Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 109 Shadow Ghost
The monster, formed from Bai Yu's own shadow, stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly grinned, revealing a smile identical to Bai Yu's, filled with coldness and mockery.

Then, it extended its black claws, which were like sharp blades, and gestured to him as if to say "please".

It's as if it's saying—

Come on, let's play a... deadly game of chasing and being chased.

Bai Yu's breathing stopped for a moment.

His brain, which was already used to thinking in desperate situations, was now working at a speed that exceeded its limits!

Shadowwalker.

A terrifying monster that only exists in Japanese urban legends.

Its rules are simple yet deadly—in the light, it becomes your shadow, and then, in the moment you least expect it, it takes your place.

On this ancient path, composed of countless stone lanterns emitting a faint green glow, light and shadow have become the unique and core rule of this area.

Bai Yu's gaze swept rapidly across the surrounding environment.

The approach to the temple is paved with bluestone slabs of varying sizes, winding upwards until it disappears into the mountaintop shrouded in even deeper darkness.

Along both sides of the approach, rows of stone lanterns stand, exuding an ancient and eerie atmosphere.

The spacing between those stone lanterns is not fixed.

In some places, the distance between two lanterns is very close, and the eerie green light they cast intertwines to form a "bright area" with almost no blind spots.

In some places, the distance between the two lanterns is quite far, leaving a long and bottomless "absolute shadow" between the two beams of light.

The shadow ghost, formed from his own shadow, stood silently behind him, its "eyes" made of pure darkness staring intently at him.

It's waiting.

We await his decision.

Is it choosing to step into that seemingly "safe" area of ​​light, and then engage in a never-ending death chase with one's own shadow?
Or should we choose to step into that absolute shadow filled with unknowns and dangers, to confront those even more terrifying beings that may be lurking in the darkness?

This is a multiple-choice question filled with malice.

No matter which choice you make, it feels like taking another step forward on the road to hell.

Bai Yu did not act immediately.

He simply stood there quietly, his deep eyes calmly observing the "self" smiling at him from in front of him.

He discovered that although the shadow ghost's form was so terrifying, its body always maintained an absolutely fixed "link" to his feet.

It is still its own shadow.

As long as I don't move, it won't move.

It will not have a "physical entity" as long as it does not step into a place with light.

So……

A cold glint flashed in Bai Yu's eyes.

He came up with an incredibly bold and risky way to break the deadlock.

Since the rules of this approach are based on "light" and "shadow".

So, if one can always walk in places without light, can one completely avoid this "shadow game" that is full of death threats?

He turned his gaze to the endless sea of ​​red flowers on both sides of the path, a sea that seemed to stretch out before him and was filled with an eerie and deathly aura.

In that sea of ​​flowers, although it was also full of unknowns and dangers, at least there was no light.

This is a gamble fraught with risk.

However, in this desperate world, he had no other choice.

Without the slightest hesitation, he charged towards the sea of ​​eerie red flowers on his left!
The moment he rushed out of the path and stepped into the sea of ​​flowers, he could clearly feel the shadowy ghost that had been locking onto him behind him let out a silent roar filled with resentment and anger. Then, like water vapor evaporated by the sun, it silently dissipated into the air.

The bet was right!
A sense of relief at surviving a disaster flashed through Bai Yu's mind.

However, before he could even catch his breath, an even stronger sense of crisis overwhelmed him like a tidal wave!

"Shh...shh..."

A series of dense, screeching sounds, like countless venomous snakes darting through the grass, erupted wildly from the seemingly beautiful sea of ​​red flowers beneath his feet!

Immediately afterwards, the spider lilies that should have been blooming quietly suddenly seemed to come alive. Their roots, like countless resilient tentacles, surged wildly from the dark red soil and wrapped around him, the only "living thing" in the world!

Damn!

Bai Yu's face turned extremely ugly in an instant!
He finally understood.

There is no "safe zone" at all along this approach!
Walking in the light will lead to being hunted by your own shadow.

Walking in the shadows, you will be completely swallowed up by this sea of ​​flowers filled with the aura of death!
This is... an unsolvable dead end!

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned around and rushed back towards the path paved with bluestone slabs!

However, those snake-like roots moved much faster than he had imagined!

