Chapter 614: Leon: I'm Not Involved
Chapter 614: Leon: I'm Not Involved
After a long journey, the cleaners had finally reached the depths of the Soul-sink Abyss, where the pitch-black river waters met the ink-colored sky. In the distance, they could see an awe-inspiring giant city, a sight that was their ultimate destination.
However, what sent shivers down their spines was the sight of countless menacing nightmares blocking the only path to the two-toned giant city. Yes, 'piled up' was the only word to describe the sheer number and density of the nightmares ahead.
How could there be so many nightmares?
Looking at the nightmares stretching from the River of Nightmares all the way to the sky, blocking the entire river, the cleaners were stunned.
Even though individual nightmares were not formidable, weaker than a human farmer with a pitchfork, a third-class cleaner could easily wear down a hundred or eighty of them with the right abilities and terrain.
But at this moment, the number of nightmares was overwhelming. These nightmares, divided into two sides and facing off against each other, numbered close to a million! Even though they weren't just floating on the river's surface but were stacked layer upon layer, all the way up to the sky, their terrifying formation still stretched as far as the eye could see, and the cleaners couldn't even see the end of their own formation.
With such an overwhelming numerical advantage, ordinary individual abilities were meaningless. No matter how powerful or resilient one's strength and willpower were, facing the mental assault of millions of nightmares, the only outcome was the collapse of one's will and the destruction of one's sanity.
"Goddess!"
Seeing that the path to the examination site was completely blocked, the plan to ambush Snow Crystal City was now in ruins. Abigail couldn't help but grit her teeth and step forward, shouting towards the colorful, flashing conch shell above:
"What's going on up there? Why are there so many nightmares gathered here?"
You're asking me? I'd like to know too!
With the once smooth-sailing plan now in disarray, the enraged Goddess of Dreams couldn't help but clench her fists and wave them angrily inside the conch shell. She then forced herself to lie, saying:
"There's no need to worry, this is also part of the examination."
Part of the examination?
Hearing the Goddess of Dreams' words, the cleaners looked at each other in disbelief.
419 cleaners versus a million nightmares? Were they supposed to compete in the speed of their deaths?
"Don't worry, the Bureau won't let you die in vain."
Facing what might be her only chance in this life, and most likely her last, to return to the divine realm, the Goddess of Dreams was reluctant to give up. But she also knew that she couldn't deceive the cleaners into sacrificing themselves, so she spoke through the conch shell in a cold, condescending tone:
"These nightmares won't stay here forever. Look at their formation; you'll see that something big is about to happen soon. That will be your chance to pass through the chaos."
Something big is about to happen?
Since they couldn't see the Goddess of Dreams jumping with anxiety on the other side of the conch shell, and the decision to charge or not was in their hands, the cleaners didn't immediately retreat. Instead, they stayed in a hidden spot, set up their anomalies for surveillance, and waited skeptically.
...
The situation unfolded as the Goddess of Dreams had predicted. The nightmare standoff didn't last long. Soon, from the side with fewer nightmares, a nightmare with an unclear face stepped forward and shouted at the other side:
"By the order of Snow Maiden, you are not allowed to leave your posts recently. Why have you gathered here?"
"Why have we gathered here?"
From the side that was shouted at, a scarecrow-like nightmare wobbled forward, responding with a cold laugh:
"Of course, it's to set things right! We're going to destroy that damnable city and execute you traitors who have betrayed the Nightmare King!"
"You... All seven Nightmare Messengers chosen by the Nightmare King are on our side! You are the ones who..."
"Nonsense! What kind of messengers are you?"
The unclear-faced nightmare's defense seemed to have the opposite effect. A giant shark nightmare rose from the River of Nightmares, opening its massive, toothy maw with a murderous intent, and roared:
"Even the Nightmare King was killed by the Bureau. How dare they claim to be loyal to him when they're still alive!"
"Right! If they weren't guilty, the Nightmare King wouldn't have died!"
