r18novel Chapter 89 Merlin enters a dream, Taigong Wang "first encounters" the dream demon.
Chapter 89 Merlin enters a dream, Taigong Wang "first encounters" the dream demon.
Chapter 89 Merlin enters a dream, Taigong Wang "first encounters" the dream demon.
Merlin casually waved his staff, and beams of white light shot out.
Wherever the beam of light passed, the monsters made of twisted musical instruments and crystals, regardless of size, vanished silently as if erased by an eraser.
There were no explosions, no flying blood and flesh, only scattered specks of light, and the monster's unwilling screams before its death came to an abrupt end.
Merlin himself didn't even move a step. He stood still, a slightly smug, relaxed smile on his face, as if he were doing something insignificant.
Occasionally, he would deliberately let the beam of light graz the edge of a monster, startling it and eliciting a soft chuckle from him.
"Merlin!" Shanks' voice carried a hint of urgency and helplessness.
"These things are endless!" Just as he said, deep in the harbor, in the shadows of the dilapidated buildings, more and more twisted monsters were slowly "born".
The cloying, rotten smell in the air grew even stronger.
Merlin yawned, and the light from his staff dimmed slightly, indicating that he was somewhat uninterested.
"Ugh, this is really going on and on. And the environment here... even my dreams get sticky after a while, it's really uncomfortable."
He looked at Shanks, then glanced warily at Uta, who was looking at Shanks with a complex expression.
"How about we find a clean place to catch up? I see that little white building over there; it seems to be fairly intact."
He pointed his staff deep into the island, to a white building that stood out starkly against the filthy environment—that was Uta's residence.
With their objective identified, the group fought and retreated, and under Merlin's seemingly casual yet highly effective cover, they finally stormed into the small white building.
Raki Luke and Yasopp quickly blocked the doors and windows, while Beckman cautiously surveyed the surroundings.
Although the room was dusty and the furniture was askew, miraculously there were no disgusting crystals, and the air was slightly fresher.
The atmosphere instantly became incredibly heavy and awkward.
Shanks looked at the man standing in the center of the room, head bowed, a thousand words stuck in his throat, which finally turned into a heavy and remorseful call.
"Uta"
Uta suddenly raised her head, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, her face showing anger and confusion, but even more so, deep hurt.
"Why, why are you only coming now? Why did you abandon me in the first place? Why did you destroy this place?!"
Her voice was choked with sobs, and every word felt like a knife stabbing into Shanks' heart.
"Uta, it's not like that," Shanks stepped forward, wanting to explain, but Uta resisted and stepped back.
"Don't touch me! You have no idea what I've been through! Everyone hates me! Because my father is the demon who destroyed the music capital!"
It's all because of you!
Uta's emotions finally erupted, and years of pent-up grievances and pain poured out.
Just as the father and daughter were at odds and the atmosphere had reached a freezing point, an untimely voice broke in.
"Oh my, a live-action version of a family drama? It's so touching!"
Merlin had somehow found a relatively clean chair and sat down, even magically producing a water glass and slowly sipping the tea inside. No one knew where it had come from.
He watched Shanks and Uta with great interest, as if he were watching a captivating drama.
"Merlin!" Beckman glared at him, somewhat annoyed.
Merlin shrugged, put down his cup, and still wore that "I'm innocent" smile.
"Don't be so fierce, First Mate. I just think that instead of blaming each other here, we should first find out where those 'cuties' outside came from? And..."
His gaze swept across the corner of the room.
"This friend who hasn't said a word yet?"
Only then did everyone notice that in the shadows of the room, a shivering middle-aged man was huddled up, wearing a music teacher's uniform stained with dirt, clutching a violin with a broken string tightly in his arms.
"Mr. Gordon!"
Uta gasped, momentarily pulling herself out of her emotions towards Shanks.
Gordon stared in horror at the group that had suddenly burst in, especially the white-haired monster and the red-haired man, his voice trembling: "Uuta—they—they are—the red-haired!!"
"Don't be afraid, Professor Gordon, they are not bad people for now."
Uta's voice was hesitant, but she still stood in front of Gordon, watching Shanks warily.
With Uta's reassurance, Gordon, still shaken, began to recount his experience in fits and starts.
"It started about a month ago—around a month ago! At first, I just occasionally heard strange noises, and then those moss and crystals appeared. They move! They turn things into monsters!"
"We...we're hiding here...we're afraid to go out...outside...it's all—it's all—."
He was so terrified he couldn't speak; his body was trembling like a leaf.
"A month ago?" Beckman keenly caught the timing and exchanged a serious look with Shanks.
That was the time when Dilt announced the Holy Grail War, and the whole world began to stir with undercurrents.
Merlin stroked his chin, lost in thought.
A month ago—what an interesting coincidence.
His gaze fell on Uta again, with a penetrating scrutiny.
"Mr. Gordon's 'noise,' Ms. Uta, did you sense anything unusual? Like, was something responding to those sounds?"
