Chapter 409: Leon's Gratitude
Chapter 409: Leon's Gratitude
What do I fear the most?
Upon hearing the Nightmare King's words, Leon's pupils dilated slightly as he gazed at his own reflection in the mirror crown atop the Nightmare King's head.
His memories—under no circumstances could he let others see them! Whether it was the existence of the Badge System or the fact that he was a time traveler, these were secrets that could never be revealed.
Especially the latter!
If this secret were to leak out, and the headquarters personnel were to connect the dots, recalling the warning from the Guardian Palace about a "soul from an unknown world," even if the Scorpion Director could arrive within five minutes, Leon's career as a Purifier would likely come to an abrupt end!
Facing this sudden emergency, Leon, who had originally planned to wait until the Immortal in Wine's effects wore off before using the Archer's Mark and the Desire Dream Invader to struggle, could no longer afford to hold back. He immediately activated the Desire Dream Invader, preparing for a desperate fight.
Alas, although the Desire Dream Invader was made from the weapon of the Lord of Desire Dreams and was an anomaly with a relatively low position, it was still not enough against the personally manifested Nightmare King.
Even with the reinforcement of the Archer's Mark, Leon barely managed to lock onto the Nightmare King's consciousness. But before he could pull the Nightmare King into the dream realm, the gaunt head of the Nightmare King split horizontally from the middle, cleanly and neatly dividing it into two.
"Hehe."
Accompanied by a disdainful chuckle, the countless nightmares that made up the Nightmare King's body swiftly flowed and transformed. Like a crab shedding its shell, it directly split along the open part and emerged from the old body, creating a new self.
"You didn't think you could use the same trick on me twice, did you?"
After fiddling with the Desire Dream Invader, which had captured the Nightmare King, and seeing the gradually bewildered look in its eyes, the Nightmare King, with a hint of pleasure in his eyes, mocked:
"The secrets of the Archer Palace are indeed remarkable. They even allowed a Third-Class Purifier like you to temporarily perform at a level comparable to a Director. In an unexpected moment, you almost managed to escape from my grasp.
Unfortunately, no matter how good something is, it ultimately depends on who is using it. If the Archer Director himself were using this, no matter how much I struggled, it would be futile, and I would be dragged into the dream realm instead.
But with the strength of your soul, you couldn't even lock onto my primary consciousness. You could only grasp a few hundred unrelated nightmares, and these scattered nightmares are abundant in the Nightmare River. What can they do to you?"
"..."
...
"Alright, after struggling like this once, you should give up."
The Foggy Titan removed the mirror crown from the empty shell of the old body and put it back on his own head. He extended his ashen-gray, gaunt fingers and wiped the mirror of the crown with his fingertips. A hoarse and malicious voice invaded Leon's eardrums without regard for manners.
"Come! In the name of the Lord of Nightmares, I command you to open your heart and reveal the deepest fear in your heart to me!"
As the blazing sun overhead flickered several times, it seemed to transition from the height of summer to late autumn. The scorching white light turned into an orange-yellow hue, typical of the transition between autumn and winter, and it weakly shed light that was barely warm.
Immediately, the endless yellow sand surrounding them quietly receded, and the vast sea of sand quickly dissipated, transforming into a shabby hospital room filled with coughing sounds and the pungent smell of medicine.
In the slightly dirty hospital bed near the edge of the room, a frail girl with a pale, bloodless face turned her head slightly and spoke in a soft yet stubborn voice:
"Brother, why don't you... just leave me be?"
"..."
So, his greatest fear was merely the loss of his sister?
The Nightmare King, who had been somewhat excited a moment ago, looked at the thin girl on the hospital bed and then at Leon, whose face was contorted with emotion. A thick shade of disappointment flashed through his eyes.
Although the fear was intense, the heavy bitterness and resentment were also intriguing, but the level of fear and nightmare was something he had seen far too often to find it interesting.
Boring.
Looking at the unoriginal nightmare before him, the Nightmare King, who had replaced part of the Endless Desert with Leon's deepest fear, couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.
Apparently, his ability to face eternal torment with indifference wasn't due to fearlessness but was likely the effect of some anomaly.
