A fit of wild laughter erupted. The Karmic Affliction kept laughing, shaking its head.
"Perhaps that's how it seems in your eyes, but in mine, it's different. Or rather, it's precisely because of all this that I exist here."
I nodded.
"Existence is reasonable, that's undeniable. But I won't just stand by and watch you take Howard Zhang away."
I stared blankly at the Karmic Affliction. It kept laughing as the scene continued to shift.
At a gathering, Howard Zhang met Susan Li from the nearby university. They hit it off, and Howard had just broken up with his girlfriend.
After a few dates, their relationship quickly deepened. But I noticed Howard was afraid—I saw the fear on his face.
They spent the most time together. Susan Li was also Howard Zhang's last girlfriend, and now, his wife.
I believe that fate exists in this world. My encounter with Susan Li in that hospital wasn't a coincidence, but a kind of invisible destiny that brought us together.
The Ghost Twins incident—Zhang Mo and Zhang Dan, the dragon-phoenix twins. Only now do I truly see and understand: this was the beginning of Howard's affliction. They are his Karmic Affliction.
At that moment, the scene froze. As I entered Howard Zhang's villa with John Chou, the Karmic Affliction beside me burst into loud laughter.
"Time's up. I'm taking Howard Zhang away, returning him to the karma, letting it flow to hell and burn in the hellfire."
"I won't let you do that."
As I spoke, gray Deathbane Aura spilled from my body—I'm getting better at controlling it. The Karmic Affliction stared at me quietly, its form fading, and the surrounding scene began to dissolve.
With a whoosh, I flew forward and grabbed the Karmic Affliction's hand. His eyes widened, mouth agape.
"How did you do that?"
"Because my heart has always been connected to Howard Zhang. And you are like a second Howard—you're the Karmic Affliction born from him. That's why I can grab you now."
As I spoke, I roared, yanking hard at the Karmic Affliction in front of me. In an instant, I tore off a layer of skin, and beneath it I saw Howard Zhang—his head shaved, black eyes, dressed in a tattered monk's robe, holding a monk's staff, standing on one leg, one hand resting on the staff, the other forming a Buddhist gesture.
"There's no such thing as the dead coming back to life. What you really intend is to break Howard's spirit. His Karmic Affliction wasn't this severe before, but ever since that so-called resurrected person returned, Howard's mood worsened, and now most of his body is consumed by the Karmic Affliction."
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so clever, Ethan Zhang."
I sneered and shook my head.
"I've been to the past, and to the future. There's absolutely no way something like that could happen. The only way is to defeat you and erase you completely."
"Destroying me is the same as destroying Howard Zhang. Ethan Zhang, can you do that?"
With a whoosh, I was already floating in front of the Karmic Affliction. My gray Deathbane Energy Blade slashed without mercy, but the Karmic Affliction blocked it with his monk's staff, smiling as he leaped nimbly back, landing in a half-crouch, both hands gripping the staff.
"Back at Hidden Falls Temple, I asked Master Frank Yuan about these things. He seemed to know, but wouldn't say, because Karmic Affliction is something you have to overcome yourself—no outside force can help you."
As I spoke, I turned my head and glanced at a spot of light appearing in the endless darkness.
"Howard, long ago, I told you I'd always help you, no matter what. But now I can't help you—only you can help yourself. We've been in this endless darkness for a whole year. Maybe not even a second has passed in the living world, but it's enough, Howard. Are you really planning to stay here any longer?"
A burst of laughter echoed, and the yellow spot of light grew brighter. A huge golden Buddha Sigil appeared in the pitch-black space. Howard Zhang stepped out from the sigil, bald, wearing a tracksuit, but holding a white monk's staff.
"Thank you, cousin. If it weren't for you, I might never have woken up."
The Karmic Affliction looked over in surprise. I floated to the side and sat down, withdrawing the gray Deathbane Aura.
I know very well that nothing I do now will help, because my cousin must confront himself.
"I don't want to die, I don't want to be devoured by you. Everything I've done wrong in the past, I'm doing my best to make amends, even though..."
"Hahaha, Zhang Hao, amends? How will the people who died because of you come back to life?"
With a whoosh, my cousin had already flown over, swinging the stick in his hand downwards. With a bang, the two sticks collided, and instantly the two began to clash. My cousin's expression changed completely, no longer the subdued look he had before.
