"You've lost!" the Devil Clan laughed.
Nobody knows how three dice, each with a maximum value of six, could roll to produce a nineteen.
Strangely, to Gustavo, the nineteen points before him were remarkably harmonious, and he couldn't find any fault with them.
He understood that his perception or some emotion had been silently altered; it must be the ability of the Devil Clan before him, the Devils of Hell Clan being most adept at this.
but...
"Who said you won?"
Gustavo raised an eyebrow and slowly lifted the dice cup in his hand.
Inside the dice cup, one of the three dice had split in the middle, the split being extremely smooth.
9 PM!
Seeing this, the Devil Clan's face instantly turned "ugly," but rules are rules, and he lost.
"The price I paid for losing was being locked in a cage, so what was the price you paid for losing?" Gustavo flipped the dice cup in his hand, a half-smile on his face.
The Devil Clan's pupils flickered with flames. He didn't speak, but simply raised his dark skeletal hand, pressed it against his brow, and grabbed hard. With the pupils flickering violently, a ball of pure white flame was pulled out.
Gustavo could clearly sense that the Devil Clan ' aura had diminished significantly. Since everyone here was composed of souls, this meant his soul's strength had been greatly weakened, so...
His gaze was fixed on the pure white flame before him, "The origin of the soul?"
A moment of silence followed.
Clearly, the Devil Clan didn't intend to answer, but this could be taken as an admission.
"How could I possibly accept that?!" Gustavo rubbed his hands together, but his actions were unwavering. He reached out and caught the ball of pure white flame, swallowing it whole!
The Soul Devourer activated, its flames being stretched into countless threads that seeped into every part of the body. A powerful soul force surged like the ocean tide, rising slowly in a wave-like manner. The original bottleneck was stretched and cracked, with more and more gaps appearing...
Boom!!
A deafening roar echoed in his mind, and the light in Gustavo's eyes vanished instantly, leaving them empty. But upon closer inspection, one would find that this was not a simple emptiness, but rather a kind of inclusiveness and profundity, like Black Hole in the depths of the universe, expanding and devouring all things.
Throughout this process, the Devil Clan stood quietly, seemingly calm, but in reality, judging from the trembling flames in his eyes, he was far from being as indifferent as he appeared.
After a long while, Gustavo's soul strength jumped to the Tier Fourteen.
If I had known earlier, his current physical life level was only at the Tier Nine, a difference of Tier Five, a world of difference.
This is not a good thing. An overly powerful soul can exert intense pressure on the body, and if the two become unbalanced, it could lead to dire consequences.
However, Gustavo was not in a hurry. He was already capable of breaking through to the Legendary rank. Once he left the Soul Secret Land this time, he could directly advance. At that time, both of them would be at the Sanctuary level. Even if his soul strength increased by several levels, it would not have any substantial impact.
"Hmph... What delicious food! It's a pity there's only one!" Gustavo licked his lips, looking at the Devil Clan in front of him with eager anticipation. The demon's skull was filled with black light, a manifestation of anger, just like a human roaring with a flushed face in fury.
Seeing this, Gustavo shrugged. "Tsk, you're really easy to tease. Alright, this hurdle is over. Now, what other tricks does your master have up his sleeve? Show them to us. Land of Nightmares? That's all? That's too lame."
Faced with the provocation of the ants below, the hazy will of the Land of Nightmares was enraged once more. Black lightning flashed in the vortex of black mist above, and a terrifying pressure permeated every corner of the place. However, the rules of the Land of Nightmares not only restrict those who enter, but also the Nightmare Land itself, which is also bound by the rules.
In short, this will is nothing but impotent rage, incapable of producing any real action.
That's why Gustavo dared to provoke them time and time again.
Boom!!
Dark lightning surged across the sky, striking Gustavo directly and startling him. However, when he came to his senses, he realized that it was just a teleportation technique. It seemed that he had indeed angered the will of the Land of Nightmares quite a bit, for he had actually used such a childish method to scare it.
"However... this will is far too emotional. Is it because there's something different about the core that constitutes the Land of Nightmares?" Gustavo pondered to himself, stroking his chin. According to the information he knew, the will of the Land of Nightmares was generally extremely indifferent. Such impotent rage was unlikely to occur under normal circumstances, unless there was a problem with its underlying logic.
