69novels Chapter 506, Section 515: Breaking Through the Dream
Chapter 506, Section 515: Breaking Through the Dream
Chapter 506, Section 515: Breaking Through the Dream (Part 8)
The fire of yesteryear.
One of the defining characteristics of ravens is plunder.
Even in dreams.
It also allows Ian to plunder real power. Yes, it is that unreasonable. The characteristics brought by higher-dimensional life are as unsolvable as the corruption of Cthulhu, and even more domineering and unreasonable.
of course.
Because his own strength was only legendary, it was quite difficult for Ian to drive this authority. However, he eventually succeeded in driving it and began to plunder. No matter how difficult it was, it did not affect the fact that this authority did indeed play a role.
"Come here—to me!" Dark Tiga grunted. Maintaining this complex force field and forcibly "capturing" the Ancient Flame consumed far more energy than he had imagined. Unstable energy ripples began to appear on his dark body.
But he gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with a crazy and excited light!
"eat!"
Ian suddenly slammed his arms together inward!
The force field vortex contracted rapidly, and the miniature spacetime rift suddenly closed like a bear trap!
"puff!"
A soft sound.
That wisp of dark red "Old Flame," imbued with the essence of the Great Old Ones, was successfully and forcibly "stripped" from Cthulhu's attack. Then, at the moment the spacetime rift closed, it was enveloped by the power of the raven and dragged into Dark Tiga's body.
More precisely, he was dragged into the "Raven" brand, which was closely connected to his soul and served as the core of his power!
"Ugh—!!!"
An indescribable pain instantly engulfed Ian's entire body. Although there was only a wisp of the Old Flame, its essence was too high, and the information and will it contained were too ancient and crazy. Even though it was enveloped by the power of the raven, the impact it brought was like pressing a red-hot iron directly into the deepest part of his soul!
His Dark Tiga form trembled violently, the dark energy on his body churning like boiling water, and the dark red stripes flickering!
It even began to turn into a deeper, more ominous dark purple!
The energy core on his chest was flashing wildly.
It's about to explode!
However, the consumption and absorption are indeed taking place!
"Aaaaaah!"
The moment the Old Ones were "taken away," Cthulhu let out an unprecedented, furious, and incredulous scream, as if his most sensitive spot had been touched!
The entire dream interlayer completely collapsed under its rage!
Revealing the boundless, pure, insane abyss of darkness below! Countless even larger and more terrifying shadows writhe within!
It was as if something far more terrifying was being completely awakened!
But Ian couldn't care less about any of that.
He is waging the most dangerous tug-of-war with the last embers of his past life within him!
The power of the raven was operating wildly, trying to "digest," "transform," and "tame" it, while the ancient fire was fiercely retaliating, eroding, and trying to corrupt everything!
"Tiga is the true emperor of darkness!"
Ian uses fantasy settings to stabilize his perception.
It's not about confrontation, it's not about rejection.
Rather, it is a kind of instinctive "hunger".
Dark Tiga, how did he become the emperor of darkness? Not only because of his power, but also because of his characteristic—transformation and absorption. He takes the power of his enemies and uses it for his own purposes.
What is the essence of this "Old Flame"? It is the manifestation of Cthulhu's will and power in a dream, the purest and most primordial chaotic energy. While it is certainly corrosive, its "power" is undeniable. When the instinct to "devour" encounters this extremely "powerful" energy—a miracle occurs.
"That's my win!"
Ian felt the piercing "sense of being wiped" suddenly pause for a moment, and then a completely different "sense of fullness," faint yet real, rose from the deepest part of his energy core. It wasn't a simple increase in power; it was more like something entirely new had been forcibly imprinted on the "blueprint" of his existence.
The prototype of the "mark" that originally did not belong to him at all.
Cthulhu's will, that vast consciousness that permeated the entire dream, trembled violently. It was like someone comfortably enjoying warm water, only to be suddenly stung by a venomous insect lurking at the bottom. Not by sharp pain, but by a shock and absurdity far exceeding pain, and the ensuing rage of being wounded by an ant.
"How—could—this—be—possible—?!"
An indescribable roar of will swept through the dream, the rotting flesh of stars fell in a flurry, and the colossal rocks of R'lyeh trembled violently. It frantically urged the Ancient Fire, unleashing even more flames and a more concentrated corrosive power, like a green tsunami of billions of tons, crashing towards the dark figure from all directions.