"Kill these traitors! Destroy Snow Crystal City!"
"I love you, and you love me, Snow Maiden... Ahhhh! Execute them!"
"You... You're completely unreasonable!"
Facing the increasingly frenzied enemies, the unclear-faced nightmare trembled with anger and shouted:
"Orders from the Nightmare Messengers are equivalent to the Nightmare King's commands! You are the ones defying him!"
"Hmph, if the orders truly came from the Nightmare King, we wouldn't dare to disobey.
"The Scarecrow Nightmare let out a cold laugh and asked in a hoarse voice, 'But the Nightmare King hasn't resurrected yet. So, the orders you traitors have been receiving recently, were they given by the Nightmare Messengers or by that Dream Realm Destroyer, Lyon?'"
'Huh??? What's this about me?' Lyon, who was standing behind the group of cleaners and watching a Scorpio Division cleaner, was momentarily stunned when he heard the Scarecrow Nightmare's question.
'Um... What was that about me?'
Seeing all the cleaners turn their heads towards him at the mention of his name, Lyon couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
"For the past month, I've been on duty with the Scorpio Division, and I've never even been to the Dream Realm before. This... could be a case of a homonym."
"..."
As the cleaners looked at him with a mix of belief and doubt, the argument in the "live broadcast" became more intense.
"The last time we entered that singing Strange City, I already felt something was off."
The Shark Nightmare, raising its massive shark arm and pointing towards the faintly visible Snow Crystal City in the distance, roared with a hideous expression:
"You keep claiming loyalty to the Nightmare King, yet in that damned ghost city behind us, why are there no offerings to the Nightmare King, but only statues of that Destroyer, Lyon?"
"There's a reason for this!"
A Nightmare with an obscured face yelled:
"The denser the fear in the Soul-sink Abyss, the faster the Nightmare King will awaken! Who in the entire Dream Realm isn't afraid of the Destroyer? We built so many statues of Lyon the Destroyer to collect the fear of the entire Dream Realm towards him, all to hasten the Nightmare King's resurrection!"
"But this is the deepest part of the Soul-sink Abyss, the very source of the River of Nightmares!"
The Scarecrow Nightmare swayed its withered body and roared:
"The Nightmare King slumbers within the River of Nightmares and will awaken from here in the future. Yet you dared to erect statues of his killer directly at the source of the River of Nightmares. This is blatant desecration!"
"Well... Although it's a bit disrespectful, it's only through this method that the Nightmare King can be resurrected sooner!"
"Stop your nonsense! You're nothing but rebellious traitors, and those statues of the Destroyer are the greatest evidence!"
Apparently tired of the other's arguments, the Scarecrow Nightmare let out a cold laugh and raised its withered arm, signaling to the hundreds of thousands of Nightmares behind him to attack.
"Attack! Let me see the deepest fears in the hearts of you rebels!"
"Very well."
After realizing that his explanations were futile, the Nightmare with the obscured face also gave up persuading them. With a sullen expression, he retreated into the formation and then waved his arm.
"Since you're so stubborn, let the Nightmare Realm itself decide who's right and wrong between us!"
As the negotiations completely broke down, a million Nightmares in formation roared in unison and simultaneously released their resistance to the Soul-sink Abyss, unleashing the deepest fears from their hearts. Thick black smoke rose from each Nightmare and ascended into the sky.
Immediately after, to the extreme bewilderment of the cleaners, two familiar gigantic figures silently materialized, exuding a mad desire to destroy everything. With their arms crossed and chests facing each other, they glared at each other with murderous intent.
"Hmph, is that all?"
The left "Giant Lyon," with contempt in his eyes, raised his head, and as the straw man beneath Lyon's feet also opened his mouth, he said:
"Is this the extent of your fear?"
"Hmph! You're just a mob!"
The right "Giant Lyon," slightly smaller in stature but appearing more solid, snorted angrily and then arrogantly raised his head.
"When it comes to fear of the Destroyer, we far surpass you all!!!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
