The entire world is awash in gold. Scorching heat dissolves my Shadow Realm, and I feel a burning sensation in my ghost soul. In an instant, my consciousness slips away.
Though it lasted only a few dozen seconds, the moment I regained consciousness, I screamed in agony. There was nothing left before my eyes—streams of black smoke kept rising from the ground.
I looked at my body, now reduced to only a head. The amount of baleful energy plummeted in an instant. All around me was charred blackness—my Shadow Realm nearly collapsed from the strain.
"Felix Ford!" My voice tore through the void, desperate, pleading—yet nothing answered.
I screamed, but Felix Ford was nowhere—his presence erased, as if he had never existed. The power of Nirvana was so fierce, so absolute, it crushed every shred of hope. In an instant, the vast baleful energy sustaining my Shadow Realm was nearly gone. My body barely clung to life, my ghost soul battered, and with my strength so drained, I couldn't risk releasing Rachel Lan. I had to destroy her—no matter the cost.
"Who are you calling for, Ethan Zhang?"
My eyes widened in terror as I stared at the sky. Rachel Lan floated above, her gaze cold as death. Her cheeks were hidden behind the Vermilion Mantle—its color now tinged with orange within the gold, the armor gleaming like crystalline stone, casting an eerie, spectral light. This was no ordinary power; it was the Vermilion Bird's Power, a force tied to the sacred beasts—spiritual, ancient, and terrifying.
Rachel Lan hovered high above, clutching the Phoenix Blade. A deep, jagged crack split its surface, and from her body radiated a suffocating, murderous intent—so overwhelming it felt like icy hands were choking the life from me, squeezing until I could barely breathe.
Even at such a distance, I raised my barely recovered right hand. The newly formed baleful energy instantly sizzled, turning into a wisp of black smoke and vanishing. Waves of searing power rolled off Rachel Lan above, a reminder of the supernatural forces—Instinct, Coexistence, and Infinity—each with its own terrifying, boundless meaning in this world.
Far stronger than I ever imagined—Rachel Lan, how can she wield such monstrous power? But my greatest fear now is for Felix Ford; his presence is utterly gone, lost in the void.
"In this Shadow Realm, there is nothing left but you and me."
My body still couldn't recover. Any baleful energy I managed to summon was instantly devoured by the flames radiating from Rachel Lan, burned to nothing. Just regrowing my upper body left me utterly exhausted.
"Is that all the strength you have left? Ethan Zhang, you're still the same as before. Always wanting to protect everything, but time and again, you fail. It looks like this time will be no different."
I forced a bitter smile, staring at Rachel Lan. There was not the faintest flicker of emotion in her eyes. I couldn't argue with her.
"Roxie... can you tell me, how did you gain this power?"
Rachel Lan shook her head.
"You don't need to know. This is my power—the power of faith. Ethan Zhang, it's over."
I burst into harsh laughter, staring at Rachel Lan.
"So in the end, nothing can be erased, can it? For the first time, your murderous intent toward me actually makes me angry."
A surge of fury boiled up from deep within me. Rachel Lan looked at me in confusion, then sneered coldly.
"Are you angry at your own helplessness?"
"No, that's not it."
Suddenly, my body snapped back together. I drifted forward, reaching out to grasp at empty air—there, the darkness clinging to Rachel Lan began to take shape, slowly revealing its form.
"My anger is for those creatures—those who twisted you into this, lurking in the shadows, watching our struggle with glee. Those bastards..."
"Impossible! Ethan Zhang, your baleful energy should have been burned away!"
I grinned, my face contorting into something almost monstrous. My laughter grew louder, echoing through the emptiness.
Baleful energy? I have as much as I need—wherever I exist, it gathers. The Shadow Realm I've built is baleful energy itself.
With a cry, the creature before me was instantly obliterated by the baleful energy unleashed from my grasp, reduced to ashes.
Instinct. Coexistence... its name is Infinity...
I roared, and instantly, baleful energy erupted like a spring, surging from the ground. Everything shattered in my Shadow Realm began to recover at a breathtaking speed.
"So you were hiding this trump card all along? Rachel Lan, hurry up—kill Ethan Zhang, and then we can seize his Instinct."
That thing was only a fragment of consciousness—it still lurked inside Rachel Lan's body.
"I don't need you to tell me. I'll tear Ethan Zhang to pieces myself."
With the Vermilion Bird's shriek, flames erupted once more, setting the newly restored ground and buildings ablaze in an instant.
