Attack!
Derick and Acheron exchanged a look and made their decision in an instant.
Acheron swung her blade, and the very space around them shattered. A flash of lightning morphed into a colossal blade of light, cleaving down toward Sunday.
Sunday hadn't anticipated the sheer power of Acheron's attack. He immediately waved his conductor's baton, materializing layer upon layer of defenses before him.
As the blade of light fell, the defensive layers were sliced apart as if they were made of paper.
But Sunday hadn't erected just one or two barriers, nor ten or twenty; he had conjured tens of thousands of them. By the time Acheron's blade cut through the last one, its power was spent.
However, in the split second that the blade of light vanished, Derick launched his attack from behind it.
His entire body became a shooting star, streaking straight for the head of the Dominix form that Sunday had become.
A direct hit. The head of Dominix suffered catastrophic damage. Seizing the opportunity, Acheron brandished her longsword and charged toward Dominix's torso.
The longsword flashed, nearly bisecting Dominix at the waist. Combined with his head being blown apart by Derick, his current state was truly a brutal sight.
But this brutality lasted only for a few seconds.
Before Derick and Acheron could even retract their attacks and steady their breathing, the Dominix that Sunday had manifested was restored to a perfect, undamaged state.
"Had this been outside of Penacony, your attacks would have been fatal. However, this is still within my Dream of Oneness. Here, not even the most grievous of injuries can truly harm me. Moreover, if you fail to shatter this dreamscape, you will only fall back into the Dream of Oneness once more."
Sunday said to Derick and Acheron.
The surrounding dreamscape once again began to encroach upon them.
Acheron frowned, contemplating how to proceed.
She considered that the only way to alter this dreamscape was with more power from Nihility—to use Nihility to shatter the [Order] here, reducing the dream to nothingness.
But that was not an option.
The harm of Nihility infecting Penacony would be far greater than the influence of the Dream of Oneness. Derick's devouring ability from Voracity likely wouldn't be fast enough to consume it all.
Acheron was unsure of her next move.
Whether she acted or not, it would result in immense harm.
As Acheron was thinking, her gaze suddenly fell upon Derick.
Derick gave her a look.
Though they hadn't exchanged many words, Acheron understood his meaning instantly.
"Leave Dominix to me. You just provide cover."
Acheron didn't hesitate. She instantly unleashed several slashes of blade-light, shrouding the entire area.
Aside from Derick, Acheron, and Sunday, no one could see what was happening within.
Sunday sensed this, but he was still unclear on what Derick intended to do.
"A negotiation? A lecture? He should know full well that such things wouldn't work on him. As for surrender, Sunday didn't believe Derick would do that either."
"What do you intend to do?"
Sunday asked Derick.
"I... want to take your power!"
Derick declared as he stepped forward.
His words brought looks of surprise to both Sunday's and Acheron's faces.
But a moment later, an expression of understanding dawned on Acheron's.
Sunday, still unaware of Derick's devouring ability, asked him, "Oh? Do you wish to take my place? Very well. If you want it, come and take it."
Dominix was already suffused with the power of [Order]. Whether Derick or Sunday became its master made little difference. The ultimate goal, in the grand scheme of things, would not change.
If it meant bringing Derick into the fold of [Order], Sunday would not be stingy with this power.
"No, I have no intention of becoming a prisoner of [Order]. What I'm going to do... is simply devour."
Derick told Sunday.
Hmm!?
Just as a look of confusion crossed Sunday's face, he felt a distinct change in the very foundation upon which the Dream of Oneness was built.
Sunday's gaze shot out, and he saw that the substance of the Dream of Oneness was being transferred elsewhere by an array.
And the destination of this transfer was none other than Derick.
This was the same array that the Memokeepers of the Garden of Recollection had used to absorb Memoria and alter Derick's memories. Derick was using his Fifth Clone to control it, skipping the part about modifying his memories and simply using it to transfer the Memoria.
