With a hollow whoosh, I crashed to the ground. Instantly, the world around me dissolved into writhing black Deathbane Aura—a suffocating tide that surged hungrily toward my shattered flesh. Each breath was agony; my torn body finally ceased its violent unraveling, but my skin split open in deep, jagged fissures, every crack radiating supernatural torment and dread.
Redmond struck with a single, merciless blow, tearing through my Ghost Soul and planting the malignant Disaster Force deep inside me. My body, now cursed, would rot and collapse under its relentless assault—there was no hope left, only the certainty of decay. Redmond stood atop the ruined apartment building, his gaze cold as death, staring down at me. I forced a smile, shaking my head, teetering on the edge of the abyss.
"Keep going, Redmond. Don't stop until I drop. Right now, only my desperate, clawing will to survive keeps me from oblivion."
My eyes flew open in terror. In a heartbeat, the apartment beneath Redmond liquefied into seething black Deathbane Aura—a column of darkness erupting skyward. I lunged at him, driven by raw survival instinct. He raised his hand amid the swirling Aura, slashing toward me—a gesture I sensed with chilling clarity. Suddenly, a deep, jagged groove ripped through my chest, pain blooming like wildfire.
"So that's it... I can see it, I can feel it, but your attack carves through me all the same. This Disaster Force—unstoppable, malignant, a horror that devours everything."
Even as I spoke, the suffocating Deathbane Aura swallowed me whole. My form threatened to unravel, every fiber straining at the edge of annihilation. I couldn't afford to scatter my essence—I had to gather every last shred of strength for a frenzied, desperate assault on Redmond.
Deathbane Aura surged like monstrous ocean currents, crashing against Redmond. He refused to meet my assault head-on, gliding with unnatural agility through the writhing streams. I chased him relentlessly, each slash of my Deathbane Blade carving the air, frustration gnawing at me as Redmond slipped away again and again—a maddening, elusive power that threatened to break my resolve.
If he keeps growing stronger, one day he'll become a true nightmare. While I can still move, I must force Redmond to reveal the deeper, hidden power lurking inside him—before my own strength is gone forever.
The Deathbane Aura around us began to writhe and mutate, twisting into countless razor-sharp spears—each one dripping with malice. In an instant, the sky became a nightmare of black lances hurtling toward Redmond. He raised his hand, conjuring a sphere of flame that expanded into a blazing shield, cocooning him in supernatural fire and isolating him from the onslaught.
My Deathbane spears struck the flames encasing Redmond, dissolving instantly into choking black mist. I stabbed forward with my Deathbane Blade, but the inferno devoured it too. The moment I released the blade, I thrust my hand into the fire—spears whipped toward me, morphing into black streams that crashed into my body, flooding me with searing agony and supernatural corruption.
Gray Deathbane Aura began to coalesce on my fist, pressed hard against Redmond's chest. He stared back at me with chilling calm. With a bone-shattering crash, my fist punched straight through his body—yet he remained motionless, his gaze empty and unyielding. The futility of violence gnawed at me; it was as if I were striking a ghost, my suffering magnified by his unnatural serenity.
"I've survived a battle that nearly killed me—one fought alongside you. Only you died, and I staggered away, haunted and alone. It was then my Instinct finally revealed its secrets to me, and I grasped the truth at last."
In a haze of confusion, Redmond's form before me flickered and twisted, dissolving into a wisp of black flame. His voice echoed behind me, carrying a surreal chill.
"So Instinct can reach such terrifying heights now?"
Only then did it hit me—I was trapped within Redmond's instinctual world. His Instinct had manifested, enfolding my Shadow Realm in suffocating darkness. No matter how I struggled, I could only die, piece by piece, in Redmond's world. I once believed his power had a mind of its own, that he consciously shaped it, but now the truth was laid bare—a prison of pure Instinct.
I glanced back at the shattered space behind me. Beyond, a kaleidoscopic world was exposed, but it was collapsing into chaos—mountains howling, seas raging, the earth convulsing. The air vibrated with disaster; it was a world devoured by Calamity, a vision of the apocalypse.
"Indeed. Instinct Manifestation—most think it means simply taking human form, appearing as a shadow of flesh and blood."
I shook my head, a gesture of weary denial.
"That's a shallow misconception. True Instinct Manifestation—I've only ever witnessed it in you, in the world of Yin and Yang, where the boundaries of reality bleed."
I knew this truth intimately. I had witnessed the birth of Instinct itself, and watched the Wraithlord dissect it with chilling precision. True Instinct Manifestation isn't just a surge of power or a visible specter—it's the creation of an entire world, forged from primal will, a reality that can stand exposed beneath the unforgiving sun.
