The acid fus rose from the lake that drowned the sleepwalkers, but sohow, none of them seed hard. So of them resurfaced for a second, but with a skin withering and eyes shrinking. As the group walked closer to the edge, their hearts rose to their throats.
"There is no one here, my king!" said Whisker as he searched around for the culprit behind this grueso massacre. "I think we should break the spell and look around for him!"
"There is no need to break anything," said Arthur as he raised his eyes toward the sky. "The bastard is hiding at the bottom of the lake. Once we get close, seal all exists and watch out for anyone fleeing."
The eight nodded as they followed their leader, their muscles tensing at the anticipated fight. As they drew close to the lake and were about to jump, a high-pitched voice gave a sinister laugh that filled the tree trunk.
"All preys must be asleep, that is the ironclad rule!" said the voice with a shrill, feminine laugh. "Those who are awake… suffer twice the pain!"
As the words reached their ears, the few hundreds of sleepwalkers stopped at the sa ti. Arthur and the rest were the only ones who failed to stop alongside the rest, revealing their position easily.
Everyone drew out their weapons, prepared for an all-out war. The sleepwalkers turned toward them, weapons raised, as they eyed them with great hatred. This was the sa for Sivan and the rest, who stood the closest to them.
"Die!" shouted the chubby bald man as he bounced toward Arthur, his arm swinging a rciless sword. Arthur stepped to the side before tapping the man's head, shooting a black beam through his head. Sivan staggered back and fell unconscious as the others jumped toward Arthur as well.
"Hold them back, but do not harm them," commanded Arthur and his eight soldiers covered his back, letting him face the acid lake without worry. Sparks flew as weapons clashed, but no blood was spilled because Arthur commanded it.
"We have an interesting fella, don't we?" said the shrill voice as a figure rose from the lake, flying across a broomstick. The woman, who seed to be a half-giant because of her size, rode on the broomstick as she flew out from the lake. "Are you the man who conquered the second floor?"
"Are you the one who created this humans-farm?" answered Arthur with a question of his own as his golden eyes studied the woman. "I can see a crystal on that withered forehead of yours, which ans you are a witch."
"One of the finest witches," said the woman as she grinned, revealing a set of black broken teeth. "You are talking to the almighty witch of dreams!"
"I know three witches already, but none of them struck as evil as you do," said Arthur with a frown as he summoned his dagger. "How did life lead you down this path, poor soul?"
"You foolish mortal, no witch considered humans as equal! What I am doing cannot be considered eviler than you eating animals for survival!" said the witch with a hearty laugh as she spread her fingers, looking like broken branches, toward the sleepwalkers. "There is no harm in living the sweetest of dreams as I devour your life force!"
"Then, you consider yourself to be a superior being?" asked Arthur with cold apathetic eyes as he stared at the witch. "Does that an it is justice if I kill you here, witch?"
"Power decides right and wrong, good and evil, and the balance holding this world!" said the witch as the sleepwalkers began running toward his group. "Do not be fooled by ideals, mortal! Power decides everything!"
"Power is a necessity, nothing more," said Arthur as black light appeared over his dagger, which unleashed a cry of wrath that made the world tremble. The witch flinched as she realized that sothing was amiss. "I can never be happy about using this power, but sotis… I must."
Boom!
The entire world tilted to the side as the black light passed through it. Arthur was still standing in place, but his dagger was now pointing downward. A black line cut the world in two, passing through the witch's neck.
The line did not kill the witch only, but it cut the entire forest into two. As the two sides slid over each other, an earthquake shook the entire forest as the lake began to spill its content into the descending side.
"Did he just cut the world into two?" asked Sarohan with his jaw hitting the ground, knees trembling with the earthquake. "If you destroy the entire world, how are we supposed to protect these sleepyheads!"
"Just follow orders, damned monkey," said Seraphine as she jumped to grab one of the sleepwalkers and through him over the other, grouping them above her blood scarf. "This battle had ended before it even began!"
