Chapter 85: Ghost Authoritarian

"Guys! Follow me quickly! Hurry!" Reece had sweat dripping down her forehead. She could feel eyes on staring at her back while she ducked into the shadows. "We're being hunted right now! Keep your heads low and get ready to attack anything!"

"Where are we?" Howard had simply just walked through the gate and then something seemed to pick him up and throw him into a different space. More specifically, they walked through the gate and they got teleported into a valley with dozens of blue hills cutting in various directions. "I-I don't get it. We walked through a gate, and now we're here."

"It's Dream Ki. You should know it well," Reece looked like she'd lost weight in the last few days from worrying constantly about the battle ahead of her. She had on a blue shirt that had to be tied to her body tightly in order for it to hug her beautiful curves. Her black hair had been placed in a bun, while her 1.6 meter frame gently positioned itself behind a mountainous ridge. "I heard from Barabin this happens! Watch for Authoritarians and Dream Beasts! They will attack anything here, including you Howard!"

"Now quickly! After me!" Reece stepped off the floor and burst at her top speed over to the largest mountain in the terrain. "I heard from Barabin you almost always get attacked immediately when you enter into Jarlon Valley! Keep your eyes peeled!"

Howard had begun to learn more about Reece from the strange poems she had written on the bus. He'd read a few with her permission. One had talked about a man with blue eyes that stole her from reality only to put her in a nightmare.

She clearly had been in a lot of relationships that didn't go well. Even at the bar they went to last night, every single man had turned to her with either awe or jealousy. Unlike on the surface, Horns in the Furnace were thought of as one of the peak blessings. The people who didn't turn into zombies and lived in Harlock Village who were women wanted to be her. The men wanted to have her around. It was rumored that being friends with a Horned strengthened your body. And Reece just wanted someone to care about her. She was getting tired of seeing Howard and Monica enjoy themselves! She wanted a man that could knock her off her feet!

"Over there!" Reece pointed at a strange white form that seemed to be slowly walking towards them along a ridge. It looked like a ghost, made of malevolent energy, that had such a transparent torso you could see its heart beating and the sky hidden behind it's crystal blue eyes. It even had leather, pressing gently against its skin, while it stared ominous towards Howard and their group. "That-that's an Authoritarian! It's a ghost class authoritarian!"

"He seems friendly," Howard smiled, waving up at the strange form as it slowly walked in their direction. "What happens if we kill him?"

'If we kill him, idiot, we're safe until we find the next gate." Monica summoned the ice marks on her arm. "He's sort of like the appetizer! We have to kill him in order to get to the main course!"

"Howard, you think you can kill him by yourself?" Reece added, gently padding him on the back. "I need to save my strength for when we run into the Aresoul or the Varlen. Monica, stay behind me."

'I'll go talk to him," Howard smiled, jumping up into the air with a nonchalant expression. He had learned about the different types of Authoritarians from Barabin. Legend had it that ghost Authoritarians lived on the bridge between life and death. They appeared from the mutilated corpses of regular Authoritarians, and had bodies of extremely malevolent Ki.

It seemed to radiate a hatred so strong that the ground around it broke, yet it also didn't attack when Howard landed by its side.

"Hello, were you looking for me?" Howard said with a smile, "Did you choose for me to come to this location?"

Creak! Creak!

The strange figure nodded its head. It gave of a nefarious glint in its eyes before drawing a sword from its sheath and gently placing it against Howard's neck. It looked like it was about to burst into extreme rage, a fire burning in its crystal eyes, before a dark flame began to spread up its body.

"Dark Ki! I want Dark KI!" The ghost Authoritarian fell on its knees, looking up at Howard with Reverence and awe. Dark KI! Feed me Dark KI! I've been waiting! Waiting for years to escape this damn place!"

"You-you're not what I thought?" Howard said, laughing and tapping the strange ghoul on his head before a black flames gradually appeared out of his body. "Heh, you're suffering. You want me to end this suffering."

"Yes, please! More energy!" The ghost Authoritarian stood up and pointed over at a ridge hidden underneath the peak of a mountain. "I-I help you kill him! The source of true evil that damns this place!"