Just before he was about to step onto the path again, several thick roots, like the most skillful hunters, suddenly shot out from under his feet at an extremely tricky angle and tightly wrapped around his ankles!
A tremendous pulling force came from beneath his feet!
Bai Yu's body, uncontrollably, fell towards the sea of ​​red flowers filled with death!

It’s over.

As his consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by that endless darkness, only one thought filled with resentment and despair remained in his mind.

However, at this most critical moment...

"Om-!"

A golden light, filled with a sacred and protective aura, suddenly erupted from his chest without warning!
It's that old sextant!
It seemed to sense the host's life force about to dissipate, and passively activated the protective power contained within it from the "ghost ship"!

That golden, warm current, like the strongest dam, mercilessly repelled all the red roots around it that tried to devour it!
Bai Yu's body crashed heavily at the junction of the path and the sea of ​​flowers.

He was breathing heavily, like a fish on the verge of dying of thirst, greedily inhaling the air that, though filled with the scent of death, at least allowed him to survive.

He looked at the sextant on his chest, which was emitting a soft golden light, and a complex expression flashed in his deep eyes.

He knew that, once again, he had narrowly escaped death's scythe.

However, he was also well aware that the power of the sextant was not limitless.

It can only protect him for a time, but not for a lifetime.

He must find a way to truly break this rule of the path immediately.

He struggled to lift his exhausted body from the cold ground and turned his gaze back to the ancient path ahead, shrouded in a ghostly green light.

Since both light and shadow are traps.

So, where is the real way out?
Bai Yu's gaze slowly swept over the surrounding environment.

His gaze finally settled on the stone lanterns that stood on both sides of the path, emitting a faint green light.

He discovered that the stone lanterns were not always lit.

Their light flickered at an extremely faint yet extremely regular frequency.

Although the duration of each flash is so short as to be almost negligible.

However, it does exist.

Bai Yu's eyes suddenly lit up!
He thought of it!

He thought of something, which might be the only glimmer of hope on this path!
Since light can summon shadow ghosts.

So, in that brief "gap" between the switching of light, does it mean that the "rules" of shadows will temporarily break down?
This is an incredibly bold and insane guess.

However, in this desperate world, he had no other choice.

He took a deep breath and focused all his attention on the two stone lanterns in front of him that were flashing at a fixed frequency.

He is calculating.

Calculate the duration of each blink and the interval between each extinction.

At this moment, his brain, which was like a supercomputer, brought his powerful analytical abilities to their fullest potential!

three……

two……

one……

It's now!

In the brief darkness of less than a tenth of a second when the light of the two lanterns went out at the same time, Bai Yu's body shot out from the spot like an arrow!
His body drew a powerful and beautiful arc in mid-air!

Finally, just before the light from the two lanterns was about to relight, it precisely fell upon the narrow "absolute shadow" that was sandwiched between the two areas of light!
It worked!
A sense of relief at surviving a disaster flashed through Bai Yu's mind.

Without pausing for a moment, he immediately rushed towards the next "safe zone" in the same manner!

once……

twice……

three times……

He was like a top-notch parkour master, engaging in an extreme sport of racing against death on this path full of deadly traps!
Every jump he made was fraught with danger and uncertainty.

If his calculations deviate even by the slightest bit.

If his movements were even a fraction of a second slower...

Then, what awaits him is an abyss of no return.

However, he did not fail. His heart, hardened like a rock through countless life-or-death experiences, allowed him to maintain absolute calm and focus throughout this high-pressure death game.

I do not know how long it has been.

As he once again leaped from a bright area into that narrow, absolute shadow.

He found himself at the end of this ancient path filled with death and eeriness.

Before him were no longer those stone lanterns emitting a ghostly green light.

Instead, it is a final staircase made up of ninety-nine bluestone slabs leading to the top of the mountain.

At the end of those steps, the ancient shrine, full of Japanese style, stands like a silent giant on the mountaintop shrouded in even deeper darkness, exuding an unsettling and oppressive aura filled with religious eeriness.

Bai Yu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He knew that he had finally passed the second test in this field.

However, before he could relax, an even stronger sense of crisis overwhelmed him like a tidal wave!

He suddenly raised his head!

In the middle of the stone steps leading to the mountaintop, a hunched figure dressed in a worn-out black priest's robe had silently appeared.

