Chapter 556 - 17: Nightmare’s Origin
In that very instant, the situation changed abruptly!
A murderous glint flashed in Lelas’s eyes. Mustering the last of his strength, his grievously wounded body lunged at Elvin, who was just a step away!
Somehow, he was once again gripping the emerald Elf Short Blade, its tip aimed straight for Elvin’s heart!
The move was swift and ruthless. He completely disregarded his own injuries, determined to silence Elvin before he could reveal anything more!
Keynes moved at almost the same instant.
With a flick of his wrist, the Enchanted Longsword flew from his grasp, transforming into a streak of pale gold light. Its target was also the center of Elvin’s back!
Their attacks were launched almost simultaneously, perfectly synchronized.
But...
CLINK! CLINK!
Two soft metallic chimes rang out, almost at the same time.
In a flash, a crimson gleam of sword light appeared from thin air, tapping the tip of Lelas’s blade and the flat of Keynes’s thrown longsword.
Lelas felt an irresistibly gentle force. His short blade was instantly knocked off course, scraping past Elvin’s side and only managing to slice a gash in his Magic Robe.
The force sent him stumbling to the ground, reopening his wounds and drawing a muffled groan from his lips.
Keynes’s longsword halted for a moment in mid-air before falling to the ground with a CLANG, the pale golden light on its blade instantly dimming.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Elvin hadn’t even fully processed what had happened. He only felt a cold sensation on his side before he saw Lelas collapse and his captain’s sword land at his feet.
His mouth hung open, his face a mask of astonishment and dawning horror.
Murphy remained where he was, glancing from Lelas, who was struggling to rise, to the ashen-faced Keynes. He shook his head gently.
"You don’t seem to grasp your situation," he said. "You are all my trophies now. Your lives are in my hands. You will die only when I permit it. And if I don’t want you to die, no one can make it happen. Not even you."
His gaze swept over the group, finally returning to the still-shaken Elvin’s face.
"Right. You said that innately speaking the Nightmare tongue is one of the primary ways to distinguish native creatures from outsiders. There must be other signs, then, right? Otherwise, before all this, you couldn’t have maintained... hmm, a relatively friendly conversation with me."
Elvin clutched the tear in his robe over his ribs, his heart hammering in his chest.
He glanced at Lelas, who lay on the ground panting in agony, his eyes still fixed on him in a ferocious glare. Then he looked at Captain Keynes, whose expression was grim, though a flicker of defeat crossed his eyes.
Finally, his gaze fell on Murphy, and he swallowed hard.
"Ye... yes. Besides language... there’s also an aura. No matter how powerful, outsiders always carry certain traits from their native world—an imprint, you could say. In the Nightmare World, this imprint is like... like a light in the darkness. To experienced explorers like us, it’s something we can faintly perceive."
"Furthermore, when an outsider first enters the Nightmare World, especially this deep, their body and soul instinctively reject its laws. It takes time to adapt, creating a sense of dissonance. Native entities are different. They are in perfect harmony with this place; some are even a part of its laws."
"When you... when you first appeared, despite your power and mysterious nature, we could clearly sense the outsider’s imprint and the dissonance about you. That’s why we initially concluded you were likely an adventurer from another world, someone just like us..."
Just as Elvin could identify Murphy as an outsider by his imprint, Murphy had also realized that Elvin’s group was not from the Wizard World.
This was an observation technique available to those with spiritual vision, and it worked on the same principle as judging a person by their so-called personal aura.
Otherwise, Murphy wouldn’t have concluded they were from another world just by seeing an elf with pointed ears.
As for why Murphy didn’t have a Nightmare World imprint...
After a moment of thought, Murphy posed a new question. "Then do you know of the Wizard World?"
Elvin froze, his face a picture of utter confusion.
He repeated instinctively, "The Nightmare World? Isn’t this the Nightmare World? And, sir..."
Murphy narrowed his eyes.
This subtle change in expression sent a shiver down Elvin’s spine. His powerful instinct for survival kicked in, leaving no room to ponder why Murphy had suddenly asked such a question.
He assumed his answer had failed to satisfy Murphy and began to babble frantically. "W-wait! Sir! If you want to know something else... I-I can tell you about my world! I can tell you everything about the Caesar Dia World! Its planar coordinate signature, the distribution of its major powers, and... and the location of the stable portal we used to get in! Just spare my life, and I’ll..."
He rambled on, completely ignoring the fiery, murderous glare from Lelas or Captain Keynes’s increasingly grim expression.
Lelas struggled, trying to say something, but between the intense pain and the earlier shock, all he could manage were suppressed groans. He couldn’t form a single word.
The other guards also stared at Elvin with looks of resentment, contempt, and even murderous intent, but they too were too grievously wounded to even speak, much less intervene.
This time, however, Murphy interrupted Elvin’s torrent of desperate bargaining.
"I don’t want to know any of that."
Elvin’s mouth fell open. He froze on the spot, his expression a mixture of astonishment, confusion, and an even deeper fear.
Murphy looked at him. "All I want to know is this: Why did you come to the Nightmare World? What is your specific objective?"