Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Yes, Xiling is angry, but the object of his anger is himself.

Elena is dead!

She died right beside him!

He had just said he would protect the other person, but when the moon rose, all he could do was snatch back a cold body with only half a soul remaining.

Garland leaned forward slightly, his tone no longer mocking or desperate, but carrying an unprecedented solemnity and inquiry:

Are you sure that the person standing in front of me right now... is conscious?

Xiling made no unnecessary movements, but simply nodded slightly, yet with unwavering determination.

Garland took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to inhale the despair and absurdity of the entire dream.

"So, you not only have to kill an ancient god who is theoretically impossible to kill, but also seize his authority and power after killing him? And then use that power to release all those who have been assimilated in this grand dream?"

Garan's gaze was fixed on Xiling. He was waiting, waiting for a clear answer.

Xiling's answer, however, was as calm as stating a given fact:

“The real Him has been killed by me, and it is not difficult to take away His power.”

The room fell silent.

Then--

"Heh...hehe...hahahahaha!!!"

Galan suddenly covered his face with both hands! An uncontrollable, maniacal laugh erupted from the depths of his chest! The laughter was sharp, hoarse, and distorted, filled with endless absurdity, pent-up despair, and a kind of ignited, almost hysterical ecstasy!

No one knew what he was laughing at. Was he laughing at Xiling's arrogant overestimation of his own abilities?

Is it a smile that finally appears as an impossible ray of light in this cage of despair?

Or are we laughing at the absurd arrangement of fate itself?

The laughter continued, echoing eerily and jarringly in the empty church.

suddenly!

The laughter stopped suddenly!

Garan abruptly removed his hands from his face! He took a step forward and moved closer to Xiling:

"Good!!! Very good!!!"

“You—all you need to do is kill Him! The rest…” A near-mad grin spread across his lips, his eyes devoid of any hesitation, doubt, or pessimism, only a desperate resolve remained: “…Leave it all to me!!!”

Xiling frowned and asked, "I need to know what those things I'm asking you to do are."

“No! You don’t need to know!” Garland interrupted him decisively, the madness in his eyes settling into a terrifying focus and calm. “Leave it to me. You must leave it to me! Trust me, I’m a professional!”

He took a half step back, creating some distance, but his imposing aura remained undiminished.

He straightened his back, as if he had put on an invisible priest's robe again, or more like he had put on the last magnificent armor of a con artist.

“As long as you…” Garan’s voice was deep and powerful, like a final vow, his gaze fixed on Xiling’s calm eyes, “you can do what you said, kill Him! And then use the power you seized to resurrect all those who have been assimilated and imprisoned in the dream… that’s all!”

"Leave the rest to me."

Just as Xiling was staring at the other person, a voice suddenly rang out in the room.

hmm~

Elena seemed to wake up from a dream and began to shift her body on the sofa. She looked like someone who hadn't fully woken up yet, her brows furrowing as if she felt uncomfortable in this position. Her hand kept groping towards her head, as if searching for a pillow. Soon her hand touched something, so she closed her eyes and rested her head on it. The dissatisfaction on her face disappeared, replaced by satisfaction.

Seeing this, Galan said nothing more and walked towards the door. Soon, only Xiling and Elena, who was resting on his lap, remained in the room.

Looking at Elena using her lap as a pillow, Xiling's calm eyes showed apology, and a sigh that was almost drowned out by her breathing disappeared into the air.

"I'm sorry, I broke my promise."

......

Elena felt she was sleeping very comfortably, a sense of peace she had never felt before. A kind of gentle scent surrounded her nose, and the pillow was especially soft, making her snuggle closer like a kitten. In her drowsy state, Elena opened her eyes and saw a face that brought her peace of mind.

The witch's brain was clearly still not fully operational; lingering sleepiness made her voice unconsciously soft and dependent: "Good morning, Xiling~"

"It's already evening, why is it still early?"