"Howard, what the hell?" Monica couldn't believe her eyes. She expected the ghost Authoritarian to kill Howard, but it was pleading on its knees. "This is serious! Reece, tell him to kill it!"

"That thing is much more powerful than I realized," Reece shivered, holding herself to try and keep in the fear. "I-It might be in the S rank! I-I don't understand. It shouldn't be here! Barabin or someone should've sensed it!"

Reece had entered into the B rank and now had started to learn how to sense a Ki's Will. It was subtle, but she could feel a monster standing in front of her on the mountain top! Even in her wildest dreams, she hadn't anticipated this could happen!

Ghost Authoritarians were basically half dead Authoritarians with a strong will to live that made them return to life from their remaining Ki. For one to reach the S rank, it had to be extremely old and frightening. Whatsmore, this one seemed to resemble a human! She'd never seen one like this before!

"I-I think Howard is our only help. Now don't make any sudden movements," Reece grabbed Monica's arm before she stomped on the floor. "Damn it! I wanted to just find a boyfriend and we ran into this thing! What the hell is happening?"

Back at the top of the ridge, Howard placed his hand on the strange Authoritarian before more black flames came out of his fist.

"You-you're lonely. How long have you been alone?" Howard said with a smile, "What's inside that den?"

"Worse than darkness, true terror! You-you must help me defeat him! Otherwise, he will help them return! My name is Hakrele. I-I need your power! Only darkness can extinguish darkness!" The strange Authoritarian said with his body started to glimmer with dark flames. "He-he comes from an ancient time! Only the demon king can-can make him disappear!"

"He's crazy!" Monica finally couldn't take it, and ran up the hill towards Howard. "Howard! If he's not going to attack us, we can just go to the next area! I-I'm not going to let you stand here and talk when other teams are rushing to get to the ridge!"

"Insolent!" Hakrele stood up and stepped down, causing the entire mountain to spread with a ghastly flame. Instantly, the area around them seemed to vanish into darkness while the flame spread further and further down the mountain. "If you weren't with him, you'd be dead! I stopped them from killing you! You should be grateful!"

"She's my girlfriend," Howard said with a sigh. "I know I can't defeat you, but if you hurt her again I'll never help you."

"I-I waited so long for you," Hakrele smiled, his face looked transparent but the curvature of his large lips could be seen. He looked like a skeleton with a transparent Ki covering its body, causing him to look both sinister and completely unreal. "However, I can wait longer. Go! Go get stronger! Come back once I'm not even fit to stand in your eyes."

"Howard, if he wants you to leave, let's leave," Reece gulped, and swallowed her fears. "I don't know what's in any mountain, but just know that thing is strong."

"He's my friend now," Howard patted Harkele on the head. "He's so terrified? Don't you feel it?"

"5 years. In 5 years he'll awaken! In 5 years you must be strong enough to slice through the plains! Now go! Defeat everything and get stronger! Massacre, embrace evil, and shatter the darkness!"

"I'm confused, but he said we can go," Reece turned around, finding a small gate hidden against the mountain side. "We-we can tell Barabin about this later, Howard. However, remember I'm the leader and get down here."

"Don't take that gate." Harkele snapped his fingers. "Two treasures are hidden in Jarlon Valley. One, you must get now or you'll never defeat him! The second, will be the prize of that man's head!"

"Take the gate, uncover the truth of the Furnace, and return for it's glory," Hakrele stepped on his back foot before he seemed to disappear. A gate appearing where he'd been, standing nearly 10 feet tall on top of that mountain.

It made the entire mountain top seem desolate.

All that remained, was confused faces, and a mountain still somewhat scarred by the ghost flame that had burned it. Howard could only turn and scratch his head. Even he had no idea what the hell just happened.

"He-he's insane. Howard, don't believe a single thing he said about finding a treasure! Let's just get through this valley as fast as possible! Let's go to the gate he didn't create, and let's hurry!"

"I-I trust him," Howard said with a smile, "I trust that he meant what he said. I can even sense it. The evil staring at us right now. Reece, trust me, we really do have to get that treasure!"

"And I'm the leader!" Reece pointed Howard to the other gate she'd seen in the distance. "Screw that treasure, screw that insane man! You're coming with me and Monica! I'm the leader here! Now let's go!"