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RUMBLE!
As Beowulf managed to rescue everyone and finally bring so stability to the chaotic landscape, Harumi felt an imnse, reality-warping presence approaching.
A crack tore open within the rged dungeons. From it, two figures plumted from the sky, accompanied by a massive monstrosity whose form defied comprehension.
A Dream Entity!
The people fleeing were ones Erika and Harumi recognized—the supervisors of Chaos Gate who had been managing the Dream Dungeon.
That was where everything had spiraled into disaster. But why were they running?
Had the "trap" they set backfired on them?
Or were they victims too, just like everyone else?
Sakamoto and Mirabilis would have loved to explain that they were indeed on the receiving end of this nightmare.
But they couldn't speak.
BOOOM!
As they hit the ground, an explosion of light and darkness erupted. Both shielded themselves with their Auras.
They looked battered. Their escape from the Dream Entities had been brutal.
Yet they were alive.
"Mirabilis, you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm naturally resistant to those things. But what about you?! You're human!"
"I'm alright."
Sakamoto had always been blessed with a strange power: Fortune Manipulation. That Fortune could do many things—even grant him enough luck to avoid permanent harm.
But it drew on his own energy reserves and various other factors. Right now, he was nearing his limits.
"CONSU…! SOULS! SOULS! SOULS! CONSU! CONSU! CONSU! CONSU!"
The Dream Entity pursued them relentlessly. Larger than mountains, it charged forward on hundreds of giant human-like arms. Countless screaming faces covered its amorphous body.
These strange lifeforms existed only to devour souls from the Dream Plane. Unable to enter other Planes before, they now reveled in their freedom.
"God damn it! Another one of those things is coming here!" Erika cried.
"We should run! Quickly!" Harumi urged. "We should—Ugh?!"
As Harumi tried to flee toward the exit, she collided with soone taller than her.
"So there you are! You don't know how worried I was, Harumi!"
A familiar voice rang out as strong arms enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Eh?!"
Harumi's eyes widened. Her mother was hugging her.
The Vampire Queen Clentine.
"Your majesty!"
"Queen Clentine!"
"You're finally back!"
Frankenstein, Lady Shadow, and Dan celebrated at the sight of her return.
Clentine smiled warmly at them and stepped forward.
Her Aura surged, warping space itself.
Blood and darkness blended into an abyss.
Her eyes glead as she fixed her gaze on the approaching monster.
"You took one down. The next one is mine, Beowulf."
"Hah, fine! That's only fair."
Beowulf crossed his arms as Clentine gently patted her daughter, offered her a reassuring smile, then spread enormous bat wings and shot into the sky like a crimson blur.
At the sa mont, another figure appeared.
"Brother?!"
Harumi spotted Mammon and ran to him, burying her face in his shoulder as tears flowed.
"A-Ah, Harumi… don't worry. Everything is going to be alright now. Mother is here with us, after all."
Everyone looked skyward as the Vampire Queen danced against the Dream Entity.
The monster imdiately tried to crush her with its hands, chasing her across the ground and swatting at her like an insect.
But Clentine was untouchable.
Every strike that landed shattered the monster's limbs into fragnts.
"GRRAAAAHHHH?!"
Clentine's body glead as though she had transford into crimson diamond.
This was her Innate Ability—a power she was born with.
"Adamas."
Among the Ancient Vampire Lineages, the oldest ancestors possessed unique, god-like abilities.
Clentine was one in a billion to have inherited such a gift.
Adamas, the power to turn her body into indestructible divine diamond.
Whenever she willed it, Clentine beca truly unbreakable.
Impenetrable.
Not even a Dream Entity could harm her.
Yet that alone wasn't enough. The monster's countless eyes glead, targeting her soul.
So…
Her own eyes blazed.
She activated her second vampire ability.
"Demonic Eyes of Petrification."
Her gaze flashed. The entire Dream Entity began turning to stone.
Unable to fight, unable to move, it crumbled and died.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.
Clentine was the deadliest vampire ever born.
Her combination of absolute invulnerability and instant-kill eyes made her a terrifying force.
However.
RUMBLE!
The stone suddenly reverted to Dream Essence, weaving the entity back into form.
"I told ya they don't die that easily, Clentine! Rember when you petrified that one ti and I just broke through it? These guys are the sa!" Beowulf laughed.
"I see. So they're stubborn atheads that don't know when to die—like you, Beowulf," Clentine nodded. "Noted."
She charged forward, becoming a blur of red and black energy.
