Chapter 408: Leon's Fear
Chapter 408: Leon's Fear
This... this...
As he watched the Leons taking turns punching the Gray Mist Giant every two seconds, forming a long line, Snow Maiden couldn't help but exclaim in shock:
"You... you..."
"Stop stalling! Get to work!"
Seeing the Nightmare King stumble and fall into the sea of sand with a loud thud, shivering every two seconds, Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly urged:
"Quickly! Run to the upper layer! I can only hold it for less than two seconds each time, you only have a little over three minutes! Hurry!"
"Ah! Okay!"
Hearing Leon's urging, Snow Maiden snapped out of her daze, her pale cheeks puffed as she continued to blow the chilling wind from the Snow Mountain Nightmare, her face pouting like a hamster.
Without the Nightmare King's interference, the cold wind used for traversing nightmares accumulated, eventually enveloping both Leons completely.
...
Phew... Luckily, my mind is quick enough! Even with the 'processing speed' reduced by the Immortal in Wine, relying half on instinct and half on experience, I still managed to figure out what I should do.
Feeling the familiar sensation of detaching from the current world, Leon, who was partially sober, let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't be stuck in the 'Drunk Life Dream Death' state for much longer.
The Nightmare King, no matter how weak, is still a true god. It's impossible to fight it head-on, not in this lifetime. The only options are to buy time, play dirty, and find a way to escape to maintain survival.
There's no other choice. This time, there are too many nightmares invading reality. The Commissioner won't be able to handle it alone for a while, and it might even take until dawn to eliminate them all. So, my primary goal is to find the Scorpion Commissioner as soon as possible to ensure my safety.
But this endless desert is too vast, and I don't have the ability to locate someone from such a long distance. Even if the Scorpion Commissioner is in this layer of the Nightmare World, I wouldn't be able to find him.
Therefore, my objective is clear: I must leave quickly and find a smaller Nightmare to stay in on the upper layer, making it easier for the Scorpion Commissioner to find me or for me to find him.
However, the problem lies with Snow Maiden, the 'Nightmare Transport,' who is unlikely to be able to take me through the Nightmare World under the interference of the Nightmare King. So, my top priority is to find a way to control the Nightmare King and buy Snow Maiden enough time to transport me through the Nightmare World.
The only possible solution is the intense pain brought about by the Scream Hand.
At this thought, Leon couldn't help but look past the cold wind surrounding him at the Gray Mist Giant, who was being punched by each Leon in turn, its body trembling with pain as gray mist swirled around it. Leon revealed a victorious smile, directed at the Nightmare King.
Don't think that being the Lord of Nightmares means you don't have nightmares yourself!
By the way, I'm sorry, but to be precise, I'm also your colleague. The boost from the overlap of the Dream Realm and reality works for me as well, and the Desire Dream Invader has been significantly enhanced.
The core ability of the Desire Dream Invader is to make the target's dreams invade reality. With the dual reinforcement of the Dream Realm and the Archer's Mark, the enhanced Desire Dream Invader can now affect the Nightmare King.
Moreover, according to the activation rules of the Desire Dream Invader, the more 'contact' the target has with me, the easier it is for them to be influenced. The Nightmare King has unleashed hundreds of nightmares upon me, maximizing the effect of the Desire Dream Invader.
With the Dream Realm, secret technique mark, and the anomaly itself stacked, these three buffs combined create an intensity that is impossible to defend against.
Additionally, during this escape, I wasn't just passively taking hits! Every time it threw a complex and realistic nightmare at me, trying to wear down my mental fortitude, I would take the opportunity to strike back. In the turmoil of its pained soul, I would plant a tiny, fleeting, and extremely hidden nightmare, so simple that it consisted of just a single punching motion.
The Nightmare King, having entered reality, already has a body and soul. So, the Desire Dream Invader wasn't ineffective against it; it just couldn't deal damage.
But when I activated the Archer's secret technique, detonating the hundreds of 'punching Leons' all at once, these 'punching Leons' successfully invaded reality, using the Nightmare King's memories as a catalyst.