Thinking this, Gustavo looked up ahead. It was the interior of a large hall, probably several thousand square meters in size. At the far end was a dark throne, upon which sat a sleeping, powerful figure.
It was five meters tall just sitting there, its body covered in white bone armor, with strong and powerful exposed muscles. There were strangely shaped exhaust vents in some places, and twisted and eerie patterns covered its body. Its hands, each with ten fingers, were folded together and pressed against a large sword stuck in the ground in front of it.
The overwhelming, oppressive feeling made Gustavo's heart sink.
Based on his experience, he judged that the combat power of the thing in front of him was at least at the upper-level of the Epic.
Judging from this situation, does it mean I should fight him?
As the corner of his mouth twitched, the evil figure on the throne suddenly raised his head, his two pairs of indifferent dark pupils staring straight at him with an indescribable Haki. At the same time, a wave of energy, like that of a dream, spread out and enveloped the entire hall. This was the Nightmare Domain!
The figure before them was none other than a projection of the power of the Land of Nightmares!
"This is not scientific!" Gustavo grabbed his hair. How could the Land of Nightmares generate a power projection? This is completely different from the description in the Inherited Memory.
Thump!!
The Nightmare Projection gave Gustavo no time to think. This was clearly a ruthless and taciturn character. The moment he stood up, he pulled the greatsword from the ground. With a whoosh, black and red flames instantly spread from the blade, almost simultaneously reaching Gustavo's feet.
Unlike ordinary flames that are scorching and explosive, this flame gives people a cold and vicious feeling, as if it is a treacherous insect hidden in the darkness, sneaking into your flesh, bones, and even brain when you are not paying attention, silently eroding and gnawing at you until you are reduced to nothingness.
It's impossible to win!
Gustavo instantly realized that he wouldn't be able to withstand the intensity of the flames for long, and judging from the opponent's posture, the subsequent attacks would definitely be a torrential downpour!
Then you'll have to ask someone else to play for you!
He reached up and pressed his hand to his chest, where two silver runes appeared, representing his parents' love.
Last time it was Spider Mom's turn, this time it's Dad's turn!
With the mindset of not favoring one over the other, Gustavo activated the spatial marker on the right.
At the same time, the Nightmare Projection disappeared from the throne, and the next moment, a suffocating sense of oppression came from behind. Before the sharpness of the sword even reached him, his skin felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Boom!!
The blade struck Gustavo's body squarely, yet it didn't penetrate his flesh even a fraction. Gustavo had somehow turned around, and his hand, covered in a silver Radiance, acted like an unbreakable shield, firmly blocking the Nightmare Projection's attack.
The Spider Dad's method of support differs from that of the Spider Mom; the latter descends directly, while the former projects his power for Gustavo to use.
Undoubtedly, Spider Dad's method is more effective in training people.
Feeling the power surging within him, Gustavo seemed to have returned to his past life, to the body of Peak Epic martial artist, which was just as powerful and mesmerizing.
"Hey cutie, round two begins!"
The expanding power filled his mind as well. Gustavo laughed wildly, and a torrent of energy poured out from his body, transforming into countless energy fists that crashed down in an overwhelming manner.
The aura of the Nightmare Projection remained unchanged, as if it could only exist in this state. A robot without emotions, Gustavo couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease, as if this guy in front of him should be the will of the Land of Nightmares.
Ding ding ding!!
The energy fist collided with the greatsword, producing a crisp metallic clang. The resulting shockwave, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, swept across the hall, yet caused not a single scratch.
The immense power allowed Gustavo to fully unleash the power of [Epic Combat Skills Lv45] for the first time. Wherever his fists passed, everything was torn apart and destroyed with overwhelming force, and a Destruction tidal wave was brewing on his fists.
Until one day, we reach our peak!
"Fist of Destruction!!"
Gustavo's expression was fanatical; his right arm swelled up to the size of a circle, his skin turned from fair to dark, and countless threads were wrapped around his entire arm, intersecting each other to create a destructive aura.
Boom!!
The fist fell, traversing space and giving the Nightmare Projection no time to react, striking directly into his chest.