It must immediately, without delay, crush this daring, this insect that dared to "steal" the essence of its power into nothingness-less dregs!
However, something even more infuriating happened.
The ancient flames, like a tsunami, engulfed Ian, but the anticipated complete assimilation did not occur. The dark figure flickered and shone in the flames powerful enough to incinerate stars, yet it never truly disappeared.
On the contrary, that initial, faint "sucking" sensation diminished after the first successful attempt.
It seems I've adapted.
The energy core of Dark Tiga, that dark vortex, spun a little faster. The surging ancient flames continued their frenzied erosion, but at the same time, a small portion, upon contact with the front line, was captured, torn apart, stripped of its will by a more domineering and greedy "darkness," and then swallowed up.
The speed is still very slow, negligible relative to the total amount of flames pouring in. But it is happening.
It is indeed underway.
"I knew it! Ultraman Tiga is definitely the one who fights Cthulhu! Ultraman never lies!"
Ian's consciousness was pulled back from the brink of dissipation by this newfound sense of "fulfillment," which was characterized by coldness and mania.
He "looked" at his energy core, where, in the originally pure and dark background, there was a tiny, vibrant spark of indescribable color.
It doesn't belong to him, but it is indeed "controlled" by him, becoming part of his power, and is helping him "digest" more flames of the same kind.
I believe this is Ultraman's reward.
The "fantasy anchor" that Ian chose triggered the deepest rule of its existence setting when faced with this specific form of destructive energy.
The Dark Emperor, devours and transforms everything.
Cthulhu's rage reached its boiling point. The dream began to churn. The phantom of R'lyeh melted, the stars screamed in agony. It couldn't comprehend, couldn't accept! This was its dream! Its domain! Its power! How dare a lowly, fleeting consciousness resist, even—steal it?!
"Ahhhhh!"
Fury fuels an even greater power.
No longer just simple flames, but the dream itself began to transform into a weapon. The folds of space became razor-sharp blades, the fragments of time turned into corrosive poison, and the purely conceptual "madness" and "despair" coalesced into a tangible black downpour. It was determined to erase this anomaly at all costs!
But this is precisely what led it into a deeper trap that it was unaware of.
The more power poured in, the higher the concentration of the Old Flame became, forcing the initial, feeble adaptation process of Dark Tiga's core to accelerate. It was like a worm that could only digest small amounts of toxins being suddenly immersed in a sea of poison; it would either die instantly or—on the verge of death, evolve the corresponding digestive enzymes at an astonishing speed.
"I want more!"
Ian was enduring unspeakable pain. Every surge of power was torture to the very foundation of his being, and every wisp of the old flame he absorbed was like swallowing molten iron into his soul.
But his "anchor point" was stronger than ever before.
The image of the Dark Emperor grows ever clearer amidst the torment—would an emperor succumb to power? An emperor only conquers power! Conquer, then possess!
With a firmer will.
The rate of absorption was passively and exponentially increasing. From a wisp, to a strand, and then to a small burst—within the dark core, that tiny spark began to grow, becoming a cluster of flames. The flames gradually stabilized in color, taking on a deep, dark green that seemed to contain boundless madness.
only.
At this moment, the dark green was confined within the framework of dark energy, pulsating obediently, becoming part of Ian's power, and even taking the lead.
It began to "prey" on surrounding flames of the same origin more efficiently.
"This can't be done!"
The Great Old Ones are also highly intelligent beings.
and so.
They realized that things were getting increasingly wrong.
Cthulhu finally felt fear.
It was a wake-up call that went beyond anger; it realized that the power it had poured out had not only failed to crush the opponent, but was like feeding a bottomless abyss.
The other party is absorbing the nutrients faster and more smoothly.
Initially, it required a difficult process of peeling away the will, but now, the dark energy seems to have become familiar with the "taste" of the old fire, and can even draw some nourishment from it to transform into a more condensed and powerful darkness.
The figure of the giant.
Under the relentless onslaught of power, it not only did not weaken but became even more solid, and dangerous dark green patterns began to flow within the eerie light on its surface.
The dark red glow of the color timer on his chest also carried a hint of eerie green.
This is an unsolvable loop.
It attacks, he absorbs. It is angry, he adapts. It is afraid—he grows.