"I don't want to say anything, nor do I want to argue. I'm still alive, and everything I've done was not wrong. Even if you were born from all this, only those I've hurt in the past have the right to judge me. You, as the embodiment of harm itself, have no such right."
With two loud bangs, my cousin and his Karmic Affliction were both knocked back, nearly evenly matched. Now, it was all about willpower.
Whoever could suppress the other would win. The Karmic Affliction kept shifting the stick in its hand, flying over and stabbing forward.
My cousin quickly raised his stick to parry the Karmic Affliction's attack, then immediately struck back.
With a bang, the Karmic Affliction leapt away.
"Have you forgotten? That woman you promised to marry."
My cousin stopped and then smiled.
"It wasn't me who broke the promise, it was her. Back in college, I decided I would marry her, but she refused and said she already had a boyfriend. You wouldn't know these things, because you are the evil side born from my actions. In fact, I later learned that she rejected me because she was afraid—afraid of the huge gap between our families, afraid that if she was with me, I'd eventually find someone else."
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"Of course I wouldn't know, because I never needed to know."
With a boom, a black light burst from the Karmic Affliction, and a black lotus radiating a dark gleam appeared beneath his feet. He stepped onto the black lotus, laughing madly as he instantly appeared before my cousin.
With two bangs, my cousin spat blood and flew toward me, landing beside me, but he immediately stood up.
"And what about Li Susu? She was pregnant with your child, so you..."
"It was indeed me who made her get rid of it, but those two children were already..."
My cousin lowered his head, silent, then raised it.
"Already dead. Our children."
I stared in shock. Looking at Li Susu now, I saw no trace of blame toward my cousin, no resentment for the painful past that haunted their marriage. Even if Li Susu was kind, it was impossible for her not to hold a grudge, yet now she accommodated my cousin in so many ways.
With a ripping sound, my cousin tore off his clothes, glaring at the Karmic Affliction.
"Remember this—not because of me did you come into being, but because I chose to bear these karmas. I was powerless; there are many things money can't solve. I could only watch as things happened, tried everything, but couldn't stop or change them. So I was powerless. But now it's different, cousin."
As my cousin spoke, he turned to me, excitement shining as he smiled.
"I've done it—the only thing in this life I haven't stood by helplessly because I was powerless."
I nodded and said.
"You really did it, cousin. Back in Luosha City, if it weren't for you, we would have been killed by the Ghost Rakshasa. Because of you, we survived, cousin..."
Suddenly, I cried out in shock. The Karmic Affliction's stick stabbed straight into my cousin's chest. He still smiled, turning to look at the Karmic Affliction, gripping the stick embedded in his chest with one hand.
At this moment, the Karmic Affliction looked utterly frenzied, laughing excitedly.
"I will take you with me, Zhang Hao—turn you into a Karmic Affliction, burning away all human sins in the hellfire of karma. Die!"
With a hum, the black lotus under the Karmic Affliction slowly rose. In an instant, a black light enveloped my cousin's body, his skin gradually turning black.
"Cousin..."
Just as I was about to speak, my cousin raised his hand, pressing down on the Karmic Affliction's shoulder.
"I'm really sorry, but I can't die yet. My wife is still waiting for me to return, my unborn child is waiting for me, and I really want to see Qingyuan..."
I stood up, and my cousin turned to me, smiling gently.
"On your wedding day, I'll be sure to host a proper banquet for you. I truly want to see that day, Qingyuan."
"I understand, cousin. That day will come. Even though I'm a ghost now, I've never given up hope of being human again."
With a hum, my cousin smiled and closed his eyes, putting his hands together. A chant drifted down from the sky, and the darkness around us slowly faded.
In an instant, I stared wide-eyed. The stick that had been stabbed into my cousin's chest was now embedded in the Karmic Affliction's chest. He looked at my cousin in disbelief.
The dazzling yellow light around us grew brighter. I saw a large swastika symbol above my cousin's head.
"Although you really are much stronger than me, when I came, Master Fuyuan lent me a Buddha's Relic. I can't destroy you, but I can suppress you. Maybe I couldn't do it before, but now I can. I will still carry the burdens of the past, but I will never stop moving forward."
"Zhang Hao, no matter how many years pass, one day I will take you to the world of karma. Someday..."
The Karmic Affliction slowly faded in the light. My cousin turned to me, smiling with excitement. I finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked over, reaching out to grasp my cousin's hand tightly.