"The Nightmare Hydra, a life form of the Eternity Realm, is eroding our dimension with its Nightmares Mist. To date, over ten thousand planes have fallen, and many more are in the process of being eroded. The spread of the Mist is accelerating, and if it cannot be contained in a short time, the entire Fantasy Dimension will be devoured by the Nightmare Hydra."
A low murmur of discussion filled the hall. Eternity being—a being surpassing even the Supreme God, a being that even the Lord of No Void had to exert his full strength to contend with. Could these travelers possibly contend with such an enemy?
Dusk Star clearly saw the doubts in everyone's eyes and continued, "I know what you're thinking. An enemy of the Eternity Realm is not someone we can confront head-on. However, the Nightmare Hydra's goal is the entire Fantasy Dimension; its power must be dispersed across countless planes. The erosion of each plane, the spread of each wisp of Nightmares Mist, all require the consumption of its power. And our mission is—"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over each traveler present.
"To consume His maximum power at the lowest cost."
"We must descend upon those planes that are being corrupted, clear away the Nightmares Mist, slay the Nightmares Beasts, and protect the planes' origins. For every plane saved, the Nightmare Hydra loses a portion of its sustenance; for every high-ranking Nightmares Beast slain, the Nightmare Hydra loses a portion of its power. Little by little, like grains of sand forming a tower, when its power is weakened to a certain degree, the Lord of No Void will be able to find its true form and confront it head-on."
"This is a war of attrition," Dusk Star's voice was firm and powerful. "A war of attrition that spans the entire Fantasy Dimension. Each of us is a pawn in this war, but it is the combined efforts of countless pawns that will ultimately lead to victory."
"Now, choose your tasks."
Countless light screens appeared in the hall, each displaying information about a plane and its level of crisis. Some planes had completely fallen, marked in black—travelers to those planes didn't need to be saved, as there was nothing left to save; some planes were being eroded, marked in red—these were priority targets for rescue; some planes showed signs of Nightmares Mist, marked in yellow—these required preventative measures.
The travelers began their journey.
Some chose the red missions, rushing headlong into the corresponding Space-Time vortexes without hesitation; some chose the yellow missions, forming teams to travel to planes that had not yet fallen but were already showing signs of collapse; some even chose the black missions—not for rescue, but for investigation, to gather information about the Nightmare Hydra, and to find a way to combat the Nightmares Mist.
Dusk Star herself also chose a red-level mission—the "Starlight Plane" in the Fifth Ring Domain, a plane renowned for its starlight magic, which is currently showing serious signs of Nightmares corruption. She needs to lead an elite squad to clear away the Nightmares Mist before the Starlight Plane completely falls.
"Careful."
The Shadow Demon's voice came from behind her. Dusk Star turned around and saw the figure under the gray cloak slowly dissipating— the Shadow Demon had chosen his mission and left the hall.
"You too," Dusk Star said softly, then turned and walked towards her own Space-Time vortex.
Starlight Plane.
This is a plane that uses starlight as its energy source. Countless stars forever hang in the sky, each a powerful energy source. The beings of the Starlight Plane are called "Starborn," and they can absorb the power of starlight, transforming it into various magic and abilities. The guardians of the Starlight Plane are the "Star Crown Council," composed of seven of the most powerful Starborn Mage, who jointly govern the Fate of the plane.
When Dusk Star's team arrived in the Starlight Plane, the situation there was already worse than described in the reports.
The stars in the sky are dying out one by one.
It wasn't just being obscured or hidden; it was a true extinguishing—those stars that had existed for countless millennia lost their light under the erosion of the Nightmares Mist, turning into dark purple dead stars. With each star extinguished, the power of the Starlight Plane weakened, and the magic of the Starborn diminished.
"The Nightmare Hydra is draining the power of the stars," said a seasoned traveler, Dusk Star's second-in-command, in a deep voice. "The stars of the Starlight Plane are not merely energy sources, but also the carriers of the dreams of the plane's inhabitants. Each star carries the dreams and hopes of countless Starborn. When a star goes out, it means those dreams and hopes have been devoured by the Nightmares."
