Illusory Dream!
Born from the dream abilities of the Spectator and Darkness pathways, its core had taken the shape of the Book of Dreams.
Specks of phosphorescent dreamlight scattered amidst the sky of thunder and fire, gradually seeping into Badheil's body.
Silently, many things had already changed.
"Slash!" Swordlight, tinged with twilight, struck the three angelic historical projections.
Their mythical forms aged rapidly, skin wrinkling, liver spots forming, and rotting liquid oozing.
Pop!
The projections dissolved, evaporating completely.
The three projections vanished so easily?
"You'll die too!" The giant roared, flashing before Truman, but twilight couldn't harm the scattered information flow. Truman swiftly reformed, a cryptic smile on his lips, and pulled.
A figure in a dark robe, half-human, half-demonic wolf, wielding a black great scythe, appeared beside him.
With a single glance, the orange-red twilight light turned into sketch lines, erased by an invisible eraser.
Secrecy!
"Amanises!" Badheil roared, his unstoppable momentum faltering.
Just as Giant King Aurmir constantly craved to devour the Demonic Wolf, Badheil dreamed of consuming the wolf's heirs, especially the Goddess of Misfortune, Amanises!
But Amanises was too strong. In a past clash, he was nearly toyed to death like prey!
"The enemy Badheil finds most unbeatable is the goddess?" Truman, within the "Illusory Dream," was stunned, then chuckled. "That's too fitting."
The Giant King and Demonic Wolf ceaselessly sought to consume each other. Over eons, their factions clashed countless times, and the goddess naturally faced Badheil.
The outcome was predictable.
The moment the phosphorescent dreamlight infiltrated Badheil's body, the battle's conclusion was sealed.
What followed was a dream woven by Truman. Slaying the three angelic projections inflated Badheil's confidence to unimaginable heights, only to confront the one he deemed unbeatable.
The clash of extreme emotions exposed greater mental vulnerabilities, allowing the dreamlight to invade his Island of Consciousness.
Unexpectedly, the dream projection summoned was the goddess. Truman had anticipated an ancient god.
The goddess's phantom raised her gaze to Badheil, launching an attack. Two of her hands clasped gently, and in that moment, Badheil was swiftly erased like a sketch.
Simultaneously, a misty orb rose in her hands, filled with the giant's roars and boiling orange-red light!
"You're too weak," the goddess's phantom said under Truman's control. The fierce struggle paused for an instant, then resumed with greater ferocity!
"As long as your father exists, you'll never defeat me." Her voice remained cold and detached, her dark scythe turning into black mist, burrowing into the misty orb.
The orb swelled, then contracted, tinged with the aura of death.
"Roar!" The giant's roars echoed within, sounding, at first, oddly… aggrieved?
With everything set and Badheil's emotions sufficiently stirred, Truman planted a psychological suggestion in his mind—a place name.
Badheil wouldn't notice the suggestion, but upon encountering related matters, he'd naturally feel an urge to investigate.
Only Truman could detect or trace the phosphorescent dreamlight.
"It's almost time." Truman silently ended the "Illusory Dream," restoring everything to normal.
Roar!
Badheil roared, choosing to flee. Twilight light enveloped him, his body rotting into a puddle of pus.
His true form reborn in the Spirit World!
"Trying to escape?" Truman looked up, his Traveler's spatial mastery sealing all of Badheil's escape routes. Tangible and intangible gates encased the giant at the center.
In that moment, the towering giant resembled an insect trapped in amber.
"You…" Badheil's single eye was bloodshot, teetering on madness.
Whoosh!
At that moment, countless flowers, trees, and plants bloomed in the Spirit World, piercing the spatial barriers!
Clusters of wheat and blossoms flourished in the surreal Spirit World, intertwining into a massive coffin, enveloping Badheil.
Truman's expression remained neutral. With a flick of his finger, space shattered, slicing the plant-formed coffin into countless fragments. But then, a tall, voluptuous figure in wooden armor and a war skirt, holding a wooden staff, appeared in reality.
The female giant wore a long skirt beneath her armor, her deep brown hair adorned with golden wheat stalks and vibrant mushrooms.
She raised her staff, pointing at Truman.
In that instant, Truman felt his vitality draining, as if death loomed.
But he reacted swiftly, transforming into an erratic information flow, immune to vitality-based attacks.
Countless plants sprouted from the void, serpent-like vines aiming to pierce Truman.
As an information flow, Truman ignored all such attacks.
"Sigh!" A sudden sigh reached Truman's ears. His Sage's prophetic intuition warned him to stop!
Heeding his instincts, he relented, allowing the voluptuous figure to carry the coffin containing Badheil away through the Spirit World.
"Twilight…" Truman shook his head. Had he not stopped, he would've drawn Giant King Aurmir's gaze.
With ancient gods in a tense standoff, the first to act might lose. But a prolonged battle with the Goddess of Harvest and a near-mad God of Dawn would surely provoke Aurmir's attention, regardless of consequences.
"Perfect!" Truman smiled faintly as the two subordinate gods vanished into the Spirit World.
"Just waiting for the right moment." He opened the Book of Dreams, inscribing many "plausible" developments.
"I'm really becoming more like a writer…" Truman mused, then noticed Medici's odd stare.
"What?" Truman asked, puzzled. Medici shook his head, saying nothing.
He had witnessed Truman thoroughly dominate Badheil. Though the Ancient Scholar's powers irked him, the battle showcased Truman's overwhelming combat prowess.
"Having such an angel comrade… not sure if it's good or bad…" Medici pondered, then shook his head, leading his legion back into battle.
(End of Chapter)