A full week had passed since I made Astrid into a summon, and I had to admit she was incredibly useful.
Her power in battle was astonishing, and her combat skills were as well. She was a warrior polished in hundreds of battles. I had given her the rock sword to have a weapon to fight with.
This only increased her lethality in combat. Her combat core was advancing rapidly, reaching a margin of 150; most of it came from fallen monsters and demons.
Fortunately, she did not attack me again after our deal was made.
For now, she was loyal, but that could change, so I kept her under temporary observation.
Anyway, as I prepared for the second nightmare, I decided to explore the ruins to get more information about where the nightmare seed would take me.
During my exploration, I had found interesting things: hidden passages, ancient ruins, and also traces of a large river that flowed from the upper city to the lower city.
Both cities were once connected by a large stone bridge that allowed travel between them, but the bridge was destroyed and hidden under tons of rock.
In any case, I returned to explore the lower city to see if I found anything interesting, but I didn't have much success. Everything was destroyed and in ruins.
The only thing I found was a kind of underground prison full of fragmented spirits of specters and incorporeal ghosts.
Thanks to "Shapeshifter" and its enchantment to damage the incorporeal, I could eliminate them.
---
[You have killed a Specter of Condemnation.]
I heard the spell's voice whisper after killing the ghost. It was the ghost of a man wearing torn, ancient clothing, his features twisted and inhuman from time.
Fighting the ghosts was a bit difficult, not because their attacks directly targeted the soul, but because of their movements that defied the logic of motion. They were fast and unpredictable, and their constant screams were annoying.
I suspected it was some kind of mental attack that induced madness, but I was protected by the Blood Mantle, which nullified mental and soul attacks.
Switching the sword for a spear, I made a wide slash against the Specter of Condemnation, who had moved.
Using a small portion of essence, I performed a spatial jump, appearing behind him and stabbing him in the back.
The ghost screamed, its voice grating, like scraping a fork on a plate.
Finally, I withdrew the spear, and the specter died.
[You have killed a Fallen Demon, Specter of Condemnation]
[You have received a Memory]
Stopping, I invoked the runes.
I could feel several specters still roaming the corridors further down, but they hadn't detected me yet.
Memory: Scream of Madness
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Level: V
Memory Type: Tool
Description of the Memory: [...And when the screams erupted, the condemned went mad.]
Enchantments: [Undetectable] [Scream of Madness]
[Undetectable] Enchantment Description: [When activated, this enchantment reduces presence to the point of being like a ghost.]
[Scream of Madness] Enchantment Description: [Upon using this enchantment, a powerful aberrant scream is unleashed, causing all who hear it to enter a state of battle madness.]
---
"I'm not even going to say anything," I murmured, discarding the Memory.
Doing some simple stretches, I made a few jumps, exiting the dungeon. Upon returning to the ruins of the lower city, I observed that the meat I had left cooking over the fire was ready.
Sitting on the ground, I began to eat the monster meat, which had a slight chicken-like taste.
After a while of filling my stomach, I relaxed, doing absolutely nothing.
Three hours passed, or so I assumed, until I finally moved.
Leaving the ruins of the lower city, I returned to the upper city. Strangely, there was a thick layer of gray clouds covering the sky, something unusual that rarely happened in the four months I had been trapped in this place.
Walking at a calm pace back to the church, I suddenly stopped upon feeling something gigantic moving.
Fast, terrifying, and big. I felt a great thirst for blood that made me pale.
Cold sweat began to run down my body.
'What is this fear?' I thought, frightened.
I could feel as if my soul was trembling. However, little by little, I was recovering thanks to the Blood Mantle's protection enchantment.
Invoking a Memory, I noted it was the one I recently obtained. Without a second thought, I activated the [Undetectable] enchantment.
As I did, I made a jump, reaching a high vantage point.
I looked toward the sky, following that suffocating pressure that weighed on my chest... and then I saw it.
It was terrifying.
—A-a Corrupted Tyrant... —I whispered, my voice trembling.
Five spots of absolute darkness floated on its body, so deep they seemed to devour light itself. Merely looking at them made my instinct scream danger, made every fiber of my being tremble with primitive terror.
The Tyrant soared through the sky, heading directly toward the castle where the Great Demon dwelled. Its form was that of a colossal vulture, with tattered wings and an oppressive presence. Around it swirled an endless black mass: flying nightmare creatures, shrieking and writhing like a living cloud of death.
I watched as it passed over me without paying me any attention, protected by the [Undetectable] enchantment. Still, I felt that if that monster looked at me for just one second... I would die.
The Tyrant continued its advance toward the castle.
Then I felt it.
The air grew heavier.
From the castle, a new presence emerged.
A nightmare creature rose slowly,smaller than the Tyrant but infinitely more oppressive. Three enormous spots of darkness marked its body, vast and deep... even more so than the Tyrant's.
It was him.
The Great Demon.
Both creatures roared at the same time, and the sound was like the end of the world.
They hurled themselves at each other.
The impact made the terrain roar in pain. The ground shook violently, cracking, splitting into huge fissures that spread like broken veins. The sky seemed to shatter; the clashes resonated like divine thunder, and wind waves ravaged everything in their path.
It was as if the world had lost its reason.
The two beasts ascended,disappearing into a sea of torn clouds.
—I need to get out of here... —I murmured, finally reacting.
A battle between creatures of such high rank was a death sentence for anyone nearby. If I stayed in the ruins, I would inevitably die. My only option was to escape, and the nightmare seed was the key.
Then, two shadows fell from the sky.
The impact was brutal.
A devastating shockwave expanded in all directions, pulverizing the few houses that had survived the passage of time. I cursed under my breath and began jumping desperately, heading toward the church where the seed was located.
I could feel its trace.
It was dangerously close to the battlefield.
With quick, precise jumps, I reached the church ruins just as the Great Demon opened a devastating wound in the Tyrant's body.
A sea of blood fell from the sky,drenching me completely.
—Blood again... —I thought with annoyance.
Not daring to even look at the battle,I threw myself into the nightmare seed.
It was just in time.
Seconds later, the colossal body of the Tyrant collapsed onto the ruins, burying everything under its enormous mass.
I felt as if I were floating in nothingness, similar to how I had arrived at my first nightmare. There was nothing but darkness, and there I heard the spell's voice.
[Awakened One! Prepare for your second trial!]
[A brave one... Welcome to the nightmare.]