Read Novel Full Chapter 1687: A Deadly Game of Reality
Chapter 1687: A Deadly Game of Reality
Survivor’s Platform, Champions Alliance Channel.
After determining what transpired when the Titanion Realm and the Mirage Void connected, the various factions forged a unified pact against the external threat and returned to their respective continents.
Immediately upon returning, the Commander summoned all members of the Champions Alliance to brief them on the situation and issue new deployments.
Commander Thresh: "I assume you’ve all sensed the changes in the Titanion Realm?"
It wasn’t a question; it was a roll call to command their attention.
Makareth: "Commander, has something major happened?"
Isabella: "Are you genuinely clueless, or just playing dumb? Half the troops you brought died inexplicably. You didn’t notice?"
Makareth: "They’re just troops. Dead is dead. Does that have anything to do with the Commander’s major news?"
Makareth wasn’t being flippant. The forces he brought were war slaves captured from the Abyssal World. They were entirely expendable. However many died, he could simply raid the Abyss for more, or purchase them from other factions. Ever since learning their enemy was an endless insect swarm, Makareth planned to use slaves to counter the attrition. It was a win-win strategy.
Leonidas: "Both of you, quiet down. Let the Commander finish."
Normally, Leonidas would be the first to fan the flames and join the banter. But when it came to a foreign Ascendant Plane and the survival of the realm, he was uncharacteristically serious.
Kraken: "Boss, is something wrong with me? The World Essence in Titanion feels far denser than before. It’s making me hyperactive. I feel this constant thrill, like I’m on the verge of taking flight... like I could ascend to the demigod realm at any second. I know it’s an illusion. This abnormal state... I’m a little scared. I don’t know what to do."
Kraken’s confession killed the chatter.
Isabella, Makareth, Aurora, and Tangere were close with Kraken. If he was saying this, they realized the severity of the situation—especially with the lingering dread of the recent nightmare still fresh in their minds.
As for the Commander, the Deputy Commander, Leonidas, Alexander, Arthas, and Orion, they remained silent because they knew exactly what was happening. Kraken had reached the tipping point. These were the precursors to ascending to the demigod realm.
Once his internal turmoil and apprehension deepened, and the moment he comprehended his own unique law, he would break through. This critical step required personal epiphany. No one could force it or explain it to him. It might take a day, a month, a year, or even longer.
Commander Thresh: "This is a massive development. The Titanion Realm belongs to Hulk. He’s the Master of the continent. I’ll let him explain."
Certain details were best articulated by Orion himself. He didn’t decline, seamlessly taking the floor.
Hulk: "Due to specific circumstances, the Titanion Realm and the Mirage Void have connected. The Mirage Void is an Ascendant Plane belonging to The Void. Its planar tier is slightly higher than ours. Because of this, every living being here suddenly fell into a forced slumber and entered a nightmare state. That was the physical manifestation of a planar invasion."
Hulk: "Furthermore, from the moment the invasion began, every entity living in the Titanion Realm is subject to the dreamscape’s pull. Demigods are no exception."
At the World Tree, Orion sat half-asleep on his throne, relishing a familiar sensation. His consciousness was split three ways: one fraction guarded the Wishing Tree in Blackstone City, another attended the Champions Alliance meeting on the Survivor’s Platform, and the last monitored the shift between both worlds from his throne. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. The familiar multitasking brought him a strange sense of satisfaction.
Isabella: "Even demigods can’t resist it? Are you sure? Aside from the initial forced slumber, I haven’t experienced any nightmares since."
In the entire Champions Alliance, only Isabella had the nerve to blatantly question Orion.
Makareth: "I haven’t either, actually." Makareth chimed in weakly, not challenging Orion, but simply stating a fact.
Leonidas: "You two weren’t dragged back into the dream because you’re stationed at The Bastion Wall. The Wall falls within the radius of my brother’s divine light. It shields you from the dream’s interference."
Before Orion could explain, Leonidas stepped in to clarify.
Isabella: "Oh, I see."
Orion and Leonidas both ignored her, steering the meeting back on track.
Hulk: "The Horde’s vault has been stocked with new faith-based artifacts capable of temporarily resisting the dream’s pull. If you plan on operating outside the divine light, I highly recommend carrying some."
Seeing no further interruptions, Orion continued.
Hulk: "My Blackstone City has been physically relocated into the Mirage Void. It acts as a bridge between reality and the void. You can actively enter the dreamscape and follow my guidance directly into Blackstone City."
The "guidance" was his divine light. Anyone within a major Stoneheart Horde city could use it to enter the dreamscape safely.
Hulk: "The primary reason I want you in Blackstone City is to help me clear the territory. The further we expand Blackstone City’s borders, the denser the World Essence within it becomes. This benefits everyone’s cultivation. Refining the World Essence there directly increases your power, and this applies even to demigods."
Orion paused, letting the weight of his words sink in for his inner circle. Even Arthas, wholly devoted to the Ever-Burning Volcano, could reap massive rewards from this.
Hulk: "Additionally, Blackstone City houses a Wishing Tree. Within its area of influence, its fruit can manifest into almost any type of item or artifact."
Orion knew that to motivate these proud, elite Awakened, he needed to offer substantial incentives. If he only asked for temporary help to clear land, they would do it out of loyalty to the Champions Alliance and perform admirably. But Orion needed more. He needed them to act as a permanent vanguard, clearing the realm until Blackstone City could no longer satisfy their ambitions—until the Titanion Realm entirely consumed the Mirage Void.
Kraken: "Orion, listening to you describe this... it sounds exactly like we’re playing a VR game."
Kraken wasn’t entirely wrong, but reality was far more unforgiving than any simulation.
Hulk: "It sounds like a game, but the nature of it is entirely different. In there, the dream affects reality. If you die while clearing territory, you die in the waking world. And it’s an absolute death. Your hidden avatars, phantom wills, even a splintered sliver of your soul—they will all be simultaneously obliterated."