Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1179 One in a Million
What did the thrush do wrong?
Faced with the questions from [Father]... and [Fu], the Myriad Things Celestial Cicada clenched its fists, then replied with annoyance in its eyes:

"The thrush gave false information, forcing you to use the Ring of Time Runes to forcibly change the God of Food's route to the Old Land. Later, he talked nonsense again, giving the Dream Master a bad idea to provoke the God of Food... Father! You should punish him severely!"

"This... there's no need for punishment, is there?"

The eyes atop the lighthouse blinked slightly upon hearing this, and then, under the thrush's grateful gaze, spoke gently to comfort it:

"The thrush also has its reasons. His [Disaster Avoidance] is a truth formed by the combination of [Calamity] and [Fear]. The stronger the God of Food is, the stronger his fear is. It is understandable that he loses his composure under the influence of fear. So you can't blame him entirely for being cowardly."

"father!"

The All-Encompassing Cicada couldn't help but frown and say:

“Your kindness is touching, but the thrush’s actions are a betrayal of you! If he is not punished…”

"Okay, it's nothing."

After waving her hand to indicate that the Celestial Cicada didn't need to say anything more, Frederica swayed gently on the cow's back and said calmly:
"Even if the raven does ruin my plan in the end, he has already done the greatest job this time just for the [Disaster Avoidance] he gave me."

After all, given Leon's suspicious and cautious nature, if I hadn't copied [Leon's Disaster Avoidance] onto myself, I'm afraid I would have been exposed on the very first day I met him, and I wouldn't even have had the chance to trick him into helping me deal with Number 7... Oh, right.

At this point, Frederica seemed to remember something and asked:

"Where are the director of the Cleanup Bureau and the Aries board member? Have they been dealt with?"

"Forehead……"

Upon hearing Frederica's question, the expressions of the Blue and Crimson Kings stiffened slightly, and then the Crimson King spoke up to report:

“We were just about to tell you about this. Although they were forced into the depths of the Ring Mountain, no one dared to directly confront the Aries Director’s Destruction Technique, and the Director of the Cleanup Bureau seemed to have gone mad, only attacking and not defending, so they haven’t been able to truly kill them yet… but it should be soon!”

Noticing that the eyes on the lighthouse emblem narrowed slightly, the two kings, Qing and Hong, quickly offered their assurances:
"Please rest assured! Those who haven't figured out the timeline can no longer emerge from the Ring of Time. The Director of the Cleanup Bureau's desperate attempt will eventually fail. We just need to proceed slowly..."

"No need."

After glancing at the All-Encompassing Cicada with some dissatisfaction, Frederica said in a slightly cold voice:

“Those two are indeed a bit troublesome. I understand if you can’t handle them well. I’ll take care of them myself later… But you should also think carefully. If I have to do everything myself, then what is the point of your existence?”

"us……"

Seeing that their usually gentle father had spoken so harshly, the two kings, Qing and Hong, were greatly alarmed and, their hearts pounding, bowed their heads in apology:
"We have failed you..."

"Alright, you haven't wronged me. You just feel that the opponent is already in a dead end and the matter is basically settled, so you don't want to take the risk of forcing it and think it's okay to complete my order later."

Normally, I could tolerate your selfishness; after all, it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm... but not now.

After interrupting the two kings, Qing and Hong, to apologize, the eyes atop the lighthouse slowly closed, and the voice sounded somewhat wistful as it said:

"I've dreamt about too many things from the past along the way, and my human side is a bit sad. So you guys better be diligent and don't let her find fault with you. Otherwise, if she becomes the target of your emotions, then I'll have to respect my own opinion... You understand?"

"Yes! We can!"

"We remember!"

"Just remember."

After glancing at the two sweating pillars, the eyes at the top of the lighthouse closed completely, then fell silent, leaving behind a final word of advice.

"Let the thrush go. You two should also be careful. If you find that something is wrong... you might as well listen to the thrush's opinion."

……

Very good, that thrush's method really worked!