Derick had originally planned to use his Fifth Clone to covertly consume it bit by bit, but with the Memokeepers' interference, he had to take a slight risk and absorb it directly with his main body.
Fortunately, because his Second Clone had devoured the Starcrusher Swarm King, his own power had increased considerably, so absorbing it now wasn't too much of a problem.
Layer after layer of Memoria was siphoned from the Dream of Oneness, flowing to Derick's side to be absorbed by him.
As the substance flowed to Derick, Sunday still didn't understand why he was doing this. How was absorbing it like this any different from him just giving Derick control of Dominix?
With so much energy from the Dream of Oneness entering his body, Derick would inevitably become a follower of [Order].
Just as Sunday was pondering this, Derick bared his "fangs."
The power of [Voracity] manifested from Derick's body and began to frantically absorb the power of the Dream of Oneness. And after absorbing it, the power was completely converted into Derick's own.
"What?! Voracity!"
The moment Derick unleashed the power of Voracity, Sunday's expression changed dramatically.
This power, which belonged to Voracity, would utterly destroy the Dream of Oneness, turning his perfect [Order] into absolute chaos.
Sunday hastily launched an attack, wanting to interrupt Derick's absorption process. But just as he struck, Acheron swung her blade and stood before Derick.
"First, you must defeat me."
Sunday's attacks were all blocked by Acheron.
It was not easy for Acheron to defeat Sunday. By the same token, it was incredibly difficult for Sunday to get past Acheron.
Sunday's attacks couldn't reach Derick at all. He could only watch helplessly as his Dream of Oneness was devoured.
...
At that moment, outside the veil of Acheron's blade-light, General Huaiyan had concluded his battle.
Penacony's Dream Master was not at his peak, and he was no match for the vastly experienced and powerful General Huaiyan. After a swift and fierce battle, Huaiyan defeated the Dream Master, successfully ending his fight.
After the battle, Huaiyan had intended to support Derick's side. But he glanced over and saw that the battlefield was completely enveloped by the power of Nihility that Acheron had unleashed.
"What is going on?! Where did this power of Nihility come from?!"
Feeling the power of Nihility, Huaiyan couldn't help but be alarmed.
But after looking around, his anxious heart settled. Although he didn't know where this energy came from, it was clear that the current situation was advantageous for Derick.
Huaiyan could clearly feel the power of the Dream of Oneness weakening.
Robin was the first to break free from the Dream of Oneness.
"Is this... reality?"
After escaping the dreamscape, Robin understood that she had been in the Dream of Oneness all along.
"No, I have to find a way to wake everyone else up, especially Derick..." Robin thought to herself.
Then, she saw the battlefield shrouded in Nihility, the fallen Dream Master, and General Huaiyan standing nearby.
"Huh?! What happened here?"
Robin had thought she was the first to awaken, only to find that Derick's side had already begun to fight.
"Can I only boost morale here?"
As she was thinking, Huaiyan said to her, "Although I don't know what that fellow Derick and the others are doing, the weakening of the Dream of Oneness is undeniable. Your song is infectious; it can help others wake up faster."
"I understand."
Robin nodded seriously.
In the original course of events, the Dream of Oneness was never weakened, and defeating it required the help of the Galaxy Rangers from afar.
But now, the Dream of Oneness was being continuously drained of its Memoria by Derick, its power fading, and its influence over the people of Penacony was diminishing.
The people of Penacony could now be awakened.
Robin looked at the theater's layout and saw that the equipment to broadcast sound had not been damaged in the battle. She quickly ran over, intending to use her song to awaken everyone.
Her brother had become a disciple of [Order] and wanted to pull more people into its grasp. What she had to do now was spread the voice of [Harmony] and allow everyone to regain their freedom of choice.
Robin broke into a run, moving as fast as flight even in her high heels.
Before Robin could even get there, the Astral Express Crew also broke free from the Dream of Oneness's control as it weakened.
