"Who trains people like this?"
I grumbled in protest, staring at Isabelle Frost. My head was ringing, black blood dripping steadily from my nose and mouth. My face was bruised and swollen as I looked up at Isabelle, floating overhead, gripping that green rod, her gaze cold and unyielding.
Ever since Yvonne Yang left, all through the night, no matter what attack I tried, Isabelle Frost would strike me down from above with her rod, sending me crashing to the ground. Now, my Ghost Aura is nearly depleted, and I can't even get up. I lay there, gasping for breath, staring at Isabelle.
I couldn't even touch her shadow, let alone land a hit. All I could do was take the beating.
"That's enough for today, Ethan Zhang. Go wash your face."
With that, Isabelle Frost turned to leave. I groaned, struggling to my feet. It was just about time for dinner—I didn't want to miss it. I hurried off, ate quickly, then went to the river to wash my face. Sitting down, I stared at the still water, thinking hard about how I might finally land a hit on Isabelle.
But thinking it over, she said I could try anytime, anywhere. I considered a sneak attack, maybe at night, but suddenly I just laughed at myself.
"Whatever it takes, I'll give it a try."
That's my mindset now. For nearly a year, I've been moving forward step by step like this. All the frustration is gone; every day feels full and intense. My only thought now is to land a hit on Isabelle Frost.
At night, Isabelle Frost was still in the Octagonal Tower, reading as usual. I watched her in secret, thinking hard. I decided to block her escape route first, then figure out how to hit her. Slowly, I released a thin thread of Specter Web, spreading it around the Octagonal Tower. Tonight, Isabelle used nothing but Specter Web, no other techniques or powers, yet I still took a beating.
The Specter Web was already creeping up the Octagonal Tower. I waited in silence as waves of cold air seeped out, freezing the ground in layers of black ice, spreading toward the tower.
Through the Specter Web, I began releasing gusts of black wind, planning to seal off the Octagonal Tower in an instant and then look for a chance to strike at Isabelle.
"How shameless, Ethan Zhang. Using tricks like this at night—I just want to finish my book."
Suddenly, Isabelle was standing right behind me, rod raised. With a thud, she struck the back of my head. My mind went blank, darkness closed in, and I collapsed to the ground, losing all sense of the world.
The next morning, I woke up outside my little den, face down, having spent the whole night there. I looked around—it was already past breakfast. Isabelle was still on the second floor, reading. With a whoosh, I floated up.
I raised my hand, ready to attack, but all I saw was a flash of green—and I went flying. When I came to, I was lying among the stone statues, my cheek throbbing and blood oozing out. I could only drag myself up and float back toward the tower.
I couldn't just attack blindly anymore, like a headless fly. I needed a strategy, some kind of countermeasure. First, I had to avoid her counterattacks—she'd sent me flying with that rod countless times already.
My Specter Web couldn't sense her movements at all, which was the deadliest part. How did she move like that? I'd felt something similar before—Duan Wentian moved by reflecting light, so fast I couldn't react. But Isabelle's speed was something else, unnaturally fast, impossible to grasp.
"What's wrong, Ethan Zhang? Sitting by the river—aren't you coming?"
Isabelle laughed behind me, her laughter echoing. I ignored her, lost in thought. Then she landed beside me, gazing at the flowing river, lost in her own world.
Was this my chance? I muttered to myself, just as I released my Deathbane Aura. Suddenly—smack!—I crashed into the river, sending up a huge splash. I quickly got up, gasping, spitting out water from my nose and mouth, and saw Isabelle standing there, gripping her rod, staring at me coldly.
Guess I was overthinking it. I kept muttering to myself. All day, even by dinner, I hadn't attacked Isabelle once.
Confused, at a loss—that's exactly how I felt. That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep for ages. Then Isabelle called out, asking me up for tea. I was delighted and hurried to the Octagonal Tower.
