The real threat

The heavy, icy pond water swallowed Lin Yu, enveloping his body and plunging him into boundless darkness.

The heavy pressure from the water was coming from all directions, and this pressure was constantly changing—making Lin Yu feel less like he was sinking and more like he was being sucked in by a giant whale.

At the same time, Lin Yu could feel that his body was also growing rapidly during this process, and that Xia Yue was rapidly transforming from a "childhood" Xia Yue into an adult Xia Yue.

This experience is like Conan turning back into Shinichi Kudo after taking the antidote developed by Ai Haibara.

However, these feelings were fleeting, as the process of "growing up again" happened very quickly.

Soon...

Growth has stopped.

Although his body is now almost fully mature, Lin Yu can still quickly determine... based on his control over his body and his self-awareness.

I'm not back to my usual "Zhu Ming" state now; I'm even younger—probably around seventeen or eighteen years old.

And after the body stops growing...

The surrounding darkness receded.

The damp, cold, oppressive, and dark feeling disappeared along with it.

Instead, there was a bright room.

Bright, spacious, and warm.

However, the atmosphere in this room was not relaxing.

The room is decorated in a simple black and white color scheme, with a plain white wreath and a black coffin placed in the center.

On the wall behind the coffin hung a huge character for "memorial" and Posthumous Portrait of the deceased.

Lin Yu had indeed seen this Posthumous Portrait before...

Lin Yu had seen the unassuming middle-aged man in the photo on the altar in Xia Yue's home.

Without a doubt... that was Xia Yue's deceased father.

Looking at the photo, Lin Yu realized that it must have been the day of Xia Yue's father's funeral.

He stared blankly at the coffin. The glass frame of the Posthumous Portrait reflected Xia Yue's figure, dressed in a white shirt and sweatpants as mourning clothes. Her expressionless face overlapped with her father's smiling face.

Xia Yue doesn't look much like her father. Her mouth, nose, and eyes resemble her mother's. Only when her eyebrows, brow bones, and cheekbones overlap can you see that she is exactly like her father.

Lin Yu stared silently at the coffin and the Posthumous Portrait for a long time before speaking in a low voice.

"This isn't just Nightmare about the 'present' and the 'future,' it's still my 'past.'"

"And this time, I'm not even afraid at all—my father died of illness... 'Birth, aging, sickness, and death' are things that humans are powerless to change."

"So, I'm not afraid... I'm just very sad and nostalgic about this experience."

"Even if I dream of it again, while it's definitely not a good dream, it wouldn't be Nightmare for me either."

Lin Yu spoke softly, and behind her, the voice of the God of Shadows rang out.

I know.

Lin Yu turned around and saw the God of Shadows, who was dressed very simply and plainly in a black dress. This outfit was indeed very appropriate for a funeral.

He even brought a small bouquet of white flowers—a bouquet of Chamomile.

"You really do look like you're here for my father's funeral..."

Lin Yu looked at the God of Shadows and said with a hint of helplessness.

"So—that's all? Is this the 'Nightmare' you find even more unbearable than the childhood trauma we just experienced?"

"You're not going to suddenly make my father sit up in his coffin and strangle me, are you?"

The God of Shadows shook his head.

"I didn't have that kind of thought. If I had to say something... this is just the beginning."

"This isn't the whole Nightmare I've prepared for you, nor is it the main part... it's just the opening act."

As he spoke, the God of Shadows quietly stepped forward and placed the white Chamomile in front of Xia Yue's father's coffin.

After He placed the flower down, a melodious bell suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"When--!"

The loud and lingering sound of the bell rang out, leaving Lin Yu momentarily dazed, as if his mind had been shaken by the sound.

Hearing such a bell in this context inevitably evokes a sense of sorrow and desolation.

Lin Yu found it hard not to interpret the bell's sound as a "death knell."

And at the very moment that awe-inspiring bell rang, Lin Yu also felt...

She suddenly felt more mature—now, Xia Yue's body was in her twenties at this point in time, which was the same state as "Zhu Ming".

Lin Yu slowly touched his cheek, and then discovered...

The mourning hall before me, like my own body, has undergone some subtle changes once again.

The coffins became made of more expensive and luxurious materials, but they were also smaller in size.

And the hanging Posthumous Portrait has changed to... Xia Yang's appearance.

