The Undying of the Deathbed Dream.
One of Nirva’s five retainers, possessor of the greatest brute strength that shook the world of dreams.
A colossal body and an immortal flesh.
That alone was more than enough for him to reign supreme at the pinnacle of all beings in the dream.
[Kk, kkeeeugh.]
Yet that Undying now lay sprawled across the ground, making the sound of a man dying.
The body was intact.
His strength restored him even if his heart burst or his head was blown away, returning everything to its original state.
A recovery so great it could be called not just regeneration but time reversal.
But even such recovery could not erase the pain once suffered.
Yes.
Undying’s immortality, at first glance, seemed like a tremendous ability, but what remained intact was only the body.
The mind was not.
Ordinary wounds could be endured through sheer willpower.
In fact, Undying, because of this trait, possessed a spirit far stronger than others.
His flesh was a shield to protect his master, Nirva.
Thus he had to neither collapse nor fall — and it was that belief that gave birth to his immortality.
That no one could kill him.
That this power would make him invincible.
It had been so.
“To think you’re still holding on to your mind... you are a sturdy child indeed. Even this old woman is starting to feel tired.”
Clara Cowen chuckled as she looked down on Undying from the sky.
Undying did not answer. The moment he opened his mouth, it felt like what would come out would not be a proud shout but a plea for mercy.
His mind was already shredded by Clara Cowen’s attacks, which were closer to torture.
Keeping his mouth shut was the last trace of pride he could cling to as a retainer.
But pride alone could not resist the violence before his eyes.
Clara Cowen had said with her own lips that she was tired, yet to Undying, she seemed nothing of the sort.
She was unscathed.
On the contrary, the more she used the power of dreams, the more vivid she seemed to grow.
No, it was no illusion.
[You... you are...]
Undying barely managed to open his mouth.
In his dimming mind, blurred by excessive torture, he thought of his master Nirva.
That Clara Cowen, that old woman—
She was different from ordinary humans.
He had suspected her when she so freely manipulated dreams, but her level was simply too threatening.
Her kindly appearance belied the truth; she had destroyed his mind with every torture method that existed on the continent.
That made her dangerous.
Of course, his master Nirva would never fall to a mere human.
But if—
Even if there were the slightest chance—
[Kggggh.]
“Still trying to move?”
Clara watched his actions and aimed her staff.
Flash!
Green crosses formed in midair and pierced Undying’s body in multiple places.
The arm he had barely lifted was nailed down and fell limp.
[I... am... the Undying... of the Deathbed Dream...]
“Sleep now, child.”
Clara aimed her staff at Undying’s head.
At its tip, green dreamlight spread like smoke.
Unlike before, it was not an attack to destroy his body.
It was quiet, like the hand of a grandmother soothing her grandchildren.
The green dreamlight simply wrapped him warmly.
Undying’s gaping mouth slowly closed.
His wide, glaring eyes lost their color, sinking into emptiness as the great eyelids lowered.
Undying met a silent end, like a man given euthanasia.
His giant body turned into golden powder and scattered with the wind.
Clara landed and patted her waist lightly.
“My, my. Fighting at this age really is hard.”
One should not feel bodily pain in Dreamland.
Yet Clara muttered like someone truly weary and began to move again.
The children were below. She had to hurry down and join them.
* * *
The depths of Dreamland.
To Nirva, sitting with his eyes closed, golden powder flew and seeped into his body.
Nirva’s eyes slowly opened, golden radiance flowing faintly within.
The corner of his lips twisted slightly.
“My retainers have all fallen.”
They had been sent to eliminate threats.
They were retainers he had created, endowed with dream traits by the very power granted to him by the Goddess herself.
In this Dreamland, except for the Goddess and himself, none should have been able to harm them.
Yet they had all died and returned to him.
They had entered eternal rest.
“If only one had been defeated, I would not be so surprised. But all five...”
At this point, rather than irritation or rage, there was astonishment — even interest.
For it meant that aside from Ludger Cherish, there were at least four more humans with minds strong enough to kill his retainers.
Perhaps even more.
Now, Nirva’s path was clear.
Simply to wait.
Quietly, obediently.
For the guests to arrive here.
“I suppose I must not greet them myself from the very start.”
Muttering so, he suddenly remembered when Zero Order had come to him.
That cunning man had not shown himself without reason.
He had been confident, and that confidence had proven true.
“So this is the blade you’ve prepared to cut me down. Pitiful. Truly pitiful.”
Though their relationship had always been poor, as Apostles sharing the goal of overthrowing Lumenis, Nirva had never gone so far as to kill him.
But Zero Order clearly wished for Nirva’s death.
“To think a ghost bound by the past could grow this vicious.”
Very well.
If you go so far, then I shall accept this contest.
This too is a trial the Goddess has granted me, to awaken her fully.
“I will accept it all.”
And I shall endure.
All the world’s filth, suffering, sorrow, gloom, rage, hatred, death.
