with a whoosh, floated upward.
"The fate of those born into the Hades Circle is sealed from the start. Life after life, even through reincarnation, they're destined to serve as underworld envoys. As for you—a mere criminal—what can you hope to change?"
"Why?"
I looked at Mr. White.
"Bi'an, I'll trouble you to make a trip and bring the two of them back."
"Stop." I struggled to get up, trying several times, but my whole body was weak and powerless.
I placed my hand on the ground, but this time, I couldn't feel anything. Earlier, I'd been able to hurt the two of them and split open this ghost domain thanks to absorbing a lot of earth energy, but now, that cool sensation was gone.
"Stop wasting your strength. We've existed for more than ten times your years—we know exactly what you're trying to do!"
Mr. White said, and it seemed both of them had realized my intent.
"Ah..." I shouted, my hands trembling as I propped myself up and struggled to my feet.
I couldn't let them take Rachel Lan and Vivian Ouyang away. That was the only reason I hadn't lost consciousness yet—the only thing keeping me going.
"I... dwell among the living, yet slip into the ghostly path..."
I bit through my lip, staggering, my trembling hands smearing fresh blood onto each of my ten fingertips.
"What more do you want, Ethan Zhang? If you keep interfering, next time it won't just be injuries." John Chou threatened.
Mr. Black was furious and strode toward me, step by step.
I forced a smile, not even having the strength left to speak.
"Humans... are fragile. Humans... are powerless. Faced with you ghosts, are we only meant to submit, beg, and cry?"
A wave of sorrow surged in my heart.
"That's only natural. Of the Six Paths, only the human realm requires hardship to enter. Yet humans remain unaware, so they must be governed by the other five realms. This is the cycle of fate—the law of heaven."
I laughed.
"What's wrong, brother? Is this all you've got?" John Chou's voice echoed again.
Suddenly, I lifted my head and glared at Mr. Black and Mr. White.
"It won't end like this. I'm going to finish you here."
After speaking, I half-knelt on the ground, my left hand pressed to the earth, my right hand clutching my left shoulder.
"I dwell among the living, slip into the ghostly path; with the body of the bamboo tomb, crossing countless hardships; with the heart of the silkworm turtle, enduring endless suffering; with my blood, let our spirits intertwine..."
As I recited, I felt it—John Chou's oath he'd taught me before. With a boom, the baleful energy beneath me erupted, forming a circle and pushing aside the surrounding rubble.
I stretched out my right hand, bit through my index finger, and held it straight. A drop of crimson blood fell into the swirling baleful energy.