novelraw Chapter 914: Sinking into Sleep
Chapter 914: Sinking into Sleep
The scene shifted abruptly: the dim, shadowy hall was once again flooded with light. Prusius and Ophelia were back in their seats, the Deep God lay on the table—the images flickered past, and then silence fell. From the depths of the darkness, the clatter of a falling chair and a man's roar shattered the quiet.
"You cursed, brutish savage!"
Lu Li lowered the empty Spirit Gun, his gaze fixed on the gloom at the far end of the table.
The man, having shifted dreams to evade the attack, reappeared at the edge of the light, his elegant composure restored.
"Given up the fight?"
Lu Li stared intently at the man responsible, who appeared to be in a talkative mood.
"I had intended to say a few words to the lucky man who escaped the dream, but you've single-handedly shattered that opportunity..."
A malicious smile touched the suited man's lips as he slowly dissolved into the shadows cast by the darkness.
"And now, by all means, enjoy your nightmare."
A cacophony of shuffling footsteps and low growls echoed from the depths of the gloom. Then, from the edge of the darkness, the ghastly silhouettes of a ghoul pack emerged, lunging toward Lu Li.Powerful, rotting hind legs propelled a ghoul into the air, but Lu Li ducked under it. His left hand shot out, snatching the creature by the neck mid-flight and slamming it to the ground. Before it could even struggle, his artifact daggers plunged through its jaw, shattering the putrid matter of its brain.
Another ghoul lunged at his back. Before its claws could rip through fabric and flesh, Lu Li rolled, using the dead ghoul's body as a shield while his feet shot out, kicking the attacker away. He slid across the long table, sending dishes scattering with a crash of shattering glass.
"Impressive reflexes and strength, but your agility leaves something to be desired."
The man's commentary, delivered from the shadows, echoed through the hall.
"Oh, careful now. You're wounded."
The last ghoul moved with the silence of an assassin, creeping up behind Lu Li as he was distracted by the man's voice. Lu Li spun around to parry the attack, but he was a fraction too late. The tip of a claw scraped across his arm.
Lu Li pursued the ghoul as it tried to retreat into the shadows to bide its time. He caught it, snapped its neck with one hand, and slowly straightened up.
Clap, clap, clap—
"Excellent, but how much longer can you last?"
To the sound of mocking applause and a soft whisper, more ghouls shambled out of the darkness.
"By the way, a ghoul's saliva carries dozens of bacteria and fatal plagues. The outcome is inevitable: your body is already beginning its transformation into a ghoul."
Lu Li couldn't see the wound, but a corrosive sensation spread from it. He turned to face the new pack of ghouls. The threat of their infectious bacteria forced him to focus on evading every leap and swipe of their claws.
"Slowly, you'll feel your body grow hot. Fatigue and pain will vanish, as if you have an infinite reserve of energy..."
Without hesitation, Lu Li drove his dagger into a ghoul's eye socket, pulling it free with a trail of putrid, silt-like brain matter. He then faced another ghoul, this one leaner, its human features still disturbingly visible.
"Then, your joints will grow stiff, difficult to bend. You'll hear something whispering in your ear, tempting you..."
Snap—
Lu Li's palm slammed against the back of the ghoul's head, pressing down until all resistance ceased.
"You keep targeting the ghouls that were once human. It seems you realize how frail we truly are, don't you?"
With two ghouls remaining, Lu Li finally responded to the man's taunts. He seized the Spirit Gun and fired into the shadows.
Bang!
"Tsk, tsk... Lost your temper? Are you regretting that initial rashness?"
The man's voice came from all sides.
"I'm thinking that if you'd just shut up, none of this would be happening."
Lowering the Spirit Gun once more, Lu Li ignored the approaching ghouls and fixed his gaze on the table.
"The lit candles on the table illuminate the hall."
A warm glow bloomed across the table, revealing the man seated in the main chair, holding a wine glass with gentlemanly poise. The candelabras were bright and steady, as if they had been there all along.
"The ghouls will die in agony."
Lu Li declared, but this time, nothing happened. The ghouls, however, did not attack either.
"Whose dream is this?"
Lu Li looked at the man in the chair.
"His dream. You're cleverer than I thought... Perhaps your escape wasn't an accident after all?"
There were only two beings here who could be referred to as "He." And at this moment, the Deep God was lying on the table, being served as a meal.
"So, do you choose to 'wake up' and rush here to unlock the third layer of the dream, or will you continue to be a slave in my little arena?"
Lu Li didn't answer. Instead, the silhouette of Ophelia materialized beside him.
A sea of searing fire swept through the hall, incinerating the last two ghouls as their shrieks turned to charcoal.
"It seems you've found the rules... Now it's my turn."
The man took a slow, interested sip of his red wine. Behind him, a golem several meters tall materialized, its upper limbs thick and powerful.
Ophelia's lava inflicted only minor damage. Its hand, large as a door, suddenly slammed shut, crushing Ophelia within its palm—
BOOM!!!
The hall shuddered. A rough, gigantic hand now occupied the space where the golem had stood.
"Soldier against soldier, general against general," the man whispered.
A treant guardian, dozens of meters tall and forced to crouch against the hall's stone walls, slowly raised its gigantic palm, intercepting a black serpent that shot from the void like a ray of darkness.
The black ray pierced the treant guardian's palm. The deep green of its body faded as it withered, turned gray, and crumbled to ash. The ray then shot toward Lu Li, but a girl's shadow emerged from behind him, merging with the dark energy.
"You truly have enormous potential... It's as if fate, just when I was about to claim this power, sent you to me. Kindred spirit, do you wish to ascend to the pinnacle of this world with me?"
Lu Li looked at the girl's shadow, which had gained the upper hand.
"Will you save this world?"
"What?" The man seemed taken aback before answering.
"Yes... we will unite and become—"
"No, you won't."
Lu Li shook his head slightly. The Shadow Maiden, having destroyed the black ray, had exhausted her strength. She turned, gave Lu Li a look of deep affection and reluctance, and then gradually faded away.
"Foolish... How fortunate that soon, I will no longer be of the same kind as an idiot like you!"
For a moment, the scene on the table dissolved, revealing an image from the first layer of the dream: the giant frog was still devouring the Deep God.
"Your time is running out."
"You talk too much."
A silhouette of steam emerged from behind Lu Li and advanced on the man.
"Do you know? When you realize it's a dream, and your will can change it, you can't be killed."
The man whispered meaningfully, completely unconcerned.
"Don't get too comfortable. There is always a power that transcends dimensions and rules... You have no idea what I've truly seen in my long dream!"
A blurry, bloated, enormous phantom materialized behind the man, accompanied by the sound of crashing waves. A fishy stench, like deep-sea silt, filled the air, and wet tracks appeared all around. Countless tentacles erupted from the phantom's form, completely enveloping and consuming the steam silhouette.
"Is this the most terrible thing you have ever seen? Not bad, but—"
"No."
At Lu Li's calm words, the ceiling of the hall suddenly turned transparent.
The dark clouds shrouding the sky silently parted, revealing a vast, unfamiliar star-filled expanse above the earth.
"What is that...! What have you experienced! Who the hell are you!?"
Lu Li remained silent, calmly watching the shattered phantom and the man who was screaming madly and tearing at his own face.
In the depths of the starry sky behind him, countless nebulae merged into a single eye, gazing down upon the world.