Chapter 462
The Demon King, who wove the entire dream world, looked down from the high heavens, as if observing a tiny ecosphere.
The woman continued, her voice tinged with curiosity:
[Really? I thought this was one of the rare times I didn't have bad intentions.]
She used her fingers to manipulate the silk threads, hooking the thorns and giant pea plants.
Those things then began to sway, swinging straight toward the Star Flower.
Behind the Star Flower, several magical flower buds combine and simultaneously unleash Magic Power.
The immense thrust instantly propelled her beyond her previous speed.
Nature also dissipated all these cumbersome attacks.
And after that...
"Ensemble---"
At this moment, Star Flower waved her Magic Wand again, and a large amount of Magic Power light flowed out from the Crystal. Magical flower buds guided the Magic Power in the air to construct a huge magical stage, which instantly floated in the air.
She transformed into her "Final Swan Song" form once more, layering flower buds to form a heavy cannon, which she aimed at the Flower Demon King in the sky.
"-----boom!"
A thousandfold symphony of death erupts forth.
The incredibly powerful sound tore apart the giant demon plant, causing the castle that the giant was playing with to fall from the sky.
It also transformed into a purifying sound, instantly eradicating the Kingdom's curse.
The thorns withered and crumbled, and the false sky shattered as a result.
Behind the curtain of the world, Tachibana's figure collapsed and vanished, leaving only a void, like the reality revealed after a paper background has been torn apart.
The Star Flower continued flying towards the void, casting the previous Magic Spell into it as it did so, creating another door to leave the bubble.
She walked through the door, and behind her, the foam from which she had previously lingered revealed a Kingdom that had just awakened.
When the bubbles of many dreams rushed in, this time Star Flower did not let herself be sucked in.
She instantly used her Magic Power to create a strong wind filled with fragrance and flower petals, blowing away the bubbles she didn't want.
As a Flower, the Star Flower is rapidly adapting to this world.
A few breaths later, Star Flower had deactivated the Magic Stage and switched back to her "Self-Resonating Celestial Sound" form.
She transformed into Witch, gently stepping on a giant bubble, bouncing high into the air, and then leaping to the next bubble.
During this process, Tachibana had already begun launching attacks outside the bubble.
Those unimaginable plants, resembling writhing chaos and burning twilight, stretched out their enormous, shifting bodies from the chaotic and colorful void, approaching the Star Flower and launching an attack.
The Star Flower were arranged in an orderly manner.
As she manipulated the fragrant winds to disperse the bubbles that might have come from citizens in need of protection, she raised her hand to cast a destructive Magic Spell.
Flashes of Magic Power, like shooting stars streaking across the Universe, easily pierced through these dreamlike flower nightmares.
Finally, her gaze settled on one spot during this process.
A bubble that she cared a lot about.
She leaped up, mounted her Magic Wand, and rode towards the bubble. As she plunged in, the entire world inside the bubble was a bottomless abyss of darkness.
Her entire body merged into the darkness:
This is it.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the sound of Star Flower's boots stomping on the floor.
There have been no attacks so far.
After being illuminated by the Magic Power flash, Star Flower saw a scene that surprised her.
What unfolded before her was a vast, mesmerizing, and intricate maze. Just looking at it was enough to make one dizzy. The endless doors and the staggered paths resembled a tangled knot of rope, impossible to untangle.
But the flow of Magic Power clearly shows the path.
She slammed her Magic Wand heavily on the ground—
"----Bang."
A resounding thud.
With a loud "boom," the entire maze was instantly deconstructed into countless building block-like fragments. Star Flower then shook her Magic Wand, and the rooms of the maze rearranged and combined, transforming into clear paths and staircases.
With a light leap, she jumped onto the floating stairs.
After that, it was all uphill.
This is a shortcut to the deepest part of the dream, the most important one among those bubbles, where the Flower Demon King resides. You can go directly from here.
She stepped over floating, swaying steps, traversed through dreamlike bubbles, and crossed one illusory world after another created by the Flower Demon King.
During this time, the Flower Demon King continued to launch attacks, but when he realized that he could not stop Star Flower's progress in any way, he simply stopped.
Occasionally, she would see dream worlds that caught her attention.
That dream world was named "Nightmare".
But it was different from the nightmares I'd had before.
There was nothing scary there, just a dilapidated village full of flowers and a very run-down little wooden house.
This dream bubble is hidden very deep.
Why... why would I have such a dream?
There's nothing much to see there.
