Parasite
Leylin looked at Cabadole, whose whole body was stretched taut like a little leopard, and petted his head. "What? Does the current situation leave you dissatisfied?"
"No. I just hope to obtain more strength in order to protect my clan," Cabadole answered.
"What a clever answer!" Leylin praised him.
In his previous world, such extreme exploitation would long since have given rise to violent revolts. With so few ruling over so many, and so blatantly abusing their power at that, they would just be courting death.
Unfortunately, this was a world where extraordinary strength crushed everything else! Even though the minority was in power, exploiting their position atrociously, all the majority could do was crush their desires for revolution. After all, this minority possessed great military strength. The ones with the greatest power held the greatest authority. Strength was the truth.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" At this moment, two rows of warriors dressed in black armour and held iron spears and shields darted onto the streets, moving the people to the sides of the road.
'Hm? Even citizens won't have this much authority. Could this be the government or some security officials?' Leylin glanced at Cabadole next to him, but the boy was now trembling all over, and his lips seemed to turn darker in in his fear.
"No…" Cabadole bit at his lower lip, gritting out a few words, "The power of the government comes from the citizens, which is why this is impossible for them… The only possibility is the legendary Lord's Envoy! There are many city-states like Maxi in this area, but they all have to bow down to the Lord's Envoy lest they be destroyed."
"Lord's Envoy?" Leylin thought this phrase over, sensing the terror within the surrounding natives of Dreamscape. This terror had nothing to do with the higher or lower class, the rich or the poor. Even the citizens of Maxi who had been relaxed just moments before were the same as them.
'The Lord of Calamity himself, that dream demon, should be the one with feudal power here. Are these soldiers of his armies?' Leylin made a guess.
The Lords of Calamity weren't alone. They had great numbers of subordinates that formed huge armies. When Dreamscape intersected with the real worlds, the other worlds in the astral plane would face nightmares in the form of the Lords of Calamity and their armies. Besides the Magus World and other large worlds, there were few who could resist their invasion.
However, Dreamscape weakened regularly. Even if a Lord of Calamity could take over an entire world, they would soon have to give up on it. If not for that, other worlds like the Purgatory World, Icy World, and Shadow World may not have been able to resist Dreamscape.
"They're here! They're here!" People at the front began to get restless, while Leylin and Bodach saw the 'Lord of Calamity' that had large numbers of people crowded around.
"Oh? So that's how things are. No wonder these natives are so afraid…" What appeared in front of Leylin was a legion of high-energy beings similar to moths. The moths were extremely large, with some near three metres tall, and others at around a metre tall. They had even evolved to have forelimbs similar to human hands.
"This is the dream demon's illusory moth army. Although they aren't all that powerful, they're pretty proficient in illusions and poisons…" As someone who knew this well, Bodach was now introducing them to Leylin. Still, unlike them this one-eyed dragon was obviously strong enough to wipe Maxi City out easily.
However, these Illusory Moths weren't the main characters here. At their centre was a human.
Indeed, a human. This was a native of Dreamscape, with yellow skin and wavy hair. The red tattoos on her body indicated that she wasn't from the Redbud Flower Tribe, but with a single look at her Cabadole quickly covered his mouth.
Most of the other citizens of Maxi did the same, stopping their impending shrieks of terror.
Escorted by the numerous Illusory Moths was a young native girl, with a beautiful, slender waist and a face full of vitality. However, her eyes were muddied and filled with a deathly aura, a white being laid down on her lush hair.
This being had a furry body, its two wings mottled in different colours. A large proboscis had pierced into the girl's soul from in front of its large compound eyes, as if sucking something out.
Leylin could feel the majesty of laws from the body of this white mouth. Although it was only a trace aura, it represented the essence of what it had once been.
'Is this some sort of backlash?' Leylin sighed.
The Lord of Calamity in this region was an exceptionally large dream demon. Its body had rotted to form a huge piece of land, sustaining the lives of many natives.
This naturally wasn't done out of pure goodwill. Even the most powerful Lords of Calamity in Dreamscape had to seal themselves up, fighting against the weakening dreamforce. Even if they did so they would be tormented by the destructive snow, sapped of their strength. Dream demons did something different. They used the their bodies to nourish a group of natives, splitting their truesouls and entering the dreams of all beings living in their territories. This would help them evade the destructive snow, allowing them to wait out the weakness of the World Origin Force.
Relying on the people's dreams to preserve their life allowed dream demons to wield most of their strength even after being sealed. The inhabitants who were being protected would give up a portion of their soul force, in exchange obtaining a chance at survival. This was a trade that benefited both parties.
However, there were unexpected situations that could crop up. Although the dream demons carefully controlled their intake of power, they were still Lords of Calamity. If they were agitated by the natives' dreams, and their absorption unknowingly increased, things would be disastrous.
Just 0.00000001% of the soul power of a dream demon could easily absorb all life from a native. Once the native died, these dream demons would also lose a body to attach themselves to, weakening rapidly as they awaited death.
Although this process was irreversible, there were still exceptions. If the dream demon realised in time that it had absorbed too much, the perfect control would repair the balance of the symbiotic relationship.
However, the native they were attached to would have been absorbed greatly, inclusive of their souls. They would become an empty husk.
Such a shell was actually a huge treasure for a dream demon. At the very least, it would leave no issues with its survival. WIth another layer of protection from a native, there was no need to be afraid of the effects of being in an environment that was weakening. It could also retain some strength and influence over the outer world.
These humans who were controlled had another name in the world: the Lord's Envoys. Being raised by the dream demon, natives like Cabadole, and even citizens of city states or their leaders, all had parasites within them. Seeing the Lord's Envoy, it was understandable for them to feel distress.
"Hmm?" Just as Leylin and Bodach were sizing up the Lord's Envoy, the girl with the moth on her head also turned to look at them. "I never thought I'd be able to see guests from another world here!" she exclaimed, her eyes gaining some vigour.
An astonishing conscient began to awaken in the girl. In that moment, Leylin even saw the body of a dream demon moving through the universe, spreading wings that could cover a small world as it greeted him.
"We're only travellers touring the area, and unwittingly entered your territory…"
Leylin was not all that surprised by this. While those like Cabadole had a portion of the dream demon's truesoul in their bodies, these fragments were mostly in slumber. They could only subconsciously absorb the dream energy as food. However, the truesoul inside an envoy was awake, possessing a portion of the main body's conscient. This made it easy to spot Leylin and Bodach, who had done nothing special to conceal themselves.
The Lord's Envoy's beautiful eyes swirled towards the one-eyed dragon, her next words causing Leylin to turn grim, "I remember the smell of your spirit. You're the person who once coveted my treasure trove…"
That wretched greedy dragon had really once wanted her treasure trove before!
"Ah… hehe… Haha, the weather's quite good today… Haha…" Bodach rubbed his head and began to laugh dryly.
"However, your humble servant's treasure trove must have disappointed my Lord…" The Lord's Envoy was now occupied by a powerful conscient. Leylin estimated that the awakened conscient had now completely gathered here. However, she seemed to be exceptionally easy-going, and was even apologising to Bodach like a wise lady.
"Oh, it's nothing! I don't have much interest in dreams that are like bubbles…" Bodach waved his arms and spoke bluntly.
"Apologise!" Leylin pressed Bodach's head down, and then smiled apologetically at the Lord's Envoy, "My apologies… This guy has a screw loose…"
"If you don't mind, we could discuss this further elsewhere…" The Lord's Envoy pointed away. The natives and citizens of Maxi were currently frozen stiff, especially a few beings with golden olive wreaths on their heads that seemed to be members of the government.
"Sure!" Leylin nodded, and then pointed at Cabadole, "I have some connections to his ancestor…"
There was nothing else that needed to be said. He was sure that she would handle this matter well. After all, the goodwill of another existence of laws for something so trivial would definitely be worth it.
As he watched Leylin and three others depart, Cabadole's mouth was wide open. He was at a loss of what to say, but the hint of flattery and reverence in the eyes of the citizens surrounding him told him that things would definitely be settled now.
Soul Powder
The boundless skies shattered to reveal a huge hole, allowing one to see some large stars and bands of light. Leylin, Bodach and the Lord's Envoy stood side by side, enjoying this broken scenery.
"When Dreamscape Origin Force weakens, the entire world descends into stillness…" The envoy's face showed hints of sorrow before she looked towards Bodach, "I see a tracking curse on your body from Salilus… And the shine of suolo gems…"
Bodach's expression froze, and then he tried to speak up for himself. "Uh… haha… you must have gotten something wrong. I'm such an honest dragon… Why would I steal something that belongs to someone else… Haha…"
"You've got the wrong impression. I don't really have any dealings with Salilus. On the contrary, there are some conflicts between us…" The young lady's voice was like a silver bell, pleasant to the ear. The clear look in her eyes made it seem like she knew everything.
With this gaze on him, even the one-eyed dragon lowered his head, ashamed. "In that case… that's great!"
It had to be said that there were few people Leylin had met who were as thick-skinned as Bodach was.
"Hehe…" Even the dream demon was evidently entertained by how shameless he was, and the girl that she had possessed pursed her lips and began to smile.
"I just want to remind you that Salilus' poison curse is the most vile in the entire universe. In order to obtain enough malicious intent, he even pushed a small plane into the Plains of Despair… Just to absorb the hatred arising near the death of a continent…"
Leylin's expression changed. The astral plane had a few large worlds in it. Planes were a rank lower than worlds, but even then they were still as large as entire continents, with populations of tens or even a hundred million. Destroying a plane just to obtain the hatred and malicious intent was something that would do more than just raise people's hackles.
'Or has he gone mad or turned chaotic?' While Leylin wasn't a good person in any way, he suddenly felt that like he had an actual bottom line, something better than those beings.
"With the vengeful energy from millions of life forms, as well as Salilus' own powers of disaster, the curse formed isn't something that the Yosi Blood Hoop on your head can suppress…"
"So this thing is a Yosi Blood Hoop? Doesn't seem to be that useful…" Bodach discontentedly prodded at the silver hoop on his head and complained.