It was the same stationmaster he had encountered before at the "No-Moon Platform," a man filled with an eerie and ominous aura...
He remained with his back to Bai Yu, standing there quietly, like a silent sculpture that had been waiting there for thousands of years.

At his feet lay three blurry figures, each dressed in clothing from a different era.

"You...you've finally arrived."

His aged, dry voice, as if it hadn't been uttered for centuries, once again pierced Bai Yu's soul like the sharpest ice pick.

"I... have been waiting for you for a long time."

He slowly turned around.

On his face, which was as withered and brittle as the bark of a hundred-year-old tree, two eerie green flames, like will-o'-the-wisps, were fixedly "staring" at Bai Yu.

Then, he slowly reached out his hand, which resembled a withered tree branch, towards Bai Yu.

In his hand was a train ticket made of an unknown black material, cold and hard to the touch.

On the front of the ticket, two Chinese characters, which Bai Yu found extremely familiar, were clearly imprinted in blood-red ink.

—Bai language.

"Welcome...to your...final destination."

His voice carried a hint of weariness filled with a sense of fatalism, and a trace of...malice that could not be concealed.

"Now, please hand over your 'ticket' to me."

"And then, become one of us."

As he finished speaking, the three blurry figures behind him slowly raised their heads.

On those equally blurry faces, slowly, a face filled with numbness and emptiness... Bai Yu's face emerged.

Upon seeing those three faces that were exactly like his own, yet filled with numbness and emptiness, even Bai Yu's strong heart, hardened like a rock through countless life-and-death experiences, couldn't help but contract violently.

A chill emanating from the depths of his soul, like a venomous snake with life, crept wildly up his spine and instantly seized his brain, causing his nerves, which had relaxed slightly after successfully passing the path, to tighten to the extreme once again!

Those three faces were the three "passengers" he had encountered on that "ghost train" before.

The middle-aged man in the Zhongshan suit.

The young woman in the office lady suit.

And, the Japanese girl named "Hasumi".

They, no, or rather, they were all assimilated into their own form by this strange domain!
No, that's not right.

A cold glint flashed in Bai Yu's eyes.

It is not "assimilation".

Rather, it means "to replace".

In this realm, or rather, in the terrifying presence before him who calls himself the "stationmaster," he is turning all the "passengers" who have strayed into this place into his "copies" in a way that he cannot comprehend!
It's playing a "role-playing" game full of malice and madness!
And I am the newest and most important "character" in this game!
"Why?" Bai Yu's voice was icy. His deep eyes were fixed on the old man in front of him, who was filled with an ominous and eerie aura. He tried to find the slightest emotion in the old man's face, which was as withered and dry as the bark of a hundred-year-old tree.

However, he failed.

The old man's face was expressionless.

His two eerie green flames, burning slowly like will-o'-the-wisps, simply watched him silently, like a patient hunter admiring his prey, who had already fallen into his trap, making its final, futile struggle.

“There’s no reason.” After a long while, his aged, hoarse voice, like the sharpest ice pick, pierced directly into Bai Yu’s soul once again, “...it’s just because you need a ‘role’.”

"And I happen to lack an 'actor' as interesting as you."

He slowly raised his hand, which resembled a withered tree branch, and pointed to the three "copies" of "Baiyu" who were standing quietly behind him, their faces blank and expressionless.

"...Look, they were once just like you, full of doubt and resentment."

"...But now, they have all found their own 'home'."

"...They forgot all the pain of the past, and they forgot their pathetic identity. They simply and quietly played their 'roles' on this land forgotten by time, enjoying this...eternal peace."

His voice was filled with an irresistible allure.

"...Come on, child...give up..."

"...Hand over your 'ticket,' hand over your 'self' filled with pain and struggle..."

"...and then, become a new 'you'..."

“...a 'you' who will never feel pain again, who will never feel tired again…”

As he spoke, an immense and unimaginable mental pressure, like an invisible tide, surged wildly towards Bai Yu's sea of ​​souls from all directions!
That oppressive aura was so heavy, so full of the concept of "annihilation," as if it were going to press his resilient heart, which had finally managed to rekindle a flame, once again and completely into that cold abyss!
Bai Yu's body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably!

His face, which had become incredibly pale from overexertion, was instantly soaked with a fine layer of cold sweat!

