A gust of wind swept by. The Blue-Faced Man slowly collapsed to the ground, then let out a scream of agony. With his right hand—now missing its fist—he pointed at Mr. Blackmask, while his left clutched the empty space at his chest. With a sharp crack, the Blue-Faced Man’s mask shattered.
"Why? Why are you so strong? Clearly... clearly you’ve abandoned the will for immortality, so why..."
"Do you know? The place I went to is called the Forest of Desire. Everything I experienced there changed me, made me grow. In that place, I had to confront the desires of being human, the thing called self. With the help of friends, I challenged everything that made me who I am, again and again. In the end, I broke through my limits. I am not like you."
The Blue-Faced Man’s face, now fused with blood and flesh, twisted as he burst into crazed laughter.
"I’ve already obtained immortality. I’ve already become one of the supremely honored. And yet..."
Suddenly, Mr. Blackmask crouched to the ground and roared in fury.
"So what if you’ve obtained immortality? What does it matter? Everything gained atop the corpses of family, friends, lovers—built on the resentment of slain enemies—what use is it? In the Forest of Desire, I reclaimed my humanity, everything that makes me human. My name is Ma Yongjie..."
As Mr. Blackmask spoke, he stood up, and the gluttonous beast burst into wild laughter.
"So, you’re finally willing to reveal your true name?"
"Ah..." Mr. Blackmask stood, staring at the heart in his hand. The black tendrils had already withdrawn into the heart, but it continued to beat relentlessly.
At that moment, a black ghost emerged from within the Blue-Faced Man’s body, rising up into the air.
"Eat him."
As soon as Mr. Blackmask finished speaking, a black ghost also appeared from his own body. Suddenly, it lunged at the black ghost from the Blue-Faced Man, tearing it to shreds and devouring it.
The Blue-Faced Man lay on the ground, barely clinging to life. His right hand, now missing its palm, was still raised, his breath ragged as he stared at the Black Heart.
"Do you want it that badly? Do you know how many people died for this thing?"
As Mr. Blackmask spoke, he suddenly thrust his right hand into his own chest. With a harsh rip, he pulled out his own heart—a Black Heart. I stared in shock as Mr. Blackmask quickly took the heart he’d extracted from the Blue-Faced Man—larger than his own—and placed it into his chest.
Then I saw black tendrils sprouting from the Black Heart, rapidly burrowing into Mr. Blackmask’s body. Bit by bit, as if stitching a wound, they began to mend the gaping hole in his chest.
With a sharp crack, the original heart in Mr. Blackmask’s hand exploded, transforming into a splash of blood.
"Heh, didn’t you also want a powerful heart? Heh."
The Blue-Faced Man let out a long breath. At that moment, the ghost that had emerged from Mr. Blackmask’s body returned to him. Mr. Blackmask said nothing, watching the Blue-Faced Man, fist raised, as he walked up to him.
"Giving me the final blow, are you?"
"Ah..."
With a sickening crunch, Mr. Blackmask smashed his fist into the Blue-Faced Man’s forehead without hesitation. I turned away as the Blue-Faced Man’s head burst open like a watermelon, splattering everywhere.
It was then that I learned Mr. Blackmask’s true name: Ma Yongjie. He shook the blood from his hand and walked toward us, step by step.
"That was pretty damn bloody."
Ray Lin strolled up to the Blue-Faced Man’s corpse, gave it a kick, and smiled.
"Of course it was. The battles of the Immortality Society are far more brutal than this. Everyone here, I expect my affairs tonight to remain secret."
Ma Yongjie said this. I looked at him, overwhelmed by a feeling I couldn’t quite describe. I desperately wanted to ask him something, but I didn’t even know what it was.
At that moment, Ma Yongjie smiled.
"Ethan, do you feel that the person I was just now and the one in battle are like two different people?"
I nodded seriously, looking at Ma Yongjie, desperately hoping to learn something from him.
"Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself. Remember this, Ethan. In daily life, I am my human self. But in battle, I become the cold-blooded, ruthless killing machine I once was in the Immortality Society..."
Ma Yongjie paused, then continued.
"And both of these people are me."
As he spoke, Ma Yongjie patted me on the shoulder.
"So, what now, Ethan? Where do you plan to go next?"
Ray Lin asked. I had no idea how bad things had gotten outside. Nearly everyone in the Ghost Burial Squad was out of contact, and the phones weren’t working at all.
"There’s only one person who can help."
I spoke slowly. Everyone turned to look at me as I pronounced each word clearly.
"We go find Redmond."