Chapter 107: Confronting the Shadow Soldiers

The sun gradually climbed higher, yet the ghostly soldiers showed no intention of retreating. If they were unafraid of the light, we were in serious trouble. Fortunately, my worst fears did not manifest; as the sun rose, the spectral soldiers withdrew into the shadows, though they did not vanish into them.

Did they have some other scheme in mind?

Several soldiers knelt before their commander, their long black spears forming a dark altar in the air. The commander began to chant, his voice reciting words that were obscure and difficult to comprehend. The black altar radiated an aura of immense death, and a pillar of dark, ominous light shot into the sky. From within this light, a pitch-black soul-summoning banner emerged.

The banner emitted a shroud of darkness, sealing off the courtyard so completely that not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate. The courtyard returned to a dim, lifeless state, and the spectral soldiers looked at us with malicious glee, as if we were nothing more than meat on a chopping block.

"Die!"

The commander, spear in hand, led his troops in a charge toward us. Chen Hao swung his massive wooden plank, flattening the first soldier to reach him. Though wounded, the soldier gripped his spear and thrust it toward Chen Hao’s thigh. Chen Hao watched coldly and struck again, sending the soldier flying in a graceful arc. The soldier passed through the barrier created by the soul-summoning banner and, upon hitting the sunlight, let out a piercing shriek before dissolving into ash.

The commander’s face darkened; it seemed the soldiers killed by sunlight could not be resurrected. He ordered his troops to stop attacking Chen Hao directly, instead forming a perimeter to wear us down. The soldiers surrounding Li Yuan were cautious, clearly wary of the deadly needles he had demonstrated earlier. Even though they could resurrect infinitely, being struck down was a humiliating experience. In all the endless years since they had become spectral soldiers, they had never encountered a worthy opponent—or even anyone who dared to defy them. Now, people were not only drawing blades against them but actually killing them. Their dignity as spectral soldiers had been severely provoked.

A group of soldiers rushed toward Lin Xiayue, the only woman present, thrusting their spears with all their might. Lin Xiayue gave a contemptuous smile; her invisible power surged, and a wave of pressure crushed the soldiers before her into tiny, granular spheres.

Bolstered by my awakened power, Chen Hao, Lin Xiayue, and Li Yuan were restored to their peak states. Lin Xiayue rose into the air, her hands emitting invisible gravitational pressure. Except for the commander, who was protected by the soul-summoning banner, all the soldiers were forced to their knees. Chen Hao seized the moment, batting the grounded soldiers away one by one as easily as if he were playing golf.

The commander glared at the scene, helpless. He only remained unaffected because of the banner, but since it was not his own weapon, he could not control it. Fear began to take hold. He watched as his remaining soldiers were wiped out, leaving him alone. Yet, to retreat now meant certain punishment upon returning to the underworld. Choosing to fight to the death, he gripped his black spear, and all the death energy within him surged wildly into the soul-summoning banner.

Just as a living person requires life force to exist, the dead rely on this death energy. The commander’s actions were nothing short of suicide.

Chen Hao gripped his wooden plank tightly, his eyes filled with intensity. Lin Xiayue adjusted her clothes and said earnestly, "This posture looks like some kind of sacrificial ritual. I’ve read about it in ancient texts."

If that were true, we might be facing something far more formidable than a simple spectral commander. As we hesitated, the ritual was completed, and the commander’s life force dissipated entirely. The black spear cracked into fragments, and the commander’s body turned to ash, sinking into the earth. Deprived of its summoner’s control, the altar exploded in the air, and the black barrier shrouding the courtyard vanished.

It would have been perfect if it had ended there. But the soul-summoning banner, still radiating infinite energy, did not dissipate. A terrifying power erupted from within it. Accompanied by the wailing cries of an infant, the phantom of a baby emerged from the banner.

"Not good!" The moment I saw the infant, I knew we were in deep trouble. Above the banner appeared a figure I once knew well. Though in soul form, it was undoubtedly him: the first contractor to awaken during the D-District trial—Shan Feng.

Shan Feng’s soul avatar appeared beside the banner, his eyes closed as if unaware he was being summoned. However, the power belonging to Shan Feng had been fully unleashed by the banner. The infant spirit wailed in the sky, tears of blood falling like raindrops.

"Get out of the way!" I shouted, dragging Feng Qian under the eaves. The others followed quickly. As the blood-red droplets hit the ground, they melted the earth they touched. The tiny drops were saturated with lethal poison. But I knew the infant spirit’s true attack wasn't the poison; it was the life-stealing hands that could claim a soul.

Lin Xiayue activated her "Queen of Hearts" ability and rushed out, deploying her gravity manipulation. "Gravity Reversal!" The raindrops falling into the courtyard were drawn upward, shooting back toward the sky. The infant spirit didn't stop; the violent blood droplets rained down, but they didn't harm the banner or the spirit. The infant let out a roar, and countless human hands sprouted from its back, reaching toward us. Lin Xiayue tried to reverse gravity again, but the high-speed hands were unaffected by the interference.

Feng Qian stepped to Lin Xiayue’s side. "Nine of Diamonds, activate!" The toxic blood in the sky was pulled toward Feng Qian, forming a blood-red shield that blocked the infant spirit’s attack. Yet, even with defense, we could not harm the creature. We had repelled the soldiers, only to face an invincible enemy.

At the critical moment, Sun Cheng appeared on the battlefield. I didn't know what his purpose was, but I hoped he wasn't here to kill us in the chaos. He dragged a woman out from the side of the building; she was resisting, muttering unknown words.

"Jiang Linlin?" I asked, confused. Neither of them intended to explain.

Sun Cheng grabbed Jiang Linlin by the collar and said, "Listen to me, only by working together can we seal this monster. Do it now!"

Jiang Linlin seemed conflicted. "I don't want to reveal my ability. You know why."

Sun Cheng gave a bitter laugh. "True. But if you don't act, you’ll be the next to die. Decide whether you want to live or die."

With that baffling remark, Sun Cheng vanished, only to reappear high in the sky. He struck at the source of the black energy—the soul-summoning banner—with an unknown weapon. The banner released a wave of energy that sent him flying. Fortunately, Chen Hao jumped up to catch him. "Little Cheng, long time no see," Chen Hao said with a silly grin. Sun Cheng glared at him. "You big oaf, throw me back up there! Aim for that dead brat in the sky."

"Jiang Linlin, I’m telling you, if you don't act, I won't let you off."

Jiang Linlin looked into Sun Cheng’s eyes and shuddered, as if seeing something terrifying. As Chen Hao threw Sun Cheng with immense force, I began to understand his strategy; he intended to seal the infant spirit within a specific space. It couldn't be the space Sun Cheng hid in, or every evasion would carry unpredictable risks. Was Jiang Linlin’s ability to create space? If she were a space-type user, defeating the spectral soldiers should have been easy without our help.

Suddenly, playing cards appeared behind Jiang Linlin, and all my questions were answered. The Nine of Clubs took to the air, and a sinister black energy erupted. Jiang Linlin seemed like a different person as she bit her lip and whispered:

"Nightmare World! Activate!"