Even without the actual Scream Hand, each punch landed with the same intensity of pain, as they were born from the Nightmare King's memories of being punched.
These identical sensations and intensities of 'nightmares' would continue to deepen its memories, and the taste of this punch would likely stay with it for life.
Hmm... The only regret is that I got drunk and my mind wasn't quick enough to remember to use that damn badge. Otherwise, the effect would have been even more impressive!
Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn you!!!
Feeling the terrifying pain every two seconds, seeing the repulsive smile on Leon's face, and watching the Nightmare King, who was in so much pain he fell to the ground, felt his soul trembling.
I am the Lord of Nightmares! How dare you use nightmares against me! And such a crude nightmare at that!
The Grey Mist Giant, a god-like figure in the realm of nightmares, experienced the ultimate humiliation as his emaciated body turned red with blood.
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!!!
As the blood spread across his body, staining his entire being, the Nightmare King's mind was filled with a single thought, and strangely, he regained some calm.
During a brief respite from the pain, he turned his head and looked in a certain direction, and a stern look flashed across the Nightmare King's eyes.
I can't let him escape!
That damn Cleaner might not know, but the Nightmare King was well aware that the Scorpion Director was currently in this layer of the Six-Layer Nightmare.
To avoid being found by the Director, the Nightmare King had refrained from moving the Sand Colossus, allowing the Scorpion Director to witness the situation. Now, the Director was disregarding the cost and forcefully breaking through, determined to return to Plague City.
If the Scorpion Director escaped the Endless Desert and reached Plague City in the upper layer, he would immediately join forces with the Scorpion Director, and together, they would break out of the Six-Layer Nightmare. Once the Scorpion Director restrained the Nightmare King, it would be too late!
I must keep him here!
Understanding what needed to be done, the Nightmare King took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
If human souls can be shaken, and human bodies can be affected... Then I won't be human anymore!!!
"Stay!"
With a near-hysterical roar, the Nightmare King's massive body collapsed, burying Leon, who was still in line to punch him.
Immediately after, to the shock of Leon and Snow Maiden, the grey mist surrounding the Nightmare King began to "move," and above his fallen body, a new Nightmare King, two sizes smaller, materialized!
What the hell is this thing? Is this the boss' second phase?
"Are... are you crazy?!"
Before Leon could finish his exclamation, Snow Maiden, startled, stared wide-eyed, her face pale as she screamed:
"How dare you?! In this world, the first rule is that souls and bodies are one! By doing this, you're defying the world! You're insane..."
"I'm perfectly sane!"
Having shed his recently formed body and soul, returning to his Dream Realm form, the newborn Grey Mist Giant, expressionless, said:
"Normally, I wouldn't dare to do this, but now the Dream Realm and reality overlap, and half the rules follow the Dream Realm.
Besides, I didn't directly appear in reality but in this dream, created by the collaboration of six Nightmare Messengers. With this extra layer, although there's still a significant impact, it's enough for me to accomplish what I need to do!"
"You... you... what about the others?"
A flush of blood appeared on her pale face, and Snow Maiden, gritting her teeth, said:
"It's not you who's holding up the dream! They're facing the world's suppression on your behalf! If this continues, all six of them..."
"All six of them will fulfill their purpose."
Although his size had shrunk considerably, the Nightmare King, in his Dream Realm form, was clearly more adapted to the Nightmare World.
He stretched out his emaciated arm and waved at the sun hanging high above the desert, dispersing a wind that blew away the cold wind surrounding Leon and Snow Maiden, forcefully pulling them out of their journey across the Endless Desert.
"It seems you're getting nervous."
After stopping Leon and Snow Maiden, the Grey Mist Giant threw Snow Maiden to the ground and grabbed Leon, squeezing him tightly, unable to kill him but sensing a strange scent.
Tasting the impatience and anxiety emanating from Leon's soul, the Nightmare King's cold, sinister, and blurred face finally showed a hint of a smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, your troublesome state is almost up, right?"
"..."
Indeed... Although he drank a lot, the intense movement had caused most of the alcohol to evaporate with his sweat, and the drunkenness was almost gone...
