With a sudden rush, John Chou stepped in front of me, staring at me.
"Brother, you have no obligation to save them, do you?"
I could imagine it—this area was likely already surrounded by hordes of Dream Wraiths. Those fleeing Settlers must have suffered heavy casualties by now.
"One more person means one more sliver of hope."
I didn’t say more. Spreading my black wings, I flew westward. The sky was growing darker. Those fleeing Settlers had likely already encountered Dream Wraith attacks. As I passed the west gate, I told the guards to open it, then darted quickly to the west.
My worries were confirmed. Below, many Settlers were already running toward the city gate, with Dream Wraiths chasing close behind. I dove down, wielding Deathbane Aura to take out more than a dozen Dream Wraiths.
These Settlers couldn’t even manage the most basic escape, let alone resist. I’d heard before that Settlers were supposed to be tougher than Dreamborn, but now I was stunned—and furious.
One Settler after another was devoured by Dream Wraiths right before my eyes. In the distance, even more Dream Wraiths chased after them—a vast, gray mass. I roared and charged toward them.
Among them, I saw some Settlers fighting as they retreated—they were the original city guards. They could handle small numbers, but when the Dream Wraiths multiplied, it was hopeless.
There was no end to the slaughter. I leaped into a swarm of Dream Wraiths, unleashing Deathbane Aura to make them vanish one by one. All I could think about was how many people could escape. More kept pouring out of the woods.
"What now?"
After using Deathbane Aura to wipe out a large group of Dream Wraiths, I still heard screams and wails behind me. Alone, I couldn’t possibly hold back so many Dream Wraiths. Some of them simply bypassed me and rushed toward the people behind—once they caught up, ten or more would pounce at once. More and more of the dead were turning into Dream Wraiths.
I screamed myself hoarse, furious, as Deathbane Aura surged from the ground and condensed into arrows in the air, shooting at the Dream Wraiths. Yet, even with all my strength, their numbers didn’t decrease at all.
With a boom, I wrapped myself in Deathbane Aura and crashed into a pile of Dream Wraiths, then shot upward. The gray Dream Wraiths had already surrounded the fleeing Settlers—no one could escape anymore.
I roared again and charged at the Dream Wraiths below. Just then, a crisp, bell-like laugh rang out from ahead. Before I could react, a dagger appeared right in front of me.
With a swift motion, I narrowly dodged and stopped in midair. Before me appeared a crimson Dream Wraith—a woman, it seemed—holding a silver dagger and laughing brightly in the air.
"You’re Ethan Zhang, aren’t you? I’m Scarlet Sixteen. What’s the matter? So fond of protecting these ants?"
Without a word, I raised my hand—black Deathbane Aura shot toward Scarlet Sixteen from all directions.
But Scarlet Sixteen’s crimson form lunged at me instead. I instinctively raised my right hand and stabbed at her with a black sword. She spun nimbly in midair, dodged my blade, then reversed her grip on the dagger and thrust it at my neck.
Alarmed, I beat my wings, trying to evade. But Scarlet Sixteen vanished from my sight—I realized she was waiting above, dagger poised to deliver a fatal blow if I retreated.
I shouted, sending Deathbane Aura stabbing in all directions. When the aura faded, Scarlet Sixteen played with her dagger, and with a snap, it shattered in her hand.
"Not fun, Ethan Zhang. Everything in this world is so fragile. But you—you're able to use your own power. Heh, if you met me in the human realm, you'd be finished in no time."
Things below were getting worse. I had no time for her—I just wanted to save more people. Raising my hand, I sent a rain of black arrows at Scarlet Sixteen, then turned away, my mind flashing with a hint of danger. I quickly raised my black sword, ready to strike.
Suddenly, Scarlet Sixteen wrapped her legs around my neck, spreading them to block my arms, and gripped my head tightly with both hands.
"Ethan Zhang, take a good look—this is the fate of the weak. That wailing, for us Hundred Ghosts, is the best sound to hear before leaving this world. Heh, we’re ghosts—we have no mercy for anyone. You too, Ethan Zhang. Hesitation isn’t befitting a man."