Dusk Star gripped the staff in her hand tightly—a staff crafted from black crystal, with silver light flowing through its shaft, her most trusted companion in countless missions.
"Find the Star Crown Council first," she said. "The Starborn need unified command, otherwise they will be picked off one by one by the Nightmares Mist."
The squad flew through the dim starlight of the night sky, heading towards the "Star Crown Tower" at the center of the Starlight Plane. The Star Crown Tower was a towering spire that reached into the clouds, constructed of Starlight Crystal. It was the location of the Star Crown Council and the energy center of the entire Starlight Plane.
When they arrived at the Star Crown Tower, they found it in ruins.
The Star Crown Tower had collapsed more than halfway, with the corpses of the Starborn scattered among the ruins. Dark purple Nightmares mist surged through the ruins, and countless Nightmares Beasts roamed among them, gnawing on the remaining starlight on the corpses.
"Damn it, we're too late," one of the travelers cursed.
Dusk Star remained silent, her gaze sweeping across the ruins, searching for signs of life. Suddenly, she sensed something, and with a flick of her staff, a silver blade of light slashed into the depths of the ruins.
The blade of light cleaved through a pile of rubble, revealing the scene below—a Starborn Mage lay in a pool of blood, covered in wounds, but his chest was still rising and falling; he was still alive.
Dusk Star flew down and landed beside the Starborn Mage. She quickly examined his injuries—a comminuted fracture of his left arm, at least four broken ribs, and a large amount of Nightmares Toxin in his body, but the most fatal wound was to his head: the right half of his skull was caved in, and dark purple mist was seeping out from the caved-in.
"Hold on!" Twilight Star General his power into the Starborn Mage, attempting to Purification the Nightmares Toxin within him.
The Starborn Mage opened his eyes; they were bloodshot, pupils unfocused. He saw Dusk Star, his lips trembling as he uttered a weak sound.
"Dream... Nightmares... Hydra... is not... the only... enemy..."
"What?" Dusk Star leaned down, trying to hear his words clearly.
"And... and there is... one... being... helping... He... time... of time..."
The Starborn Mage didn't finish his sentence.
His eyes suddenly widened, and a golden light, unlike anything Dusk Star had ever seen, shone in his pupils. The light surged from his eye sockets, instantly enveloping his entire body, and then—he vanished.
It wasn't death, it wasn't turning to Ashes, it was being erased from the timeline.
It was as if he had never existed.
Dusk Star abruptly stood up, her staff held horizontally in front of her, and warily scanned her surroundings. Her heart suddenly raced, and an unprecedented sense of fear rose from the depths of her heart.
The power of time.
That is the power of time.
Someone—or some being—has just completely erased that Starborn Mage from the timeline. Not killed, not annihilated, but rendered never born, never existed, never uttered the name that was about to be uttered.
"Dusk Star? What's wrong?" Her deputy noticed her unusual behavior and flew over to ask.
Dusk Star took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She knew that this message had to be delivered to the Lord of No Void immediately— the Nightmare Hydra was not fighting alone; He had an ally, an ally who wielded the power of time.
"Send a message back to the Fantasy Hall immediately," Dusk Star said in a low voice. "Tell the Lord of No Void the Nightmare Hydra has accomplices who wield the power of time and are of extremely high level, possibly at the Eternity Realm."
The deputy's face turned deathly pale instantly, but he didn't ask any questions and immediately turned to deliver the message.
Dusk Star looked at the ruins again and gripped her staff tightly.
This war is more complex than they imagined.
As the Nightmares Mist spreads, the Lord of No Void continues to search for the true form of the Nightmare Hydra.
This is not an easy task.
The Nightmare Hydra is a life form of the Eternity Realm, whose existence transcends conventional Space-Time dimensions. It can exist simultaneously in countless planes, countless timelines, and countless possibilities. Its "true form" is more like a concept than a physical entity. To find it, one must first force it to concentrate its power at a single point.
And this is gradually becoming apparent.
