The surrounding environnt held the distinct familiarity of a shopping mall, its architecture blending seamlessly into the background. Yet, this world was surreal, as if bathed in a haunting crimson glow, draping everything within sight in a faint red hue.
This world, known as the ghost domain, might appear confined at first glance. However, once within, its boundaries seed to expand infinitely, echoing the characteristics of an alternate dinsion perched precariously between reality and illusion. Its nature was so complex that even Miles, the domains guardian, struggled to understand its true form.
Suddenly, an ominous presence materialized before Miles a mangled corpse. Its arm was missing, and its head grotesquely twisted at a disconcerting angle. It was a grim sight that struck a familiar chord. The corpse was one of Master Catchs apprentices, whom Miles had been shadowing previously. Despite the dreadful circumstances, the apprentice, a young man in his early thirties, looked surprisingly untouched by ti.
Miles pondered, As I suspected, this spirit prefers to inhabit fresh bodies, discarding those decayed or incompatible. Yet, its capable of inhabiting any corpse as it pleases. Ethan, for all his strength, wouldnt stand a chance of capturing it unless he sohow managed to restrict all bodies simultaneously.
His eyes flickered with realization, However, trapping it within my ghost domain changes the equation. Its the only surefire way to prevent its escape.
Miles felt a grim satisfaction, Ethan made the right choice by choosing to collaborate with . His role as bait has not been wasted.
His eyes darted towards the countdown tir on his mobile. Two minutes and forty seconds had already elapsed, but that didnt deter him. The spirit had been located, and his ti limit was five minutes. As long as he could confine the spirit within that tifra, the plan would succeed.
The stakes were high now, the danger palpable. Until now, they had only been dealing with corpses puppeteered by the spirit. Now, Miles was up against the entity itself.
The corpse before him stirred, slowly reorienting its twisted head into a natural position. Its lifeless grey eyes stared back at Miles, emotionless and rigid a chilling sight.
Miles remained unfazed. He had previously confronted far more terrifying entities, including the notorious knocking ghost. Those encounters had steeled his resolve.
Suddenly, the spirit-infused corpse lunged towards him. Its movent was swift, its speed inhuman. In re seconds, it was upon him. Instead of going for his head, the entity aid its solitary arm towards the eye embedded on the back of Miless hand.
He mused, Is that your plan, ghost? To piece together a grotesque form composed of vengeful ghosts? Is that why youve been replacing body parts, in search of suitable limbs for yourself?
Despite the imminent threat, Miles remained unflinching, ready to face whatever was coming next.
It seems like you possess the sa growth potential as that ghost baby. If you manage to piece together a body composed of spirits, your level of terror might even reach an S-class destructive level. However, its a pity that your current level of terror isnt that high.
Miles stood before the ghost, his hand in its grasp, the ghost eye on the back of his hand about to be forcibly plucked out.
But then, he vanished.
Miles reappeared not far behind the ghost.
Im grateful that today we can restrain a ghost that poses an imnse future threat. Yet, up to now, I still wonder if you ghosts possess any wisdom.
He attempted to analyze useful information from the ghosts actions, motives, and existence to amplify the achievents of this mission.
However, the ghost did not respond, rely standing rigidly in place and motionless.
Since we cant communicate, we have no choice but to imprison you, this terrifying entity, said Miles cautiously, even though he was in the ghost domain.
Ethan, its your turn.
With a red light enveloping the clothing store, Miless figure beca visible, along with the corpse.
Ethan had already reattached the arm that the ghost had taken. Its unclear how he managed to do so. Perhaps it was the power of the ghost within him.
Are you certain its this corpse? Seeing Miles appear suddenly, he blinked in surprise, asking imdiately.
Ive trapped it with the ghost domain. Have the other bodies moved at all during this ti? Miles asked.
Well, no, Ethan looked at the other bodies. Indeed, they were still and unmoving.
I just want to confirm one more ti. If we make another mistake, you know what my situation is.
Miles replied, We are risking it all, there are no what-ifs. If we succeed in imprisoning this ghost, you can retire early, cant you? Sothing worth a billion, its enough for you to die without regrets, sa for .
Youre right, Ethan clenched his teeth and entered the ghost domain.
The ghost domain was not a place he could enter on his own, only Miless permission could allow him in.
But as soon as Ethan entered, perhaps his presence threatened the ghost.