Upon hearing this, Shanks' eyes turned serious, and he immediately stopped him.
"Merlin!"
These words, "Youngest son," had already reached Uta's ears. His face instantly turned pale, and he instinctively clutched his chest, his eyes darting around.
"No, no! I don't know anything!" Her reaction was too intense and seemed very abnormal.
Merlin smiled slightly, stood up, walked to Uta, and ignored her wary gaze.
His voice had a strange soothing quality, as if it could reach the depths of the soul.
"Don't be nervous, Miss Diva. It's just a minor health check. A good night's sleep will do the trick, and when you wake up, maybe everything will be different?"
His words seemed to possess a magical power; under the influence of Merlin's voice, Uta's taut nerves began to droop, and his eyelids began to feel heavy.
Shanks was about to say something, but Merlin stopped him with a look.
The Red-Haired Gang's officers also tacitly remained silent.
Soon, exhausted, Uta leaned against the tattered sofa and fell into a deep sleep.
After confirming that Uta was fast asleep, Merlin's smile faded somewhat.
He walked to Uta's side, his slender fingers gently touching her brow, the tips of his fingers emitting a faint pinkish-white light.
"Then let me see what kind of tenants you're connected to in your dreams."
Merlin murmured to himself, his figure blurring instantly, transforming into a stream of light that merged into Uta's brow.
The pirate crew's officers were all startled: "What happened? Where did Merlin go?"
Redhead sighed and sat down on the sofa behind him.
He recalled that on his way here, he had a strange dream.
On a vast, sun-drenched grassland, the fresh scent of the grass and the fragrance of the wind are clearly felt, as if one were actually there.
Before them lay a sword stuck in a rock. A blonde girl pulled it out.
Red-haired Shanks muttered, "Man and dream are born, legend tells of two dragons battling. Merlin, a man of unparalleled talent—"
The scene shifts, and Merlin stands in a bizarre and fantastical dream world.
This is a temple of music, which should be perfectly orderly, but now it is filled with broken musical staves, distorted and out-of-tune instruments, and irritating chaotic noise.
The colors in the space are extremely discordant, like an overturned palette.
"Oh? This is quite a mess," Merlin remarked, his eyes suddenly sharpening. Suddenly, the entire dream space trembled violently!
A massive, twisted, terrifying form, composed of shattered notes and agonizing screams, coalesced at the center of space!
It has no fixed form, like a churning mass of dark, viscous fluid, within which countless eyes, composed solely of pure malice and noise, open.
They had locked onto the intruder, Merlin.
Totemjika, the Demon of Song!
However, Merlin keenly sensed that the demon's aura was extremely unstable, filled with weakness and an indescribable fear.
Its massive form seems to be constantly being eroded by some darker, more essential nothingness.
"Eliminate the danger from outsiders!"
The Demon of Songs unleashed a chaotic and piercing mental roar, completely disregarding its own weakened state, and mobilized all the twisted powers within the dream.
The broken notes transformed into sharp blades, the distorted melody formed sonic booms, and the entire space squeezed inward like the teeth of a giant beast, seemingly trying to crush Merlin completely, or even assimilate him.
This insane will swept in with a roar!
Although this attack is chaotic and weak, its conceptual pollution is extremely dangerous!
"Wow, how hospitable!" Merlin raised an eyebrow. Faced with this all-out, crazy attack, he chose not to take it head-on.
A pinkish-white light shone around him, forming a solid shield, while his figure rapidly became illusory.
"However, let's end our visiting time here for today. It seems your troubles are more serious than I imagined; you might not be able to handle it alone."
Boom!
The explosion in the dream was contained by the shield. Merlin's figure vanished from this distorted musical hell like a burst bubble.
In reality.
Merlin's fingers snapped away from Uta's brow, and he took a slight step back.
For the first time, the ever-present relaxed smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by a rare look of astonishment and profound solemnity.
In the depths of his purple eyes, the terrifying image of the Demon of Song being corrupted by some deeper darkness still seemed to linger from his dream.
He exhaled softly, adjusting his expression, but his eyes remained sharp.
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open by a gentle force without making a sound.
The crowd that had been crowding outside the door, and the roaring monsters, had completely disappeared.
Only one person rode a mythical beast that resembled neither a dragon nor a deer, surrounded by a faint celestial light.
He appeared silently at the door.
His gaze swept over the tense red-haired group in the room, over the sleeping Uta, and finally landed on Merlin, who had just returned and looked strange.
The man's face still wore that languid expression with his squinting eyes, but a faint smile played at the corners of his lips as he softly asked Merlin.
"Did you see anything, Great Sage?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Compared to the surprised expressions on the faces of the others, especially Shanks, whose Observation Haki didn't detect anyone approaching at all.
Merlin's reaction was very calm, as if he had expected it.
"Oh dear, Your Excellency, please don't jest. In your presence, what right do I have to call myself a great sage?"