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

Talent Borrowing

An Introduction:In the ethereal weave of a pact, a primordial force seems to flow. Through this exceptional link, a ’Ghost Servant’ becomes wholly tethered to their ’Ghost Master,’ offering not just loyalty but their innate talents as well, available for unrestricted use.

Attributes: Through the covenant, one can borrow the Ghost Servant’s talents as if they were their own, devoid of limitations or side-effects.

As the contract with Edward forms, the details of this awarded attribute instantly manifest in Alexander’s mind. For a fleeting moment, a cascade of warmth surges through his veins, and, as if conjured from thin air, he finds himself endowed with an array of new talents.

Edward’s mastery of ice and spatial control, Su Rong’s command over molten lava, Full Moon’s control over thunder, Terrence’s mechanical skills, Asfur’s dominion over darkness, Black Stocking Annie’s heart-destroying skills, White Stocking Annie’s bloodsucking abilities, Richard’s golden armor, and Sam’s talent for commanding armies—all coalesce within him.

In an instant, save for a few extraordinary abilities—like Annie’s talent to split into two different personalities, or Richard and Full Moon’s motorcycle-related skills which Alexander couldn’t assimilate unless he too became a motorcycle—his body is energized with more than nine distinct talents.

The ambient ghostly aura surges towards him, merging the nine talents with his form, catapulting him into a transient, wondrous state. Like a vortex, he begins absorbing the surrounding ghostly aura, dramatically increasing his own ghost energy limit.

With a mere thought, the ground seems to melt away, rivulets of molten lava cascade over Alexander and Edward’s bodies, incinerating and vaporizing the ghostly blood that clung to them.

Alexander’s Underworld Sword pointed obliquely towards the heavens, ensconced in a faint aura of black and crimson light. These were the powers of the Annie sisters—Black Stocking and White Stocking Annie.

The black light bestowed upon each attack the ability to gouge the heart, its sinister gleam penetrating the enemy’s body to inflict bone-aching pain. The crimson light, meanwhile, allowed Alexander to absorb the opponent’s blood during combat, rapidly healing any wounds in a vampiric fashion.

Such were his talents that if Alexander killed swiftly enough, not even the gravest of injuries could impede him; even severed limbs would mend in no time.

And there was more—beyond the abilities of the Annie sisters, Alexander sensed an ethereal connection with his troops, the members of the Fierce Ghost Association, all linked to him under Sam’s talent.

It might have only given him a rudimentary awareness of his army’s status and enhanced the effectiveness of his commands, but it was a power whose impact on the battlefield could be chilling.

Edward’s talent was there as well. With a casual snap of his fingers, a blizzard enveloped Alexander, turning an already gloomy street frigid. Taking a simple step, he found himself spanning miles.

Edward, trailing behind, activated his own spatial ability to keep up, his face etched in awe. Alexander had grown stronger—dramatically so.

The contract had created a unique bond, and Edward understood exactly where Alexander’s torrent of talents originated from, which added to his astonishment.

Along with his own talents, Alexander had harnessed more than a dozen; it was impossible to predict the zenith of his potential.

The synergetic effect of employing multiple talents simultaneously was undeniably formidable. But it also came at a terrifying cost. In just a moment, Alexander’s ghost energy was completely drained.

Relying on Ghost Food, he quickly replenished his energy, only pausing once he felt he had a preliminary grasp of his newfound abilities.

With over a dozen talents under his command, Alexander’s combat capabilities had skyrocketed, just as Edward had surmised. At his current level, even without invoking forbidden powers, he could easily annihilate any Ghost King.

Even facing a Ghost Imperial, he could either hold his ground or escape without anyone stopping him. And if one included his forbidden powers, not even a Ghost Imperial would stand a chance.

Sealing away his talents, Alexander, accompanied by Edward, confidently strode into the city’s main mansion.

Behind him, a massive portal stood in the middle of the street. Members of the Fierce Ghost Association streamed out ceaselessly, swiftly taking control of the entire city.

Ash City, home to over sixty million ghosts and wandering spirits, was rapidly overtaken by the Fierce Ghost Association.

With this acquisition, the Association’s own burgeoning membership had reached nearly a hundred million.

Digesting this newfound power would be the bedrock of Alexander’s ascent, potentially even giving him the capital to unify the entire Ghost Realm.

Upon entering the city mansion, Alexander headed straight for its heart, where a large, diamond-shaped crystal floated in mid-air.

This was the Ghost City Keystone, the central control unit of the entire city. Through it, the city lord could control the city much like a Ghost Lord and even influence instance rewards.

If the Keystone were destroyed, the entire city would lose its protective shield; instances and properties would gradually lose their exclusive defenses.

Though the Ghost City Keystone could be destroyed, it couldn’t be seized—much like an Emperor’s Seal for an Inheritance Ghost Emperor. It could only be inherited by a city lord willingly.

Therefore, Alexander was not here to become a city lord by taking the Keystone. However, by using a City Transfer Card to shift Ash City to Dark Hell, and then destroying the Keystone, Ash City would naturally become a part of Dark Hell.

Without Ash City, the Ash Ghost Emperor’s Seal would lose its potency, reducing him to just another ordinary Ghost Emperor.

With the City Transfer Card in hand, he didn’t hesitate. He slapped it onto the Ghost City Keystone.

...

In the City Mansion of Dark Hell, the Vice-Captain of the guards, Jessica, wore a strained smile as she addressed her audience.

"Please be patient, our City Lord is out attending to urgent matters. I’ve already informed him through the Ghost Channel. We will address your concerns as soon as he returns."

Standing before her were no less than nine Ghost Emperors, representing various alliances. One among them was even an Inheritance Ghost Emperor.