Seeing Leon, who had changed into an old black overcoat and was standing blankly on a dirty street corner in the capital, the Dream Master was overjoyed and gave the raven a big thumbs up in his heart.

As expected of the pillar god named "Disaster Avoidance," it truly understands Number 3 the most. Following its suggestion, the dream I pieced together using fragments of dreams extracted from the mortal world was incredibly effective on Number 3!
Unlike the previous chaotic dreams, just by sinking into this dream, Number 3's well-hidden mental core has already begun to be exposed, and I can even sense his inner confusion.

It's good to be lost. Just stay lost in your dreams, and as an ordinary person struggling in pain, end your life in a daze!

As Leon, having failed his job search for the twenty-first time, walked out of the sanitation department and turned away in the sunset with a look of utter dejection, the passersby in the dream all stopped what they were doing and stared at his retreating figure, revealing the same strange smiles.

According to the "past" he pieced together from his dreams, this day should be the turning point in Number 3's life. It was because his sister was seriously ill and hospitalized that Number 3, who had been living in a daze for more than ten years, chose to join the Cleanup Bureau and become the God of Food that even Number 1 dared not take lightly.

I don't need to make a big fuss. I just need to give him a gentle push when he is about to fall into the abyss, so that he can clearly realize his powerlessness and weakness and completely cut off his hope. At that most vulnerable moment, I can easily shatter his will!

"elder brother?"

Just as Leon reached his front door, a familiar, soft call rang out. The slender, petite girl opened the old iron gate first and greeted the weary-looking Leon outside:

"you are back!"

"Um……"

Looking at Anna's pale, sickly face, Leon, who was about to knock on the door, hesitated for a moment, then blurted out:
"Your illness isn't completely cured... um..."

"what happened?"

Seeing Leon's brow gleam slightly after he uttered half a sentence, and his eyes shift from surprise back to confusion, the slender girl tilted her head and asked with some doubt, "Brother? What's wrong?"

"nothing……"

The two primal colors, one thick and one thin, clashed fiercely for a moment before returning to calm. Leon, whose will was temporarily suppressed by the dream, shook his head slightly and rebuked them sternly:
"Haven't I told you several times not to open the door for random people?"

"I didn't just open the door randomly."

Anna, unperturbed by the scolding, took Leon's coat, brushed off the dust, and softly replied with a blink:
“I recognize your footsteps. I will only open the door in advance when you come back.”

"That's not good either... um..."

It feels so familiar... like I said these things to Anna sometime in the past...

Looking at the scene before him that seemed strangely familiar, Leon was momentarily stunned, and then his eyes flashed with intense light once again.

However, the Root of Brilliance, which could only resist automatically without the support of a clear self-will, ultimately could not withstand the suppression of the Dream Master. The colorful light in Leon's eyes was quickly suppressed, and he walked into the house with a somewhat blank expression, sitting down at the table and wolfing down his dinner.

Phew... this time it should work.

Watching Leon, who had twice tried to resist but was suppressed, and finally began to follow the "plot" of the dream step by step, put away his plate and walked towards his bedroom with a heart full of guilt, the will of the Dream Master couldn't help but completely relax.

Because of the constant leaps through dreams along the way, the reality and dreams within Number 3 have long since become blurred, and have even begun to "cross" each other, reaching the point where they can bring things from the dream into reality.

This means that if he can severely damage his spirit in this dream and take control of his spiritual core when Will #3 breaks, he can make his will permanently sink into the Abyss of Dreams and completely reverse the dream and reality he experienced.

When that time comes, even if he was once so strong that even Number One was wary of him, he will become an ordinary person through the twist of dreams and reality, a blurry silhouette that can only drift in the river of the Dream Abyss!
Sleep now! Only one last step remains!

Looking at Leon, who was tossing and turning on the small bed and unable to fall asleep, and at the blurry face of the Dream Master floating above his dreams, a clear look of anticipation suddenly appeared on his face.

Next, all I have to do is, after he falls asleep, follow everything the God of Cookery has experienced in the past, and make his sister suddenly fall ill... um? Where are you going?!

