Nightmare

Inside a dark underground ditch.

A group of Fallen dressed in black robes gathered around a sizable space. At the center stood a ten-meter-wide altar, surrounded by eerie flames. Beneath the altar was a massive Magic Circle. Nearby, strange, indistinct figures could be vaguely seen, their forms not quite human, but rather a semi- Spiritual Body form. A Priest in a dark red robe knelt beneath the altar, surrounded by heavily armored Dark Paladin cold gazes swept across the area.

"High Priest."

The dark red figure beneath the altar spoke respectfully in a deep voice, "We still haven't detected the aura of the First God. The descendant of the Dragon Slayer has already pulled out that cursed weapon. We've suffered heavy losses, and this place is far more powerful than Amber City. Members of the Druid Order have also appeared; they've been very hostile towards us lately, believing we've disrupted the balance."

What should we do next?

The dark flames materialized into indistinct figures, and the High Priest's voice, chilling like that of the Undead, roared angrily, "Who is it? Who has repeatedly interfered with my My Lord's arrangements? Haven't you lot of useless fools found the whereabouts of the first god yet? I gave you the Prophecy location beforehand, why is it taking so long to begin the ritual?"

The Priest in the dark red robe looked terrified, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He explained, "White Horse City is very powerful; there are many strong beings here, including members of the Northern Witch. We waited until the White Horse Guard set off to deal with the Ogre Tribe and that terrifying Storm Lord left before we found the opportunity to hold the ritual. We lost all our Dread Knight in Amber City, and we're not very manpowerful anymore."

"High Priest, I have done my best!"

"Useless trash!" the phantom roared in fury, raising its hand and pointing forward. The head of the Priest in the dark red robe exploded like a watermelon. He glanced at the believers below and casually pointed, saying, "From today onwards, you are the new Dread Priest. Our My Lord will bestow Divine Power upon you to enhance your strength. Now, immediately have the others begin preparations. We must spread the sacred ritual throughout the south. The power of fear will awaken all the gods. You must find the whereabouts of the first god as soon as possible."

The Fallen, clad in black robes, stood up trembling with fear and said cautiously, "High Priest, if the ritual begins in full, all the gods will gradually awaken, and our My Lord's power will be distributed among them. At that time, the whereabouts of the First God will become even more difficult to find. Moreover, if the other gods awaken prematurely, the First God's power will be greatly weakened, which is not conducive to our plan to resurrect our Lord."

The High Priest gave him a cold look and said icily, "I know."

"But you incompetent fools have missed your chance; the Prophecy has already gone astray. Now, all we can do is awaken all the gods and amplify the power of fear through Slaughter. Although our My Lord's divine Divine Power will be dispersed, the power of fear will still exist in this world. Once all the other gods are dead, all the Divine Power will automatically converge on the First God!"

"Your task is to ensure that the first god lives to the end of the ritual. He is both the most powerful and the weakest, only in this way can the will of our My Lord be revived in him!"

White Horse City.

The Storm Lord leaped across the street, then suddenly stopped, landing abruptly on a rooftop. She stared at a Warrior in heavy, blood-red armor in the distance and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you draw the Dragon-Slaying Sword?"

The Warrior in blood-red armor stopped, glanced at her, and said coldly, "The Gods have lost contact, and impending chaos is foreseeable. White Horse City needs the power of this sword."

The Storm Lord's expression was stiff as he said in a deep voice, "Don't you know about the curse on it?"

"I know." The Heavy Armor Warrior gripped his Longsword tightly and said slowly, "The owner of this sword will die at the hands of Dragon. It has slain twelve Dragon, and five of its previous owners also died at the hands of Dragon."

"But I am the guardian of White Horse City!"

"You are just an outsider. This city should be protected by me! It is my birthright!"

A series of crackling flashes of lightning erupted.

The Storm Lord's expression was grim, and she seemed quite angry. She took a deep breath, turned around, and said coldly, "Foolish fellow! The curse on this sword is far more terrible than you imagine!"

You'll regret this someday.

On a peaceful, open field.

Lun and Goria exchanged a silent glance. The distant flames had dissipated, indicating that White Horse City hadn't been affected by the Meteor Swarm. Just then, Vivian inside the carriage suddenly trembled all over, a look of terror crossing her cute little face. Her small, white hands frantically grasped at something, her expression growing increasingly fearful. She curled up in the corner of the carriage, muttering, "Get away!... You monsters!... All of you get away!... If you don't leave, my brother will kill you all!... Aren't you leaving?!... If you don't leave, I'm going to call for my brother!..."

