When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)-Chapter 704: Sudden Invasion

Shen Nianzu gasped, the clarity in his purple eyes returning bit by bit. The hand gripping the sword trembled as cold sweat rolled down his back.

So that was the Nightmare’s past...?

How terrifying. If Shen Nianzu’s mental fortitude hadn’t been strong and firm enough, he would have been swept into the torrent of memories and lost his mind. The emotions entwined with each scene was so intense, carrying a blend of twisted love, hatred and malice so overpowering Shen Nianzu could almost taste it in his pores.

He cast a glance at Jin Jiuchi and, confirming that the man was alright, shifted his gaze back to the stretch of darkness before him.

"What’s the use of showing us this?" Shen Nianzu sneered. "Do you think we are going to sympathize with you? After everything you have put us through and the lives you have reaped just for your own selfishness?"

Shen Nianzu finally understood one thing. Night—the artificial intelligence created by humanity as its final hope and savior—no longer existed.

It could be said that since the very first day it developed emotions, the project had already been doomed to fail. What remained was no savior at all, but the Nightmare—a grotesque being bloated with years, decades or even centuries of accumulated nightmares and suffering from countless humans across the universe.

"Spare the talk," Shen Nianzu raised his sword, the blade gleaming coldly as his gaze hardened with resolve. "We are here to defeat you."

[...Defeat me?]

[Hehe.]

[Do you think such a thing is possible?]

The Nightmare once again showed him another vision. At first, Shen Nianzu had no idea what he was seeing. Until a few moments later, his expression abruptly changed into one of sheer horror and disbelief.

He saw—

Nightmare creatures.

Countless nightmare creatures roaming the streets.

It was a place he couldn’t be more familiar with: his city. The city he was born and grew up in.

No— not just his city.

All over the world, destruction swept through. From a vast hole in the sky, twice the size of a football field and still expanding, nightmarish creatures poured forth in an endless tide. Abominations that should have existed only in horror films and the depths of one’s nightmares descended upon the once peaceful land.

Everywhere he saw was death, ruin, and despair.

As soon as Shen Nianzu comprehended what he was seeing, it felt as though a heavy blow had struck his temple, sending his mind reeling in shock and disbelief.

How could... how could this be...

The Nightmare had already begun its invasion into their world!

Since when did it start? Had their world’s consciousness weakened to the point where it could be suppressed so easily?!

"...Is that your plan all along?! To trap me and Jin Jiuchi here while you plunder our world?!" Shen Nianzu growled, his eyes reddening in suppressed fury.

Panic started to creep into the edge of his mind. How were his parents and Qing Mo? He had not seen them at all. They... they should be okay for now, right?

No, he must not be so easily misled here. What if... what if this was an illusion created to confuse them all along? It was an easy trick, something the Nightmare could do as effortlessly as breathing. After all, it had always been known for its ability to strike the deepest fear and despair into humans’ hearts!

Shen Nianzu hadn’t realized he was voicing his thoughts aloud until the Nightmare responded, or perhaps everything he was thinking was transparent to its all-seeing eyes in this sealed space.

[An illusion? Why don’t you ask the person beside you whether it’s an illusion or not?]

The person beside him?

Startled, Shen Nianzu whipped his head toward Jin Jiuchi, his eyes widening in a mix of shock, apprehension and a sliver of hope. His gaze locked onto the man for a moment, looking oh so fragile and heartbreaking, hoping for all the world that the man would give him the answer he wanted...

But Jin Jiuchi’s expression was awfully grim. Shen Nianzu had never seen him show such a look on his face before. Come to think of it, Jin Jiuchi had not uttered a single word since entering this space, which was very unlike him.

He pursed his lips tight and, under Shen Nianzu’s wavering gaze, reluctantly opened his mouth:

"It’s true," he said softly, yet his words hit Shen Nianzu like a thunderclap on a clear day. "Everything the Nightmare said is true, Nian’er. It’s not an illusion."

Shen Nianzu felt his heartbeat stop for two whole seconds.

He stared at Jin Jiuchi in utter disbelief. In these two fleeting seconds, countless thoughts raced through his mind. Had Jin Jiuchi known all along? Had he always known the plight their world was suffering from at the moment? Why hadn’t he said a word, then?! And why was he acting so unlike the usual him? Was he hiding something from Shen Nianzu?

Alas, although Shen Nianzu wanted nothing more than to shake his foolish husky and make him spill out all the secrets he had been harboring, time was not on his side right now.

The questions could wait— their world could not.

They had barely managed to introduce the presence of the Nightmare to the public. It was supposed to be a gradual plan, but the Nightmare’s sudden action had rendered all the efforts futile. They were not ready yet; the appearance of the nightmare creatures would only plunge the world into absolute chaos.

Turning earth into a literal hell, until the Nightmare descended to corrupt them all. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Shen Nianzu had seen what the Nightmare did in the vision. Its mere presence forced evolution, like a brutal accelerant to the dormant genes in response to the impending annihilation. Yet not every world was ready for evolution. Some of them shattered, overwhelmed by the Nightmare’s presence, and their broken fragments were repurposed into low-level Cycles, with the corrupted natives reduced to mere low-level nightmare creatures.

Worlds like Shen Nianzu’s, however— worlds teeming with superhumans— were different.

Once Nightmare fully descended, the entire world would become a high-level Cycle, and the players becoming high-level nightmare creatures instead!

The realization ignited a white hot fury in Shen Nianzu’s chest.

He was livid. The mere thought of his loved ones facing danger where he couldn’t reach was unbearable, so unbearable he wished he could split himself into two and teleport back to them right this instant. And yet the angrier he was, the sharper and colder his mind became.

He saw, amidst the chaos and despair, one player after another sprung up to clash with the nightmare creatures, standing against the Nightmare itself. He saw their courage, resolve and determination. An unyielding will to resist even in the face of death.

He also saw Ying, Qian Hui, XXX and countless other players...

Every single one of them was capable of holding their own fort, an absolute force to be reckoned with.

Each of them represented hope.

Their battle cries seemed to resonate with the depths of Shen Nianzu’s soul. Even though they were separated by time and space, they were still fighting against the same enemy.

He was not alone.

He was never alone in this bloody battle.

He lifted his sword and swiped two fingers across the blade. A sharp and resonant cry rang out, like that of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Resolve blazed in his beautiful purple eyes. Shoulder to shoulder with Jin Jiuchi, he gave his answer.

"It’s possible."

Do you think you can defeat me? The Nightmare’d asked.

Yes, he said. They could win this battle. Since time immemorial, humanity had never been the strongest, but they had always been the most resilient. Prehistoric mammals went extinct, civilizations rose and fell, and yet humanity always prevailed.

This time, too, would be no different.

With a cry tearing from his throat, Shen Nianzu charged his way forward!