Chapter 124: Second Ghost Sleep
(Rodova Military Academy – Leo's Dorm Room, Midnight)
For the past one and a half months, Leo had enjoyed the rare luxury of avoiding any more Ghost Sleep episodes.
While Su Yang, Mu Shen, and the others experienced them nearly every other week, haunted by glimpses of the past, Leo had been spared—his nights undisturbed since the first time it happened.
But tonight—his luck ran out.
As tonight, instead of the expected blissful silence of sleep, his consciousness was instead dragged away by a sharp pull, as it was forcefully swallowed by the depths of his bloodline's memories.
And just like that—Ghost Sleep came for him once again.
—------------
(A burning forest – Modern times)
Once again, Leo found himself floating above a battlefield in ruins, his body weightless and incorporeal as he was made to observe an episode from the past.
The world around him was pure chaos.
Below, a dense forest burned, its towering trees reduced to blackened husks, flames licking at the edges of a clearing littered with countless corpses.
Thick, suffocating smoke coiled into the sky, carrying the stench of scorched flesh, spilled blood, and death.
And beneath him—they ran.
Eight figures, battered, broken, and desperate, sprinted across the battlefield, their movements driven by nothing but sheer survival instinct.
They tore through the burning forest, weaving through the collapsing trees and jagged underbrush, their ragged breaths merging with the crackling flames.
But they weren't alone.
Behind them—countless pursuers followed.
Blood streaked their tattered uniforms, open wounds glistening in the firelight—some fresh, others barely sealed, leaking crimson trails as they moved.
They ran at their absolute limit, muscles screaming in protest, lungs burning with every breath.
And yet—their enemies were gaining.
*Crunch*
*Gasp*
*Stumble*
Leo could feel their exhaustion.
The way their legs trembled with each step.
The suffocating burn in their lungs.
The sheer terror sinking into their bones.
But none of them stopped.
Because behind them—
Death was coming.
Leo could hear it.
The thundering footsteps crashing through the scorched earth.
The clanking of heavy armor, growing louder with every passing second.
The harsh, guttural commands barked in the distance—orders for a swift and ruthless kill.
And then—a dead end loomed ahead.
A towering wall of jagged rock blocked their only path forward.
There was no escape.
No other way around.
Nor another way through, as panic surged within the group.
Desperate, they glanced towards one another, searching for an answer. A miracle.
But there was none.
As their only choice now was to start climbing the rocky terrain and hopefully make it to the other side alive.
"Go—Go—Go!"
The first man didn't wait. He reached the base of the rock wall and immediately began to climb, his fingers scrambling for holds, legs shaking from exertion.
But it was clear—they weren't going to make it.
Leo could see it. The archers would be upon them in moments, arrows already nocked, their pursuers closing in from all directions, as if someone didn't stay behind to buy them time—
They were all going to end up dead.
Then—one of them skidded to a halt.
A tall, powerful man, broader than the others, his frame rigid despite the countless wounds bleeding through his torn armor.
Leo felt it.
The cracked ribs.
The torn muscles.
The exhaustion.
But there was no hesitation. No second-guessing.
Only resolve.
The man turned back toward his comrades, his decision already made.
"They're here for me."
His voice was steady, calm—almost resigned.
"Not you. Not the others. Just me—the Dragon. So let me be the one to stay behind and fight."
Across from him, another man—almost as tall, just as battle-worn—froze in place, his features twisting in fury.
"No." His voice was sharp, his hands clenched into fists.
"You're the Dragon! You're the hope of our people—you cannot die! Let me do this, Noah. Let me cover your retreat."
But Noah only shook his head.
"No, Noir. You're not strong enough."
His tone was firm but not unkind.
Then, with a lopsided grin, he gave a thumbs-up.
"Besides, I have my ways to survive."
It was a lie.
And Noir knew it.
"Don't."
His voice cracked.
"Don't fucking do this. We need you. We're lost without you. None of us—none of us can become the next Timeless Assassin—but you can! Your life is worth a thousand of mine."
Noah flinched—not physically, but something deeper.
Perhaps regret.
Perhaps guilt.
Perhaps the weight of knowing Noir was right.
But it didn't change the truth.
"You have to take them and go."
Noir was shaking his head, still refusing, still resisting.
"Noah, shut the fuck up—"
"GO, NOIR!"
The command wasn't a request.
It was a roar. A thunderous, desperate order that shook the very air around them, leaving no room for argument.
Leo felt the agony in Noah's chest—the pain of knowing this was goodbye.
But there was no other choice.