Sensing the fading intoxication, despite Leon's efforts to suppress it, the urgency in his heart grew heavier.
In just five minutes, if the Scorpion Director doesn't find me by then, I'll have to enter the Dead Realm to find him.
But I have a badge called the "Near-Death Survivor," and its hidden trait is that I'll definitely be bitten by a dog when passing through the Dead Realm, and each of the three heads will take a bite... Speaking of which, isn't the Dog God also a dog? If bitten, will I get rabies? And what symptoms would a deceased person with rabies exhibit?
...
Is he... zoning out?
As he watched, he noticed that Lyon's focus seemed elsewhere, his face still flushed with intoxication. The Gray Mist Giant's face revealed a hint of pleasure, but it quickly turned cold again.
For a lowly Nightmare like him who dared to humiliate a Purifier with a poor Nightmare, a swift death would be a blessing. According to his plan, he should capture Lyon's soul and torment him until the entire Dream Realm was utterly destroyed.
However, facing this foreseeable tragic future, his heart was filled with tension, but... he didn't feel much fear? He even had the mind to think of all sorts of random things?
"You're not afraid of me?"
Lyon, his face still flushed with intoxication, had a slightly distracted look in his eyes, as if he had thought of something interesting. His lips curled up unconsciously, and the Gray Mist Giant's thin arms clenched slightly. Then, with a stern gaze, he asked, "Human, do you want to guess your future fate?"
Whether he lived or died depended on the Scorpion Director's actions, and his efforts to escape had little to do with it now. Lyon, his mind still clouded with alcohol, looked up at the Nightmare King and then lazily retorted, "What? Is there a prize if I guess correctly?"
"... "
After carefully sensing it several times, he realized that Lyon's heart was indeed fearless, and there was even a sense of "strange laziness." The Gray Mist Giant's eyebrows furrowed in discomfort.
For someone filled with hatred, the most unbearable thing wasn't the inability to take revenge, but the fact that just as his despised enemy was about to face a tragic fate, he seemed unconcerned and even had the mood to banter.
"Cut the act!"
The Nightmare King was certain that Lyon wasn't the type to "face death without fear." He glared down at him and asked sternly, "Is it the effect of an anomaly? Do you have an anomaly that can block fear?"
"..."
He did have something... but it wasn't an anomaly, it was a badge.
The "Immortal in Wine" series of badges, from the initial Bronze to the current Unusual, had always provided resistance to fear.
Before, it was resistance to fear, and although the "Immortal in Wine" badge no longer had that resistance, fear inflicted by enemies could also be considered a form of "attack." Right now, even in the "Drunk Life Dream Death" state, the fear in his heart was directly countered by the "Immortal in Wine" badge, and he didn't feel afraid at all.
"Hmm, let's assume that's the case."
After considering the current situation, Lyon couldn't think of any other solution, so he decided to admit that he indeed had a way to resist fear.
After all, he had tried his best, and if he truly couldn't win, there was nothing else he could do. Moreover, he had already arranged for his younger brother and sister to leave, entrusting them to someone trustworthy, ensuring they wouldn't suffer in the future.
Additionally, although it might not sound pleasant to say, logically speaking, he had been in this world for over three years now. Perhaps this was the time when he was the most relaxed and had nothing to worry about.
Hmm... Even thinking further, being taken into the Dream Realm to be enslaved and tormented, what of it? As long as the Badge System was still there, who knows when he might obtain a bizarre badge like "Born Rebel" or "Sworn to the Godfather."
Even if he couldn't become a Director of the Purification Bureau, he could still be a Nightmare Realm creature. Where's the harm in that? Right?
"... "
He... truly had no fear?
The person's thoughts were wandering due to the lingering intoxication and the lack of immediate combat pressure, making him seem genuinely unconcerned.
The Nightmare King, feeling uncomfortable all over, remained silent for a while. Then, unable to hold back any longer, he raised his hand to support the crown on his head, aligning the mirrored part with Lyon's eyes.
"Very well! I'll see today what the thing you fear the most is, someone like you!"
(End of Chapter)
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