"Shut up and don't move it, you idiot!" Leylin's expression changed, watching as Bodach took the hoop that had been on his dead down curiously.
*Wooh!* In that moment, the Yosi Blood Hoop revealed a piercing red light. Blood vessels wriggled as a piercing female shriek resounded. The blood-red luster became more exuberant till the whole hoop exploded, creating a tiny poof and only leaving behind silver ashes.
"What the… heck… what's going on?" The one-eyed dragon gaped at the silver granules in his hand and cursed.
"Found You!" A powerful conscient exploded from the purple eyeball behind him, accompanied by a chilling evil and bloodlust.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The curse that Leylin had under his control burst forth as the purple eyes exploded one by one. Yellow pus flew everywhere, causing Bodach to cry in misery. This liquid fell into the surrounding areas, and even more tiny purple eyes appeared as they began to cover the dragon's entire body.
Leylin could sense a powerful soul aura locking onto Bodach completely, an aura unique to Lords of Calamity awakening…
Still in the north, but south of the dream demon's territory. Within a region of calamity.
"You wretched, despicable little thief, Salilus has finally found you!" Snow fell with immense destructive power, but it could do nothing against a large ice crystal at the centre of this place. The ice sizzled sharply and melted down, emitting dazzling lights as runic chains broke apart.
Howls resonated as the large ice crystal exploded, and an enormous body jumped out, disappearing into the clouds and quickly heading towards the dream demon's territory.
"Wha- wha- wha- what are we going to do?" Bodach clutched his head with both hands, barely keeping the urge to tear off his own flesh at bay while staring at Leylin pitifully.
'Hmm? No… No matter how careless Bodach might be, he still prioritises his own safety. At the very least, there had not been any mishaps in the journey before, so why would there be issues now?
'The only change is that we now have a Lord of Calamity by our sides, and it's the dream demon with strange abilities…'
With a thought, Leylin quickly had a feeling that something was off.
[Beep! Soul enchantment found, searching for source of contamination.] the A.I. Chip's voice sounded. The atomic microscope revealed a layer of mysterious powder floating in the air, centred around the dream demon.
"Damn it, it really is you! Without my Nightmare Absorbing Physique, I'd probably be caught in your magic as well…"
Annoyed, Leylin began to move the Nightmare Bloodline within him and dissolved all of the powder that had entered his body, quickly feeling his mind clear.
"An astounding illusory ability. Seems like the anger in my heart was also induced by the powder… As expected of a demon that manipulates dreams and illusions!" A series of thoughts flashed in his mind, but Leylin was on the surface still berating Bodach furiously. His gaze fell on the dream demon, and he put his guard up.
"Don't worry. Like I told you, I share enmity with Salilus, so I won't let him into my territory. We can team up to deal with him together…"
Seeing the anger in Leylin's eyes, the lady was soon elated. She then saw the vigilance in his eyes. This was very normal. All existences of laws had to be on their guard when attacked by the Lords of Calamity in Dreamscape, which was why she said what she did.
As she spoke, Leylin noticed the microscopic powder in the air ripple slightly, enchanting the soul slightly and affecting one's judgement. Bodach, for instance, kept nodding.
Upon seeing this, she dealt another blow, "Mm. If we defeat or seal him, then the curse on my Lord's friend here will be taken care of."
"Agree to it, Leylin. Agree to it!" Bodach kept nodding like a chick pecking at grains of rice, and the soul undulations became more vigorous.
"But of course, I agree…" Leylin seemed to be taken with the idea and, after seeing her delight, could not help but take several steps closer, fine soul powder rippling on his body. All of a sudden, his eyes flashed.
"I agree to nothing!" he exclaimed, and a loud hiss resounded as a tremendous phantom Targaryen appeared behind Leylin. The serpent extended its terrifying mouth, biting down on the dream demon.
Leylin had acted exquisitely, covering his actions with his control of laws. This way, he'd managed to deceive this Lord of Calamity. The sudden trouble caused shock and astonishment to arise in the dream demon's eyes, causing Leylin to feel good once more.
*Ka-cha!* The mouth of the snake, formed with the laws of devouring, bit down, causing even space to disappear into nothingness. Everything was taken in and transformed, turned into Leylin's own energy.
While the young lady that had become the Lord's Envoy was a product of the dream demon devouring a truesoul but not its dreams, she was still a normal person. Her transformation had been recent, and there was nothing she could do to evade Leylin. She immediately melted away into boundless darkness, leaving behind a conscient emitting light.
"You destroyed a part of me!" Great anger emerged from the conscient, and the entire land seemed to roar as well. All the natives living on it immediately knelt and began to pray.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* A native who was praying for the Lord to calm his anger had his brain exploded, and a point of light flew out of his brain followed by many others. The numerous points of light gathered on the ground, seemingly glued together.
Having obtained so many motes of light, the Lord of Calamity began to tremble. A strange aura of life awakened in the land, accompanied by the surging conscient of a rank 8.
"She's desperate enough now to forcefully unseal herself?" Leylin had a teasing smile on his face. The other party was still sealed, and the weakened dreamforce was now his best helper.
"Unfortunately, it's too late!" Leylin sighed slightly, red light flashing in his eyes. The bit of the conscient in the air exploded noiselessly, and numerous memories and fragmented comprehensions of laws leaked out.
The result of having a portion of one's conscient destroyed was terrifying. The entire territory began to roar, volcanos erupting as earthquakes occurred. The ground cracked apart as a large hand made of lava arose, covering all else.
"She isn't really injured, and her aura only weakened slightly… Seems like she'd only awakened a small part of her conscient."
Leylin spoke with pity in his tone, turning into a dark arrow that pierced through the large palm in the air. With the dazed Bodach in tow, he fumbled a little in the air as he disappeared.
Tens of seconds after Leylin disappeared, a great number of moths filled the area to form the large face of a woman. She gazed in the direction that Leylin had left, her eyes full of hatred. Seeing the destructive snow falling suddenly, fear surfaced in her eyes as she quickly disappeared.
Everything calmed down once more.
Salilus
Destructive snow was a limitation Dreamscape had set up for the sealed Lords of Calamity. It was a shackle that imprisoned them.
Most of the time, the lords relied on layers of powerful seals to protect themselves, The moment they were unsealed, they would have to face the destructive snow head on and be weakened. This was from both the origin of the soul and from the World Origin Force.
No Lord could handle being weakened like this, which was why they were always in sealed states, unless there were special circumstances.
The large female face exploded, leaving behind another little girl. Her eyes were muddied, and she also had a white moth on her head. However, she was smaller than the one before. Once the dream demon quieted down, the destructive snow also weakened until it was bearable.
"Damn it… How did that Magus get away from my soul powder…" The dream demon's avatar looked confused, and she transmitted some information.
"Hm? Dream demon… You've found the thief who stole from my treasure trove?" Tens of minutes later, a terrifying amount of pressure formed as a large tornado moved towards the dream demon. Powerful destructive snow hovered around this tornado, eliminating the ice, the rocks, and all forms of life.
The one who had spoken was a steel knight over a hundred metres tall. He wore ice-blue armour, and on his chest was a striking, gigantic rune in the shape of a cross. With his face covered by a helmet, it was difficult to see his expression. Only an inquiring red light seemed to shoot out, the evil gaze seemingly bringing disaster.
Endless black clouds revolved over this person's head. Terrifying destructive snow fell, to the point that even the dream demon's avatar had to retreat a distance. Everything under his waist was hidden in the great tornado, vaguely revealing huge blocks of ice. The terrifying tornado whistled, combining with the destructive snow.
The powerful law of calamity as well as a malicious might of vengeance formed more than a hundred million faces around the tornado, all of them crying.
This was the Lord of Calamity Salilus, a rank 8 existence! He'd grasped many laws like calamity and hatred. This evil god that made numerous worlds weep had now descended with his main body!
"Long time no see, Salilus…" The dream demon smiled as she greeted him, "Looks like you really detest him, to the point that you've moved your true body!"
"He's stolen one of my suolo gems! Without it, my main body will need ten thousand years to recuperate after a disaster!" Salilus sounded hoarse, like the sounds of numerous crows squawking together. His voice had a strange ability to turn one's stomach, hiding extreme anger within it.
"That damned thief! I want to send him to the Plains of Despair and seal his true soul, and then slowly skin him for ten thousand years!"
"I've obtained information about the thief. He also has a rank 7 Magus helping him, so you have to be careful…" The dream demon in the form of a young girl raised a finger, and a moth flew up to Salilus. The Lord of Calamity swallowed it.
Through this strange exchange, Salilus immediately obtained footage of Bodach, and Leylin next to him.
"Just two newly-advanced rank 7s? I can destroy their truesouls with just one hand!" Salilus shook his head nonchalantly, and then looked at the dream demon, "In all my memory, you've never been so kind-hearted…"
"Hehe… he's also harmed my avatar and even caused me to lose a portion of my conscient…" A trace of paleness could be seen on her face.
"That's true… your strength relies more on charm. While even a rank 8 existence might be unwittingly caught in your trap, once the other party has their guard up…" Salilus smiled as he spoke, controlling the tornado into chasing the direction of his imprint.
All the land here had been merged with the dream demon's body, making her detection ability terrifying. As a result, the girl could determine that Salilus had truly left after a moment. She watched the direction that he had left in, a strange smile on her face.
"Relies more on charm?" Although the dream demon wasn't acknowledged for combat power amongst the Lords of Calamity, she had been their longest survivor. Her origins traced all the way back to the ancient Final War! How could someone of this level of strength have weaknesses and be seen through easily?
While the other lords believed that the Dream Demon's abilities were charm and sealing, this was actually not the case. What she was most proficient in was actually sensing souls!
'Disregarding that one-eyed dragon, the young Magus is giving me an evil and dangerous impression. That's not because of a Warlock's bloodline ability, but… it's like we're mortal enemies…' The girl's eyes were serious as she recalled this dangerous Magus.
