As long as you have the courage, fierce ghosts go on maternity leave.

On Hurricane’s body, not only was there a key to open that mysterious box, but there was also a cursed object aimed at HongMu: a tiny doll painted in fresh blood.

Dark Artifact: Ghost Doll

Description: One sunny morning, a seldom-seen mother returned home, bringing along an adorable doll. She told her child that this was his younger brother, and they should get along like a real family.

The younger brother was so cute! Big eyes, chubby little hands, plump feet, and bright red fresh blood. An elderly man offered a strange piece of paper, explaining that painting the brother’s likeness in blood would make him obedient.

Hurricane bit his finger and completed the drawing.

Effect: Within a 10-meter range of the affected person, taking out the Ghost Doll’s drawing will awaken endless resentment in the drawn doll, devouring the victim’s soul.

Stowing away the cursed object, Alexander turned his eyes to Medusa.

Medusa looked back at Alexander with caution, coldly asking, "Who are you? What’s your aim? These chosen ones belong to different factions. How could they all betray for you? There’s something fishy here."

"Didn’t Miss Anlan tell you who I am?" Alexander feigned surprise before breaking into a subtle smile. "The people around Miss Anlan seem unremarkable! Even if you didn’t know me at first, don’t you know now? You’d be better off pole-dancing at parties."

Alexander’s words were extremely arrogant. Under normal circumstances, Medusa would have already killed this insolent creature. But at this moment, considering that Alexander had killed seven Ghost Princes, she couldn’t help but ponder his words.

No matter human or ghost, overthinking is what they dread the most.

As she delved into her thoughts, vivid recollections filled her mind: the parties and the pole dancing. She had performed a pole dance at a banquet to entertain and to display Anlan’s strength. Alexander was not there then.

Or was he?

Suddenly, two images flashed in her mind. One was of Edward in a tuxedo and cat-face mask, puffing on a cigar. The other was of Alexander, facing Lord Hurricane with a calm smile, as if he had everything under control.

The resemblance was uncanny!

"In an instant, everything became clear to Medusa. "You are Edward! No wonder they all listen to you. Before coming here, Miss Anlan specifically instructed me to be polite to you. So your identity is..."

Alexander lifted his head slightly, cutting off Medusa’s revelation, and softly said,"Knowing it yourself is sufficient. Remember, I am not Edward right now; I am Chosen One No. 44011—Alexander!"

"Understood!" Medusa didn’t even have to think; she nodded her head emphatically. "Rest assured, I get it! If you say you’re Alexander, then you are Alexander. Anyone who dares to dispute that will be the first I slay!"

The image of Alexander that was consciously led into her mind left no room for flaws.

After subtly hinting at how he would reward her upon victory, Medusa, the Ghost Prince, was immediately invigorated. Filled with unparalleled respect for Alexander, she joined the other chosen ones in their direct assault on the region where HongMu resided.

This time, as before, there were no surprises. HongMu didn’t even have a method for mutual destruction; he was directly killed by a curse from a drawing. Of course, Medusa herself met her end at the hands of five Ghost Princes summoned by HongMu due to a momentary ’lapse’ in focus.

HongMu’s assets had already been completely swindled by the chosen ones. Aside from a key and a mechanical heart within his corpse, there was nothing else left.

The Dark Relic: Cursed Heart!

Introduction: The boy grew up in a harsh environment, trying desperately to build good relationships. But his older brother treated him as an enemy, beating and scolding him, even contemplating sexual abuse. His mother, who brought him into this world, was often absent. In his loneliness, he could only stare at the moon through the window and weep in silence.

He began to grow agitated, violent, and even neurotic—because that was the only way to survive in this place!

One day, a cursed mechanical heart was deliberately placed in his bedroom. He had to protect himself, to survive in this cruel home.

Therefore, he had no choice but to target his weaker sister. With his sister restrained, a semblance of balance was finally achieved in the household.

Function: Crush the heart at close range, inflicting a debilitating blow, causing the target to lose all fighting capability instantly.

Unexpectedly, among these three siblings, the only one who seemed inherently good was HongMu!

Now, with this heart, the final target was Miss Anlan.

Again, there was no suspense. Even though Alexander was surprised to discover that Anlan had masked her true power through special means—she was in fact stronger than a Ghost Prince, even stronger than Hurricane.

Of the trio, nobody expected that the seemingly weakest Anlan would turn out to be the strongest. But Alexander held the Cursed Heart that could counter her.

Anlan’s power was never given the chance to manifest; she was quickly killed.

Of course, the executor was Mebana, just as it was Gimel who killed HongMu. Alexander had given them high evaluations, and they had to pay a corresponding price.

Just as Alexander and his group were basking in the euphoria of victory, a sudden surge of danger made its presence known.

The whistling of a sword sliced through the air; the blade arrived in the blink of an eye. Before the sound of the unsheathing even reached their ears, the sword tip was already pressed against Alexander’s throat.

Seraphina, her face a volatile mix of anger and astonishment, declared: "Alexander, you truly are extraordinary. You faced a sword strike from a prince like me without flinching. No wonder Louis considers you a brother."

Alexander wore a grin, replying in an indifferent tone: "It was simply a gamble—I wagered that you wouldn’t dare to kill me. Seems I was right. It appears you haven’t engaged in combat for some time, haven’t you?"

At these words, those around them looked on in awe, their faces etched with admiration.

"Truly deserving of being 44011, truly deserving of being Alexander!"

Even Seraphina, wielding emperor-level strength, revealed a fleeting expression of amazement: "I didn’t expect you to perceive even this. You truly are quite capable!"

