Chapter 109: Abyss and Givia’s Bedchamber
“Hmm?” The Lord of Nightmares, witnessing Abyss’s sudden outburst, sounded surprised. “Defying my will… You have guts, mortal. But you don’t think you can escape my nightmare just by throwing a tantrum, do you?”
“I wouldn’t underestimate you,” Abyss said, spreading his arms. In an instant, his body was covered in bone armor, hundreds of sharp spikes erupting from every joint. “Before weaving this dream, you must have considered the possibility of me trying to break free by destroying everything.”
“And you still want to try?” The Lord of Nightmares chuckled, as if amused by Abyss’s futile efforts. “Mortal, your persistence is quite entertaining.”
This time, Abyss ignored the Outer God’s mocking tone. The bone spikes on his body extended, growing to twice their original length. Orange Dou Qi flames surged from his body, enveloping the spikes. Tiny bolts of lightning crackled within the flames, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a thought, Abyss launched the bone spikes from his joints, filling the air with a symphony of piercing sounds. The sharp, high-velocity projectiles effortlessly pierced the inn’s walls, flying outward.
Forty seconds left…
“Hahaha, let me enjoy this farcical display of mortal foolishness!” The Lord of Nightmares roared with laughter.
The bone spikes multiplied in mid-air, one becoming three, three becoming nine. As they pierced countless walls, reaching every corner of the city, their numbers grew exponentially.
But every wall pierced by the spikes regenerated moments later, the holes disappearing as if nothing had happened.
Thirty-five seconds left…
The entire city was now riddled with holes, the bone spikes swirling under Abyss’s control, like a swarm of locusts, destroying everything in their path. Their speed increased exponentially, soon becoming a blur to the naked eye.
“It’s useless. I’ve sensed the power infused in your Dou Qi… Although I don’t know which god would lend their power to a lowly mortal like you, I can assure you, it’s too weak to destroy the dream I’ve crafted for you,” the Lord of Nightmares said, sounding bored.
“I want to see you struggle, to see if you’ll despair. Keep trying. You have twenty seconds left.”
The walls, despite being repeatedly destroyed by Abyss’s bone spikes, regenerated instantly. Even with the Lord of Submergence’s power infused in the spikes, it was like trying to extinguish a raging fire with a cup of water.
The city was being torn apart by the high-velocity projectiles. If this were the real world, not a single living creature would remain.
“It’s useless, useless, your persistence is futile!”
With ten seconds left before the dream reset, as the Lord of Nightmares mocked Abyss’s foolishness, the bone armor on Abyss’s body suddenly vanished.
“Oh? Giving up?” The Lord of Nightmares sounded disappointed.
“Not at all. I never intended to destroy your dream world,” Abyss said, smiling, closing his eyes, and tilting his head back, spreading his arms wide. “My target was never this city.”
“Hmm?”
Before the Lord of Nightmares could comprehend Abyss’s intentions, the bone spikes, swirling throughout the city, suddenly converged on him, their speed now terrifying after countless rotations. In an instant, they pierced his body, turning him into a human pincushion.
Riiiip!
A sound like tearing fabric echoed through the dream realm, and the world shattered into fragments.
“Hmm? Attacking yourself? Using divine power to attack yourself, because you realized your dream body is a projection of your soul, and a powerful, high-ranked stimulus could force you awake?” The Lord of Nightmares, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into laughter. “Hahaha! What a fearless mortal! You’ve truly surprised me!”
Abyss, riddled with holes, didn’t die. He chuckled softly, his voice raspy, air leaking from his punctured throat. “Yes, I’m returning to the real world now. You don’t mind, do you?”
The Lord of Nightmares’ laughter faded into the distance. “Hahahahahaha! You have my permission to leave! But remember, I will return, when you least expect it. I hope you’ll continue to surprise me then!” The voice vanished with the last word.
“Of course, Lord of Nightmares. I still intend to make you my servant,” Abyss said, his figure fading, escaping from the dream realm. It was unclear if the Outer God heard his audacious declaration…
…
Abyss opened his eyes, staring at a table illuminated by a bright oil lamp. A book about Outer Gods lay open on the table.
“Still can’t tell if I’m dreaming… But I’m betting that arrogant Outer God wouldn’t lie to a mere mortal like me,” he muttered to himself, standing up and opening the door.
There were no guards patrolling the hallway. Abyss narrowed his eyes and strode out of his room.
Givia’s room was at the other end of the hallway. He rushed towards it, ignoring any sense of decorum, and flung open the door.
Several Shadowlings were gathered around Givia’s bed, her blankets thrown aside. One of them was reaching for her hair with a skeletal hand…
They weren’t trying to kill her… They were trying to scare her. This explained why, during the first assassination attempt Leona had described, the Shadowling mage hadn’t simply blasted Givia’s wagon with a fire pillar from the hilltop. He had made the dwarves mark the wagon first—not because he couldn’t see, the Shadowling’s organs were merely for show, but to give Givia a chance to escape, to experience the lingering fear of a near-death experience!
This fear-devouring Outer God was trying to break Givia’s spirit!
Without a word, Abyss stomped his foot on the ground. Countless withered, skeletal arms erupted from beneath the Shadowlings, grabbing their legs and dragging them into the earth.
“I wonder if the wraiths will get indigestion from eating them,” Abyss muttered, walking towards Givia’s bed, intending to pull up her blankets.
He grabbed the edge of the blanket, but a soft moan escaped Givia’s lips.
A pair of moist, bewildered eyes stared up at him.
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