She and Salilus were, in reality, not on good terms. There was no point in offending two existences of laws for him. However, after taking one look at Leylin, her innate soul senses told her that he was extremely dangerous. It seemed like he would become a mortal foe.
For this reason, the young girl had tested him out right after meeting him.
"He isn't afraid of my soul powder at all… And this doesn't even seem to be the limits of his abilities…" The young girl bit at her lips, her delicate eyebrows furrowing and exuding a heart-breaking charm. It was because of this danger that she'd abandoned all intent to pursue them.
"Forget it… That stupid Salilus will be right at the frontlines if anything goes wrong… Let me see how many cards that Magus has up his sleeve." A sparkling moth's body trembled, producing a puff of dazzling powder, and the entire body disappeared as the dream demon secretly followed Salilus.
...
"Damn it, Leylin! Are you crazy? Why did you attack our ally?" Bodach's huge body was tossed by Leylin onto the ground, causing dust to fly everywhere while he yelled and shook his head.
"You're the one who's gone crazy! Aren't you clear-headed yet?" Leylin glanced at Bodach, suddenly punching his face using a fist covered in blood-red flames.
*Bang!* Bodach immediately fell backwards like an artillery shell, breaking through several tall and hard mountain peaks.
"Damn it… You dare to hit my handsome face. I will fight you to the death… Ugh…" Bodach shook his head, spitting blood out that stained his teeth. Of course, much more soul powder was spat out. He was first cursing everywhere and almost transformed back into his original body, but his expression soon changed.
Fury turned into puzzlement, and then slight fear! Soul powder that could affect the truesoul directly was better than any illusory spells. It was something that even existences of laws found difficult to resist!
"That darned moth actually tried to control me, One-eyed Dragon Bodach, the prophet of the Ultron World and great scholar… I, who've travelled through numerous worlds and left behind numerous treasured legends was almost controlled?"
*Roar!* Bodach yelled. The fear had been replaced by rage once more.
For these existences of laws, small injuries were just losses of energy. With their limitless time, They could be healed, which was why this was no issue. However… the moment someone tried to interfere with their free will or even enslave them, what would be left was endless hatred!
"Dreamscape's Dream Demon Lord! I'll remember this!" Bodach hatefully spat out some white air, but wasn't foolish enough to say that he'd immediately return. Evidently, he still retained some reason.
He was a rank 7, while the other party was rank 8. On top of that… he still had a curse on him, and was now being pursued by another Lord of Calamity.
"Leylin, I'm sorry!" At this point, Bodach obviously knew that Leylin was his true ally, and he could not offend him. This was especially when there were many things he needed to trouble Leylin with.
"Hmph… Awake now?" Leylin snorted, but found this situation strange.
'That dream demon is acting so strangely. She doesn't know us, but she suddenly attacked. And still, she didn't pursue us either. Did she notice something?' Her strange behaviour caused Leylin to think up all sorts of possibilities.
However, he was interrupted by a prompt from the A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Host's devouring talent has been used. Completely digested conscient of law. Host has obtained partial information regarding the law of 'charm'. Host has obtained partial law of 'illusion'. Host's illusion proficiency has been strengthened.]
Using his law of devouring, Leylin could absorb the powers of existences of laws, turning them into his own comprehension.
'Unfortunately… Even a rank 7 who has evolved can't obtain more from those existences of laws. If I were to use the A.I. Chip's terms, I haven't even obtained 1% of the law. That's even worse than the World of Gods…' Leylin sighed.
There were obviously some things lost during the conversion of laws, but for Leylin, this was so low it was rage-inducing.
Although that was just a portion of the dream demon's conscient, if this was a god in the World of Gods he wouldn't have had trouble in forming a thread of divinity. The difference was more than tenfold!
'Even with my devouring law I'm in this situations. Things would be even worse for other existences of laws. Then again, if everyone can advance so rapidly, the Magus World doesn't need to send people over. It can just fight and devour as well as annihilate itself… Only the World of Gods can be the true hunting grounds of Magi.'
Unlike how hard it was for Magi to comprehend laws the divine laws in the World of Gods were easy to acquire. They were learned quite quickly, so much so that devouring a god could allow one to obtain the complete comprehension of a law! That was the reason Magi were crazy over them!
Meeting
'With the attraction of the two World Origin Forces, and such immense benefits, it's no wonder the ancient Final War was so intense…' Leylin sighed inside. Had he been the one who'd found a world where he could absorb the comprehension of laws by killing deities, he'd have gone crazy as well. The fall of other Magi and the suffering of the commoners was nothing in comparison.
'The reason why divine laws convert so easily… Is it because of the origin forces being compatible, or do they complete each other?' At this point, Leylin was now beginning to believe the rumours more and more. When victory was decided between the World of Gods and the Magus World, the victor would devour the loser's path to power to open the path to eternity!
'It's also possible that the Magus World and World of Gods were a single body in ancient times,' Leylin guessed.
One had to consider why the rumours that gave rise to the ancient Final War spread so widely. The ancient Magi of laws and gods were no fools, and they would not do something without benefit.
'Unfortunately… The Magi miscalculated how difficult the gods would be to deal with. With the mysteriousness of divine realms, the result was that both sides suffered and there were no winners, and it brought about the end of the glamour of the ancient times…'
Leylin's eyes glinted as he clenched his fists, 'But the Final War that I shall cause will not go down the same path. The road to eternity is mine and mine alone!'
Leylin had previously been ordinary, able to keep a low profile. But when this epic universe held a hope for immortality, no restraints and limitations would hinder his goal any longer. He would pay no heed to those who didn't block his path, but when conflict arose he would attack to destroy, regardless of who it was!
[Beep! Captured conscient of existence of laws. Similarity to dead body cells: 100%. Beginning revitalising…] the A.I. Chip prompted at this moment.
'A living specimen of the dream demon?' Leylin smiled slightly.
The dream demon's humongous body had merged with this land, so it was naturally possible to obtain her cells anywhere. However research had shown that the shell left behind was but a pile of nutrition, devoid of laws. Only with the body and conscient together could a real living specimen be obtained.
As he had been afraid of the dream demon, he had not laid a hand on the regular people with her parasites. However, after she had become hostile, Leylin no longer had any reservations. The A.I. Chip quickly gave him good news.
[Revitalisation successful. Host has obtained sample of Dreamscape existence of law. Rate of analysis of World Origin Force quickened by 27%.]
'There are differences between various existences of laws. Another sample will get here soon…'
Blood red light flashed in Leylin's eyes, and a red line opened up between his brows as a strange twisting force rippled in the air.
"Oh! Oh no… it's Salilus! I sense that he's closing in…" At the other side, Bodach began to cry out pitifully.
The purple eyeballs on his body seemed to have sensed that their original owner was arriving, and they all began to wriggle about in a craze. They then exploded one after the other, causing Bodach to cry out.
"Hmph, shut up!" Leylin turned back, the red line between his brows opening slightly.
*Rustle!* Something strange happened then. The purple eyes on Bodach seemed to be frightened by something, and abruptly shrank back. Bodach's cries quieted, and he watched Leylin with disbelief.
"This…"
"Quiet. Don't you want to remove the curse?" After activating the Nightmare Absorption bloodline, Leylin was akin to a king in Dreamscape. Dreamscape Origin Force was now hovering around him at all times, causing Bodach to unknowingly close his mouth.
"Return to where you came from!" Leylin chanted in an ancient tone. Threads of Dreamscape Origin Force descended, forming blazing red runes that disappeared into Bodach's skin. The purple eyes quickly retreated due to these runes, eventually forming an exquisite purple eye sealed by a ring of fiery red on his back.
"That- that's it?" Bodach waved his arms around, looking stunned. A curse formed of malicious intent from a Lord of Calamity who massacred hundreds of millions of living souls was sealed so easily?
The whole process was simple, to the point that Bodach felt he was dreaming.
Upon seeing this, Leylin nodded slightly, suddenly coming to an understanding. 'As expected… I guessed right. As long as it uses dreamforce as a base, anything can be suppressed by my Nightmare Absorbing Physique!'
Even if it was a Lord of Calamity with powerful laws of calamity, if he was still in essence a being of Dreamscape he would have to survive using Dreamscape Origin Force. That would mean that he could be suppressed by Leylin's bloodline ability.
"This suppression seems quite terrifying…" Leylin looked at the World Origin Force hovering around him, and the slight attention from the World Will. 'If this were a rank 8 existence from another world, even though I might be confident in defeating them in Dreamscape chances are they'd escape. However, if it's a Lord of Calamity… They probably won't even get a chance to escape… It seems like this is the world's wish! Hm? Wait!'
Leylin's eyes went as wide as saucers, feeling like he had grasped something crucial in that moment. There was no hatred nor love without reason in the world. Giving birth to the Nightmare Absorbing Body must have been an act of Dreamscape itself, which made the goal in doing this rather interesting.
Inducing the formation of a bloodline and investing so much origin force and care required a huge amount of effort.
"Hah…" At this every moment, a ravaging tornado appeared in the horizon, large amounts of destructive snow overhead as it hastened in their direction.
"Leylin… Sire! He's here!" Bodach changed the way he addressed Leylin and placed himself below the Warlock.
"Great timing! I just had a thought I need to confirm." Leylin nodded, while also very satisfied with how Bodach was acting. His actions seemed to have tamed the dragon a bit.
"Huh? But he's a rank 8 Lord of Calamity. Are you going to attack him?" Bodach couldn't believe what Leylin implied.
"Of course! Do you have any objections?" Intricate dark red patterns appeared on Leylin's body. Powerful bloodline energy surged forth, revealing a boundless aura that seemed to echo within the entirety of Dreamscape.
After seeing this, Bodach shook his head like a rattle-drum. He could sense that Leylin right now was more terrifying than that Lord of Calamity!
Besides, he was the one who had provoked Salilus, and Leylin was technically helping him. Most importantly… Bodach took a look at the seal on his back and the purple eyeball that had been torturing him.
Leylin had merely made a seal but not completely removed it. While things did not seem troublesome now, Bodach did not dare believe Leylin had not done anything else to him.
