Chapter 345: Why Are You Smiling So Happily? Is There Some Good News?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 345: Why Are You Smiling So Happily? Is There Some Good News?
"Dammit... we can't even touch her. This thing is a Dream Demon..."
Only after truly clashing with her did the group realize that the culprit behind everything was a Dream Demon!
However, the contrast between her current state and her previous behavior was simply too great.
Even though they had been suppressed by the Dream Demon's methods earlier, the one before them now was not only skilled in trickery but possessed terrifying raw power.
Furthermore, she was currently utilizing a ritual that gathered the flesh and soul essence of those in the Underground District specifically to deal with them.
But they were wrong about one thing. The Dream Demon hadn't set up this massive sacrifice ritual covering such a vast area just to deal with them; it was to open a connection between this place and the Abyss.
Although the Dream Demons didn't understand why the portal wouldn't allow other demons through—only their own kind—they believed they could handle the task.
As long as they succeeded, they would no longer be the lowest of the low in the Abyss. They would have Transcendent Demons to back them up, rather than being mere "vases" to be toyed with by any demon at will.
"Too weak. Is this all you've got? White-haired birdman, I've finally caught you~ Let's see what you do once I snap your wings!"
She currently had Archie by the throat. The Angel Halo above his head was already riddled with cracks. However, having experienced various battles within the dream, they had naturally figured out many of the dream's rules—for instance, energy recovery was faster, and as long as they didn't die or suffer injuries to their soul essence, they would recover. Even death resulted in resurrection.
But they were facing a Dream Demon—a monster that could feast on their soul essence and kill them permanently!
"Then we go down together..." Archie gripped the Dream Demon's wrist tightly, as if terrified she might escape the dream.
In the next instant, the Angel Halo above his head shattered violently. The exploding Holy Light power dealt significant damage to the Dream Demon, while Archie himself fell to the ground, heavily wounded.
Taking advantage of the opening created by the halo's self-detonation, Tan Han—already transformed into the Ancient Remnant Ice King—followed up immediately. A massive ice spike impaled the Dream Demon's body. Just before it could deal a fatal blow, the demon retreated back into reality.
But... the Ground Patrol was already prepared. From a distance, they had activated their Type IV Beyonder Killing Weapons. Several well-trained patrol members fired multiple attacks without hesitation, sealing off every possible angle of escape for the Dream Demon.
The first attack pierced through and detonated against the Dream Demon's left hand.
Reacting quickly, the Dream Demon used her right hand to seize the ice spike held by the transformed Tan Han.
CRACK!
The ear-piercing sound of ice shattering rang out. Within the dream, the Dream Demon's physical stats were monstrously high. After all, they were Dream Demons; the dreamscape was their home field!
In the next moment, the support fire from the Ground Patrol passed straight through the Dream Demon's body without causing any damage. She had already evaded by slipping back into the dream immediately after the first hit. The attack delay of the Beyonder Killing Weapons was simply too high.
After all, the people operating them were ordinary humans. They had to maintain a safe distance to ensure the safety of the users; it was a matter of tactical positioning.
"Heh... those bugs in the distance actually managed to hurt me. It seems it's time for a cleanup."
Inside the dream, the Dream Demon's left hand rapidly regenerated. She glared toward the direction of the incoming attacks, a flash of irritation in her eyes that quickly turned into pure killing intent.
The Dream Demon then manifested in reality, immediately filling the members of the Transcendent Academy with a sense of dread. This demon intended to deal with the Ground Patrol's physical fire support first!
The problem was that they were trapped in the dream. They had no way to stop a Dream Demon who was hell-bent on exterminating the Ground Patrol members.
They could only watch helplessly as the Dream Demon flew off.
"Hey, Dream Demon! Your opponent is right here! Come and cut me if you've got the guts! Come on!"
"Is my soul essence not tasty enough for you? Come and suck it out if you can!"
The hot-headed members of the Beast Academy began shouting taunts, but it was useless. They could only chase after the Dream Demon in the direction she had gone.
Meanwhile, the students of the Holy Angel Academy rushed to Archie's side.
"I'm fine... not dead yet. That Dream Demon didn't have time to drain my soul essence. The Angel Halo will recover after I rest a bit. Go, keep chasing her!"