Initially, there were only three: Liam and two Ghost Emperors from his alliance.

Alice, the Female Emperor of Dark Hell, had been within the City Mansion but had not shown herself, which suited Liam’s original purpose of merely stalling her.

Once Abigail’s situation had been resolved, Liam was prepared to leave, but that’s when Ash Ghost Emperor arrived, demanding the surrender of Alexander and Edward.

Ironically, Liam’s attitude underwent a significant shift. He began to muddy the waters and bought some time, but Jessica was feeling the strain of facing so many Ghost Emperors.

Just as she was about to call for Alice’s assistance, Alice suddenly messaged her, informing her of a highly critical matter that necessitated her immediate departure and instructed Jessica to hold off the visitors at all costs.

Jessica was nearly in tears; she was merely a Ghost King—how was she to stall nine Ghost Emperors?

"Enough of this nonsense! Where’s Dark Hell’s Female Emperor? Summon her at once!" Ash Ghost Emperor was clearly not in a mood for pleasantries.

"Alexander and Edward have acted recklessly and even killed my relatives in the Mist Instance. Now, they’ve bullied the sister of our Deputy Alliance Leader. If you don’t hand them over today, don’t blame us when our Ghost Alliance army lays siege to your city!"

"Exactly! Hand them over!"

"They’ve killed our leader’s family, and now they’ve bullied our deputy leader’s sister. This is a provocation, and we cannot let this slide!"

"Dark Hell has gone too far! If you don’t hand them over now, I’ll return and muster an army to besiege the city!"

...

Liam, standing to one side, bit his lip, caught in a tangle of conflicting emotions.

He had learned of Abigail’s decision to align with Alexander and was highly supportive. If he were not the lord of a mid-sized ghost city and a Ghost Emperor himself, he would have been tempted as well.

After all, the prospect of mass-producing Ghost Imperials was tantalizing. At a time like this, he was unwilling to offend Alexander, but circumstances had spiraled out of his control.

Ash initially sought vengeance for his deceased family and hoped to bolster his reputation in the Ghost Alliance, possibly overshadowing Liam, the Deputy Alliance Leader.

But once he learned of Alexander’s abilities, especially the production of Ghost Food—a resource comparable to ghost crystals—his objective changed. Even those who were close allies with Liam in the Ghost Alliance had their loyalties swayed.

Hence, anything Liam said now would be futile, and would only isolate him within the alliance.

"Lord Ash, I truly don’t have the authority to resolve this matter. Why not wait for our City Lord to return?" Jessica, pressed into a corner, could only continue to stall.

"Do you think she’s the only one with urgent matters?" Ash sneered. "I’ll give you two choices now: either have Alice return immediately or hand Alexander over to me.

Alternatively, I’ll lead my men to fetch him myself! If you can’t comply, I’ll rally my troops for a siege, and then you’ll have no time for regrets!"

Jessica frowned, caught in a predicament. Just then, a piercing shout echoed from above. "A siege, you say? Go ahead and muster your forces. I’d like to see if I should be afraid!"

As the shout reverberated, a brilliant golden light emanated from the descending Seraphina, who brandished her longsword like a bolt of golden lightning from the sky.

The air filled with the uniform footsteps of soldiers dressed in the standardized armor of Dark Hell, streaming in from all directions like an incoming tide.

Leading them was the legion commander of Dark Hell. Within the City Mansion, more soldiers surged forth, encircling the Ghost Emperors of the Ghost Alliance.

"Seraphina, are you declaring war on us? With this?" Ash’s eyes flashed a cruel glint, as a terrifying aura enveloped him.

"War it is, then! Does Dark Hell look like it fears you?" Another shout rang out, and additional figures descended from the sky, landing in front of the army—among them were Emperor Kui and Kassadin.

The visages of Ash and his companions turned decidedly grim. Everyone was well-aware of the situation with Dark Hell.

What nobody had expected was that these apartment building lords—often at odds with the City Mansion, some even openly hostile—had all aligned with the city’s leadership.

Now, more than twenty Imperials were present, including the incredibly powerful female ghost, Emperor Kui. They were in hot water now!

Among those assembled were nine Ghost Emperors. Under normal circumstances, had they quarreled with Dark Hell, they could have slain a couple of Ghost Imperials and made an easy exit.

But now, with so many Ghost Imperials and Emperor Kui among them, if a battle broke out, the consequences would likely be dire. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Ash’s face turned dark as pitch. Abruptly, he lifted his right hand, revealing a black ghost mark hovering over his palm. It was an Emperor Seal, a powerful symbol inherited by Ghost Emperors, granting them authority over a city.

The seal was a fount of magical power and the reason an inheritance Ghost Emperor had significantly more battle prowess than ordinary Ghost Emperors. With the Emperor Seal in hand, a terrifying aura spread throughout, suppressing lesser ghosts within a kilometer radius.

"Lords of Dark Hell!" Holding the Emperor Seal aloft, Ash spoke arrogantly. "Are you sure you wish to make an enemy of me, an inheritance Ghost Emperor, and the Ghost Alliance for the sake of one chosen one? I, Ash, could easily evade you all.

If you want to kill me, none of you can stop it. If you insist on opposing me, I will unleash a massacre today to demonstrate the might of an inheritance Ghost Emperor. Tomorrow, my army will descend upon your city, and none shall survive!"

"Do you still count as an inheritance Ghost Emperor if you have no city?"

A voice suddenly broke through the tension. Amidst a whirlwind of snow, the figures of Alexander, Edward, and others appeared amidst the assembly.

"Alexander, you’ve finally arrived!" Ash’s face lit up with a momentary glimmer of joy, which quickly transformed into confusion.

"What do you mean ’no city’? Do you plan to attack my Ash City? How laughable!"