The reality?

It was nothing of the sort.

Alexander’s power was merely of the Fierce level. Even if his physical strength had reached that of a General, he was facing Seraphina, who had emperor-level strength.

Alexander didn’t even realize when Seraphina had drawn her sword, let alone when she had come up beside him.

But this was no time for weakness. Lifting his head, Alexander wore a smile of arrogance and perhaps even mockery as he casually said: "My abilities have always been noteworthy! Speak your mind if you have something to say. If you intend to intimidate me, let me bluntly state that not even Hades would necessarily have that capability!"

"YOU know of Hades?" Seraphina’s face went through a sea change.

After a moment of grinding her teeth, she spoke: "If you’re so highly esteemed by the City Lord, you should be grateful. Why did you kill his adopted son and daughter? Do you realize what that means? They were the heirs of the City Lord’s mansion!"

"I’m well aware," Alexander nodded, "But Hurricane, Anlan, and HongMu are far from honest individuals. Even if I took the Abandoned Emperor Stone today, they might find other ways in the future. If people like them become heirs, even Alice will need to be cautious around them, let alone—"

Alexander paused for effect, then said, "Doesn’t the City Lord’s mansion have another heir?"

"Are you doing this for Louis?" Seraphina looked as if she had seen the light, but her anger was far from quelled. "What do you know? Louis possesses a forbidden power. He cannot be an heir; otherwise, not just this hell, but this entire universe would consider the Dark Hell as their greatest rival!"

Seraphina’s words confirmed the suspicion that had long been nagging at Alexander’s mind. Louis, endowed with forbidden power, was nearly an invincible presence.

Moreover, Louis had once saved the Dark Hell and thus commanded unparalleled prestige. His relationship with the lord was far less strained than those of his siblings.

To the discerning eye, the two even appeared to share a mother-son bond. By all rights, Louis should have been the obvious choice for heir.

Yet, curiously, Alice had expressly excluded him from the competition for succession. Alexander had pondered whether this might have something to do with the so-called ’Forbidden Power.’

From what Alexander understood, this Forbidden Power was akin to a game-breaking bug. Anyone without the same power stood no chance against it.

But precisely because of its overpowering nature, allowing Louis to become the lord of the Dark Hell—thus inheriting the strength of the Ghost Emperor and adding the Forbidden Power to his arsenal—would render him invincible.

And so, Louis had voluntarily stepped away from the race to the throne. Similarly, he had kept his strength limited to the level of evil spirits for the very same reason.

Sometimes, being too powerful is a liability; who would want a fearsome tiger at their side?

"Think about it," Alexander spoke calmly, "do you really believe the Dark Hell would be safe just because Louis doesn’t rule it? I may not be well-versed in this worlds, but I am the Chosen One, and I do know that enormous changes are unfolding here.

Enemies unknown have been reaching into the Dark Hell and other abysses for at least a decade. And let’s not forget, the Endless Abyss has us in their sights, prepared to attack at any moment."

"But the Endless Abyss is just one among many," Seraphina cut in impatiently, her hand likely itching for the hilt of her blade if not for Alice’s prior command. "How could it possibly overpower the entire Domains of horrors?"

"That’s precisely why Louis is merely a contender for the throne, not the true Ghost Emperor of the Abyssal Underworld," Alexander stated flatly.

Seraphina paused, her face a mask of confusion and dawning realization. What did he mean by that? There was only one slot for the Ghost Emperor of the Dark Hell.

Could it be that if elevating Louis to the throne didn’t incite animosity from the world of horrors, Alexander would genuinely consider putting him there?

Clearly, to utter such a thought meant he had entertained the idea.

If someone else had said this, Seraphina would have dismissed it without a second thought. But the one speaking was Alexander!

During the battle for control of Ghost Street, not only did the Fierce Ghost Association emerge victorious due to Alexander’s participation, but it also resulted in an enemy Ghost King losing an arm.

This inheritance contest was even more extreme; despite only having Fierce-level power, Alexander managed to kill a Ghost King, over a dozen Ghost Princes, and hundreds of Ghost Generals.

Now, Alexander also holds an Abandoned Emperor Stone and a ghostly bell only available to Hell Warriors. If he teamed up with Louis, winning the contest for heir would not only be possible but almost certain.

Astonishingly, this Fierce-level chosen one even dared to scheme against Empress Alice and had a significant chance of succeeding if not for some reservations.

"You... you..." Seraphina was at a loss for words, her sword hesitating in her grip as she looked at the calm Alexander. After a pause, she finally sheathed her sword and asked, "Now that Louis is the designated heir to the Dark Hell, it will naturally arouse the jealousy of other Ghost Domains. Have you thought about this inevitable reaction?"

"Of course, that’s why..." Alexander began, "I chose to get involved at this time."

"What do you mean?" Seraphina’s mind was spinning. Could it be that from the beginning, Alexander planned to eliminate other eligible stepchildren to help Louis claim his inheritance? Did he possess the ability to foresee the future?

"If it were another time, I would still participate in this scenario but would only focus on completing the mission. I wouldn’t even use the invitation card, especially when we are talking about the Lord’s Mansion. Risking so much for such a trivial reward is not worth it," Alexander said.

"So, what makes this time different?" No matter how hard she tried, Seraphina couldn’t grasp what was unique about this timing. Feeling intellectually overpowered, she had no choice but to ask.

"It’s simple. An individual from the Endless Abyss known as Mr. K is planning to lay siege to the city," Alexander explained.