Chapter 1426: Converging
Enter the Realm of Mind. Here?
Silent Disaster stood still.
She was not Hackzord. Without the Birth Tower, establishing a connection with the Realm of Mind was barely within reach—even a fleeting touch at the Origin of Magic was unlikely to carry her anywhere, much less to Valkries in that vast darkness.
Why had Nightmare Lord sent this?
She looked around. The hilltop was still. The Eye Demon had issued no warning. Even the human soldier standing before her had come unarmed, carrying none of the firearms they were so proud of.
Well. I’ll have to try.
If it failed, she would find Hackzord. That was the fallback.
Decision made, Silent Disaster slowly closed her eyes and searched for the smallest thread of fluctuation—
An overwhelming force descended upon her. The sheer scale of it startled her, and she tried to pull free, but it held like a quagmire. The membrane between both worlds thinned and dissolved, and the Realm of Mind opened before her as though the crossing required no effort at all. Though her eyes were closed, she could feel the surging magic power on every side—
This was nothing she had ever felt.
Not even meditating beside the Birth Tower had produced this.
For a disorienting instant, it felt as though she were being upgraded.
Then the sensation was gone.
But it was not the same silence as before. Ahead of her was a faint, steady hum—and with it, a dry and even breeze, so constant it seemed almost like a pulse. She could not place the scene in her centuries of memory.
Silent Disaster opened her eyes.
She was inside a small building. The natural light was poor but not absent. A large magic stone overhead shed a clear, even glow across every corner of the room.
The humming came from a strange instrument mounted on the wall—neither wood nor metal, something in between. It moved air artificially, steadily, with a precision that felt impossible.
Is this… the Realm of Mind?
Why have I never seen anything like it?
“Is she the one you’re looking for?”
An unfamiliar voice came from behind.
Silent Disaster’s hand went to her sword and she turned—
“Hi. It has been a while, Serakkas.”
She stopped breathing.
It was not a reunion after long separation—she had seen that body every day in the Red Mist Pond. But that was where the resemblance ended. The faint smile. The bright, present eyes. The familiar voice carrying weight behind it. Every small detail struck her simultaneously, and something inside her shifted without her permission.
“Lord Valkries…”
“Hearing that from you truly takes me back.” Nightmare Lord smiled. “But you are already a senior lord and hold the same rank. There is no need for the old titles.”
“What is happening here—” Serakkas stopped. She had noticed the human male standing beside Nightmare Lord. He bore the same face as the man in the Divine Land who had once attacked her in cold blood. “Has this man taken you hostage?”
“Does it look that way to you?” Valkries answered with a question.
”…” Silent Disaster held her sheath. Drawing the sword felt wrong, somehow.
The two appeared together and neither shows hostility. Could he actually be the human Nightmare Lord convinced?
“Welcome to the Dream World.” The human extended a hand. “I am the King of Graycastle and leader of the Witch Union—Roland Wimbledon.”
“You speak my language?” Silent Disaster did not take the hand.
“Would you like more?” Roland repeated himself, slowly.
She noticed it then. The language coming from his mouth was not her race’s tongue—it was something entirely foreign. Yet she understood every word. She looked at Valkries; Valkries had spoken as well. She had understood that too. Whatever passed between the three of them, all of it arrived clear and unambiguous.
A form of psychic communication.
“Consider it a minor detail.” Roland gestured toward the table. “Facilitating this meeting was not easy. We should make the most of the time and focus on the problem at hand. Come—let us eat while we talk.”
Eat… while we talk?
Does he not know that a higher ascendant has no need for food or drink?
Valkries must have had limitless patience for this man.
But to her astonishment, Nightmare Lord settled into the chair without hesitation and picked up the cup in front of her.
Eh.
Silent Disaster sat down in a daze.
“Time is limited.” Roland did not waste any. “If we lack even a basic trust, nothing that follows will matter. I cannot build that trust for you in a short span, so Valkries will answer your questions.”
“That is for the best.” Valkries gave Roland an unreadable look. “I have many questions for her myself.”
Nightmare Lord then recounted how she had entered the Dream World and what she had found there, leaving out any mention of the Western Front. Silent Disaster came away with an intellectual understanding of her experience—becoming lost in the Realm of Mind, the long drift, the gradual anchoring. But understanding and belief were different things. How a powerless human male could have earned the favor of the Realm of Mind remained inconceivable.
