Blasphemy Wizard by Deceit World-Chapter 20: Dreams Bring Disaster

"The villagers remain oblivious to any abnormalities, continuing to focus on their tasks at hand."

"You lament the bliss of ignorance and hurry once more toward the residence of the Fire Stealing Priest."

"You encounter Yixiu along with several Night Watchers; they all witnessed the terrifying anomaly firsthand and are now searching for the source of the calamity."

"Not wanting to waste time, you choose to conceal the truth and, with impeccable acting, manage to deceive Yixiu."

"You successfully reach the residence of the Fire Stealing Priest."

"You've given up hope that Lena might still be alive. That beautiful girl was erased, as if wiped clean by the power of the Dream Hidden King, disappearing before your very eyes."

"You enter the room with the Evil Altar. The figure of the 'Mother of Beauty and Fertility' and Her 'Dream Realm's Child' are nowhere to be seen. Even the corpse of the Dream Hidden King is rapidly vanishing. As expected, neither Lena nor the Fire Stealing Priest is present."

"You silently mutter, 'As I thought,' as regret fills your heart at the memory of Lena's beautiful face."

"A familiar voice suddenly calls out from behind you,"

"You turn around to see Lena materializing out of thin air—first her head, followed by her neck, torso, and finally her limbs—as though painted into existence by an invisible brush."

"Filled with joy, you rush forward, intending to hug Lena, with ulterior motives to take advantage of the moment."

"Lena sees through your intentions and skillfully evades you."

"You ask Lena what she experienced during the time she was gone."

"You notice the sheer terror in Lena's eyes. She clearly does not want to revisit the ordeal, but she holds a trace of trust in you and decides to share her story."

"Lena reveals that after being erased by the Dream Hidden King, the landscape before her turned gray and lifeless. She could see the outside world but was unable to interfere with it. There was no sound, only silence—a pervasive stillness so oppressive that it felt impossible to even perceive the passage of time. It was as if she had been forgotten by the entire world, left alone to endure endless solitude."

"Lena confesses that she never wants to experience being erased again."

Yang Qizhou shudders.

Although he hasn't experienced such horrors firsthand, he can still vividly grasp Lena's suffering through her words.

A gray, muted world. No sound, no action—exiled between illusion and reality, subjected to eternal loneliness, and forced to bear the weight of endless despair.

How utterly terrifying.

In such circumstances, perhaps death would be a form of liberation.

"Fortunately, I don't live on the lands of the Old Gods..." Yang Qizhou once again silently counts his blessings for living in a better world.

The game progresses.

"You comfort Lena, gazing at her deeply and assuring her, 'I'll protect you.'"

"Lena reacts differently than you'd expect—not moved to tears or falling into your arms. Instead, she coldly remarks, 'In this wilderness, where mystery and the unknown coexist, where terror mingles with the surreal—even gods can fall. You can't even defeat me, so how could you possibly protect me?'"

"You're left embarrassed, wishing you could find a crack in the ground to disappear into."

"You watch as the Fire Stealing Priest emerges from the Hidden realm back into reality, boiling over with hatred for you and charging forward in a frenzy."

"You hold the Shepherd Dog Field Key, which grants control over two phantom hunting hounds. Along with Lena, the three of you quickly subdue the Fire Stealing Priest, reducing him to a half-dead state."

Are things really this brutal?

Yang Qizhou feels slightly uneasy. The Fire Stealing Priest is, after all, one of Fire Stealing Village's major villains—the boss of the Newbie Village. He's the type to kill game characters repeatedly without ever appearing himself. And yet, now he's almost dead in an instant."

Upon reflection, though, it does make sense.

Lena, as the Night Watcher Captain, is nearly equal in strength to the Fire Stealing Priest. The two phantom hounds, as servants of the Dream Hidden King, can pass through illusions with ease. And the Fire Stealing Priest's original hunting hound disappeared along with the Dream Hidden King's grace.

When all these factors are considered, defeating the Fire Stealing Priest becomes only logical.

Understanding this,

Yang Qizhou shifts his focus back to the game."

"Lena, wielding a flaming shortsword, pierces the Fire Stealing Priest's chest. Meanwhile, the two phantom hounds tear off the Priest's arms, and you—the helpless explorer—shout praise from the sidelines."

"Lena, visibly distressed, loudly demands to know why the Fire Stealing Priest would betray his devout faith in the Fire Stealing Ancient God."

"The Fire Stealing Priest bursts into manic laughter and reveals a horrifying truth about the Fire Stealing Ancient God, beyond His status as a Fake God."

"'The Fire Stealing Ancient God isn't dead—He's asleep, dreaming, and hasn't awakened for a long time. His blessing is disappearing, His Divine Domain is shrinking, and He no longer has the strength to protect the villagers of Fire Stealing Village.'"

"The Fire Stealing Priest insists that his actions were all to safeguard Fire Stealing Village."

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"According to his plan, the Dream Hidden King was supposed to ascend as the New God, continuing to protect Fire Stealing Village from the mysterious horrors of the wilderness. But everything was ruined because of you—a filthy, wretched explorer meddling in affairs."

"Soon, the Fire Stealing Ancient God's blessing will vanish, and the perplexing terrors of the wilderness will rampage through the village. Everyone will die, including you."

"Lena's expression shifts as she listens, yet she says nothing. Instead, she swings her shortsword to bring an end to the Fire Stealing Priest's life."

The Fire Stealing Ancient God is only sleeping, dreaming. Is this really cause for the Fire Stealing Priest's sheer desperation—enough to betray his devout faith?

Yang Qizhou furrows his brows, then relaxes them as realization strikes.

He recalls something important.

The lands of the Old Gods are nothing like his own world. There, the sun cannot be stared at, great horrors lurk in the shadows, statues of unknown origin can give birth to life, and every creature is surrounded by a relentless, omnipresent dread.

Given that,

It's only natural that even within dreams, unspeakable disasters might manifest.

The Fire Stealing Priest's final words also grab Yang Qizhou's attention... The Fire Stealing Ancient God's blessing is fading, and Fire Stealing Village is destined to face the terrors of the wilderness head-on.

This is far from good news.

Leaving aside the other enigmatic entities roaming the wilderness, one thing is certain: outside Fire Stealing Village, Alice—believed to be an Old God devotee—remains vigilant, waiting for the village's blessing to disappear. When that does happen, the previous cycle of fate will undoubtedly recur, and everything will decay with visible swiftness.

The pale text continues to scroll as the game's plot unfolds further.

"After killing the Fire Stealing Priest, Lena instructs you to return to the lodging arranged by Yixiu, as she has matters to attend to."

"You choose not to comply, as countless questions still weigh on your mind."

"You ask Lena, 'The Fire Stealing Ancient God is merely asleep, dreaming. He'll wake up eventually. Why would the Fire Stealing Priest be so pessimistic, even to the extent of betraying his devout faith?'"

"Lena remains silent for a moment before finally answering your question..."

"Because dreams attract calamities."