"Ah—!" Shaun Severson, the Poison Fiend, swung his venomous palms with all his might, desperate to fend off the ghostly attack. But his hands hit nothing but air—there was nothing in front of him. He jolted awake, realizing there was no temple, no mountain forest, no white veil. He was still inside that cabin. The only thing before him was the fallen sign of "Orchid Abbey," still oozing a faint, eerie ghostly aura.
"W-what the hell is this freaky stuff? What the heck is going on here!" Shaun yelled, but all he heard was his own voice, twisted and distorted, echoing back into his ears. His voice sounded monstrous and terrifying, like thousands of himself screaming in agony under the cruellest torture imaginable.
Suddenly, Shaun spun around and started running away in a panic.
He wanted nothing more than to never see that 'Orchid Abbey' sign again—he just wanted to escape. So he ran, finding himself back in that bizarre hallway, trapped in an endless loop, struggling in the gap between reality and illusion. Boom—thunder rumbled, and a flash of pale lightning lit up the corridor, where light shouldn't exist. The lightning flickered, and in a daze, Shaun found himself standing in the middle of a street, like a county marketplace.
The street was bleak and deserted, shop doors half-closed on both sides, and funeral paper money floated down from the sky like snowflakes.
Ashy dust also fluttered down—human ashes, covering Shaun from head to toe.
Voices began to emerge from the shops again.
[...Silent Hill...]
[...After dark...no one comes back...]
[...There's a ghost girl...beautiful as a flower...kills without mercy...]
[...Drains life essence...leaves only dry corpses...]
[...Leader of the ghost girls...ruler of Silent Hill...]
[...Countess Bloodshade...loves to feast on human blood...]
[...Looks like a young girl...actually an ancient demoness...]
[...A terrifying ancient demoness...]
These voices, like a broken old tape, crackled and hissed as they flew into Shaun's ears and burrowed into his mind. Flickers of shattered images flashed before his eyes—he couldn't tell what any of them meant, only that his fear of 'Countess Bloodshade' was skyrocketing without him even realizing it.
"AAAH—!! Who the hell is messing with me? Show yourself, damn it!" Shaun's hair was wild, looking half-crazy. Suddenly, he leapt up and smashed his venomous palms overhead. The illusion shattered, and he was back in the corridor. He didn't care anymore—he was going to break out, smash his way through!
But with a pop, his palms hit the ceiling, and he felt his inner power gush out like a raging river. In just a moment, nearly a third of his cultivation had drained away, as if a floodgate had burst!
What the hell is going on here?!
I've never heard of anything like this happening in the human world!
Could it be...
[...Drains life essence...leaves only dry corpses...]
That message flashed through his mind, and Shaun's face turned pale with shock. He forced his hands down from the ceiling. He felt trapped in a den of monsters, surrounded on all sides by man-eating ghosts—he was never getting out of here!
"No, no way—I can't die, not here!" Shaun mustered the last of his strength and sprinted with everything he had. Panic, exhaustion, and the loss of his powers left him weak and frantic. The world around him kept flickering between real and unreal, with the illusions growing stronger and stronger. He felt like invisible ghostly hands were dragging him down, pulling him deeper and deeper into a hellish realm that shouldn't even exist.
Tap tap tap—he staggered, feeling like he'd stumbled into yet another new place.
He heard the sound of silk and bamboo instruments, and the joyful laughter of women playing. Looking up, he saw a villa estate ahead—pavilions and towers stretching for miles, all ablaze with lights. The warm glow of candles shone through the paper windows, and for a moment, Shaun was so happy he almost cried.
But the Poison Fiend wasn't letting his guard down—he still had a sliver of martial artist's caution. He darted to the window, wet his finger with spit, and poked a hole in the paper. Peering inside, he saw a dazzling scene: flowers everywhere, gold and jade glittering. Surrounded by countless beautiful celestial maidens, a girl of about fourteen or fifteen sat in the seat of honor. Young as she was, with bright eyes and perfect teeth, she looked like a fairy, but her brows carried the authority of a ruler.
Normally, if Shaun saw something like this, he'd have already lost his mind with excitement, his head swimming with wicked thoughts.
But right now, his mouth was dry and his mind was a mess—he couldn't be sure if these beauties were even real—or, more precisely, if they were even alive.
Crack! Lightning flashed again. Everything changed. Now there were no singing and dancing beauties—just a pitch-black hall, with dry corpses hanging upside down like slaughtered cattle.
That girl now seemed to be shrouded in swirling black energy—demonic aura rolling off her, overwhelming and terrifying.
"C-Countess Bloodshade?!" Shaun's teeth chattered. "The blood-drinking...old demoness?!"
He'd barely finished mumbling when the girl suddenly turned and glared straight at him.
Just one look, and Shaun felt like he'd been hit head-on by an unimaginably powerful force—like a hundred thunder bombs exploded in his mind. Dizzy, short of breath, ears ringing.
Such overwhelming, earth-shaking power!
Such strength, crushing everything in its path!
No doubt about it—she really is an ancient demoness!
I've really run into a ghost this time!
