novelraw Chapter 265: So, it seems you’ve chosen death
Chapter 265: So, it seems you’ve chosen death
Caught off-guard by the invitation from the Lord’s Mansion and the urgent matter of the Endless Abyss siege, Alexander took a moment to gather his thoughts.
He’d spent ten days in secluded space; the crisis at hand was indeed reaching a critical point.
Despite the urgency, Alexander didn’t hastily exit. When he had previously distributed red potions to Asfur and Terence, he had purposely withheld the ones of king-level and above.
It wasn’t that he distrusted them; rather, their power was simply not yet up to the task. Falling into the wrong hands, such potions could spell disaster.
Being the Chosen One, Alexander felt it was more appropriate for him to personally deliver these high-quality potions. Yet, with time pressing on him, he found himself without the luxury to complete this task and had to delegate it to others.
"These are king-level and above Ghost Foods that I’ve prepared for you. Tony will accompany me to the Lord’s Mansion later, so distribute these among yourselves," Alexander commanded. With a casual wave of his hand, red and blue potions materialized before the purple-haired and red-haired ghosts.
A collective gasp resounded on the rooftop, filled exclusively with the high-ranking members of the Fierce Ghost Association.
Now undisputedly the dominant force in both Fierce Ghost Street and Happy Street, the association had garnered overwhelming support from the spirits residing in the Ghost Apartments and the Happy Apartments. Such widespread backing had led to a tidal wave of entities desiring to join their ranks.
Even in Undead Street, where the owner of the Undead Apartments had been purposely undermining the Fierce Ghost Association, the sentiment amongst the ghost citizens was largely tilted in favor of joining them.
With such vast numbers and complex structures, the old ways of running the Fierce Ghost Association like a mere gang were no longer sufficient.
Fortunately, with professionals like Henry in their midst, the Fierce Ghost Association remained a well-oiled machine.
The figures assembled on the rooftop were not just any high-ranking members of the Fierce Ghost Association; they were at least of the Grand Commander level.
Don’t underestimate the significance of that title. A Commander controls a force of a hundred thousand, and a Grand Commander is in charge of ten Commanders. Each person present had at least a million-strong force under their command.
Even so, including Henry and others, there were more than seventy people on the rooftop. That implies that the Fierce Ghost Association now commands a formidable force of at least seventy million.
These ones are true leaders, many of whom also hold positions of great influence in the real world. Yet, at this moment, their eyes are transfixed, staring intently at the red and blue potions floating before Alexander.
While Ghost Food held little value for the Chosen Ones, those who had spent a considerable amount of time here, like Henry, had come to understand its true worth. Astonished gazes were cast upon the floating potions.
Tony audibly swallowed, his eyes widening despite having been previously awed by the Ghost Food of soldier level. "How much is this, exactly?" he quivered.
"Not much. One thousand at King level, ninety-three at Imperial level, and twelve at Emperor level," Alexander casually replied.
The gathered spirits were rendered speechless. Ghost Kings were relatively abundant in this horror world, as evident from the Cangshan city instance where hundreds of thousands of Ghost Kings participated. Even in Dark Hell, the number of Ghost Kings far exceeded a thousand.
However, Imperial-level ghosts were exceedingly rare; combining all twenty-six street blocks in Dark Hell and the Lord’s Mansion, one wouldn’t find more than thirty.
The Ghost Food Alexander had produced could, once consumed, enable the user to sweep through the Third Ghost Realm—a truly horrifying resource.
"This is just the beginning," Alexander said, shaking his head at the astonished crowd. "Absorb these quickly. The real battle is coming soon. Tony, let’s head to the Lord’s Mansion and see what Alice plans for the Endless Abyss siege."
"Let’s go," Tony responded without hesitation. Nodding his agreement, he activated a portal with his ghost bead and, alongside Alexander, exited the rooftop.
"What are you all gawking at? Hurry up and distribute these. Use your time wisely to enhance your strength! Didn’t you hear what Mr. Alexander said? The war is about to begin; Endless Abyss is coming for us!
If you don’t strive to improve, I’ll give the opportunity to those who do." The purple-haired ghost stood up, his voice as cold as a knife’s edge.
His words were ruthless. ’If you don’t strive, let those who do have the chance.’ At face value, it seemed fair, but the catch was that almost all members of the Fierce Ghost Association had already consumed Ghost Food.
Having already used it, how could they give the opportunity to someone else? The unspoken implication was clear: those who didn’t strive would themselves be turned into Ghost Food.
However, no one took his cruel words to heart. Not strive? That would be a joke. This was an opportunity to gain strength without lifting a finger. All that was needed was to control the internal ghostly energy for accelerated absorption.
Anyone who slacked off now was simply asking for it!
The high-quality Ghost Food brought by Alexander was quickly distributed. Those who received it were generally gifted, more inclined towards combat or combat support. Everyone was visibly excited, their blood boiling.
As for the Endless Abyss, no one was worried. Even if they attacked, how could they stand a chance? With the leadership of hundreds of Imperial-level ghosts and a dozen or so Emperor-level ghosts, victory was practically assured.
The only regret was that absorbing Emperor-level Ghost Food wasn’t easy and would take considerable time. If the enemy advanced quickly, few members of the Fierce Ghost Association might reach the Imperial level.
However, with a force of six million soldier-level ghosts, there was nothing much to worry about. In this horror world, there were few ghosts who feared death, especially among the members of the Fierce Ghost Association.
Therefore, each member was fully prepared, almost wishing for the Endless Abyss to attack immediately.
