Chapter 6: The Nightmares

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“Nnngaaahh?!”

With a loud scream, the Nightmare froze in place. I gasped for air and looked behind me, realizing I was trapped inside some kind of domain.

Is this why my parents haven’t come to rescue me? Is it so powerful they can’t break through?

Wait… could there be time dilation at work? It wouldn’t be uncommon.

If so, I have to get out of here fast—a second outside could be a year in here!

As I stood up and started running…

Crack, crack…!

“Ah?!”

CRASH!

“You dare freeze me, ungrateful child?!”

His four monstrous heads burst out of the frost. His claws tore through the ice as he took a step forward and pointed his hands at me.

“Nightmare Flood!”

With a roar, a torrent of monstrous nightmares surged from every direction, shrieking as they took the shapes of people’s deepest traumas and twisted creatures. They lunged at me.

“Get away!”

I raised my hand. Ice surged outward and froze the nightmares solid. I clenched my palm, and they exploded into glittering ice dust.

“Wow, I can do that?”

“I FOUND YOU.”

But I couldn’t afford to marvel at my own power. The Nightmare had located me. He raised his weapons and swung them down mercilessly.

I ran as fast as I could, leaping aside as the giant hands slammed into the ground. The impact shattered everything; huge chunks of black stone rained down, crashing around me as I sprinted toward the domain’s barrier.

“Uwaaahhh!”

The faster I ran, the more my heart pounded in my chest.

“COME BACK!”

The Nightmare roared and fused with the entire domain, transforming into a vast black cloud that spread everywhere. His crimson eyes locked onto me.

“YOU’RE JUST WHAT WE NEED! YOUR POWER… WILL FINALLY LET US INVADE THIS DIMENSION!”

“No!”

I kicked off the ground and leaped farther. Massive claws descended from the sky one after another. I glanced upward and saw dozens of enormous eyes pursuing me, firing red laser beams. I dodged as best I could while closing in on the barrier, but several beams struck me.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“Ugh?!”

I tumbled to the ground, rolling down a hill and splashing into a swamp of purple sludge. The miasma swarmed with countless tiny nightmares that tried to pierce my skin.

“Ugh… This is so disgusting!”

As I stood and ran again, I realized I was completely unharmed. Was I really that tough? Or was the Nightmare unable to focus its damage on me?

No matter the reason, I had to escape.

“COME HERE!”

“Agh!”

I kicked off the ground and used my wings to soar upward as fast as possible.

The barrier was only seconds away!

“Almost…!”

Just a few more meters, a few more meters and I could finally…

“Ah…”

But as I reached out to touch it, the barrier dissolved into shadows.

My eyes widened. I looked back at the giant Nightmare closing in.

“Huhu… Hahah… HAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

“…”

“Did you think that was the barrier?! You’re still too far away, foolish child! Now come!”

A massive claw seized me and dragged me toward its gaping jaws. Its countless maws drooled while its spiraling eyes stared with twisted fascination.

“Uugh! Let go of me!”

I struggled with everything I had, unleashing all the Mana I could muster along with the frost from my Soul Treasure. Ice spread across his claws and shattered them.

But the moment I thought I was free, new claws formed—made of hardened black energy so dense my ice couldn’t touch it.

“LET ME GO!”

I screamed with all my strength as the Nightmare swallowed me into a sea of curses and specters, tearing at me from every angle.

“Nnngghhh!”

I resisted with everything I had. My ice kept freezing and shattering his attacks, only for him to regenerate even faster.

“Why?! What the hell are you even made of, you damn brat?!”

He gnawed at me with his enormous sharp fangs, unable to pierce my scales.

“Heheh, I’m a tough nut to crack, jackass!”

As I laughed in his face, I channeled energy into my wings and released it in a powerful kick. My strike crushed one of his massive eyes, exploding it into purple blood.

BOOOM!

“GRAAAAHH!”

I fell from the dark skies and landed back in the swamp. There was no time to rest—dozens of monstrous fish-like horrors rose from the mud; their black bodies covered in pulsating red eyes.

“WRAAAHHH!”

They chased after me with horrifying shrieks. I started running again.

And running.

And…

No.

“I won’t run!”

I spun in midair and charged back toward them. I swung my fists with all my strength, releasing Mana in a surging black-and-white aura.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

My punches unleashed a barrage of explosions. The Nightmare Beasts burst apart one after another, disintegrating into nothing.

