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

In the end, even Alexander couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Wielding his Underworld Sword, he thrust it directly into the deepest wound, unleashing a burst of spectral energy that put an end to the bald ghost’s agony.

Right before dying, a look of relief rather than resentment flickered in the ghost’s eyes.

"Took me five seconds. Guess I’m not as skilled as I thought," Alexander casually remarked, turning to Edward, who instinctively stepped back, his face paling momentarily. Only after realizing Alexander was on his side did Edward allow himself a sigh of relief.

The spectacle was nothing short of horrifying. Edward had never imagined that a ghost king—or any creature, living or spectral—could emit such a heart-rending scream.

He even wondered if Alexander, had he not intervened, could have literally tortured a ghost king to death with agony alone.

"I’m done; it’s your turn now," Alexander noted, amused at Edward’s visible discomfort.

"Oh... right," Edward replied, finally snapping back to reality. He looked at the two remaining ghost kings and said, "Both of you, come at me!"

At his words, the two ghost kings hesitated, visibly unnerved by Alexander’s brutal demonstration.

"Don’t worry, I won’t intervene. If you manage to defeat him, I’ll speak to the Hell Warriors to end this duel prematurely," Alexander assured them, smiling.

Relieved, the ghost kings’ eyes sharpened as they focused on Edward. There was hope of survival, and even more importantly, they wouldn’t have to face that terrifying human.

This clear display of contempt thoroughly incensed Edward, who had just recovered from his shock.

Looking down on me? Edward had been an undefeated Ghost Prince in Fierce Ghost Street! Being underestimated like this was the ultimate insult to a flamboyant and prideful figure like him.

Fuelled by indignation, Edward stepped forward and showed his middle finger to the two ghost kings. "One second! That’s all I’ll need to finish you off. Any longer and I concede defeat!"

Edward’s reputation didn’t just come from his showmanship; it was also backed by genuine prowess. Whether it was on Fierce Ghost Street or throughout the shadowy dark hell, his name resounded with esteem.

This was not just due to his ostentatious nature, but because he had the strength to back it up.

Why call him the ’Invincible Ghost Prince’? They say he once sparred with a Ghost King from Undead Street. One move, and both were seriously injured.

Not everyone can be like Alexander, whose power rests on a series of coincidences and unique, unreplicable circumstances.

To think that a Ghost Prince could go toe-to-toe with a Ghost King and both suffer considerable damage shows just how powerful he is. But since then, no one has seen Edward fight with all his might.

Ah, the former invincible Ghost Prince, now a Ghost King, prepared to unleash his most potent blow—how terrifying that would be!

"One second? Even if you’re that powerful, taking both of us down in one hit is arrogant!" The two Ghost Kings exchanged glances, each seeing the flash of anger in the other’s eyes.

Born of stubborn grudges and fueled by resentment, ghosts are generally hot-tempered beings who fear neither life nor death. They had been intimidated only by the horrific agony their elder brother had just endured.

One Alexander was already beyond belief. Granted, he’s a ’chosen one,’ so some abnormalities could be attributed to his uniqueness among ghosts.

But Edward? He may seem strong, but they don’t believe for a second that he can defeat them in just one tick of the clock. That’s outright impossible!

"Disbelieve all you want! Come and try me! If you can breathe an extra breath, blink an extra time, or move a finger after one second, consider me the loser of this duel!" Edward declared without holding back.

"Fine! Challenge accepted!" the two Ghost Kings shouted in unison.

"Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance! You may go first!" Edward extended his right hand in a gentlemanly invitation.

"Arrogance!" With their indignation now eclipsing their fear, both Ghost Kings charged at Edward. One brandished a long blade, his body encircled by swirling winds.

The other ghost conjured a pitch-black longbow, pulling its string to materialize a dark green arrow.

Whoosh!

The bowstring relaxed, and the green arrow zipped forward, leaving a meteoric green tail, aimed directly at Edward’s forehead. But that wasn’t all.

That bow-wielding Ghost King, displaying some innate talent or skill, drew multiple arrows in a flash. Although staggered in release, they simultaneously encircled Edward, sealing off all his escape routes.

