A surreal scene unfolded before the duo''s bulging eyes. How could a ghost disappear inside another one? What was Gaston doing?


    Adam scratched his head, puzzled by the unforeseen development. He felt nothing wrong with his soul.


    ''Did he leave theatrically, or did he actually manage to get insideme?''


    He squinted, cold sweat cascading down his forehead in a wave of panic. But before pondering, he had something to do.


    He rxed his spectral body, turned to the trembling boy, and raised his thumb.


    "Well done! You didn''t disappoint me! Hahaha."


    With a forced yet bright smile, heplimented Julius on his great job.


    "Stupid big bro. I thought you gave up and that he would kill you!" Julius said, his voice trembling in resentment. However, his eyes sparkled with relief, and his lips curled upward in a subtle yet meaningful smile. His big brother was still the strongest.


    As Adam moved toward the boy, soothing him with assurances that everything would be fine, a sudden tremor shook his frame like a leaf battered by a hurricane.


    He clutched his chest, his hands trembling, and his legs buckled. He copsed to the ground the next second, an agonizing grimace distorting his face.


    "AHHH!"


    "What is happening? Big bro? Big bro!"


    Julius'' panicked shriek echoed in his ears, filled with terror before everything went dark.


    *****


    Adam opened his eyes in his apartment a secondter. The excruciating pain kept assaulting his soul as a fiery de pressed against his organs, gradually charring them.


    ''Did I lose consciousness?'' he wondered, feeling lost in a poisonous mist of mystery that slowly corroded his essence. He had to find the cause, or he wouldn''tst long.


    He scanned the ce, seeing nothing out of ce in his immediate vicinity. However, further away, he noticed a familiar evil ghost devouring his library. The ghost''s delighted face as he grabbed his precious books and gobbled them like delicious cakes struck Adam with the force of a truck.


    "What are you doing in my apartment, youfucker?!"


    His blood boiled, and his fists trembled with fury as he roared like a beast. He hated nothing more than seeing his ce in a mess and was attached to his properties, especially if they came from Earth!


    "Interesting... How can you enter your soul sea at your level?" Gaston asked, his hand freezing for a moment as he leaned towards Adam, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.


    He didn''t know much about soul seas, only that once it was destroyed, death would follow. He had heard that some mages could ess it, though. But they were all mighty individuals wielding terrifying powers.


    "Don''t ask me questions, idiot! Why are you eating my stuff?!"


    Adam red, his brows twitching as he saw pieces of torn book covers littering the ground.


    "Nothing much, really," Gaston answered, his evil smile broadening to reach his ears. "Just devouring your soul."


    As his words lingered, he grabbed a bizarre book filled with drawings. Honestly, all the peculiar items filling the room surprised him and broadened his horizons.


    Seeing his precious collection, especially the first volume of a story about a young man dreaming of bing the king of pirates, tightly clutched in Gaston''s hand, doubled the grief cutting at Adam''s heart.


    "One of us will die today!"


    He gritted his teeth, feeling them crack. His eyes chilled, twitching uncontrobly, as he summoned his weapon. nting his feet on the floor, he bent his knees, feeling the joins pop under the pressure. Like an arrow let loose, he dashed towards his hateful enemy, a trace of growing madness blooming in his mind.


    The Ethereal Radiance weaved itself in his right hand, illuminating the apartment  with its glorious light as if to celebrate its first appearance.


    Feeling the shaft''s smooth yet cold texture in his palm, he smirked. Then, his arm''s muscles tensed, his veins protruded, and he swung it in arge horizontal arc.


    WOOSH


    The wind roared behind the brilliant rip, echoing Adam''s rage as a luminous blur zoomed towards Gaston''s neck.


    However, Gaston''s eyes sparkle with malice. In a motion of extreme swiftness, he crouched, avoiding the lethal strike ruffling his hair. Seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward,unching a devastating counter-attack before Adam could retrieve his weapon.


    Tension cracked in the air as his scarlet fist cut the wind, reaching for Adam''s head.


    However, before he could hit, a terrible sensation assaulted him. It felt like a magic circle brimming with energy, draining his strength and causing him to fall from thete stage of the second tier to the early stage.


    His movement lost its lethality.


    ''What is weakening me?'' He thought, his eyes erging at the perplexing phenomenon.


    Meanwhile, Gaston''s blurry fist became as clear as his vile face in Adam''s eyes. His neck cracked, moving to the side. His lips curled into a vicious smile the next moment.


    The wind howled as he raised his spear above his head before shooting downwards.


    With no time to dodge, Gaston decisively moved his left forearm on the spear''s trajectory.


    THUD


    The base of the spear''s tip collided with his forearm. A low thud echoed, and Gaston smirked. He would ount for his mysterious loss of strength in his counter-attack this time and knock Adam out once and for all.


    However, his confidant expression crumbled the next second as a bright light condensed, blinding his blue eyes with its radiance.


    BOOM


    A raging explosion engulfed him, sending him crashing against the wall and burning his soul with pure light, the bane of evil entities.


    "AAAAAH!"


    Gaston shrieked in agony, feeling part of his soul dissolve in puffs of smoke under the intense heat''s relentless assault.


    Yet, despite the pain, his mind churned at maximum capacity.


    ''What is this spear? Why did he only use it now?'' He thought, drafting theories in a second.


    Was it to use the dagger''s properties to burn his soul slowly in revenge? Or was it because Adam underestimated him initially?


    Somehow, he felt his deductions were wrong. Adam''s rage was genuine. He could see it in his bloodshot eyes. From his psyche analysis, he knew Adam wasn''t like him. He wouldn''t torture others, even under intense resentment.


    Little did he know that Adam had never used this spear and was unaware of how its abilities applied. Thus, he relied on his trusted dagger. In addition, he wasn''t sure he could use it in his ghost body without suffering from the Light Ward enhancement.


    Now, a few meters away, Gaston used this opportunity to scan the spear, noticing a shimmering aura of light dance around his adversary. The draining sensation disappeared, too. That''s when he understood. ''The aura weakens me, and the spear causes explosions upon impact. What a nice weapon.''


    Now that he had pieced this mystery''s puzzle, his signature smile graced his lips once again.


    "Hey. Want to see something interesting?"


    Without waiting for an answer, he extended his arm, taking a familiar pose with his index finger pointed at Adam. Mana condensed to form a small ball glinting with a dark, menacing hue. If fighting at close range would weaken him, he would fight from a distance, as simple as that.


    Upon seeing his technique, Adam''s pupils constricted, and an icy shiver caressed his spine, murmuring words of dread in his ears. ''Did he learn my spell after it only once?! What kind of crazy monster is he?''


    But he didn''t have time to waste on emotions. A crazed light ignited in his eyes as the bullet zoomed in. Gritting his teeth, he moved his spear on the bullet''s trajectory. Yet, a detail didn''t escape his eye. Gaston''s bullet was faster than his. As shocking and unbelievable as it was, it could only mean one thing: Gaston''s mana control was better than his.


    He had to fight in melee or suffer from the barrage and eventually lose.


    After blocking the mana bullet, he rushed towards his nemesis.


    But Gaston was faster than him, too. As slippery as an eel and as annoying as a deadly wasp, he kept his distance from him,ughing at his vain attempt to close reach him.