It was already terrifying enough to offend one Lord of Calamity, but another? This…
"Damn it! I'll go all out! Roar…" Having found determination, Bodach's body exploded into yellow smoke, forming a large one-eyed dragon. Leylin stood atop its head.
With a draconic aura that far surpassed normal dragons, and a strength that could freeze time itself, Bodach spread out his wings that could span the heavens as he exhibited might that only beings of laws possessed. He bared sharp teeth at the attacking Lord of Calamity, "Salilus!"
Two rank 7 existences from varying worlds, as well as a rank 8 Lord of Calamity from this world, quickly began an intense battle!
*Roar!* Bodach raised his head, taking a deep breath through two nostrils…
*Whoosh!* The sand on the ground abruptly floated into the sky, and all of a sudden it was as if two large black holes had appeared. When Bodach inhaled, practically half the air in the continent was absorbed by him, forming a gigantic vacuum.
*Boom!* The air was compressed to the limits in the one-eyed dragon's lungs, turned into something like two white streams of air that penetrated through space and hurtled in Salilus' direction.
"Not bad! As you are right now, you barely have the power of a rank 7 existence!" Leylin nodded in praise. If this was in the Magus World, that breath would have consigned half the natives to death by suffocation. Even rank 1 or 2 Magi would not be spared.
Thankfully, this was Dreamscape, where the land was vast and boundless and in a still state. Besides the dream demon's territory, there weren't many living beings here, which was why things were not so disastrous.
The air cannon that had been compressed to the extreme hit Salilus straight on, while this Lord of Calamity immediately bellowed, "You thief! You dare attack me?"
"I am the master of calamity!" In the moment that the attack hit him, Salilus exhibited the true strength of a Lord of Calamity. A boundless snowstorm formed a strange phantom centaur behind him, roaring quickly in the ancient Byron language.
Powerful dreamforce gathered at his hands, forming a large black hatchet with a human face etched on the surface.
"Die!" He struck down with the hatchet, and a black flash of light passed.
*Bang! Bang!* The air clashed with the black lines, forming boundless distortions. Large areas of Dreamscape were destroyed, and terrifying explosions resounded soon after.
Battle
*Rumble!* The air cracked, and the ground trembled. The very world tremored in the face of a battle between two existences of laws.
*Hsss! Tinkle! Chi!* An energy undulation rippled out, and in that moment all the Lords of Calamity in Dreamscape awoke from their sealed slumbers. They emitted powerful radiation that protected their own territories.
The Dream Demon Lord, in particular, had countless moths cover the sky in layer upon layer that quickly fell. Her armies paid great casualties to block most of the stray energy, multi-coloured lights mixing with the air and meteor fragments to stop everything else.
*Pu! Pu!* All of a sudden, a thin black thread shot through the region and arrived in front of Bodach. The dragon scales that the one-eyed dragon prided himself on so much had no effect as they were pierced through, and dragon blood appeared.
A layer of tiny black dots began to surround the injury, spreading outwards with the powerful might of calamity.
"Despicable thief, you will pay for your sins today!" Salilus' figure burst out from the smoke, his sparkling armour showing no damage. This already showed who was winning right now.
"As expected of a rank 8 Lord of Calamity." Leylin also made his move at this moment. He gathered dreamforce as well, forming a thin red layer that covered the dragon's wounds and suppressed the power of calamity.
"You're…" Salilus halted, glancing at the Magus on the one-eyed dragon's head with serious red eyes. Leylin's robes rustled in the wind from the stray rays of the explosion, and traces of dreamforce still lingered around him.
The giant that was a hundred metres tall had not noticed this tiny thing at all before, but once Leylin stood out, he seemed to have turned into the heart of everything! Salilus' gaze unconsciously focused on him.
"Magus… no! Bloodline Warlock!" Salilus stopped moving, the large black hatchet in his hands appearing protectively in front of him, "Your bloodline ability has unique characteristics of Dreamscape…"
The dreamforce surging out of Leylin's body was making him feel unsettled, As if he had met a natural enemy. Memories from ancient times were sealed within his blood and genes, and now they were emerging. Yet, these memories were being covered by something, giving rise to a depression that made Salilus want to cough blood up in anger.
'A Lord of Calamity, a rank 8 existence!' Leylin focused on his enemy. This could be the most powerful being he'd ever fought.
When he'd fought the Snake Dowager and the rest in the Purgatory World, he'd had the advantage of being in the right place at the right time. Leylin currently did not have that luxury, he would have to rely on his own strength!
'Of course, my bloodline ability from the Nightmare King is a trump card.' Without that as an insurance, Leylin would have prudently avoided making a move here. He currently needed a Lord of Calamity as a guinea pig so he could confirm some suspicions, if not he definitely wouldn't have stopped here and waited for Salilus to arrive.
'Good timing…. Let me see the differences in a bloodline Warlock after rank 7!' The figure of a looped snake was reflected in Leylin's eyes. Purplish-red bloodline force surged out, and torrential strength seemed to make contact with several large worlds. The power of numerous blood descendants was transmitted over to him.
Having broken away from the Snake Dowager, Leylin had become the progenitor of a new bloodline. He had a bunch of bloodline abilities he could use.
*Hss!* Boundless bloodline energy formed a phantom Targaryen that soured through the skies. The large winged serpent suddenly pounced forward, savage and dominant like a tyrant hunting for prey. It took a good bite out of the centaur, dragging it all the way to the astral river.
The auric phantom forms of these two beings of laws began a huge war in the starry skies, causing great energy undulations that destroyed numerous planets.
"Have I been asleep for too long? Since when could mere rank 7s challenge me?" Salilus roared, the black hatchet in his hands instantly turning into a streak of light aimed straight at Leylin.
"I am a Lord of Calamity!" Numerous malicious spirits were pulled out of thin air, forming distorted figures that surrounded the incoming black light. These faces wailed, their eyes filled with tears of blood. A black mask in the shape of a crying face solidified in the air, forming a strange mark of calamity.
"The moment he brazenly releases all his might, this land is completely done for…" Leylin noticed what Salilus was doing, rather surprised.
Based on normal logic, rank 7 existences like them could cause immense damage to their environments with a single move. Battles would be avoided at all costs. However, this Lord of Calamity seemed to be having none of that. He had no qualms in his strikes, caring naught for the consequences of his actions.
"If you do this, aren't you afraid of the World Will interfering?" Leylin berated. At the same time, numerous crimson shields spread in the skies, seemingly indestructible.
"Bloodline Shield!" Purplish-red light reflected off the metallic lustre of these shields. Many vortices formed, like countless huge mouths waiting for their prey. The combination of rank 7 bloodline energy and the law of devouring created a powerful defence.
When the devouring shield clashed with the blade, numerous vortices rapidly spun around to absorb the power of calamity from the hatchet. Horrifying crunches sounded out as the shield surrounded the hatchet, acting like a huge mouth doing all it could to digest the object.
"What's a World Will to me?" Salilus laughed maniacally. His views seemed to be different from those of the Magi, as red light gained in intensity on his helmet.
"Break!" A great rumble resounded as the numerous crimson shields shattered. While the law of devouring was exceptional, it was currently put up against a rank 8 being. The burden being too great, it could hold on no longer.
Once the bloodline shields were eliminated, the hatched of calamity also seemed to have used up all its strength. It gradually disappeared.
"Warlock, I admit that your power is not bad amongst rank 7s. No… Of the worlds I have travelled to, your ability is at the top. But so what? Can your law of devouring overpower mine?" Salilus chuckled madly, a black knight's halberd appearing in his hands. The spearpoint blazed with terrifying flames, while the battleaxe glinted with light. The sharp teeth on its side seemed chilling, able to pierce through the void itself as great power of laws lingered around it.
'It'll be difficult to fight the accumulated strength of a rank 8 existence, especially if he doesn't just use the law of calamity… But then again, if he can even say something like "What's the World Will to me," it seems like the path they walk goes against the World Will.' Leylin's eyes flashed with understanding.
This was actually rather easy to comprehend. Which other world forced their beings of law to this point, causing them to seal themselves in and reduce their energy consumption, unable to escape? One would have to oppose the World Will to warrant such treatment.
'It might also be due to the unique environment here, leaving them with no choice.' Leylin now felt like he had a better understanding of Dreamscape now.
*Lulu!* At this moment, a victor had been decided between the giant snake and the centaur. The tall centaur roared, ruthlessly kicking at the neck of the Targaryen. The winged serpent also opened its mouth, leaving behind an injury that allowed one to sea bone at the centaur's chest.
The Targaryen disappeared unwillingly amidst its last struggles, leaving behind a centaur with injuries all over it. It thundered out, "sksklgnlsdgnl!" the words translating to 'I am the king of calamity!'
"You've seen it, haven't you? Your power loses completely to mine," Salilus raised his head proudly, "Admit defeat, and I can consider letting you go."
"Unfortunately, you and I both know that's impossible!" Leylin answered nonchalantly, caressing a cross blade that appeared in his hand. The weapon blazed with crimson light.
If he'd planned on peace from the start, Leylin would at least have forced Bodach to hand over the suolo gem, seeing if it was possible to calm the fury in the Lord of Calamity's heart. Instead he'd attacked at the very beginning, which meant he wasn't going to be benevolent.
"Don't forget me, the gem thief from the boundless world, one-eyed dragon Bodach!" The one-eyed dragon Leylin had mounted flapped his wings, snorting out a terrifying dragon breath. In normal worlds this breath alone could render entire species extinct, but things were fine here.
As the three beings of laws went all out in their attacks, the surroundings were completely destroyed. The space around them grew disordered, and the ground disappeared into grey fog of primal chaos.
Large amounts of the power of laws spread everywhere in this region, the horrifying radiation destined to make this a dangerous land of Dreamscape.
Once the dragon breath was launched, Bodach's mountainous body pounced agilely towards Salilus, forming a straight white line in the vacuum.
