First a punch, then another!
Dust blotted out the sky, rising within the hurricane. Bahamut grinned, a fierce smile playing on its lips as It raised Its claws. Instantly, countless shards of steel proliferated from Its sharp scales.
Triple-fold Drum Thunder!
A punch thundered down. In an instant, the land for thousands of miles sank. Countless fleshy tentacles hidden underground were utterly obliterated by this direct punch.
Then, Its claws closed, eight fingers interlocked, smashing down on the wailing darkness below as if spiking a volleyball.
—Triple-fold Lightning Heaven Break!
Fire erupted from the earth. Molten lava surged into the sky like a torrential rain, only to fall back down from the heavens.
This move, pilfered from Luo Xian, was finally unleashed by Huai Shi, whose current size was massive beyond reason. Even though his mastery was rudimentary at best, the instantaneous burst of explosive power still surged severalfold.
It was like a star plummeting.
When Huai Shi slowly moved His claws apart, the scales on His palms had already begun to show cracks.
And the darkness beneath had vanished without a trace.
The Miracle Imprint: Dracula state was shattered by this decisive punch. Not only was it forced back, but now, within the pit of lava and Iron Stone, only a pool of writhing blood remained. It struggled to coalesce, forming a broken, ragdoll-like body.
It really was as Morando said; no one truly dies here.
Huai Shi's smile widened with even greater pleasure.
Raising a claw tip, He pinched Morando's head, lifting it as if it were a speck of dust.
The shattered husk swayed in the wind.
Blood trickled down.
Huai Shi asked curiously, "How does it feel, little bro?"
Morando stared blankly at him, his twisted face numb.
It was as if his soul had been devoured by a nightmare. This place was indeed a nightmare. However, the one devouring his soul wasn't the nightmare itself, but the Huai Shi standing before him—and His smile.
"Just remember not to piss yourself," Huai Shi said, a plume of metallic steam hissing from His nostrils. "We're just getting started."
Morando opened his mouth, wanting to make a sound.
Perhaps a scream of agony, or a plea for mercy. But it no longer mattered.
Because Huai Shi took a deep breath.
And so, those insignificant moans were drowned out by the roar of His breath.
A tyrannical blaze soared into the sky.
The torment of Purgatory had only just begun.
Actually, it didn't last long. One minor reason was that Huai Shi felt a bit thirsty after spewing fire for five minutes and was running low on... material. But the main reason was... guests had arrived.
To call them 'guests' isn't quite accurate, He thought. It would be more correct to say they are the original inhabitants of this Rotting Dream.
With an earth-shattering roar, a massive creature with three black goat-like hooves and wrapped in writhing tentacles lumbered forth from the edge of the desolate plain. Several gaping maws on its body opened simultaneously, emitting sharp shrieks towards Huai Shi.
From its body, countless deformed monsters spread their wings and soared into the sky, forming a black cloud that swarmed towards Huai Shi like locusts.
Meanwhile, in the perpetually dark and gloomy sky, a huge, ferocious shadow emerged...
It was unclear whether it was some kind of manta ray or another spectral beast. It resembled an oval carpet brimming with eyes and fleshy tentacles, stretching its body as it undulated through the gray, nightmarish Hell. Wherever it passed, it scattered a sticky and foul-smelling rain of blood.
Its movement seemed slow but was deceptively fast, covering a hundred miles in an instant.
What alarmed Huai Shi even more were the countless decaying Souls slowly crawling out from the cracked ground. These pale, translucent figures were covered in distorted marks and emitted chaotic screams and moans. When they collided, they stuck together, resembling earthworms crawling on the ground or figures staggering as they walked.
Countless faces etched with pain and resentment lifted, staring intently at Huai Shi. They raised their hands, trying to drag Him into the darkness of the Rotting Dream.
These are the remnants left after being digested by the Rotten Dream—the eventual fate of victims who fall into this inescapable nightmare. Eternal torment and agony, with no escape...
When numerous decaying Souls adhered to one another, they transformed into worm-like masses, constantly sprouting tendrils that sought to entwine Bahamut's body.
And at the horizon, a massive shadow emerged. One could vaguely discern a humanoid silhouette.
But it had three entirely different faces: a grinning woman, a tormented child, and a charred, ghostly visage. Its five hands clutched various blood-drenched instruments of torture, and it stared hungrily at Huai Shi.
It's as if it's contemplating how to 'entertain' this guest, a thought that sent a relentless surge of intense danger through Huai Shi.
"Is this your reinforcement?"
He glanced down at the remnants of Morando clutched between His claw tips. "Won't you introduce them?"
"You're dead, kid... The Predators of the Rotting Dream have been stirred by you, hehehe..." Morando's slowly healing single eye, filled with a mocking and vicious light, glared. "I might not know what you are, but you'll definitely end up a million times more miserable than me! In this Hell, where even death is a release you cannot find, you'll pray for the world to end soon..."
CRACK.
Huai Shi's claws inadvertently applied a bit more force, snapping Morando in half at the waist. Molten iron then dripped down, covering his grinning face and freezing his ferocious expression.
"I don't know what my own fate will be," Huai Shi said, His movements swift as He carefully pierced tiny Sacrificial Knives into Morando's body, fixing him firmly in the gradually solidifying molten iron. "But I doubt... they'll have the leisure to bother with you."
Then, layer by layer, He plastered on quickly solidifying iron sheets, swiftly forming it into a smooth iron egg.
"You'd better pray I win this fight, and that I remember to come back for you. Otherwise..."
Before sealing the last iron plate, Huai Shi grinned, bidding him farewell with a smile. "Otherwise, you'll just stay in there by yourself forever."