The Fallen Dream Queen
Succubus Philia spoke in an ice-cold voice. "...Stop it."
"Huh? Stop what?"
"Let go of Ian. You can't keep holding him like that, can you? There are too many eyes on us in the training grounds for this kind of conversation."
Serena asked, looking puzzled. "Eyes watching us? There's no one here but the three of us right now..."
Philia said nothing and simply pointed her finger upward. The sky.
Serena lifted her head and glared at the 'above' for a moment.
"Aha, I see. It really would be burdensome to stay here any longer. It's not like there are only one or two perverts with a voyeurism kink."
"Now this is more like Philia noona. I couldn't get used to you speaking so formally earlier."
Surprisingly, Serena let go of Ian without resistance, just as Philia asked. Of course, she hadn't stopped clinging entirely. She remained glued to his side as if attached by glue.
Ian found it uncomfortable, but Serena paid no attention to his reaction whatsoever. On the contrary, whenever Ian made the slightest move to pull away, she pressed herself against him even more insistently.
The sound of grinding teeth filled the air. Serena's behavior irritated Philia to the point of gnashing her teeth, but she barely held herself back and guided the other woman toward her private quarters. They left the unconscious Alex behind in the training grounds.
The three of them headed for Philia's room.
Is it really okay to just leave the family's knight commander like that...?
It looks like I'm the only one who cares.
More importantly, what exactly are those two trying to talk about?
Just from their conversation, it seemed there were more 'ears listening' besides us...
Maybe it was because my own skills were so pathetically weak that I hadn't noticed anything at all.
As we made our way to Philia's room, I reflected on everything that had happened today. The sheer amount of information I'd learned was overwhelming, and organizing it all felt like a daunting task.
The two truths I've clearly figured out so far.
First. For some unknown reason, not only the supporting characters from the original story but even the 'gods' had undergone regression.
At first, I'd assumed only the supporting cast had returned, but after everything I'd experienced today, it was clear there were far more regressors than I'd imagined.
I had no idea what had happened during the first round to trigger all this regression, but it was something I'd have to uncover gradually as I grew stronger.
Second. The 'me' from the first round had apparently been incredibly active.
I'd thought my future self would use knowledge of the original story to create strategies or provide support from the shadows, but the reactions of the other regressors suggested I'd taken a much more direct approach, using raw power.
Most likely with a sword.
One thing that puzzled me was how, contrary to all expectations, I didn't seem to possess any particular talent for the sword.
Will I stumble upon some kind of fortuitous encounter later?
There was no immediate solution to this problem, so I'd simply have to wait and see.
Thinking about anything else right now wouldn't yield clear answers, but...
The god's final words in particular kept echoing in my mind.
The phrase "this round" is really bothering me...
I'd assumed our current world was simply the second round, but her wording suggested it was something far beyond that.
Like the cycle of reincarnation in Buddhism, was this world endlessly repeating birth and destruction?
Hoo. Thinking this far ahead is just too despairing.
If my guess was correct... just how many times had this world already repeated itself?
A slight shiver ran down my spine.
Philia's room. The moment we stepped inside, Philia cast a simple spell that temporarily paralyzed Ian's hearing.
Ian flinched. He lost his balance and nearly fell, but Serena quickly caught him.
"...What the hell are you doing to Ian oppa?" Serena glared.
Philia let out a sigh. "It's a protective measure. Didn't you hear what I said earlier?"
If he accidentally heard knowledge from the future and went mad, there would be no turning back.
"...Hmph. You could've at least given me a warning first. Why are you always so lacking in consideration?"
It wasn't something Serena—who was constantly clinging to Ian's body—should be saying, but she grumbled anyway because she refused to lose to Philia.
Philia didn't rise to the provocation. She went straight to the main topic.
"I've unfolded a Lesser Demon Realm confined to this room, so ordinary beings shouldn't be able to eavesdrop. We don't have much time, so I'll be direct. What do you plan to do with Ian now?"
