The voice came utterly without warning. We were still laughing uproariously.
Then, as soon as that voice rang out, a terrifyingly baleful aura rolled through the mist like thunderclouds.
It came surging toward us.
All three of us immediately showed pained expressions, lowered our heads, and covered our ears with both hands.
"Ah!"
"My ears hurt!"
"..."
My ears were still buzzing as that overwhelmingly oppressive baleful aura continued to sweep up from the foot of the mountain.
Whose voice was that?
I guessed it had been shouted by the vicious ghost in the ravine.
She must have heard our taunts and flown into a rage?
Was that why she had made that sound—to rebuke us and display her authority?
Could she hear us from so far away?
I came to that conclusion at once, even as I covered my ears in agony.
Yet my gaze never left the tree roughly four or five meters behind and to my left.
Though the mist was thick, I had still noticed it.
After that shout of "Insolence!", the tree had clearly flickered. A fat human silhouette had appeared, before it swiftly turned back into the shape of an old tree.
It was completely different from all the surrounding trees.
My eyes lit up with a trace of delight.
Covering one ear with one hand, I murmured:
"Found you!"
That tree had to be the fat Female Ghost's disguise.
It seemed our taunting plan had achieved its goal.
Though we had found the fat Female Ghost's location, I could not guarantee that taking her down would break the illusion around us.
Still, it at least gave us a chance and kept us from remaining in such a passive position.
Ignoring the pain in my ears and the baleful aura surging up from below