“So… this is where humanity’s new legacy comes from?” The words came with difficulty.
“You could say that,” Roland answered. “But I prefer to think of this place as a complete world in its own right. One that, like ours, faces the incoming threat from God. A world on the edge of ruin.”
She was reluctant to trust a human. But some things could not be argued away. The Realm of Mind domain being called the Dream World was one thing—visible, present. Looking out the window, she saw a city of staggering scale, the skyline appearing to go on without end. Whether or not God would eventually threaten the Dream World, its sheer size dwarfed even the King’s Presiding Holy Sea.
And the objects around her—tools, fixtures, decorative items she could not name—each one made with a precision and craft she could not account for. The effort invested in even the smallest objects revealed something about the civilization that had produced them. The strength of its lowest ranks. Borrowing from that strength was not strange; it explained much of what humanity had displayed in the third Battle of Divine Will.
Of course, Valkries herself was the most important part of the argument.
Her reasoning and scope surpass mine. That she shows no sign of disagreement is itself a persuasion.
Still—expecting Serakkas to absorb all of this in a single sitting was expecting too much.
“By the way—what caused Hackzord to act? What changed him from waiting to reaching out?” Roland noticed her prolonged silence and took the initiative. “It is not like him.”
Silent Disaster looked at Valkries, who nodded.
She explained.
Roland was not surprised to hear that Sky Lord had verified the existence of the Bottomless Land north of the Land of Dawn—Joan had given him the same information. It was logical enough that Hackzord had moved to confirm it.
The second piece of information was different.
“You’re saying… the Blackstone region has been overrun by the Sky-sea Realm?” Valkries’s composure cracked. “Isn’t that where the bulk of our race’s defensive forces are stationed?”
“That is what the King declared. I do not have precise details, but I heard from Mask that the enemy has undergone a major evolution.”
Chapter 1426 - Converging
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Enter… the Realm of Mind here?
Silent Disaster was shocked.
She was not Hackzord and had difficulty establishing a connection with the Realm of Mind without the Birth Tower. Even if it was an ephemeral connection to the Origin of Magic, it was extremely unlikely for her to be able to find Valkries in the vast darkness.
Why did Nightmare Lord send out this message?
She looked around. The entire hilltop was quiet and the Eye Demon had not produced any warnings. Even the lone soldier standing in front of her came empty handed and did not carry the firearms they were so proud of.
Well… I’ll have to try it then.
She figured it was fine if it failed; she could seek Hackzord out for help.
Having made her decision, Silent Disaster slowly closed her eyes and attempted to find the slightest bit of fluctuation. Right at this moment, an extremely powerful force enveloped her! The overwhelming sensation shocked her as she tried to struggle free, but to no avail. As though stuck in a quagmire, the barrier between both worlds became like bubbles, as though she could immediately connect to the Realm of Mind effortlessly! Even though her eyes were closed, she could sense the surging magic power around her—
It was an experience Silent Disaster had never felt.
She had never experienced such an effect even when meditating close to the Birth Tower!
Even the misconception that she was being upgraded surfaced from the bottom of her heart.
But the sensation was fleeting.
Before being able to process her thoughts, everything became quiet once more.
But it was not the same as before—Silent Disaster felt a faint buzzing sound ahead of her, and at the same time it came with a faint breeze. The wind was extremely dry, yet calm and steady, as though there were very slight fluctuations. She was unable to recall a similar scene in her memories that had spanned centuries.
Silent Disaster opened her eyes.
She discovered that she was in a small building which had poor natural lighting, but it wasn’t pitch black. A gigantic magic stone overhead emitted a bright light, illuminating the corners of the room adequately.
The thing that buzzed and produced the warm wind was a strange instrument hung on the wall. It was not made out of wood or metal but something in between. The artificial production of wind was astonishing.
Is this… the Realm of Mind?
Why haven’t I ever seen such a thing?
“Is she the one you’re looking for?”
An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded out from behind her.
Silent Disaster immediately reached out for her sword and turned—
“Hi, it’s been a while, Serakkas.”
Silent Disaster stood agape.
It was not a reunion after being separated for a long time. Everyday, she would see the other party in the Red Mist Pond, but at that moment, she finally understood the difference between the two. The faint smile, the bright and lively eyes, as well as the familiar voice… All the fine details brought about ineffable emotions and caused ripples in her heart.