The Heavenly Soul had always pursued this path. If he could cling to the Origin for centuries more, he might have succeeded. Yet Redmond before me—his power, his presence—filled me with a supernatural awe that bordered on terror.
"If I ever return to the Living World, you will stand against me again. But heed my warning—if this is all the strength you possess, you are utterly doomed against the Wraithlord. There is no hope for victory."
Redmond stared at me, his face grim and shadowed. I gazed down at my own body—already beyond salvation. My strongest attack hadn't even grazed him. Tilting my head back, I felt the cold certainty of dissolution; soon, I would vanish from this place, and this time, death would be absolute.
My Shadow Realm was spiderwebbed with fractures, each crack a testament to my unraveling existence. When I died, this warped, tormented realm would perish with me—obliterated by my own demise.
I heard the Shadow Realm's anguished wails echoing through the ruins. I sank to the ground, pressing my hand to the shattered earth as the apartment building lay flattened, a graveyard of my defeat.
"It's tragic—you still have no name. If fate allows us to meet again, I swear I'll give you one."
Black smoke writhed and billowed, choking the air. Redmond pressed his hand to his forehead, silent, his eyes glimmering with a sorrow that mirrored my own. I managed a faint, broken smile as my body fractured further, black shards cascading from me. Death crept closer, a sensation too vast for words. Life and death had lost all meaning—I was only a shadow, about to vanish. But I knew my next destination.
"Where will you go when this is over?"
Redmond descended before me, his voice cutting through the smoke. I stared at him, shock and disbelief etched across my fading features.
John Chou once said: since you dared to enter the Living World and stake your last vessel on such a reckless gamble, the Infernal Will could never act so rashly. He guessed you must have a second plan, hidden in the shadows.
I tilted my head back and laughed—a hollow, desperate sound that echoed through the ruins, a final defiance against oblivion.
"If that's what John Chou said, give him this message: my next stop is the Illusory Realm—where the boundaries of reality dissolve and memory shapes existence."
For a fleeting moment, Redmond's eyes widened, disbelief and dread flickering in the darkness.
"Because there are souls in the Illusory Realm who still yearn for me, and the Living World is no different—someone's heart still clings to my memory. That is why I can exist in the Illusory Realm. Only if every last soul forgets me will I truly be erased from existence."
As I spoke, I collapsed onto the ground, my gaze sweeping over the shattered Shadow Realm. All around me sprawled a city reduced to apocalyptic ruin—mountains, rivers, forests, all ravaged and broken. Redmond stood atop the rubble, his silhouette fading into distance as my connection to the Living World slipped away. My Ghost Soul was dying, snuffed out by despair.
I have no choice but to return to the Illusory Realm. There, I am close to unraveling the Laws of the World—if I succeed, I can claw my way back to the Living World, defying fate itself.
"Do you truly crave the annihilation of all things?"
Redmond asked. I shook my head. With a sickening crack, my head tumbled from my neck—my body nearly vanished, leaving nothing but drifting gray dust and the echo of my suffering.
"Of course. I exist because of the world, and the world exists because of me. This endless expansion drags me forward, and I, in turn, sustain its growth. It was all ordained—this is the inexorable will of Hell."
I closed my eyes, surrendering to oblivion as my consciousness unraveled. I knew—before my true awakening, all I did in the Illusory Realm had forged bonds with the Chimera Beasts. That was my last lifeline. Once inside, no force could reach me. The Wraithlord's resurrection was postponed, for now.
"Unless I choose to let him rise again."
I let out a cold, bitter laugh as my consciousness blurred at the edges. Slowly, I opened my eyes to a vast, spectral plain, surrounded by rare Chimera Beasts. I sat in silence on the grass, the wind howling across the field—a world between worlds.
"Longing is the greatest force. As long as I linger in the hearts of others, I can shatter the Laws of the World."
I burst into wild, unrestrained laughter, feeling my strength surge back. The power I gained in the Illusory Realm throbbed within me—I would seek out the Realm Keeper and reunite with my companions, if only for a moment of respite before the next storm.
"Find me, and you can escape the Illusory Realm."
Suddenly, a voice cut through the gloom. I looked up at the ashen sky, a twisted smile curling on my lips.
"You truly are the will of this world. Only the world's will can speak to me, and only I can hear the voices of worlds beyond."
I began to walk, slow and deliberate. I must be in the middle layer of the Illusory Realm. To move freely, I must reach Highvale and find Eugenia. But first, I will seek out Mother Goddess Nuwa and discuss the Wraithlord—my resolve shifting with every step.
"Let me help you, then. Sooner or later, your resurrection is inevitable. Why not let me raise the Wraithlord for you? It's what you desire—and what destiny demands."