The Flower Demon King's calm voice rang out.
The tone suggested a lack of interest in the place, which did not match the facts.
Where am I?
Since it wouldn't delay her journey anyway, Star Flower asked for directions as she went.
This time, the Flower Demon King unusually did not answer every question.
After a while, she said casually:
Even I sometimes have strange dreams.
[For example, dreaming of being a human being.]
[Yes, she was still a weak, poor human being, a little girl.]
Seeing that dilapidated wooden house, one can almost imagine what kind of life that entails.
They lived with hunger, hardship, and death.
But for the Demon King, it was probably just a strange dream, since none of it concerned them.
However, whether it was her imagination or not, Star Flower felt that the Flower Demon King was describing things with great enthusiasm:
[In this nightmare, I have a mother who lives with me. We always live in this dark, cramped, and filthy shack... My mother doesn't seem to like me and is always harsh with me.]
[It's really unpleasant, isn't it?]
Tachibana spoke as if it were something completely unrelated to herself.
Star Flower is not a psychologist.
Once she found a way out, she no longer had time to dwell on the connection between dreams and reality.
Finally, the world returned to the darkness of nothingness.
A long, floating staircase rose before her, leading to the dream where Tachibana resided.
Their pace quickened.
In the darkness behind her, the world was being gradually eroded. The steps she stepped on quickly crumbled and collapsed, chasing after Star Flower's footsteps, but she could never catch up.
At the end of the stairs, at the end of the darkness, there was a faint ray of light.
Finally, the Star Flower passed through the door and arrived at the final dream.
This is where all Magic Power converges.
It was also the bubble of Tachibana's dream that she wanted to make a reality.
She thus saw the source of the light.
It was still dark here, a flat area that stretched out endlessly yet narrowly, without wind or sound.
However, Star Flower did not feel fear.
It is a kind of peace and tranquility, like a mother's embrace, where there is no disturbance, like a place where souls return or where babies are born.
In the dark, open space, there stands a tree.
The tree was neither too big nor too small, just enough to provide shade, and it emitted a faint golden light. Deep within it was embedded a dark golden Magic Wand, while at the top of the tree, the source of light was a fruit that shimmered with golden light.
Amazingly, the ancient, thick, gray branches have formed a cradle-like shape at their base.
A little girl lay quietly in the cradle, looking like she was sleeping soundly.
"Let me tell you another story about a girl who stepped on bread. You used to really like that story..."
The woman's voice spoke softly, as gentle as a lullaby.
A woman sat beside the cradle, gazing at the baby's sleeping face, gently rocking the crib as if trying to deepen the baby's sleep.
Star Flower then noticed that the tone of voice was the same as when she had just spoken to Xinghua.
It turns out that from the very beginning, this woman had actually been telling stories about her dreams here.
"Ah, you've arrived."
Tachibana raised her head and looked at Star Flower.
Star Flower remained silent. If she had to speak, she had countless questions about the woman before her, because their destinies were intertwined.
But for now, let them drift away with the wind.
Her gaze regained its calm and firmness.
"It's time to end this. Give Teacher Haihara, and everyone else back. They're not your toys."
Star Flower reached out her hand to the Flower Demon King.
"I didn't treat them as toys."
The Flower Demon King smiled.
She slowly rose, her long dress, woven from flowers, cascading down to the ground, as if blooming naturally on the dark earth itself.
The woman raised her hand, her fingertips gently extending, and the tree burst into life, tender buds sprouting from its branches:
"I responded to people's wishes and wove beautiful dreams for them, and now I have the opportunity to turn those dreams into reality and achieve happiness. Isn't that a good thing?"
The buds entwined around my fingers, and then blossomed into flowers, Flower Above holding a dreamy bubble that radiated an incredible light.
There were people laughing inside.
Star Flower remained unmoved:
"A dream is just a dream, it's not real. If it could become real, why would you do all this? Why not just have a beautiful dream for yourself?"
"You hate dreaming more than anyone else, so stop saying these hypocritical things."
After Star Flower finished speaking, Tachibana looked surprised.
Her melancholy eyes gazed for a moment at the girl before her who looked remarkably like herself, and she said with a hint of amusement:
"You've suddenly become very mature."
Tachibana closed her eyes.
At this moment, Star Flower realized that the light from the fruit at the top of the tree was growing brighter and brighter.
It not only shines brightly, but the dream it reveals also begins to manifest in images.
That dream was a dream the girl had.
Another person— Kazama Kiriori —was also trapped in that dream.