My Soul card is a Reaper
Chapter 603: The Jewel of Darkness

Under the influence of Protos energy's whisperings in his head, Azzy slowly started walking toward the unconscious dark creature.

He was wobbling left and right with blurry vision on the front, just like someone who is fully drunk.

Upon reaching the creature, Azzy made a tight fist.

Just as he was about to punch it with all of his strength, an adamantine crown with an emerald colored jewel embedded in it appeared on his head, an adamantine shield with a brown colored jewel in the middle appeared in his left hand, and finally, a crescent-shaped amulet with a yellow-colored jewel in it appeared on his neck.

All of them made their appearance at the same time, releasing their respective attribute energies to suppress the Protos energy.

However, as the Protos energy looked like it was resisting their collective suppression and trying to influence Azzy's head, the three of the cosmic jewels also started their own whisperings in Azzy's head.

"Kill it… Use my power and kill the enemy"

"Use our power to track its main body."

"Master, killing it will serve no use to you."

"Use the creature and lure the Jewel of Darkness to you"

The Protos energy was asking him to kill while the cosmic jewels were asking him not to do that for a greater purpose.

Azzy's headaches were spiked up so much by their whisperings that he fell on his knees and started screaming instead of staying in a daze.

His screaming went on for a continuous period of eleven minutes before the Protos energy was finally subdued by the three cosmic jewels and Azzy finally broke out of their control by his sheer willpower.

"Would you stop fuc*ing shouting in my head? It hurts a lot," He swore at the cosmic jewels and sent them back to the mindscape.

The next few seconds were filled with silence.

"Phew… finally some peace." Azzy let out a sigh of relief, feeling so much peace as if he could sleep right away if he lay down on his back and closed his eyes.

He then went into deep thinking.

"Something changed. I never experienced such a phenomenon before. Is it because my access to my soul energy and even natural energy was cut off? I could understand if those three cosmic jewels were able to come out but isn't Protos energy basically trapped in Vajra? It could break even the laws of this world?"

"Anyways, no use in thinking about it right now. Let's focus on the present situation. According to the earlier whispers, this creature is related to the Jewel of Darkness, and the other three cosmic jewels could be used to track it.

I don't know if it is fate or not, but if there is one on this planet, I will have to take it no matter. Who knows… Louis might also be here to acquire the cosmic jewel.

Hmm… nah, it can't be possible. There's no way to track it. Or maybe, Louis possessed a cosmic jewel and used it to track this one?

No, no, no… These are cosmic jewels. There are only 11 in the whole world and there are trillions of worlds out there. Chronos said that it is not possible but the latest discovery clearly indicates that the gods could track them down if they have cosmic jewels too.

Or maybe, one needs two or three of them to track them? In that case, there's no way Louis could do it.

The best possible scenario I could think is that Louis might be here by accident but he might have encountered dark creatures just like I did now. He was probably here to investigate their existence as there is no way for them to be here. Hmm…"

Concluding, Azzy sat down on the floor in a lotus position and focused on summoning the cosmic jewels.

"huh?"

Soon, he realized that he couldn't connect to them, "What happened? Just now, I commanded them but now there's that disconnection once again."

He increased his concentration on his soul orb, "Can you hear me? Sorry for sending you away earlier. I need your help."

There was no response from the cosmic jewels.

Azzy requested once again, "Please come out."

However, it was only met with silence.

"What to do now?" Azzy wondered.

Suddenly, a crazy thought appeared in his head, and his eyes lit up as he opened his eyes, "Okay, let's force them out then."

He took out his smartphone and opened the email before downloading PDF files containing whatever information the General could replace on Eren's father, a Researcher named Louis Balton, Princeton labs, Star labs, and their researchers, Project Zenith Evolution, zombie virus, the exorcist, and everything.

Azzy had to request the General for another favor to get this information, which included all kinds of secrets unknown to the public and the media.

As he scrolls down the screen, various emotions overcome him. He felt anger, pity, sorrow, and a kaleidoscope of feelings that defied easy categorization.

But, one thing became clear to him. Louis has no prior record before 18 months at all even though it said that he was a longtime friend of Eren's father.

Coincidentally, that is also the time the exorcist changed his videos from ghosts to dark creatures.

"Are those incidents related or am I just trying to connect the incidents for the sake of my mission?" Azzy wondered out loud.

"What incidents?" A voice was heard from behind, startling Azzy.

He jumped high and made a vertical spin, landing his feet on the ceiling for a brief moment to observe the room.

Someone was crouching on the floor, not far away from where he sat earlier.

No, Azzy couldn't say whether it was someone or something. It wasn't a human but it wasn't some dark creature either.

Its appearance is humanoid but its entire body is shrouded in darkness, although without any physical body. Azzy couldn't even see its eyes as it raised its head and looked at him.

As Azzy landed on the floor, the mysterious creature said, "Excuse me, human but not so human. Just a while ago, I sensed the presence of my siblings. Do you happen to know where they have gone?"

"Siblings? What is it talking about?"Azzy took a quick glance behind him and shook his head, thinking that it might not be here for the dark creature as it used the plural word.

It was then something clicked inside his head, "Wait a second… I couldn't sense its presence at all, and it was talking about the siblings when it was just me, this dark creature, and… is it…"

Taking a deep breath, he asked in uncertainty, "Are you the Jewel of Darkness?"

"Hmm? You know me?" The shadow being looked at him in curiosity. Taking another look at him, it motioned its head forward and smelled him while maintaining its distance.

After a couple of seconds, it said with a nod, "Indeed, you must know me. You are after all a divine being, although human but not human at the same time. You smelled just like Gaia and Thanatos. Hmm… who are they by the way? Those names just came to me…" The shadow being's personality confused Azzy a bit.

"Uhh… guys, my dear cosmic jewels, if you are listening, I think it would be the best time for you three to come out right now," thought Azzy while thinking about his next course of action.