Corrosion of the Dream Haze
A world of blue, like the depths of a still lake. A world steeped in seductive violet.
The two incompatible worlds clashed mid-formation, each devouring at the other like beasts locked in a death grip.
As the realm was torn apart and rebuilt again and again, the two powers collided without pause. Blue would flood the world, only to crumble — then violet would drown it, only to crumble in turn.
The balance held for mere moments before Hecate's power pulled ahead of Lilith's, and the world began to bleed blue once more.
But Lilith did not lose her composure.
“System Engage — Field: Lilith.”
“System Engage — Field: Lilith.”
“System Engage — Field: Lilith.”
One by one, the 108 gathered here called out the command.
Every single soul present was Lilith.
Each one alone might not match Hecate individually — but the power all 108 of them unleashed together was beyond imagination.
In an instant, the world drowned in violet once more.
Hecate ground her teeth, fighting to keep the world from being swallowed whole by Lilith's field.
When even 108 fields failed to fully suppress Hecate's, Lilith let out a sigh.
“This is exactly why S.E.N has that clause about not interfering with each other. No one can ever fully establish their field.”
Unable to deploy her field, she was only half herself — unable to wield her true power. Right now Lilith's field was overwhelming Hecate's, but she too was far from her 'complete state'.
“Exactly. Which means whoever crushes their opponent first and completes their field wins. Lilith, your field ability is certainly powerful… but in raw combat strength, I have the advantage.”
Four swords materialized around Hecate.
Her style of combat was to bend the power of the elements to her will, wreathing her blades in it to intercept her enemies.
Lilith, by contrast, was not built for direct combat. Even if the output of her field fell behind, so long as Hecate subdued the 108 here one by one, victory was hers.
“Well, my 'Dream Haze' admittedly isn't well suited to fighting fellow S.E.N. Though I'd say someone who's barely five years old is getting a little full of herself, no?”
“……!”
In that moment, a violet gaze flashed.
Not Noir's.
One of the 108 gathered here — a young girl, no more than ten — clutched a wicked-looking knife and lunged at Hecate from her blind side.
At the same instant, a woman even larger than the one whose body Noir inhabited came charging head-on from the front, swinging a greatsword as big as she was.
Hecate parried the relentless barrage of attacks with her four swords, one after another.
“It's true my field isn't built for combat. But that's only a matter of the field itself.”
The combat strength of the 108 who carried Lilith's soul far exceeded Hecate's expectations. Hecate held her breath against the ceaseless storm of strikes.
“All 108 of them have been 'Gamers' since the days of Latia. I made sure of it. Dream Haze is the materialization of dreams. Within a game labyrinth, they can wield their own skills and items freely.”
Hecate turned aside attack after attack with her four blades — but the enemies gunning for her were hardly one or two.
This was no one-on-one.
It was, in effect, a battle of one against 108 — and among them were veterans on Noir's level.
“In the end, a fight between S.E.N comes down to who completes their field first, doesn't it? Can you really keep your field standing against all of us?”
“What an utterly vile ability. And your personality is just as foul. Oh, and that explanation was merely a bonus, wasn't it? Your real trait is Corrosion — I've felt that hideous energy worming into my body this whole time.”
Hecate shuddered as she felt the power seeping into her, bit by bit.
That power was Lilith's very core — the ability that had dragged countless souls into ruin.
“And don't you dare underestimate me, either.”
Hecate gave her fingers a light snap, and a whirlwind of flame erupted around her.
The firestorm surged toward the heavens, and its force was such that Lilith's avatars hesitated to approach, falling back to keep their distance.
“I may not possess a special ability like yours, but allow me to teach you a truth passed down since ancient times. Simple is best!”
This time lightning cracked down, scouring the surroundings.
“How diligent of you. Do you really think you can keep drawing on that much power while your field is still unstable?”
“I merely need to wipe you all out before my field collapses. Simple, isn't it?”
Hecate and Lilith's avatars clashed once more.
108 foes wielding every manner of equipment and skill from the game labyrinths, all hunting Hecate — and Hecate, meeting them with the power of the elements.
Their battle soared far beyond the bounds of common sense.
From a step removed, he watched their fight.
A battle between S.E.N.
It all came down to who completed their field first.
Even though Hecate seemed to hold the advantage with her overwhelming power, the sky was still stained violet. The combined might of the 108 'fields' was crushing Hecate's own.
“There you are.”
A familiar voice. He turned his head toward it.
Noir. The one whose soul had awakened as Lilith approached with a bewitching smile.
Looking closely, not all 108 were fighting — a few had hung back to observe the battle.
Proof that Lilith still had room to spare.
“Isn't she adorable? It seems you've really caught her fancy. Normally she avoids fighting fellow S.E.N at all costs, you know.”
Her voice tickled at his eardrums. Merely hearing it made his mind swim.
