Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2897 - 2898: A Sudden Change

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Harumi and Erikaʼs teams raced through the Dream Dungeon, relentlessly hunting the required Nightmares. These Nightmare creatures appeared in abstract forms: sometimes chimeric beasts, other times swirling masses of glowing colors, or even living furniture and animated paintings. They varied wildly in shape, size, and appearance, yet all were Nightmares born from humanityʼs shared subconscious.

Nagumo watched the trial unfold. The entire Dungeon had been crafted with his Magic and the assistance of several other great magicians, including Medea herself. It was their magnum opus, a specially modified, fully controlled Dream World capable of trapping enemies indefinitely while eroding their souls.

They could manipulate its form, shape, size, and every phenomenon within, from Nightmares to entire landscapes. It was an ultimate Realm. But now, as the mountain trembled without warning and three Great Divinities manifested, the Dungeon began to distort and shake violently.

”Whatʼs going on?” Nagumo wondered, snapping out of his drowsy state and scanning the surroundings.

Sakamoto and Mirabilis, who had been sipping tea nearby while observing the trial, hurried to his side. An ominous feeling hung thick in the air.

”It looks like it has begun,” Sakamoto said, gazing at the projection Nagumo had conjured of the outside world.

There, they saw the mountain shuddering. Spiritual energy flowing through its veins twisted and warped in chaotic patterns.

Worse still, they sensed the awakening presences of three Great Divinities rising from the mountain itself, along with a massive Gate opening toward Amaterasuʼs Heavenly Domain.

”The enemies we baited... arenʼt they too many?” Mirabilis asked, voice tight.

”More could come. Letʼs begin preparations,” Sakamoto replied. ”Nagumo, are you ready?”

”...”

”Nagumo?”

Sakamoto approached and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, trying to convey that everything remained under control, that this was a calculated risk.

But when he looked into Nagumoʼs face, the boyʼs eyes were pitch black.

”...Nagumo?”

”I see. So this is the Great Origin World within the Dimensional Labyrinth where we are being dragged. How amusing.”

Nagumo spoke in a voice and with a tenebrous aura utterly foreign to him.

Sakamoto fell silent. He quickly shoved Mirabilis behind him as his golden aura of Fortune flared to life.

”Youʼre not Nagumo.”

”...”

Nagumo turned toward Sakamoto. Blood trickled from his nose and eyes. Something had suddenly possessed the boy, whose very existence served as a bridge to the Dream Plane itself.

”Who are you?”

”...Ah, pests. Begone.”

”...?!”

”Wha...!”

In an instant, Sakamoto and Mirabilisʼ surroundings warped. They found themselves plummeting from the sky into a chaotic landscape of ever-shifting buildings, clashing colors, and countless horrors rising from every direction.

Nagumoʼs Dream Dungeon was being eroded. A colossal storm of pink and black clouds gathered overhead, tearing open a portal to another dimension and allowing Horrors from Beyond this Plane to pour inside.

Giant, incomprehensible entities emerged, amorphous masses of heads, faces, arms, legs, and countless other merged forms. Sakamoto felt a sharp stab of pain in his mind simply from looking at them.

”Whatʼs happening?! Are we being attacked again? But by whom?” Sakamoto demanded, soaring upward on his aura.

”Why is this happening?! Thatʼs a portal leading to the Dream Plane!” Mirabilis cried, floating beside him as her long blonde hair transformed into writhing black tentacles. ”We have to report this to Lord Chaos!”

”GROOOOHHHHHHHHH!”

Before they could act, one of the entities detected them. A gigantic hand rushed forward. Its surface was covered in countless faces, infants, elders, all screaming, crying, groaning in agony and monstrous fury.

”Hah, this is beyond anything Iʼve ever faced!” Sakamoto grinned even as death closed in. ”Letʼs see!”

He hurled dozens of golden coins at the monster. Each coin looked tiny against the entity, which was the size of three mountains combined.

Yet...

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

Each coin detonated in a brilliant explosion of golden radiance, disrupting the Dream Entity and forcing it back, momentarily confusing it.

