Sloth's Sweet Dream

Deep within the Sea of Deathly Sand, in stark contrast to the scorching sandstorms outside, a deathly stillness pervades the air, a stillness that wears even the soul.

The air was as thick as liquid, and the light was dim, as if even the sun was too lazy to cast its rays upon it.

Each grain of sand seems to carry the weariness of millions of years, making one feel an inertia to lie down forever and give up everything simply by setting foot here.

This is the unconscious realm of Belial, the "Sin of Sloth"—[The Nihility Nightmare].

Luo Li walked through this sea of sand where even time seemed to have become lazy, the Spacetime Barrier that automatically surrounded her kept out the inert power that was eroding her spirit.

With his current understanding of the rules, Belial's unconsciously dissipated power can no longer have a substantial impact on him.

He could even clearly perceive that in the deepest part of this sea of sand, a vast, chaotic core of consciousness, like a sleeping nebula, was beating slowly like a heart—that was Belial's true form.

Based on his previous efficiency, he could have easily torn through space, appeared directly in front of that core of consciousness, and used absolute power to completely "erasure" it from its slumber.

But just as he was about to make his move, an extremely subtle yet deeply felt fluctuation, like the most cunning venomous snake, bypassed his impenetrable defenses of rules and silently seeped into his consciousness.

This force is not a forceful attack, but rather... a inducement, a resonance.

It amplified the longing deep within Luo Li's heart, a longing that had been frozen but never truly extinguished.

Luo Li's movements stopped.

He could have easily manipulated the power of Spacetime to crush that intrusive, Sloth thought in an instant.

But he didn't.

Because, guided by that force, he "saw"...

What lay before me was no longer a desolate desert, but... warm, bright sunlight streaming through clean glass windows and falling onto the soft carpeted floor.

Outside the window, the sky was a clear blue, with birds occasionally flying by. There were no perpetually looming Blood-Erosion Clouds, and no piercing alarms.

The air was filled with the aroma of breakfast—fried eggs and toast.

"Dad! Lazy Dad! The sun's already high in the sky!"

A clear, childlike voice, still carrying a hint of babyishness, rang in his ears. Immediately afterward, a soft, warm little body pounced on him, shaking his arm vigorously.

Luo Li looked down and saw a delicate, exquisitely beautiful face. Her silver-purple hair was tied into two cute little buns, and her purple eyes were like the purest amethyst. She was pouting and looking at him. It was his younger sister, Shiyi.

"Shiyi, don't disturb Daddy."

Another, slightly more composed, yet equally youthful voice came through.

Shiyu, the older sister, wearing bunny pajamas, carefully walked over, carrying a water glass that was only slightly larger than her small hand. She stood on tiptoe to place it on the bedside table; the glass was more than half full of water.

"Dad, have some water."

Looking at these two lively, warm, noisy little lives, Luo Li felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by something, then suddenly released, and a bittersweet and surging heat instantly overwhelmed all her defenses.

He instinctively reached out and hugged his two daughters tightly. The real, warm touch and their milky breath almost brought tears to his eyes.

This isn't an illusion... This feeling is so real.

"What's wrong? Why are you clinging to your daughters so early in the morning?"

A gentle voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, came from the doorway.

Luo Li suddenly looked up.

Castorice leaned against the door frame, dressed in simple home clothes with an apron tied around her waist, her hands still covered in flour.

Her long, silvery-purple hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and she wore a faint, genuine, and warm smile. Her purple eyes no longer held the coldness and compassion of the River of Souls, but only the gentle radiance of a wife and mother.

She walked over and sat naturally on the edge of the bed, gently wiping away the tears that had involuntarily welled up in Luo Li's eyes, and smiled, "Had a nightmare?"

Luo Li opened her mouth, her throat tightened, and she couldn't utter a single word.

He simply reached out and grasped Castorice's hand tightly.

Everything... is just right.

No vampires, no apocalypse, no loss, no endless killing and cold system quests.

He was just Luo Li, an ordinary man who might be a bit of a homebody, liked playing video games, and had a gentle wife and two adorable daughters.

"Alright, get up and eat breakfast. We still need to take Shiyu Shiyi to kindergarten later."

Castorice gently withdrew her hand, patted his cheek, and said in a light tone.

"Dad, wake up! Today the teacher said she'll teach us how to draw little butterflies!"

Shiyi bounced around in his arms.

"My little water cup..."

Shiyu was still trying to reach her cup.

Seeing this scene before her, the wasteland in Luo Li's heart, covered in blood and frost, seemed to melt away instantly in the warm sunshine and the trivialities of life.

He found out.

