He tightened his grip on the glowing cord.
Astra stepped forward, fury burning in her voice. "What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you hurt him like that!"
The wraith only laughed at first—low and cruel—but the moment she drew closer, his smirk faltered.
His gaze met hers.
An inch away, her eyes locked on his, dark and unyielding.
The wraith's breath hitched. He took a small step back.
"What… is this feeling?" he muttered, throat tightening. "Why can't I speak? Why does it feel… heavy?"
"Step back!" Mo Lian's voice rang sharp with alarm. "It's dangerous!"
She lunged, grabbing Astra by the arm and pulling her away just as—
"Now!" Wei Zhenyu barked.
The cord flared with light as he moved, wrapping it around the wraith in a swift motion. The glowing binds twisted and coiled tighter, sealing with a surge of energy as they locked into place around the struggling form.
Astra stood firm, her gaze still locked on the bound wraith. She didn't speak, but her glare burned with a defiant fire—cold, steady, and unflinching.
The wraith thrashed against the glowing cord, its shadowy form writhing in fury. Spectral mist poured from its body as it struggled, the bindings crackling with strain.
Mo Lian stepped forward, voice sharp and commanding. "Come out of him now." Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword again. "If you don't, we'll force you out and cast you into the Prison Realm. You'll be shattered—erased completely. Choose your end."
The wraith laughed, guttural and mocking. "You think your little tricks will hold me forever? This body may be weak, but my hunger…" he growled, "…is endless."
Wei Zhenyu tightened the cord with a flick of his wrist, and the bindings glowed brighter, pulsing with sealing runes.
Then Astra spoke, her tone clipped and deadpan. "Endless hunger? You're just a bitter shadow clinging to the past—feeding off scraps like a starving rat that couldn't die properly… Pathetic."
The clearing fell into a heavy silence.
Mo Lian pinched the bridge of her nose. She muttered under her breath, "Who is this girl? Why… why did she have to provoke it now."
The wraith's eyes snapped to Astra, a snarl ripping through the air as a sudden pulse of energy exploded from its form. The glowing cord shattered like glass under pressure.
A shockwave burst outward, hurling Wei and Mo Lian back several feet.
In a blink, the wraith surged straight toward Astra.
Astra barely had time to react before spectral fingers wrapped around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Her feet dangled, boots scraping the dirt.
"You dare mock me?" it hissed, voice trembling with rage.
The defiance in her eyes began to waver. Darkness crept over her vision. Her earlier fire dulled, and her pupils flickered—whatever strange force had surged in her moments before now faded completely. The shadows around her broke.
Astra gasped, grasping at the wraith's arm, her body twisting as she choked. Her eyes widened. The chill of true fear gripped her at last.
The wraith's expression had shifted—no more twisted amusement, no more smug superiority. His face was now a mask of cold fury, his gaze locked on Astra with pure, bone-deep malice.
"You…" he growled, his voice like grinding stones. "You mock what you don't understand."
With a sudden roar, the wraith surged forward again, lashing out with a spectral claw aimed straight for Astra's chest. She dove aside just in time, the claw grazing her sleeve and leaving a trail of smoking fabric behind. She stumbled, panting, eyes wide.
Mo Lian and Wei Zhenyu leapt into action, their hands moving in unison to form a secondary sealing technique. Threads of spiritual energy crackled between them as they began weaving another containment bind.
But the wraith was relentless. He twisted through their formation, lashing out wildly. As Mo Lian blocked with her blade, a sudden swipe of corrupted energy slashed across her neck—just shallow enough to avoid being fatal, but deep enough to draw blood.
"Lian!" Wei Zhenyu's voice broke with sudden panic. He caught her mid-step, one hand pressing to the wound while his other still held the binding cord tight. Their eyes met—briefly—but in that second, it was as if everything else fell silent.
"Don't stop," she said hoarsely. "Keep the bind strong."
The wraith's expression had shifted—no more twisted amusement, no more smug superiority. His face was now a mask of cold fury, his gaze locked on Astra with pure, bone-deep malice.
"You…" he growled, his voice like grinding stones. "You mock what you don't understand."
With a sudden roar, the wraith surged forward again, lashing out with a spectral claw aimed straight for Astra's chest. She dove aside just in time, the claw grazing her sleeve and leaving a trail of smoking fabric behind. She stumbled, panting, eyes wide.
Mo Lian and Wei Zhenyu leapt into action, their hands moving in unison to form a secondary sealing technique. Threads of spiritual energy crackled between them as they began weaving another containment bind.