Watching Leon roll around on the narrow, old bed for a while, then suddenly sit up, put on his shoes, leave the bedroom, and start knocking on Anna's door, the Dream Master was momentarily stunned.

"Cough cough... Brother?"

Seeing Leon suddenly knock on the door in the middle of the night, Anna, wearing a nightgown, opened the door, first coughing uncomfortably a few times, then said with a puzzled look:
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"without……"

Seeing Anna, whose face was somewhat pale but who seemed to be in relatively good condition, Leon instinctively felt he should come and check on her. He breathed a sigh of relief and then said somewhat apologetically:
"I don't know what happened, I just suddenly felt I should come and check on you... It's okay, you can go back to sleep."

"All right……"

The slender girl glanced at Leon with a puzzled look, and after confirming that he was alright, she nodded and closed the door, while Leon turned and went back to his bedroom.

However, just as the Dream Master breathed a sigh of relief and was preparing to continue pushing the "plot forward," he saw that after returning to the bedroom, Leon did not go to sleep. Instead, he rolled up the old mattress on the bed and left the bedroom, setting up a makeshift bed on the floor in the small dining room.

No... how could you not follow the script?
Looking at Leon, who had put on his coat and was sitting on the newly made cot, staring intently at Anna's door as if ready to "move out" at any moment, the Dream Master felt a little uneasy.

Even with his will suppressed and his own memories blocked, why could he still retain some "intuition" and instinctively feel that something was going to happen to his sister tonight? This isn't a dream!
Seeing Leon sitting upright on the restaurant floor, clearly not planning to sleep tonight, the Dream Master, floating "above" the dream, had no choice but to immerse himself in the dream, intending to intervene before the plot went further astray. However...

"stop!"

Just as the will of the Dream Master descended upon Anna's room, preparing to cause her to "die" prematurely in the dream, Leon in the restaurant suddenly stood up, broke down the door without hesitation, and rushed straight towards the will of the Dream Master.

This is...unbelievable!

After dodging Leon's charge, the Dream Master's will was thrown into chaos as he looked at Leon, who was protecting his "younger siblings" behind him and staring at him warily.

The fact that he could spot me proves he's seen through the dream, or at least knows it might be a dream; but then he protects the fake family members in the dream, which suggests he's probably still trapped in the dream? This...this...

"how did you do it?"

Seeing that no matter how he changed his form, Leon's colorful eyes always followed his location, the Dream Master, realizing that his plan had failed, couldn't help but reveal himself, looking utterly bewildered, and said:

"Your will and memories are clearly being clouded, so how can you still sense that something is wrong?"

Holy crap! What the hell is this thing?
Looking at the enemy in front of him, whose figure was vaguely human but whose features were indistinct, Leon couldn't help but tremble. He quickly protected his younger siblings and retreated slowly, while opening the badge panel... More than forty badges of different colors were flashing brilliantly below the slots.

I don't know if this is true or not, but after I finished eating, I lay in bed and checked the cheat program. I found that the panel, which originally only had three badges, suddenly had dozens more badges, and the effects of each one were more powerful than the last!

After reading through all those badges with their acquisition instructions—"The Headless Doctor," "The Lionheart Duke," "The Bloodthirsty Wizard," "The Lord of Demons," "The Director of the Cleanup Bureau," and so on—even an idiot like me should know something's wrong!
"If you don't want to say it, forget it."

Looking at Leon, who was pursing his lips and staring at him with his eyes fixed on him, the Dream Master snorted and then raised his hand to gently shatter the surrounding dreamscape, and also withdrew the Source Color used to suppress Leon's will.

“I admit that you are indeed more difficult to deal with than I expected. You can even find yourself in the dream I created, which is worthy of Number 1’s fear of you. But this is probably your limit.”

After floating back into the high sky above the Valley of Dreams, the Dream Lord, whose head was split open like gills, began to spew out dreams, looking down at Leon who had fallen into the silver river below, and said coldly without expression:

"You can escape from the dream I created once, but can you escape from the same dream a million times?"

　Two-in-one... Or 2...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)