Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 221 - Refusal to Join
“I made a mistake.” As Wu Chen looked at the Reaper that appeared on the other side of his field of vision, a thin layer of mist quietly dispelled his confusion. “According to the normal procedure, I should only need to collect one Soul Gem fragment to restore the severed soul.”

Yes, that's it. That's how it should be—a severed soul should only become a single fragment, not be split into three at the same time. The reason I only brought Hayakawa Shiori is because the process only requires collecting the gem once to succeed.

But Wu Chen collected three.

Naturally, without realizing anything amiss, three were collected—in reality, the Reaper in front of them was the one who, in the original gameplay, required the collection of three Soul Gem fragments to appear.

This was its summoning ritual—fragments of its soul gem were buried in three different fortresses. Only by collecting them all could one summon this powerful monster, which had no quests, no achievements, and not even any special loot, in the Reaper's Sanctuary.

however……

Wu Chen gripped the spiritual dragon bone greatsword tightly in his hand.

"So that's how it is. This annihilation realm, this tomb of the dead, is spontaneously yearning for a cage to guard it!"

Clang! The sword and sickle clashed.

A massive shockwave surged out in all directions.

It was a burst of power, a chaotic and raging storm. And in this massive interaction of kinetic energy, the eyes beneath the mask of the Witch Dust stared directly at the empty face beneath the Reaper's decaying cloak.

He couldn't see anything.

But he felt that he had observed a familiar outline.

The tattered cloak fluttered wildly in the storm. And that invisible, familiar silhouette was none other than Wu Chen's own face!

"You are me." He looked up.

Even with both hands full, the eyes can be used as a medium to cast spells. Elemental crystals silently appeared above the head, and a total of six jet-black destruction balls were thrown in quick succession.

"You are my failure."

'Boom—' The sphere exploded on the Reaper's cloak.

The force was heavy.

The victim's outer garments exploded, releasing bursts of light and fire—the decaying cloak used to conceal his face was thus partially lifted. A withered, pale face was then revealed to Wu Chen.

A familiar face.

The face Wu Chen sees in the mirror every day will, after a hundred years of weathering, become what's under the cloak.

But right now, it isn't him yet.

“That is indeed my cutting gem.” Amid the explosion, Wu Chen raised the sword in his hand. The martial arts proficiency bestowed upon him by Tianyao allowed him to wield it with precision and efficiency, and the sharp, spiritual blade immediately pointed at the Reaper’s chest.

One cut.

A cloud of gray-black mist, like blood, gushed from the harvester's chest.

However, at the moment the second strike landed, the spiritual sword was blocked by the giant scythe in the Reaper's hand.

—I have a strange feeling. That feeling suggests that my actions are already within the other party's prediction.

There was no sense of crisis, but his body instinctively showed a tendency to dodge. Wu Chen suddenly took a step back, and the next moment, a pitch-black sphere suddenly popped out from under the Reaper's rotten cloak. It was swift and precise, and its trajectory just grazed the hem of Wu Chen's clothes!
It's a Wrecking Ball.

The powerful destructive magic taught by Hera, which cannot evoke a sense of crisis.

Without a doubt, this Annihilation Domain, known as the Soul Tomb, copied Wu Chen's data and infused it into the Reaper's body when his soul fell into it. Thus, this vessel chosen by the Annihilation Domain as the guardian possessed a portion of the power wielded by Wu Chen.

A crackling sound erupted as lightning flashed. Having dodged the Wrecking Ball's attack, Wu Chen retaliated with a Plasma Stream Blast the instant the attack switched sides. However, at the same instant, a resilient, semi-transparent wall suddenly appeared around the Reaper!

The high-level spell failed to achieve its intended effect. What appeared on the opponent was undoubtedly the 'Subspace Shield,' a celestial system spell from the Kingdom of Heaven. The extent to which the data was copied was even greater than Wu Chen had anticipated. However, he was certain that the parameters the opponent could copy did not include those equipment and armor that should be categorized as external forces!
"Feim!" the dragon roared. The dragon scale mark on the back of his hand twitched slightly.

The instant his attack missed, Wu Chen didn't hesitate to use his ethereal ability to dodge. However, at the same moment he moved through the void, the Reaper before him suddenly raised its scythe!

Omens of death appeared.

At this moment, Wu Chen's eyes caught the dark glow emanating from the giant black scythe.

That was an ominous power with ample depth of attack. And a mere fragment of a power rune in the ethereal dragon roar was insufficient to overcome it at this moment!
That power was no longer confined to the mundane realm.

The scythe, forged from the Soul Tomb itself, had at this moment touched the immortal power of the gods.

Then——

The giant scythe fell.

—Heavenly Shield Armor, activate!

Thoughts turn.

The invisible protective gear is now within Wu Chen's understanding.

The omen of death vanished in that instant, accompanied by the rapid descent of the massive, black scythe!
【————】

Everything is still.

The fan-shaped surface struck by the scythe, whether it was the barren ground or the tiny, wandering souls, was pulverized and evaporated in an instant—they crashed silently and massively in all directions, because at this moment, even sound itself collapsed and evaporated under this scythe strike!
It's terrible.

However, amidst the combined effects of the ethereal transformation and the Heavenly Shield Armor, Wu Chen silently extended his palm.

He thus touched it—and pressed his hand against its chest before it could make its next move. An invisible protection, similar in nature to the Heavenly Shield Armor, was simultaneously applied to the Reaper's body.

The response was swift and the action timely. However…

"Soul Explosion".

The Heavenly Shield Armor is not invincible. From the very beginning, it was unable to directly confront a force possessing divine power. However, Wu Chen currently possessed an overflowing amount of divine willpower. Moreover, a large quantity of it had already been used as fuel, poured into the Destruction Crown atop Wu Chen's head, and successfully released the moment Wu Chen's ethereal transformation ended!
Thus, Wu Chen was able to witness the true nature of the calamity that tore open the curtain on the Second Era's great war. He saw no sound or light, yet he could clearly sense that some immense, terrifying power was being unleashed in a realm beyond the observation of ordinary people!
It takes a moment.

In that instant, the Reaper container in front of Wu Chen silently disintegrated into a clump of fine sand.

(End of this chapter)