Her Aura surged, making her resemble a gigantic bat-like vampire goddess.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Using her invulnerable body as a weapon, she pierced straight through the Dream Entity, blowing it apart from the inside.
"That athead was able to kill it with punches, so there must be a way… Aha!"
Her eyes glead as she located it: an Inner Dream Soul Core at the center of the entity's body.
Its form—made of countless dreams and nightmares—resembled endless worlds of mories trying to devour her.
Clentine simply slapped them aside and reached the core in a single step.
"What a beautiful pearl. A pity I must destroy it."
She seized the core with her Aura's sharp claws and shattered it.
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
The Dream Entity released an agonizing shriek before collapsing into pink clouds and vanishing completely.
"Amazing. Mom's as incredible as your dad…!" Harumi said to Erika with a smile.
Clentine returned swiftly, carrying fragnts of the Dream Soul Core—beautiful, jewel-like pieces.
"The secret is targeting their cores inside their bodies," she explained. "Crush that, and they die within seconds."
"I see!" Dan exclaid.
"So that's their weak point," Lady Shadow mused, rubbing her chin.
"Thank you…" Frankenstein nodded.
"And you two…" Clentine turned her glare toward Sakamoto and Mirabilis. With the exit blocked, they had no choice but to reveal themselves. "Aren't you the supervisors of this entire entrance exam or whatever it was? Did the Chaos Gate Clan organize this ss?!"
"No, we didn't," Sakamoto answered in a confident, stern voice. "We were only planning to test everyone and invite the strong ones to join."
"Why would we go to such lengths?" Mirabilis sighed. "And if we had orchestrated it, those things wouldn't be chasing us right now."
"Hey mutt, do you think they're telling the truth?" Clentine asked.
"Hmm, well, their Heart Essence isn't lying!" Beowulf nodded. "They're telling the truth."
To Sakamoto and Mirabilis' surprise, Beowulf belonged to the Heart Tribe—Cultivators who focused on the Heart, much like Wasp himself.
He also radiated the power of Heaven and Earth. He was a Dual Heaven-Earth Cultivator.
That might explain why he was so overwhelmingly strong.
"Although we all belong to enemy factions, I would like to suggest a temporary alliance for survival," Sakamoto said.
"Has Lord Chaos not been notified of this?" Mirabilis asked.
"He was," Clentine replied. "He was delayed, though. He got caught by a bunch of those Dream Entities and told us to co save you."
"I suppose he's… ah, he's here," Beowulf said, looking toward the portal.
TRUUUM!
Eternal darkness surged from the portal as a giant entity of pure, endless cosmic chaos erged, brimming with even greater power after devouring dozens of Dream Entities.
"That was a delectable dinner! There are so many delicious things I could eat in this situation. If I wasn't worried about all of you, I would've gone and eaten even more…"
He stepped out of the exit and gazed down at Sakamoto and Mirabilis.
"My lord, have you co for us?!" Mirabilis gasped.
"We are deeply sorry for disappointing you," Sakamoto apologized.
"Tsk, it's fine. Not like you could have done anything against what just happened," Lord Chaos sighed. "Where is Nagumo?"
"He was…" Sakamoto looked down, voice heavy. "I deeply apologize. It's all my fault…"
"Just tell what happened!" Lord Chaos demanded, desperation creeping into his tone.
The two quickly recounted what had befallen Nagumo, shocking Lord Chaos. He had never expected things to escalate this far.
"I see… So we're really being attacked by unknown enemies from another world!" Lord Chaos sighed. "How annoying. As if this world itself and all of you weren't annoying enough." He glared at the vampires and werewolves. "Kireina is still missing. Before we go pay Nagumo a visit, we have to find her. I'm going alone. You two should return to the surface quickly and help with what's happening out there."
"What's happening out there?" Mirabilis asked.
"You'll see. They'll need you more up there than in here," Lord Chaos said. "Now go! All of you move!"
Everyone nodded and hurried out of the Dungeon. Lord Chaos absorbed it entirely—so it could no longer threaten anyone… and because it was a rare, delicious al.
Once outside, they saw the Labyrinth of Madness destabilizing. The darkness that ford it began to collapse.
A colossal gate to Yomi opened right before their eyes, dragging them downward before they could resist.
Alongside them, various other Realms and Domains—caught in the sa vortex—fell toward Yomi, rging with it and every other Underworld being fused together.
Among them was a Dungeon containing Matsuo's group… and another holding an old shrine and a mysterious golden sword gleaming with brilliance.
"D-Damn it! Where am I going now?! Amiphossia! Where are you?!"
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