This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

"Oh, I haven't finished yet—but I refuse."

Abyss suddenly spread his arms in front of his chest, making a gesture of refusal.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling burst of battle aura flames erupted from his body, and a powerful impact tore the several Nightmare Spirits surrounding him into pieces!

Chapter 109 Abyss and Gylvia's Bed

"Hmm?" The Lord of Nightmares was somewhat surprised to see Abyss suddenly attack. "Defying my will, you... you have a lot of guts, but you don't think you can escape by causing trouble in the nightmare I've woven, do you?"

“I did not underestimate your ideas.” Abyss spread his arms, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in bone armor, with hundreds of sharp bone spikes extending in all directions. “Before you wove the dream, you must have considered the possibility that I would try to destroy everything inside to escape.”

"So you still intend to give it a try?" The Lord of Nightmares seemed amused by Abyss. "Mortal, your persistence is laughable to me."

This time, Abyss ignored the taunts of the proud extraterrestrial god. The bone spikes on his body began to elongate, reaching a length of two hand spans. Clusters of orange-yellow flames of aura climbed up Abyss's body, clinging to the surface of the bone spikes. Tiny bolts of lightning occasionally snaked through the flames of aura, flashing by in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With a thought from Abyss, a multitude of bone spikes shot out from his joints, creating a deafening whistling sound. The sharp, high-speed spikes effortlessly pierced the hotel walls and flew straight out.

Forty seconds left...

"Hahaha, let me enjoy this farce directed by the stupidity of mortals!" The Lord of Nightmares laughed loudly.

The flying bone spikes rapidly multiplied and differentiated in the air, one becoming three, three becoming nine. As they pierced through countless walls and flew to every corner of the city, the number of these bone spikes became extremely astonishing.

But every wall pierced by the bone spikes twisted and recovered after a brief delay, and every hole pierced by the bone spikes disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.

Thirty-five seconds...

The bone spikes finally pierced the entire city like sieves, and under the Abyss's control, they began to spiral in circles, like a swarm of locusts, destroying all obstacles in their path. At the same time, these bone spikes were also accelerating, and soon their speed became imperceptible to the naked eye.

"It's useless. I've discovered the power attached to your battle aura... Although I don't know which god was willing to lend such power to a lowly mortal like you, I can tell you definitively that the power He lent you is too weak to destroy the dream I prepared for you." The Lord of Nightmares seemed somewhat bored.

"I want to see how you struggle, whether you'll ever feel despair. Keep trying, you have twenty seconds left."

All the walls destroyed by the bone spikes of the Abyss were repaired in the blink of an eye, even though the power of the Fallen Lord coiled around the bone spikes seemed like a drop in the ocean.

The rapidly moving bone spikes are already tearing the entire city apart. If this were a real city, there probably wouldn't even be a fly left.

"It's useless, useless, a futile persistence!"

Just as the Lord of Nightmares was mocking the Abyss's foolishness, with only ten seconds left before the dream reset, the bone armor on the Abyss suddenly disappeared.

"Oh? You've given up?" The Nightmare Lord's tone was full of disappointment.

“I didn’t give up. I never intended to destroy your dream world.” Abyss smiled, closed his eyes, gently tilted his head back, and spread his arms wide, saying easily, “...My goal was never this city from the beginning.”

"Ok?"

Before the Lord of Nightmares could even guess what the Abyss was planning, the bone spikes that had been circling around the city suddenly shot towards the Abyss in unison. Having already circled multiple times and reached terrifying speeds, the bone spikes pierced through the Abyss's body almost instantly, turning it into a sea urchin from countless tiny bone spikes!

Clatter!

A sound like cloth being torn rang out, and the fictional dream world instantly collapsed into a pile of fragments!

"Hmm? Attacking yourself? Using divine power to attack yourself, because you discovered that your body in the dream is a projection of your soul, and that you can wake yourself up through intense, high-level stimulation?" After a brief moment of surprise, the Lord of Nightmares burst into laughter. "Hahaha! What a fearless mortal! You've given me quite a surprise!"