"Keke… coward, you've finally gotten the courage to face me?" Salilus chuckled madly, the blizzard above his body becoming more concentrated.
"Unfortunately, that's all useless!" He leant over and aimed at the one-eyed dragon charging over… *Boom!*
Unsealing
With Bodach himself having a terrifying body at rank 7, this explosion was massively powerful. Simply put, such a strike aimed at the Magus World would likely be a disaster on the level of an asteroid hitting the earth. The entire surface would be decimated, and perhaps even the subterranean world would be affected!
However, Bodach was surprised to see Salilus grip his wings with both hands, the Lord of Calamity's large body as sturdy as a rock beneath a waterfall. It was like someone stopping a full speed train with their bare hands!
"Keke… that wasn't all that powerful. It just hurt a little!" Salilus snickered, and it brought an ominous feeling. Bodach found himself sent flying, and a number of his bones cracked as he coughed out nearly an entire ocean's worth of dragonblood.
"Is that so? Then how about this?" Making use of Bodach's charge, Leylin had arrived in front of Salilus. He pierced the crimson sword in his hands into Salilus' armour.
*Clang!* With Leylin's body size, the sword in his hands wasn't even comparable to a toothpick in Salilus' eyes. However, this very toothpick had left a red spot on his armour.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* It was like some chain reaction had been triggered. Black cracks spread in all directions from the initial point of contact, soon covering the entire armour. Blood-red flames crackled as they broke up even that blizzard.
The dark red light caused the armour on Salilus' body to explode inch by inch, revealing his original form.
"This… That armour is used to seal my boundless might!" Salilus thundered. Sensing immense danger, Leylin retreated without hesitation.
*Rumble!* An aura ten times more horrifying and evil than before exploded forth, causing the world to freeze for an instant. The destructive snow roared, but it could do nothing against this immense figure.
The huge tornado dispersed, putting out the blood flames and revealing Salilus' body. He had shrivelled limbs, tanned skin, and a slender body. He smelt of decay, like this was the body of someone who'd starved to death. His bones were joined by a mere layer of skin, all that kept him moving.
Yet, this body that seemed more withered than a mummy's was emitting an exceedingly terrifying aura, showing off the true power of a rank 8! It caused Leylin to turn serious, 'His main laws should be calamity and decay.
'I was wondering why he looked so strange. He seemed quite frail… So that was because of that seal?' Leylin looked at his own palm. Although it had only made contact with Salilus through the bloodline sword, a layer of old and dead skin had already appeared on his hand, losing all lustre of life.
The power of decay within his palm was the most poisonous of curses, spreading unceasingly as it mixed with the strength of calamity.
'Most rank 7 existences would find great trouble just dealing with this contamination…' Leylin clenched his fists, and purplish-red flames emerged to burn the dead skin to nothingness. New vibrant skin grew out from the flames.
...
"Hehe… Salilus is truly angry now! That's good. Let me see what trump card you have then, Magus…" A moth with colourful phosphorus powder on it appeared in the distance, carrying the conscient of the dream demon, "The anger of a rank 8 Lord of Calamity is not so easily calmed…"
Soul powder filled the area, carrying a special power of laws that prevented the moth from being affected by the battle. However, at this moment, Salilus' withered sole red eye gazed in her direction, bringing with it immense hatred, "Scram!"
"Salilus… your improvement exceeded my expectations…" The moth emitted faint undulations from the conscient before a trace of decay rotted it into ashes.
Such was the true might of a rank 8 existence,. The charming girl within the dream demon's land did not send out another scout. After all, the fury of someone on equal footing with her was troublesome, especially a berserk Lord of Calamity. A visit to her lands would leave her territory in complete shambles.
And that was the situation with the rank 8 dream demon. Facing Salilus head on, Leylin was under even more pressure.
"I've long since heard that evil gods of Dreamscape are extremely powerful beings, which is why they can sweep through numerous worlds and leave behind a resounding reputation for themselves…" Leylin could sense the space around them being frozen, as darkness, calamity, and decay gathered to form the traces of a path to power. Leylin could not help but reveal a bitter smile.
"An evil god, a Lord of Calamity of Dreamscape, definitely surpasses the dignitaries from the Purgatory World when unsealed…" This was Leylin's newest estimation. Rank 7 existences of laws could contend with Lords of Calamity for a moment, but would fall eventually. Even their truesouls would rot away.
"I am the master of disaster, holder of the power of decay! At the end, all beings will wither away in the river of space and time…" Salilus chanted hoarsely with his dry throat, a terrifying bony hand grabbing forth in Leylin's direction.
"Decay!" "Disaster!" "Terror!" Streaks of the power of several laws appeared to form malicious claws by Leylin's side. These claws seemed to sing praises of Salilus, chanting along.
This was the power of faith Salilus had gathered from fear. Leylin didn't doubt in the least that, with these accumulations, Salilus could become an intermediate god in the World of Gods in one go!
*Grr!* In the face of the attack of a rank 8 existence, Bodach's snarls seemed exceedingly weak. His opponent had no need to focus on him, a mere sweep of remnant power able to injure him seriously once more. The huge dragon was filled with traces of decay, not knowing where to go.
"Disaster!" "Decay!" Two streaks of Salilus' most powerful laws formed a strength akin to primal chaos within those large claws, whittling away the law of devouring on Leylin's body. Once this final layer of protection had disappeared, Leylin would die in both body and soul!
It was obvious that Salilus' hatred of Leylin in that moment exceeded that towards Bodach.
"As expected, as I am now it'll be too difficult to go against a rank 8 without any help…" Leylin sighed. This test told him of the limits of his own strength. Although he was amongst the top of rank 7s, he was still lacking when compared to rank 8s.
'If I didn't have something to fall back on, I would only be able to escape, being grievously injured and finding it difficult to recuperate. Thankfully…' Leylin rubbed at his forehead. A red line slowly cracked open there, revealing a dark red vertical eye!
...
"Damn it, it's this feeling again! It's this feeling full of mortal danger! Like I'm meeting a mortal foe! Who is it that can give a Lord of Calamity the premonition that they will bring death?"
Seeing Leylin being surrounded by the huge devilish claws, Salilus had no trace of elation on his expression. On the contrary, his dried out and malicious face was filled with madness.
The feeling of mortal malady that he'd felt today had caused him to enter the peak of his power without reservation. However, be it that wretched dragon or the rank 7 Warlock, they were both ants in front him, one merely a little bigger than the other.
Now, however, his keen truesoul of laws was trembling, the feeling of danger intensifying tenfold. This hinted at the attack of something dangerous.
"Who exactly is it?" A sharp cry immediately pierced through the skies.
*Rumble!* *Bang!* As if in answer to his snarls, the devilish claw formed of laws exploded, revealing Leylin's figure.
*Buzz…* The surroundings that had been ravaged by the battle, but dense black clouds suddenly gathered in the skies. It covered the lustre of the astral plane and the other worlds, the destructive snow intensifying in its power tenfold. The entire Dreamscape seemed to awaken in this moment, placing its powerful focus on this area.
"The World Will. Did you think I'd be afraid?" Large amounts of dense black smoke rose from Salilus' body, forming a strange screen that blocked the destructive snow. Dreamscape's World Will did not react at all, like a supreme master watching silently from above for eternity.
The Dreamscape Origin Force that had been weak suddenly surged in strength, yet it didn't answer Salilus' summons as it gushed in another direction.
"The Warlock from before! It's you!" Salilus' withered eyes suddenly opened, seeing the figure walking out of the ocean of origin force. He would never have imagined that the World Origin Force would favour this Warlock more than it did a Lord of Calamity!
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Tremendous footsteps sounded as a large figure walked over slowly. He was only half a head shorter than the over hundred metres tall Salilus.
He had a perfect body, with each shimmering muscle incomparably faultless. Intricate dark red patterns filled his body, like an exquisite armour. A blood red vertical eye opened up on the faces of both the handsome being and the Warlock, bringing with it a ruthless cold will.
Most importantly, the Dreamscape Origin Force that was like a sea lingered at Leylin's side, rolling on in waves. After being controlled by Leylin, it was extremely tame.
Divine Punishment
A sea of World Origin Force surrounded Leylin, carrying Dreamscape's will. The world seemed to abandon Salilus, instead suppressing him with ill intent.
"This…" Salilus was stumped. Very soon, remnant ancient memories and his fear of Dreamscape brought him back to his senses.
It wasn't long before the veil of mystery was removed, "This unique power… It comes from the Nightmare King! You've inherited his powers… the Nightmare Absorbing Physique that even Lords of Calamity dread!"
'Power that all sovereigns dread…' Leylin understood this vaguely, as he accepted the faint excitement of the World Will along with the endless origin force.
"Yes! The bloodline that all lords despise! You're dead!" Black smoke arose from Salilus' nostrils, many contorted faces writhing within as they wailed and cried.
"The ancient Nightmare King is the fear of all the lords, nobody wishes for his return. You're dead!" Salilus repeated deliriously, "If this news spreads, all the Lords of Calamity will gang up on you!"
"It's useless… The World's Will had sealed this area already, you can't transmit any information outside anymore…' Leylin sighed, "Furthermore, I am not any weaker than you right now…"
With Dreamscape buffing his powers, the Leylin now was no different than he was back in the Purgatory World. No, he was even stronger than before!
He was already a rank 7 Warlock. The Nightmare Absorbing Physique was extremely demonic on its own, and with the support of Dreamscape Origin Force his pure strength alone put him at rank 8. He surpassed the Lords of Calamity!
Leylin sighed, striking out suddenly. The destructive snow formed a sword in Leylin's hand, and he slashed at Salilus.
Destructive snow was a weapon Dreamscape used to weaken and punish the Lords of Calamity. Now, Leylin was merely using it to exact punishment on behalf of the heavens.
"You vile gods have willfully seized the World Origin Force. I represent the heavens themselves in your annihilation!"
The snow had converged into a broadsword, the intent of annihilation gathered upon it. Leylin braced himself as he swung the sword downwards, speaking a forbidden chant by instinct.
