Chapter 32: The Descent of Morpheus: Xian City’s Dream

The crimson vortex, boundless and ominous, still showed no signs of dissipating above Xian City; instead, it swelled, growing ever larger.

Beneath it, an increasing number of souls drifted upwards, resembling a myriad of balloons ascending, until they permeated the entire sky.

These souls belonged to members of the Source of Dreams, and with Robert’s demise, all the secret arts concealed within their bodies fully activated, transforming them into sustenance for the Outer God.

This was Robert’s ultimate gambit: sacrificing everything to achieve his ideal of summoning a deity.

Even if the members of the Source of Dreams resisted, it was utterly futile; these coercive methods rendered them incapable of defiance.

They could only offer their flesh and souls as nourishment.

However, offerings of this magnitude were insufficient, merely serving to escalate the Outer God’s intrusion; yet, this was enough, for Robert’s true objective encompassed the lives of over twenty million people throughout Xian City.

The Outer God’s invasion would drag everyone in Xian City into a dreamscape, where dying within the dream would render their souls into Morpheus’s sacrifice.

Only through this could the Outer God Morpheus fully descend!

As one of the Dragon Summer Nation’s most developed cities, Xian City boasted an exceptionally large population.

This was precisely why Robert had chosen this location.

****

Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau.

“What on earth is happening? What are those things in the sky?!”

The Director of the Xian City Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau roared in fury, having received intelligence about the Source of Dreams a week prior and initiating an extermination mission that remained unresolved even now.

Initially, he had believed this situation would be akin to previous cult incidents, causing only localized disturbances.

However, ever since the Outer God’s intrusion manifested at Xian City International High School, he had sensed something was amiss; this particular crisis seemed profoundly wrong.

By the time he was about to launch a large-scale purge of cultists, it was already too late.

They could eliminate the cultists, yet they were powerless to halt the sacrifice of souls.

To prevent a sacrifice of this magnitude, a top-tier artifact, specifically an SSS-grade one, was indispensable, but even an international metropolis like Xian City did not possess an artifact of such caliber.

Only the capital, Kyoto, in the Dragon Summer Nation held such an item, yet high-grade artifacts could not be transported via secret arts or other artifacts.

Delivering it would require at least half a day, and by then, the very existence of Xian City would be uncertain.

Cold sweat streamed down the Director’s face; he was at a loss, wondering what could possibly be done.

A fleeting thought of fleeing with his family crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it; as Xian City’s final line of defense, retreat was simply not an option.

Though he might not be entirely qualified, he still possessed a fundamental sense of duty.

“Director, we can no longer prevent the cultists’ sacrifice; even killing them merely accelerates the ritual.”

“Damn it! I understand. First, inform the authorities to calm the populace, using artifacts if necessary, but above all, prevent panic.”

The Director’s greatest fear was widespread chaos, which, given the city’s population density, could prove even more terrifying than the Outer God’s invasion itself.

Furthermore, after such an event, high-tier artifacts or secret arts would be required to erase the memories of unrelated individuals.

While ordinary people could not perceive the crimson souls in the sky, a disturbance of this magnitude could not possibly go unnoticed.

Yet, those were concerns for later; the immediate priority was resolving the Outer God’s intrusion.

An increasing number of crimson souls were consumed by the vortex in the sky, until, with the swallowing of the very last soul, an eerie silence descended upon everything.

Following that stillness, an even greater storm was poised to break.

It was something unspeakable.

Something that could not be shut out, nor could it be truly seen.

If one were compelled to describe it, it resembled a colossal, jellyfish-like membrane that permeated the entire sky, from which various nerve-like tendrils emerged, emitting signals that drove one to madness.

Bodies composed of countless bubbles extended from the vortex, simultaneously beautiful and insane, each containing an infinite wealth of information.

A mere glance was enough to cause an ordinary person’s brain to rupture.

At this moment, the Outer God, master of dreams, began to emit its unique ripples.

Wave after wave spread outwards, engulfing the entirety of Xian City.

Everywhere the ripples passed, a deathly silence fell.

The ripples moved with unimaginable speed, and whoever they touched was plunged into the most primal of dreams.

At that instant, the entirety of Xian City transformed into a ghost town, with everyone trapped in dreams, battling the Outer God’s descent.

These dreams could not be broken from the outside; escape was possible only through death or by shattering the dream from within.

Tianyu clutched her head; around her, save for the already slumbering Stella, everyone else had been reduced to corpses.

She herself bore significant injuries, but compared to the lifeless bodies surrounding her, her state was far superior.

It was worth noting that among the deceased were even beings of the 8th tier.

Indeed, even among those of the 8th tier, the disparities in power were vast.

Had it not been for her efforts to protect the surrounding civilians and structures from the destructive power of high-tier arcanists, Tianyu would not have sustained such severe injuries.

Now, with each successive ripple, she found herself unable to resist the encroaching drowsiness.

This was power truly divine, utterly beyond mortal resistance.

A single ripple might have been manageable, but these waves crashed against her, relentless as ocean tides.

There was always a moment when one could no longer endure.

Ultimately, Tianyu’s eyes closed, and she collapsed beside Stella.

****

On the highway, the car carrying Bai Yu was nearing the edge of Xian City.

Lu Xingyao, a low-tier arcanist, succumbed swiftly to the dreamscape, unable to withstand the erosion of multiple ripples, even with a spiritual core like [Self].

The driver likewise began to decelerate the moment they noticed the effect, but it was too late; they instantly lost consciousness.

The driverless vehicle rapidly lost control, veering off the highway, crashing through the guardrail, and coming to a halt in the adjacent wasteland.

However, the car’s excellent protection system ensured that no one inside sustained any harm.

Everyone, including Bai Yu, plunged into a deep slumber.

****

At the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau, everyone slumped unconscious at their workstations, faces pressed against instruments.

Under the influence of divine power, Xian City completely lost its ability to communicate with the outside world.

Within the dreamscape, Morpheus would utterly devour their souls, yet they would also experience a lifetime of happiness.

While terrifying dreams might ignite one’s will, it was the gentle dreams that proved to be the sweetest poison.

****

“Master, Master, wake up quickly! You still have your sword practice lesson today.”

Bai Yu groggily registered the girl’s voice near her ear.

‘What swordplay? What master?’

Bai Yu opened her eyes, laboriously sat up, and began to look around.

She found herself lying on an incredibly luxurious princess bed, the surrounding environment resembling a Western medieval style, utterly unlike her own room.

Standing by the bed was a small girl with pink-blue hair, petite and utterly adorable.

‘Though she’s still not quite as cute as me,’ Bai Yu couldn’t help but muse.

“Wait, where is this? Who are you?”

‘This isn’t the time to debate who’s cuter, is it? What in the world is going on?’