A guttural sound echoed, blood splattered, and Wraithshade gripped Yuna Ji's spear with all his might, unable to speak. He hadn't reacted at all to the last attack; the Sleeper had vanished in the chaos, seemingly fleeing, while Tan Tian silently watched Wraithshade.
"What's wrong, Wraithshade? Is there something you want to say?"
Yuna Ji spoke softly, her anger twisting into a smile. She seemed impatient, eager to tear Wraithshade to pieces.
With a sudden crack, Wraithshade exploded before my eyes. In an instant, streams of black liquid rapidly converged and sank into the ground.
As I looked over, Tan Tian was already standing on the ground. With a bang, something collided with him—it was Wraithshade, who had fallen heavily to the floor.
"Answer my question, Wraithshade. What exactly are you plotting with the Immortality Society?"
"Tan Tian, old man, can you stop wasting time? This is my personal grudge with him. If you want answers, wait until I finish him off—or at least wait until he's dying."
With a rush, Yuna Ji descended, spear aimed at Wraithshade. Her cloak billowed as Wraithshade instantly flew into the air, with Yuna Ji giving chase.
With two sharp clangs, Wraithshade blocked Yuna Ji's spear with a pair of black spikes. The two separated for a moment.
"None of you interfere. Just watch quietly. This is between him and me."
"That's true, Yuna Ji. I never imagined the past would affect you so deeply."
Yuna Ji let out a chilling giggle, her face still twisted with anger.
"Of course it affected me. If it hadn't, the birth of Netherhell would never have happened. The souls slain by war would not be forever imprisoned in Netherhell. And the true culprit behind all this is you. Even after I died, you refused to let me go. Heh... So do you really think I would spare you now?"
"Of course not. But Yuna Ji, are you sure you can defeat me?"
With a sudden whoosh, Yuna Ji's spear was already thrust at Wraithshade's forehead. In a blur, two black shadows shot out, snapping at Yuna Ji.
"It's not about whether I can beat you. I have to kill you."
A sharp, squealing sound rang out. In an instant, the spear in Yuna Ji's hand pierced through Wraithshade's stiletto, driving straight into his forehead. The two wailing ghosts on his back dissolved into dust, while Wraithshade's stiletto stabbed deep into Yuna Ji's shoulder.
"No matter how powerful you become, you'll always be bound by the limits of a ghost."
"Are you certain of that, Wraithshade?"
With a rapid swish, two white bone tails suddenly wrapped around Wraithshade's ankles. Yuna Ji giggled again, while Wraithshade retracted his two stilettos. Beneath Yuna Ji's clothes, a skeleton gleamed white.
"You've gotten a bit smarter."
The bone tails squeezed tighter and tighter, cracking sounds echoing as Wraithshade's body was gradually crushed. The snap of breaking bones rang out again and again.
"Let me ask you differently, Yuna Ji—do you really think you can kill me?"
With a sickening crunch, Yuna Ji twisted Wraithshade's body into two pieces. Instantly, she scanned the area, searching for any trace of his shadow.
"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm going to kill you."
With a sudden rush, Yuna Ji thrust her spear toward the left. Two sharp clangs rang out as Wraithshade parried with his stilettos, retreating steadily. Facing Yuna Ji's relentless assault, he dodged and backed away, his sly eyes darting about, full of laughter—as if scheming something.
With a thunderous boom, a flash of green light exploded. Wraithshade crashed toward the ground, but steadied himself at the last moment. Yuna Ji's spear was already descending.
"It's useless, Yuna Ji. You can't kill me. Or have you forgotten? Time and again you thought you'd destroyed me, but I kept coming back—again and again, standing before you. Maybe that's the true source of your pain: an enemy you can never kill."
Yuna Ji fell silent, saying nothing. But the spear in her hand grew ever more ruthless, flashes of green light flickering relentlessly. The ground rumbled, and Wraithshade kept retreating, clearly unwilling to face Yuna Ji head-on.
"Don't run, you bastard!"
With a rush of air, Wraithshade dodged Yuna Ji's attack once again, widening the distance between them, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Maybe we should calm down and have a proper conversation."
"There's nothing to talk about with you."
In an instant, Yuna Ji surged forward. This time, Wraithshade failed to react in time—her spear pierced his chest. Yet he continued to retreat, unhurried but swift, surrounded by the wailing of ghosts. His wound healed as he moved, and with a cold laugh, he suddenly hurled his stiletto at Yuna Ji.