Regarding this person who had almost caused him to stumble, the Nightmare King had initially thought that the deepest fear in Leon's heart would be something interesting. But it turned out to be just this? This was truly...
What was he doing now?
Watching Leon's distorted face as he rushed out of the hospital room, clutching a knife he had picked up, as if intending to do something, the Nightmare King's heart finally stirred with a hint of interest. He voluntarily transformed his body to a height similar to an ordinary person and followed behind.
In the end, everything that had happened two months ago replayed itself, almost unchanged.
"Is anyone here? I'm here to apply!"
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a demon before?"
"Didn't I make it clear? A normal person like you is simply not fit to join the Purification Bureau."
"Please wait!"
"My observational skills are special! I can discern special things, and if I have direct contact, I can immediately obtain related intelligence!"
"Well, that goat is a 'special thing'. Now, start talking."
After the red-haired commissioner proposed the "test," facing this last straw, Lyon, who had already staked everything, took a deep breath, and his arm trembled slightly as he touched the black goat. However...
"What?! What's happening?!"
Why nothing? Why is there nothing?
Lyon's face suddenly filled with deep terror as he realized the situation was different from what he had expected. A sense of unparalleled panic spread, as if an icy hand had gripped his heart.
It should have! It should have!
As long as I touch it, there should be something that pops out and tells me the related intelligence about the anomaly. Why is there nothing now?!
"Heh, so you're a madman."
The red-haired woman, with a slightly blurred face and cold eyes, shook her head in disappointment and said, "Get out! This isn't the place for you!"
"But... but I clearly..."
"Get out! I'm only saying this once! Hmph! What a waste of time!"
"..."
Under the Nightmare King's interested gaze, Lyon, in a daze, was driven out of the Purification Bureau. With a blank look, he lowered his head and like a walking corpse, he returned to the hospital.
After emptying all the money from his body and trying his best for over a week, he still couldn't raise enough money for the medicine. At the insistence of the sickly girl, Lyon had no choice but to carry her back home, unable to sleep due to her constant coughing throughout the night.
Then, everything unfolded as the sickly girl had initially proposed. When the endless coughing finally stopped, in order to continue receiving the girl's pension, Lyon had no choice but to take her body to the sewage river at night, pretending she was still alive to fraudulently obtain the pension.
But just one month later, this small scheme was discovered by the military officials who came to inspect. Instead of getting away with it, they were fined even more, making their family's life even more difficult, and their bodies became weaker and weaker.
The following year, a plague broke out in the capital, and the two children, who had been malnourished for a long time and had weak bodies, couldn't survive in the lack of medical resources. The once crowded small home finally became completely empty...
...
So that's how it was.
Looking at Lyon's hunched back as he sat by the small bed, caressing an old photo album, his eyes filled with numbness, the Nightmare King's eyebrows slightly raised, finally understanding what Lyon feared the most.
If he didn't have the qualifications to become a Cleaner, if he couldn't join the Purification Bureau, then he could only lose everything, bit by bit, and inevitably, just like this nightmare.
So, if he wanted to torment Lyon, there was no need for physical torture. Simply blocking his original memories and forcing him to relive this experience endlessly would be enough.
Heh, I didn't expect it to be this simple.
With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the Fear Crown, which had reflected Lyon's deepest fears from his heart, turning the surroundings into an endless desert.
Watching Lyon rush out of the hospital in his dream, the Nightmare King couldn't help but smirk, seeing the seemingly traumatized Lyon. He said with pleasure, "Your fear is a bit ordinary, but overall, it's still quite interesting... Hehe, I've already thought of how to punish you for your offense against me.
Listen up, I declare that from now on, you will be..." What are you doing?"
"I want to give you a big gift."
Crushing the bottle containing the Dream Devouring Glove, Lyon stuffed all the remaining Dream Devouring Gloves into the empty shell body that the Nightmare King had shed.
In the Nightmare King's puzzled expression, Lyon, expressionless, took out the Unjust Snake Contract and exchanged it for a bright red hair from the outside.
Then, this body, filled with Dream Devouring Gloves, naturally disappeared from his hands and appeared in the capital's night sky, filled with countless nightmares.
"From now on, no one will be able to dream!"
(End of Chapter)
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