"Let's go, Dan Heng, March! The sushi on Edo Star is great, my treat... Huh? Where is this? Why are we still on Penacony!" Stelle was still talking to March 7th and the others, but after she finished, she looked around in surprise.
They were still in the Penacony Grand Theater.
"Clearly, we were pulled into a dreamscape a long time ago. We have only just now awakened," Welt Yang said to Stelle, adjusting his glasses.
Stelle looked around and then asked Welt Yang with a confused expression, "Uncle Yang, why do I feel like we're in a dreamscape now?"
"Oh? And why is that?" Welt Yang asked her in return.
Hearing Uncle Yang's question, Stelle pointed at the nearby Huaiyan.
"I don't think a general from the Zhuming Xianzhou should be on Penacony."
For a moment, Welt Yang felt that Stelle had a point.
Huaiyan naturally heard Stelle's words. He cleared his throat and replied, "I came here to find Derick regarding some matters. But as soon as I arrived, I found you all trapped in a dreamscape, so I intervened to rescue you."
Speaking of which, General Huaiyan was still a bit annoyed.
He had originally intended to come here and settle a score with Derick, maybe even beat him up. But upon arriving in Penacony, before he could even say a single harsh word to Derick, he had to step in and help him.
"So that's what happened," Stelle nodded. "Then, General Huaiyan, what's the situation on Derick's battlefield? My own power isn't enough to see through that barrier."
"Rest assured, Derick and the others have the upper hand. It won't be long before they are victorious,"
Huaiyan replied to Stelle.
He would never admit that unless he used brute force to break the barrier, he couldn't see the situation on Derick's battlefield either. However, based on the continuously weakening influence of the Dream of Oneness, Huaiyan could roughly guess the state of the battle.
As for why he didn't use force, Huaiyan knew that in such a tense fight, the slightest disturbance could change the outcome. He didn't want to act rashly and distract Derick and Acheron.
...
Within the battlefield, Acheron's blade-light and Dominix's energy continuously clashed.
Sunday wanted to speed up and break through Acheron's defense, but it was impossible against her relentless flurry of slashes.
In fact, as Derick continued to absorb Sunday's energy, the attacks Sunday could muster grew weaker and weaker.
He couldn't even call upon [Order] anymore.
A lightning-fast slash flashed past, and Acheron's blade carved a massive wound into Dominix's body.
This time, Sunday's recovery speed slowed considerably.
As for Derick, he could feel his body overflowing with power.
With so much Memoria energy pouring into his body, Derick's power was no longer at the bottom rung among Emanators; he had at least reached a standard Emanator's level.
But it wasn't enough!
Derick's gaze fell upon Sunday.
The surrounding Memoria was being continuously devoured by Derick, but Sunday's Dominix form still held a deep reservoir of power.
To devour it, he had to deal Dominix a fatal blow.
"Acheron, let's do it! It's time to finish him."
Derick said to Acheron.
"Alright."
Acheron nodded.
Then, the two of them charged toward Dominix from the left and right. In less than a second, Derick and Acheron leaped to the level of Dominix's chest.
"Sunday, your dream is over! It's time for the people of Penacony to awaken from their dream."
Aiming at his chest, the two gathered their strength and unleashed their most powerful attack.
A purple blade of light and a multi-colored spear blast shot straight toward Sunday's chest.
Sunday had no time to defend, nor could he. Just like that, he was completely shattered by Derick and Acheron's combined attack.
After the shattering, the power belonging to the Dream of Oneness dispersed. Derick, of course, wouldn't let it go to waste. He activated his devouring power and began to absorb the energy from within Dominix.
And Sunday, under Derick's attack and devouring, lost all strength to struggle.
Sunday fell from Dominix's head, plummeting toward the ground in a freefall.
Seeing this, Derick knew he couldn't let Sunday be dashed to death. He then unleashed a wave of energy, catching Sunday and gently lowering him to the ground.
______
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