Chapter 556: Nightmare (4)

Chapter 556: Nightmare (4)

Having lived through past and present lives, Eugene had experienced various incidents and sustained numerous injuries.

Yet, even he had never experienced his head being completely shattered. He had smashed countless demon heads, but this was the first time his head had burst.

This was naturally the case, as a person typically died when their head was destroyed. It wasn’t only true for humans, either. Most creatures died if their heads were destroyed.

However, Eugene did not die now. He was in a dream. This was not reality. But that was precisely why it felt even more bizarre and repulsive.

Eugene watched as his skull fragments and brain bits scattered. He saw some liquid, possibly his blood or brain fluid, burst forth. His vision shook chaotically as his eyeballs sprung like springs and disrupted his sight.

The pain of his head shattering, the swirling vision — all of it was a strange, repulsive, and novel experience for Eugene. Even though what was happening was not real, the sensations Eugene felt were as real as anything in the physical world. He knew that he would feel something similar if his head were to be destroyed in reality.

Eventually, his body staggered. Without his head, his torso lost control. His legs trembled, and then he collapsed. Blood spurted from the messy stump of his neck like a fountain.

Such a scene was familiar to Eugene. But he was only familiar with the scene from the perspective of the perpetrator. Eugene himself had never suffered such a fate. Even though he had attained divinity, he was fundamentally human. Losing his head would mean death.

'I am alive.'

He quickly assessed the situation. His head was shattered, but his thoughts continued. Complex and horrific pain threatened to obliterate his reason, but Eugene remained composed, enduring the agony.

'Don't get swept away. Don't think about death.'

He repeated these words to himself like a mantra. His head had indeed exploded, but he had not died. However, if he dwelled on death and became engulfed by it, he would fall straight into Noir Giabella's nightmare.

Though his headless body sat there, spouting blood like a fountain from his stump, Prominence did not vanish. Eugene's sanctuary still protected him in this ludicrous dream.

'Again,' he thought.

Fwoosh!

The scattered brain fluid returned. His brain reassembled, and his skull rejoined. The rolling eyeballs returned to their sockets.

Thus, Eugene's head was restored. He gasped while pressing his hands against the floor as he pushed against the ground to stand up.

"Ahaha."

Laughter echoed from above. It was Noir's laughter. But her laugh was so loud it reverberated through the ballroom.

"You wanted to duel, didn’t you?" Eugene asked.

He frowned and looked around. The dozens of dancing Noirs had vanished. Only Eugene stood in the spacious ballroom.

And Noir was looking down at him from above. Eugene saw gigantic, purple eyes as large as a full moon. All Eugene could see in the ballroom were Noir’s eyes.

"I’m just kidding. It’s a joke. Hamel, why would I want to duel with you?" Noir giggled.

Rumble!

Her eyes seemed to recede, and then a gigantic hand descended towards Eugene.

"How about playing with dolls instead of a duel?" Noir suggested.

A massive finger attempted to grasp Eugene.

Was it that Noir had grown, or had everything else shrunk down? The question crossed Eugene’s mind momentarily, but he decided it didn’t matter either way. With a roar, the flames of Levantein lashed at Noir's fingers.

"Hmm."

The large finger dodged the flames. The movement was light and the motion minimal, but the flames missed their mark due to the space distorting and receding erratically.

"I’m going to be honest with you. I hate those flames,” said Noir.

Crackle!

The space crumpled and compressed around Eugene. He was stopped in his tracks for a moment, and Noir’s index finger curled while resting on her thumb.

"I don't want it to touch."

The finger flicked and struck empty air. That space compressed around Eugene was ripped away along with him. Eugene swallowed the blood curdling in his throat.

As long as all space was under Noir's control, using Prominence's spatial leap was impossible. The power of the sanctuary could only extend to protect Eugene in the dream.

On the other hand, Noir was free to do anything. It was already impossible to kill her in reality, but in the realm of dreams, it wasn’t an overstatement to call her omnipotent.

'But is Levantein's flame effective?' Eugene wondered.

