"Ah, I don't know either. Clearly, I'm terrified. I don't even know why I'm standing here right now."
I kept roaring in anger. The dark figure grabbed Felix Zhou's shoulder and slammed him hard into the ground. Felix Zhou screamed in pain.
Soulreaver Blade, restrain Ethan Zhang. I'll deal with him myself.
You survived after all, Felix Zhou. Congratulations.
I smiled, black blood dripping constantly. Felix Zhou stared blankly, then smiled back at me.
With two cracks, Felix Zhou's legs twisted completely around. The figure grabbed his hair and lifted him up.
"Rachel Lan..."
I shouted, watching Rachel Lan slowly raise Belle, aiming it at Felix Zhou's heart. Her gaze was cold and merciless. My body began to boil, Deathbane Aura slowly seeping out.
A long gash was torn open on his arm. Felix Zhou scrambled away, gaining distance from Rachel Lan.
I raised my hand, and with a swish, Belle returned to my grasp.
"Hmph, see? As expected, when you die, it's just like a bug—nothing more."
Wait, Ethan Zhang, we...
I said nothing. With a whoosh, I appeared before him, Belle in hand, brimming with Deathbane Aura. Murderous intent surged within me as I stabbed him through the heart.
I roared, and with a swish, the Soulreaver Blade shot out from my body.
"Rachel Lan, if you can hear me, hurry and stop them!"
I roared, watching the vacant-eyed Rachel Lan as Curse Ghost raised its hand. Suddenly, black-green roots sprouted all over Felix Zhou, and he stood up, dodging Curse Ghost's fatal blow.
"I don't want to die here. I absolutely can't die. I still have so much I want to say to Frank Niu."
Bleeding all over, Felix Zhou ran and kept running, while the thing pinning me down laughed maniacally.
"Watch your back."
Blades of black wind sliced past, severing both of Felix Zhou's legs. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Almost forgot—there's that terrifying woman too."
Felix Zhou stared at Rachel Lan in terror. She stood expressionless beside the puddle of black-green water.
"Kill that brat. If the user of the curse dies, the source of its power will vanish too."
"You survived after all, Felix Ford. Congratulations."
Felix Zhou screamed, dodged, and ran instead of fighting back. Rachel Lan chased him relentlessly. I silently thanked her, then closed my eyes—my ghost soul was healing, and soon I'd be able to fight again.
"Hey, hey, can't we just talk this out? You're Rachel Lan, right? Take a good look—the guy lying over there is your man, isn't he?"
Without a trace of emotion, Rachel Lan swung Belle, intent on killing Felix Zhou. He was at his limit; after using that move, something was wrong with his body. The black curse sigils covering him were fading bit by bit.
"Ah, it hurts so damn much."
A long gash was torn open on his arm. Felix Zhou scrambled away, gaining distance from Rachel Lan.
I raised my hand, and with a swish, Belle Sword returned to my grasp.
As I watched, my eyes widened. With a whoosh, a second Rachel Lan, this one with crimson eyes and short hair, split off from her body. Aside from the hair, she looked identical to Rachel Lan and quickly moved to the dark figure's side.
I panicked. A red glow flared as the Curse Ghost began helping the dark figure break the curse.
I said nothing. With a whoosh, I appeared before him, Belle Sword in hand, brimming with Deathbane Aura. Murderous intent surged within me as I stabbed him through the heart.
I shouted. Felix Zhou was already bleeding from several wounds inflicted by Rachel Lan, and she had him firmly in her grasp.
"Where did all that bravado go?"
It was pure terror. Felix Zhou trembled violently, staring in horror at the dark figure who had broken free from the curse.
"No, I..."
With a scream, Felix Zhou howled in agony as both his hands twisted unnaturally, bones cracking.
"Hahaha, this guy pissed himself. Ha!"
I stared wide-eyed at Felix Zhou's pants, liquid dripping down, tears and snot mixing on his face—pure terror etched into every feature.
Please, Coexistence, hurry—faster, faster.
I kept roaring in anger. The dark figure grabbed Felix Zhou's shoulder and slammed him hard into the ground. Felix Zhou screamed in pain.
"You're so noisy."