"What… happened?" muttered the witch as her head fell to the rumbling ground, her eyes darting to find the man who did this to her. As she found the golden eyes staring at her, she could not help but ask. "Who… are… you?"
Arthur stared at her heading falling toward the lake, which have been slashed apart. He straightened his back as he finished his stance, returning the black dagger to its realm.
"My na is Arthur Netherborne," said Arthur without any rcy in his eyes. "Leave this world as you experience the wrath of the souls you have reaped. This will be your retribution and liberation, Witch of Dreams."
The witch closed her eyes that have been covered with haziness, as the black light began to devour her body. Screams of wrath echoed in the world as they sought revenge on the witch the devoured them.
Arthur found himself floating as the world beneath them caved in. Koby used his ethereal arm to raise the group alongside the rest of the sleepwalkers. After the witch was killed with a single strike, the sleepwalkers awakened from their dreams.
"Where am I…?" muttered Sivan as he rubbed is forehead, which Arthur has struck. "I feel like I have been asleep for years… Those dreams are…"
Sivan and the rest of the sleepwalkers began either vomiting, crying, or apologizing. These humans have been used by the witch to kill many people and devouring them. As those 'preys' lost their lives and turned to empty husks with no eyes or mouth, these challengers watched the result of their actions before forgetting.
The witch was dead now, leaving these challengers together with their horrible mories and guilt. Arthur watched them cry and scream in despair, but he just gazed at them while deep in thoughts.
His team was more capable than he thought, as they managed to save everyone that has fallen victim to the witch. But as they carried them away from the acid lake that has folded into itself, the challengers began losing their minds.
"Let us land sowhere, Koby," said Arthur toward the mage, who followed without hesitation. The few hundreds of people, who all rested on the ethereal cloud, found themselves thrown into the plains beside the forest.
The thunderstorm disappeared from sight after the acid lake was destroyed, as if birthed by the fus. Light seeped from the departing dark clouds as it shone on the plains, basking the challengers who were returning to their senses.
"Please… powerful one," said Sivan with tears streaming down his eyes as he looked at his hands. He was addressing Arthur as he fell to his knees, sobbing and offering his neck. "Please kill as well, for the sins I have committed!"
Arthur stared at the man and then watched the rest of the challengers follow suit. Everyone here killed their friends or sacrificed loved ones. So of them could no longer handle the guilt of what they have committed, and they wanted to die to atone.
"I know what you have done," his voice echoed throughout the plains, reaching their eyes as it stopped their gushing tears. They looked at him with confusion as they raised their heads toward Arthur. "But no souls bla you for their death."
"…what?" muttered Sivan as his beady eyes stared at Arthur, full of tears. "What… do you an?"
"I can hear the souls of the dead, and those that seek revenge," said Arthur as he looked at the sky, illuminated by the daylight. "No one wants to take revenge from you or bla you. You are all victims of a twisted evil."
"Do you an… we can be… forgiven?" asked a woman among the group whose face seed beyond desperate. "I threw my own child into that lake, dear sir! Please… kill , and I will rest… please…"
These challengers saw how Arthur killed the witch and realized that he could end their lives for them in this tower. After all, even if they killed themselves, they would revive in just an hour. It was a nightmare to them.
"Before I make you forget what happened, so souls want to et you," muttered Arthur as he raised his hand, where a golden fla appeared. From the fla jumped countless golden darts that turned into ghosts of people still retaining their human feature. "This is your chance to say goodbye."
Three hundred challengers began crying as they t people they have lost, either now or before. So of them hugged the ghosts and felt their warmth, while others begged for forgiveness before obtaining it.
The plains turned into a reunion spot where forgiveness was given by the dead to those carrying their guilt. After the souls dissipated again, Arthur summoned his dagger again.
"You don't need those horrible mories anymore. Live your lives to the fullest without the burden of what you have committed. Cut away their sorrows, Nightmare!"
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