”I never thought that would work!” Mirabilis exclaimed.

”Me neither. Letʼs move, quickly,” Sakamoto said. ”Can you detect where the exit is?”

”I can! Follow me!” Mirabilis nodded. ”But Nagumo...!”

”We cannot do anything about him now. Letʼs escape, tell the boss, and continue with the plan,” Sakamoto replied. ”The young lady should be outside, so sheʼs safe. She could fight Susanoo himself; Iʼm not worried about her in the slightest!”

”Me neither!” Mirabilis agreed.

.

.

.

”Whatʼs going on?!”

Erika stared at the sky as the entire Dream Dungeon began to warp and rebel against its own nature. Nightmares fused into towering titans of darkness. Unspeakable horrors emerged from floating houses and buildings. The landscape twisted into an incomprehensible, almost AI-generated nightmare.

”Did they detect us? Is this some kind of trap? Damn it, and we fell right into it!” Ulric growled in frustration. ”I knew this wasnʼt the proper way of doing things...!”

”This is not good...!” Thyra said urgently. ”Selene, can you conjure a Moonlight Gate to get us out of here?”

”Iʼm on it already!” Selene replied. Among the werewolves, her clan was rare in its mastery of powerful moonlight and star magic. Selene was the most accomplished magician of them all. ”Erika, stay close to me!”

”U-Uh!” Erika nodded, but constant headaches assaulted her as she gazed at the bizarre creatures pursuing them. ”Uuugh! My head...!” She collapsed, unable to withstand the mind-erosion.

”Erika!” Ulric rushed to her side. Despite his usual gruff demeanor toward her, his concern ran deep. ”Come here!”

He scooped her up just before a giant hand could crush her. Ulric glared at its source—a writhing mass of countless bodies fused together, constantly shifting in form and color.

”U-Uncle?!” Erika gasped.

”Hang in there, Erika. Donʼt lower your guard!” Ulric said, running with her on his back. ”We have to hurry, she doesnʼt have as much resistance as we do!”

”I know!” Thyra sighed, channeling her own Ki to heal Erika. ”Selene, how much longer?”

”Not much!” Selene answered.

All three transformed into their werewolf forms. Ulric became a massive, scarred gray werewolf. Thyra shifted into a majestic blonde one. Selene took on a sleek dark purple form. They sprinted through the chaotic landscape as fragments of floating debris and shattered worlds swept past. Nightmares roared and lunged at them.

At the same time, they spotted Harumiʼs group ahead, led by the vampires. Using magic and powers, the vampires soared higher and higher. Eventually, both teams converged. They exchanged nods, rivalry set aside. Survival was now the only goal.

”Iʼm conjuring a spatial gate to escape, but the space of this dimension is too unstable!” Selene said.

”Iʼm doing the same!” Lady Shadow replied. ”To survive and protect the kids, letʼs combine our strength.”

”F-Fine!” Selene swallowed her pride and nodded. She and Lady Shadow merged their Arcane Path Auras.

They fused Moonlight Bridge and Shadow Door, both classified as Domain Escape Spells. Slowly, the portal began to manifest.

FLUOSH!

As the portal finally opened, the Dream Entities closed in, roaring and reaching for them. Both vampires and werewolves charged forward with fierce determination.

”COME BACK...! FOOD!”

One hand managed to seize someone—Ulric. Erika panicked. She transformed and attacked the monstrous Dream Entity, but her claws shattered the instant they made contact.

”Uncle! Hang in there!”

”Nnnggh!”

Ulric tried to sever his own leg, but more hands spread across his body. Dream entities sprouted from his skin. He was being consumed.

”Thatʼs enough, Erika...”

”U-Uncle?”

”Be a good girl... and make sure to always obey your aunts. Okay?”

”W-Wait...! WAIT!”

Ulric grabbed her and hurled her toward the portal. Erika cried out, reaching desperately for him, but her two aunts caught her and pushed her through.

”UNCLE! NOOOO!!!”

Screaming, the portal closed. Ulric looked back at her one last time before he was fully consumed.

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