During the endless wait, I saw the Deathbane Wraith manifest once again in the city. Without hesitation, I swiftly closed in on the black figure and seized its neck in an iron grip. A thunderous force surged through my body, but I remained untouched. Holding the Deathbane Wraith by the throat, I instantly shifted us into the sky.
All around me, space began to twist and distort, stronger than before. Yet these forces posed no real threat to me now. If anything, they were more psychic power than physical force. Watching as my sleeve disintegrated into gray ash, I smiled faintly and shook my head.
"Sorry. I can't recall what I did to violate the Law of Karma before, but I refuse to let it devour me."
Suddenly, a crimson light burst from my body. The twisted space shattered instantly, and the Deathbane Wraith before me whimpered as its form broke apart, fragment by fragment.
I exhaled slightly, having used a fusion of Buddhist and Daoist powers with my own. Just as Hayden Orion said, I couldn't fully integrate them. When released, two-thirds of the Buddhist and Daoist powers were lost.
Luckily, I dealt with the Deathbane Wraith before it could begin consuming my memory shards. It seems I can't afford to leave this place for even a moment.
I kept my gaze fixed below, mind racing through possible solutions. The most practical was Ghost Soul, but I couldn't use it. I couldn't split myself again—a frustrating and troublesome predicament, especially when I needed help the most. And Eugenia, who knows when she'll return.
I glanced toward Mother Goddess Nuwa on the horizon; she seemed too occupied to assist me. I could only rely on myself. The Law of Karma attacks every three hours, so I must keep a careful watch over everything in the city.
I raised my vantage point, ascending higher until I could nearly survey the entire city. Still, many places remained out of sight. What worried me most were those hidden areas—and the floating islands overhead. If my broken memories are devoured there, it could be disastrous.
But maintaining such vigilance for long stretches takes a toll on my spirit. I may not tire physically, but my focus inevitably scatters and wanes.
An hour passed with no sign of movement. I decided to rest near a building, but just as I was about to withdraw my gaze, the corners of both eyes caught sight of another Deathbane Wraith. I lunged toward the nearest one on the right. As I landed, a wall collapsed with a deafening crash—the Deathbane Wraith before me was much larger now, nearly two meters tall, its body grotesquely distorted. It roared as soon as it saw me.
With a thunderous blow, I punched the Deathbane Wraith in the abdomen, propelling it into the sky. My hands pressed against its chest, black and white energies swirling around my palms. The Deathbane Wraith's form twisted and tore apart as I glared, unleashing a furious roar. In an instant, countless black-and-white beams pierced and unraveled its body.
I dropped down and instantly teleported before another hulking Deathbane Wraith. This time, it seemed to know it couldn't defeat me and fled, sprinting through the city at incredible speed. I darted through the air in pursuit, but it cleverly used buildings for cover, easily evading me. We remained separated by nearly a hundred meters; despite several attempts, I couldn't catch it.
Anxiety crept in—my powers couldn't penetrate my memory shards. I dodged through buildings, trying to keep the Deathbane Wraith from devouring those broken memories. It had no chance to consume them, but the risk remained.
I tried again and again, but each time I was about to catch it, the Deathbane Wraith seemed to anticipate my moves, shifting its position before I could close in. I could only rely on my sight to track it, but that was proving futile.
Things were getting tricky. Suddenly, I ascended into the sky and saw the Deathbane Wraith speeding through an alley. With a thought, I summoned a rain of black-and-white swords, each whistling as they sliced through the air toward the target.
The swords clanged sharply as they struck the ground and vanished. For a moment, the Deathbane Wraith was immobilized by the barrage. I landed behind it, and it turned, roaring at me.
With a crack, black chains shot from the Deathbane Wraith's palms, coiling around me. It hurled me against a nearby wall, which collapsed with a thunderous crash, stones flying everywhere. My heart pounded—I had let my guard down for a second and paid the price.
With a burst of power, I broke free from the chains and struck the Deathbane Wraith in the abdomen. It howled in agony as I glared, my eyes transforming into a swirling Taiji pattern. A force like ink and water merged into a giant dragon, which instantly devoured the Deathbane Wraith.
A crisp snap—the black-and-white motes scattered and faded away. I was stunned for a moment, a thought crossing my mind: does killing these Deathbane Wraiths only make more appear? Regardless, I have no choice but to destroy them. I am alone, and next time I must act with greater resolve. Glancing at the ruined wall, I rose into the air again, scanning the city with grim determination.
[Irrelevant system prompt skipped.]
I can't afford any more mistakes. The Deathbane Wraiths are growing stronger, and they seem to be developing intelligence. Next time they appear, who knows how much worse it will be. I asked Mother Goddess Nuwa how to resolve this—she told me I must endure the full erosion of the Law of Karma. Once its influence fades, everything lost will naturally return. I don't know how long this will take. For some reason, anxiety gnaws at me as I scan the outskirts of all the islands, but not even the faintest breeze stirs.
After a while, I sensed trouble. Four Deathbane Wraiths appeared across the city. Without hesitation, I teleported above one, raising my hand as a massive black-and-white Taiji manifested behind me. Swords of shadow and light shot down, sealing off the Wraith's escape.
A sharp crack—my eyes widened in shock as the Deathbane Wraith, seemingly evolved, conjured black swords of its own, slicing through my barrage and sprinting away. In that split second, I teleported before it and struck its chest, sending it flying onto the street.
With a thunderous crash, the street caved in beneath the Wraith's weight. As it prepared to flee, I gave it no chance—driving a sword through its chest and unleashing my power, shredding it within a swirling black-and-white vortex. I quickly rushed to the next location.
The Deathbane Wraiths had begun consuming my broken memories, but upon seeing me, they fled. After a difficult fight, I managed to eliminate two; the last one vanished, hiding somewhere. The city's memory shards are a grave disadvantage for me.
I scanned the skies, a realization dawning: killing these Deathbane Wraiths only causes more to appear, stronger than before. Understanding this, I searched every corner for the last one, but no matter where I looked, it remained hidden.
"Could it have disappeared?"
I muttered, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was hiding, though where I couldn't tell. Suddenly, a thought struck me. With a rush, I moved to a familiar apartment building—its structure almost entirely intact. This place felt most familiar, etched deepest in my memory.
Sure enough, I soon spotted cracks in the outer wall of room 410. I flew over and opened the door to find the Deathbane Wraith gnawing noisily on a table. It turned and roared at me, but I instantly appeared behind it and punched its face, sending it flying.
Golden streams wrapped around the Deathbane Wraith. I glanced at the wrecked room, then carried the Wraith into the sky. I let out a breath—this time, I wouldn't kill it. My plan was just to restrain it.
The power I bound it with couldn't be broken easily. I decided to wait for Eugenia and the others—when they arrived, maybe their beast powers could harm these Deathbane Wraiths.
Just then, I sensed something happening on an island below. Looking down, I realized it was a memory of the ghost realm. My eyes widened in shock—the archway of the Styx Gate had collapsed with a thunderous crash. I immediately flew down.