In tandem with the swift blade-wielding Ghost King, who moved like a blur, leaving afterimages in his wake, Edward was surrounded. Whether it was some ghost skill or innate talent, in the blink of an eye, the Ghost King materialized behind Edward.

Alexander furrowed his brows as he observed the unfolding drama. Clearly, the greatest strength of these three apparitions lay in their collaborative efforts.

The bald ghost that he had previously slain possessed an incredibly strong attack skill, but his role was evidently that of a tank, or ’meat shield’.

The one with the long blade, moving at breakneck speeds, was obviously an assassin. Most troubling was the ghost’s ability to leave afterimages as he moved—something that could potentially counter Alexander himself.

Alexander felt a bit relieved; although he had chosen the strongest opponent, he was glad he hadn’t picked one who could counter his abilities so effectively. Dealing with this rapid blade ghost would have been far more troublesome than the bald ghost.

The archer at the back was clearly the real damage dealer in this team. His longbow was no ordinary weapon—it was a treasure, and the eerie green arrows it launched filled Alexander with a sense of foreboding.

While the archer’s attack might not match up to a Blood Burst, his advantage lay in the range, speed, and sustainability of his attacks.

Edward would surely prevail against these two ghost kings, but would it be as effortless as he had boasted?

However, it seemed that Alexander had overthought the situation. A thoroughly infuriated Edward didn’t care about the nature of their attacks. Ethereal energy swirled around him as snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

With the knife-wielding ghost and a volley of arrows pressing him from both sides, Edward suddenly dropped to one knee. His right hand channeled a torrent of ghostly energy into the ground: "Talent—Arctic Hell—Snow Dance—Sky Collapse!"

In the next moment, something astonishing happened.

With a thunderous roar from Edward, the swirling snowflakes abruptly ceased, and layers of ice crystals rapidly spread across the entire arena, covering the sky and the ground.

Even the arrow that hovered just half an inch away from Edward was instantly covered in ice crystals, eerily freezing in mid-air.

Alexander felt a brief moment of frigid cold engulf him too, but it vanished in a blink, clearly a result of Edward lifting the force he had exerted on him. The two ghost kings were not so fortunate; they were frozen solid on the ground.

Boom!

The next instant, starting from Edward’s palm, all the ice crystals began to burst inch by inch. The speed of this explosion was swift, rapidly spreading in all directions.

Ice in the sky shattered; ice on the ground shattered. Arrows burst apart, and so did the bodies of the ghost kings.

The exploding ice did not turn into shards; rather, they transformed into gorgeously pristine snowflakes. A dazzling dance of snow enveloped the arena, which was the size of a football stadium, and the ground soon became covered in half a meter of accumulated snow.

It took just one second for Edward to accomplish all this. Even more astonishingly, he did it with a single strike. That one strike annihilated two ghosts kings who had worked in perfect harmony.

Even their treasured artifacts were not spared; they all turned into snow under this terrifying ability. Truly, it was a horrifying spectacle.

Though somewhat distressed, Alexander finally recognized the power of a formidable ghost king. After all, Edward, no matter how strong, had only recently ascended to the rank of a ghost king; he was far from invincible. Moreover, among the ranks of the ghost kings, there were those who possessed talents on par with Edward’s.

For instance, there was Thomas, the Night Cat ghost king from the Ghostly Apartments—deceptively ordinary-looking but incredibly powerful.

Then there was the Gay ghost king; although he hadn’t displayed his real abilities, his true strength was undoubtedly formidable, or else Kevin wouldn’t have placed so much faith in him.

Those whom Kevin held in high regard, like the Kimono-wearing female ghost with blink ability and the motorbike ghost, Full Moon, with electrical talents, all had extraordinary skills.

There were many others—like Su Rong, Annie, and even the mind-wiped cannon ghost. Even Asfur could easily assassinate most of his peers at the same level.

However, it seemed Alexander had underestimated Edward’s talents.

