"The World!"
The Wraithlord raised a hand, and in an instant, an overwhelming gravitational force slammed down on my body. I instantly unleashed all my strength to resist.
"Help me, Earthly Soul!"
I shouted loudly. With a whoosh, a streak of black lightning flashed over—Endbringer appeared at the Wraithlord's side. Instantly, the Wraithlord's power was completely held back by primal instincts. I pressed hard on the sword hilt.
"Ah, why, Mother? Why would you choose someone like him, when clearly..."
The Wraithlord roared in fury. I felt my body almost reaching its limit. Starwatcher was still enduring the Wraithlord's unknown attacks. All of the Wraithlord's strength was preventing Starwatcher from piercing his ghost soul. I seized this fleeting opportunity; now I just had to endure a bit longer to shatter the Wraithlord's ghost body.
After Earthly Soul manifested Endbringer, I was able to temporarily stabilize against the Wraithlord's oppressive power. I raised my left hand, forming a fist, and in an instant, white energy surged around it.
With a bang, I punched the hilt of the sword in my right hand. The Wraithlord's eyes widened—I could feel Starwatcher had already pierced his ghost soul, the sword tip driving through. Instantly, the Wraithlord's power became chaotic, and I felt much lighter.
"Let's see how long you can hold out."
A rumbling sound tore through the air. The pressure that had just eased suddenly surged again, stronger than before. The Wraithlord unleashed a force capable of subduing Infernal Hell. My eyes widened; my hand gripping the sword hilt was about to shatter, and even Starwatcher wouldn't last much longer.
Coexistence was still helping me harmonize all the forces. I had to hold on; my consciousness felt like it was on the verge of collapse.
"Do it, Ethan Zhang!"
Earthly Soul roared. Gritting my teeth, I rammed my head forward, my strength surging again. At this moment, Divine Law and Human Realm appeared at my sides, unleashing vast power. Cracks spread across their surfaces.
"Don't even think about it, Ethan Zhang. Don't you dare!"
The Wraithlord kept roaring. I felt myself almost unable to hold on, my mind growing hazy.
"Let me help you, then."
Suddenly, my eyes widened. Infernal Will awakened at this moment—I was stunned, but Infernal Hell burst into wild laughter.
"Don't worry. Sooner or later, I'll get rid of this guy. He's our enemy, so let me help you now."
A crimson glow lit up across my skin. The moment my body was about to shatter, blood-red Hell Imprint covered me.
"Damn bastard."
The Wraithlord glared at us viciously, but at this moment Starwatcher in my hand began to crack. The Wraithlord quickly found a way to counter the sword, unleashing a surge of power against it. Soon, the blade would shatter, unable to withstand such an overwhelming force.
I gripped the sword hilt so tight my knuckles ached, staring wide-eyed at the Wraithlord. He twisted and writhed—our primal instincts nearly spent. Black flames erupted across his body, and the power of 'The World' grew more terrifying by the second.
"To face 'The World' as your opponent—you've done well, Ethan Zhang. This time, you truly did well, impressive. But the game ends now."
I stared in shock as a thunderous crash erupted. Instincts burned into vivid ashes in midair. I was hurled backward, still clutching the sword hilt, but a smile crept onto my lips—Starwatcher was still embedded in the Wraithlord's ghost soul. Furious, the Wraithlord raised his hand and shattered Starwatcher instantly.
"Coexistence!"
My eyes widened. In an instant, my shattered body was restored by the Hell Imprints, and I raised the sword hilt.
"A weapon isn't just a sword, Wraithlord. This is my trump card!"
The sword hilt in my right hand began to melt, instantly reshaping into a glass-colored shotgun. I pulled the trigger and aimed at the Wraithlord. Eugenia and Rachel Lan are character names; confirm their translations against the glossary for consistency. Otherwise, translation is clear and emotionally intense.
"You're out of power, Ethan Zhang. I'm the winner."
Suddenly, the Wraithlord lunged at me. Endbringer turned into a bolt of lightning, trying to snare him, but vanished in a flash. Not far away, Earthly Soul plummeted into a deep black pit, wracked with pain.
"Isn't the bullet already inside your body?"
I smirked. The Wraithlord raised his fist and closed in; I squeezed the trigger.
A deafening blast ripped through the air, followed by a violent explosion. Ghostly energy flooded the room. The force hurled me backward, but Eugenia caught me instantly. As the shockwave hit, she whisked me away to the distant apartment building.