I roared and struggled, but on the ground, Settlers were being devoured by Dream Wraiths. I stared wide-eyed at the hopeless scene, rage building inside me.
"Go back and tell Nathan Ouyang—if he doesn’t hand over the goods, we’ll make him suffer a fate worse than death!"
Scarlet Sixteen released me, and I dove toward the ground, but it was impossible to save the Settlers now—they were completely surrounded by Dream Wraiths.
Landing, I took out more than a dozen Dream Wraiths, but in the briefest distraction, over ten Settlers were devoured and turned into new Dream Wraiths.
Consciousness, emotion—these things were fading away. Mechanically, I slaughtered Dream Wraiths, but it was never enough. I swung Deathbane Aura like blades and spears, turning Dream Wraiths to dust. Nothing could be undone, nothing could be saved.
I didn’t know what I was doing—these actions felt utterly meaningless.
[Irrelevant passage about reading the next chapter—skip translation.]
"Qingyuan, find a way to hold back the Dream Wraiths behind us!"
A woman’s voice called out. I looked up—Susie and the others were coming from the west gate, each armed with a bow. They quickly created a gap near the gate, and hope flickered in me again. With a rush, I spread my wings and soared into the sky.
"Brother, if it’s something you want to do, don’t give up."
It was John Chou. Stunned, I watched as he joined the fight. I let out a roar as Deathbane Aura surged from me, quickly forming black arrows that rained down on the gray Dream Wraiths, turning them to dust in droves.
I took the left flank, while John Chou, accompanied by a flash of red light, darted to the right. I saw him draw his ghostly weapon and, with a few swings, split a horde of Dream Wraiths in two. Tiny red particles flickered among the Dream Wraiths.
The Dream Wraiths touched by those particles howled and crumbled to dust in agony. In the blink of an eye, swarms of Dream Wraiths died under that red haze, and the particles seemed almost alive—when one Dream Wraith fell, they immediately sought another target.
I didn’t know what those particles were, but through the ghost network, I sensed a bottomless killing intent—as if the particles were John Chou himself. I couldn’t understand it.
The fleeing Dream Wraiths started to run for the woods, while John Chou, almost playfully, chased after them with his ghost weapon. Red particles followed, and Dream Wraiths kept dying in droves.
"Boss Chou, that’s going too far."
A voice rang out, and then I saw several bursts of crimson light—leading them was Wraith Zero. As soon as he appeared, he opened his mouth wide and instantly swallowed all those red particles. John Chou stopped, and I hurried over.
The Dream Wraiths had begun to retreat, and the Settlers seemed safe now. I panted, my hands trembling, barely able to lift them.
"Boss Chou, we know why you’re here. So, how about letting us..."
"Talk is pointless, heh—I’m not a child. Don’t play games with me. Come back in fourteen days. If you can break through the city by then, we’ll negotiate. Let’s see what you traitors are capable of."
As John Chou spoke, I saw more than a dozen crimson Dream Wraiths, their faces twisted in displeasure, glaring at him viciously.
Then John Chou grabbed my hand.
"Let’s go, brother." He shot me a look, and together we flew toward the west gate.
Only a little over a thousand people made it back—more than four thousand had gone out, but so few returned. After the last Settler entered, the west gate closed. The sounds of crying continued, and I stared blankly at them.
"Brother, remember this—burn this scene into your mind. In your modern world, you’ll never see such misery."
John Chou said nothing more and left. I sat quietly on the west city wall, watching as the crowd’s loud sobbing slowly turned to quiet weeping.
I’d never seen anything like this before. But now, all I could think about were the Dream Wraiths devouring them.
Gradually, I saw many people fall asleep. I couldn’t sleep—this was real. Like livestock, these people had been penned for years, only to be slaughtered by Dream Wraiths as if they were beasts.
They had no way to resist. My mind echoed John Chou’s words—just as people step on ants without caring if they live or die, whether they feel pain.