Chapter 15: The Land of Dreams and Nightmares (3)
After Akasha’s first kill—if it could even be called that—he felt absolutely nothing.
Most would assume he might struggle with some kind of moral conflict, especially given that he had spent the majority of his life as a Human.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
His moral compass had never been what anyone would call ordinary.
Shaped by the conflicts of his past, he’d developed a certain perspective on humanity and the rigid codes they clung to.
This outlook was also a big part of why he chose to become something other than Human.
Though it wasn’t that he outright despised them; rather, he believed he understood them more clearly than perhaps any other being ever could.
Alongside his personal motto of "Fuck it," he developed another perspective on life shaped by his view of humanity.
In his eyes, the Earth of 2026 was full of hypocrisy, foolishness, and people trapped by societal norms.
He acknowledged his own flaws and how they aligned with these issues, but he saw them as things he would work to change over time.
To him, living too rigidly under modern rules and laws only corrupted one’s natural self. He believed true virtue came from living simply and freely, without shame, greed, or pretense.
----
The moment the first creature dissolved into shimmering particles, the entire battlefield froze.
All 49,999 remaining Dreams and Nightmares — humans, demons, and twisted hybrids of them both— stopped their endless war.
The blue and red forces turned as one toward Akasha.
A heavy silence fell across the misty plains, broken only by the low, rumbling wind and the soft shifting of the unstable ground beneath his feet.
ROARRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
With a deafening roar that rattled the dream realm, they all lunged at him in unison.
Akasha’s smile widened, the thrill blazing brighter in his blood-red eyes.
"Well... bring it on bastards!" He exclaimed.... and then, he moved.
His body flowed with perfect equilibrium, feet planting firmly on the yielding ground without slipping even as the first wave crashed toward him.
WHOOOSH!!!
A massive, red-marked demon swung a jagged club.
Akasha leaned just enough for the weapon to whistle past his head, the rush of air brushing his cheek.
BANG!!!
In the same motion, he stepped inside the demon’s reach, drove his palm into its throat with clean precision, and felt the cartilage collapse under the force.
The creature reeled, and Akasha stepped in with a quick, precise elbow to the temple, sending it crumpling to the ground in an instant.
Noticing more attackers closing in, he pivoted effortlessly, his motions fluid and instinctive.
A human with striking blue markings lunged forward, driving a spear toward him.
Akasha caught the shaft mid-thrust, twisted it out of the attacker’s hands in one fluid motion, and drove the butt of the weapon into the man’s solar plexus, folding him over.
CRUNCHHHH!!!!
Without pausing, he swept the legs of the next attacker and stomped down on their chest, the impact cracking bone with a dull sound.
In an instant, the battlefield erupted into an even greater storm of chaos and violence.
Through it all, Akasha flowed like water in a rushing river—slipping past blows, turning attacks against their owners, and striking with effortless precision.
Every step was sure, every movement seamless.
He caught a flailing arm, spun its owner into two others with their own momentum, then drove his knee squarely into a third demon’s jaw at exactly the right moment.
The air grew heavy with the mingled scents of sweat, blood, and dream-essence, as bodies crumpled to the ground, adding grimly to the mounting toll.
He was becoming more and more fluid with every exchange.
His body instinctively adjusted to their rhythms, turning their aggression against them.
This time, a group of four charged at him all at once. Seeing them close in, with many more surrounding him, Akasha simply smiled and rose into the skies.
The cool, heavy air of the Dream Land rushed past him as he lifted off the soft, unstable ground.
Below, the battlefield sprawled without end, the distant rumble of conflict echoing through the heavy air.
"Well, let’s see what these affinities can do," he murmured.
From the moment he had acquired them, he had instinctively known how to use them.
That was simply how it was for all beings.
Usually, once someone gained affinities from their stars or their race, they would instantly know how to wield them with mastery.
After all, there wasn’t much difference between one affinity and another — what really mattered was how many a person had and how well they could use them when the fight was at its fiercest.
And of course, their rank and battle prowess were clear indicators of the power of the affinities.
He watched the four rushing toward him, still lifting higher into the air with each second.
A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as he laced his fingers together in an exaggerated pose he’d once seen in a favorite fantasy of his.
"Fire Ball Jutsu!" he shouted with mock seriousness.
Of course, it wasn’t necessary at all—but it was something he had always dreamed of trying.
FWOOOOSH!!!!
A large, roaring fireball erupted from his hands, blazing bright orange and red as it shot forward with tremendous speed.
BOOOOM!!!!
It crashed into the four attackers with a deafening explosion, engulfing them in roaring flames.
Their bodies burned to shreds in an instant, dissolving into shimmering particles that scattered on the wind.
The heat washed back toward him, warm against his face even from this distance.
Seeing how little it had cost him, Akasha hovered in the air, his crimson and white hair drifting in the strange currents of the realm.
And by little... well, that meant absolutely nothing. Once again, there was no reason to use Divinity to activate anything—be it powers, skills, or affinities.
The only exceptions seemed to be the activation of certain artifacts or similar items.
’Couldn’t I just keep spamming my affinity?’ he mused, the thought stretching his faint smile into something even wider.
And instead of thinking... he put things into practical use and began to use every affinity he had.
In that moment he dove from the skies....
FWOOOOOOOM!!!!!
Flames burst from his palms in roaring waves, scorching through clusters of red-marked creatures with bursts of brilliant orange fire.
His blood affinity twisted the earth beneath his foes into a slick, treacherous trap, sending them sprawling as he swooped down to deliver sharp, calculated kicks and elbows.
With his charm affinity, some of the blue-marked figures faltered for just a heartbeat, offering him the perfect gap to strike.
All the while, his pride affinity surged within him, lending each movement an edge of confidence and power that every blow land with undeniable force.
[A/N: Yes... I know I didn’t mention Dream Affinity.] ;)
Luna lingered at the edge with a warm smile, her pink and purple hair swaying gently in the odd currents of the dream realm.
She watched his determination grow as he tore through the constructs, each movement brimming with newfound confidence.
It was clear he wouldn’t be satisfied until he was strong enough to stand on his own beyond this place.
Turning to Yume, she spoke with an easy tone, "Get comfortable. This is going to take a while."
Yume nodded, tapping her chin cutely for a moment before waving her hand.
Two simple, comfortable chairs materialized out of the misty ground. She sat down, then looked at Luna with a slightly worried expression.
"Is it a problem that I forgot to mention the Dream Land’s time moves differently than outside?" she asked.
"And.... It’s not anything I can change."
Luna stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter, the sound bright and genuine amidst the distant sounds of battle.
"Oh really?" Luna said, still chuckling. "Even I couldn’t feel that this place had a different flow of time."
She focused for a brief second, sensing the temporal difference, then nodded with an amused smile.
"Fufufu, very good job, little Yume.... very good."
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