"Archie, even if we chase her, we can't stop that monster..."
"Don't say that. There's always a way..." Archie forced himself to stand up.
Wisps of Holy Light began to gather above his head—the sign of the Angel Halo's recovery.
His broken, pure wings hung limp behind his back. The sharp pain constantly stimulated Archie's nerves, and blood stained his white feathers crimson.
Even so, he strained to see how the battle was progressing.
"Emergency evasion! Retreat! Everyone retreat! Equipment isn't as important as your lives! Drop everything! Find cover in the buildings! Scatter!"
The Captain of the Ground Patrol made a split-second decision and roared the orders.
But even with their quick reactions, they were no match for the rapidly approaching Dream Demon. The strength of this unreasonable monster exceeded their wildest imaginations.
They couldn't believe the Dream Demon was this powerful. How on earth had the people on the surface managed to kill such a creature using Beyonder Killing Weapons?
Were they just bragging?
The Dream Demon closed the distance faster and faster, making them feel as though there was nowhere left to run.
A powerful sensation, akin to mental pressure, completely locked onto the Ground Patrol Captain. At this moment, he found it difficult to even lift a leg to take a single step.
"Bugs, die!"
From a great distance, that death-knell of a voice echoed in their ears. An attack carrying a ferocious momentum swept toward them.
BOOM—!
The roar of an energy explosion resounded through the Underground District. The shockwave from the attack shattered the surrounding buildings, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
"Heh~ The annoying bugs are dead. Now, it's time to..."
Just as the Dream Demon turned around, satisfied with the destruction she had caused and ready to deal with the outsiders, a beam of scorching light, compressed to its absolute limit, suddenly erupted from the smoke and dust.
The shockwave of high heat carried the dust with it as the attack aimed straight for the Dream Demon's vitals.
By the time she reacted, she didn't have enough time to judge whether the attack originated from the dream or reality, so she instinctively raised a shield.
Half of the attack was blocked by the shield, while the other half passed through the Dream Demon's body within the dream. Even though it didn't cause her any damage, it startled her so much that her hair practically stood on end.
This was a dual attack on both the dream and reality!
But by the time she realized it, the shield she had raised was already on the verge of shattering.
The attack didn't stop; instead, it became even more terrifying, punching through the shield and piercing the Dream Demon's shoulder. That was the most she could do to dodge within such an extreme timeframe.
She couldn't even use the transition between dream and reality to evade this damage.
"You! It's you!" After being wounded, the Dream Demon suddenly realized who it was. In her knowledge, only one person possessed such means, but... how was that possible?
Had Ninglan Qiuyu already been dealt with?
The protective luck of Ninglan New City shouldn't be that fragile!
"My little trick... the power isn't bad, right?" I spoke up, clearly still holding a grudge over her previous arrogance.
The Focusing-Style Fireball Spell derivative spell was originally a technique meant for violent armor-piercing. The reason she had blocked it so easily before was simply because I hadn't used my full strength.
The high heat from the attack had created a pressure wave that blew the dust away, revealing my figure.
I was currently dressed in my signature Witch outfit, a wide-brimmed Witch hat on my head, sitting sideways on my flying broom.
"S-Scholar Xiao Han!"
The Ground Patrol members, who had been terrified by the explosion and thought they were goners, felt an immense sense of security when they saw the figure standing before them. The students from the Transcendent Academy, who had arrived just in time to witness this scene, were too shocked to speak.
"Xiao Han?"
"Sister Xiao Han?!"
"Is... is that Yang Yuehan?"
I didn't bother with their reactions. I simply turned my head slightly and spoke to the Ground Patrol: "Go, leave the rest to me."
"Yes! Scholar Xiao Han!" The Ground Patrol Captain snapped out of it upon hearing my words and immediately organized the remaining members to flee the danger zone.
"Hehehe... I really underestimated you. To think Ninglan Qiuyu couldn't even hold you back?" The Dream Demon chuckled, but her expression became more solemn than ever before.
However, her words were like a stone cast into a still pond, sending shockwaves through the crowd. Ninglan Qiuyu... tried to stop Xiao Han?
Wasn't there a bit too much information to unpack there?
The students from the Transcendent Academy and the Ground Patrol were left dazed. What was going on?