As the Nightmares Mist continues to spread throughout the Fantasy Dimension, the Nightmare Hydra is forced to expend increasing amounts of power to maintain Mist operation. Every wisp of Mist, every Nightmares Beast, and every corrupted plane is an extension of its power. When these extensions reach a certain scale, its true form can no longer remain hidden.
The Lord of No Void stood at the highest point of the Fantasy Hall, the Starry Sky in his eyes spinning rapidly. His gaze pierced through the barriers of countless planes, through the veil of Nightmares Mist, through the distortion of Space-Time, locking onto a single direction.
That place is the deepest part of the Fantasy Dimension.
An area that has never been explored before.
A place that even the Lord of No Void has never set foot in.
The "heart" of the Fantasy Dimension.
"I see," the Lord of No Void murmured, "You planted the seed in my heart."
The next moment, His figure vanished from the Fantasy Hall.
The heart of the Fantasy Dimension is a place that does not exist on any map.
It exists not in any realm, not in any plane, not even in any describable space. It is the primordial condensation of the Fantasy Dimension, the source of all dreams, the starting point of all fantasies. It has no shape, no color, no size, because it is itself the prototype of the concepts of "shape, color, and size."
At this moment, this sacred place has been defiled.
Dark purple Nightmares mist coiled around the heart's surface like vines, drawing nourishment from the ever-emerging new dreams. Within the mist was a colossal silhouette—nine heads, a mountain-like body, and dark purple scales that shimmered eerily in the light of the dreamscape.
The true form of the Nightmare Hydra resides atop the heart of the Fantasy Dimension.
He is eating.
No, more accurately, He is parasitic.
He did not destroy the heart, because destroying the heart would cause the entire Fantasy Dimension to collapse, and a collapsed dimension is of no value to Him. What He wanted was a living, healthy heart that continuously produced dreams, just as a beast does not want to kill its prey, but rather to keep it in captivity and cut a piece of fresh flesh from it every day.
He wants to turn the Fantasy Dimension into His pasture.
The moment the Lord of No Void appeared in the Land of the Heart, the entire space trembled. His star-studded robes shone with unprecedented brilliance in this sacred place, and countless stars swirled around him, like a miniature universe.
"Nightmare Hydra."
The voice of the Lord of No Void echoed in the Land of the Heart, each word containing the power of the entire Fantasy Dimension.
All nine heads turned toward Him at the same time.
Countless afterimages of the devoured worlds were reflected in the eighteen pupils, churning, struggling, and screaming within them, yet forever unable to escape. The Nightmare Hydra slowly grinned, revealing a greedy smile.
"Lord of No Void." His voice seemed to echo from countless Abyss simultaneously, "Guardian of the Fantasy Dimension. We meet again."
"Get out of my dimension."
"Your dimension?" Nightmare Hydra let out a low, earth-shattering laugh. "No, Lord of No Void. This dimension has never belonged to you, nor to the Astral Realm. It belongs to all beings capable of dreaming, and I am the end of all dreams. You guard it, I devour it—we are simply doing what we are meant to do."
"What you devoured were the hopes of living beings, the fruits of civilization, the dreams woven by countless people throughout their lives." The Lord of No Void's voice was filled with suppressed rage. "You are not worthy of being called 'what should be done'."
"Hope? Crystallization? Dreams?" A head of the Nightmare Hydra spewed out a dark purple mist. "What is the essence of those things? It's energy. Energy that the Fantasy Dimension draws from the Astral Realm. I devour them as naturally as you breathe air. Lord of No Void, don't imbue your role with too much morality—you are not Champion, you are merely an organ in the Astral Realm's digestive system."
"What I choose to be is not for you to define."
The Lord of No Void raised his right hand, and the power of dreams throughout the entire Land of the Heart began to converge upon Him. Seven-colored light condensed in His palm, transforming into a spear forged from pure fantasy power. The spear's light was so dazzling that even the eighteen pupils of the Nightmare Hydra involuntarily narrowed slightly.
"Final warning, Nightmare Hydra. Exit the Fantasy Dimension, abandon all corrupted planes, and surrender all the Nightmares Seeds you have buried. Otherwise—"