The Abyss, riddled with holes, was not dead. He chuckled softly through his broken throat, his voice trembling as he spoke: "Yes, now I'm going back to the real world. You have no objections, do you?"

The Nightmare Lord's maniacal laughter gradually faded into the distance and became ethereal: "Hahahaha! I grant you permission to leave! But remember! I will return at any time, at a time you never expect. I hope you will continue to surprise me then!" After uttering the last word, the voice could no longer be heard.

"Of course, Mr. Evil God, I was even planning to make you my servant." Abyss's figure gradually faded, slowly distancing itself from this dream world. It's unknown whether the Lord of Nightmares heard his arrogant words…

……

Abyss suddenly opened his eyes. Before him was a table with a bright oil lamp on it, illuminating a notebook about extraterrestrial evil gods.

"I still can't tell if it's a dream... but I'll take a gamble. That arrogant evil god wouldn't lie to a mortal like me." He muttered to himself as he stood up and pushed open the door.

There were no guards patrolling the corridor. Abis narrowed his eyes and strode out of his room.

Gylvia's room was at the other end of the corridor. Abyss quickly crossed the corridor and, disregarding all the etiquette due to a princess, yanked open Gylvia's door.

Several nightmare spirits were standing around Gylvia's bedside, having already pulled back her blankets. One of the nightmare spirits was about to use its skeletal hand to pull Gylvia's long hair...

They had no intention of killing Gylvia... they were just trying to frighten her. This motive finally explains why, in Leona's account of the first assassination attempt to the Abyss, the Nightmare Mage didn't simply stand on the mountaintop and fire a pillar of fire at Gylvia's carriage, but instead had the dwarves mark the carriage with crossbow bolts before acting—it wasn't that it was blind; the Nightmare's organs were merely decorative. They were there to give Gylvia a chance to escape, thus instilling a lingering fear in her!

This evil god, who feeds on fear, wants to destroy Gylvia's will!

Without saying a word, Abyss lightly stomped his foot on the ground, and countless withered and broken arms immediately stretched out from under the feet of these nightmare spirits, grabbed their feet, and dragged their bodies directly into the ground.

"I wonder if the vengeful spirits will get an upset stomach if they eat them," Abyss muttered as he walked over, wanting to pull the blanket up for Gylvia.

He grabbed a corner of the blanket and straightened it, but just then, a soft moan came from Gvia's nose.

Immediately afterwards, a pair of watery, slightly bewildered eyes looked at Abyss, whose hand was gripping her blanket.

Chapter 110 I Want Your Promise

"Mr. Bellator?"

Although Gylvia didn't scream in fear like an ordinary girl, she still gripped the edge of the blanket tightly, wrapping herself up close, her eyes fixed on Abyss.

Abyss was somewhat embarrassed. He quickly removed his hand and raised it to indicate that he meant no harm. However, the nightmare spirits that had been standing by Princess Gylvia's bedside had already been dragged away and eaten by the vengeful spirits summoned by Abyss, so he really couldn't provide any evidence to explain himself now.

"If I told you that several Nightmare Spirits are planning to attack you, would you believe me?" Abyss looked at Gylvia with clear eyes, trying to convince her.

Gylvia was also at a loss for what to do. It was true that she had a good impression of the Abyss, but it hadn't developed to the point where the Abyss would pull off her blankets.

“Um… Mr. Bellator… I was having a nightmare, but it suddenly stopped as if something had happened, and I woke up quickly.” She tried to say to Abis, “Does this have anything to do with Mr. Bellator?”

“I just had a dream too. In my dream, I met the Lord of Nightmares who has been bothering you.” Abyss smiled helplessly. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m not lying to you. I didn’t come to your room just to pull off your blankets…”

At first, Gylvia was a little suspicious that Abyss was just making excuses, but Abyss's attitude seemed very sincere, and based on the personality Abyss had shown in the days that Gylvia and Abyss had spent together, he didn't seem to be a very lecherous person.