After a few sips of tea, I stared at Isabelle, watching her every move, searching for an opening.
"If you want to try, go ahead."
Isabelle said just that, then went back to reading her book.
I focused intently on Isabelle. Her attention seemed completely absorbed by her book. Out of habit, she raised her teacup. I quietly took it away, and she made the motion to drink, but immediately looked at the table.
"Now's my chance."
I shouted, raising Hell's Sentinel and slashing at Isabelle. With a thud, I felt a heavy blow to my chest, then flew out of the Octagonal Tower, crashing through several Desire Trees before ending up hanging upside down from a branch. My chest ached, but as Deathbane Aura seeped out, the pain eased a little.
When I made it back to the Octagonal Tower, Isabelle was sitting at the small balcony on the second floor, smiling at me.
"Trying to distract me? Not bad. Keep at it."
Over the next few days, I tried every trick I could think of to hit Isabelle Frost. But without exception, she sent me flying every time—there was no chance I'd ever land an attack.
Today marks 360 days—almost a year. Before dawn, I went to the dining area and dug a big pit, covering it with leaves and branches. When Isabelle came for breakfast and stepped into it, I'd unleash my strongest power and attack her.
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Thinking about it, I couldn't help but grin wickedly.
"Even you have to eat, right?"
I went back before dawn and lay down, waiting for morning. At the sound of a creak, I sprang up and rushed over.
"Good morning, Miss Isabelle. Let's have breakfast together." Isabelle said nothing, just nodded and walked slowly toward the dining area. I focused intently as she neared the pit I'd dug, grinning and clenching my fists. She had her back to me, looking relaxed and carefree.
Less than ten meters away now. I steadied myself, watching Isabelle, and began to release my Specter Web, little by little. Suddenly, I saw her step into the pit. I shouted, my Deathbane Aura surging, and charged straight at her.
"What the..."
I stared in surprise—Isabelle was gone.
"Trying to trick me, Ethan Zhang? You dug a pit—who do you think you're fooling? Down you go."
A sharp crack sounded behind me, and I tumbled headfirst into my own pit, landing hard, my mouth full of dirt. I looked up at the ten-meter-deep hole, dizzy, black blood streaming from my mouth, nose, and eyes.
"I spent all night digging this thing!"
I cried out. The impact dealt massive damage to my ghost soul—I could barely stand. As daylight came, I noticed the pit was gradually disappearing.
Soon the pit vanished, burying me in the earth with only my head exposed. I watched as Isabelle finished her meal and smiled, walking over. Even the stone dining table began to vanish.
"Come on, next time think of something smarter, Ethan Zhang."
Isabelle said, leaving with a laugh. Not until afternoon did I recover enough to crawl out of the dirt, starving, and eat my fill at the table.
Gradually, I realized that every time I attacked, I'd get struck instantly. I couldn't figure it out—how did it happen? The moment I attacked, some part of me always got hit by her rod.
Determined, I decided to test it again tonight. I'd wait until Isabelle was asleep and try a sneak attack. With that plan, I went straight to bed—I needed rest, I was exhausted.
"Hey, she's asleep now, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, a voice rang out—it was that girl, who hadn't appeared in ages. I jolted awake and looked around, but saw no one.
"Good luck, Ethan Zhang. Kick that woman out soon so we can have some fun."
I grunted in annoyance, then floated up and headed to the third floor—Isabelle's bedroom. I hesitated, feeling something was off. How could I do this? But then I brushed the thought aside.
With a quiet whoosh, I used my Specter Web to open the window and drifted inside. Isabelle's room was simple—just a table and a bed. She lay on her side, eyes closed, asleep. I crept closer, waving my hand in front of her face. Nothing happened.
A restless urge to hit her welled up inside me. Slowly, I raised my hand, Deathbane Aura seeping out. I steadied my breath, then suddenly shouted, swinging my Deathbane Sword down at the sleeping Isabelle.