The golden light drew ever closer. I could feel the searing heat, the flames surging toward me in a wave.
I roared, rising into the air, arms flailing, my mind recalling a technique once used by Ye Guyun.
In a heartbeat, Rachel Lan froze. All around, the sky filled with countless baleful energy swords, each one aimed at her. Swords sprouted from the earth and sky, a black tide that threatened to blot out my entire Shadow Realm.
Absolute power. Even if I was still weaker than Rachel Lan, what I possessed now was baleful energy—vastly more than she could ever muster.
Each sword brimmed with baleful energy. The swords within ten meters of Rachel Lan vanished at once, but new ones immediately took their place.
A cracking sound split the air—my body was fracturing, black shards flaking off my skin. I couldn't fully control this monstrous power.
"Ethan Zhang, do you really think this is enough...?"
"It is—so long as you don't fall, none of this will ever end."
As soon as I finished speaking, I willed a swarm of baleful energy swords to fly at Rachel Lan. Ten thousand blades rained down, a storm of swords tilting toward her. I kept forging new swords with my mind, an endless barrage surging toward Rachel Lan.
[Irrelevant passage skipped.]
With a thunderous boom, flames burst forth—golden fire turned the baleful swords to ash. Rachel Lan swung the Phoenix Blade with blinding speed, conjuring raging flames that became several giant Vermilion Birds, devouring my swords.
"You won't last, Ethan Zhang."
A voice echoed in my mind—it was Coexistence.
"It's not enough—release more power, more baleful energy."
I roared, the swords in the sky still hammering at Rachel Lan. The flaming Vermilion Bird on her left was shattered, riddled with holes. Every sword that neared her body vanished instantly.
Blood streamed from my eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. It wasn't the first time I'd felt this way—standing at death's edge, unleashing power beyond my limits.
"Now is not the time to retreat—it's time to push forward. Roxie, if you can hear me, answer me!"
I roared, spitting a mouthful of black blood with a wet splatter. Dropping to one knee, I clenched my teeth, my mind on the verge of collapse. Less than a minute had passed, and I was already at my limit.
It was working—the flaming Vermilion Birds Rachel Lan unleashed with the Phoenix Blade were extinguished, one after another, in the torrent of baleful swords.
Yet the baleful swords halted mere centimeters from the Vermilion Mantle, shattering instantly, unable to advance further. Rachel Lan roared, cracks spidering across the Phoenix Blade in her grip. Her Vermilion Mantle blazed with orange light.
With a guttural cry, I spat a torrent of black blood and collapsed to my knees.
"Not enough! This won't break through. Gatling!"
I roared, my mind going blank. On the ground, streams of baleful energy condensed into shape—Gatling guns materialized, mechanical grinding filling the air, their numbers multiplying.
"Open fire..."
In an instant, countless black bullets tore into the sky. The ground cracked and heaved, my Shadow Realm trembling with instability.
I no longer knew what I was doing. Darkness swallowed my vision, leaving only one thing visible—the figure in the sky, wielding the Phoenix Blade.
Suddenly, a scream rang out—Rachel Lan, high in the sky, had a sword driven into her back. She went berserk, hurtling toward me. Eyes half-shut, I raised my hands and managed a faint smile.
In an instant, Rachel Lan vanished into the sea of swords and bullets. I roared with all my strength.
The purple crystal pendant at my neck began to radiate heat. I sensed Rachel Lan right before me—a streak of violet pierced the darkness as I reached out.
"Roxie..."
I roared, leaping up, grabbing hold of that violet streak in the darkness.
"No—I have to stand."
With effort, I hauled myself up from the ground. A heavy blow sent me flying, crashing to the earth—it was Rachel Lan. I smiled; what needed to be reclaimed was already mine. The Rachel Lan before me was nothing but darkness, devoid of any trace of humanity—just a cold, mechanical shell.
"I won."
"Hmph. If you want it so badly, take it. Ethan Zhang, Rachel Lan is finished. Next, your Instinct—I'll claim it for myself."
A stream of black energy surged toward me. I struggled, fighting desperately, but as I sprang to my feet, the black current wrapped itself around me.
"Spellmark Sigil."
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared and sliced through the black current binding me. It grabbed me and dragged me backward.
"Why did you come out?"
I stared at Felix Ford—his entire body had turned black, strange sigils crawling across his skin, only his red eyes visible.