Chapter 245: This is a Spirit World Secret
"What's the method?"
Will asked. He was extremely wary of Gengar.
The creature's Aura was a chaotic mess. It was a whirlwind of different emotions. Right now, the strongest were "excitement" and "anxiety," but deep within, there was also "malice."
It was the first time Will had ever sensed an Aura like this. He found it impossible to get a read on Gengar's true intentions, so he had to stay on high alert.
"Two ways," Gengar said, holding up one finger with an evil grin. "One: we kill this little girl. If she dies, that woman dies. With her gone, you and I can't kill Dusknoir?"
"She's been hiding so well. I've been here a thousand years, and today is the first I've known she had a vessel."
He stared at Yui, rubbing his hands together, looking like he was about to pounce.
Yui's body went stiff, and tears started rolling down her cheeks.
"Don't cry. You're not going to die," Will said, wiping her tears. He then looked at Gengar. "What's the second way?"
"The second way... we take her to Dusknoir. Maybe we can trick that idiot into opening a gate."
Gengar's expression soured. He clearly didn't like this plan. It wasn't fun.
Even if it worked, he'd be the only one to escape. His underlings would all be left behind. Who would he cause trouble with then?
Besides, he didn't think this plan had a high chance of success. Dusknoir was dumb, but he wasn't that dumb. You could talk to him, but tricking him wasn't easy. Especially not with something as serious as opening a gate. Even a blockhead would have to think twice.
In Will's mind, he couldn't let his friend Yui be harmed just so he could escape. So the first option was out. If Yui died, the Spirit World would fall into chaos, and she wouldn't be resurrected. But if Will died, he'd just move on to the next life.
Besides, Gengar's first plan wasn't even guaranteed to work.
If "Big Yui" knew she would die if "Little Yui" died, why would she let her run around freely? It must mean she wasn't afraid of anyone attacking Little Yui. There had to be another secret Yui herself didn't even know.
"Will~... tricking people is bad~" Yui, having heard Gengar, whispered in Will's ear.
"...I'm starting to think we should just kill her," Gengar's face darkened, and dark purple energy began to leak from his blood-red eyes.
"Cut the crap," Cofagrigus said, putting a hand in front of Gengar. "Let's go try. If it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."
He now wanted to protect not only Will, but Yui as well. His reason for protecting Yui was... well, mostly so he could bring her to annoy the Lord of the Spirit World every day. But whatever the reason, Gengar wasn't going to hurt Yui on his watch.
"Let's go!" Gengar took off without another word.
Cofagrigus grabbed Will and Yui and followed.
With Gengar constantly inhaling the fog, the Lord of the Spirit World couldn't see or hear what was happening, and it would take her time to react. She would probably just assume Gengar was off to bother Dusknoir for fun, as he had done countless times over the past thousand years.
They traveled for two hours, reaching the edge of the Spirit World. The dark purple land ended, giving way to a vast, whitish-purple ocean.
They flew along the coastline. Before long, they saw a massive, ten-meter-tall Dusknoir standing in the distance.
Sensing their approach, Dusknoir stood up. Its single red eye locked onto Gengar, and it immediately took a battle stance.
"Hey! Fatso! Look who this is!" Gengar yelled impatiently, pointing at Yui. "This is your master! Hurry up and open the gate, she wants out!"
Gengar, of all Pokémon, was calling someone else fat.
Dusknoir turned its massive head to stare at Yui, a hint of confusion in its eye. Yui, frozen in fear, didn't dare move.
"No," Dusknoir said after a two-second pause, shaking its head. "The Lord said the gate cannot be opened. She is not the Lord."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Gengar slowly turned, his gaze falling on Yui.
Will immediately grabbed Yui and ducked behind Cofagrigus.
At the same time, Dusknoir instantly appeared in front of Gengar.
"What?"
"You cannot touch her." Dusknoir shook his head. It seemed he also intended to protect Yui.
"She's not your master."
"She is the Lord-Apparent of the Spirit World."
Dusknoir stood his ground. In that moment, all three Champion-class beings unleashed their full auras.
