The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The ground was covered in dry cracks. The grass and trees had withered away. An autumn wind shouldn’t be this desolate, yet as far as the eye could see, even the tree trunks themselves had lost all Vitality.

In the farmlands on both sides of the road, one could still see the remnants of rice stalks and the yellowed skeletons of dead creatures. The desolation was overwhelming, like the aftermath of an unprecedented famine—even worse than a plague of locusts.

A tall figure in a black Wizard Robe had appeared here at some unknown time. He took a deep breath, as if hearing the low hum of some ancient behemoth.

Then, he gently blew a breath at the scene before him.

Instantly, that breath swelled, stirring the air and forming a massive gale that swept everything into the sky.

The turf, the soil from the paddies, and the dead forest were all torn to shreds by the gale, exposing what lay buried beneath the earth: countless small, thread-like tendrils of flesh, dark Red in color. As if enraged, they tried to launch themselves toward the figure.

But suspended in mid-air, they had no leverage to propel themselves. They twisted their bodies comically, their sheer numbers a horrifying sight. A normal person would have been scared to death.

”Pathetic,” the figure in the black Wizard Robe sneered. An arrogant, domineering aura erupted from him, and the faint roar of a dragon echoed.

An invisible, subtle ripple began to spread out from the figure in the black Wizard Robe. It was a form of ultimate pressure; the ground sank inch by inch, and the very air seemed to be squeezed and condensed by a giant hand.

BANG!

The small, Red, thread-like worms floating in mid-air were all instantly reduced to dust.

The Demon Dragon Wizard flicked his sleeves and strode toward the center of the Maya Kingdom. The aura around him steadily built, even affecting the clouds in the sky behind him, causing them to twist into strange apparitions.

High in the air, a figure in a Yellow Wizard Robe flickered in and out of view, existing in a strange, liminal state. He was stretching a thin, Red tendril of flesh between his fingers, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

’It’s incredibly elastic and lively. I can shape it however I want, but it can’t withstand much force.’

Twisted, slender lines, like streaks of paint or graffiti, extended from the small amount of Particle Energy the Illusory Dream Wizard had released, wrapping themselves around the fleshy tendril.

In the blink of an eye, the Red, thread-like tendril became just another part of the graffiti-like lines, losing its original structure as it was absorbed.

The Illusory Dream Wizard snapped his fingers. An instant later, he vanished and reappeared beside the Demon Dragon Wizard, floating as he moved. The graffiti-like, twisting lines coiled around him, apparently stabilizing his current State.

”It seems this Evil God is a clever one. It made the most logical choice,” the Illusory Dream Wizard said with a smile.

”It’s completely exposed to us now. No matter where it runs, it’s useless—unless it can leave the Dark Land. But can it?” The Demon Dragon Wizard’s lips curled into a sneer. He seemed to recall something and added, ”This Evil God’s plan appears to be using the Power it has absorbed from the entire Maya Kingdom to confront us head-on.”

”This isn’t its true body, after all, so its Power is limited. This display just further proves it’s all bark and no bite.”

The Illusory Dream Wizard chuckled. ”The Gloom Wizard has likely been watching us the whole time, so we don’t need to worry about any surprises. This is my first encounter with an Evil God, and I’m quite curious. Will you be taking the lead, or shall I?”

”There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Illusory Dream Wizard. This is my territory, so I will handle it personally. It’s merely an avatar of an Evil God. Who knows how much Power it consumed just to cross the barrier between the Outer Space and the Inner World. There’s no need to be overly concerned.”

The Demon Dragon Wizard’s tone was full of confidence. He was a Bloodline Wizard, and his Extraordinary Bloodline came from a Level 2 Extraordinary Creature, allowing him to reach the heights of a Level 2 Wizard.

In terms of Power among the current Official Wizards of the Dark Land, he was second only to a select few, such as the Rhine Wizard and the White Bone Wizard.

The Illusory Dream Wizard gave a helpless smile. His appearance remained indistinct, shrouded in a haze. Whenever one’s gaze tried to focus on his face, it was impossible to make out any specific features.

”Then do as you see fit, Demon Dragon Wizard.”

The Illusory Dream Wizard’s figure vanished, seeming to merge into nothingness as he began to view the world from a different perspective.

The world was a convergence of myriad colors, with lines crisscrossing everywhere, as if this were its true reality. The Illusory Dream Wizard’s form was also outlined in yellow hues, twisted and abstract. Beside him hovered another distorted image of similar colors.

This new form was a profound darkness that seemed to absorb all light, inspiring a fear that stemmed from the very depths of one’s soul. The figure outlined within it wore a Wizard Robe, but its frame was not tall; on the contrary, it was slight and small, like a child’s.

The Gloom Wizard’s voice drifted out, faint and ethereal. ”The Dream World is truly unique. It is said that it doesn’t belong solely to the Wizard World, but connects to many other worlds and planes. It is the nexus where the dreams of the entire Cosmos converge.”

”Illusory Dream Wizard, in your current State, it would be exceedingly difficult for even me to interfere; I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Your Power now is likely no less than my own.”

”You jest, Master Gloom Wizard. The gap between levels of Power cannot be bridged by such external means.” The Illusory Dream Wizard chuckled, then shrugged. ”No Wizard can fully explain the existence of the Dream World. The research of countless Wizard forebears has only revealed the tip of the iceberg, leading them to summarize it with two words: ’infinite possibilities.’”