“Let me go already, Nightmare!”

With all the fury of a baby dragon, I slammed my fist into the ground. The impact shattered the earth; cracks raced outward as massive boulders launched into the sky.

Using my speed, I rushed at each boulder, kicking them one by one and sending them hurtling toward the Nightmare in the sky.

“W-Wha…?! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

He roared monstrously and charged toward me. His body rapidly transformed into the giant form from before, but even larger now—seemingly composed of countless screaming nightmare beasts.

“DIE!”

With his enormous black axe, he tried to cleave me in two, but I dodged swiftly, spinning in midair and spreading my wings.

“RAAAAHHH!”

I felt something hot building in my throat. With a loud scream, I released it all, and…

To my shock…

BOOOM!

A massive beam of white and light flames erupted, piercing straight through the Nightmare’s body and leaving a gaping hole. Explosions echoed and reverberated across his massive frame.

“Nnngghh?! Aaaagh! W-Wha…! You’re just a baby! How come…?!”

“I’m a dragon too!”

I kicked off the air, swinging my fists forward and turning my tiny body into a living projectile. I pierced him again and again, zigzagging around and riddling his form with holes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“UUUAAGGHHH?! W-WHA…! WHAT IS GOING ON?! JUST BE QUIET, YOU DAMNED CHILD!”

I am not weak.

I am strong.

I AM STRONG!

“RAAAAHHHHH!!!”

With a mighty roar, I unleashed all my power at once.

Darkness and light exploded from every scale on my body, transforming into beams and lasers that chased after him relentlessly.

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“W-WHAT…?! AAAAAHHHHH!”

The Nightmare screamed as thousands of explosions hammered his gigantic body one after another. His titanic form began to crumble.

“Y-YOU…! JUST HOW…?!”

With one final scream of agony, he slammed into the ground beneath him and shattered the dimension itself, tearing open a massive black portal.

“W-What the hell is that?!”

He sneered viciously in response. His body had shrunk to a tenth of its former size, yet he still radiated unnatural confidence.

“I am calling for backup.”

“What?!”

RUMBLE!

The entire Domain trembled as the giant black hole continued to widen. The monstrous Nightmare began to grow larger again, absorbing the debris that flew toward him.

“Heheh… Hahahahaha!”

As he laughed, I tried to fly as far from the black hole as possible—until I saw something emerging from deep within the dimensional fracture.

The air grew even heavier. A gigantic head appeared, fully clad in black armor shaped like a furious demon—a demonic helmet the size of a car.

“What the hell is that…?”

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open as the massive entity fully emerged. It resembled a slender, spiky creature over a hundred meters long. Its black armor bristled with sharp spikes; it had four long arms ending in blade-like fingers.

Pulsating red flesh showed beneath the armor. Each hand summoned a giant black sword forged from darkness. Long black flames flowed like hair beneath its helmet, and its red-shot eyes stared at me with pure madness.

Behind it, hundreds of similar creatures emerged one after another. It didn’t take long to recognize what I was facing.

“A Nightmare King?!”

In the Nightmare Dimension—a realm born from humanity’s collective fears, nightmares, and curses—countless monstrosities exist that should never interact with our world.

Among them are the terrifying Nightmare Beasts, the intelligent Nightmares (usually humanoid, resembling demons or speaking creatures), and above even them, the Nightmare Kings.

These monstrous Nightmares had devoured millions of lesser Nightmares and Nightmare Beasts, along with countless living souls, evolving into the ultimate apex predators of the Nightmare Dimension.

They were supposed to appear years from now, but because of this entire unforeseen mess, everything was spiraling out of control.

How could one drop of my blood have drawn so many Nightmares after me?

“Is this the child?”

His voice boomed with such force that it stole the air from my lungs. I dropped to my knees, struggling to move.

“Uugh…”

“Yes, my King,” the Nightmare answered. “She’s the one with the most exquisite blood. If we take her, we can evolve into far greater beings!”

“This small thing holds such power? Hmmm…”

The Nightmare King took a step forward. The titan shook the ground and the skies. His eyes blazed bright red as he scanned me.

“What is this power?!”

His eyes widened in disbelief as he sensed something inside me. He raised his hand and dragged me into the sky with telekinetic force.