Thump!!
The Nightmare Projection flew backward, a huge hole torn open in its chest. Strangely, there was no sign of injury, as if the flesh and blood had been fundamentally shattered back to their original form.
This is precisely the terrifying aspect of the Fist of Destruction. It is a martial arts technique that Gustavo created in his previous life, inspired by the arcane mage's "Greater Dispel Magic. In another dimension, he once shattered an abandoned planet with a single punch.
At his peak, this move could even force Demigod to temporarily retreat.
Of course, while it brings great power, it also has many side effects, the most obvious being a significant reduction in strength.
However, with the support of his Spider Dad Sylvain, Gustavo's power is now inexhaustible, and he has no fear of depletion.
After shattering the Nightmare Projection with a single punch, another Fist of Destruction followed. The terrifying force of the punch, like a planet-crushing machine, shredded the Nightmare Projection's mangled body into dust.
Black debris rained down from the sky. After the Nightmare Projection was destroyed, the entire hall trembled. Even outside, Gustavo could imagine the fury of the will of the Land of Nightmares.
But he didn't care. Instead, while his power was still strong, he came to the throne, sensed it for a moment, and then unleashed another Fist of Destruction!
Thump!!
The throne was shattered into dust. Not only that, the rampaging force of the punch tore open space, forming a dark void. At the bottom of that void, Gustavo saw an unknown beast's claw!
A thin layer of iron-sand-like black mist shrouded the surface of the beast claw, making its overall outline appear hazy, but Gustavo recognized the aura of the beast claw at a glance. It was exactly the same as the aura of the piece of Dark Flesh that Logo had discovered earlier!
"Different parts of the evil god's body?" Gustavo wondered to himself. Just then, the power projected by Sylvain seemed to have detected something as well. After sensing for a moment, it transmitted its voice. "Child, bring this beast's claw back. I will be waiting for you at the exit of the Soul Secret Land!"
"Yes, Father!" Gustavo bowed slightly, now completely certain that there was a very close connection between the Ashes and this evil god.
Whether the relationship between the two parties is one of cooperation or master and servant remains to be verified. Currently, the information available is too limited and fragmented to form a clear and effective logical chain.
Sylvain's will faded, power continued to flow from the spatial marker. Gustavo used this power to reach out and grab the claw of the evil god beast in the dark void. This thing was actually the foundation upon which the Land of Nightmares was formed, or rather, the foundation upon which the Land of Nightmares was later formed.
If Gustavo's guess is correct, the original foundation of this Land of Nightmares should be the greatsword used by the Nightmare Projection. Later, for some unknown reason, the evil god's claw fell here and replaced its position with its higher status. As a result, the will of the Land of Nightmares was influenced by the evil god and gained emotional reactions.
As Gustavo removed the evil god's claw, the Land of Nightmares trembled violently, the sky above cracked open, and the town's buildings collapsed one after another, creating a scene reminiscent of the end of the world.
Seeing this, Gustavo took out the greatsword he had obtained after defeating the Nightmare Projection and plunged it into the dark void. Immediately, the Land of Nightmares stabilized again, as if time had reversed, restoring the scene he had just entered.
"A complete Land of Nightmares, natural soul materials, if it were fused with the Gene Warehouse..." Gustavo's eyes flashed with a thoughtful light, then he looked at the greatsword that was quietly stuck there. After thinking for a moment, his expression hardened, he plunged his right hand into his heart, took out a drop of blood that glowed with black light, and threw it into the hilt of the greatsword.
Blood transformed into countless threads that merged into the greatsword. Under Gustavo's control, these threads formed a wondrous rune—a rune originating from the Aslant Civilization, specifically designed to capture the shattered world that had fallen from the Fantasy Dimension.
A significant portion of the materials used in constructing high-dimensional information spaces came from this source.
The process went smoothly. After all, it was a rune that had been refined through countless trials by an advanced Astral Realm, making it absolutely reliable. Controlling a mere Land of Nightmares was a piece of cake.
Sensing his connection to the Land of Nightmares, Gustavo's thoughts stirred, and the entire Land of Nightmares began to collapse, eventually transforming into black mist and merging into the greatsword.