All shall fade before dreams.
I will endure any pain, surrender my flesh.
As long as it leads to a new paradise.
“It will be soon. Once the Goddess opens her eyes, it will all be over.”
The mission given to Nirva was now only one.
To buy time against the guests until the Goddess awakened.
* * *
“Are, are we safe now?”
Hans kept walking but kept glancing back.
Once was enough, experiencing a world reshaped by his memories and desires.
But so long as they remained here, he could not know when the same thing might happen again.
Fear pressed down on him.
“For now. Nothing unusual. Whether it happens periodically with a delay... we’ll have to see.”
“I... don’t want to stay here any longer.”
“I agree.”
A place where one’s desires manifested before one’s eyes?
In a sense, this place was a paradise for all.
For the greedy, mountains of gold and treasure.
For the ambitious, dazzling palaces and thrones.
For the lovelorn, the most alluring partner.
No need to strive or suffer to gain anything.
Simply—
Wish desperately, and ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) it would be granted.
What a comfortable place this was.
“A perfect place to die.”
As they walked on, the scenery slowly changed.
The translucent ground became withered grass that crunched underfoot.
Looking down, a blackened, faded field stretched out.
Around them was still white, but it felt more faded than before.
A gray mist seemed to be rising.
Walking that path, they saw black shapes emerge from the fog.
“What on earth are those?”
“Ugh. Something’s off.”
Sedina and Seridan spoke at once.
Hans said nothing, but seemed to agree.
The black figures looked like twisted, stunted trees — but resembled people.
Figures of men bowed low in desperate prayer.
Gaunt, starved bodies, skin wrinkled, skull-like faces with hollowed eyes.
Hundreds at least were visible.
Beyond the thinning mist, they stretched like a forest.
Everyone swallowed hard at the grotesque sight.
Only Ludger narrowed his eyes, calmly observing.
“C-careful! They might suddenly move!”
At Sedina’s warning, Ludger shook his head.
“No. They won’t move. Everyone here is in a deep sleep.”
“A deep sleep? Wait, you mean... these are people?”
“Yes. This is the end for those who fell into this world.”
Ludger looked down with cold eyes at the statue before him.
It was so quiet, yet if one listened closely, faint buzzing murmurs leaked from their mouths.
They were praying.
Praying that their dream would never end.
“It is sweet indeed, to have one’s wish fulfilled. But in the human heart, delusion always arises.”
Ludger resumed walking.
The others followed slowly.
“Will this happiness truly last forever? Or one day, like waking from a dream, will it all vanish?”
The more one immerses in the dream, the deeper one sinks.
By the time one realizes it, it is too late.
A body submerged that far cannot return, no matter the struggle.
In the end, there was only one thing to do.
To pray that the peace would not end.
“So sweet it was, that the fear of losing it grew immense. Like a man addicted to drugs, they are consumed by anxiety until their minds break completely.”
The ruined, broken end of such people was this.
Hans swallowed.
Had Ludger not saved him then, he too would have been another statue here. The thought made him shudder.
“A truly vile cruelty.”
Like an anglerfish in the abyss.
It lures prey with light, only to drag them into the endless maw.
The central layer was such a place.
A world of the Hungry Ghosts of Dreams.
“A-are you sure it’s safe? If they’re still alive, they could attack.”
“They have neither strength nor will left. Clutching at a handful of sand slipping through their fingers, they can do nothing else.”
Foolish beings who cannot let go, even knowing the sand flows away.
Yet Ludger did not blame them.
Who among humans could keep their mind intact in this place?
It was best never to come here, but if one did, ninety-nine out of a hundred would end like this.
“Let’s go. There’s nothing we can do.”
Without sparing the Hungry Ghosts a glance, Ludger walked between them.
His firm stride made the others uneasy, wondering if this was really fine.
Who knew how long they walked.
At last, the statues ended.
The gray mist over the blackened grass parted, and a massive silhouette appeared.
A towering gate like a mountain reaching the sky.
Huge doors carved with countless patterns, resembling the one Ludger had entered through during the Order Synod.
That gate had likely been modeled on this.
“So this is the lower part of the middle layer.”
Beyond lay the depths of Dreamland.
Normally unreachable, but only now, because of Nirva’s actions, could they come this far.
‘But from here, even I do not know.’
Julia had warned him only up to the central layer.
She had only heard about it, and knew nothing beyond.
From here, it was entirely uncharted.
The others, too, froze in place, silent.
All eyes turned to Ludger.
What now? Go on, or stop here?
Receiving their gaze, Ludger closed his eyes.
Minutes passed.
He opened them and said:
“We will not stop.”
They had come too far to delay.
He kept remembering the Goddess he had seen in Clara’s world that day.
The moment she awakened, something irreversible would occur.
Ludger decided to trust his instincts.
He was about to step forward—
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
The group turned, startled.
“Wizard Zantman?”
Ludger recognized the old man from the Dream School and widened his eyes.