Chapter 124: Dream or Reality?  

In the vast metal hall, Reina scrutinized everything within her view, advancing slowly but deliberately. 

She eventually reached the end of the hall, where an entrance to a grand corridor stood, wide enough for a knight to pass through. There, cloaked in shadow, stood a figure. 

The dim light obscured the person's features, so Reina cautiously approached, asking, "Who are you?" 

As soon as the words left her lips, a faint light fell upon the figure, revealing his form. He was clad in the armor of a Custodian Guard, leaning on a power sword slick with fat, a bolt gun hanging from his waist. Two of the three items were hers—the power sword and the gun—save for the armor. 

At the sight of the Custodian armor, Reina tensed, stepping back instinctively. She knew all too well that the Custodians were fearsome warriors, capable of single-handedly wiping out armies. 

"This is your dream, and yet you fear me?" The Custodian's voice was cold. 

Reina relaxed slightly, recognizing that anything could happen in a dream. Yet, her instincts remained sharp, and she refrained from drawing closer or attacking. 

"Your weapons," the Custodian said, tossing the power sword and bolt gun back to her. 

Reina caught them both, her left hand gripping the sword, her right holding the gun, still poised for battle. She had no qualms about practicing how to slay a Custodian, even in a dream. 

But the Custodian had no intention of indulging her. With a dismissive glance, he turned and walked into the corridor. After taking a few steps, he noticed Reina hadn't followed. 

"Keep up, or leave," he commanded. 

After a brief hesitation, Reina followed him. 

The corridor was long, and they walked for what seemed like half an hour before they reached another hall. This one was draped with white carpets, devoid of any other adornments. 

At the far end, beneath the wall, stood a throne forged from adamantium, and seated upon it was the same man whose image had adorned the photos in the previous hall. 

To his left and right stood four more Custodians. 

"Heretic!" Reina raised her power sword, pointing it at the man on the throne. She recognized him at once: the so-called Lord of Talon. 

But her accusation stirred no reaction in Qin Mo, who sat upon the throne. He simply gazed at her with a placid expression, waiting until her fiery indignation settled. 

"Why do you target me so?" Qin Mo asked, his voice echoing through the chamber as though it emanated from the walls themselves. 

"Because you are a heretic," Reina retorted, her sword still raised. "It's not just you. I will burn this entire system to ashes, every last traitor and heretic! I will sever your—" 

"Wait." 

Qin Mo raised a hand, cutting her off. He rephrased his question, "What led you to target me specifically?" 

The question caught Reina off guard. She pondered it for a moment before answering, "Because the technology you wield is blasphemous. I cannot but judge you as a heretic." 

"I see." Qin Mo nodded. "I will weigh your words and pass a judgment, one that will ensure you die with full understanding." 

Reina scoffed, unimpressed. 

Despite her show of bravado, doubt gnawed at her. This dream was far too vivid. 

If Qin Mo was truly a powerful psyker, creating such a dream wouldn't be difficult. He could even kill her in this realm. 

But Reina had many ways to escape a dream. 

"You've orchestrated an infiltration of Hiveworld. You've organized the killing and abduction of my soldiers. You've even planned my assassination. Today, you must die," Qin Mo said, his tone calm and unwavering. 

The mention of the assassination plan startled Reina. How had he found out? 

And the words "today you must die" confirmed her suspicion: this was no ordinary dream. 

A powerful psyker was at work here, and she needed to escape before dawn. Otherwise, her body would be found lifeless, her soul slain within the dream. 

This would jeopardize the assassination. She could not afford such an end before even beginning her mission. 

Reina immediately began reciting the incantations to break the dream, using her psychic powers to unravel the illusion. 

Qin Mo and the Custodians stood by, watching her efforts. 

Reina welcomed their passive observation, grateful for the time it gave her to concentrate on freeing herself. 

Minutes passed, but as the incantations faltered, she realized with growing unease that nothing was working. 

By now, she should have woken up in her bed, but the dream persisted. 

"This isn't a dream," Qin Mo remarked, almost as an afterthought. "You may as well flee down the corridor. It would be faster." 

Reina didn't want to believe a heretic's words, but her futile efforts to break free made her doubt. Why hadn't any of her attempts succeeded? 

With rising dread, she concluded that this wasn't a dream at all. The reality of it sank in: they had used some form of teleportation. This was indeed the real world. 

Reina quickly pivoted to her only option in reality—fight. She raised the bolt gun and fired at everyone in the room. 

The round aimed at Qin Mo was destroyed mid-air, while the ones directed at the Custodians were intercepted by grav-shields, shattering harmlessly on the ground. 

As she fired the first shot, Reina sprinted towards the corridor, continuing to fire as she fled. Soon, she vanished from Qin Mo's sight. 

Her footsteps echoed through the metallic halls as she raced down the corridor, entering the original hall. 

She glanced around and spotted an open door ahead, immediately sprinting towards it. 

Just as she crossed the threshold, Reina glanced back, relieved to see no one pursuing her. 

But when she turned forward to assess her escape route, what she saw wasn't the exterior of a building. 

It was the same hall, the one with Qin Mo and his Custodians.