With a furious roar, I forced away the Resentful Ghost and the Wailing Ghost that were restraining me. The moment I broke free, I focused my mind, trying to regain consciousness and deal with John He.
But just then, the Vermilion Bird suddenly appeared before me, as I raised my fist.
"Get out of my way."
In that instant, I felt myself being bound—it was the Vermilion Bird. My raised fist swung toward it, but suddenly, my head buzzed and my punch stopped midair.
"Ah..."
Choking on my sobs, I cried out. Standing before me was Rachel Lan, her expression sorrowful as she looked at me. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, falling continuously.
My mouth hung open as I choked back sobs. The hand I had raised in the air slowly lowered. The anger and killing intent inside me faded bit by bit, and then I collapsed to the ground, crying out loud.
"Why did it turn out like this, why..."
Two slaps landed across my face. In front of me was myself, engulfed in flames—the Vermilion Bird. It slapped me twice, then grabbed me and glared fiercely.
"Remember this, Ethan Zhang. You are human, not some damn beast. And you—what do you think you’re doing?"
At that moment, I noticed the Vermilion Bird’s right hand gripping my collar had turned black, burning with dark flames. He glared angrily to the side. I turned my head in surprise—it was my Shadow. A pair of golden eyes spun and swirled, and at the corner of its mouth hung a strange, unsettling smile.
Suddenly, the Vermilion Bird transformed into a mass of fire and lunged at my Shadow, his fist striking straight at the Shadow’s face.
With a loud bang, my Shadow extended its palm and caught the Vermilion Bird’s punch.
“Is something wrong? I am a ghost. Since I am a ghost, this is how it should be. When facing an enemy, I will crush them without mercy. That’s part of Ethan Zhang’s will. As his ghostly spirit, you have no right to interfere.”
As my Shadow spoke, it suddenly shoved the Vermilion Bird several steps back. With a thunderous roar, the Vermilion Bird, burning with flames, began to grow larger, reverting to its original form—but within those flames, streaks of black flickered.
Once the Vermilion Bird fully appeared, I realized his right wing was black.
“You are nothing but yourself—a false thing. But we are truly ourselves, aren’t we?”
As my Shadow spoke, I saw the Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost standing beside it. The three wore identical expressions—sinister and cruel.
“Don’t go too far.”
As the Vermilion Bird spoke, he took to the air, wings beating as flames surged violently across his body. In an instant, he swept his wings, unleashing a fierce blaze toward the three figures.