Cursed Immortality

Chapter 1211: Primary Nightmare: Borrowed Knife

The moment Jacob noticed the killing intent and went on high alert, it brushed against him for less than a moment, then vanished, as if it had never been there.

The next moment, the massive Zodiac Beast turned away immediately, its focus returning to the surrounding void as it continued absorbing energy with increasing intensity, completely ignoring Jacob.

But Jacob didn’t relax, nor could he ignore that momentarily killing intent as he thought with many possibilities coming in his mind, ‘Did it notice something? That single flicker of killing intent wasn’t random, and might be from instinct like recognition of my superiority from those mindless Zodiac Beast or suspicion because I was able to sense Whiteness when even it couldn’t…’

Jacob remained perfectly still, his presence reduced to the absolute minimum, his thoughts moving rapidly beneath the surface.

‘I guess I can’t stay close to this thing forever…not with that thing’s erratic behavior. I might just kill myself out of sheer frustration, and with this current body, if it decides to kill me… I can’t resist! The gap between us isn’t something skill or control could bridge; it is absolute.

‘The only way out…is to use my real identity, which is even more impossible because the moment it happened, everything would collapse. The Dreamscape would react, the nightmare would turn against me, and whatever opportunity I had here would be gone!’

The realization was cold and clear, for this wasn’t like before. He wasn’t dealing with mindless fragments or instinct-driven creatures anymore. This entity had reached a level where even the smallest irregularity could trigger lethal consequences, and Jacob was the biggest irregularity here.

‘Nonetheless, escape isn’t an option, and neither is resistance, so… I’ll stay!’

Jacob’s cold and precise thoughts settled because, despite that flicker of killing intent, it hadn’t acted, and that meant something, probably like it doesn’t see him as a threat, at least, not yet.

More importantly, Jacob was the only one who had alerted it to Whiteness’s presence, which means it might also consider the possibility that Jacob could lead it to Whiteness again.

That alone gave him value; thus, killing him would serve no purpose for now, so Jacob remained silent, unmoving, and waiting.

Time lost meaning again as the void returned to stillness, but it was no longer the same stillness as before, for it was heavier and tense, as if something waited beneath the surface.

Jacob didn’t move or interfere; instead, he focused on the Dreamscape Law because if he was going to remain here, if he was going to survive deeper layers like this, then Anachronism alone wouldn’t be enough.

This place demanded more understanding, control, and authority.

He began to observe not just the environment, but the structure of the nightmare itself; the flow, the reactions, especially the invisible boundaries that dictated what could and couldn’t happen, for he had learned that every Dreama and Nightmare follows a pattern!

In this Primary Nightmare, which was a preserved event, it felt like a sequence, something that must unfold, and yet he was inside it, changing small things and creating ripples using the same principles of Dreamscape, since without them he would suffer a fate worse than death!

‘So where is the limit…?’

‘How far could I go before the nightmare rejected me?’

‘How much could I alter before I became the target?’

These profound questions lingered as the long and endless silence stretched on, and at some point, even Jacob’s patience began to wear thin because it was too quiet.

After a prolonged wait, it finally happened again, but this time, it was different. Jacob snapped out of his trance as his entire being reacted.

‘Whiteness…’

However, before he could even process it fully, the void tore open, but not at the edge or hidden like before, but Whiteness had intruded inside the territory, right within the domain of the massive Zodiac Beast!

Thus, there was no need for warning or signaling; when Whiteness appeared, the massive Zodiac Beast reacted instantly, and violence erupted.

However, Jacob’s eyes narrowed as a sudden chill ran down his spine because, from the moment Whiteness appeared, he seemed to glare at him with unhidden killing intent even before the massive Zodiac Beast reacted.

But it wasn’t the least of Jacob’s problems because…

‘He’s not alone!’

Just as Jacob considered this terrifying possibility, the space behind Whiteness distorted violently, then split open.

A massive tear ripped through the void, far larger than anything seen before, its edges crackling with unstable energy as something forced its way through.

This sudden turn of events even startled the massive Zodiac Beast, which seemed to overcome its maddening violence from a moment ago as it stopped in its tracks.

The next instant, ‘it’ emerged; another Zodiac Beast, but even bigger, heavier, and more terrifying.

Its form was grotesque yet structured, with a colossal, serpentine body coiled and layered with armor-like plates that shimmered with deep crimson void-light. Multiple jagged limbs extended from its sides, each one ending in blade-like protrusions that seemed capable of slicing through space itself.

Its head was not singular but split into three elongated, predatory skulls, each one moving independently, their hollow eyes burning with violent intent without any hint of intelligence.

The moment it fully entered, the void trembled as a pressure even greater than the first beast spread outward, filled with pure, overwhelming fury toward the tiny Void Mantis before it!

But the next moment, before the enraged Zodiac Beast could capture Whiteness, the space around the latter suddenly collapsed, and the next moment, Whiteness vanished without a trace, leaving behind the mending void and the frantic Zodiac Beast.

Jacob’s thoughts froze for a fraction of a second as his mind turned cold as he instantly realized something sickening, ‘That wily insect had drawn a Legendary Noble State Zodiac Beast here to deal with this one?! And from its chaotic intent filled with nothing but fury and murder, there is no way it’ll stop until it kills everything in its wake!’