What the members of the Fierce Ghost Association failed to realize was that the great war Alexander spoke of was not the one involving the Endless Abyss. Even the six major Ghost Realms in the terrifying world were merely a prelude in Alexander’s eyes.
His true target was the Mist World! His real enemies were the horrifying entities gradually encroaching upon the entire Ghost Realm and the white guardian who slumbered.
...
After leaving the Fierce Ghost Association, Alexander and Tony hopped into Edward’s sports car, heading toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Upon their return, the scenery had reverted to what it had been during their first visit, albeit with three fewer city lords’ heirs. Inside the hall, a good number of people had already gathered.
Clearly, they were the heads of various powerful factions. Among them were over fifty people: eight at the Imperial level and the rest at the King level.
Therefore, when Edward entered with Tony, they immediately drew everyone’s attention. Some faces showed disdain, others simply shook their heads. Clearly, many did not think highly of a soldier-level chosen one.
Yet, no one stepped forward to confront Alexander, with many even nodding cordially at him. After all, his relationship with Louis was no secret here.
However, being cordial to Alexander didn’t mean they extended the same courtesy to Tony. In fact, Tony was the real president of the Fierce Ghost Association, the one who had been managing its affairs.
Unity was not exactly a strong suit in Dark Hell. This was evident from the number of Imperials present; with such a significant event as the Endless Abyss attack looming, only eight had shown up—less than half of the total.
Many had conspired to reject the City Lord Mansion’s invitation under various pretexts. Given their elevated statuses in Dark Hell, the Mansion had no recourse to stronger measures.
Louis’ seemingly effortless bestowal of the opportunity to control Fierce Ghost Street to the Fierce Ghost Association was possible because he had a grip over it. In the whole of Dark Hell, only Louis had the reputation to take such a step without facing opposition.
Yet, being unopposed did not mean that others held no grievances.
"Oh! If it isn’t King Edward! The once strongest Ghost Prince. What has reduced you to such a sorry state in just a few days?" sneered a ghost, one at the peak of King-level, in a tone dripping with disdain.
Recognizing Alexander’s limited understanding of the situation, Tony whispered in his ear, "That’s Alaric. He’s one of the two top aides under Thaddeus, who controls the Soul Street and the Soul Apartment.
His strength is second only to another strong ghost named Sterling. Alaric once took down a King-level ghost in just three seconds on an airship’s fighting stage. He is among the most formidable Kings."
On the other side, looking at Alaric standing in his way, Edward chuckled and said coolly, "King Alaric, do you wish to spar with me? You? You’re not Sterling. If you can last a minute against me, I’ll forfeit my life right here."
Edward’s arrogance reached a zenith. However, Alaric hesitated, scrutinizing Edward for a moment before ultimately stepping back.
He wasn’t sure what Edward had up his sleeve, but clearly, Edward wouldn’t have accepted the challenge without some level of confidence. After all, Edward was a close confidant of Louis, and nobody knew the extent of his true strength.
Edward didn’t even spare Alaric a glance as he walked straight in. Alexander and Tony were about to follow when they were once again blocked by Alaric.
He cast a quick glance at Alexander but focused his attention on Tony, saying, "King Edward may enter, but you, a mere gang leader, think you can enter the City Lord’s Mansion?"
"Alaric!" Edward whirled around, his face a storm of fury. The next moment, a palpable aura of Imperial-level power engulfed him.
"There’s no need for anger," said a middle-aged man sitting not too far away, his face adorned with a smile. "This is the City Lord’s Mansion, after all. Not everyone is welcome. Don’t trouble yourself further; come and have a seat."
Edward looked over to see who it was—Octavian, one of the first Imperials cultivated by the City Lord’s Mansion, the landlord of the Black Spirit Apartment. Clearly, Octavian was siding with Alaric.
"You’re courting death!" Tony’s face darkened, his ghostly aura surging.
Unlike Edward, he lacked the advantage of innate talent. Even though he had advanced his abilities through the Abyss Ghost Crystals, he wasn’t particularly strong among the ghost kings of his level. In fact, one could say he was at the bottom.
But humiliated like this, how could Tony bear it? In life, you could bleed, you could die, but you had to maintain your integrity.
Think he’s an easy target? Sorry, even if it costs his life, he’d skin the opponent alive. That had been Tony’s guiding principle since he left the Blood Moon School.
Snap!
Just as Tony was bracing himself for a fight, a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked sideways to find Alexander grinning from ear to ear. "Remember what it takes to survive in this world?"
"Of course!" Tony laughed heartily, "Three things! Ruthlessness, loyalty, and brothers!"
"Exactly! Brothers! You covered me when you were Jimmy Conway of the Fierce Ghost Association. Today, it’s Tommy DeVito’s turn to stand up for you."
Alexander took a step forward, standing in front of Tony.
"Alexander?" Alaric had never met Alexander and only vaguely heard of him. Unwilling to offend recklessly but irritated by Alexander’s interruption, he coldly warned, "I’d suggest you don’t interfere, or else—"
"Scram, or die!" Alexander’s attitude eclipsed even Edward’s arrogance by a hundredfold.
It was as if he wasn’t facing a ghost king but a mere ant.
"Insect!" Alaric was infuriated by Alexander’s arrogance. His ghostly aura exploded instantly, enveloping him in an aura of darkness so profound that even the light around him seemed to shy away.
"Insect, very good, you’ve successfully ignited my wrath, and I will definitely—"
Alaric’s voice was seething with rage. However, he was cut off mid-sentence when Alexander suddenly vanished. Before Alaric could react, Alexander reappeared, now face-to-face with him.
A hand reached out, gripping Alaric’s throat tightly. "So, it seems you’ve chosen death."