Mei believed that every Fusion Warrior had the ability to break free from the Dreamscape. In fact, Xi Wang and Dottore had both previously shown signs of "about to wake up." Dottore's signs had come later, while Xi Wang had shown them at the same time as Sakura. Yet in the end, only Sakura had awakened. The other two had fallen into nightmares, and even their bodies had begun to suffer problems.
That was why Mei had come to ask Sakura about the specifics, but the answer she received had ultimately provided no help... It now seemed that the Herrscher of the Eighth had deliberately targeted the Fusion Warriors, while Sakura had narrowly avoided the Herrscher's attention either through luck or some other reason.
"...Put the research on drugs that wake people up on hold for now. The others can't withstand the Herrscher's targeting. What about the exploration of the Dreamscape?"
Mei rubbed her head tiredly and spoke only after organizing her thoughts.
"Observer No. 24 has been confirmed dead. Observer No. 25 is ready."
"Then continue. We need to find the Herrscher's physical coordinates and eliminate it. Only then can we officially end this Honkai... Elysia, go to The Deepest Place and find Aponia. Ask her to help. I'll obtain authorization from above. Also, contact Mobius and tell her to immediately prepare for Fusion Warrior surgery. The requirement is to use Moyuli's genes. As for the candidates... have the people above find them!"
"Understood."
Mei issued orders one after another, striving to resolve this Honkai as quickly as possible... The ability to make people sink into beautiful dreams and then die peacefully was simply far too dangerous for people today.
"Is there anything you need me to do, Doctor?"
Sakura asked.
"Stay on standby and prepare for battle, Sakura. Once we obtain the Herrscher of the Eighth's physical coordinates, you need to head there immediately and eliminate it."
"Okay."
Sakura nodded in acceptance. With her abilities, no one was more suited to this task.
"..."
After everyone else had left, Sakura turned back to look at Xi Wang, who was still trapped in a nightmare. She gently took his hand and murmured softly.
"...Thank you, Wang."
Although her memories of the Dreamscape had grown blurry, she still vaguely remembered the final scene she had seen, the final thing she had realized, and the rain that had fallen at the end.
Combined with what Dr. Mei had said earlier—that she and Wang had shown signs of "about to wake up" at the same time—the truth of the matter... was not difficult to guess.
To be able to fall into the same dream together and accept such intimate identities within it... Even if it had only been a dream, Sakura was still happy.
"...Thank you."
Sakura said it once again with a smile, carrying the purest joy. Then... she restrained her expression, buried that happiness in her heart, and rose to leave.
Whether for her duty or for the person she loved... this Honkai had to end.
We will defeat the Honkai... We definitely will.
Sakura tightened her grip on the sword in her hand and walked forward with determination.
Dreams were very strange places.
They were where people came closest to death, and also closest to so-called "fate." That was why people could see deceased loved ones in dreams, or experience strange things like precognition.
But in the end, dreams existed on the basis of the person themselves. Everything within a dream changed according to one's mental state, knowledge, experiences, and memories, developing in different directions based on the subconscious.
Seeing deceased friends and family in dreams was simply the brain imagining those loved ones still alive, based on one's longing for them and impressions of them. So-called Precognitive Dreams were likewise nothing more than the brain extrapolating the future based on information one already possessed.
A beautiful dream was when the brain used existing information to let an event unfold according to one's expectations, or even in the most ideal manner possible. A nightmare was the opposite, allowing an event to develop in a terrible direction.
Although dreams were born from reality, because they arose from the act of human "thought," they were often not bound by reality's objective factors. Thus, people bestowed dreams with many things that did not exist in reality. Dreams consequently possessed elements of fantasy, illusion, and unreality, and people used those elements to distinguish reality from the Dreamscape.
Then, when a dream was crafted to be nearly indistinguishable from reality, how could one tell that one was dreaming?
When the circumstances within a dream were incomparably better than reality, even becoming the life of one's ideals, how could one make up one's mind to wake up?
I don't understand.
Within the pure white dream, she... it expressed its confusion.
I clearly constructed the Dreamscape according to your most ideal circumstances... You married the person you like, and she didn't mind the woman buried in your heart. The two of them cared for you together and were even willing to live under the same roof with you... I even made that woman in your heart become your lover. What's wrong with that?
Even that Superstar was rather fond of you, and even little girls were eager to get close to you... If you wanted to, you could easily build a harem without even needing to worry about wealth.
They were even willing to accept that sort of "hobby" of yours, helping you put on those... "medicines" whenever you forgot.
It appeared deeply puzzled as it flipped through the Candy box in its hand, then casually tossed it behind itself and let it vanish into thin air.
You've already reached this point. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?
But the only response it received was an azure blade of water.
Don't waste your strength. What stands before you is merely a phantom... And without the home-field advantage of "rainwater," you are far less threatening than you imagine.
It spoke calmly. Within dreams—or rather, within the spiritual world—it possessed overwhelming power. Removing scenery or changing the weather was effortless.
Answer my question, and I'll let you leave. How about it?
The response it received was another azure water blade.
