Chapter 146: Cutting Off the Supply Lines
The darkness surrounding Abyss and Leona vanished, and Kohler disappeared.
Abyss sighed, his expression still calm. He casually dismissed the alchemical golems of Leona and Flora, keeping only Rebecca’s—she seemed to have something to say.
“Abyss, you’re alright!” the golem, controlled by Rebecca, exclaimed. “I saw you frozen in place, but Kohler was gone. And Leona suddenly appeared. Was that the dream realm created by his artifact? I tried to approach you, but it felt like the distance between us was infinite.”
“That must be the power granted by the Lord of Nightmares,” Abyss said, nodding. “Thank you for observing my predicament. It satisfied my curiosity—how did things go on your end?”
“Hmph, that Kevin was already a puddle of goo. I dissolved him without any effort. The surrenderist nobles are in for a big surprise tonight,” Rebecca said, her voice filled with satisfaction.
“Good. Be careful,” Abyss said, nodding, then dismissed her golem. Communicating through the necromantic link was more convenient than using golems.
Leona stood beside him, waiting.
Abyss, acknowledging her successful defense, reached out and stroked her head, his touch gentle and thorough, a reward for her efforts. Leona almost purred, but she maintained her composure, her pride as a princess preventing her from showing such weakness.
“Thank you, Leona. Your skills are truly invaluable,” he said.
“Hmph, of course. Who do you think I am?” Leona replied, her eyebrows twitching slightly at his touch, but her expression remained serious, her knightly demeanor unwavering.
“Let’s go. Rebecca and Flora are here,” Abyss said, turning around. Two small rats were scurrying towards them.
…
Kohler arrived at the palace hall. The royal mage, following Kevin’s orders, had already sent messages to the surrenderist nobles via carrier pigeons.
The Ossi Kingdom was small. The pigeons would reach their destinations soon. Kohler was too late.
“Kevin,” sitting on the throne, glanced at him, his expression unreadable. But Kohler could see in his eyes that this wasn’t the real Kevin. This imposter seemed… softer, more human.
“Damn it! What did you send to those nobles?!” Kohler shouted, grabbing the mage by the collar, his voice sharp and shrill.
“There’s no need to be rough with him. I’ll tell you what I sent,” “Kevin” said, his voice identical to the real Kevin’s, but his tone different, almost… girlish.
“You’re Rebecca?” Kohler asked, tossing the mage aside like a rag doll. The mage, his body slamming against the door, didn’t dare cry out, scrambling to his feet and fleeing.
“Kevin” didn’t answer. “I informed those nobles that the current situation isn’t favorable for me. I’m planning to escape. If any of them wish to join me, they should come quickly.”
Kohler was furious. If he hadn’t been at the palace, perhaps the Lord of Nightmares wouldn’t blame him. But he had been lured away by Abyss’s diversion, allowing the imposter to send that message. He was responsible.
He didn’t care who ruled the kingdom, but he understood the implications of this message. It would shatter the surrenderist nobles’ hopes, their dreams of profiting from Kevin’s rule. They would be devastated, realizing their supposed leader was abandoning them.
What noble would follow a fleeing king? They would surely abandon Kevin, seeking their own safety before Givia returned and began her purge.
His seemingly harmless message had destroyed the Lord of Nightmares’ carefully constructed power base. The Ossi Kingdom, which they had spent so much effort to control, was slipping from their grasp.
The Lord of Nightmares had lost his source of sustenance.
Kohler charged towards the throne, the Dream Shear flashing, reducing “Kevin” to a pile of debris. As he suspected, it was an alchemical golem.
He wanted to intercept the carrier pigeons, but as he turned to leave, he realized the hall was sealed. He slammed against an invisible barrier, an unyielding force pushing him back.
“Divine Arts?” he muttered, recognizing the power. He attacked the barrier with the Dream Shear.
The Dream Shear, imbued with the Lord of Nightmares’ power, could counter Divine Arts, but its absolute power was neutralized by the opposing divine energy. Although the barrier weakened under his attacks, he couldn’t break through in time to stop the pigeons.
“Damn it!” he roared, his frustration growing, as he continued attacking the invisible wall.
After a few minutes of relentless assault, he finally heard a faint cracking sound. The barrier shattered.
“You useless fool!” the Lord of Nightmares’ voice echoed in his mind as he broke through the barrier. “You’ve destroyed my entire operation in the Ossi Kingdom! Wasn’t your previous failure enough? You dare to repeat your mistake! If this happens again, I’ll replace you, banish you to an eternity of nightmares, and you can forget about your pathetic dream!”
The Lord of Nightmares’ insults stung, but Kohler didn’t dare retort. He knew he was at the Outer God’s mercy.
“Forget about those pigeons! Now! Contact all my followers and have them chant the forbidden prayer! Abyss will pay for this!” the Lord of Nightmares commanded.
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