With a scream, a bright red tongue was already in the figure's hand. Felix Zhou howled in agony.
"Don't want to die? Heh, begging me won't help."
With two cracks, Felix Zhou's legs twisted completely around. The figure grabbed his hair and lifted him up.
"Rachel Lan..."
I shouted, watching Rachel Lan slowly raise Belle, aiming it at Felix Zhou's heart. Her gaze was cold and merciless. My body began to boil, Deathbane Aura slowly seeping out.
"Restrain Ethan Zhang first. Forget about this brat for now."
In an instant, Rachel Lan was in front of me. Belle pierced my heart, pinning my ghost soul. Instantly, the Deathbane Aura that was about to erupt vanished, suppressed by an overwhelming force that left me unable to move.
"Just keep him pinned down. Now, come out, Rachel Lan—you're useless now."
With a whoosh, the expressionless, icy Rachel Lan emerged from her body, gripping Belle. The thing pinning me down turned into a mud-like mannequin, which the dark figure immediately inhabited.
Gradually, it formed cheeks, a nose, and ears—a face I loathed, with a wicked grin, spiky hair, and a white crack across the cheek. He grinned menacingly.
"Finish him off, Curse Ghost."
"Rachel Lan, if you can hear me, hurry and stop them!"
I roared, watching the vacant-eyed Rachel Lan as Curse Ghost raised its hand. Suddenly, black-green roots sprouted all over Felix Zhou, and he stood up, dodging Curse Ghost's fatal blow.
"I don't want to die here. I absolutely can't die. I still have so much I want to say to Frank Niu."
Bleeding all over, Felix Zhou ran and kept running, while the thing pinning me down laughed maniacally.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Blades of black wind sliced past, severing both of Felix Zhou's legs. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Enough, Ethan Zhang—get up!"
I roared, struggling as Deathbane Aura began to seep from my body.
"Soul-Reaping Ghost Blade, restrain Ethan Zhang. I'll deal with him myself."
In an instant, the dark figure floated up and lunged at Felix Zhou. I shouted.
"Rachel Lan, if you can hear me, move—move, go..."
Suddenly, just as the dark figure was about to finish off Felix Zhou, Rachel Lan flew over and, with a bang, kicked the dark figure away.
"You dare defy me? You're asking for death."
I could sense that this mindless Rachel Lan, created by the dark ones, had something inside her—something connected to Rachel Lan herself.
Save her, Ethan. A gentle voice echoed in my mind.
"I'm begging you, old friend—if you can hear my voice."
"Who are you?"
A gloomy voice echoed in my mind.
"I am Ethan Zhang."
I roared, and with a swish, the Soul-Reaping Ghost Blade shot out from my body.
In an instant, I became a stream of black mist and rushed toward Rachel Lan.
With a ripping sound, a hand pierced my ghost soul. I spat blood, clutching Rachel Lan, whose eyes remained emotionless.
"Why did you save me?"
I smiled at Rachel Lan, leaning my head toward her neck.
"You heard my voice, so no matter what you are—Rachel Lan is still Rachel Lan."
"Ethan Zhang, you..."
I straightened up. Rachel Lan's form was collapsing; she was about to disappear. I took out the purple crystal pendant.
"Come into this. If you want to survive as Rachel Lan, enter."
With a whoosh, Rachel Lan turned into black mist and entered the purple crystal pendant, which then turned a deep purple-black.
"You survived after all, Felix Zhou. Congratulations."
I smiled, black blood dripping constantly. Felix Zhou stared blankly, then smiled back at me.
"How long are you going to keep your hand there?"
I roared, and with a scream, the figure behind me shrieked. The hand piercing my body turned to dust, and he quickly backed away.
"Impossible, you..."
"Did my ghost soul get pierced? Maybe. But my old friend was never truly mine to begin with."
I raised my hand, and with a swish, Belle returned to my grasp.
"Give me back my instincts. If you don't, I'll kill you and reclaim them myself."
"Wait, Ethan Zhang, we..."
I said nothing. With a whoosh, I appeared before him, Belle in hand, brimming with Deathbane Aura. Murderous intent surged within me as I stabbed him through the heart.