Noxana bestowed a blessing upon Franz.
Though not as powerful as an apostle's authority, it was a power directly given by the goddess of dreams, making its value imasurable.
Franz felt complicated emotions as power welled up within him.
He was tempted by the thought that if he had possessed this power from the beginning, the outco might have been different.
Franz deliberately shook off such thoughts and said to Noxana.
"Thank you."
It was unpleasant, but still, receiving this power was sothing to be grateful for.
"I'm glad you feel that way."
Noxana smiled with relief, then turned her gaze toward Rudger.
"I'd like to give you a gift as well, but I suppose that wouldn't work, would it?"
Noxana imdiately saw through Rudger's position.
Rudger was deliberately maintaining a sealing technique to block intervention from other gods.
Others couldn't see it, but Noxana could.
She could see the complex triple barrier floating above Rudger's head like a halo.
It was like three interlocking rings of complex barcodes made of light.
Seeing how perfectly they shed together, Noxana found Rudger even more fascinating.
As long as that barrier existed, the voices of gods couldn't reach Rudger.
At the sa ti, thanks to it, Lunsis had been unable to pinpoint Rudger until now.
In this situation, if Noxana were to bestow her blessing here, Lunsis might notice.
"To be honest, I'm tempted. Even though I know I shouldn't, I want to gift you my blessing."
Rudger had a truly unique constitution.
Noxana loved and embraced all humans like her children, but Rudger felt far more special.
They say there's no finger that doesn't hurt when bitten, but Rudger was undoubtedly one of a kind among them.
"But that's not what you want. So I won't do it."
"I appreciate your consideration."
"Haha. How peculiar that you'd thank for such a thing. In the end, all I can do for you here is to wish you good fortune in your future endeavors."
"If that's the goddess' encouragent, it's more reassuring than anything else."
"What pleasant words. Yes, my power is unnecessary for one who has gathered all the fragnts. You've walked this entire path with your strength alone."
Noxana smiled gently and waved her hand toward Rudger.
"It's ti to say farewell. I will fall back into slumber. I'll dream a very long dream again. A dream from which I may not know when I'll awaken, or perhaps never will."
Noxana looked up at the sky.
Now that the entrance to the current world was closed, only the sky of the deep layer was visible, but her gaze could see beyond the sky of the current world.
She could feel the massive malice existing there.
He probably realized that she had awakened from her sleep.
Lunsis, who outwardly advocated justice and benevolence, but whose inner self was narrower than one might think.
Soon the continent would be swept up in all sorts of strange events.
'Just my awakening causes this. I truly am sorry for the children of the earth.'
Moreover, her awakening from sleep was due to Nirva, twisted over long years, sacrificing countless human lives.
Digging deeper, she could also discern that soone else's subtle will was involved.
Her awakening itself wasn't of her own volition but Noxana deliberately didn't point this out.
She felt no anger or resentnt.
Being such a transcendent being, Noxana only felt detachnt.
'What happens next is for those left behind to solve. It wouldn't be good for to intervene.'
But still, she found herself oddly disinclined to let Lunsis act freely.
So Noxana raised her energy and shot it beyond the sky of the deep layer.
Even she didn't know when, where, or how this power would work.
If there is fate in this world, or if soone inevitably tries to accomplish sothing, this power she had arranged would surely bloom more brilliantly than anything else.
Having set the minimum safeguard, Noxana slowly closed her eyes.
"Sleep well, everyone. Sweet dreams."
Noxana's body, manifested as an avatar, dispersed like a mirage.
At the sa ti, [Nursery Rhy] completely disappeared, and Noxana's true body curled up again and fell into slumber.
If anything had changed from before, it was that Noxana's true body now took the form of a beautiful woman sleeping peacefully.
"It's, over."
"The leader succeeded."
The Owens mbers who had been battling [Nursery Rhy] smiled brightly as they watched the divine sphere disappear.
"Wait. The goddess has gone back to sleep, and everything's over... so how do we get back now?"
Alex suddenly raised such a question.
Hadn't they said it was difficult to leave once you entered the deep layer of Dreamland?
Making those thoughts seem foolish, the sky of Dreamland began to resound loudly. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novᴇlfire
More than just resounding, the entire deep layer of Dreamland was enveloped in an enormous light.
Just as people wondered what was about to happen, they were drawn by an unknown massive pull.
It was like being subrged in deep water and then suddenly yanked up by a rope.
There were no exceptions.
Rudger, Franz, Owens, the people on the battleship, and even citizens and students rejoicing at their victory from afar.
As the light faded and bodies being pulled ca to an abrupt halt.
Everyone opened their eyes simultaneously and woke from the dream.
"This is."
Alex belatedly understood the situation as he saw the underground waterway.
"This is the ergency exit. Could it be that we've returned?"
Around Alex were Pantos, Violetta, Arpa, and Bellaruna.
The sa phenonon occurred simultaneously throughout Leathervelk City.
People who had fallen into the sleeping sickness woke up one by one, realizing they had returned to reality.
"My goodness."
Tracy, who woke up in the classroom, pinched her cheek.
She felt a subtle pain, but still couldn't believe it was reality.
Pain in Dreamland felt similar, after all.
"This is reality, right?"
"If you woke from a dream, could this be another dream?"
Despite Leo's sarcasm, Tracy still looked dazed.
Normally, she would have flared up and bickered with Leo, but after experiencing so much, she had no energy left to get angry.
"Everyone has returned to reality."
"That's right. Strictly speaking, we were just dreaming."
"Just dreaming, you say."
It was a funny statent.
She had always thought dreams were re illusions.
Considering what they experienced in Dreamland, could it be dismissed as rely a dream?