He knew this was likely a dream woven by Belial's power, a trap built using his deepest obsessions.

So what?

If this is a trap, he is willing to fall into it.

If reality means losing everything, becoming a demon, struggling in a sea of blood for a vague coordinate.

So he would rather live forever in this false, warm dream.

At least here, Castorice is still here, and Shiyu and Shiyi are growing up healthy and happy.

He slowly closed his eyes, giving up all resistance, letting the Sloth tide of "happiness" completely engulf him.

On the edge of the desert, a fully armed elite reconnaissance team from the Middle East Alliance is using state-of-the-art equipment to remotely monitor energy fluctuations deep within the Sea of Deathly Sand.

A month ago, after that mysterious black-clad powerhouse entered, the sluggish energy field at the core of the desert seemed to fluctuate slightly before becoming even more subdued.

They dared not approach and could only wait on the perimeter.

"Captain, thirty-seven days have passed... and there hasn't been a sound from inside."

One of the team members looked at the unchanging monitoring data and said worriedly.

"That powerful figure... could it be...?"

The other team member didn't dare finish his sentence.

The captain, a burly man with a scar on his face, frowned as he stared at the desolate desert. He said in a deep voice, "Continue monitoring. That level of existence is beyond our comprehension."

Unbeknownst to them, at the heart of that desert, the being capable of slaying gods was not engaged in a fierce battle with a powerful foe, but had deliberately lowered all its defenses and power, immersing itself in a beautiful dream it did not wish to awaken from, like an ordinary, slumbering traveler.

Meanwhile, in Luo Li's personal space, the evolved Xiao Hong was circling anxiously.

She could sense that her master's vital signs were stable, and even... there was an unusual sense of "satisfaction," but his consciousness seemed to be stuck in the deepest quagmire, unresponsive to any calls from the outside world.

"Master! Wake up! This is a fake!"

Xiao Hong tried to impact Luo Li's consciousness with energy, but that Sloth power was like the thickest glue, firmly enveloping and burying his consciousness.

"What should I do, what should I do..."

Xiao Hong was frantic, her four-colored radiance (Greed, Wrath, Lust, and Gluttony) flashing intensely, but she couldn't wake someone who had "voluntarily" fallen asleep.

Until the newly absorbed bright silver light representing "Pride" within her energy sphere seemed to sense something and flickered slightly.

One of the core tenets of Lucifer's "Pride" authority is the absolute recognition of "truth" and "self".

This faint wisp of power was like a tiny spark thrown into thick darkness.

As Luo Li slept, her consciousness, immersed in endless happiness, seemed to be slightly stirred by this natural aversion to falsehood stemming from "Pride."

In a dream.

He was holding Shiyi, watching Shiyu carefully drawing a crooked yet colorful butterfly on the drawing paper. Castorice came over with a plate of cut fruit, her smile gentle.

Everything was unbelievably perfect.

However, at that very moment, Shiyi, nestled in his arms, suddenly raised her head, looking at him with her pure purple eyes. A faint sadness, beyond her years, graced her small face as she softly asked, "Daddy... how much longer... are you going to sleep?"

"Everyone outside... is still waiting for you."

These childlike words, like a thunderclap, exploded in his deep, engrossed mind!

Boom--!!!

The heartwarming scene before me shattered like a broken mirror! The warm sunlight, the smiling faces of my wife and daughters, the warmth of home... everything was twisted, faded, and vanished in an instant.

"No--!!!"

Luo Li let out a silent roar from the depths of her consciousness, trying to grasp the fading phantom.

But that faint power stemming from "Pride," along with Xiao Hong's relentless calls from the outside world and the unwavering obsession with the true answer deep within his heart, pierced through the self-constructed dream barrier like three cold awls.

The coldness and desolation of reality surged back like a tide, completely engulfing him.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

In his pupils, the brief confusion and pain were instantly replaced by the familiar coldness and scarlet.

He still lay in the core of the Sea of Deathly Sand, beneath the cold sand, surrounded by a suffocating realm of Sloth.

More than a month...

He actually spent over a month wallowing in despair here!

For a false dream!

An indescribable rage, mixed with the shame of being fooled and the loathing of his own weakness, erupted in his chest like a volcano.

He slowly stood up, his aura no longer concealed, and the terrifying power of Spacetime rules spread out from him like a tangible storm.

Click--!

The entire [Nihility Nightmare] domain, under the impact of this absolute power, emitted a mournful cry, like shattered glass, as if it could not bear the weight!

"Belial..."

Luo Li's voice was hoarse and cold, containing a killing intent powerful enough to freeze the soul.