"What exactly are you doing, Coco?"
A voice, sharp and severe, stopped both me and Coco. It was Wilson. After he arrived, with a swift motion, one hand grabbed Coco and the other seized me, yanking us down from the tall red wall we were just about to climb over.
"Coco, how many times have I told you? You can't go in there."
"Wilson, you've changed."
Coco looked at Wilson, her face tinged with anger.
Changed or not, Coco, we're working under the Emperor of the Dead now. Isn't that better? It's far better than serving Redmond the Bandit King before. We all helped him conquer his lands, and what did we get? Because of the struggle for the throne, we siblings got dragged into it. Now, the Emperor of the Dead is nothing like any of those people we've met before.
It was longing. I saw a look of satisfaction on Wilson’s face—something wasn’t quite right. My ghost veins began to wrap around him, and suddenly, Wilson snapped out of it. With a flash, his spear was already pressed to my throat.
"What’s wrong, Wilson?"
"It was you, wasn’t it? Stirring up Coco."
I raised my hands helplessly, but Wilson didn’t believe me at all. Coco began to plead with him. After a long while, under Wilson’s watchful gaze, I could only return to the courtyard where I’d been before, enter one of the rooms, and wait for tomorrow night to come. All around me, fierce ghosts stood guard, clearly not wanting me to leave.
One thing caught my attention: these fierce ghosts all looked wooden and vacant, their eyes dull and suspicious. Everything here felt off.
I’ve encountered many formidable beings. If, as the legends say, the Emperor of the Dead is truly a god of the underworld, I would always feel awe before a god. But with this pretender, I feel nothing but disgust—a deep, overwhelming revulsion.
I was growing impatient for night to fall, but after thinking it over, I decided to wait. After all, by tomorrow night, everything might be revealed.
The next night, Roy Luo opened the door.
"Let’s go, little brother. The Emperor is waiting for you."
After I stepped out, I followed Roy Luo to the Hall of Judgment. The doors were open now, and from the entrance, I could see the Emperor of the Dead seated on his throne. Smiling, I walked in. Sure enough, the moment I entered, I found myself unable to use my Specter Web. My knees buckled, and with a thud, I dropped to the floor, kneeling.
"Step forward."
I shuffled forward, step by step, toward the Emperor of the Dead. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. That laughter, carried by a powerful wave of ghostly energy, washed over me. But I just sneered—no matter how strong this ghostly aura was, I felt no fear now.
With a bang, the doors behind me slammed shut. The Emperor of the Dead stopped laughing, his eyes—each as big as my head—locked onto me.
"Speak. Your origins, and everything else. In my presence, you are to hide nothing."