NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1514: Nightmare Invasion
-----
"A BARRIER… THAT WILL NEVER STOP ME."
The Original Nightmare Curse spoke with an intimidating voice, his words reverberating through the night sky, shaking the barrier constantly as he tried to break it.
However, the barrier held firm, fueled by hundreds of thousands of Nightmare Cores within Maria's Shadow Realm, where she had prepared a formation for it.
The barrier was further reinforced with the power of Myconidas' Divine Authority of Decay and Death, strengthening its resilience and damaging those who struck it.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
"Uuuggh?!"
The Original Nightmare Curse looked at his own limbs, suddenly realizing they were melting and bleeding. His giant eye widened as he understood this was no mere barrier, and that Maria had prepared far better than he could have ever expected.
However.
"Don't underestimate me… I am the End of this world! I AM CALAMITY GIVEN FORM!"
His monstrous voice echoed across the world. The islanders and every other person present could clearly hear him speaking. He was not a normal Nightmare, and even less a Nightmare Demon.
Whatever this monster was, he was dangerous. They didn't know he was the Original Nightmare Curse, but some already speculated he might be a "Primordial Nightmare," a being rumored to exist in the depths of this world for decades but never proven scientifically.
His tentacles rapidly transformed into sharp spears, piercing the barrier repeatedly, only to be met with more Decay. His limbs turned to ashes and withered away, but he regrew new ones constantly, digging through the barrier, distorting and warping its indestructible form.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
With each attempt, he grew more intense, yet the barrier bounced as if made of gum, constantly pushing him back and destroying his limbs.
"YOU WON'T STOP ME!"
With a furious roar, he unified several of his limbs and spun forward, creating a giant drill from his own body and managing to pierce a crack in the barrier.
Crack, crack…!
CRAAASH!
The barrier finally shattered as a small hole formed, though it desperately tried to close. However, the Original Nightmare Curse managed to sneak through, his limb expanding inside, albeit very slowly.
"Uuuggh…! This is… bearable! I'll simply keep pushing!"
He could constantly feed on his own Nightmare Demons, created through the power he took from the Nightmare Demon Queen, regaining his energy while also absorbing the power of the Nightmare Dimension.
As he grinned through his many jaws, the Original Nightmare Curse began infiltrating the barrier's interior. His tentacle, made of his own Divine Nightmare Essence, twisted and distorted reality as it touched anything.
"Run! Evacuate! Hurry to the other side of the island!" Dream Warriors urged the people, who continued running through the streets. Some used cars, which clogged the streets and caused even more chaos.
"What's that?!" one driver panicked as small black tendrils reached his vehicle, turning it deep black and making the entire car shake. "What's going on?! What is this?!"
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
The car suddenly transformed, growing jaws with sharp fangs and giant eyes in the windows. Its wheels turned into large claws made of black rubber and steel.
"GRUUUAAARRR!"
The car roared, letting out engine noises as the driver inside screamed in horror, practically kidnapped inside the thing.
"Did that car just become a Nightmare?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"Stop it before it stomps over everyone else!"
The Dream Warriors, clad in full-body armor of white and black, employed by the government, attacked with long-range elemental spells. Fireballs, icicles, and stones bombarded the Car Nightmare as it stomped over other cars, beginning to turn them into more Nightmare Monsters.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"No! Wait! I'm still alive in hereeeee!"
The driver inside the car screamed, pleading for mercy as his monstrous car took more damage, being pushed back and starting to catch fire.
"There's someone inside! Don't destroy the car!"
"But what if they're a Nightmare?!"
"They definitely aren't. They're trapped inside!"
One brave Dream Warrior ran toward the car, manifesting her Dream Weapon, a large hammer made of stone, and struck the car's doors open.
"Here! Please, hurry before… Ugh?!"
However, the female soldier quickly realized something was wrong as her chest was punctured by the driver's arms. His face, full of fear, distorted and spiraled, revealing he was fused into the car, his legs and arms transformed into aberrant tendrils.
"I'm sorryyyyyy… Save… save meeee…! I'm sorryyyyyyyy…"
"Gaaaaahh!"
The woman screamed as the driver's arms turned into giant dented tentacles, tearing her apart and devouring her inside the car. The two other soldiers watched in disbelief as blood dripped from the car's doors.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH…
The horrible sound of sharp teeth tearing flesh echoed through the city as the soldiers who were with her, friends since childhood, fell into despair.
"NOOOO!"
"Wait! Don't be reckless!"
One of the soldiers, who was in love with her, screamed in agony and despair, pointing his blazing sword at the car monster and swinging it. He unleashed a storm of slashing flames, only for more car monsters to appear, with drivers inside screaming and asking for help, all false lures, as the drivers were already assimilated into the cars themselves.
The car nightmares endured the blazing attacks, swinging their claws at the soldier and throwing him away while rushing toward him, aiming to crush him. His friend ran to his side, summoning an ice wall that barely held them back before it shattered.
BOOOM!
"Damn it!"
"Run!"
The two started running, but the Car Nightmares chased them rapidly, their claws looming above them once more.
"They're too strong! What can we even do?!"
"This isn't fair!"
C R A A A S H!
Both soldiers fell into despair as the claws of the Nightmare Car Monsters aimed at them, however, instead of death, the two soldiers realized that something else had taken the blow. They looked in front of them, to find a tall knight clad on white and golden armor, with several swords floating around him.
"A-Artorias?!"
-----