Serena knew far more about the sword than Philia did, so she would undoubtedly be a great help in raising him. However, Philia couldn't simply hand over all control to her.
Serena answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Obviously, I'm taking Ian oppa and leaving this place."
"...What?"
Philia's eyes trembled.
Serena understood exactly how Philia felt, but this decision could not be changed.
"Noona. This isn't a decision made out of mere emotion. Do you even realize how many transcendents have gathered in Catabel right now?"
Those who had broken past the limits of mortality and reached transcendence. Currently, excluding the gods—who could not interfere with the present world due to the laws of causality—they were the most dangerous existences.
In his previous life, Ian hadn't been a mere 'threat' to his enemies. He had been the grim reaper incarnate.
Many had followed him out of admiration for his strength, but far more had opposed him.
They would surely try to take his head the moment he showed any weakness.
And even those who had once been his comrades...
There's no guarantee they'll be normal this time either.
"Back then, we had the solid pillar called Ian oppa to rely on, but..."
Even Serena, known as the Sword Demon, had seemed sane compared to those lunatics. They had been perfectly obedient in front of Ian, but to everyone else, they were nothing short of disasters.
"...Now, who knows? The current Ian oppa is simply too weak."
She gripped his wrist tightly, as if the mere thought of someone taking him away filled her with anxiety.
At the center of 'Paradise.'
There, a woman lay in deep slumber.
A woman with blue hair and a monocle. Unlike the others, she wasn't connected to a single 'tentacle,' which made it clear she was the master of this demon realm.
Master of Dreamfall. The Queen of Fallen Dreams. Liria.
She was a being somewhat different from other devils. As a succubus of dreams and illusions, she was particularly alien even among her own kind.
Contrary to the man's preconceptions, she had neither horns nor a tail. She didn't drain vitality through dreams or pursue carnal pleasure.
Instead, she granted rather 'peaceful' dreams that pursued small, everyday joys and trivial happiness.
"After all, it's simply a matter of efficiency."
⟨ Voice of the Dream Queen ⟩
The sleeping Liria's mouth remained firmly closed, yet her voice echoed from every direction.
The man had never spoken his thoughts aloud. How had she detected them and answered?
"The satisfaction gained from drugs or sexual acts has far too short a duration. It's addictive, but not exactly healthy, wouldn't you agree?"
And why was she going out of her way to explain all this to the man?
"It's simple. I've been deliberately stalling for time since earlier, trying to break through your mental barriers."
The man swung his sword with practiced ease. Each strike carried enough power to split the world itself.
But.
"...Is your life special, or do you possess innate divine blood? Even after mobilizing a million consciousness entities, I still can't break through. If anything, it's causing a reverse overload."
"As expected of someone making a name for themselves in the heavenly realm these days. However, you can never defeat me here. Because this place is the 'realm of dreams.'"
What exactly was a dream?
A simple hallucination pieced together from memories buried in the unconscious?
"Many dismiss dreams as mere illusions, but in most cases dreams are truths that occur 'somewhere.' The current world itself might be nothing more than someone's dream."
"In the realm of dreams, nothing is impossible. Literally, anything can happen."
That was why Liria, who had established herself in the dream realm, was nearly invincible. No matter how strong the opponent or how transcendent their powers, everything became nullified beneath the 'chaos of dreams.'
And within this place, Liria was the only one capable of maintaining her sanity.
The world the man saw began to distort.
"Your mind is starting to stiffen, isn't it? As time passes, you'll gradually assimilate with this place. Soon your consciousness will drift away, leaving only the unconscious behind."
Just as she said, the man's mind was growing increasingly faint.
This was not something that could be resisted with mental fortitude. It wasn't an invasion of the mind but a manifestation that forcibly dragged the deepest unconscious to the surface. Consciousness and unconsciousness were reversing.
"Wait."
An unexpected crisis. With almost no time left, he had to finish every thought.
An absolute rule for the version of himself that would soon be left with only an unconscious mind.
Just cut down everything that comes.
That was enough.