Colorful lights interwove in the air. I could no longer sense the Wraithlord's presence. Turning, I glanced at Rachel Lan—she seemed to realize something.
"Qingyuan."
I was instantly flung away as the explosion faded, successfully shattering the Wraithlord's ghost body. Now, the glass-colored shotgun named Starwatcher in my hand began to crack. I could sense the Wraithlord's Three Souls and Seven Spirits—if I destroyed his ghost body, they couldn't merge. With my current power, I could fully control the Wraithlord's Three Souls and Seven Spirits and head straight for the Illusory Realm. I vaguely heard Rachel Lan calling out to me, and I smiled as I rushed into the fading explosion.
"Do you really think you've won? Think carefully, Ethan Zhang. The Wraithlord is clever!"
Hell's voice echoed in my mind. Without the Wraithlord's Three Souls and Seven Spirits, he seemed to vanish entirely. I had truly destroyed his ghost soul, but I couldn't see the Three Souls and Seven Spirits anywhere. As I searched, I sensed an immense power rising again from the west. Earthly Soul, who came with me, suddenly laughed.
"There's nothing more hopeless than this."
I stared numbly at the Wraithlord charging from the distance. He had instantly revived, even though I'd just destroyed his ghost body.
"Can't understand it, Ethan Zhang? What's happening right before your eyes?"
I clenched my fist as Earthly Soul raised the Endbringer Blade.
"It's the Immortality Society, Ethan Zhang."
I looked at Earthly Soul—he seemed to have realized something.
"The reason you dared to break into the Bone Realm was just to find a power that could defeat you, so you could slowly destroy it. Now you've achieved your goal—what a cunning bastard you are!"
Suddenly, my eyes widened as I remembered the corpse that the Immortality Society took from the Netherworld—the Wraithlord's corpse, painstakingly extracted and pieced together by the Emperor God and his allies over many years.
"Why is your destroyed body able to contain your Three Souls and Seven Spirits?"
I asked, knowing that everything before me was real—a reality more hopeless than any nightmare. The Wraithlord wagged a finger.
"This is an agreement I made with the Immortality Society long ago. Now they've fulfilled their part, and I've helped them get what they wanted. It's true that my old body couldn't contain the power of my current Three Souls and Seven Spirits, but my Instinct can. Have you forgotten? Do you remember what my Instinct is?"
Earthly Soul burst out laughing, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. Golden light radiated from his body. Divine Law and Human Realm were peeling away, their power nearly exhausted.
"If this is your trump card, it's certainly impressive. But unfortunately, this kind of body isn't unique—there are many. The Dark Banquet crowd really are clever!"
I stared wide-eyed at the Wraithlord. His ghost body was indeed weaker than before. If there were only one, Earthly Soul and I might have a chance, but what he said filled me with utter despair.
"You're lying!"
Earthly Soul spoke. Suddenly, the Wraithlord raised a hand. Not far away, a space ripped open, revealing countless Wraithlord bodies—all pitch-black, slumbering in giant jars.
"As many as you want. If you have the strength, you'll need to kill me tens of thousands, even billions of times. But to kill me once may already be your limit!"
With a bang, I swung my black-and-white twin blades at the Wraithlord as he struck Earthly Soul. The Wraithlord caught my twin blades in both hands.
A sizzling sound rang out—the ghost body was indeed fragile. Just gripping my blades, the power of Divine Law and Human Realm burned him.
With a snap, the Wraithlord broke my blades and punched me. I was sent flying, but the Buddha's power on my skin dissolved his fist. Yet, with ghostly energy, his hand quickly regenerated.
As I steadied myself, the Wraithlord flew at me again. I was utterly confused, ready to fight with all my strength. But then, a hand grabbed my shoulder—I turned numbly. Isabelle Frost stood beside me, one hand on a pitch-black coffin.
"Calm down, Ethan Zhang. Rest a bit and think of a strategy. Leave the next part to me."
I stared wide-eyed as Earthly Soul came up behind me, pulling me toward the apartment building.
The Wraithlord stopped, smiling broadly at Yixuehan.
"What's inside that thing?"
"Something we took back from Xu Fu and his people. Wraithlord, do you really think you've won?"
As Yixuehan spoke, the coffin creaked open slightly.