No, perhaps they had been treating dreams too trivially all along.
Dreams are another world.
Even though they had returned to reality and awakened, that didn't an the monts spent dreaming were worthless.
Tracy's gaze turned to Aidan.
"Aidan. Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you happy we finally returned?"
"It's not that I'm not happy, but."
Aidan smiled bitterly as he stared out the window.
"So people couldn't return."
"Ah."
Tracy finally realized.
In this Dreamland incident, quite a lot of people couldn't return.
Sothing beyond even a significant natural disaster had occurred.
Naturally, the number of casualties would be difficult to calculate.
The expressions of Tracy, Leo, and Iona also beca heavy.
At that mont, the back door of the classroom slid open, and soone rushed outside.
Everyone looked at the back door, surprised by the sudden action.
In the sight of students who were still bewildered and unable to grasp reality was ash-gray hair.
"Rene?"
Erendir called out to Rene belatedly, but there was no response.
Rene, who had rushed out of the classroom, ran quickly through the school grounds.
Throughout the corridors, people who had just awakened were confused, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
Naturally, they didn't even pay attention to Rene, who was running desperately.
Continuing to run, Rene left the school grounds and eventually reached a forest.
She didn't know why.
She just instinctively knew he was there.
Was he thinking the sa as Rene?
At the entrance to the forest, she t eyes with a man who was just coming out.
Rene stopped in her tracks and stood still, staring at him.
A man with beauty like a sculpture carved from marble, like a painting, with blue eyes like a calm lake and long black hair.
She had felt her heart flutter so much seeing that appearance but not now.
At least for now, Rene's heart was colder than anything else in the world.
"Is it true?"
Rene asked Rudger.
"Did you really kill her, teacher?"
In fact, asking itself was useless because she too had faintly recalled it.
When Noxana woke up and rang [Nursery Rhy] once.
When that wave swept over everyone and plunged them into nightmares.
Rene also saw the scene of that day in her dream.
Because of the mory seal Rudger had placed, those images appeared fragntary and intermittent, but there was still a scene she rembered clearly.
In a forest bathed in moonlight she saw the scene of Rudger stabbing her mother's heart with a dagger.
Asking despite knowing was rely an escape from reality.
She hoped it was just a made-up story.
She desperately wished in her heart that she actually had no family, that her old mories were erased due to so accident, and that Rudger was a good teacher.
But
"Yes."
The words from Rudger's mouth were completely different from Rene's expectations.
Not a sweet lie, but a clear and cruel truth.
It flowed from Rudger's mouth.
"I killed your mother. That fact is undeniable."
Rene's body staggered.
Seeing this, as Rudger tried to approach her, Rene shouted as if having a seizure.
"Don't co near !"
Rudger hesitated.
With her head bowed deeply, Rene's expression wasn't visible but it was clear that she was sad, angry, and suffering.
The feeling of betrayal from soone she had trusted until now, plus the sudden realization of a cruel truth.
No matter how strong Rene's ntal fortitude was, this was beyond what she could endure.
"Rene, I..."
"Stop! I don't want to hear excuses!"
The more she heard Rudger's voice, the more Rene suffered.
The voice that had sounded sweet even during boring lectures.
Now, even though it was concerned for her, it sounded terrifyingly frightening.
Rudger thought that if he left Rene like this, she might break.
Not just an exaggeration, but an instinctive feeling.
"I have sothing to tell you."
Rudger tried to speak about what happened that day.
Just then, soone ca running, gasping for breath, to where the two were.
"Rene!"
Freuden Ulburg.
He too, having awakened from sleep, had co here looking for Rene.
"Senior."
Rene's empty gaze turned to Freuden.
Seeing that look, Freuden felt as if his heart had dropped.
"Your... eyes..."
"You knew too, didn't you, senior?"
"..."
Freuden didn't ask what she ant.
Rene's current state, her gaze towards him, and Rudger's grave expression told him everything.
"I wanted to tell you."
Freuden spoke and imdiately regretted it.
Saying he wanted to tell soone who already knew everything.
Wasn't it he who chose silence despite having many opportunities to speak?
He should have said his last words were a mistake, but it was already too late.
Who could Rene trust now, when she felt betrayed even by Freuden whom she had believed in?
Hisssss
Magic power fluctuated around Rene's body.
The intense anger she was experiencing was causing her to lose control of her magic power, making it run wild.
At the sa ti, a form rose above Rene's head.
'That's.'
Rudger's eyes widened.
It was Rene's magic beast, shaped like a cube.
The magic beast spread ominous magical power around as if resonating with its owner's will.
At the sa ti, brilliant light began to flow from its body.
Sothing is happening.
Realizing this, Rudger instinctively kicked off the ground and dashed toward Rene.
Woong!
The intense magical wave emitted by Rene's magic beast tried to push Rudger's body away.
Rudger tried to resist that force by raising his magic power, then opened his eyes wide.
'My magic power is being pushed back?'
It wasn't because the magic beast's power was enormous.
Rather, the opposite. Although his power was greater, the other side had sothing that transcended the power gap.
"I've had enough."
-Wooong
The magic beast howled violently at Rene's murmured words as she bowed her head.
"I just want to leave, anywhere."
"Rene!"
[Aether Nocturnus]
Rudger, shrouded in shadows all over his body, ignored the magic beast 's resistance and reached out toward Rene.
Right after, the surrounding area was engulfed in an intense flash of light.
After the light disappeared, Freuden couldn't help but mutter at what remained.
"What on earth..."
Rene and Rudger were already gone.
Not only that, but the very ground where the two had been standing was cleanly carved out, as if cut by sothing sharp.
"Where have they gone now?"
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