The Glorious Evolution

Chapter 435: The Nightmare of the Id. II

In an instant, the combined spiritual barriers of Evangeline and the rest of the Daywalkers shattered into fragments akin to a mirror!

"Argh..."

All of them suffered from a serious spiritual backlash and collapsed to their knees, holding their throbbing heads tightly. Their noses bled nonstop, and their vision felt cloudy. Yet, Evangeline ignored the pain and looked up, pure dread painted across her face.

’Insane... I may not be a full-fledged Psych Specialist, but to fall like this... his spiritual prowess must be borderline high-end Solarbound rank!’

Her thoughts were shared by the rest of the Psych Specialists, who had never felt like this before. As the top of the top, their spiritual prowess might not equal that of Levi’s or Jojo’s, but it was still high enough to contest almost anyone within their rank... Earth-wise.

They expected to face monsters that would put their spiritual prowess to the test, but not like this. Some of them were still at 100%, and yet, in a single attack, their consciousness barriers were already waving the white flag. If it weren’t for Jojo’s cracked constellation still barely holding, all of them would have fallen under the Nightmare of the Id’s effect.

As for Jasmine? The Erasure Barrier left her perfectly unharmed; yet, her expression wasn’t pleasant... She had lost close to a quarter of her energy tank to afford such safety.

After all, while Erasure techniques could theoretically negate anything, the cost was staggering. The energy required was a direct tax on the complexity and sheer force of the target; the more intricate or powerful the opposing ability, the more it drained the user to erase it from existence.

"The first line of defense has fallen, and it doesn’t seem like the constellation can survive any more strikes!" Gamemaster Envy commented loudly. "Is this the end of the Raiders’ Faction? Defeated by the hands of a single unknown mercenary?!"

Following Gamemaster Envy’s ominous commentary, the Raiders’ Faction supporters quieted down. After everything that went down in this game, they would call anyone a fool if they said Levi’s squad was going to lose... not when only a lowly Hired Blade mercenary was left alive in an entire faction.

But now, Dominic, Madam Naima, Jamal, Hicham, the High Chancellor, and the rest shared solemn looks mixed with a hint of concern.

They had reason to feel worried, as Rain didn’t seem too pleased to have one of his ultimate abilities blocked by both targets at once... especially by children. But just as he was about to increase the technique’s prowess by feeding it the consumed fear of his allies, a faint, emotionless voice resounded in his mind.

’Rain... bring this to an end... the boy carries a gravity that should not be ignored.’

Hearing this from his usually silent partner, Rain was left stunned. He swiftly changed his attention to what was going on behind him. What he saw made his soul quiver a little. Levi chased after the invisible chameleon across the entire length of the rope while holding a staff engulfed in green flames!

The chameleon kept switching between illusory, spiritual, and physical forms to hide itself from Levi’s detection... However, no matter what it did, Levi was always on it.

If it weren’t for the creature’s ludicrous speed and its formidable subconscious barrier, Levi would have already introduced it to its demise.

’How is he tracking it? His spiritual vision shouldn’t be at Tier 6 at his current level,’ Rain muttered, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion. ’And beyond that... I was certain his aetheric flames were already spent. If not, it means he actually fought Fang without them just to prove a point... this kid...hah.’

Rain’s expression turned stern, realizing that there was more to Levi than he had anticipated. He knew that his spiritual prowess was legitimate and wouldn’t have been surprised if Levi could see his partner in his standby position.

However, this was different. He put immense trust in his partner’s ability to remain undetected, as he was a master of illusions and disguise.

He had fought in hundreds of battles, if not more, and yet barely one or two opponents had ever managed to spot his partner... even when the chameleon wasn’t trying to hide.

Although both of them were clones, and their true strength wasn’t close to the real deal, Rain still refused to even entertain the thought of being challenged in this game by these children. Currently, the Hexgaze Lurker was using every bit of its power and skills to stay camouflaged, yet Levi was like a piece of gum stuck under a table.

He was always there, clinging to its shadow and using everything at his disposal to corner the beast and give it a taste of his aetheric flames!

Unbeknownst to them, Levi had given up on spiritual vision the moment he got close to the chameleon and noticed that it vanished from the spiritual plane.

He was incredibly surprised and humbled to find out that his spiritual vision was useless against the Hexgaze Lurker. If it were the sole method of vision at his disposal, he would have suffered the same fate as Rain’s victims... fighting two untraceable, untouchable ghosts that cast illusions and feast on fear.