Lilith drew closer, slow and unhurried. Even the way she placed one foot after another was different from Noir's.
“What's wrong?”
Lilith's smile deepened.
“Don't resist. Just accept it.”
Each time her voice rang out, it felt as though his mind were filling to the brim with violet.
She reached out and stroked his cheek.
“Ufufu… Master of a UR. The hero who sparked a revolution in this era. The one who will go on steering the tide of the age. The mere thought of you falling into corruption and kneeling before me… it makes my soul tremble.”
“Ugh….”
“Oh my. Still planning to resist? But it's useless. My Dream Haze's Corrosion took root in your soul long, long ago.”
“Corrosion… of the Dream… Haze…?”
He fought desperately against the dizziness creeping through his skull.
“It's the power of my field — it seeps into its target slowly, dyeing them down to the very soul until they belong to me. Of course, I can use a fraction of it even without activating the field.”
Lilith cupped Ryu Hwi's head in both hands.
“To be honest, this wasn't the plan. I wanted to watch you fall, little by little, dyed in my color… I never imagined Hecate would so brazenly stand in my way.”
Her face drifted closer and closer.
“Well — no matter. The process may differ, but the outcome will be the same.”
Ryu Hwi simply stared blankly at the scene.
Resist…
Why should he even think about resisting? Lilith's voice, her touch, her scent — everything felt good. Was there any reason to fight this?
Through the violet flooding his mind, a voice reached him — someone's voice, fragmented and broken.
“Ah!!”
From far away, Hecate saw it happen and panicked.
“No!”
At this rate, Ryu Hwi would fall into Lilith's hands. Her ability, Corrosion, was not something human willpower could counter.
Once Lilith marked a target, there was essentially no way to resist.
Had he possessed even a Mental Resistance-type skill, he might have held out — but Ryu Hwi had no such thing.
“Ryu Hwi is my plaything!”
Hecate tried to force her way to Lilith — but Lilith's avatars doggedly blocked her path.
Individually, none of them could stand against Hecate. But the coordination of souls linked as one was formidable even for her.
Worse still, her field remained unstable, making it harder and harder to draw out power. If she pushed further, her field would collapse and be swallowed whole by Lilith's — and then every means of resistance would vanish entirely.
Hecate watched the violet slowly seep into Ryu Hwi's eyes and clenched her jaw.
Then—
“Noir…?”
“Noir?!”
Voices rang out — from a third party who had no business being here.
“……?!”
Lilith, who had been poisoning Ryu Hwi's mind drop by drop, reacted to those voices.
“Bisque? Ragna?”
Bisque and Ragna were there. Both were drenched in sweat from what must have been a desperate sprint, gasping for breath that threatened to give out at any moment.
Ever since Noir had vanished without warning, the two had scoured the area for her. After sweeping the entire district, they'd wondered if perhaps she'd returned to Jucheongwang — and turned their steps that way.
Because Hecate's and Lilith's fields kept colliding and remained unstable, they had failed to seal off the intruders. And so the two had stumbled into this place, knowing nothing.
“Noir… what the hell is going on here? What are you doing?!”
“Noir, what on earth is happening?”
“Bisque, Ragna, this is….”
Perhaps it was the shock of such unexpected arrivals.
In that instant, the soul of Lilith was pushed down, and Noir's soul burst forth.
The violet that had been staining Ryu Hwi's soul flickered and weakened.
“Now!”
Hecate seized the opening without hesitation.
Her four swords converged on a single point, the four elements fusing into one. The four conflicting attributes repelled and collided, were forced back together, and repeated the cycle — amplifying their power explosively with every turn.
The four blades spun at ferocious speed, forming a massive rotating sphere of spiraling force.
The moment Hecate swept her hand downward, all four swords moved as one and hurled the sphere at Lilith and Ryu Hwi.
“Spiral Quartet!”
The instant the sphere struck, the power condensed within it detonated, erupting skyward like a pillar of light.
“Guh?!”
Lilith, shaking off her haze, dodged by the narrowest of margins — but Ryu Hwi was caught squarely in Hecate's attack.
As he was swept up wholesale in the blast, Hecate clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake.
“Ah… I was only aiming for Lilith. I meant for Ryu Hwi to take just a light shock….”
Presently, Ryu Hwi, who had soared high into the sky, crashed down to the ground.
His entire body was smeared with blood — one glance was enough to tell it was serious.
“Th-that… wasn't on purpose.”
Twitching, Ryu Hwi slowly moved. Blood dripped from every inch of him as he forced himself up from the ground.
He swayed as if he might collapse at any second, straining his trembling legs to keep himself upright by sheer will.
Bloodied from head to toe, Ryu Hwi wiped the blood streaming past his eye with a finger — and grinned.
“Th…anks, Hecate. You woke me right up.”
The violent shock had scoured the violet clean out of his skull.
