"What did you say?"

After hearing Omnia Cicada's words, the Dream Resting Master briefly froze with a playful expression, then confirmed coldly:

"Numbers 6, 8, 14... all have been taken care of by Number 1?"

"Yes."

Seeing the expression of shock emerge on the face of the Dream Resting Master, which he had longed to see, a trace of delight flickered in Omnia Cicada's eyes as he smiled and responded:

"While you were hiding in the rift of dreams, reluctant to come out and merely harvesting spiritual shards from other realms through dream diffusion, the Father chose to take action personally, crashing our world into those three material planes.

Now the three masters of the Abyss of Ten Thousand Evils, No Man's Place, and Shepherd's Plain have been found and killed by the Father, who is slowly extracting their essence.

It's estimated that by the time you've finished your matters here, the Father's process of extraction will be almost complete, and the victor between you and that Number 3 Master…"

Will become Number 1's next target?

The Dream Resting Master was briefly silent while facing Omnia Cicada's blatant provocation, then snorted coldly without any expression:

"Then let it come! I'd like to see how it plans to smash my non-substantial rift of dreams with its solid material plane!"

"The Father will naturally come."

From the ever-surging sticky will around, Omnia Cicada discerned the intense emotional fluctuations of the Dream Resting Master. His lips curled upward as he politely bowed again and bade farewell with a congenial smile:

"Then we'll leave you undisturbed... Besides, I sincerely hope that when the Father arrives here, I'll still see you around."

"Are you implying that I'll lose?"

Confronted with Omnia Cicada's repeated provocation, the silhouette of the Dream Resting Master solidified a bit, and countless eyes belonging to different creatures emerged from within the silhouette, staring unwaveringly at the Omnia Cicada before it.

"Do you think I, like Numbers 2, 6, 8, 9, and 14, will be killed by this lately revived Number 3, then become its meal along with all the dream rifters?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You misunderstood. I don't think you'll lose."

Amused by successfully enraging the Dream Resting Master, Omnia Cicada responded delightedly:

"I'm certain you will lose!"

"..."

"Dreams are merely a contest of spirit and will."

Feeling the overwhelming will crushing down like mountains and seas, Omnia Cicada lifted a hand to tap on the head of Meanderer while smiling and continued goading:

"In the past, you could become the sole master of the dream realm not because your spirit and will were strong enough, but simply because you controlled the root of all dreams, crushing all your opponents due to your superior level.

Yet now, someone equal in level to you is approaching with a will more resilient than yours. The weak will that flees with head in hands in front of the Father might really be unbearable to withstand a single..."

"Boom!"

Facing Omnia Cicada's ongoing provocation, the massive will suspended around crashed down, causing the rift of dreams, which had no physical form, to shatter everywhere.

Jellyfish collecting dreams at the bottom of the galaxy burst collectively, while the swarm of Dream Eaters, flying tornado-like above the river's surface, scattered in panic. The river, filled with dark silhouettes, poured out from where the rift was shattered, turning the extra-dimensional astral plane outside into a land of marsh, roaring and surging towards countless worlds in the distance.

Phew... As expected from a master who can escape the Father's grasp multiple times, its rage is indeed formidable.

Bouncing out from the nearly crushed rift of dreams thanks to Meanderer's Disaster Avoidance effect, Omnia Cicada let out a long breath, then loosened his grip on the trembling Meanderer, appreciatively patted his shoulder:

"Well done. Without you this time, the two of us wouldn't have made it out."

"..."

"You surely have many questions, right? Why not speak up?"

"..."

"Meanderer?"

"I wasn't… I wasn't… tongue just trembling slightly..."

Returning Omnia Cicada a smile more pained than crying, Meanderer regretted returning to Yesterday's Place in his heart while his teeth chattered nervously:

"Just now… you said… the Food God would certainly defeat the Dream Resting Master? Then… that would make the Food God even... more... formidable..."

"I was just saying, don't take it seriously~"

Even though Meanderer's performance was quite lacking, Omnia Cicada maintained exceptional patience for the main contributor who allowed their escape, answering with a grin:

"Although the temperament of this Dream Resting Master isn't great, as the one who escaped the Father's grasp the most, its strength is indeed formidable.

If it were to enter the real world actively, it would most likely be taken down by the Food God, but should the Food God enter its rift of dreams first, the chances are undoubtedly reduced to only thirty percent."

"Then... then why did you still... still..."

"Just a casual provocation, to see if it would be drawn to meddle with the real world."

Gently stroking Meanderer's back, retrieving the memories of the Food God he instilled, Omnia Cicada laughed:

"The Food God is troublesome indeed, but so is this Dream Resting Master who escapes Father's grasp often.

If it continues its current state, stealing spiritual fragments from various planes through dreams without actively transforming dreams into reality, then it indeed poses a challenge for the Father.

However, knowing about the Father's progress in extracting roots, it's likely that it won't be able to hold back much longer. If it fails to resist meddling with the original roots of the real world after defeating the Food God, its rift of dreams would no longer stay in its current state, detaching from complete fantasy.

Once its rift of dreams gains substance, no longer the untouchable illusion it was, to the Father it becomes merely a brain that shatters upon a mere touch."

"Enough!"

Having patiently waited for Omnia Cicada to finish the "lecture," the Crimson King couldn't help urging:

"We've been out long enough, Azure Sleep probably can't hold any longer; hurry back and deal with the Bureau Director!"

"It's alright, no rush."

Omnia Cicada smiled:

"As long as they don't dare to let the Old Soil remnants die out completely, the two of them won't be able to escape, so taking our time back is just fine… Meanderer, do you have anything else to ask?"

"There… is one more..."

Stealing a glance at the unfriendly Crimson King, Meanderer couldn't help but feel a bit guilty:

"If... just if... If I, by chance, made a mistake earlier, and the Food God doesn't end up in the rift of dreams, what then?"

"..."

"?!?!?!?!?!"