When Lin Jun’s Puffshroom army, embodying his mental strength, joined the battlefield the tide turned instantly.
The battle line pushed from the narrow cave to the forest’s edge, locking into a fierce stalemate.
Explosions and snarls echoed as Puffshrooms and wolves clashed, dying, neither side fully wiping out the other.
This didn’t mean their soul strengths were equal—just that power projected into Pink Puffshroom’s dream was limited.
For Lin Jun, [Mind Guidance LV5] was a thin pipe. Even with a reservoir of mental power, he could only trickle it through.
In his own domain, crushing the intruder’s feeble mental force would done with ease.
Of course, having a vast reserve had its perks.
This war of attrition was nothing to Lin Jun—even ten times worse, the soul loss was trivial. But for the other side?
To drag it out, he blocked Inanna and her defensive Puffshrooms deep in the cave, keeping them out.
The dream ended with wolf corpses and Puffshroom wrecks littering the forest.
“Boss… another nightmare.” Next morning, Inanna woke, dazed, and spoke softly.
“How’d it feel? Tired?”
Her eyes widened. “Actually… not bad? Less rough than last time.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Those Puffshrooms that helped… were they yours?”
“Sort of.”
“What’s going on?”
“Simple—someone’s trying to hurt you in dreams.” Lin Jun’s tone was light. “But don’t worry. I tested them last night. They’re no big deal. With me guarding you, nothing to fear.”
Hearing his words and recalling the timely Puffshroom aid, Inanna relaxed a bit, then worried. “Boss… could you get hurt?”
Lin Jun mused—a mental “scratch” didn’t count, right?
“Nah. But if they keep coming, your dreams might stay like this for a while.”
Relieved he was fine, Inanna’s mind shifted. “But… who’s after me? And killed my mother…”
“No clue,” Lin Jun said casually. “Maybe tied to your status? Like your dad’s enemies?”
Inanna nodded, still puzzled, no leads in sight.
“Oh, doesn’t your family have a bunch of Dreamblooms?”
Deep in the Scarlet Spire, facing Duke Alama’s Highfort Bastion.
In a dark, sealed hall, black light lingered on a massive magic array.
Six bound humans lay at its nodes, chests faintly rising, eyes hollow, souls drained, mere husks.
At the array’s center, a black coffin creaked open. Vampire Duke Sigmund rose, his pale face tinged with faint doubt.
Hearing the coffin, Margas slipped in silently. “Duke Sigmund, progress?”
Margas, not a vampire, was equally pale.
To extend the contract on Duke Alama’s late wife to her daughter, he’d paid a steep price.
Abyssal magic was potent, hard to counter, but carried heavy costs—harming oneself first.
Sigmund glanced at the six broken “expendables,” waved a hand, and drained their blood, leaving withered husks for final use.
“Not great. New resistance.”
“Dreambloom potions?” Margas sounded surprised. “Intel said the girl wasn’t at the duke’s mansion… They reacted that fast?”
Sigmund shook his head. “Not… Dreambloom.”
Dreambloom potions built layered dreams, slowing his [Strange Dream] invasion like shells.
But those sudden Puffshrooms? More like a mental booster potion.
Margas wasn’t fazed. “My lord, no mental booster lasts long. She burns her own mind, while you use captives. Once [Strange Dream] locks, she’s trapped.”
Sigmund knew this but wasn’t pleased. “Sure, she can’t escape forever, but I don’t have time to drag this out. That fool Xenophon, warned not to duel, nearly got cut down by the human Sword Saint. The western front’s stalled, and His Majesty’s pressing me to hit Highfort Bastion harder.”
“What about Duke Eleanor aiding you?”
“Eleanor?” Sigmund scoffed. “She’s good for raising bloodstock. On the battlefield, if she doesn’t trip me or stab my back, that’s a win. Joining her to break Highfort? A pipe dream!”
His rift with Eleanor didn’t help.
“Margas, you’ve paid plenty, but see it through.” Sigmund’s voice hardened. “If we can’t speed up controlling her, this is pointless. Understand?”
“I understand…” Margas sighed, knowing more costs awaited.
Sigmund patted his shoulder, voice tempting. “Relax. When it’s done, I’ll petition His Majesty for the Book of Miracles. With it, your abyssal magic might reach the ultimate realm.”
He added, “You know I keep my word, like last time.”
Margas bowed deeply. “Yes, my lord! I’ll give everything!”
(End of Chapter)
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