“Lord, everything’s set. Are you… ready?” Margas bowed to Duke Sigmund, seated at the heart of the massive abyss array.
Around the circle, nearly a hundred slaves stood like puppets, senses stripped and bound to the energy nodes.
Some were even demon soldiers punished for breaking rules.
“Start it.” Sigmund downed a vial of Dreambloom Potion in one gulp.
He wasn’t dumb enough to treat his mystery foe like an idiot. He’d set the trap, but skipping the potion might tip them off—a real fumble.
Unleashing it at the right moment would hide the flaw.
Abyss power never sat well with reality. Unlike normal arrays, abyss ones burned out fast, unsustainable. That meant one shot to lure the enemy in.
His mind sank into the dream.
Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar rickety wooden shack and three kids endlessly chasing frogs by the stream.
Above, a translucent film stretched across the sky.
Beyond it, a grand vampire city loomed, built by the potion’s power.
This was the base layer of his true dream. Unlike Inanna, who couldn’t fully control her dream mind, Sigmund had stronger grip. With a wave, the scene dissolved.
In its place rose a grim, vampire-Gothic throne and shadowy hall.
Thud! Thud!
Footsteps shook the dreamscape, echoing. A colossal cyan Puffshroom, bigger than imagination, stomped through the Strange Dream’s neutral buffer, crashing into the illusionary vampire city!
Its giant mycelium tendrils swung, sluggish but packing terrifying force and speed.
Where they hit, spire buildings crumbled like toys, and demon phantoms wandering the city got crushed or flattened.
Lin Jun was pumped!
This time, he’d shoved two fingers in!
The Puffshroom beast trashed the city, chipping away at that tough shell.
The quakes rippled through dream layers, reaching Sigmund.
Through the film and illusions, he couldn’t see clearly but felt the chaos—way fiercer than ever before.
He was mulling when to drop the illusion…
Crack!
The “sky” shattered!
“Got you! Right here!” A voice, pure joy bursting from beyond the broken sky, rang out!
A giant mycelium tendril reached through the hole, clawing at the edges, ripping the “sky” wider!
Below, Sigmund, on his throne, stared at this demon-god invasion vibe. No fear—just a low chuckle.
Once again, he’d outraced death in a life-or-death bet, like always!
This mystery enemy could actually crack the Dreambloom’s shield!
If he hadn’t gone all-in today, his fate would’ve been ugly.
The huge Puffshroom crashed into the dark hall, shrinking to fit but still a suffocating giant next to Sigmund’s throne, its shadow swallowing it.
Facing this oppressive sight, Sigmund stayed cool. He looked up, crimson eyes locked on the Puffshroom. “I’m dying to know… who are you? So loyal to the St. Clairs, risking your neck in this dangerous dream game! With such insane mental strength, yet you hide behind this… goofy, clownish act! At the end, mind clearing it up?”
His voice was soft—dreams didn’t need real words.
“You’re the goofy clown!” Super loud!
A massive tendril smashed down!
“Pity.”
Next moment, a pitch-black, hope-devouring void opened between them! Endless darkness flooded out like a burst dam, drowning the dream!
A thin but tough shield flickered around Sigmund, barely holding the darkness at bay.
Meanwhile, in Crimson Spire’s ritual chamber.
Two slaves’ heads at array nodes popped like balloons, red and white splattering the runes.
Like dominoes, more captives’ skulls burst! In seconds, a dozen sacrifices died gruesomely, and it kept going!
Even with proxies soaking the backlash, Sigmund wasn’t unscathed.
As Margas warned, the abyss’s leaking aura was lethal.
His brain felt hammered by an invisible sledge, dizzying pain blackening his vision, ears ringing, his whole mind shaking.
But he clenched his jaw, sheer will powering through.
Through the wild darkness, he glimpsed the giant Puffshroom, frozen since the flood began.
Win or die, Sigmund laughed wildly!
The instant Lin Jun touched the darkness, a random message hit his soul.
[Hardness 7, Density 2.8 g/cm³]
Before he could process, a chaotic info flood slammed his mind!
[Average Height +1 cm]
[#########]
[Arona Leech: 3,758,056]
…
[Average Mana Density +2.1%]
[Ark Project Progress: 245%]
…
[Sarah Lambert]
[#########]
…
[Justice (Unlock: Harvest Phase, Justice Value 8000+, Evil Value 0, Hero Unlock Difficulty -50%)]
[1+1=3]
…
Endless data poured in, like touching a dungeon core but fundamentally different.
Dungeon core info, though mostly gibberish, had tight logic and connections.
This darkness’s data? Massive, messy, random, mostly junk.
The toxic garbage flooded through the contact point, burning up Lin Jun’s soul-processing power!
Even with his soul’s strength, he estimated ten minutes max under this bombardment.
For now, the junk hadn’t wrecked his thinking or moves.
Clearly a trap! No point playing tough guy and charging in.
As Lin Jun planned a tactical retreat, the void spewing darkness and chaos… just shut off!
Barely thirty seconds.
Darkness gone, the dream snapped back to the battered castle hall.
Before Lin Jun, the vampire knelt under the throne, one hand on the floor, one clutching his head, mumbling nonsense.
Hm?
No need to run?
Lin Jun nudged the vampire. It tried to react but seemed helpless.
“Heh.”
“Take this!” A giant tendril smashed down!
(End of Chapter)
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