Nightmare
“Agree to these conditions, and I won’t aggress in the future. We can even explore the World of Gods together, the bounty you’ll receive there is more than what you can accumulate here in ten million years…”
Even though Leylin’s intention to tempt them with the World of Gods sounded easy, there were some difficulties he had to cross to get to them. The hardest was to showcase peak rank 8 might, suppressing all these rogues with the fear of death. He then had to deal with Dreamscape’s World Will.
Molina looked at her peers, answering after a period of hesitation, “This matter… We have to discuss…”
“Of course, discuss away. I’ll be here waiting.” Leylin smiled and waved the Lords of Calamity on, watching their conscients converse.
These conscients conversed at the speed of thought, discussing a thousand years of information in but a second. It wasn’t long before they gave Leylin a reply. The three-headed beast came forward, its goat head speaking as the human one showed a strange expression, “We accept, on the condition that you ensure the World Will honours its side.”
“Of course!” Although he knew what this creature was scheming, Leylin still readily agreed.
“Very well… Upon our truesouls as beings of law, in the name of the astral plane…” The Lords of Calamity looked at each other and nodded their heads, making an oath with their truesouls. There was simply no pretense from the reverberation of the truesouls,, and they also could not mask themselves in front of Leylin’s power of original sin anyway.
“Alright!” Leylin turned around and looked at the endless void.
“O’ Mighty Dreamscape, I will need you to honour this agreement!”
*Rumble!* Boundless dreamforce gathered, forming a pair of furious eyes. The entire Dreamscape was seething in rage!
From the World Will’s point of view, the successor of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique was supposed to kill these Lords of Calamity. Yet here he was, making agreements with them instead. This was blatant betrayal!
Purplish-gold lightning made of origin force converged in the area, possessing enough power to destroy beings of law. The crimson runes on Leylin’s body writhed, as if wanting to break free.
*Rumble!* A mighty bolt of destruction crashed down, and the three-headed creature sniggered, “Haha… You’re just a lackey reared by the World Will, and you actually want it to subjugate? The World Will is strong enough to take your bloodline back and not allow you to ever resurrect… Everyone, attack now! This Nightmare Absorbing Physique has a death wish!”
The human face of the creature guffawed. As for the green snake head, it opened its giant jaws and the laws of corrosion formed an acid rain.
“Don’t you think I’m aware of your thoughts?” However, Leylin remained extremely calm under the double team of the lightning and rain, rendering the other Lords of Calamity uneasy, “I am different from the Nightmare King. All of my powers are of my own, and that is the same for dreamforce…”
He reached out, and a platinum barrier formed around him. The origin force armour that could repel World Wills showed its prowess, pushing Dreamscape back as the power of original sin rumbled behind his back. The Nightmare Hydra roared, continuous streams of attacks shooting forth from its nine heads to destroy the lightning in the skies.
“Don’t think that you can control me like you did the Nightmare King!” Leylin had always enjoyed freedom, so how could he have been made an example of by the World Will?
Having obtained dreamforce at its peak, Leylin had constantly conducted research into absolving himself of the World Will, controlling the crests and troughs of the energy himself. With his power nearing the peak of rank 8 and his being within the World of Gods, Dreamscape had found out about it too late.
Right now, Leylin wished to suppress the Lords of Calamity and the World Will, becoming an arbitrator between the two parties. The power of original sin rumbled and repelled the dreamforce, causing the clouds in the skies to dissipate.
Having repelled the World Will, Leylin turned around and faced the three-headed beast.
“What are you trying to do? I...I...I…” The green snake head muttered, and the black goat head looked at Leylin in disbelief. It had never imagined that the Nightmare Absorbing Physique formed of dreamforce could repel the World Will itself!
“Impossible!” it raged silently, but it was too late.
“Watch, this is the outcome of betrayal.” Prideguard was activated, forming a silver-white armour around Leylin’s body strong enough to repel the attacks of some beings of law. Leylin moved through the corrosive rain unaffected, turning Seven Sins into a morning star that roared mightily as it landed on the creature.
Boosted by the Blessing of Greed and Fury Amplification, a mountainous force smashed the human head down in an instant, following up with the other two heads as well. Massacre Amplification and Death’s Decree erased all traces of the creature’s existence, completely removing any chances of its revival.
*Gulp!* *Gulp!* The Lords of Calamity just stared blankly as Leylin’s mace devoured the flesh of the beast, augmented by Gluttony’s Devouring and Sloth’s Recovery. Even his armour was repairing itself.
What had they just seen? One of their strongest fighters had been killed by Leylin just like that?
“I don’t feel any of the black goat’s aura… It has three lives, and was supposed to be able to be reborn in filth…” The thundergiant grew extremely conflicted. Although she’d never liked that creature, she did acknowledge its power. However, it had died just like that! Its chances of revival were taken out, and it had been done in for good!
“So, who's next?” Having restored his peak dreamforce, Leylin looked around in satisfaction at the fearful faces of the Lords of Calamity.
“We will comply to your wishes, mighty Nightmare King!” The Eye Emissary yielded first, bowing towards Leylin with newfound sincerity.
“Don’t call me the Nightmare King, I am the Lord of Original Sin, the controller of all evil across the astral plane.” Leylin tossed the remaining carcass of the creature into the void, “Don’t act like I’m bullying you, hurry and eat it.”
The greatest difference of a World Will from a mortal was that it was an artificial intelligence, caring only about benefits. Seeing that it couldn’t take Leylin down, and with something to gain from the agreement with the Lords of Calamity, it would acknowledge reality.
Space ground the body apart like a millstone, using the creature’s energy to replenish the world.
‘Giving your leftovers to send the World Will away, that’s really…’ the other Lords of Calamity criticised Leylin quietly, but they very soon changed their attitudes, “Mighty Lord of Original Sin, you are the arbitrator between us…”
“In my name of the Lord of Original Sin, I promise to bind both the Lords of Calamity and the World Will of Dreamscape together fairly, all for the sake of the world’s development…” Leylin raised three fingers of his right hand and swore an oath. His voice was imposing yet dignified, and the dark path of original sin that had traces of blood rumbled behind him.
“With my path as a witness…”
*Rumble!* The entire Dreamscape trembled, as if excited upon seeing a new future, and it cheered...
Powerful dreamforce circled around Leylin, peaking with the support of the world. It turned denser in colour, as a sort of innate change occurred within it. It turned into a higher power, containing an indescribable strength. It was like all of the world’s evil and dreams had been fused together, surging into Leylin’s path of original sin and making it look even more perfect than before.
“Nightmare force!” The Eye Emissary exclaimed. This was the peak of the World Will’s essence, something even the peak rank 8 Nightmare King hadn’t been granted in the past…
Be it the Lords of Calamity or the Nightmare King, they had only a vague understanding that nightmare force was the essence of the world. Even if they were the spawn of the world, they could not receive the power of nightmare force. Leylin had instead obtained it through his own powers!
The Lords of Calamity stared at Leylin, each with different feelings…
……
Each of the Nine Hells in Leylin’s divine kingdom had been separated up in an orderly manner, large groups of petitioners scurrying around the place performing their own tasks. Everything was being built up for the future, and this divine kingdom of epic proportions gave them the best protection. Disasters wrought havoc in the prime material plane, and the gods were restless, giving them valuable time to carry out their missions.
Leylin’s clones walked out of the borders of his divine kingdom, where Mother Core’s clone had been waiting for some time.
“This new power that you speak of is about to come?” Mother Core looked at Leylin.
“Of course, do wait and see…” The clone laughed in reply, opening a passage in the crystal sphere.