Regardless of what Noir had just claimed, Eugene judged that Levantein was indeed effective against her. It was absurd to think otherwise.

This dream was Noir's sanctuary. Even if Eugene possessed Agaroth’s divinity and the Light, standing his ground was the best he could manage.

"I know it sounds cruel, Hamel, but this is your final destination," Noir continued.

Killing Noir in the dream was impossible. Levantein couldn't reach her. Even if he repeated the destruction of the dream, Noir would restart it again and again.

"You can't defeat me. Just as you prepared to kill me, I too, prepared to kill you. You might think you came here to kill me without any leisure, but you were too late from the start. I could have killed you at any time, Hamel,” Noir said.

Destroying the dream was easy. But what was the point of repeatedly destroying something that could be restarted indefinitely?

He knew. Using Ignition repeatedly, proliferating Levantein, and swinging it didn't tire him. The same was true for Noir. Then, this battle would end only when someone's spirit broke first after being worn down by the endless repetition.

"Don't think about it too hard, Hamel. If we enjoy ourselves a bit before it ends, maybe we'll both have fewer regrets?" Nir suggested temptingly.

With a rustle, the strings of her swimsuit loosened. Holding the clear oil in her hands, Noir gave a smile.

Eugene opened his eyes. His golden pupils were undisturbed, and his lips were firmly shut. Seeing his expression, Noir frowned.

"Don't you like the sea?" Noir asked.

Eugene came to a conclusion. Escaping the dream and returning to reality alone was difficult. He could try hundreds or thousands of times. If the only way to reach Noir was to erode the dream, Eugene was willing to do so.

But that was not the only method available to Eugene. Though he was in the dream, Sienna and the Saints existed in the reality outside.

'Can my voice not reach?' Eugene questioned himself.

Yet, he was undoubtedly connected to the Saints. That was enough. Just as Eugene felt the connection with the Saints, they too, must be feeling his presence. This itself became a coordinate. No matter how many times Noir recreated the dream, Eugene could not be erased. As such, this coordinate was immovable.

"It's pointless," Noir scoffed while shaking her head.

She, too, knew. Sienna Merdein, Kristina Rogeris, and Anise Slywood were outside Giabella City.

"If they had entered, I would have killed them," Noir giggled. Her fingers were slippery with oil as she rubbed them together.

"Hamel, you break it from the inside. Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, and Kristina Rogeris break it from the outside. Fine, that sounds impressive, but only if it goes as planned. Do you really think it’s possible? For a wizard resurrected from death, a ghost who clung hideously to this world in death, and a rotten doll made from the corpse of that ghost."

Crackle, crackle...!

She began to rub her fingers faster and more forcefully.

"Do you think they can break my dream? Really, do you think they will be of help to you?" Noir asked.

"Yeah," Eugene answered without hesitation.

He didn't provide a reason. He believed there was no need to justify faith. His response was filled with conviction.

"Oh, is that so?" Noir said flatly.

She did not like his answer. The straps of her swimsuit, which had loosened, came back together. The oil disappeared from her fingers.

"That's annoying."

Boom!

The flamingo float carrying Noir exploded, and with it, the ocean burst as well. Waves soared to the sky and crashed down all around Eugene.

"That faith of yours is annoying," Noir whispered beneath the shower of water droplets. She brushed back her wet hair with both hands while glaring at Eugene.

"I wanted to have a good dream with you, Hamel."

Whoosh!

Flames radiated out from Eugene, forming a circle around him. The split waves evaporated instantly. Through the dense fog, Noir pointed a finger at him.

"If you don’t want a good dream."

Crack!

Dark power surged from her finger and pierced the fog. Eugene reflexively raised Levantein to block the attack, but he couldn't cut through or deflect Noir's magic. The force blasted him and Levantein backward.

He was thrown back by the collision. Instead of pursuing him, Noir rotated the world by half. The sea that had been at their feet moved behind Eugene.

"I have no choice but to show you a nightmare."

The voice that should have been distant sounded right next to him. Along with the voice, the bubbling of froth filled Eugene's ears.

The bottomless sea swallowed Eugene.