I'm not controlling anyone you care about now. By all rights, I hold no grudge against you. I even arranged for you and her to enter the same dream. I didn't stop you when you sent her away. You could even say I did you a favor. Why can't you answer a few questions for me?
"..."
The azure attack paused slightly, then came crashing down with even greater ferocity.
What a bother... You refuse to sink into the Dreamscape, and you refuse to answer my questions. That puts me in quite a difficult position.
It rubbed its forehead in slight frustration.
Then... I'll have to ask you to die.
It raised its hand and gave a light push in Xi Wang's direction. With that motion, Xi Wang's body toppled backward beyond his control, falling through a gap that had appeared at some point and plunging into the abyss.
Then, the surroundings returned to their original pure white state.
...That should have dealt with him, right?
No longer looking as relaxed and composed as before, it cautiously stepped forward. First, it tentatively pressed its foot against the restored patch of white, then moved closer and patted it with its hand, as though confirming that the area had been compacted solid.
Good, good... As long as that guy enters his own nightmare...
As if still shaken, it wiped nonexistent sweat from its forehead and muttered to itself.
Damn it, why are this guy's spirit and memories so heavy? They're even heavier than those old monsters'. I clearly checked—he only has a little over twenty years' worth...
When it had first touched Xi Wang's dream, it had been able to confirm that Xi Wang possessed only a little over twenty years of memories. Yet when it tried to tamper with the dream and insert certain things into those memories, it discovered that this man's spirit and memories were absurdly "heavy." Even planting an impression of a "lover" in him had taken tremendous effort.
Dragging him into the dream hadn't taken much effort at all, so why did the follow-up become so troublesome... I can't get rid of him, and I can't kick him out.
It was like a huge burlap sack stuffed with books and placed atop a bookshelf. Pulling it down from the shelf was easy, but putting it back was incredibly difficult. It wanted to open the sack and lighten its load, only to find that it couldn't even open it, nor could it simply poke a hole through it... It was truly giving it a headache.
Fortunately, it still had a way. As long as it dragged him into the nightmare he feared most and continuously weakened his spirit, it could eliminate this enormous nuisance in one stroke when he was at his weakest.
An Angel Arrived with Rainwater and Lilies
Drip—
It was the clear sound of liquid dripping, coming from beneath him.
Drip—
The stench of blood filled his nostrils. The thick smell instinctively made him want to vomit, yet he somehow felt that this much was still tolerable.
Drip—
His hands were bound and raised above his head. A rope pressed against his neck, suspending his entire body in midair. Gravity from below constantly dragged him downward, while only a crooked, battered stool beneath the tips of his toes barely kept the rope from strangling him.
Blood flowed from his wrists at the very top, branching along his arms before slowly running down both sides of his head. Together with his arms, it covered his ears, then soaked through the rope around his neck, swelling it and further restricting his breathing. It continued downward over his chest, winding between wound after wound and constantly replenishing them with fresh blood, before finally sliding over his legs and feet, flowing down the broken stool into the basin below.
"..."
Xi Wang was all too familiar with this.
And next came...
Rustle—
A faint sound came from nearby, as though someone was approaching. What followed immediately was a burning pain from his wounds.
"Mmgh..."
The pain of coarse salt grinding against his wounds forced a cry from Xi Wang. His throat instinctively tried to scream, but his body was too weak to produce any sound. All he could make was an indistinct groan.
Ah... Xi Wang knew this. He knew it far too well.
The sensation of hovering on the brink of unconsciousness from hunger and blood loss, along with this physical agony.
"You're awake? As expected, you're such a strong, good child."
It was his voice—that damned man's voice!
"..."
Xi Wang struggled to lift his eyelids and looked at the blurry figure before him.
Under the dim light, all he could see was that nauseating robe and the hateful Crucifix Pendant.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid... It's already over."
One hand gently stroked his head while the other, coated in coarse salt, frantically rubbed the wound on his chest.
"I'll take care of you. Don't worry."
As he said that, he withdrew his hand, took medicine from the medical kit, slowly applied it to Xi Wang's wounds, and then wrapped him in bandages.
"Your lips are so dry... Haven't you had any water again? What a bad child."
As he spoke, he took out the basin at the bottom, slowly poured the dark red blood within into a bowl, then forcibly pried open Xi Wang's mouth and poured the dark red blood down his throat. The stench of blood flooded his nerves once more, nearly washing away his consciousness.
Yet he still endured.
"Hehe..."
When the man took the bowl away, Xi Wang even gave a faintly mocking chuckle, as if saying—Is that all?
"...I hope you'll remain this strong afterward."
The man's body stiffened slightly before he casually untied the ropes binding Xi Wang.
"But I believe you will, won't you?"
With a dull thud, Xi Wang's small body collapsed limply onto the ground. His breath was weak as a thread, yet the man paid it no heed. He knew that by tomorrow or the day after, Xi Wang would be able to crawl back up on his own. All it took was feeding him a few scraps—he was much easier to keep than pets like cats and dogs.
"Then, see you tomorrow. I hope... Hehe."
Before you continue