Nightmare Mythos

Chapter 118: Final Showdown (12)

"Cesar!"

Everyone has been washed with relief the moment they realized they weren't going to be swallowed by the Purplish Emptiness. Instead, they saw a large rift on their landing point, something that Cesar had made for them.

And that Penetrated Reality seemed like their way out of here.

"Klaus! Hurry and grab him!"

Vin demanded with a relieved tone as Klaus, who exactly knew what his job was, was about to use his Facet tether at Cesar when he was stricken in fear, which halted this process.

His other Facet, Clairaudience, repeatedly whispered one word in his ears.

Terrible.

The Cesar waiting for them at the entrance isn't the same Cesar they knew. His entire difference conflicted from the one they once interacted with which screams intelligence, cunningness, and persistence.

This guy they were seeing… it was just ugly and terrible.

"Sir Klaus?"

Quentin tried to voice out what was wrong upon seeing the clear hesitation Klaus was showing. He saw him sweating buckets while his hands and legs were visibly shaking.

Feeling something was wrong with the situation, his gaze shifted to Cesar while activating his [Imprint] Facet.

Soon, he had to forcibly turn it off as a scream escaped his lips which made the others worry.

"Ahhhhh!"

The instant they tried to protect Quentin from danger, everyone who was falling from the right instantly became aware that it was Cesar that caused him to wail and instantly readied themselves. Whatever Cesar had become, they had to be vigilant and be ready.

Everyone who had an attack-type of Facet that could deal with direct damage to Cesar by only using projectile spells has been activated. The Facets relating to defending have also been triggered to protect those who were about to attack and those who were too weak to do anything.

The choice of slightly hovering away from Cesar didn't seem to be an option as well as they were already close to the rift that he had made. Either they have to cross it now with doubts or cross it with fighting Cesar in the process.

Slowly as they remained with the same pace of free falling, anyone was expecting what was about to happen. The closer they were to the rift, the more doubts entered their minds as they hesitated to unleash all their prepared attack on Cesar who might be the first one to draw blood.

However, the moment their feet touched their feet with the rift, nothing happened between them and Cesar.

They entered the rift as they remained staring at the eyes of the man who might or might not be the key to them getting out of this place.

Full of doubts, they never exchanged a single word with Cesar before they were all engulfed by the same rift.

The people were gone.

"As we've discussed, I let your people go,"

Cedeit's mixed-in uneven yet thrilled voice reverberated inside Cesar's head before the Nightmare added as if he almost forgot about it.

"Oh right, you wanted proof that they're alive. Move your head to the side and watch this,"

Feeling that he wasn't the real him anymore after giving away the most percentage of control within his body, Cesar's head slightly shifted to the side in the most static way as if he were a robot.

Then, a live scene was feeding him in real time as those who survived continued to exit from it. At the same time, he saw thousands of soldiers running towards them to rescue the people that made out from the City of Wheels purplish dome.

The video was cut afterward, at the same time, the rift underneath him and the one from outside vanished.

"Feeling better now? Can we go as well?" Cedeit mildly asked while minding the fact that the library was almost done for and beyond repairable now.

"We could've used the same exit as them. Why are we separating?"

Cesar asked in a roundabout way which Cedeit hastily explained.

"Those people, even if they are very low level, will notice that something is wrong with you right away. Like come on, two people who were plummeting earlier were able to recognize that you are different from what they knew about you. It will be not much different when you're outside,"

Cedeit paused, "Besides, explaining it to you is a hassle, and not that it would matter to you after this anyway,"

Cesar observed all around the library that continued crumbling down and being destroyed by the Purplish Emptiness. He was silent while just feeling pain all over their body.

But his face didn't seem like giving up yet.

There's just no way he will willingly give up his body to a Nightmare after all that and will get out just to wreak havoc on humanity. Merely thinking about it was very pathetic even for himself.

That's why he came up with this plan, something that he had been doing from the very start of his life when he was almost eaten by the Nightmare from the past.

He will gamble.

Only this time, it will be the ultimate gamble he is willing to make for the sake of reclaiming control over his own body but also getting out of this place with the Nightmare under his control.

"Cesar, you can give in now,"

Cesar didn't reply to Cedeit, instead, he remained motionless.

"Hey—"

"Deceit,"

Too fed up with being controlled around and played by its bidding, Cesar finally retorted as a smile slowly formed on his lips.

It was very twisted kind of smile.

"The same as humans don't trust Nightmares… How can a being such as you trust me?"

Cesar's lips grew wider and reached almost to his ear as a laugh erupted and escaped from within him, something that he had contained so hard enough which finally bursts out.

"Hahahahahaha! You fool! We will stay here, forever. You and me. And we'll get eaten by the Void together as well."

Cesar momentarily stopped as he couldn't help but thought up the cheesy line and added,

"Till death do us apart,"

"Cesaaaaaaaar!"

Cesar's arm tried to move and make a penetrated reality that Cedeit was controlling but Cesar's other hand tried to stop him by not letting him do what he wanted.

Cedeit continued trying to take control of Cesar's body but he kept resisting and persisting no matter what. Even with the pain coursing through his body that became much worse, he wasn't giving in to his influence.

They flew all around the place to try to stop one thing from another from doing something as they wouldn't give a budge to make the other person successful.

It looked like a person was fighting his inner demon, which is somewhat happening to Cesar. Continue reading at mvl

However, someone isn't going to wait for them.

The Void which has been crawling its way inside the Library exerted the highest strength it could wield up to the maximum and forced its powers to destroy the entire Library that had been once indestructible.

Rumbleeeeee—!

"Noooooooo!"

Baaaaaaaaaang—!

Soon, the whole library crumbled. The hallways it contained and anything that is around have been obliterated as well.

The Mansion that started appearing as Cesar floated away was also being swallowed by The Purplish Emptiness.

And lastly, Cesar found himself being exposed to the Void.