A rumbling echoed as threads of violet light shot out in every direction like tiny needles. Neither Past Ethan Justice nor Future Ethan Zhang could approach the Wraithlord. Qi stood before me, shielding us from the barrage of violet needle rays.
The Wraithlord threw his head back, raised his hands, and glared with bulging eyes. His body swelled with fury, roaring endlessly. The entire Unreal trembled as unknown forces surged into his form, and the violet light radiating from him grew ever more blinding.
At that moment, Past Ethan Justice suddenly swept his hand, and the golden flames burning on the ground instantly transformed into a towering pillar of fire, engulfing the Wraithlord. The violet light vanished in the blaze.
As the golden flames faded, the Wraithlord whimpered, clutching his eyes in agony. Future Ethan Zhang raised the Phantom Greatsword and struck. The Wraithlord abruptly lifted his head, opened his mouth, and with a boom, a torrent of black wind mixed with rubble surged toward Future Ethan Zhang.
With a slash and a furious howl, the Wraithlord's body was split in two. But the halves quickly fused elsewhere. Past Ethan Justice stared coldly at the Wraithlord, black mist swirling around him.
"Hold on. If you use such power, it will impact the entire Unreal. That shockwave could affect things on the correct timeline."
Past Ethan Justice spoke, brandishing the Starblade as he flew toward the Wraithlord. At that moment, the Wraithlord seemed intent on fleeing—facing two who had killed him in past and future, he truly stood no chance.
With a bang, the Wraithlord swung his fist at the light barrier Past Ethan Justice had raised earlier, but the barrier remained unmoved despite the tremendous impact.
"It's useless—you can't escape. My power has already spread far. Turn to dust once more!"
Suddenly, the Wraithlord spun around and appeared before Past Ethan Justice, his fist smashing into Past Ethan's face and sending him flying. With a whoosh, Future Ethan Zhang charged in. The Wraithlord was now utterly enraged, black hair flying as he punched wildly. Future Ethan Zhang raised the Phantom Greatsword, blocking the Wraithlord's furious blows again and again.
Bang after bang echoed, chaotic shockwaves tangled through the Unreal. Past Ethan Justice landed atop the flames, shook his head—he hadn't been harmed at all by the blow. I glanced at Qi with concern; she looked strained, forced to slash at the violent gusts with her sword, yet some inevitably struck her.
"Are you alright, Qi?"
I asked, and Qi nodded with a smile.
"Blocking these for you is no problem, but that old Wraithlord is really something. Even though my dad isn't using his full strength, he's at least going at thirty percent, and the old guy still holds his ground. I couldn't even block ten percent of my dad's power."
Surprised, I watched Future Ethan Zhang, face twisted in fury, locked in combat with the Wraithlord. He had the upper hand, but the Wraithlord kept attacking, and Future Ethan looked deeply repressed.
"Take it slow, don't rush. This isn't something brute force alone can solve."
Past Ethan Justice kept shouting.
"You don't need to tell me that. You talk too much—just hurry up and think of something!"
Future Ethan Zhang cursed, and suddenly the Wraithlord punched him in the gut. Nothing happened—the violent winds only made his cloak tremble, while the Wraithlord's fist pressed hard against Past Ethan Justice's abdomen.
"Where did you get so much instinct? The masters of these things are already dead."
In an instant, Past Ethan Justice flashed a cold, merciless smile. His body shimmered with overlapping human figures, dozens of colorful silhouettes converging. With a thunderous crash, one of the Wraithlord's hands was instantly shredded, and he was hurled against the light barrier.
At that moment, as the Wraithlord collided with the barrier, golden dragons emerged from the wall, swirling around his body. He struck at the golden dragons again and again, producing a barrage of bangs, but no matter how much force he used, he couldn't break free from the nine golden dragons encircling him.
"I'll trap him for now—we need a plan. His body can endlessly absorb the Unreal's power, so if we want to destroy it, we must shatter him instantly. Such force will rupture the Unreal itself, threatening everything. You must transfer your son's soul into the dream at that exact moment."
