Chapter 192: The Prophecy
Even though it made sense, Yuliya remained unmoved.
Seeing this, Ayelus reformed his shape, keeping a safe distance: “You must have a lot of questions. Go ahead and ask. I’ll do my best to answer. But I hope you won’t be so hostile toward me.”
Yuliya didn’t hold back: “What’s your relationship with Nightmare God Yekis?”
“Ah, Yekis. Technically, she’s not a true god, but a false one created after I lost my divinity and godhood. I had to split a part of it and give it to her.”
Yuliya’s mind was blown.
False god? Lost divinity and status?
Why does it feel like I just stumbled upon a major secret?
“After I lost my divinity and status, all I became was a hollow shell, stuck hiding here.”
“Originally, were you much stronger than Yekis?”
“Of course! I’m the Dream God, the deity of fantasy and dreams. Yekis only got a hold of the inferior powers of nightmares.”
“You’re that strong, and yet you still got your divinity snagged by someone else?”
“He’s much stronger, much stronger than me.”
“Who is he?”
Ayelus darted a glance at Yuliya, then slowly said, “A dragon.”
A dragon?
Yuliya blinked in surprise, then raised her hand. White light coalesced into a vague shape—a simple Oriental dragon.
“This one?”
“Nope. That kind of dragon vanished long ago during the early days of the great war. He’s a dragon that witnessed the full scale of the war and ultimately snagged the biggest prize.”
“A bad dragon, huh…”
“Let’s just say that.”
Yuliya suddenly remembered the dream where she witnessed an earth-shattering battle. Among the combatants, aside from the gigantic figures, the most eye-catching was, indeed, a dragon.
In the dream’s finale, she found herself locked in a gaze across millions of miles.
Those eyes seemed to be… dragon eyes!
“Can you tell me more about this dragon?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh… huh? Why not?”
“When you’re understanding him, he’s watching you. I can’t tell you about him yet; I can’t let him find you ahead of time.”
“He’s looking for me?”
“He’s been after you all along; you’re his greatest enemy.”
Yuliya was sure of it, feeling the pressure weigh heavily on her.
When did I mess with such a bigshot?!
On this continent, there’s always been a saying about gods.
When you call a god, they may just glance your way. The stronger the god, the more attuned they are to your call.
Yuliya had only muttered the true name of the Goddess of Life in a church, and boom! The goddess not only noticed but even graced her with a powerful buff.
But now, with what this Dream God just said, that dragon is also a god with potent senses, probably not much weaker than the Goddess of Life.
What’s the point of even playing?!
“You don’t need to panic; your showdown will come in due time. There’s still time.”
Yuliya shot Ayelus an exasperated glance.
If you can’t say something comforting, then please just don’t!
But Ayelus didn’t pick up on her little mood and continued, “He’s my enemy and yours. Perhaps we can be friends.”
“That sounds a bit tricky. Let’s clarify the situation with Yekis first. If he’s that strong, why steal your power and hand it over to Yekis?”
Ayelus gazed deeply at Yuliya, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “In the battle that destroyed the Golden Kingdom, he was gravely wounded. He went mad. He started snatching power. He began to scatter his minions.”
“What! Destroying the Golden Kingdom! What exactly does that mean?”
Yuliya could no longer remain calm; she almost leaned in to poke him in the face.
“It’s exactly what you think.”
Yuliya fell silent. Although she still held her sword, her confidence fizzled out completely, sending waves of turmoil through her mind.
I see, I see now…
But there’s still one question.
“The timeline doesn’t match up. The Golden Kingdom fell after this place was formed, unless…”
“He can mess with time.”
“…”
“This topic ends here. Delving deeper could be dangerous. You don’t need to worry about him for now; there’s still time.”
“Right. But I only believe half of what you’re saying; I’ll go verify.”
“That’s no problem. But since you can’t fully trust me, how about we strike a deal?”
Yuliya straightened her posture: “What deal?”
“I’ll help you as much as I can, and you…”
“If I defeat him, I’ll return your power.”
“That works. Deal.”
For Yuliya, it was a win-win. After all, both parties were dealing in empty promises—much potential in the future.
With one issue temporarily settled, Yuliya tucked it away in her mind.
She glanced around before finally locking eyes with Ayelus: “You’re the whole deal in the Dream Realm.”
“Yes.”
“Then…” Yuliya’s eyes sparkled, hands fidgeting excitedly, “Are you coming with me?”
Come on! Let’s head home, big guy! This feels kinda awesome!
But Ayelus shook his head: “That might not be possible.”
“Why…?”
Ding!
A system notification rang in her mind, and not just hers; all players still active in the event dungeon received the announcement at once.
“Detected unknown external disturbances, the event dungeon will close early. All players please prepare to exit. Shutdown countdown, ten, nine…”
Yuliya paused for a moment: “What’s going on?! Why are we suddenly having issues?!”
Ayelus replied calmly, “Yekis might be here.”
“Yekis? Isn’t she dead…”
Yuliya’s train of thought hit the brakes halfway. She suddenly recalled the BOSS’s full name: “Nightmare God Yekis’s Shadow.”
“You mean…”
“Yep, the real deal is coming.”
“Isn’t that a bit over the top?! Come on!”
“Yekis has a strong interest in this place because I’ve been hiding here.”
Ayelus turned to Yuliya, who was already fading away, emphasizing, “Yuliya, remember our deal.”
“Of course!”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Yuliya vanished.
Countless players within the Ruinous Country disappeared as well.
Ayelus looked up at a certain spot, chanting an unknown song.
“The herald of fate is bound by destiny, the demon of time plunged into prolonged madness, the ruler of power seduced by its might, the chaotic world awaits a new guardian of order.”
“Long time no see, Yekis. Has it been hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years?”
A figure loomed above the moon, gazing down at him, “Ayelus, you’ve finally come out! Who were you just talking to?”
“I was merely reciting the prophecy of the Creator God.”
“Looks like you’re quite relaxed, still have time to consider such trivial matters.”
The next moment, Yekis stained the silver moon crimson.
Ayelus let out a reluctant sigh. He didn’t want to fight, but he had to now.
He needed to cover up some traces with this battle.
