Dragon of Nightmare

The Elf King employed the unknown authority at his command, and the Ancient Sun God made a reasonable response.

The eyes within the Curtain of Shadows opened, and the aura of "Corruption" caused a mutation in the ocean composed of sunlight.

Pitch-black, viscous, corrupted energy emerged from thin air and merged into the sunlight, turning that pure sea of light into something dark and profound.

The Sun, usually the nemesis of all evil, did not purify this "Corruption"; instead, it fused with it, transforming into a deep, gloomy ocean.

Chaos Sea?! Truman was shocked; that deep ocean truly resembled the Chaos Sea.

"If you add the 'Mind' of the Dragon, the 'Ocean' of the Tyrant, and the 'Knowledge' of the White Tower, it would be even more alike..."

Indeed, everything had a trail to follow.

The Elf King and the Ancient Sun God reached a stalemate once more. The Elf King lacked the power to break it, while the Ancient Sun God remained on guard against the other Ancient Gods.

This battle would likely last a long time, until it drew all eyes toward this place.

Perhaps it was when the Giant Race mobilized to attack the Elven Divine Kingdom, the Giant King stood off against the Phoenix, and Truman faced the natural disaster head-on, that certain places began to move as well.

The timing was chosen with extreme cunning. The Dragon of Imagination had left the Elven Sea, and even the Demon Monarch was crawling out of the Abyss due to the turbulence in the seas.

No one was paying attention to anything outside the war of the gods.

This was a human city-state outside the City of Miracles.

Looking up from here, one could see that City of Miracles suspended in the air, never touching the ground.

It was a genuine miracle, one that made the humans of this region worship the Dragon with fanaticism, leading to the development of a remarkably vibrant dragon culture.

However, the gods did not care. In the eyes of the gods, humans were too insignificant; their worship meant nothing to the Dragon.

Under the existence of the Dragon of Imagination, the entire Dragon race's need for faith had dropped to a minimum, and humans held no value in their eyes.

The gaze of the Dragon of Imagination never fell here. Occasionally, when a dragon flew past, it would only sweep a few glances, as if counting its food supply.

Only when humans offered sacrifices would a dragon descend to the ground, swallowing a few "offerings" filled with fear or surprise.

If the dragon were in a good mood, it might respond, listening to the humans' pleas and completing simple tasks.

If the dragon were in a bad mood, it would bring down disasters—frost, storms, fire. The more terrified the humans were, the more elaborate the rituals might become, and more humans praying simultaneously helped the dragon stabilize its own state.

On the edge of the City of Miracles' sphere of influence stood a city-state that even other dragons avoided.

This was the territory of Alsuhod, the Dragon of Nightmare.

The Dragon of Nightmare was unique even among the Dragon race, with a nature more malicious than the average evil dragon. He took pleasure in dominating the minds of living creatures, making them act according to his will.

These creatures naturally found it hard to perceive or escape, believing these thoughts to be their own, until the final outcome became the most terrifying and horrific of nightmares.

"ROAR!" A silent roar echoed within the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness of everyone in this City of Nightmares.

A miraculous power rippled through, causing everyone's thoughts to grow frantic, gradually forgetting their own intentions, and preparing for a carnival of dancing with monsters.

"Fall asleep." Before the classic tragedy of father killing son and son slaying father could unfold, specks of starlight drifted down from the sky, which resembled a Night Veil, causing everyone to fall into a deep slumber and find a moment of peace.

"Who!?" A dragon's roar resounded through the entire city, and a dragon head emerged from the illusory sea of consciousness.

A figure slowly materialized. It was a beautiful figure clad in a dark, shimmering black robe, wearing a hood with a light veil obscuring her eyes.

"I know you!" The dragon head watched the Angel of Concealment as she slowly appeared. A dazzling light flashed in his dragon eyes before he spoke, "The secret sect among humans!"

"But this is all fake; I know your true origin." The Dragon of Nightmare exposed the Angel of Concealment's background, "You are an angel under the Goddess of Misfortune!"

"Misfortune betrayed the Demon Wolf and seized the greatest benefits..." The Dragon of Nightmare recounted the events of those years in a chanting tone.

"Why have you come to my territory!" In a flash, the Dragon of Nightmare retreated into the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness, his dragon eyes fixed on the Angel of Concealment, flickers of murderous intent gleaming within.

As a Sequence 1 of the "Dragon" pathway, he lacked none of the traits of this sequence.

He observed the Angel of Concealment, searching for an opportunity to kill her in a single strike.

"Do you wish to replace Misfortune and cooperate with my Father God?" The Dragon of Nightmare manipulated a human closest to the Angel of Concealment to speak.

"Misfortune will eventually have to face the Giant Race, and only we Dragons can contend with the giants."

After saying this, the manipulated human collapsed, and another stood up.

"You want to cooperate with us against the giants?"

"That is a very reasonable choice; Misfortune has seized her only chance at survival!"

The Dragon of Nightmare constantly shifted his position within the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness, and he kept changing the human bodies he controlled.

This was cautious enough; except for his Father God, absolutely no god could lock onto his location.

And the opponent was merely a Sequence 2 angel.

"The Dragon pathway is indeed powerful." The Angel of Concealment spoke for the first time, filled with admiration, having reached a certain agreement with one of Truman's viewpoints, "You are worthy of being an 'Author'."

"You think too much."

"Psychic Domination" was completely useless!

The eyes of the Dragon of Nightmare flashed, and the numerous runes on his body shone. He stared intently at the Angel of Concealment as invisible power surged.

Every sentence before this had been a guide, steering the psychology of this Angel of Concealment. This was the power of an "Author" to guide history, but some invisible force had blocked this suggestion.

The dragon head of the Dragon of Nightmare in the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness shook; he had already moved far away from the City of Nightmares.

The Dragon of Nightmare had made full preparations the moment the Angel of Concealment appeared; the one who spoke initially had already been his virtual persona.

His true body had since hidden in the deepest realm of the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness.

Even while the virtual persona was speaking, he was making various arrangements. The abilities of an "Author" allowed him to orchestrate all sorts of "coincidences."

For instance, Herabogen, atop the City of Miracles, might coincidentally discover that he was not in the City of Miracles, begin searching, and cast his gaze toward the City of Nightmares.

Once a battle broke out here, Herabogen would quickly summon all the dragons of the City of Miracles and march here!

Or, perhaps a human in the City of Nightmares would unconsciously call out the honorific name of his Father God upon waking, drawing his Father God's gaze.

Such things were enough to ensure his safety.

"So, are you prepared?" The Angel of Concealment spoke again. This time, her gaze looked directly into the Sea of Collective Subconsciousness, as if she could pierce through its obstacles and reach the very depths!