Enoch Bernard spoke gravely, “I’ve gone through some old files on major criminals, and in one sealed folder from 30 years ago, there were records on the Five Ghosts. These five were ruthless killers, each carrying sins as deep as the ocean! Three decades back, each one of them took down a powerful family in the East, the Western Frontier, the Southern Border, the North, and Central Plains-hundreds of lives lost in total.”
“Not only that, but they’d mock their victims by painting Slain by Five Ghosts on the walls! As they got bolder, they’d leave bodies at the Guardians’ front door, deliberately taunting them. The Guardians were furious, and several task forces were assigned to investigate. Yet one by one, they’d find the corpses of those task force members dumped right back at their own doors. It was like killing was a game to the Five Ghosts, and no one could do a damn thing about it.”
“At that time, their killing sprees were notorious, and since they struck so widely-almost across the entire Seclela-their names inspired pure terror. Nobody knew what they’d do next, and nobody knew who they really were. Then, just when they were at the height of infamy, they vanished without a trace.”
“They stopped killing, left no sign of themselves. Some said the heavens took them; others believed they’d hit some kind of ‘kill quota’ and might resurface anytime. From that day on, they simply disappeared, like they’d never existed. All these years have passed, and I never thought I’d see any sign of them again.”
At this point, Enoch’s face grew more somber, followed by a violent cough that left him spitting blood.
His previous injuries had taken their toll; after all, he was just a regular guy, without any combat training, and only knew a bit of basic self-defense.
Kayden Scott took out a black pill, walked over to Enoch, and handed it to him, saying, “Take this.”
Enoch glanced at the black pill and swallowed it without hesitation-such was his trust in Kayden. Anyone else, he’d definitely have questioned what it was.
Right after swallowing, he felt a dramatic shift in his body, like his blood was flowing smoothly and steadily. More than that, he felt… uplifted, almost reborn.
“Defender, what is this pill?” Enoch asked in shock.
Kayden looked at him and said, “Something money can’t buy.”
“One last question-what were the names of these Five Ghosts?” Kayden asked coolly.
Enoch blinked, shaking his head. “No clue. They were like phantoms, impossible to trace. We only knew them by their group name, Five Ghosts, and never saw their real faces, let alone knew their individual names.”
Kayden nodded slightly. “Alright. Thanks for tonight; go home and get some rest.” Kayden placed a hand on Enoch’s shoulder in a rare gesture of appreciation.
This simple act left Enoch stunned, his respect for Kayden deepening.
After leaving the hospital, Kayden sat in the back seat while Greedy Wolf drove up front.
“Five Ghosts,” Kayden muttered, his gaze flickering with a strange light.
Hearing this, Greedy Wolf quickly offered, “Defender, I’ll go investigate the Five Ghosts.”
Kayden nodded thoughtfully, then said, “Send Abram May to handle it. You stay here and keep a close watch on Firefist and Wood Faulkner. The Five Ghosts may target them at any moment.”
“Yes, Defender.” Greedy Wolf nodded firmly.
Suddenly, Kayden added, “Spread the word that Kameron is dead. No, don’t stop there-say the entire Five Ghosts are dead!”
“Yes!” Greedy Wolf replied, instantly sitting up straighter, feeling like a grand showdown was about to begin.
Kayden’s plan was simple: to provoke the Five Ghosts. He couldn’t risk them missing the news of Kameron’s death. So, he was pushing the tempo, betting that a claim of all five of them being dead would set them off.
They might not care if just Kameron died, but the idea that all five were gone? The Five Ghosts were proud and cocky killers-no way would they sit still while people spread rumors of their demise. He hadn’t met any of them, but he was sure of this.
In the heart of a secluded mountain range…
The dense forest and ancient trees gave off an air of primal mystery. In the mountain depths stood a grand, archaic building with glazed tiles and wooden pillars.
A flowing waterfall cascaded down near the main gate, plunging into a deep gorge below. It was a scene so breathtaking, even the most famous waterfall couldn’t compare.
Inside the building, a voice rang out, raw with urgency: “Master, the leader of the Five Ghosts, Kameron, is dead!”
The news of Kameron’s death had spread, and now it reached here as well.
At the center of the main hall, a commanding elder sat on a large stone throne. With his long, flowing beard, he exuded an air of ancient wisdom. His eyes remained shut, seemingly indifferent to the news.
A faint mist rose from beneath his seat, where ghostly bull heads floated in the haze-no one knew if this mist was his aura or something else. Whatever it was, it added to his aura of mystery.
“The one who killed Kameron also claims he’s killed all Five Ghosts! It’s clearly a ploy to fire them up. I’m certain the Five Ghosts will go after him for this. Master, should we call them back?” The speaker was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, bending forward carefully as he spoke.
Below the throne, a few old men, equally white-haired, looked at each other after hearing his words. After a quick exchange, one of them, a respected elder, stood and said, “Master, we should call back the Five Ghosts.”
The elder on the throne stirred, then slowly opened his eyes-a gaze clouded with age and tinged with bloodshot intensity, like they hadn’t seen the world for centuries. Expressionless, he uttered one phrase: “The old age ends; a new era begins. The Five Ghosts have fallen. Hellblazer rises!”
With that, he patted his robes, rose from the stone throne, and said, “I’m going into seclusion. Firestone will handle all matters from now on.”