The powerful sword had repelled the black mist, allowing Leylin to see a face riddled with fear and surprise. That same instant, Leylin saw the truth of the past.
The Nightmare Absorbing Physique is the adored child of Dreamscape. However, a world would never do something so senseless, why did Dreamscape create this? That was a question Leylin had always sought the answer for, and now he'd finally got one.
What would happen if beings of laws were brazenly taking the World Origin Force without regard? The Lords of Calamity were a good example, they would be suppressed by the World's Will and have their dreamforce weakened. Destructive snow would form a natural disaster around them, proving that the World Will wanted them dead.
Even a magnanimous World Will would be infuriated by a bunch of greedy rodents. However, beings of laws were far too powerful. Even with the suppression of the World Will through the destructive snow, as well as the disconnect from World Origin Force, the Lords of Calamity managed to seal themselves into safety.
However, the World's Will could not do the same. It couldn't bear weakening itself for extended periods of time, and had to stop and revive its origin force. It gained nourishment from other worlds.
To Dreamscape's World Will, the Lords of Calamity and Evil Sovereigns were like bloodsucking parasites! Unable to bear it any longer, it gave birth to the Nightmare Absorbing Physique. In this gamble, Dreamscape did not withhold any authority or power, giving birth to an executioner to get rid of these parasites.
Hence, every Nightmare King bore the burden of purging unwanted parasites on Dreamscape, in order to protect the peace and balance.
"Greed without restriction will only bring about chaos and destruction!" After he understood this point, killing intent welled within Leylin. His bloodline itself was an embodiment of these lords' nemesis. It was do or die, there would be no negotiations between both parties.
Leylin, who wanted to use dreamforce to absorb laws, would definitely benefit after slaying a Lord of Calamity. His comprehension of laws would be boosted, and the World Will itself would give him greater authority.
"You must fall here today!" After clearly understanding his own killing intent and paving the path for his future, the power that surrounded Leylin had suddenly reached a new height!
*Rumble!* Bolts of black lightning tore the void apart, isolating everything within a cage. This lightning wanted to kill the ferocious prey within, a powerful existence that was rank 8.
"No! I am a Lord of Calamity, one who holds the power of decay! I'm near peak rank 8, how would I just perish here?" Salilus roared as he raised his bony hand and attempted to deflect the black lightning.
*Boom! Bang! Flash!* The World Origin Force roared, and turned into waves of destructive lightning that crashed down under Leylin's control. Every bolt could severely injure a rank 7, but it had taken five to six strikes to merely shatter Salilus' left arm.
A strange black current of evil gas wrapped itself around the wound, not dissipating. Many droplets of thick yellow blood fell to the ground suddenly, giving rise to black smoke. It seemed to form a strange embodiment rather like rotten mud, and wails and screams sounded as they tried to escape.
"Hmm? Leylin's brows furrowed, and the black lightning streaked past him and destroyed these abominations. One droplet of a rank 6 Magus could already carry independent thought and even spiritual force, not to mention rank 7 and above.
Having suffered grievously with his left arm shattered, Salilus was weakened by layers of destructive snow, his dreamforce growing feebler and feebler.
"Damn it. DAMN IT! OUT! COME OUT!" Salilus waved his stump of an arm against the lightning and snow. "Fight me openly and aboveboard! How can I, Salilus, die to such a wretched thing?"
"Stop being a fool!" Leylin's voice rumbled throughout the sky. "A victor will always be victorious! My style of engaging enemies is to scheme and not fight with brawns. By using the smallest price in exchange for the largest benefit and outcome… Your value is meaningless against it!"
"Meaningless…? Meaningless… Meaning…" The thunderous voice reverberated across the sky amidst the black lightning and destructive snow. Salilus' eyes had now held an even more frenzied look.
"Hehe…Meaningless?" Salilus calmed down immediately, and the atmosphere turned even more sinister. "Even so, I will demonstrate the final power that a Lord of Calamity holds…"
*Rumble! Rumble!* Warts began to appear and float on the surface of Salilus' skin, causing his bony body to become extremely swollen. Over time he turned ball-like, his skin stretched to its limits as it showed signs of ripping apart at any moment. The aura in the air was extremely unstable, yet it converged around Salilus' body.
'This shape, does it want to…' Leylin's expression changed. Nine chains of laws were like razor sharp blades as they pierced into Salilus' body.
"This corrosive attack was actually prepared for my enemy, the Lord of Despair…But now…" A low growl appeared from Salilus' body and it began to rumble louder.
*Crack! Crack!* A grey ripple began to appear on Salilus' body before his body exploded. The iron chains which came into contact with the grey ripples began to corrode, sizzling before they turned to fine dust with the explosion.
The frightening explosion did not stop, touching the destructive snow along with the prison of black lightning.
...
"What happened?"
"Why did the World's Will seal that area?" The many Lords and Sovereigns sent their conscients or even their avatars, but before they could exchange a few lines, a radiant flash from an explosion was leaked from the sealed area. The conscients and avatars of these existences were wiped completely due to the destruction.
"The final decay! Has Salilus gone mad?"
"Not good! Leave, quickly…"
Even those who were quick to dart away and escape were eventually caught up to by the flash of radiant light, and they could only perish after leaving behind their furious bellows.
"Lords! Save us…" The dream demon's land was the closest to the explosion, and received the greatest collateral damage. Sixty percent of the natives there had died in an instant.
"We have to move!" The girl that the dream demon had possessed clenched her teeth. The ground began to rumble as a pair of grey wings manifested, taking her far away and deeper into the void.
Opening up a certain distance, the dream demon girl looked in Salilus' direction, her eyes filled with worry.
...
"These Lords are not easy to deal with, I can't believe that I have to activate my own powers for the final bout!"
In the heart of the explosion, the radiant rays were repelled by dark crimson runes on Leylin's body. It cost a lot of origin force, but since he was linked with the World Will he spent it without feeling the pinch.
Once the explosion rippled away, blue light flashed in Leylin's eyes. A giant figure stepped forward as the surrounding scene changed, like he was teleported to a different dimension. In it was a gigantic black skeleton.
Annihilation
Leylin looked at the blackened skeleton in front of him, focusing on the abyssal red flames within its eye sockets. "I told you you'd definitely perish here today," he said slowly, as if stating a fact.
"Hahaha! Nightmare Warlock, I curse you in the name of calamity!" Black teeth clattered, sending spiritual vibrations from the depths of Salilus' truesoul.
"You showed your final corrosive attack, but after that all you have is this feeble curse? What a disappointment…" Leylin brought his hand down against this surging curse power.
*Crash!* All the World Origin Force in Dreamscape surged violently, becoming endless destructive thunder. Powerful arcs of lightning swept across the area, exterminating all traces of the curse's power.
*Swish! Swish!* The moment the curse was broken, Leylin and Salilus both executed their moves. The two transformed into endless glows that crossed the speed of light in their intent to kill.
The entire space seemed to distort in a single moment. In a fraction of a fraction of a second, they'd exchanged hundreds of blows.
Salilus' laws of calamity and decay constructed a black skeletal structure whose rigidity far surpassed all the metals in the world. It was enough to calmly bear the indiscriminate bombing of destructive thunder as if nothing was happening.
Red runes appeared intensely around Leylin's body, blooming with bright light. They formed an indistinct crimson armour as the entirety of Dreamscape's World Origin Force roared. Before Dreamscape itself was consumed, the defense of his armour would not be broken. Even if it sustained damage, it would repair itself rapidly.
*Ring! Ring! Ring!* The two reached the limits of speed in a flash, disappearing from Dreamscape to arrive at a strange place.
Time and space were slightly distorted in this region, a vast glowing river of space and time flowing beneath them.
"Is this a region close to the spacetime river? Only a place such as this can withstand our wrath. It is more than suitable to serve as your burial ground…"
*Crack! Crack!* Leylin's chest was scratched by a black skeletal finger. The crimson armour fell apart at once, but was immediately restored to its original unblemished form. Tens of strikes upon the dreamforce armour dimmed the red radiance within Salilus' skull, and the black skeleton began to crack.
'Fights between beings of law come down to a contest of inside information and origin force in the end, eh? It looks like I need to put making origin force weapons on my schedule…' Leylin gravely faced his opponent.
Even though he had traded blow for blow, his consumption of origin force had reached a terrifying level. If it wasn't for Dreamscape footing the bill, perhaps he would have exhausted all his resources already, and even his soul would have been sucked dry.
Now however, backed by the support of Dreamscape, Leylin had forced the Lord of Calamity Salilus to an impasse.
[Beep! Origin Force Imitation Weapon has been constructed. Correcting orbit!] After trading blows hundreds of times, the A.I. Chip had captured the orbit of Salilus' movements. Dreamscape roared, and a misty green sword directly appeared within Leylin's grasp.
Using concentrated origin force as a weapon was not something that Leylin had envisioned, this could only be considered to be a prototype.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Your glory came from Dreamscape, and unto Dreamscape you shall return!" Leylin chanted in a low voice, thrusting his longsword in a strange arc.
*Clang!* In an infinitesimal moment, the green origin force longsword momentarily weaved through Salilus' defences and pierced into the centre of his skull.
This was the main focus of Leylin's attack. Faint cracks had long began to appear on the skeleton, but now it exploded even more violently. The clanging sound seemed to start a chain reaction, and finally the black skeleton was blown apart. Pieces of the skeleton continuously crumbled without end, becoming fine powder that was melted away by the destructive snow.
"No, how could I fall here? I, Salilus, am a Lord of Calamity, the Monarch of Decay…" After his body was finally destroyed, the red spark of a truesoul of laws emerged from the endless explosion. It was filled with the power of laws of calamity and decay.
Breaking away from its mortal shell, the truesoul of laws now became even more powerful. It suddenly burned up, its form momentarily expanding to become a star that burned with white heat.
The massive star was in upheaval, and it suddenly rushed towards the river of space and time. The vast and mighty river itself was a little attracted, emitting a strange inwards force.