I swallowed hard. Their words made the situation seem dire. The Wraithlord's body, beset by nine golden dragons, kept breaking apart, but the repairs happened so fast they were nearly invisible—any damage was instantly healed.
Suddenly, with a boom, the Wraithlord burst forth. A torrent of black wind swept over both Ethans. When he reappeared, his body was in tatters. Accompanied by the sound of dragon roars, the nine golden dragons transformed into nine dragon-patterned pillars, stacked from bottom to top.
Past Ethan Justice crouched atop the highest pillar. I saw the Wraithlord trapped within the nine pillars. Past Ethan Justice gazed quietly at them.
"Watch for the right moment. We'll try first, and if the timing is off, I'll withdraw my power immediately."
Future Ethan Zhang looked at Past Ethan Justice in surprise.
"You can do that with your power?"
Past Ethan Justice smiled.
"My mastery of power is different from yours. Your strength is too wild and violent. In the end, though we are both Ethan Zhang, strictly speaking, we're not the same person. Our paths of evolution diverged from the start. I became human in ancient times, when three souls merged into one, and I was adopted by a man named Zhang Zhiqing. Everything I have now is thanks to his guidance. You, on the other hand, were born human in the modern era, and eventually became an Evil Ghost. I am human; you are ghost."
Now Future Ethan Zhang sat quietly outside the pillars. I saw a flash of violet—a humanoid figure appeared.
"What is that?"
I stared in confusion, but knew at once it was Ouyang Meng's instinct. The moment I looked at that violet figure, I felt it. Qi just shook her head with a sly smile.
"I'm not sure either. My dad never told me the name of that instinct."
At this moment, the Wraithlord was trapped among the nine golden pillars, utterly immobilized, as if something was suppressing him—he couldn't move a single finger.
"It's starting."
Past Ethan Justice spoke, raising the Starblade. Letting go, the Starblade floated above the Wraithlord's head, releasing streams of white light like water. The Wraithlord's skin began to peel away; he howled in agony, his screams gut-wrenching. A chill ran down my spine. Past Ethan Justice's power was devastatingly effective against the Wraithlord.
Slowly, I saw the Wraithlord's body could no longer heal. As his flesh vanished in the white light, black bones were exposed. Past Ethan Justice's power gnawed at his body, devouring flesh and strength, though the process was agonizingly slow.
"Get ready. In an instant, I'll crush everything of the Wraithlord. You must find a way to pull your son's soul into the dream."
Past Ethan Justice called out, and Future Ethan Zhang nodded.
Gradually, I saw the Wraithlord had stopped screaming. He curled up, utterly exhausted, seeming to lose consciousness—motionless. Past Ethan Justice raised a hand, holding his breath as he watched the Wraithlord's body.
"Do it."
Suddenly, Future Ethan Zhang shouted, and Past Ethan Justice roared. With a crack, the Wraithlord's body turned to black dust. A streak of white light moved toward the violet humanoid clinging to Future Ethan's back. My heart raced as I stood up; Qi was already cheering.
"I will never let you go."
With a deafening roar, as the soul entered the dream, the Wraithlord's body reformed. He seemed to faint, slowly closing his eyes. Black winds leaked from his flesh, shattering the golden pillars. Both Ethans stared coldly at the Wraithlord.
"He's lost consciousness. That makes things easier. The first step is done."
With a boom, the blood-red-eyed Wraithlord appeared between the two Ethans, gripping their necks. His mouth twisted in a snarl, and I saw the power within Past and Future Ethan being sucked into the Wraithlord's mouth.
Past Ethan Justice gripped his sword with a grave expression, but Future Ethan Zhang told him to do nothing.
"Too bad. That trick might've worked on me before."
With a boom, the Wraithlord's body swelled and exploded. The two Ethans broke free from his grip, but the fragments quickly reformed. Future Ethan Zhang burst into wild laughter.
"Just like our last duel, I wiped out everything of yours—even your mind. In the end, only your raging body remained. Too bad, Wraithlord, I'll kill you again."