“To have my life wrecked by that cursed woman, and then nearly make the same mistake twice… it makes me sick.”
Abilities could wait. What disgusted him was how he hadn't resisted at all.
“Ryu Hwi! What in the world is—”
“CEO! That woman, she's—”
The moment Ragna got a clear look at 'Hecate's' face, he recoiled in shock.
“I'll explain everything later, so stay back.”
Now that things had come to this, he owed Bisque and Ragna an explanation about S.E.N too — but that could wait.
MR+ — Heavenly Demon Divine Art (ygg) Lv☆
↳ Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art: Ten Thousand Demons Submit Lv(ygg)
↳ Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art: Intimidation Lv(ygg)
The instant he slammed one foot down, the shockwave rippled outward in a vast ring.
Lilith's 108 avatars and Hecate alike sucked in their breath as the blast washed over them.
A crushing shockwave — followed by the effect of Intimidation.
Several of the 108 with weaker constitutions couldn't even remain standing, collapsing where they stood.
At the killing intent pouring off Ryu Hwi, Hecate looked genuinely flustered.
“Um, Ryu Hwi? Why am I included in the skill's targeting? I was helping you this time, remember? You only snapped out of it thanks to me, didn't you?”
“That's right. Thanks to you.”
Ryu Hwi wiped away the blood that kept trickling down.
“So I'm returning the favor in full. You and Lilith both — in the end, all either of you wants is to do whatever you please with me. So tell me, why should I play along?”
“A perfectly reasonable point!”
“Internal strife, huh? Works out nicely. I'll finish you all off in one go.”
Honestly, this was no situation for posturing. But Ryu Hwi bared his teeth in a showman's grin anyway.
At the sight of him laughing savagely through the blood, Hecate's lips twitched. She did want to settle things with him someday — just not like this.
I'd have preferred to play much, much longer….
Hecate had whiled away her boredom in the game labyrinths. Unlike the other S.E.N, she had found nothing that made her soul tremble.
Then she met Ryu Hwi, and everything changed. Only playing with him made her soul sing. But this — this was not what she wanted.
Lilith, too, frowned at how the situation had soured.
Her amusement was the corruption of humans.
A human who had been on the verge of falling not a moment ago had rejected her and torn free.
Deeply, deeply unpleasant.
“I don't owe either of you my cooperation, do I?”
Then, all at once, a delightful idea occurred to Lilith.
She was Noir, and she was Lilith. She understood Noir better than anyone.
Noir's own unacknowledged feelings for Ragna, for instance. Her friendship with Bisque — and the inferiority complex she secretly nursed toward her. Lilith knew it all.
And now she'd thought of a way to make this infuriating situation fun.
“Guh?!”
“Hkk—!”
While Ryu Hwi was focused on Lilith and Hecate, Lilith's other avatars moved, seizing Bisque and Ragna.
The two struggled wildly, but they couldn't break free of the avatars' grip.
Ryu Hwi lunged to save them — but a split second faster, one of Lilith's avatars pressed a blade to Ragna's throat.
“We're S.E.N, so how about we enjoy a proper game? The Legend of Lambda — that's a rather entertaining game labyrinth, isn't it?”
All 108 of them were gamers — and among them were those who had played Lambda.
“One week from now, we settle this in that labyrinth. I'll tell you the rules later.”
“A week?”
Hecate glared at Lilith as if she were out of her mind.
“Why on earth would I follow your script? This is between me and Ryu Hwi — kindly stay out of it.”
“Hilarious. Why should I play along with your game? You're the one who interrupted mine in the first place.”
“I interrupted? If I recall, I claimed Ryu Hwi first. How conveniently selective your memory is — impressive, truly.”
“Well, you can join in then too, if you're that desperate. When that happens, I won't care if you're S.E.N or whatever else — I'll kill you all the same.”
One by one, Lilith's avatars faded from sight.
—Conversion.
They were converting themselves from reality into the game labyrinth.
Lilith even possessed the technique to force others to convert against their will — and so Ragna and Bisque, too, dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
“Ragna, Bisque… kkh!”
Ryu Hwi staggered and dropped to his knees.
By the time he forced himself upright again, every last one of Lilith's avatars was gone.
“Damn it!”
Ryu Hwi slammed his fist into the ground.
S.E.N! Lilith!
Ever since that first meeting with Crowley, the initiative had been ripped from his hands again and again.
He remembered the days when he'd clawed desperately for power — gaining his UR, tearing Linzea down brick by brick.
If the Ryu Hwi of back then could see him now, he would laugh in his face without hesitation.
—Toppling Linzea and Latia and making Silver… was that all it took to satisfy you?
—Your revenge isn't finished, is it?
—Is your rage really this small?
He had grown complacent. The force that drove Ryu Hwi had never been this feeble.
Ryu Hwi stared at the 'Intuition Lv3' slotted into his skills and clenched his teeth until they ached.