He felt as if his already incredibly weak soul was about to be completely crushed into dust by this immense pressure!

He wanted to rebel; he wanted to mobilize the "nothingness" power within him.

However, his long-dried-up sea of ​​soul was now like a completely frozen lake, and no matter how he called out, he received no response.

His power was still being suppressed by the rules of this realm.

It’s over.

As his consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by that endless darkness, only one thought filled with resentment and despair remained in his mind.

However, at this most critical moment...

"Om-!"

A golden light, filled with a sacred and protective aura, suddenly erupted from his chest without warning!
It's that old sextant!
Once again, at the very last moment when its host was about to be completely wiped out, it passively activated the protective power contained within it, which came from the "ghost ship"!

That golden, warm current, like the strongest dam, firmly held back the "annihilation" torrent that tried to engulf him!
Bai Yu's body jolted violently!
His consciousness, which was about to completely dissipate, was forcibly pulled back by this energy full of life!

He suddenly opened his eyes!
In those deep eyes, all the confusion and despair receded like a tide, leaving only a firm and resolute look, like burning obsidian!
"oh?……"

The old man who called himself "Station Master," with his two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps, showed a slight emotional fluctuation for the first time when he saw the sextant on Bai Yu's chest, which was emitting a soft golden light.

Amidst that fluctuation, there was surprise and curiosity, but more than anything, there was a kind of greed akin to "a hunter spotting unexpected prey."

“…Interesting…What an interesting 'toy'…” His voice carried an undisguised excitement, “…to be able to bloom with such pure 'protective' light on this land filled with 'annihilation'…”

"...It seems the 'surprise' you brought me was far greater than I imagined..."

He slowly raised his hand, which resembled a withered tree branch, and made a grabbing motion in the air towards Bai Yu's direction!
An invisible force of rules, imbued with the concept of "stripping," instantly acted upon the sextant that was radiating golden light!

It wants to forcibly peel this toy, full of "unexpected" events, off Bai Yu!
However, just before its power touched the sextant.

On Bai Yu's face, a cold and mocking smile slowly appeared.

"is it?"

His voice, though not loud, was like a sharp icicle, piercing the old man's confident "domain".

"So, I wonder if you'll like this 'surprise'?"

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly pulled out the white card with a clown's smiling face drawn on it from his pocket!

Without the slightest hesitation, he poured the golden energy within him, provided by the Sextant and imbued with the concepts of "protection" and "remembering," into the card filled with the concepts of "tragedy" and "chaos."

Two powerful forces from different dimensions, different rule systems, and even... completely opposite forces collided violently within that small card in the most direct and brutal way!
“Buzz——!!!”

A terrifying energy storm, indescribable in any language and filled with "contradictions" and "chaos," erupted from the center of that small card!

That's not just a simple accumulation of energy!
Rather, it is a higher level, capable of subverting all rules... "conceptual hedging"!
"No! You're insane! Do you even know what you're doing?!"

The old man who called himself the "station master" and his two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps screamed in terror for the first time when they sensed the energy storm filled with the aura of "chaos"!

He could clearly feel that his domain, which was constructed from "annihilation" and "order," was violently shaken and collapsed from the very foundation under the impact of this unreasonable force of "chaos."
He wanted to escape!
He wanted to immediately sever his connection with this area that was about to be completely destroyed!
However, it's too late.

That chaotic energy storm swept wildly in all directions with a devastating force!
The enormous clock tower, filled with Gothic eeriness and splendor, was completely erased from the world without even a mournful cry before it was struck by that force, just like a pencil drawing wiped clean by an eraser.
The sea of ​​red flowers, filled with an eerie and deathly aura, withered and died instantly under the sweep of that power, turning into ashes on the ground!

The Sanzu River, filled with despair and pain, emitted mournful howls under the purification of that power, and finally dried up and evaporated completely!
The entire "Yellow Springs" realm, in the final explosion of this "conceptual hedging" ignited by Bai Yu himself, burst like a punctured balloon!
In the final moments before the domain completely collapsed.

Bai Yu looked at the old man who was being completely devoured by the power of "chaos," his face filled with resentment and fear. In his deep eyes, there was no pity, only a cold determination.

“My ‘ticket’…”

His voice echoed slowly in this world that was heading towards destruction.

"...I'll check it myself."

(End of this chapter)