A fearsome combo that assured the prey’s certain death.

But Levi wasn’t normal either.

The silver threads of his Harmonic Spine flickered incessantly, acting as a hypersensitive web that captured every microscopic disturbance in the air.

Each time the chameleon attempted to blend, it left behind a faint, colorful ripple in the local frequencies... a signature that the silver filaments caught like prey in a spider’s web and painted in Levi’s mind.

’How bothersome...’

Realizing that he was on a tight clock, Rain no longer planned on holding back to torment Levi’s loved ones per Bishop’s orders; now, all he cared about was their swift death.

He channeled his spiritual energy, fueling the Nightmare of the Id with the harvested fear until the technique reached its breaking point. He pushed so much power into the manifestation that the gigantic hex ceased to look like a construct; it appeared as vivid and detailed as reality itself.

"How horrific..."

"Cap, captain... This..."

Thud... Thud...

There was always horror in the details, as most Daywalkers felt their hearts gripped by a sense of looming dread, their petrified gazes affixed on the Hexgaze Lurker’s eye situated deep within its throat.

It was so bad that a couple of them ended up fainting from the mere sight, startling their friends. It wasn’t just them; even many viewers found themselves incapable of looking at such nightmarish monstrosity for too long.

The universe was filled with scary monsters, and many had already gotten used to them... and yet, the Hexgaze Lurker still made them feel this way.

For a species born to feast on fear, it knew exactly what form to take and how to birth such emotion from its victims with just an image.

"Don’t look into the eye!" Evangeline shouted while casting a protective white wall that blocked everyone’s line of sight.

While her attempt had helped them recollect their emotions and thoughts, it was useless, as the real attack had yet to arrive.

Rain’s true form reappeared atop the Hex Chameleon’s extended tongue. He leveled his katana at them and uttered coldly, "Drown in your own terrors, just as all the others have..."

Under the frozen, petrified looks of the Daywalkers, the Hexgaze Lurker’s lidless eye within the throat dilated until it consumed the creature’s entire gullet.

With a piercing, dissonant shriek that resembled a movie’s jump scare, a scarlet flood of spectral agony erupted from the iris!

It wasn’t just an illusion; it was a physical torrent of screaming, translucent ghosts, each face a mask of a consumed victim’s inner fear.

If the viewers looked closely enough, they might even spot the recently consumed nightcrawlers... eyes hollowed, mouths widened to the limit as if they were truly scared to death.

Skree...

The wailing of the spirits drowned out the wind, the noise, and even the spin of the rope as a tide of concentrated horror pierced through everything to haunt the group for eternity.

Arthur, Shia, Nurah, Tyrese, Evangeline, and even Jojo... their instincts screamed at them to run away, to hide, to do anything to avoid the attack.

Yet, no one moved; not because their trust in Jojo’s ultimate was absolute, but because they simply knew that nothing could be done anymore to block or evade the spiritual beam.

’Not under my protection...’

Yet, Jojo’s expression showed a stern determination to protect everyone.

Without hesitation, she channeled every ounce of her spiritual energy to reinforce the Prayer Ward Constellation.

Sensing that it wasn’t enough, Jojo gritted her teeth and willed the burning of her precious lifeforce to further strengthen her ultimate ability!

She pushed herself to the absolute limit, and everyone felt it. The terror in the Daywalkers’ eyes faded, replaced by a sense of calm as a gentle, pure radiance began to spill from Jojo’s skin and tiny horn in the center of her forehead.

The flood of terror split into two and smashed against the giant monk’s chest, while the other went toward Jasmine... not sparing either of them.

RUMBLE!!

For a spiritual conflict, the contact wasn’t silent in the slightest, as everyone heard a rumble resound deep within their souls!

"Jojo..."

Arthur, Nurah, Shia, and the others watched, dazed, as Jojo hovered a few inches above the rope’s surface. She possessed the tranquil grace of a heavenly Buddha, her body radiating a soft, steady light that anchored the spirits of everyone sheltered beneath her.

’Cast aside your fear... for I am here, and as long as the light of the Dharma remains within me, it shall remain within you.’ Jojo’s voice resonated in their minds, each word carrying the deep, melodic vibration of a temple bell. ’Namaste...’