Imdiately, a blurry figure erged from the corpse.
Its height and size changed rapidly, transforming to match Miless stature and build. Yet, this ghostly figure remained headless.
A headless ghost!
So, this was the ghosts original form?
No wonder the head was always the first to decay in each corpse, it was missing its own.
Miles, its aiming for you! Ethan shouted urgently upon seeing this.
Before he could finish, the ghost figure approached swiftly, seemingly about to rge with him.
It was uncertain if Miles was simply too slow to react or if the ghosts actions were entirely unpredictable. The spectral figure fused with Miles in a sudden motion, leaving him motionless.
No way, muttered Ethan, his eyes narrowing and heart tightening. After their extended encounter, he had co to comprehend the ghosts unique ability. It could hijack bodies, human and otherwise. If the ghost had indeed seized control of Miles, it would spell disaster.
Whats the surprise? Miless voice erged from the side, his figure unscathed. The ghost only took over a mannequin. Apparently, even ghosts can be deceived.
Sure enough, the figure was not Miles but a dummy under that flickering red light.
So, this is the power of the invincible ghost domain? Ethan gawked at Miles, who seed to have appeared out of thin air. He wondered if this Miles might be a diversion too. In the ghost domain, reality could be twisted at will; only what Miles perceived as real was genuine.
If you dont take action soon, Im out of here, Miles warned.
I understand, Ethan responded, snapping out of his stupor. He took a single step and found himself in front of the mannequin. Distance seed to have lost its aning.
Ignoring the peculiarities of the ghost domain, Ethan seized the dummy. His gloved hand was wet with blood, which quickly seeped into the mannequin.
Thump, thump, thump!
As the ghost-blood capable of subduing other specters ca in contact with the true ghost, bodies strewn around the clothing store began to crumble. Like a carefully stacked set of blocks, the corpses disintegrated.
It worked. Congrats, youve apprehended the true ghost. Your abilities are impressive. I can only trap it, not restrain it, Miles remarked, glancing over.
Ethan managed a bitter smile, Your invincible ghost domain is the real terror. Unless I physically grapple with a ghost, Im helpless. If I cant subdue it, I wont even have a chance to escape. But, if we tead up, ghost hunting would be considerably simpler.
Upon completing his train of thought, Ethan looked at Miles again. Their abilities did complent each other quite well. A wave of regret washed over him, considering his life was nearing its end. Had he t Miles sooner, things might have been different. But until recently, Miles had been a simple student, new to the world of ghost taming.
Lets chat later. Its been nearly four minutes. Id rather not die due to a vengeful ghosts revival. Hurry up and subdue it, Miles urged.
Just a bit longer, its not ti yet, Ethan responded.
Upon hearing Ethans words, Miles had no choice but to bide his ti patiently.
Approximately ten seconds passed before Ethans ghost blood had infiltrated the mannequin enough to start its transformation. The plastic dummy began to dissolve slowly, ghost blood seeping from its every joint, gradually engulfing and then dissolving it. Along with it, the spectral figure seed to evaporate as well.
A pool of blood ford on the floor, disrupting the surrounding ghost domain.
At this sight, Ethan squatted down and placed his hand over the blood pool. The blood appeared to be drawn back into his body, diminishing swiftly until only a tiny pool remained. Within this crimson puddle, a headless figure writhed, flipping and stretching, attempting fruitlessly to escape the blood that served as its restraints.
Now, its ready. Ethan produced a hefty, gold-crafted box from his pocket. Despite its modest size, it was sufficient to contain the small blood puddle.
As if possessed with a life of its own, the blood pooled on the ground, guiding the trapped headless ghost into the box.
Click!
The box snapped shut. For added security, Ethan encased it in several layers of gold foil, ensuring there were no gaps.
This is only the initial confinent, he explained. If necessary, lt the gold foil on the surface to seal the opening entirely. That way, the ghost wont ever be able to escape. Any tiny gap could potentially allow it to break free. Ghost tars have been unfortunate victims of such an oversight in the past.
Ethan exhaled deeply, only after ensuring all this had been done.
So thats how it works? Ive learned sothing new today, Miles noted, observing the entire process and committing every step to mory.
Using gold alone wasnt enough; the opening needed to be securely welded shut, with no cracks left.
Now that weve successfully trapped this ghost, whats your next move? If you dont mind, I could hold on to the box for a while. What do you think? He cautiously proposed.
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