Chapter 613

“It’ll be soon, just a bit more patience.”

After hearing the slightly upset inquiry from the Twin Fish Director, “Armin,” who had been pulled out of the accelerated state, smiled. He then squatted down slightly so his gaze was level with the Twin Fish Director’s, and with a benevolent expression, gently coaxed:

“This game may be a bit boring now, but when we reveal the mystery later, everyone will surely be very happy.”

Will everyone be happy?

After listening to “Armin’s” words, the Twin Fish Director couldn’t help but blink a few times, then clenched her little fists to cheer herself up:

“Alright, if it can make everyone happy, then Mimi can endure a little longer.”

“Thank you for your hard work~”

Smiling, “Armin” patted the Twin Fish Director’s head, then took her chubby hand and transformed into two silver arcs, chasing after the retreating backs of the other Cleaners.

By the time they caught up with the main group, the Cleaners who had gone ahead had already advanced deep into the Soulfall Black Abyss using their group-enhanced acceleration ability, treading on the pitch-black waves of the Nightmare River and reaching a deeper position within.

And over four hundred dazzling silver light streams moved forward in grand fashion towards the depths of the Soulfall Black Abyss. Even with the reagents provided by “Armin” masking their presence, it was impossible to remain completely undetected.

During the journey, tens of thousands of nightmares were disturbed, climbing out of the dreams embedded in the dark river, clinging to the backs of the Cleaners as they roared while following the traces of the silver light disturbances.

However, nightmares aren’t known for their speed; most would soon fall behind. Only a small fraction could keep up with the Cleaners’ pace.

In addition, within the Soulfall Black Abyss, nightmares have clear territorial boundaries. The few that managed to keep up often got intercepted by other powerful nightmares disturbed along the way, leaving only an extremely tiny percentage capable of truly catching up.

Facing such scattered attacks without any real threat, the elite Cleaners participating in the promotion exam handled them effortlessly, easily eliminating each one.

Even when large groups of nightmares gathered, Abigail, responsible for covering the rear, merely flapped her wings slightly, and the pursuing nightmares were purified amidst a shower of light feathers. They shed their vicious forms, all negative emotions washed away, falling back into the Nightmare River with peaceful expressions.

…

Though this batch of Cleaners wasn’t bad, they were still far from escaping her control.

Hidden inside the conch shell, after observing the methods the Cleaners used to deal with the nightmares, the Goddess of Illusion finally put her heart at ease.

What she said about the third promotion exam wasn’t entirely false, but there wasn’t much truth to it either. At least the supposed contract between her and the Clearing Bureau was complete nonsense.

The Clearing Bureau, even though it had declined compared to its past glory, still possessed astonishing resources. If they mobilized all their forces, they could produce over a hundred fighters at the True God level, and even bring out several Pillar Deities.

For the Goddess of Illusion, who had long fallen from her divine status and was now merely a larger Holy Spirit, receiving even a verbal promise from the Clearing Bureau was already special treatment due to her being a native of the Dream Realm.

Under such grossly unequal conditions, there was no question of an equal contract binding both parties. The notion of defeating and enslaving seven Nightmare Messengers to reclaim the fragments of Paradise Lost and assist the Goddess of Illusion in regaining her godhood simply didn’t exist.

In reality, the third trial arranged by the Clearing Bureau was merely to delve deep into the Soulfall Black Abyss, investigate the sudden appearance of Moshin Ice City, and see if the movements of the Nightmare Messengers would lead to the premature resurrection of the Nightmare King.

As for why the Goddess of Illusion was brought along… it boiled down to two words—useful.

She could be used to “custom-design” the test area at will, serve as transportation through the Dream Realm, and if investigations revealed that the Nightmare King was indeed close to resurrection, she could use her attributes, which were completely opposite to the Nightmare King’s, to severely punish him for causing trouble.

And the Goddess of Illusion, functioning as a printing press for exams + public transport + torture device, fully understood her role. She had diligently performed the duties of a “tool deity” without daring to entertain any other fantasies until a golden dagger stabbed into the heart of the elderly version of the Twin Fish Director!

I am truly incredibly lucky! This is a heaven-sent opportunity!

Looking down at the over four hundred Cleaners she had lulled into rushing deep into the Soulfall Black Abyss, the Goddess of Illusion hidden inside the conch couldn’t stop smiling.

Since being picked up by the Twin Fish Director responsible for patrolling the Dream Realm, she had been serving him for almost fifty years and had gained some understanding of his soul condition.

When she noticed an anomaly in the Twin Fish Director’s soul, likely due to an attack, she immediately realized this might be her only chance in life! Now, with the Twin Fish Director’s soul prematurely replaced and his intelligence regressed to childlike levels, she was the only one left who knew the true content of the third trial.

If she seized this opportunity and lured these elite Cleaners into invading the Soulfall Black Abyss to capture the seven Nightmare Messengers for her, then she could extract their powers to seize the Nightmare King’s domain of [Nightmares], thereby reclaiming her divine status!

And even better, according to what she heard from the Twin Fish Director, the Nightmare King seemed to have been killed by the Clearing Bureau for attempting to invade the Present World. When she claimed his power, he wouldn’t even have the strength to resist, leaving her free to take whatever she wanted.

Perfect, this is absolutely perfect. I am undoubtedly the luckiest goddess! Imagining her seizing this perfect opportunity to once again ascend to divinity, the Goddess of Illusion was overwhelmed with excitement and couldn’t help rolling around in the conch, wanting to burst out laughing right there if not for the fear of making noise and exposing herself.

Moreover, she laughed not at others but specifically at the Clearing Bureau for their lack of foresight and the Twin Fish Director for his shortsightedness, allowing her to seize this opportunity, not only escaping her confinement but also finding a way to… um? What’s going on? Noticing that the Cleaners who were moving at high speed had suddenly stopped for no apparent reason, the miniature goddess quickly rushed to the hole of the conch, squinting her eyes to look outside.

(End of Chapter)