"You're already dead, your time has ended! Stay…" Leylin naturally would not allow Salilus to slip away from his grasp. In his current form, he had taken the initiative to throw himself into the spacetime river. He could perhaps accumulate energy over a few thousand years, allowing himself to revive.
A phantom Targaryen roared from behind Leylin's back. Runes of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique appeared on the serpent's body, melding with the laws of devouring to become a powerful black hole that extended formless shackles towards Salilus' truesoul.
"This is… The attraction of dreamforce! Damn…" The enormous truesoul star roared, numerous marks appearing within it. These were all scars left behind by using dreamforce, and all of a sudden they had broken out.
As a native of Dreamscape, Salilus fundamentally did not have the ability to resist the attraction of Leylin's ability. At the brink of the spacetime river, a strange scene appeared. An incandescent star unwillingly changed its marks, slowly retreating away. A roaring figure faintly appeared at its centre.
The powerful starlight was continuously swallowed up by the black hole, turning a tunnel of distorted light. In the end, that phantom of a truesoul was swallowed whole by the black hole that was many times smaller than it, and not even one ray of light had escaped.
"Ah…" The dark crimson runes on Leylin's body began to squirm, dripping off like melted metal. His skin split apart as his body grew larger.
[Beep! Host is absorbing extremely high energy matter, detected to be rank 8! Body of laws will not be able to endure it much longer. Time left…] The A.I. Chip alerted Leylin with a red notification, and even the screen began to flicker.
'As expected… A rank 8 existence is not something that I can devour right now. If I were to forcefully shove this down my throat, I will be choked to death!'
Leylin's expression changed, 'If not for Dreamscape…' He did not hesitate to use his bloodline powers, teleporting back into Dreamscape itself.
*Rumble!* The World Will projected a feeling of joy, and imposing origin force surged forth to form a two-plated millstone that slowly removed the origin force Leylin's body was exuding.
Leylin stood within the centre, in a mysterious state as he closed his eyes. His body had reached tens of metres in height, but now it began to shrink once more. The origin force mixed with Salilus' powers escaped from his body, returning to nature in an extremely complex conversion.
...
At this moment, Leylin too had entered a strange dream. The owner of this dream was none other than Salilus, but at this point only a creature who'd grasped a sliver of the power of laws.
After a period of observation, the corners of Leylin's lips curled up.
"You've already fallen, but your will is still hoping for something more? What a pity… My bloodline ability is the bane of your last hope!"
"Innate bloodline ability— Dream Eater!" A red eye opened behind Leylin's back, swallowing everything within the dream. The sky broke apart and the earth crumbled. A crescent moon appeared within the endless void, a faint withered eye upon it.
"I've found it!" Leylin roared, killing the memory of the high-energy creature that would turn into Salilus in the future. He rose into the sky with a stomp.
"Annihilation!" A punch that carried massive destructive power struck the crescent moon, attacking with origin force. Under a howl of utter despair and anguish, the blood red moon exploded, and the withered eye within shattered as well. The dream now shattered, Leylin absorbed it ten times as fast.
By the time Leylin's consciousness returned to his body, he looked like a normal human being once more.
[Beep! Energy dissipating, Host's body returning to normal!] [Beep! Law of decay absorbed, host has obtained information. Stats changing.] Very soon, the A.I.Chip showed Leylin his new stats.
[Leylin Farlier, Rank 7 Warlock, Bloodline: Targaryen Serpent (rank 7). Strength: 257.71, Agility: 200.01, Vitality: 350.98, Spiritual force: 611.27, Body of Laws. Law Comprehension: Devouring (100%), Massacre (58%), Calamity (27%), Decay (15%), Curses (1%). Origin force saturation level: 27.99%]
"Calamity, decay and even curses?" Leylin stroked his chin. He had garnered enough divinity back then with the first two laws. It seemed that Salilus too had relied on them to enter rank 8.
'Although it is much better than swallowing the dream demon's will back then, I've only received this much of a reward after devouring a rank 8 Lord of Calamity… The World of Gods seem to reap a higher amount of benefits in that case…' Leylin shook his head in exasperation.
He knew for a fact that Dreamscape had expended even more powers than him, hence it had reaped the greatest amount of rewards this time. The origin force that aided him in battle was provided by it, so it absorbed the Lord of Calamity as well. As for himself, he had only managed to comprehend some laws.
Of course, a portion of powers that Salilus had not found in Dreamscape were also absorbed by him, hence the increase in his stats.
Departure
Leylin had only used the origin force as a weapon during the battle, not absorbing it at all. This was why his origin force saturation hadn't increased. In the end, Dreamscape itself was the biggest beneficiary of the battle.
'However… Calamity, and decay?' Leylin stroked his chin, 'They're not quite compatible with my path. While the law of calamity is extremely powerful, it has its own limitations. Decay has more potential; after all there are aspects of time within it…
'However, my comprehension and analysis of this law isn't too much…' Now that he'd set his own path, Leylin wouldn't change it easily. These laws weren't very compatible with him anyway.
'Something high… more…even more…' Dreamscape projected an intent to Leylin, sending information to the bottom of his mind intermittently.
At the same time, Leylin felt that his connection with the world had became even more closely knit than before. The origin force that he could control had also increased. Even more…
He raised his hand, and a small thread of weakened dreamforce emanated from his finger. Suddenly, the dreamforce shuddered and the colour turned denser, before a stronger wave of energy radiated from his finger.
'I gain increased authority from Dreamscape, as well as the ability to control its crests and troughs? It should only be limited to my own powers, if not the power would be too inconceivable.'
Leylin sighed. After slaying and sacrificing a Lord of Calamity, he had indeed obtained many benefits from Dreamscape. At the very least, the dreamforce which was a part of his power had increased.
Furthermore, if this power could still be increased, and he could also control the extent of dreamforce that the Lords could muster, it was akin to having another killing move against them in the future.
Powering his own dreamforce to the peak and weakening his opponent's… It would be a sight to behold.
'Not only that, the world seems to be starting to recover…' Leylin acutely felt that Dreamscape was now different than before.
Originally, Dreamscape was like a large withering tree. There were parasites around its roots, weeds sucking up its water and nutrients. But now that Leylin had slain a Lord of Calamity, the tree had finally gotten a break. It felt like Dreamscape had regained some of its vitality.
'A pity… It's only a little better. I need to kill at least five or six more to completely revitalise it…' Leylin inhaled a deep breath after arriving at his own estimation. The harm that these Lords had done to Dreamscape was beyond terrifying!
'Dreamscape survives on absorbing the dreams of intelligent beings of the astral plane. The Lords of Calamity pilfered its origin force on the same basis, stealing the foundation of its strength. A world would not be able to bear even a rank 8 existence for so long, leave alone an entire bunch of them…' Only now did Leylin begin to understand Dreamscape slowly.
If he was a monk at his own home, having unwanted guests who constantly took his belongings would make him want to kill them.
...
"How are you, Bodach?" Leylin came to the chaotic borders to find the one-eyed dragon sprawled on the ground. Bodach's body had been shattered, revealing his heart and internal organs. However, his consciousness was still rather clear, and critical areas had already started to mend themselves. If not for the surrounding powers of decay and calamity, he would have recovered even more by now. From this one could see the terrifying vitality that laws possessed.
"I'm alright, Your Excellency Leylin!" Bodach looked up at Leylin in a reverent gaze, but Leylin's brows furrowed. A slit appeared between his brows to reveal a red vertical eye that devoured the laws of calamity and decay from Bodach's body.
*Rumble!* WIth Leylin's help, Bodach soon returned to being a middle-aged one-eyed man.
He looked at Leylin, his adam's apple trembling as he stuttered out, "Le– Leylin, Your Excellence. Does you coming here mean that you beat Salilus into retreat?"
Even if he'd witnessed Leylin's prowess earlier, Bodach would not dare to dream otherwise. Bodach's understanding told him being able to beat the Lord of Calamity into retreat was already a good end.
Leylin smiled as he chose to speak the truth. "No, he's dead. He won't be troubling you anymore."
"He– He's dead?" Bodach racked his brains, "The great arcane! Am I hallucinating? Leylin, are you sure you did not use the wrong verb? Dead, and not repelled?"
"Of course! Salilus is no more." Leylin did not hesitate to state the truth. "No, although I destroyed his truesoul the river of space and time will remember his aura during the ascension of a rank 8. He can still revive himself, but it'd be extremely hard to meet the requirements. It would need tens of thousands of years in preparation…"
Beings that could wield laws had already left their personal marks on the river of space and time. Even if they fell, they had a chance for revival. It was like the ancient conscients in the World of Gods, only that it would be much more difficult.
"But that is a rank 8 Lord… Oh my heavens… I have roamed around fifty seven-worlds and hundreds of dimensions, but never before have I heard of anything like this… Even back in the Final War, it was extremely rare for a rank 8 to be slain, not to mention the Lords of Calamity which were known for their battle prowess…" Bodach muttered, and his large eye did not give off any light, as if he had suffered a huge shock.
"It's not the time to discuss this. We have to leave now, or it'll be troublesome." Leylin pulled Bodach away with no intention of explaining.
"Leave? Where to?" Bodach was still feeling lightheaded.
"Leave Dreamscape! No matter where is alright, let's find a small plane to hide in for now, Unless you want a group of Lords of Calamity hunting you down…" Leylin looked at the surrounding seals that were slowly lifted, and the departure of the World WIll.
The reason he'd blatantly revealed his trump card before was that he'd had the help of the World Will sealing the area, and he could kill the Lord of Calamity in a single blow.
Now that the seal was lifted, Leylin didn't dare to be reckless anymore. After all, his Nightmare Bloodline put him on the opposing side to all the Lords of Calamity, and his secret couldn't be revealed.
If he left now, the group of Lords would only know that Salilus had been slain by two rank 7 beings from a foreign world, unable to pinpoint the identity of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique. If they were to clash and Leylin revealed his powers, he would die surrounded by a group of rank 8s!
Now that the battle had ended, the World Will needed time to savour its spoils of war. Its willingness to help Leylin once more had to be put into question.