Wasn't Ninglan Qiuyu... the new City Lord?
"He was indeed a bit troublesome, but that's about it," I commented. "Now, it's time for us to settle our score. Are you ready to die?"
"Heh... very well. You want me to die? Where do you get such confidence!" The Dream Demon was incensed by my words. With a furious roar, she launched an attack at me.
However, as she attempted a probing strike, she discovered a very serious problem: she was being suppressed by the several floating spells behind me and couldn't even get close!
Her long-range attacks couldn't break through my protection shield, and the broom under my seat... wasn't its maneuverability a bit too high?
Furthermore, every one of my attacks completely sealed off both the dream and reality dimensions. Her advantage was being utterly suppressed. Stripped of her innate Dream Demon talent, she finally revealed the combat strength she should have as a bottom-layer member of the Abyssal Demon race—that of a complete cannon fodder!
"Impossible! You weren't this strong before!" The more she fought me, the more agitated she became. This gap in power made her feel as though she were falling into hell!
Even though she was originally from the Abyss, facing the enemy before her reminded her of the humiliation she felt when she was first toyed with by Transcendent Demons in the Abyss.
"Then I can only say that your preconceptions are going to be the death of you." I didn't bother explaining. Previously, I was wary that her sacrifice ritual would harm the ordinary people here. But since the ritual's occurrence could no longer be stopped, what did I have to worry about?
Besides, she had mocked me to my face just because she blocked one of my normal attacks. I'd really given her too much face.
"Impossible! If you have this kind of strength, how could Ninglan Qiuyu have stalled you for so long!"
"I can only say he was more useful than you. You're a waste—don't you understand such a simple truth?"
I didn't hold back my venomous tongue, unleashing a barrage of insults that left her stunned. Even the students from the Transcendent Academy watching from the side forgot to come and help. Though, to be honest, I felt their help was optional anyway.
It felt as though I was supposed to be on the same level as them, yet every time a critical moment arrived, I seemed to be using cheats, making them look useless.
The onlookers were also curious as to why every one of my spells landed solidly on the Dream Demon. Was she some kind of masochist who enjoyed using her body to catch attacks?
But those with keen eyes soon realized what was happening...
"Sister Xiao Han, she..."
"Xiao Han is currently in reality... no, more than that. She's in a superposition of dream and reality!" Tan Han, who had reached this conclusion, was so shocked she didn't know what to say. How was that possible?
How she did it was a question everyone was curious about. Had everyone else's consciousness crossed over while Yang Yuehan's main body crossed over?
That seemed highly unlikely.
"Xiao Han, I'll help you!"
With Tan Han's shout, the others snapped out of it. This was the perfect time to surround and kill the Dream Demon!
How could they just stand there and watch?
"You... you people!" Seeing everyone move to block her every retreat in the dream, while having to face me in reality, her greatest advantage was rendered moot. Her previous confidence vanished instantly.
Even her life was now in jeopardy.
A flash of genuine panic crossed her eyes. But when she saw the massive blood qi essence and soul essence gathered by the sacrifice ritual, hope flared in her gaze. She completely abandoned the fight.
"Stop her! She's trying to take control of that mass of flesh!"
They had seen the low-quality Dream Demons she had created when she controlled that flesh before. Her methods were disgusting and persistent. If she used it to escape, it would be a huge loss.
I looked at the mass of flesh and understood the stakes. I knew exactly what she wanted to do with it; she had said it herself—she wanted to summon her sisters.
One was already troublesome enough. If more came... I might find myself spread too thin.
So, I simply abandoned my flying broom. No matter how fast it was, could it beat teleportation?
The Dream Demon arrived at her destination in a frenzy. She instinctively looked back and saw that none of the pursuers were faster than her, and a hint of secret joy rose in her heart.
But when she turned back toward the massive sacrificial primordial substance of flesh and soul essence, a pitch-black teleportation channel appeared in front of her. A hand reached out from within and gripped her throat in a death grip. Whether she entered the dream or reality, she couldn't escape being caught. She even felt a binding power locking down her entire body.
Then, the figure stepped completely out of the teleportation channel. It was the very Witch who had ruined her plans earlier!
"Why are you smiling so happily? Is there some good news? Tell me so I can be happy too."