He let out a miserable scream and tumbled to the ground. Scrambling, he fled in panic, heart pounding, desperate to escape this hopeless place. Step by step, he sank from reality into the world of illusions—he could no longer see anything real. No more cabin, no more corridor; he felt like he was running for his life through wild mountains and fields, past graveyards, dead forests, Orchid Abbey, and finally back to that strange county town and its long street.
He was running in circles, lost in a nightmare that wouldn’t end.
This time, he heard fragments of voices coming from all directions again.
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[...Ghost Wedding...]
[...Countess Bloodshade’s most beautiful ghost...Mia...]
[...She’s to marry...the ruler of Silent Hill...]
[...Reaper Lord...]
[...Cruel and violent...tears people apart alive...]
[...Invincible Demon Lord...]
[...Today is the wedding day...]
"G-Ghost Wedding? Reaper Lord?!" Shaun saw another stream of chaotic images flash before his eyes, but this time, he saw them clearly—a giant, hulking demon. This demon must have been over ten feet tall, and every step he took sent waves of hellfire rolling across the ground. His head was a massive, triangular hunk of black iron, and he dragged a gigantic iron sword behind him. The grating sound of the blade scraping the ground made Shaun's scalp crawl.
Just one look at this demon king, and it felt like his soul was about to be burned to ashes by endless hellfire.
"Aaaah—!" Shaun clutched his head and screamed, rolling and struggling on the ground. Finally, he bit down hard on his tongue. The sharp pain jolted his brain, snapping him back to his senses. All the illusions vanished. Eyes bloodshot, sweat pouring into them unnoticed, he looked around and realized he was on the very top deck of the riverboat. He could hear the rush of water on both sides, and in front of him was a hall with its door half open.
He touched the wall and the railing—the solid, real feel was a huge relief.
He felt like he'd finally escaped that haunted nightmare.
"Where am I?" He pushed open the door and looked up, only to freeze in shock. In the center of the hall stood a stone statue. The craftsmanship was so exquisite it was almost supernatural. It was a beautiful woman, around twenty-six or twenty-seven, dignified and graceful, with an air of nobility. The statue even captured the subtlest expression—truly incredible.
Staring at the statue, Shaun suddenly felt his mind calm and steady.
It was as if, under this goddess-like statue’s watch, all ghosts and demons were nothing to fear.
Shaun felt like kneeling and worshipping her. Maybe this goddess statue was what saved him from the sea of suffering. Hmph, I’ve spent my life tormenting women, and now it’s a goddess who saves me from vengeful ghosts—how ironic.
But then—crack! Another flash of pale lightning. In that split second, the statue’s eyes opened!
No joke, Shaun felt his heart freeze. This time he saw it for real—right in front of him, the statue’s eyes opened!
There was no way this statue was a disguised person—Shaun’s eye for detail was too sharp for that, or he’d be dead already. But the more certain he was, the emptier his mind became. This lifeless thing had just come to life, opened its eyes, and stared right at him! A shock this real was even scarier than those illusions—because he was sure it was all true!
"N-no way, this can’t be happening!" Shaun stumbled back, pointing a trembling finger at the statue. "No, no! I-I must be seeing things! How could a statue open its eyes? There must be some trick, or maybe I missed it and it was always open! There can’t be ghosts, there can’t be ghosts—go to hell, all of you!"
Boom! With wild energy, Shaun lunged forward, his poisonous hands striking at the statue’s chest. Whatever trick this statue had—it could just go die!
Then, everything went blurry—a real, rock-hard fist, crackling as it moved, smashed straight into his face.
It was the statue!
The statue had really moved!
With a single punch, it shattered his proud Ghost Phantom Palm—he didn’t even have time to react!
Blood sprayed from Shaun’s mouth as he spun through the air and crashed to the ground. Luckily, his lightness skill was strong, and the statue’s punch wasn’t at full power, so he barely landed on his feet. Looking up, he saw the statue’s face twist into a furious scowl. With that subtle shift, a fierce, overwhelming aura filled the room. It was so familiar that Shaun suddenly remembered a name—Reaper Lord!
She was the Reaper Lord!
Her outward appearance was completely different, but monsters and demons could change shape at will—there was no mistaking that aura!
Run!
Shaun scrambled and crawled to escape, sprinting down the corridor, his terrified screams caught in his throat. Hearing the rush of water, he knew he had to get away—jump into the river, and never come back!
But as he burst out of the corridor, someone was waiting at the door.
A living person.
Long platinum hair glowed under the moonlight, and furious eyes radiated the aura of a primordial beast. This person looked exactly like the statue—and dragged a giant iron sword, just like the one in the vision.
"Reaper Lord!" Shaun wailed in despair, his strength draining away.
He saw the demon king raise the giant sword, heard it buzz and roar as if it had come alive.
The sword looked familiar, stirring some deep, primal fear in his heart.
In his final moment, he managed one last thought: "There really are... ghosts!"
Wham! Like a baseball bat, the giant sword slammed into Shaun’s face with mountain-crushing force. He was sent flying, a mere phantom, smashing back into the statue. Bones cracked all over, and he crashed to the ground, finally blacking out.
But it wasn’t over. The demon king wiped his nose with a thumb and strode toward Shaun, a terrifying shadow looming: "Dare to grope my chest? I’ll kill you for that!"