“Lord Valkries…”
“To hear that from you truly brings me back.” Nightmare Lord smiled faintly. “But you’re already a senior lord and on the same rank as me. There is no need to use the old titles.”
“What is going on here—” Serakkas was suddenly stumped, because she noticed the male human beside Nightmare Lord! He bore the exact same resemblance as the human in the Divine Land who had attacked her coldly! “So this man has taken you hostage?”
“Do you feel that way?” Valkries answered with a question.
“…” Silent Disaster held onto her sheath, but found it difficult to draw out her sword.
Indeed, the two had appeared at the same time and did not harbor any malicious intent. Could it be… that he is the human whom Nightmare Lord convinced?
“Welcome to the Dream World. Let me introduce myself. I am the King of Graycastle, and the leader of the Witch Union, Roland Wimbledon.” The other party extended a hand forward.
“You speak my language?” Silent Disaster was in disbelief.
“You want to hear more of it?” Roland slowly repeated himself.
At this point, Silent Disaster realized that the language spoken by the human king was not of their race, but an extremely strange language. Yet, she was able to understand him!
In other words, regardless of what language the three spoke, they were able to understand each other clearly.
“You can treat it as a form of psychic communication. In all… they are just minor details.” Roland extended his hand in an inviting manner. “To be honest, to facilitate this meeting wasn’t easy, so we have to cherish the time we have and focus on resolving the problem. Come, let us eat while we talk.”
Eat… while we talk?
Imbecile, does he not know that higher ascendant has no need to eat and drink?
Valkries must have endured him for long enough.
But to her surprise, Nightmare Lord gladly sat at the table and picked up an exquisite cup in front of her.
Eh…
In a daze, she followed and sat down.
“Time is of the essence, but if we don’t even have the most fundamental trust, everything that follows will be pointless.” Roland went straight to the point. “In this short span of time, it will be difficult for me to make you believe, so Valkries will be responsible for answering your queries.”
“That is for the best.” Valkries gave Roland a profound look. “I have many questions for her myself.”
Following that, Nightmare Lord gave an account of how she entered the Dream World and everything that she encountered, without mentioning anything about the Western Front. Silent Disaster more or less understood her experience after getting lost in the Realm of Mind, but it was merely an understanding. As everything was still too inconceivable, she found it hard to understand how a powerless human male was able to gain the favor of the Realm of Mind.
“So… this is where the human’s new legacy comes from?” Silent Disaster found difficulty in opening her mouth.
“You can say that,” Roland answered. “But I would like to treat this place as a complete world of its own, and like ours, it faces the incoming threat from God, a world on the brink of crisis.”
She was unwilling to put her trust in humans, but there were things that were the truth, for example the Realm of Mind domain being called the Dream World. As she looked out of the window pane, she discovered the surprisingly large world outside that seemed endless. Ignoring the assumption on whether God would destroy the Dream World, just from the scope of the world, it was far larger than the King’s Presiding Holy Sea.
And the unidentified tools and decorative items—everything had their something unique about them and were unfathomably exquisite. The ability to employ so much effort on the objects showed how much strength the bottom rung of the society held. By borrowing this strength, it was no longer strange for the huge changes humans had revealed in the third Battle of Divine Will.
Of course, Valkries was the most important aspect.
Her scope and reasoning far surpasses mine, her not showing any signs of disagreement is itself a persuasion.
But… to have Serakkas absorb all the information in one seating was truly difficult.
“By the way, I wish to know what made Hackzord decide to get in touch with Valkries and not continue waiting?” Noticing Serakkas’s prolonged silence, Roland took the initiative to ask. “It isn’t his style.”
Silent Disaster looked at Valkries and only explained after seeing a nod.
Roland was not surprised of the fact that Sky Lord had verified the existence of the Bottomless Land located at the north of the Land of Dawn, he had learned of the same information from Joan previously. Upon reflecting, it was rather logical for Hackzord to have validated the information.
But the second piece of news was completely different.
“You’re saying… the Blackstone region has been overrun by Sky-sea Realm?” Valkries revealed a look of shock. “Isn’t that where our race’s main defense force is deployed?”
“That’s what the King said. I’m not sure of the concrete details, but I heard from Mask that the enemy has undergone a huge evolution.”