This was why Leylin chose to flee decisively, leaving the Lords of Calamity perplexed. It was extremely difficult for these Lords to leave Dreamscape, especially with dreamforce weakened. The world itself had turned into a giant cage.
And the only exception is Leylin, who owned the Nightmare Absorbing Physique.With the Nightmare King's bloodline and his own inheritances, he could enter and leave as he so willed.
'This is most likely a limitation Dreamscape set as well. With the Nightmare King able to leave immediately after killing a lord to regain his power, no matter how furious the other lords are they can only look on… And when the Nightmare King amasses enough power to crush them, they will be faced with their doom.'
The more Leylin pondered, the more he felt that his deduction was right. Each time Dreamscape had sealed itself in and weakened its own power, it was in fact allowing the Nightmare Absorbing Physique to have a killing feast. It was a hit and run tactic, allowing the rank 7 Nightmare King to tire the Lords of Calamity out. After all, the Nightmare King had the help of the world itself.
Once the seal on Dreamscape was lifted, the lords would enter a frenzy of infiltrating other worlds in a hope to discover the Nightmare Absorbing Physique. Failing that, they would gather more origin force and strengthen their truesouls, preventing themselves from being the next prey.
The stronger beings would have longer lives, Dreamscape was just that brutal. Understanding this logic, Leylin did not hesitate to leave.
His deduction had been extremely accurate. Right after he left, the lords began to barge into the area the World Will had sealed.
"Sssii… No remnants, no traces of aura, they carefully cleaned up the area…" The lord who spoke was fat and round, his massive body topped by three heads. The head which spoke was that of a green viper, the other two being a black goat and a human.
"The lack of traces should be the greatest clue. Hiding it means he possesses a secret nobody should know…" Another lord floated in midair. It was a giant chariot wheel which had numerous eyes around its body. Its rotations radiated abyssal flames.
"Speak of your conjecture, Eye Emissary!" A female giant spoke last, her body crackling with the sound of thunder.
The Lords
Destructive snow spiralled powerfully. Three Lords of Calamity had gathered here, the power they attracted clearly greater than usual.
That white snow floated down slowly in great swathes, melting away everything it touched. However, these three lords did not seem to feel a thing as they discussed their own affairs.
"It's very difficult to determine…" The enormous wheel blinked its many eyes, clearly hesitant. "Few secret treasures can allow a rank 7 to withstand someone of our power, even from the ancient times of the Magi and the World of Gods. I'm more inclined to think that it's a peak rank 8 faking their identity. Such an existence would find it very easy to hide from a dream demon.'s senses…"
It was absolutely unthinkable for a mere rank 7 being of laws, or even two for that matter, to get rid of a Lord of Calamity. Had a peak rank 8 wanted to conceal themselves, even the perception of the dream demons wouldn't allow them to distinguish the real from the fake.
"If that existence was truly disguising their form, then the previous information we received needs to be completely thrown out?" The human head of the three-headed monster asked.
"This is actually the best case scenario," the Eye Emissary said coldly, "Salilus falling due to his vengeance and hatred would actually be the best case scenario."
"Then, what is the worst case scenario?" The female thundergiant asked.
"Don't you feel like the situation is very familiar? Especially the interference from Dreamscape itself… " As the Eye Emissary spoke, destructive black lightning streaked past the horizon.
"You're saying… The one whose bloodline we collectively cursed?" The three-headed monster hesitated in its words.
"That's impossible!" The female thundergiant's eyes grew intensely agitated, the sparks undulating along her body revealing her anxious heart.
"You don't know the price we paid for it! We sacrificed the souls of seven great worlds, and only motivated the last Nightmare King into depression due to the sacrifice of the Monarch of Despair. It was after all that that he thought of ending his own life. If it wasn't for the fatal flaw in the Nightmare King's psyche and truesoul, our plan would never have succeeded!
"The Nightmare King finally chose to use the World of Gods' protective sphere and ended its life there. The inheritance of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique ended there!" The female thundergiant roared, "Yet now you're telling me that the Nightmare King has returned! Did he crawl back out from the World of Gods?"
The giant grew more and more emotional as she spoke, her voice trembling faintly. It was clear that her fear for the previous Nightmare King was limitless. After all, he'd killed over a dozen Lords of Calamity, a powerful existence at the peak of rank 8!
"It's only speculation…" The enormous figure of the Eye Emissary trembled as well. It was clear that he'd remembered those bitter times unwillingly.
"However, there are other ways to sway Dreamscape's conscient. A peak rank 8 existence can easily conceal itself against it…" He added finally, "It's still only a possibility."
"In brief, the Nightmare King has already left Dreamscape. We must wait until the World Origin Force lifts the seal and dreamforce recovers before we can venture out of Dreamscape to investigate."
The three-headed monster's black goat head said, "Before that happens, to avoid discovery, shall we combine our seals together?"
"Endless power of dissolution, the black goat's egg of rippling decay… Your suggestion is very good, but it's a shame that I can't trust you." The female thundergiant shot a glance at the three-headed creature, "I have other allies. Even if I wanted an alliance, I would never think of joining with you. You had better give up on this."
"No, Molina! I'm so crazy about you…" The three-headed monster howled in anguish, the human face in the centre seemingly on the verge of tears. "This proposal is very good, let's transmit it to all the other Lords of Calamity. Let them cast their votes!"
"Give up… Even without Salilus, I would never love you!" The female thundergiant suddenly turned into lightning and streaked off to the end of the horizon. Only the three-headed monster was left behind, incessantly bellowing in rage, "Aaaahh… Damn you Salilus, I'll kill you! Even if you revive, I'll kill you once again!"
...
Time passed. Leylin had returned to the Magus World once again, currently at his laboratory.
The experiment table had not changed in the slightest. The flame at its side still continued to give off light and heat, as if Leylin had only left for a brief moment.
In that brief moment, however, a Lord of Calamity had died at his hands. If news of this got out, it would surely shake countless worlds. However, that would be accompanied by the spread of Leylin's name. The Magus World would face the retaliation of the other Lords of Calamity.
Although the subterranean Magi of laws had the ability to resist the attack, the surface world did not. Leylin did not feel that Mother Core would so generously make an enemy out of a whole group of Lords of Calamity to protect him, so it was better to keep a low profile.
"How long was I gone this time?" Leylin walked to the corner of the laboratory and looked at the black sculpture of a demisnake.
*Crack! Crack!* As soon as his voice was heard, the statue's eyes lit up with two red flames. Its smooth and perfect body began to move.
With a rumble, the statue seemed to come to life within a short span of time. It became a demisnake golem guard and respectfully bowed to Leylin. "You have been away for 7 days and 9 Magus hours, my Lord. Lady Freya came to find you in this time, leaving a short message…"
"I know," Leylin waved his hand, letting the statue resume its original position and form. A look of contemplation flashed across his eyes.
'I spent far longer in Dreamscape than a mere seven days. The discrepancy in the flow of time between the two sides is too great. Is this the influence of my seal in Dreamscape?' As he came to a bookshelf, Leylin flipped through information on Dreamscape's flow of time and recorded the content he'd discovered himself.
The red ink left behind bright marks on the yellowed parchment, the complex ornate characters holding a strange power of law.
Although Leylin could use the A.I. Chip to record everything in a flash, he still persevered with making hard copies of some experimental data as a backup. These resources would be extremely precious to his family and subordinates. With some concept of laws left behind, they would become a treasure passed from generation to generation.
Completing this, Leylin began to sort out the benefits he'd reaped from Dreamscape.
"First is this…" A gold draconic ring appeared in Leylin's hand. There were 3 marks on its, surface left by a dragon.
This was an item left behind by the one-eyed dragon Bodach. After Leylin had removed his curse, the dragon had returned the favour with a pledge of eternal secrecy. He'd promised three favours for Leylin, the draconic ring being the proof of the same.
Leylin didn't indulge in the fantasy of having a being of laws submit to him. Those at rank 7 and above had their own dignity, and this outcome was already excellent.
'However… A rank 7 one-eyed dragon's promise isn't worth much to me now. Perhaps I can only leave it for my family…' Leylin sighed a little and put the dragon ring away.
A rank 7 existence wasn't much to him anymore. However, this sort of existence would be a great boon to his family. The three favours were practically a meat pie from the heavens falling into their laps.
It was rather ridiculous that Bodach and Salilus' grievances were due to Bodach's wrongdoing, but Leylin had entered and stirred up a strong change. Because of his bloodline, Leylin had become the arch nemesis of all the Lords of Calamity. On top of that, Salilus himself had ended up falling.
The cause was all due to a stolen Suolo gem! If Salilus still lived, wouldn't he feel that he had been treated unjustly?
"A.I. Chip! Show the analysis map of Dreamscape's Origin Force!"
[Beep! Mission established, currently transferring…] The A.I Chip loyally implemented Leylin's order. An extensive library of stats was displayed before Leylin. With powerful calculations and analytical ability as its base, the A.I. Chip shaped the data into an analysis of Dreamscape Origin Force and displayed it to Leylin.
Leylin's body of laws had strong reasoning abilities. His previous life's work could now be more easily understood and accumulated.
With conscients from Salilus and the dream demon, as well as authority from Dreamscape's own World WIll, his understanding of that world could not be surpassed. Once the origin force chart was completed, Leylin was quite certain of being able to use dreamforce to refine his own laws.
"What belongs to others will still belong to them in the end. However, using Dreamscape's authority, I can now also manipulate dreamforce to its peak, but once I lose this limit…" Leylin had always been meticulous about his work. Before he considered victory, he first thought of defeat. How could he leave such a huge loophole to fall into?
He'd always been analysing and researching dreamforce. Obtaining the chart of Dreamscape Origin Force, he would immediately undo many locks of mystery. His research would advance a thousand miles in a single day.
'Before too long, I'll be able to control the pattern of dreamforce exhausting itself without the world's support…' Leylin's eyes burned with fervour. The path he would walk after he rose to rank 8 had been paved with its most important cornerstone!