Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 189: Act III, Scene XI: To Kill a Dream from Within

The dreamland was starting to fall apart.

Across its strange, twisted landscape, the battles were reaching their peak, and one by one, they were turning in favor of the sleep demons.

Inside the coliseum, Kardrax slammed into a broken tower and fell. His body scraped against rough stone, leaving smears of blood along the crumbling walls. He gasped for air, his chest rising and falling hard, deep cuts bleeding nonstop.

In the air above him, Hypnos hovered with his wings spread wide, dark and looming. He closed his hand slowly, Kardrax's arm bent at the wrist, then the fingers folded and cracked with a loud, sickening crunch.

Kardrax groaned but stood up. He raised his other hand and threw a blast of blood needles, sharp, glowing dark red.

Hypnos wrapped his wings around himself. The needles shattered against them harmlessly. Then he spread his wings again, sending out a shockwave that slammed into Kardrax and pushed him backward.

Kardrax hit the ground and dropped to one knee. His veins pulsed weakly. Blood dripped from his lips. He was barely holding on.

"It's not the same anymore," Hypnos said calmly. "Your blood. Is it weaker now? Or are you simply out?"

Kardrax didn't speak. He kept his head down.

Hypnos raised his hand again. Thin, invisible threads appeared, deadly strings of energy.

Kardrax moved. His working arm snapped forward, throwing a tight spray of blood stingers. They struck the threads, breaking their movement. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Hypnos blinked in surprise, then smirked.

"Still fighting? It's really annoying, but honestly, I'd rather you resist longer. I don't want you to die from a mere bloodlust."

Meanwhile, inside the Library's maze of halls, Airi kicked another door open.

Nothing.

She kept moving, sprinting from room to room, hallway to hallway. Everything looked the same.

She clenched her teeth.

"Damn it. This fucking world hides everything! How do I find him?!"

Crest ran beside her, eyes scanning the floor, thinking hard. Then he stopped suddenly.

"Wait."

Airi nearly ran into him.

"What?!"

"Just listen," Crest said quickly, holding up his hand. "I think I figured something out."

He looked at the walls. At the layout. The design.

"This whole place... it feels staged. Like it's meant to be a show. And demons... they love putting on a performance."

Airi narrowed her eyes.

"So what?"

"So, if you were a demon hiding in a library... where would you hide?"

They both froze. The answer came to them at once.

Their eyes turned toward the center of the building.

The main hall.

A massive circular room, full of towering shelves and spiral stairs. A place most people avoided without thinking about it.

Airi stared.

Normally, she would've busted through there without a second thought. But this time... she hadn't even looked.

Some part of her had avoided it. Like she didn't really want to find him.

She let out a breath through her teeth.

"Love being the center of attention, huh, Mammon... Well, I've got his name, so he will be surprised."

And she took off.

Crest followed, right behind her.

They had wasted enough time. The real hell was finally ahead.

Back in the Glass Garden, Regulus turned to Bel.

"I'm going to proceed. Are you ready?"

Bel nodded.

"Tell me what I need to do."

Regulus pointed toward the wall behind them.

"Just attack. There, or anywhere. Just make sure you use your power, the one that erase things. But..."

He paused, then looked Bel dead in the eyes.

"Timing is everything. I'll handle Hypnos, but you need to kill Morpheus. Or at least hold him. Don't let him cast the domain. If anyone else uses it, this whole plan falls apart."

Bel raised an eyebrow.

"Not a problem. Just focus on your part."

Regulus hesitated. Something about Bel, the way he stood there, completely unfazed, it didn't sit right. Maybe it was the calm. Maybe it was the way he spoke, like it was already solved.

Regulus tried to chalk it up to him being a Demon Lord, but the Archdemons were not the only threat here.

There was no time to dwell. He shook it off.

Bel stepped aside.

He whispered to himself, just loud enough for no one to hear.

"Big attack, huh."

If it was just destruction he wanted, his draconic form would've been perfect. One breath would've send the entire city in oblivion.

But the fight with Mammon had taught him something. Start small. Test the water. Never open with everything.

Besides... he still hadn't turned back into this form yet. Maybe there was still a cooldown. Maybe there wasn't. Either way, better to keep that card hidden.

He'd save it for the King.

So he would do it in human form.

That was fine.

His hand rose slowly.

Regulus watched as Bel reached into the air. There was no flash, no chant, no showy gesture. Just a hand, moving through space, and then, something formed.

The void orb.

Regulus' eyes widened slightly. Where did that come from? It was one of many questions in his mind, but it wasn't the time for more discussion.

The sphere pulsed in Bel's palm. Black, smooth, and ominous.

Bel glanced at the far wall, picking his target.

Then the orb shifted.

It twisted, melted, reshaped itself like liquid glass, growing into the length of a greatsword.

The surface became jagged, obsidian and heavy, yet some shimmers crossed it like it wasn't solid at all.

Regulus opened his mouth slightly but said nothing.

Bel looked down at the weapon. The void orb was unique. It could mimic any elemental essence he poured into it.

It would do the job.

He turned the sword once in his hand. A slow spin, testing the weight, then his body stopped cold in a striking stance.

The air froze.

Everything paused, no noise could spread. It wasn't just a thought, the world itself seemed to have shut down, as if it knew what was coming.

And then... the event began.