"Is that so?" Elena mumbled, her consciousness still lingering on the edge of a dream.

She lazily tried to prop herself up to leave that coveted warmth, but her limbs were weak and powerless. As soon as she lifted herself up a little, her body, like a puppet with a broken string, slumped forward and lightly bumped into Xiling's shoulder.

"Hmm... I feel so tired~" Her voice was muffled, carrying a sense of weakness, like she was whining, or more like stating a wronged fact.

"Then take a rest."

"Hmm~" Having received permission, Elena immediately gave up struggling with a clear conscience, leaning all her weight against that reliable support point, even rubbing comfortably to find an even more comfortable position, closing her eyes again, and her breathing gradually becoming even.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

suddenly!

Elena jolted awake! Sleepiness vanished instantly, as if doused with cold water! Her brain, like a rusty gear, creaked and groaned, and everything that had just happened—from searching for a pillow to using her lap as a pillow and now her shoulder as a pillow—rew and played on a frantic loop in her mind!

Her gaze, like a stuck spring, moved stiffly and inch by inch downwards, finally settling on her position where she was pressed tightly against the other person's body.

The next second, Elena's body was instantly thrown back as if by an invisible, powerful spring! She was practically thrown backward and sat upright, frozen on the edge of the sofa! A burning blush spread visibly from her ears, quickly taking over her entire cheeks and neck, even her small earlobes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed!

"!!!" A silent scream exploded inside her head, sending shivers down her spine!

"What am I doing?!" Overwhelmed by immense shame and intense self-doubt.

She remembered! She remembered everything! Her unreserved, almost flirtatious behavior just now! In front of Xiling! Like a clingy little child! She frantically tugged at her collar and hem, as if that could erase that embarrassing scene.

With a masochistic curiosity and a desire for confirmation, she cautiously turned her gaze to Xiling again—and then she saw a damn understanding and reassuring smile on the other's face!

That smile instantly ignited a fuse of rage and shame within Elena!

"Hey!" She almost screamed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She grabbed the wand that was always beside her and pointed it at Xiling. "What's with that expression?! What does it mean?!"

Xiling leaned back slightly to avoid the wand that almost hit her face, and said innocently, "This is called Gentle Watch."

"You're just laughing at me!" Unable to cast magic, Elena raised her fist and slammed it at Xiling's head, while Xiling could only raise her hand, trying to block the witch's terrifying barrage of blows.

However, the witch was too powerful, and the hero was repeatedly defeated, eventually having no choice but to sign the witch's agreement.

[Sign this agreement! From this moment forward, you must unconditionally grant me one request! Any request! No going back on your word!]

Chapter 109 Elena, who knows everything, confronts the ancient god Xiling.

After putting on her equipment, Elena turned to look at Xiling and asked, "So, where is this place?"

"It was just a dream." Xiling's tone was no longer indifferent, but returned to its usual normal tone.

"A dream?" Elena frowned in confirmation.

“Yes, it was just a dream,” Xiling nodded in affirmation, then continued, “Do you still remember the ancient gods?”

"I remember, didn't you say that today?" Elena seemed to have thought of something. "So, what's happening here is related to that ancient god!"

Xiling gave a thumbs up. "As expected of a genius witch, this is indeed the dream of the ancient gods."

Elena stroked her chin and said, "So it really is related to the moon?"

She remembered briefly losing consciousness after being illuminated by the moonlight, and something else seemed to happen in between, but she forgot. When she came to her senses, it was already dark. Elena tried hard to recall what she had forgotten, but she quickly gave up.

"Why think so much?" Elena shook her head, looking at Xiling. "As long as Xiling is here, she'll definitely handle things here."

A smile returned to Elena's face.

“Well then, Hero,” Elena said playfully with a slightly awkward bow, “I’ll leave the rest to you! By the way…”

Confused, she drew her wand. "Do you know why my magic isn't working at all here?"