With a metallic clang, one of Yuna Ji's bone tails blocked the stiletto, and she lunged forward again.
"Greed Wolf..."
With a sudden whoosh, the stiletto knocked aside by Yuna Ji erupted in black mist, transforming into a beast with jagged fangs that slammed into her. Yuna Ji's eyes widened in shock as she staggered backward, crouching in midair and gasping for breath.
Wraithshade gripped his stiletto, sneering coldly.
"How does it feel? Specially crafted for you ghost lords—designed to destroy your power in an instant. I know your kind too well, especially you, Yuna Ji. Are you still unwilling to talk?"
"Go to hell."
Yuna Ji roared in fury, lunging at Wraithshade. But suddenly, a haze of black mist spread across her skin. With a strange, erratic motion, she crashed to the ground instead of striking her target, staring at her hands in disbelief.
"What did you do to me, you bastard?"
"I told you, the only way to deal with your kind is with brute force—break your power directly. You underestimated me, Yuna Ji."
(Irrelevant passage skipped: chapter navigation prompt.)
"Then stop talking, Wraithshade."
At this moment, Tan Tian spoke up. Yuna Ji was still puzzled, and I could sense the ghostly energy in her body flowing erratically—broken and uneven. It was clear Wraithshade had done something to her.
"Mr. Tan Tian, I truly want to cooperate with you, but there's a problem—only you can solve it, and you have to go to the place yourself to understand. I can't explain the details."
"Damn it, you dare pull tricks on me!"
With a bang, as Yuna Ji stood up, clouds of black mist burst from her body—lost souls. She raised her spear and launched a relentless barrage at Wraithshade.
Wraithshade deftly blocked several strikes, then quickly dodged away.
"Wraithshade, why aren't you using your precious Wraith Army? Aren't some of them supposed to be strong fighters?"
"Yuna Ji, wouldn't that play right into your hands? If we're talking numbers, your skeletons far outnumber my wraiths. If you keep pestering me, I won't be so polite, Yuna Ji."
With a thunderous crash, Yuna Ji charged at Wraithshade. In that instant, I saw nine white bone tails sprout from her back—her speed and power surged.
With a tearing sound, Wraithshade's eyes widened as he stared at his pierced heart, saying nothing, coldly glaring at Yuna Ji.
"Looks like things are getting serious."
"It's about time."
As Yuna Ji spoke, she withdrew her spear and stepped back. Wraithshade's bamboo hat flew off, spinning through the air with a whooshing sound, his hair falling loose.
"I'll play with you for a while. No rush—I'm not interested in killing you quickly. I want to kill you piece by piece, slowly, in this darkness where time doesn't exist. A month, a year—it doesn't matter. As long as your supply of ghosts isn't infinite, I can kill you."
A burst of wild laughter echoed. Wraithshade shook his head helplessly, while Tan Tian seemed to sense something.
"You'd better be careful, Yuna Ji."
Yuna Ji let out a cold snort.
"Yuna Ji, do you really think what you saw of me in the Ghost Syndicate was my true power?"
"Doesn't matter. In the end, I'll kill you."
I noticed Wraithshade's scattered hair floating around him, gathering into thick bundles.
"What do you think is my most powerful spell, Yuna Ji?"
Yuna Ji charged at Wraithshade, spear swinging. Suddenly, I saw Wraithshade's hair move like hands, forming signs—almost as if casting a spell.
"Careful, Yuna Ji!"
I shouted loudly.
"It's just a spell—nothing to worry about."
Yuna Ji rushed forward, her right hand creaking. The green light around her body deepened, turning a dark green-black.
With a metallic clang, Yuna Ji's spear struck a transparent barrier before Wraithshade. Instantly, a violent surge of ghostly energy swept outward, yet it left Wraithshade untouched.
"What is this?"
Yuna Ji quickly retreated as a series of cracks rang out—chunks of something before Wraithshade shattered.
"It's a defensive spell, of course. Like I said, what makes me stronger than most in the spellcraft world is that my hair can form seals, helping me cast spells. You can't win, Yuna Ji."
I stared at Wraithshade in disbelief. The emerald glow faded from Yuna Ji's body, and she began to giggle.
"Funny, I just mastered something new. It might be the end of you, Wraithshade. Laugh all you want—I promise you'll never laugh again."