But the wraith was relentless. He twisted through their formation, lashing out wildly. As Mo Lian blocked with her blade, a sudden swipe of corrupted energy slashed across her neck—just shallow enough to avoid being fatal, but deep enough to draw blood.
"Lian!" Wei Zhenyu's voice cracked with panic. He caught her mid-step, one hand pressing against the gash at her neck, while the other gripped the binding cord—its energy beginning to fray and unravel in his grasp.
The light around it flickered, unstable.
Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat, everything else—Astra's shouting, the howling wind, the wraith's furious thrashing—faded into a distant blur.
"You're bleeding…" he murmured, voice low and shaken. "You need to fall back—just for a moment—"
Mo Lian's hand rose and gripped his wrist, firm despite the blood seeping between her fingers.
"Don't you dare stop," she rasped, jaw clenched. "We swore to finish this. Keep the bind strong."Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat, everything else. Astra's shouting, the howling wind, the wraith's furious thrashing faded into a distant blur.
"You're bleeding…" he murmured, voice low and shaken. "You need to fall back, just for a moment—"
Mo Lian's hand rose and gripped his wrist, firm despite the blood seeping between her fingers.
"Don't you dare stop," she rasped, jaw clenched. "Keep the bind strong."
"But—"
"I've had worse," she whispered, managing a faint, defiant smile through the pain. "If you stop now, we both die. I'm not letting you die, Zhenyu."
Meanwhile, across the clearing, Astra stumbled backward, narrowly dodging another violent strike from the wraith. Her hair was a mess, her robes torn, and frustration flared in her voice.
"Will you two please come help me?! He's literally trying to kill me over here!"
Mo Lian barked, exasperated, "Aren't you the one who called the wraith pathetic?!"
"Wait, what?!" Astra yelped, just as the wraith swiped at her again—sending her spinning mid-air with a shriek before she crashed beside Seiya's still-unconscious body in a heap.
She groaned, spitting out a mouthful of dirt. "So not worth the sarcasm…"
The wraith lunged again, a blur of shadows and snarling rage. Wei Zhenyu and Mo Lian moved in tandem, circling him—cord glowing, sword flashing with spiritual flame. He dodged, twisted, struck back with cruel precision, forcing them into defense.
Mo Lian slashed across his chest; he retaliated with a strike to her ribs, sending her staggering. Wei caught her, gritting his teeth as a claw raked down his arm, tearing through cloth and skin.
Still, they pressed on, refusing to give him a moment's rest.
The air rippled with heat and fury.
Suddenly, the wraith vanished—then reappeared behind Astra. She barely had time to scream.
He grabbed her by the hair, yanking her up. She cried out in pain, tears springing to her eyes.
"I like the fear in your voice," he hissed, tightening his grip. "Scream again."
"It hurts! It hurts!" Astra screamed, thrashing wildly as the wraith yanked her upward by the hair. Her fingers clawed at his wrist, tears streaking down her dirt-smudged face as she kicked and twisted to break free. "Let go of me, you cursed—!"
The wraith only smiled, eyes glowing with vicious glee. "Yes… that's it. That sound—fear. Beautiful."
She cried out again, her voice cracking with pain. "Stop, it hurts!"
And then—
A piercing sound split the air, sharp and sudden like a thunderclap.
A flash of silver light streaked across the clearing.
With a crack that echoed like lightning through the trees, a sword slammed clean through the wraith's torso, pinning him in place mid-lunge. His body jerked violently, frozen in shock. Smoke hissed from the wound as spiritual light crackled through him.
His grip loosened instantly, Astra falling to the ground with a gasp. She clutched her scalp, trembling, and scurried backward on her elbows. Her breath came in shallow, frantic bursts.
Her wide eyes rose to the edge of the clearing—where a tall figure now stood, one hand still extended from the throw, cloak billowing behind him like a thundercloud.
"Ryoma…"
For a second, her panic melted into sheer relief.
Then she spun toward Seiya, still unconscious on the ground beside her. She dropped to her knees, shaking him.
"Come on, get up—Seiya, we need to go!" She tried dragging him by the shoulder, but his dead weight barely budged.
Astra gritted her teeth and braced her heels in the dirt. "Ugh—are you made of bricks?! Move!"
With one final tug, she gave up and flopped beside him, panting.
"You better wake up soon," she muttered furiously, brushing hair out of her face.