There will come a moment.
The other party will completely devour you.
Cthulhu would never allow such a thing to happen.
then.
Cthulhu made a decision.
The dream will no longer be maintained.
This leads to a chain reaction.
"Click click click~"
Dreams groaned under the strain of this struggle between the two.
The dream's massive rock began to crumble, and the illusory starry sky was riddled with cracks. Ian could sense that the "Eternal Slumber" power, which bound Cthulhu's true form and formed the cornerstone of this dream, was becoming unstable due to the intense internal conflict and high-frequency energy output.
at the same time.
The old flames within him had coalesced into streams, surging through the river of dark energy. A new, nascent "authority," transcending all his previous understanding, was taking shape deep within his soul.
That was the power of "erosion," "assimilation," and "chaos," yet he forcibly controlled it through "darkness," "devouring," and "order."
Ian is no longer just passively absorbing; he has begun to actively "seize" it.
"A new testament to legend."
Dark Tiga raised his hand, palm facing the omnipresent, angry, and fearful will. A miniature vortex, interwoven with dark green and ghostly black, formed in his palm.
In an instant, the old flames of the entire dream, as if iron filings had encountered a magnet, suddenly stopped, and then began to surge uncontrollably towards that vortex like rivers flowing into the sea!
It's not erosion, it's plunder! It's devouring!
Ian didn't even leave Cthulhu a dream!
"No-!!!"
The will of Cthulhu let out a deafening scream, a cry that was a mixture of extreme anger, boundless fear, and hysterical madness.
It sensed the power of its own dream, the essence it had extended, being frantically drained! That insignificant being, that despicable thief!
They actually want to take everything away from it?!
This exceeded its tolerance limit.
Continuing to sleep means that it may be completely absorbed, and this abnormal "digestor" may even reach its true form through the connection of power.
Impossible! Absolutely not!
Just as Ian was about to absorb the last remaining embers of the Ancient Flame in the dream, Cthulhu made his decision.
It chose to wake up by force.
It is not a natural awakening, but a desperate break from the eternal slumber at the cost of tearing apart parts of the essence of the dream and suffering a huge backlash!
"BOOM!!!!!"
There was no sound, but a deafening crash, more terrifying than any other, exploded in Ian's perception. The entire dream of Cthulhu was like a glass ball shattered by a hammer!
It instantly fell apart!
"Crack, crack!" The dreamlike scene, everything, is transformed into billions of constantly spinning fragments, shimmering with a crazy color!
Space itself is collapsing, and the turbulent flow of time is like sharp shards of glass flying everywhere.
That immense, suffocating will of the Great Old Ones contracted and receded rapidly like the receding tide, carrying with it endless rage and pain.
Ian, or rather, the form of Dark Tiga, could no longer maintain itself amidst the complete collapse of this dream. The fantasy anchor rapidly faded after losing its target and environment.
"Damn it! I haven't devoured enough yet! This is what I deserve! I've suffered for so long before it's time to reap the rewards! These alien monsters, don't be so ungrateful!"
Ian cursed. He was seized by an irresistible sense of being thrown away, plummeting violently from the dimensional rift that was crumbling and disappearing.
"Can't take a bet!! Disgusting! Can't accept defeat!"
Ian felt as if he had passed through a long tunnel of screams and chaotic colors, and the next moment a heavy feeling returned. A cold, hard touch, carrying the smell of the sea and ancient dust, came from beneath him.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
It was no longer the perspective of Dark Tiga. It was the eyes of a human. What they saw was a damp, black, massive stone ceiling covered with strange, non-Euclidean geometric reliefs, extremely high and obscured by a thick, almost living green mist. Beneath them was the same material of flooring, with sticky liquid seeping from the cracks.
He's back. Back to his physical body.
Moreover, he wasn't in that mysterious space—that space had collapsed—he was in R'lyeh, the sunken city, somewhere in the place where Cthulhu slumbered.
A violent wave of dizziness and exhaustion washed over me, as if my soul had been torn apart and then brutally stitched back together.
But then, a brand new, violent power, yet deeply imprinted with his personal mark, erupted from the deepest part of his soul!
"Om one"
An invisible wave emanated from him, causing the surrounding rubble to rattle. That was undeniable authority, being nurtured within Ian.
system.
The reminder reappeared.