He appears to be a young man in the prime of his youth, yet he has no ulterior motives when it comes to the opposite sex, like a scholar who has long since seen through the vanities of the world and whose heart is only filled with knowledge.

Abyss, of course, didn't tell her that he was a necromancer, and a very powerful one at that—he had dissected more female corpses than many people had ever met in their entire lives. Not to mention that he always sought the deceased's consent before dissecting them, and then chatted with them while performing the dissection.

Abyss enjoys being with Leona and Flora, not because he intends to do anything lewd to them or has any improper thoughts, but simply because he likes to be with trustworthy women.

In the end, Gylvia chose to believe the Abyss. She sat up in bed. Since she was traveling, she hadn't brought her pajamas with her. Her sleep quality had always been poor, so she had only taken off her usual outer clothes and a light layer of cloth armor. She was still wearing a shirt and pants, and she was still presentable.

“I believe you, Mr. Bellator. What conversation did you have with the Lord of Nightmares?” Gylvia nodded.

Abyss glanced at Gylvia, who was only wearing a shirt, and understood why Leona had always looked at her with a hint of envy. Gylvia's figure was indeed very good, but Abyss wasn't interested in that at the moment. He told Gylvia everything he could about his experiences.

"That's all I can tell you. What I haven't said involves some of my secrets, so please forgive me, Your Highness." Abyss stood beside Gylvia's bed.

After listening to the Abyss's account of the Lord of Nightmares, Gylvia realized she hadn't gained any particularly useful information. From the Abyss's narration, she only learned that the Lord of Nightmares intended to drive her mad, and that she currently lacked the power to confront such an evil god. She couldn't help but feel somewhat dejected.

“Your Highness, if you trust me, I can help you think of a solution,” Abyss said with a smile to Givia, who was in a rather low mood.

Gylvia glanced at Abyss: "So, is there anything you want? I'm willing to pay a satisfactory price for it."

Abyss, of course, didn't need anything. At his level of power, he could have anything he wanted, and aside from the allowance he spent on his familiars and the food and water he needed, he required no other resources. Spellcasting materials? Abyss had plenty of those; the magical catfish had plenty stored inside.

What he wants most now is to awaken his third familiar, bring her into his ranks to strengthen his side, and at the same time, find a way to steal the power of the Creator God. His second desire is for the power of the Nightmare Lord right before him; He is vastly different from the simple-minded Lord of Depth, and if he could be used to his advantage, it would undoubtedly have a significant effect.

He smiled and shook his head: "I don't need you to give me anything substantial, all I want is your promise."

"What promise?" Jivia asked curiously. She had learned in the past few days that Abyss did not care about fame or fortune, and she wondered what he was planning to do.

“I need Your Highness’s promise that you will not be defeated by fear until I find the Lord of Nightmares’ weakness and uncover His secrets.” Abyss looked at her earnestly with his blue-green eyes. “If Your Highness gives up, then everything I have done for you will have been in vain.”

“…I promise.” Gylvia paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and answered, “I will do everything in my power and will not bow to fear.”

Abyss knew this was difficult. The dreams woven by the Lord of Nightmares were highly targeted. The monster in Gylvia's dream must have been a reconstruction of something she feared most after being abstracted. The fact that she hadn't gone mad despite being tormented by that monster for so long, and could even communicate rationally with people, already showed that Gylvia's spirit was extremely strong.

"Thank you for granting my request, Your Highness. I have another question. Could you tell me about your brother, Kevin? The Lord of Nightmares told me not to care too much about him, but I don't quite understand what he meant."

“Kevin?” Gylvia paused for a moment, then replied, “Kevin is ruthless and extremely proud, with an almost pathologically high sense of self-esteem. But he is also cunning and adept at seizing opportunities, which is why he was able to usurp the throne and become the new king of Ossi.”

