Suddenly, as the Hunter lunged, Uncle Horne rolled swiftly across the ground, grabbing the fallen dagger. He spun around and, with a sharp clang, blocked the Hunter's sword.
Just as the Hunter was momentarily stunned, Uncle Horne pressed the dagger to the ground and sliced into it. Suddenly, Rachel Lan could move again.
Rachel Lan, run first. As long as he can't find you, he won't kill either of us. Remember to leave a mark.
Rachel Lan immediately turned and ran. With a whoosh, the Hunter vanished. Uncle Horne slashed to the side, and with a flash, the Hunter's figure appeared in midair, his eyes wide with fury.
Old man, you shouldn't be able to see this. You're just an ordinary person.
"Kid, I've lived in this darkness far longer than you."
With two sharp clangs, I watched in amazement as Uncle Horne blocked the Hunter's sword, his stance steady, completely unwilling to give way.
In a blur, the Hunter floated into the air, trying to bypass us. Uncle Horne reached toward a spot on the ground with an empty hand, and the Hunter immediately howled in alarm.
With a thunderous crash, the Hunter seemed to be yanked from the air, falling to the ground a few meters in front of me.
"I told you, kid. Why are you here?"
"You stubborn old fool, you can actually see my movements? Trash. Let me crush you."
A black aura rose from the Hunter's body as he charged again. With a deafening clang, his strength was overwhelming—Uncle Horne couldn't withstand it. As he was flung away, the Hunter grabbed him and slammed him hard onto the stone ground.
"What's wrong, old man? Let's deal with you first. As long as Ethan Zhang is here, she'll come back."
Uncle Horne quickly struggled up, broke free from the Hunter's grip, and rolled to the side, aiming for the bush knife. As soon as he grasped it, the Hunter was already upon him, and a burst of black light exploded instantly.
With a thunderous blast, the surrounding trees were blown away. Uncle Horne's fur coat was torn to shreds, his body covered in wounds and bleeding profusely. The Hunter's longsword was already thrust into Uncle Horne's chest, and the bush knife stopped just at his throat.
"Die, old man."
Uncle Horne!
Rachel Lan cried out and ran toward us. The Hunter instantly appeared behind her, and she was paralyzed again. Tears streaming down, Rachel Lan looked at me as the Hunter advanced on me step by step.
At that moment, I noticed Uncle Horne's body slowly dissolving into black particles. He knelt on the ground, eyes wide, his head drooping to the earth, motionless.
My weightless body was lifted into the air by the Hunter. With a tearing sound, his sword pierced my heart. Instantly, my previously unresponsive body began to convulse uncontrollably.
With a splatter, I coughed up a mouthful of black blood. With a ripping sound, the Hunter withdrew his longsword and tossed me to the ground.
My vision blurred. I struggled, unwilling to die, filled with rage. Rachel Lan's tear-streaked face faded into the darkness before my eyes.
Save us—anyone, whoever you are. If you know me, if you hear my call, answer me. Please, answer me now.
"Ethan."
Suddenly, my eyes widened. Before me was a sea of flames—fire everywhere. Uncle Horne stood in the midst of the blaze, silently watching me, his gaze cold. His hair and beard looked like burning fire.
"Answer me, Ethan Zhang. You want to save others, help others, fight for everything. But are you human, or ghost...?"
"Human. All along, I've always been human..."
I shouted, and a smile appeared on Uncle Horne's face, full of reassurance.
"That's good. That terrifying future—maybe, because you're human, it can change. I'll help you this once, Ethan Zhang, but don't expect it again. I've slept too long, and you two kids woke me up. That nap was a bit too long. I wonder how that other bastard is doing? Heh, this world is growing more hopeless by the day."
Uncle Horne quietly tilted his head back, his coiled hair slowly falling like cascading flames. The surrounding red fire gradually flowed into Uncle Horne's body.