25 Chapter Nightmare

The group arrived at a clearing in the woods.

In the center of the clearing, a small open-air altar was constructed of stone pillars, engraved with mysterious and arcane symbols. Eleanor looked around and said through the communication channel,

"No enemies spotted..."

Her tone was one of surprise, since Aske had predicted they would encounter the first BOSS here, and his predictions had never been wrong before.

"No, the BOSS is already here," Aske said.

Following his gaze, the team saw, standing right behind them, two identical Noras eyeing each other warily, their eyes full of uncertainty and suspicion.

"An impostor?" Medea furrowed her brows, "Is this the power of the Illusion Sequence?"

"I don't know! She..." Both Noras started frantically speaking at the same time in the Mind Communication Channel, but Medea interrupted before they could finish:

"Stop talking! It doesn't matter which one of you is the real Nora, the other fake one, although an impostor, cannot possibly understand your personality well enough and can only mimic your appearance temporarily. The more you speak, the more information you reveal to it! Stay calm and let us figure out a method to identify it. Before we uncover its true identity, it won't dare to attack you directly!"

Both Noras immediately quieted down. They weren't foolish, merely caught off-guard by this strange phenomenon.

Since Medea's advice was sensible, both Noras regained their composure and began coldly staring at each other. Everyone else also focused intently on the two girls, fearing that one might suddenly lash out.

"You're right," Aske walked over and added, "You will encounter many more supernatural phenomena in the future, such as being suddenly teleported somewhere, experiencing mutations in a companion or oneself, getting sucked into a mirror world, or even having your shadow twisted into an enemy. Remember one thing: no matter how bizarre the phenomenon, first and foremost, keep yourself calm."

Both Noras, upon hearing this, simultaneously made faces as if they were about to cry, their eyes filled with a silent plea that seemed to scream, "Squad Leader! Is this really the time for a lecture? Can you not deal with that imposter first?"

"As Medea mentioned, this first BOSS nightmare temporarily can only mimic appearance, but its memory abilities are flawed. However, every mature nightmare possesses the Mind Sequence ability and can continuously read the memories of the surrounding Mind Bodies. Thus, if given enough time, it will become indistinguishable from Nora," Aske said as he approached the two Noras with his hand on his sword, "As for the method of identification, it's actually quite simple—just use the characteristic of the Mind Sequence against it."

His expression suddenly turned icy as he commanded the two Noras,

"Now! Nora, repeat after me exactly: 'Eating grapes without spitting out the skin!'"

The Nora on the left opened her mouth slightly but couldn't produce the peculiar and precisely articulated phrase, her face full of confusion. The Nora on the right instinctively said,

"Eating grapes without spitting out the skin…"

"You freaking speak Chinese too!" Aske suddenly drew his sword, and with a flash of cold light, the impostor Nora was cleaved through the chest. Her figure immediately dissipated on the spot, leaving only a splash of blue blood on the ground.

"It's not dead; everyone, be careful!" Medea warned through the Mind Communication.

"Nora, stand in the middle; everyone else, form a circle around her with your backs to her!" Aske quickly issued the command.

Thus, the group swiftly gathered, forming a protective circle around Nora, each facing outward, vigilant.

Considering this BOSS's expertise in illusions and invisibility, getting backstabbed from behind would be no fun. The solution, naturally, was to form a back-to-back circle, making it impossible for the enemy to find an angle of attack.

As expected, after unsuccessfully circling around while invisible, probably unable to find a suitable spot to strike from, the nightmare materialized about twenty steps in front of everyone.

It appeared as a blue-skinned humanoid monster, slender limbs bizarrely thin, its nerve-like hair draped behind and moving as if blown by an unseen wind. Its feet hovered about a dozen centimeters off the ground as it spread six-fingered palms towards them, spreading invisible mind waves that ruffled the air with vague ripples.

Was that the Dream Sequence's hypnotic ability? Medea's pupils contracted. No, it's targeting me with its ability!

A massive wave of drowsiness surged from her chest to her skull, numbing her entire mind as her consciousness quickly sank into unconsciousness. Medea, on the verge of falling asleep, finally understood why the Dream Sequence was an Enchanting Demon's nemesis—the stronger the Mind Power, the more sensitive to the Mind Body, the easier it was to fall victim to the Dream Sequence...

Her eyelids drooped, and she completely succumbed to unconsciousness, and her Spirituality became dim and restrained. The others almost immediately realized something was wrong because the Mind Communication they had been maintaining was cut off!

Aske quickly aimed at the Nightmare and pulled the trigger, firing three shots. The Nightmare calmly extended a finger and drew a circle in the air. The bullets entered the circle it drew, disappearing just like stones thrown into a lake, only ripples echoed through the air.

Materialization of the Dream! This was an advanced ability of the Dream Sequence that bridged collective subconscious and reality. The bullets entered this gateway, transforming from tangible to illusory, and were teleported into the collective subconscious.