Will, as a former high-Champion, still had his keen eye, even if he lacked the power.
The strongest one here was Dusknoir, the [Alpha] Champion. His level was the same as Will's last life, around Lv. 88. With the Alpha boost, he was at the pinnacle of the Champion-class.
Next was Gengar. His level was the same, but he was only a [Totem], one step below an Alpha.
Last was Cofagrigus. He had no territory or followers, so he had no boost. But his level was still high, at least Lv. 86.
'Three Champions, and not a single weak one...' Will thought, his nerves on edge.
Out in the living world, any one of these three would be on par with a lesser Legendary. If they teamed up, they could probably take down a high-tier one.
"Will... I'm scared..." Yui clung to Will, her body trembling. The combined pressure of three Champions was too much for her. The chilling, sinister aura of the Ghost-types alone was enough to freeze a ghost.
But Will had no time to comfort her.
"What did you mean, 'Lord-Apparent'?" Will spoke, breaking the tension.
He had to find a way to stop these three from fighting. All three were Champions. Yui would probably be fine, but he was in mortal danger. A single stray shockwave could kill him.
"You have no right to ask. This is a Spirit World secret."
"Yui, you ask him." Will nudged the girl. If she was the "Lord-Apparent," she must have some authority, right?
"Oh... what did you mean, 'Lord-Apparent'?" Yui asked obediently.
"...The Lord of the Spirit World's soul is always split by the Vortex. The 'Evil Soul' becomes the main soul and rules. The 'Good Soul' becomes the Apparent, in case of an accident."
"When the Evil Soul temporarily loses consciousness or is incapacitated, if she and the Good Soul are thrown into the Vortex, they will be merged."
"The new, merged soul will inherit all of the Evil Soul's power and take over as the new Lord, maintaining order. But this all hinges on nothing being wrong with the Good Soul."
Dusknoir explained after a pause.
But Will pressed on, "Who's consciousness is dominant in the new soul? Or do they merge? Explain."
"You have no right to ask. This is a Spirit World secret."
"Yui."
"Explain."
"...Their consciousnesses cannot merge. The Vortex must extinguish one, to prevent two minds from fighting for control and causing the Spirit World to collapse."
"If the Evil Soul loses consciousness, her mind is extinguished, and her power is merged into the Good Soul. The Good Soul's consciousness becomes the new Lord."
"If the Evil Soul is only incapacitated, then the Good Soul's mind is extinguished, and her body is used as 'material' to help the Evil Soul 'revive'."
Will finally understood.
In the end, both Yuis were just tools for the Vortex of Reincarnation. As long as the Spirit World's order was maintained, it didn't care which Yui lived.
And "Big Yui" was clearly favored. She was the "chosen" one, her power fed by the Vortex, with armies of Dusknoir and Chandelure to command.
Meanwhile, "Little Yui" knew nothing. She was bullied by the Chandelure, had no one to talk to, and was just a backup battery for the Lord, in case she ever 'woke up' and wasn't herself anymore.
Hearing this, Cofagrigus's lip curled in a sneer, and Gengar's eyebrow shot up.
Will frowned, and then... a plan formed.
The three of them looked at each other.
Without a word, they grabbed Yui and sped away.
Dusknoir stood there, scratching his head in momentary confusion, but quickly dismissed it and returned to his post.
Half an hour later, in a fog-cleared area.
Will, Gengar, and Cofagrigus were huddled together, muttering.
Fifteen minutes later, they had a new plan.
"Let's do it!" Gengar slammed his fist. The next moment, he melted into a black puddle and merged with Will's shadow.
At a glance, nothing seemed wrong.
But in the Spirit World... there is no light. How could there be a shadow?
"Will..." Yui knelt on the ground and hugged Will.
"Don't be afraid. You don't have to do anything. Just stand there. Leave the rest to us. This will be good for you, too."
Will gently stroked Yui's forehead.
If their plan succeeded, not only would Will and Gengar get out, but Yui's entire existence would be changed.
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