I sat on the rooftop, gasping for breath. All around me, Wraithhold had been reduced to rubble. In this Realm of Karma, I kept moving through endless cycles, destroying countless fragments of the past, yet the end was nowhere in sight. Exhaustion crept in as I gazed at the black halo in the sky—the gateway to another past. I forced a helpless smile.
Is the Wraithlord just deceiving me?
I tried to rise, but exhaustion weighed me down, and I lay back on the rooftop, quietly watching the ruins of Wraithhold. In the untouched corners, ghosts still wandered—shadows of the past, uncanny and unsettling. Everything in this Realm of Karma felt warped and unnatural.
How long has the Spirit Snake been gone?
I asked aloud, and soon realized—a week had passed. Since entering the Realm of Karma, a week had gone by. Not long, but not short either. Zhang Qingyuan must have entered at nearly the same time as I did. The moment I sensed his presence, I headed that way, but everything in that world was different from what I remembered.
Because those things had never happened before. I remembered clearly: Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t see ghosts in the past, and he moved into the apartment building more than a year early. He only moved there in the second semester of his sophomore year, because of Lily Wu.
It was Howard Zhang who suggested it, and he also found the apartment. The building wasn’t nearly as bleak as I remembered. In that layout, earth energy had already gathered. I still recall, from when I was the same person as Zhang Qingyuan, that the earth energy only began to flow there after he moved in—a vast surge of power.
Besides, the gathering of earth energy wasn’t natural—it was because John Chou had buried his Deathstone beneath the apartment building long ago, back when Zhang Qingyuan first moved in.
Zhang Qingyuan might not remember, but I remember every detail. After all, all memories remain in my mind. On the second morning after he moved in, Mr. Brown came by, saying he wanted to rent a place. He even spoke with Zhang Qingyuan, though at the time, he knew nothing.
I understood John Chou’s motive: he wanted Zhang Qingyuan to encounter ghosts, to slowly draw him into this world. I smiled helplessly, then got to my feet.
Even now, I still don’t know what John Chou truly wants. But none of it matters anymore.
Looking back, the earth energy, drawn by the Deathstone, converged beneath the apartment building, turning it into a place of extreme Deathbane Aura. That was the first step for John Chou to regain his power. At the time, Zhang Qingyuan knew nothing.
Deathbane Aura kept gathering, drawing ghosts from all around. Because Master Zachary Wu cast a certain spell on Zhang Qingyuan, he completely lost his memories of seeing ghosts. His body became fully human, forgetting the ghostly power within him.
John Chou’s method was to slowly weaken Master Zachary Wu’s spell, so that the ghostly power in Zhang Qingyuan would eventually awaken. When John Chou sensed the time was right, he set his plan in motion. I smirked coldly.
Maybe Zhang Qingyuan had already sensed something—that everything he experienced wasn’t his own fault, but the result of outside forces. Still, none of it mattered. All three of us owed John Chou a debt. He was our benefactor; without him, none of us could have become human, or even dreamed of intelligence.
Ever since the Deathstone was placed beneath the building, the Deathbane Aura grew heavier. More and more ghosts gathered nearby, so the number of residents dwindled. By the time Zhang Qingyuan realized, the apartment was plagued by hauntings one after another.
That was when John Chou's plan truly began. I got to my feet, seeing there was nothing left to destroy, and flew toward the black halo in the sky.
But just as I was about to enter, a sudden wail pierced the air. My eyes widened. The figure before me had purple-black skin and was surrounded by floating purple skulls—it was Lord Wraith.
This guy...
Just as I was about to speak, a massive force slammed into me. I barely reacted before I plummeted straight toward the ground. Looking up, I saw that Lord Wraith had vanished, and the black halo in the sky slowly faded away.
Strange phenomena kept unfolding. I let a faint, bitter smile slip and shouted into the emptiness.
Can't take it anymore? If you're at your limit, come out. I have no intention of wasting even a second on you, Karma.
I roared, thrusting my hand skyward as wild lightning erupted in every direction. The air crackled; the city, already reduced to ruin, turned to black ash—the ground split, boulders surged upward. I poured every ounce of power into myself, relentless.
My heart raced with excitement. The strength Zhang Qingyuan gained by sacrificing everything was overwhelming. I trembled, exhilarated, instantly aware of the gap between us.
My only option now is to find the Heaven Soul of the Wraithlord and have him teach me. Only then can I rapidly grow stronger. But that guy probably isn't interested—I plan to pester him until he agrees.
Nothing in the living world matters anymore. The black halo reappeared in the sky. In a flash, I moved toward it, but Lord Wraith appeared before me again. Grinning viciously, I drove the Endbringer Blade straight through his body; he instantly dissolved into scattered black mist.
So it was all an illusion conjured by Karma, trying to stop me. Looks like the Wraithlord’s method—destroying the past to force a reversal of Karma—is the fastest, simplest way.
Gradually, I entered a sunlit city. Glancing around, I caught sight of a Ghost Burial Squad vehicle speeding through the streets. I sneered coldly, raised my hand, and summoned the Endbringer Blade, driving it into the ground without hesitation.
With a thunderous crash, skyscrapers toppled, the ground split wide, and black lightning devoured the city—an apocalypse, spreading without end. I unleashed destruction, holding nothing back.
None of it meant anything to me. The past and its connections to the present were meaningless.
The rumbling continued. The once clear sky was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, black lightning raining down with unstoppable force, destroying everything in its path.
I watched as another black halo appeared in the sky—the next cycle of Karma opening. In a flash, I flew to its edge, waiting for the city’s destruction to finish before crossing through.
But then I noticed cracks forming in the halo, as if it were about to shatter. Confused, I watched as everything around me faded into darkness. The Endbringer Blade returned to my hand.
What’s your plan? If you’re still trying to stop me, I won’t show any mercy.
As I spoke and prepared to enter the halo, I realized it had vanished completely. Everything twisted around me. Strange lights flashed, and images flickered rapidly before my eyes, then shattered and disappeared.
Do you really want to sever Karma?
A voice drifted from the endless darkness. I burst out laughing, shot forward, and suddenly my eyes widened. Black mist gathered and slowly took the shape of Zhang Qingyuan, changing little by little from childhood onward. I raised the Endbringer Blade in my hand.
Sorry, but I just want to wander the world in peace. I don’t want to be bound by the past or blinded by the future.
With a swift motion, I slashed Zhang Qingyuan’s body with the Endbringer Blade. Instantly, everything vanished into smoke. Silence fell. I sensed something odd—the force dragging me from within had completely disappeared.
It’s over. Karma—such a thing is nothing but a joke.
In a daze, my consciousness began to blur. Suddenly, I snapped my eyes open, gasping as I scrambled up from the ground. Looking around, I realized I was still beside the Lake of Desire. I straightened up and flexed my right hand—it had fully recovered, and my strength was no longer hindered.
I quietly stood up and, with a swoosh, flew over to the lake. The Wraithlord was still hunched over the desk, silently gazing at the Blank Desire Tome. I entered the room beneath the water.
"Thank you," I said.
I uttered softly. The Wraithlord turned his head in puzzlement.
"That was quick. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just don't bother me from now on."
I walked over slowly.
"Can you teach me how to use my strength?"
I asked, but the Wraithlord shook his head.
"No time. Practice however you want—just don't come and bother me."
I smiled and sighed, finding a spot in the corner to sit down. My body felt incomparably light and free. I knew with certainty that I had transcended the Outcome Marker. The Wraithlord hadn't lied. Any further destruction would probably affect other things in the Realm of Karma, so the Outcome Marker had left me. In the end, no matter what world it is, only strength commands absolute authority.