Then the Nightmare brought its six fingers together and casually clenched its fist, causing the sleeping Medea to groan, her body suddenly convulsing as if in severe pain.

Under the control of the Nightmare's ability, the bullets that entered the collective subconscious pierced through her Mind Body, inflicting damage on her Spirituality as if she had been shot!

"Heal!" Aske yelled, pulling his sword and charging at the BOSS along with the others.

Nora hurriedly supported her, activating her Life I's Healing Touch ability, and found three mutations in her internal organs—two in the lobes of her lungs and one in her stomach. Her tissue cells began to shrink and undergo apoptosis as if injured. Thanks to the healing with Extraordinary Ability, Nora finally stabilized the worsening injuries and realized she was sweating profusely, her whole body tense to the point of nearly collapsing.

Suddenly, Medea groaned weakly, waking up in her weakened state. Ahead, the Nightmare had elegantly turned around, targeting Peggy who had gained ground at high speed, and launched its Hypnotic ability again.

Running, Peggy immediately fell uncontrollably into sleep, tumbling several meters across the ground. The Nightmare sat back, its rear lightly pressing against the sleeping Peggy's back as it snapped its fingers at the approaching Aske and Eleanor.

Dream Puppets!

Between them and the Nightmare, as if emerging from the void, stood a translucent towering figure. He wore sharply defined Steel Power Armor, standing two meters tall. In his left hand, he held a massive kite-shaped Shield, and in his right, a Steel-cast Spear. A triangular flag adorned with a white swan was attached to the spear tip, and at the end of the spear handle, a thick chain tied to his right arm armor.

"Is that, Father?" Eleanor exclaimed in shock as she sprinted, yet her pace didn't slow. She almost instantly recognized it as an illusion created by the enemy, presumably conjured from her own memories as mentioned by Aske earlier!

She lowered her stance mid-charge, swinging her Shield at the illusory father. The tall illusion also lowered his body in kind, shields colliding, the force unyielding and immovable. Both almost simultaneously lunged again, their physical and illusory spears striking, resonating with a clanging echo like a bell.

To think, using the Martial Arts of my father from my memories against me! Anger ignited deep within Eleanor, she roared, twisting her forearm and forcefully swinging her spear using her torso, employing the Weiss Family's unique Spear Skill, Iron Cutting, swinging the spear like a warhammer to shatter her opponent. Utilizing the force from her torso, she could launch the attack rapidly at close range.

The two were exceedingly close; the tall illusion, unable to maneuver his Shield, merely propped his Long Spear against the Shield, barely blocking the Iron Cutting. His body lurched forward, his right foot bracing against the ground, and he was forcibly pushed back half a step. Eleanor had already retracted her spear, bending her right knee in a semi-kneel, then explosively leaping up, thrusting the Long Spear violently upward.

Bavarian Lion Gun Technique: Cloud Piercing (DurchlochernWolkendecke)!

This Cloud Piercing was even faster, catching the tall illusion off guard to block, who could only twist his Long Spear, clashing with the same Iron Cutting technique. Eleanor's Long Spear shot up from the weak part of the armor beneath his chin, piercing through his head. If this had been a real Life Body, such a strike would have been fatal.

However, the opponent was merely an illusion made of Spiritual Body, not adhering to the rule that damage leads to death. Faced with the enemy's retaliatory Iron Cutting, Eleanor hastily shifted her spear slightly to block.

Iron Cutting struck her spear handle and chest, catapulting her and her weapon through the air. Midair, she spat blood, rolling several times on the ground, her face almost deformed from the severe pain.

The Meteorite Armor perfectly absorbed the impact, preventing her from being cleaved in two on the spot. However, even the dissipated force through her breastplate almost cost her half her life.

The entire ordeal seemed precarious and fraught with danger, but in reality, it lasted just six or seven seconds. Across the battlefield, Aske had already bypassed the two combatants, pressing his sword directly at the Nightmare BOSS.

Sword Draw Slash! The Palameen Single-edged Curved Sword, drawn fiercely from its sheath (being single-edged, it could also be considered a knife), traced a gleaming cold light in the air, slashing directly towards the enemy's neck. Meanwhile, the Nightmare solemnly tapped in the air, silently activating its Dream Materialization ability.

In front of the invisibly twisted space lay Peggy's Mind Body, asleep in the collective subconscious. If Aske proceeded with his slash, he would only end up hurting Peggy.

So the thrust of his sword suddenly halted, Aske taking three swift steps, using short and cunning footwork to stick close to the Nightmare, circling behind it in a 'C' shape in an instant.

The Nightmare hastily turned, facing another slash. In his haste, the Nightmare's eyes focused, activating its innate talent and Extraordinary Ability.

Nightmare Descent!