My Soul card is a Reaper

After a while;

"Sorry, Mr. Garcia, but I can't join you," he said with a certain determination in his voice. Louis had no recollection of Azzy. "I've got a mission to save my people. Once it's done, I'll find my own way to meet them. I don't know how you managed to bring me here against my will, but I hope that won't happen again."

Azzy's dissatisfaction with Louis' refusal was evident in his response. "Are you really telling me you can't spare just one day to see your daughter? Your spatial abilities should make it a breeze for you to travel back and forth in an instant."

Louis asserted his boundaries firmly, his tone unwavering. "This is about my daughter and my ex-girlfriend. It's a personal matter, and you have no role in it. I'm not obligated to divulge any more details about my complicated issues.

I appreciate you bringing me the news about my daughter, but from here on, the decision is mine." Louis made it clear that Azzy's task was completed, signaling that it was time for him to leave.

"Well, if you excuse me…" Louis, without further ado, summoned a portal with a mere thought. He turned away, walking directly into the shimmering entrance he had conjured.

Suddenly, Azzy's hand clamped down on Louis's shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

Louis narrowed his eyes, turning to look at Azzy who had seized his shoulder. Azzy's words cut through the air.

"I'm not just some messenger hired by Mia that I would return empty-handed just because you don't want to return. She's my friend whom I think of as my sister, Louis," Azzy explained. "I made a promise to her that I'd bring you back, no matter what.

I get it if you have genuine reasons, but if you're using those reasons as an excuse to avoid your responsibilities, I'm afraid I'll have to resort to force to bring you back to Egrein City."

"You dare…" Louis' gaze turned ice cold in an instant.

Dark chains of energy emerged from Louis' back, swirling around before enveloping Azzy.

"This…"

Azzy, taken aback by the sudden capture of the chains, found himself restrained.

Louis turned his head, his gaze cold and unwavering, "These are my spatial chains. You can only break them if you have the brute force of a demigod or use the soul energy eruption technique, which you cannot do because of the world laws. Don't worry, when I leave, they will automa…"

Before Louis could finish, Protos energy surged from Azzy's body, swiftly dissolving the spatial chains in an instant.

Louis: "…"

Azzy calmed down by his automatic defenses; he then glanced at his astonished friend and quipped, "Were you saying something?"

"It looks like I need to make you give up," Louis gritted his teeth, his frustration evident. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing silently behind Azzy. Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed a swift and forceful offensive strike.

The energy dagger, poised to pierce Azzy's back, hovered in the air for a moment. Swiftly, Azzy ducked, simultaneously sweeping his leg in a low arc.

The unexpected move caught Louis off guard, causing him to lose his balance and tumble to the ground.

Azzy towered over Louis, who was now on the ground. With a calm demeanor, Azzy declared, "Sorry, but you can't defeat me, even without access to my soul energy and soul card."

Azzy expected Louis to be stunned, but instead, he noticed a sly smirk forming on Louis's face.

Instead of rising to his feet, Louis remained on the ground, meeting Azzy's gaze. "Well, who said anything about defeating you?" he retorted with a hint of mischief.

Louis shifted his gaze to the side, and Azzy immediately noticed a multitude of spatial portals materializing around them.

In an instant, several portals discharged energy needles aimed at Azzy. Instead of evading them, he allowed the needles to pierce him.

This calculated move prevented him from moving away, as doing so would create an opening for Louis to escape. Or so, Azzy thought.

In addition to his strategic move, Azzy had another motive: to demonstrate to his friend that victory was impossible.

After being impaled by spatial needles intended to immobilize him, Azzy was quick to call out for assistance.

The black crown materialized on Azzy's head, and as it settled, it instantly healed his wounds. Simultaneously, the pulsating Protos energy radiating from him nullified the paralyzing effects of the spatial needles.

"I have just told you. You can't defeat me, Louis. You better give up and return. Once you meet Mia and your daughter and earn their forgiveness, you are free to go wherever you want. I don't care," Azzy stressed, trying to break through Louis' stubborn resolve.

However, in response, all he got was Louis' smirk, which only became more evident as he said, "And I have also just said that who is going to defeat you, mister? You didn't get my words, I guess..."

As soon as Louis finished speaking, a powerful suction force emanated from one of the spatial portals that had remained dormant earlier.

Azzy, caught off guard, was propelled backward by the unexpected suction force.

Seizing the opportunity, Louis surged forward, delivering a forceful blow to Azzy's stomach with his palm.

The combination of the short distance to the portal and the impact of Louis' palm strike proved enough to propel Azzy into the swirling gateway before he could mount any counterattack.

As Azzy disappeared from his line of sight, the portals swiftly closed. Louis, with a hint of irritation on his face, muttered, "Be thankful that I didn't send you to outer space or some uninhabitable planet. If you weren't Mia's friend, I would have done it."

Meanwhile, Azzy's surroundings changed to that of a bustling city, full of skyscrapers.

"Oh, fuck…"

He was back to his planet, or more specifically, the capital city of Northern Qudour.

Azzy couldn't help but let out a curse in frustration, feeling like his entire hard work so far has gone to waste.

"No damage has been done yet, Azrael," The Reaper's voice echoed in his head, calming him down a bit.

"Oh, Chronos, I missed you so much…" Azzy felt a sense of security after hearing the Reaper's voice. He felt safer with the Reaper around than with cosmic jewels and the Protos energy. "What happened back there? The Protos energy and the cosmic jewels could come out but you couldn't break through the world laws?" he asked.

"I'm one of the four primordial forces in the universe, Azrael. If I of all the beings break the world laws for convenience, don't you think creating world laws will have any meaning at all?" He answered in his usual, deep and stoic tone.

"Uhhh…"Azzy fell silent for a brief moment before he nodded in agreement, "I guess you are right."

"Well, anyways, there are others that looked after me, so, no complaints over there. Not to mention, my connection with cosmic jewels has grown stronger and I could even converse with the Protos energy, just like how I talk with you…" Something suddenly clicked in his head, "Wait a second… Chronos, tell me something. Can cosmic jewels turn into souls?"

Surprisingly, his question was met with silence. Azzy waited patiently, but after an extended period of no response, he asked again, "Chronos? I asked whether the cosmic jewels could turn into souls, I meant Arcana spirits. Just like I have you, is it possible for a cosmic jewel to become an Arcana spirit for someone else?"

"Yes," replied the Reaper in a whisper as if he answered after going through a heavy dilemma. "It is possible."

"Hmm..." Azzy grabbed his own chin and thought about what happened in the alien world. He remembered Louis, who was unknowingly dragged to the cosmic jewels because of some spell cast by them. "And Protos energy?"

"No, it cannot be possible," The Reaper's tone was firm and swift for this one.

He further explained, "The Protos energy merely feeds on your negative emotions and forms its consciousness. It is why even the gods couldn't escape from its influence. Only three types of beings cannot be corrupted by Protos energy."

"Oh, Who are they?"

"First, a pure soul who doesn't have any negative thoughts about any situation or person can stay unaffected, such as the Goddess of Light.

Second, beings that exist everywhere and nowhere, like the primordial forces.

Third, the cosmic jewels that have…"

"Hmm?"