The little girl's photo wasn't showing her smiling; she was simply gazing calmly at the camera—at this moment, Xia Yue's face was once again reflected in the glass frame, and it overlapped with the portrait in the photo by about seven or eight points.

This time, however, the person outside the picture frame is younger.

Meanwhile, the one inside the frame is more serene.

Of course... the expression on Lin Yu's face at this moment was not a smile, but rather...

Anger.

His face was as cold as Wasteland ground, and his eyes, fixed on the God of Shadows beside him, were sharp and murderous.

"Is this your... 'Nightmare'?"

"Even more clumsy than before, even despicable... This is less about creating fear and despair and more about a threat, the most foolish and boring threat ever—what a waste of my expectations and admiration for you," Lin Yu, trying to keep his tone calm, but the heavier breathing revealed that his words were now underpinned by anger. "You emphasized earlier that you could make the 'Nightmare' Make It Real, just for this moment? Do you think... you're so clever?"

The God of Shadows relished Lin Yu's anger and laughed at Lin Yu's direct denigration.

"Hehe, I didn't know you had this side to you! That's so cute!"

"However... I think you've misunderstood. I didn't intentionally create this Nightmare; it's just your worry and fear—as I said, it's your own Nightmare originating from your 'present' state."

"This is God of Shadows analyzed," he said.

"You must be very worried and concerned about your sister's safety right now... You're afraid she might suddenly die in an accident, and you're afraid of involving her in danger—not just your sister, but also your family and other friends who have nothing to do with this Game."

"This is your anxiety, your worry... This isn't a scene I created for you to see; it's a picture you've unconsciously imagined deep down."

As the God of Shadows spoke, he gently raised his hand, and then many images flashed before Lin Yu's eyes.

Xia Yang gets into a car accident on the road, Xia Yang who falls down the stairs, Xia Yang who is contacted by the "Psychology Society", Xia Yang who encounters Yaomo in the [Instance]...

The girl's terrified and vulnerable appearance flashed by like a revolving lantern, prompting Lin Yu to fiercely dig his fingernails into his palm, stopping the replay of these images.

"Enough!"

Lin Yu growled in a low voice, then repeated, "I said... that's enough!"

Although he was not Xia Yue, as a Method Acting Actor, Lin Yu was completely immersed in his performance, even thinking according to the behavior patterns of the character he was playing, as if a part of himself had truly become another person.

Although Lin Yu retains a part of his "self" deep within him to examine these performances, that part and the part he is immersed in can coexist—especially after Lin Yu gained Mental Power and the ability to divide his soul, he was able to separate these two parts more freely.

Therefore, although Xia Yue had long since died, these resurfaced aspects were indeed the "anxiety" and "worry" that Lin Yu had genuinely experienced while portraying Xia Yue.

This is... a genuine product.

The images flooding his mind abruptly stopped, but Lin Yu repeated them a third time, his lips trembling.

"... Enough! Enough!"

He looked at the God of Shadows and slapped his own cheeks hard with both hands.

"Smack!"

After the crisp sound, Lin Yu's eyes regained their clarity, and he then looked at the God of Shadows, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"But after all your explanations... it's still just intimidation!"

"And it's just a bluff and intimidation!"

"Just like you can't kill me... you can't hurt my family, you can't hurt my mother and sister!"

"Because it's very simple. You are Deity, but you are only Deity —even the 'Death game' cannot directly exert much influence on the world I inhabit. The World Will of Other Worlds is powerless after the 'Player' leaves their world."

"So... you couldn't possibly have the means to directly kill my sister or my mother—it's just that 'Nightmare Make It Real' can't do that—because our world seems more special, and compared to any of the Ten Realms, even the Divine Realm and the Gray Domain Realm, it seems... more independent."

"Your Authority cannot interfere with the world we inhabit."

As Lin Yu spoke, the God of Shadows nodded, surprisingly admitting it readily.

"Smart—although I know you know a lot more than what's required for your current Divine Rank, it's still quite impressive that you were able to recognize and analyze this!"

"That's right, I can't influence people in your world who are completely unrelated to this 'Death game'..."

At this point, the God of Shadows paused for a moment.

"But... the people you care about, your family and friends, don't seem to be just those irrelevant people, do they?"

"I've noticed that you also have many close and caring people within the 'Player' community!"

At this point, the God of Shadows laughed.

"This time I can tell you, I really am threatening you!"