Lun's expression changed slightly in an instant.

He rushed into the carriage, grabbed Vivian's small hand, and asked anxiously, "Vivian! What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?!"

Goria's expression changed slightly, and she followed inside with a hint of nervousness. She bumped into Lun in her haste, grabbed Vivian's small hand, and gently shook her, saying, "Wake up! Vivian, wake up! Are you having a nightmare?"

The little girl slowly opened her eyes. She first looked around timidly, and when she saw Lun's figure, she pounced on him, like a kitten desperately trying to burrow into his arms, her little hands tightly gripping his clothes. After hearing what the two of them were saying, she nodded as if still shaken, and whispered, "Yes. Vivian saw a lot of monsters, and a lot of fire, and a lot of blood."

monster?

Lun and Goria exchanged a glance, then, while reassuring the rather frightened little girl, asked, "What kind of monster?"

Vivian recalled carefully, her little face slightly pale, and whispered, "Those huge monsters, with flames on their bodies, were very ugly and ugly, with two horns on their heads, huge wings on their backs, and a tail like a cow. Their feet seemed to be hooves too. They were talking to me and were being fierce at me!"

"I... I'm not afraid of them!... I told them I'd call for my brother if they came any closer!... and then they disappeared."

Demon?!

Lun's face was ashen. He glanced at Goria beside him, then nodded gently, carefully comforting the little girl. Only after she calmed down did Goria give a signal from outside the carriage. Lun covered Vivian with a blanket, looking at her small hands clutching his clothes, and said softly, "Brother is outside, talking to Elder Sister Goria about something. I'll come in and keep you company right away."

"OK?"

Vivian nodded obediently, let go of the carriage's hand, and sat down beside it.

Lun walked out with a stiff expression. Goria seemed to have set up a Spell barrier, then looked at him and said, "You didn't know about this either?"

"Yes." Lun nodded solemnly.

Goria glanced inside the carriage, then slowly said, "Vivian might really be a god, and possibly even the offspring of the Abyssal Demon Lord."

Lun did not answer, but he gripped the Scimitar tightly in his hand, his muscles tense, as if he would launch an attack at any moment.

"You!... Why are you so wary?!" Goria's eyebrows shot up in anger as she pointed a finger at Lun, saying in a fit of exasperation, "Do you think I would harm you just because she's a god? All I've done lately, and I still can't get you to treat me like a friend?"

Lun relaxed slightly, but his hand remained on the hilt of the knife, and he said softly, "I'm sorry. I was nervous."

"You know about my past with Vivian; it's hard for me to completely trust other people."

Goria's expression softened somewhat, and she sighed, "You must have had a very difficult time before."

Lun didn't answer that question, but instead said, "My memories of Vivian's biological father are very vague. If she really is a god, then things are very serious."

"Yes." Goria glanced inside the car, a hint of pity on her face, and slowly said, "The birth of offspring by Abyssal Demon Lord is more often for some purpose. The most likely scenario is that one of the Abyssal Demon Lord foresaw its own demise, left behind a god in the mortal realm, and ultimately resurrected through the body of a god after its own fall."

"Two Archfiend have done this before: one was the God of Slaughter, and the other was the God of Tyranny."

"The God of Slaughter failed; the gods he left behind Destruction him, and ultimately the Portfolio of Murder fell into the hands of other Deity. However, the God of Tyranny succeeded; he revived in the body of his heir. Before that pitiful god could even react, he had already been stripped of his Divinity and died, and the God of Tyranny was reborn from his broken body."

Goria sighed and said slowly, "If Vivian is truly a god, then her future path is destined to be extremely difficult!"

Ren's hands were pale from the force of his grip. He stared at Goria before him and said in an unquestionable tone, "I will kill Him! Destruction Him completely! If I can't find Him in the mortal realm, I will go to the Abyss and destroy Him! No one can harm Vivian, not even a god!"

Goria's gaze softened considerably, and she said softly, "This is not merely a clash of strength; it also requires will and conviction!"

"I think you need an ally."

A fair arm reached out; this was the second time Lun had grasped this hand, but the meaning was completely different this time.

... r1152