Rising from a ring enveloped by white snow, Edward strides toward Alexander. The thick carpet of snow seems to possess a life of its own, parting automatically on either side as if making way for its king.

Dressed in a floor-length black tailcoat, adorned with a red skull pin and wearing snowy white gloves, Edward cuts a striking figure against the icy backdrop. Snowflakes avoid his form, and the ground yields under his boots.

When it comes to theatrical presentation, especially in scene-setting, Edward has undoubtedly reached the pinnacle.

"Ah..." Edward stops in front of Alexander, shakes his head gently, and sighs. "It’s been a long time since I’ve used that technique. I’ve regressed, it seems. The me of years past would’ve finished them off in the blink of an eye!"

Alexander stays speechless, only to hear a soft chuckle. Selena’s gorgeous form materializes a short distance away from him.

Her delicate feet, shoeless now, gracefully touch the icy surface. Remarkably, the soft snow does not indent, as if she bears no weight at all.

Edward casts a meaningful glance at Selena, then declares, "The battle is over. Let the Hell Warriors escort us out."

As if on cue, the Hell Warriors outside seem to be paying close attention. At Edward’s words, the platform rapidly shrinks, and the surrounding white mist dissipates.

Alexander and his companions leap down from mid-air. The platform shrinks down to the size of an egg, twirling on the tip of a Hell Warrior’s finger. Alexander eyes it with a touch of envy.

"This is indeed convenient," he thinks. "Who would dare challenge me now? I could just throw them into this dueling platform."

"Sir, do you require this?" The Hell Warrior, although more like an AI program than a human or ghost, shows uncanny awareness.

"I do need something like this," Alexander responds without reservation.

"Sir, it will do you more harm than good. Only our power can bear its weight," the Hell Warrior cautions.

"If you’re referring to that white mist, then hand it over," Alexander points at the sky once filled with mist.

"Are you sure?" The Hell Warrior asks incredulously once more, only relenting and tossing the miniature platform to Alexander after receiving an affirmative answer.

Alexander grabs it and immediately inspects its attributes, while the Hell Warrior watches him nervously, as if fearful something might go awry.

Mist Dueling Platform

Description: An item from the Mist instance.

Attributes: Upon use, a dueling platform will form in the Mist instance, bearing all its effects. Once anyone steps onto the platform, they cannot use any items to exit except for the arena’s user.

Alexander looks at the attributes of the mini-platform that has just appeared before him. Like most instance items, it has no grades, and its description is just a simple, straightforward sentence.

"Ah, the system of this Mist instance is indeed simple and direct," Alexander thinks. "I wonder what changes this would undergo if brought into my own horror world."

From within the mini-platform, a surge of white mist rolls about, clearly about to produce the same reaction as the first time Alexander encountered the Mist.

He quickly stows away the Mist Dueling Platform and casts his gaze back to the Hell Warrior. After surveying him a few times, he finally averts his eyes.

It’s not out of awkwardness; rather, the Hell Warrior appears to have little emotional intelligence, much like an AI.

As for that mysterious guardian, although he doesn’t understand why the taboo forces are so close to him, it’s clear that the guardian and the mist aim to corrode the entire horror world. Chances are 99% that he’s on the opposing side of Alexander.

"Then, we shall take our leave," says the Hell Warrior, bowing and walking back into the mansion from which he came.

"Alexander, I’m leaving as well; I have some things to take care of," Selena surprisingly adds.

However, Alexander quickly realizes that she’s probably going to search for clues about her brother.

"Can you manage?" Alexander asks, concerned.

"Are you worried about me?" Selena smiles softly. Suddenly, she tiptoes to peck a kiss on the corner of Alexander’s lips and then turns to run away.

From a distance, Selena’s farewell resonates: "Don’t worry. When I return, I’ll join you in Suite 69!"

Alexander touches the corner of his lips, a sense of both familiarity and perplexity filling him. "That escalated quickly," he thinks.

This time, Edward doesn’t jest with Alexander but looks at Selena’s departing figure with a solemn expression.

"Alexander, there’s something off about your girlfriend. I fear..."