Xiling stroked his chin, feigning thought: "Hmm... perhaps it's because this dream world itself doesn't contain magic? After all, this is the consciousness realm of an ancient god, and the rules might be different from the real world. I'm not 100% sure." His explanation contained a reasonable speculation.

"Really..." Elena was skeptical, but she still put her wand back into its pouch. "Alright. So what do you plan to do next?"

Xiling's fingers slowly traced the holy sword at her waist. "The answer is simple,"

“Find the true master of this dream, and then—destroy it. Only by completely ending this distorted dream can we liberate all the trapped consciousness here.”

Upon hearing this, Elena nodded vigorously, her smile still bright: "This is indeed a plan very much in line with your style! Simple and direct. I probably can't be of much help right now, so..." Her smile carried a hint of concern, "Be careful, Xiling."

"Don't worry, I'm a hero, nothing will happen to me," Xiling replied with a relaxed and confident smile, responding to her concern.

“That’s right!” Elena seemed convinced by Xiling’s words. She turned around and walked briskly toward the door.

"Then I'll go out and take a look!"

Elena's silhouette was full of vitality, her gray hair swaying slightly with her steps, as if she were real enough to be touched. However, Xiling knew that she was just a projection of a dream, not the real Elena. If she were the real Elena, she would not have forgotten the information about the chat group.

Just as Elena was about to reach out and open the door, Xiling's voice rang out.

"Elena"

Ok?

Elena turned to look at Xiling in confusion, but seeing Xiling's expression only made her more perplexed.

Xiling was smiling, but for some reason, she... always felt that Xiling was very sad right now.

"Xiling?" Elena's smile faded, replaced by genuine worry. She unconsciously took a step back towards Xiling. "What's wrong? Your expression suddenly looks so strange..."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you."

"Huh?" Elena was completely stunned, then chuckled, her smile filled with pure comfort. "What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you protect me perfectly well?"

"If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have really paid a heavy price for my recklessness! Thank you, Xiling."

Her smile was sincere and radiant, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and trust in her companions. This smile should have been a light to dispel the gloom, but it made Xiling feel as if needles were pricking her heart.

The other party's gratitude was based on the premise that she was unaware of the real tragedy.

Xiling took a deep breath, as if to suppress all her inner emotions, and an extremely serious and determined expression appeared on her face.

"I promise you, I will save you, I will save everyone here."

Elena blinked, a trusting smile returning to her face, and nodded vigorously. "Mm!"

Her voice was clear and full of certainty, "I believe in you."

"Then I'm off."

"come on!"

Watching Xiling's disappearing figure, the smile on Elena's face quickly faded and went out, like a candle flame encountering a cold wind.

She stood there quietly for a long time before a barely audible murmur escaped her lips.

"What exactly happened to Xiling?"

Elena is very smart, although she is vain and always emphasizes that she is such a genius.

But in fact, she is a genius, she is very smart, the things she forgot, this dream, and the residents of the town, everything is too strange.

The most crucial thing is Xiling, he... is so heartbroken and feels so guilty.

Deep in Elena's memory, at the center of some blurry images, is always Xiling's clear face. There should be other people in these images, but her brain is as if locked up, and her specific memories, names, and appearances of them are all blank.

It was as if the whole world had shrunk down to just her and Xiling.

“What could it be…” Elena unconsciously clenched the fabric at her chest, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. “What could make him so heartbroken… so remorseful?” She whispered, chewing over Xiling’s last vow: “I will definitely save you, save everyone here… save me? Why did you specifically emphasize saving me? Am I really just trapped in this dream?”

A bitter smile appeared on Elena's lips. Her unease and fear made her squat down, burying her face in her curled-up arms, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“I…” A terrifying word took shape in her chaotic thoughts.

"...Is he/she dead?"

The thought sent a chill down my spine. If she really... had already... then what was this person before me?

But if she died, why did Xiling say she would save herself and the people here?

Can't figure it out.

She really couldn't figure it out.

Her head would inexplicably ache whenever she tried to think.