Noir's breathing turned ragged. Torn between loyalty and duty, brotherhood and survival.
But when Noah placed a hand on his shoulder, everything stilled.
"I have my ways to survive." Noah lied again, softer this time. "You just have to trust me."
Noir clenched his jaw.
Then—he broke.
"Alright."
With a sharp inhale, he turned on his heel, grabbed the nearest injured soldier, and shoved them forward.
"MOVE!"
The others hesitated—just for a second.
Then, one by one, they obeyed, scrambling up the rock face, escaping into the smoke-filled night.
Leo could feel it—their anger. Their silent prayers.
And as Noir disappeared into the haze, the last thing Leo saw was the tears in his eyes.
Then—
The pursuers arrived.
A dozen figures emerged from the darkness.
Their armor was black.
Not just any black—obsidian black, with a sigil carved onto their chest plates.
Leo's gaze latched onto it, burning the image into his mind.
A serpent curled around a dagger.
But he had no time to process it—
Because Noah moved.
And Leo felt everything.
The exhaustion—gone.
The hesitation—gone.
The moment the enemy appeared, Noah let go of everything but instinct.
His body exploded forward.
Faster than humanly possible.
Faster than even Leo had ever moved before.
And then—
The slaughter began.
One step. 40 meters covered.
One strike. One head rolled.
A Transcendent-level fighter stood before him, but Noah's blade carved through his throat before he could even react.
Blood sprayed.
A second enemy lunged—Noah twisted, his heel crushing their knee before driving a dagger into their heart.
A third came from behind—Noah felt it.
Ducked.
Countered.
Drove his sword through their skull.
Three dead in two seconds.
And yet—they kept coming.
A dozen became twenty.
Twenty became forty.
And Noah kept fighting.
For every enemy that fell, more appeared.
More powerful.
More skilled.
Leo felt his body slowing.
His strikes—less precise.
His dodges—less clean.
His wounds—piling up.
A gash across his ribs.
A dagger lodged in his shoulder.
A knee slamming into his sternum.
And then—
A new presence stepped forward.
And everything stopped.
The enemy soldiers backed away.
Through the thinning smoke—he appeared.
The man with the serpent sigil.
And the moment Noah saw him, Leo felt his stomach drop.
That man was different.
He didn't move like the others.
Didn't feel like the others.
His presence was suffocating.
A weight so crushing, it nearly forced the air from Noah's lungs.
A Monarch-level fighter.
Noah knew—death had come for him.
But even then—he did not falter.
He raised his blade, knowing full well that his final battle awaited him.
However, despite being confident about his own death, he charged at the enemy with a smile.
As if he were going to die, he chose to die fighting like a hero, rather than a coward running.
—-------
Leo felt everything that followed vividly.
The battle that followed was a blur of speed, desperation, and inevitable doom.
Noah fought like a beast.
But the man—the one with the serpent sigil—was something beyond, as he toyed with Noah, like Hen toyed with Leo during sparring.
Slowly, but surely, Noah's movements became slower.
His wounds bled deeper.
And finally—
A blade pierced his chest.
Leo felt it.
The cold steel driving through his ribs.
The blood filling his lungs.
His vision blurring….
As finally, Noah collapsed to his knees, his last breath escaping his lungs.
"I'll get you back in the next life…. Black Serpent—" He said, before closing his eyes forever, as Leo felt his consciousness being pulled back.
—------------
Leo's eyes snapped open, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as his chest ached, his lungs burned, and his body trembled—as if it had been him who had just died, not Noah.
As if it had been his body that had been pierced, his strength that had bled away into the dirt.
And yet—he was alive.
But this time—
He had seen something important.
And this time—
He had a name.
A name he knew all too well.
The Black Serpents!
"Black Serpents…" Leo murmured after waking up, the name clinging to his thoughts like a lingering shadow.
"Isn't that the organization I'm supposed to join after graduating from Rodova?" he muttered, clutching his head as he tried his best to steady his breathing.
His heart was still hammering in his chest, the remnants of the horrifying dream refusing to fade.
However, with [Monarch's Indifference] working over-time, he soon got his grip back, as he started to break-down his dream, trying to extract everything of value that he could from it.
"Noah toyed with those Transcendent level opponents facing him—" Leo recalled, as his mind replayed the fight sequences that he had just observed.
"At the same tier, Noah was undoubtedly faster, stronger and sharper than his opponents, making it impossible to take him down, unless hundreds of them ganged up on him—" Leo analyzed, as he suddenly realised just how strong Noah really was.