"That's just his personality. Do you have any stories about him that you can tell me? He's your brother, so you should know a lot about him."

“Kevin’s story? No… I didn’t live with him when I was a child, so I don’t know much. I only know that he was very mean to his servants when he was young. He would whip the maids when he was in a bad mood, and he would arbitrarily torture people who made mistakes… I don’t know much else. I think if I could find the servants who took care of him back then to talk to, I would definitely learn more about his story…”

“I see… It’s unusual that you and Kevin don’t live together. I remember that in all the countries on the continent, the royal family lives in the palace.”

“We might be a bit special, and Father may have used unconventional educational methods… but it turns out his approach to Kevin’s upbringing wasn’t very successful.” Seeing Abyss’s thoughtful expression, Gylvia asked, “What are your thoughts?”

"Oh, no, it's not mature yet, it's just a conjecture for now." Abyss shook his head, not telling Gylvia, appearing somewhat mysterious.

Chapter 111 An Inescapable Nightmare

Abyss opened a notebook of evil gods and began to read with great interest the events concerning evil gods recorded by Starr within it.

Princess Gylvia was already asleep beside him. She was too exhausted to have a long talk with the Abyss, and the Abyss kindly only asked her a few questions about Prince Kevin before letting her go to sleep.

Abyss didn't know if any of the remaining Nightmare Spirits had escaped after he had eliminated that horde. The Lord of Nightmares could clearly influence people's minds, making mortals blind to and unaware of things that didn't make sense. Abyss felt that he might not be immune either. To prevent any remaining Nightmare Spirits from sneaking into Gylvia's room, besides placing a messenger spirit inside to relay messages, Abyss had to be vigilant and personally keep watch.

Abyss certainly didn't want a spirit watching over him. Gylvia, a spirit with a physical body, would definitely not accept it, but it would be impolite to leave a ghost-like spirit to peek. Since Abyss had nothing else to do that night, he stayed in the room after explaining the reason to Gylvia.

Gylvia seemed to trust the Abyss, with whom she had grown quite familiar over the past few days. Perhaps it was because her enemies had always been non-human beings that she was less wary of humans. Without any hesitation, she lay down, thanked the Abyss, and then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Her relaxed expression didn't last long. Abyss sat alone at the table, reading for a while by the dim light of an oil lamp in the room, relying on his dark vision. Then he heard Gylvia's breathing begin to become somewhat erratic.

She must have just entered a deep sleep when the nightmare struck again. The interruption of her dream didn't grant her even a night's rest. And Abyss's earlier plan—to wear the Spring of Dew to sleep for an hour, wake up before the nightmare, and then sleep for another hour—seems ineffective; the Spring of Dew's power likely works on a daily basis.

Abyss had originally intended to let Gylvia take advantage of a loophole, but he figured she probably had already tried, and had definitely failed.

And so, Abyss watched over Gylvia through what might have been a very long night, while she studied her notes, until dawn broke and a ray of morning light shone through the sunlit window, and the people in the inn began to get up one by one.

"Hmm... Is it dawn?" Gylvia rubbed her eyes as she woke up, her brows furrowed, clearly feeling terrible after surviving a nightmare. "Abyss, weren't you asleep?"

“I don’t need to sleep every day. Sometimes I read some notes at night,” Abyss said with a smile. “No nightmares attacked you last night.”

Gylvia smiled and nodded to Abyss. Although she had never seen Abyss fight, judging from the abilities of Leona and Flora beside him, he was no pushover. With Abyss as her protector, she felt at ease.

“I should get up too. We’re setting off for our destination today, and if all goes well, we should arrive before dark. Let’s buy some potions first, and then look for Lannice Constance.” Gylvia didn’t linger in bed. For her, the bed wasn’t a place to be attached to. She quickly got out of bed and deftly put on the armor and outer garments that were lying by her bedside. Her movements were so skillful that she didn’t seem like a princess at all, but rather like a seasoned mercenary. The two years she had spent outside the palace must have made her grow a lot.