Chapter 122: Iron Phalanx

As she spoke, her pupils transformed into swirling vortexes, locking onto Liana.

"Fortunately... you are not fully *Her* yet, either..." Somnus whispered.

Somnus’s eerie voice caused the Genesis Sphere suspended above to churn.

"Restrain!" Sylvia, an expert in soul-arts, bit her thumb and painted a divine hex in the air.

She had used this technique to instantly paralyze the Nightmare-Walkers outside. But the moment her golden hex touched the divine light of the Genesis Sphere, it dissolved into nothingness.

"Sleep... sleep..." Somnus hovered in midair, her black robes whipping wildly in an unfelt wind.

Something within the Genesis Sphere was desperate to break free, unleashing a wave of pure drowsiness.

"If I fall asleep now..." Theo’s mind grew foggy.

He thought of the mummified Cultists outside.

Were their souls trapped in eternal slumber?

He and Sylvia were merely collateral damage; Liana was the true target.

A brilliant golden glow erupted from Theo’s skin as he activated his *Diamond Crucible Form*.

But physical invulnerability meant nothing against a divine soul-domain.

His vision blurred, and consciousness slipped away...

He felt himself plummeting into an abyss.

Suddenly, everything was too bright.

The sweltering heat of midsummer hit his face.

Skyscrapers reflected the sweltering sunlight.

Blurrily, Theo saw a steady stream of cars outside a modern university gate.

Standing before him was a vibrant young woman, nineteen years old, wearing a hoodie and a short skirt.

She hugged a stack of textbooks, smiling brightly at him.

Where am I?

"Theo, you are a good person," the girl said softly.

Theo shuddered. Goosebumps rose on his arms.

Memories of his past life on Earth flooded back. This girl had perfectly fit his youthful fantasies during his freshman year of college. She had helped him move into his dorm, join the student council, and navigate campus life.

Until today, when he had confessed.

"Theo, I said you are a good person," the senior waved a hand in front of his face.

"Uh, yes. I am a gentleman," Theo nodded, snapping back to reality.

Then he frowned.

Should he not be blushing? Stammering? His heart rate was entirely flat, and his mind was eerily calm.

[Neural simulation detected. Dream-state confirmed. Initiating countermeasures.]

"Well... I actually like good people," the dream-senior said, stepping closer with a blush.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

A normal person might have been swept up in the romantic fantasy, but Theo found the scene increasingly surreal.

Who gets handed a "good person" rejection card, only to immediately get asked out?

This wasn’t a fantasy... it was a poorly written sci-fi script.

"Senior," Theo deadpanned. "Did you not like girls?"

He remembered the truth vividly. His roommate had eventually revealed that the senior had gently rejected Theo because she already had a girlfriend.

A crisp breaking sound echoed from the sky. Cracks spread through the skyscrapers and the cars.

As his consciousness cleared, Theo sighed inwardly.

Somnus had tried to pull a regret from his soul, but the ancient god simply did not understand the modern nuances of a polite lesbian rejection.

The scene dissolved, instantly restoring the breathtaking Crystal Palace.

Somnus, who had been hovering with overwhelming divine presence just moments ago, now stared at Theo with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You woke up? No... your soul, you are not!"

Liana’s eyes snapped open beside Theo.

Her gaze was tinged with an unreadable emotion.

A glowing divine mark burned between her brows. Phantom phoenix feathers flickered around her shoulders, rendering her icy beauty even more ethereal.

What on earth had she dreamed of to wake up that fast? Theo was incredibly curious, but now was not the time to ask.

"You are awake?" Liana asked softly.

"Mm."

"Theo, open the sarcophagus."

At her words, Somnus’s face paled instantly.

"Understood!"

Theo lunged forward, gripping the lid of the coffin.

It felt magically welded to the floor, as immovable as a mountain.

"Empower!" Sylvia, having just forcefully bitten her own tongue to wake up, screamed a reinforcing hex.

Theo felt his strength double. He ignited his *Abyssal World-Forge*, channeling the sheer might of a calamity beast into his arms.

*Creeeak*

The crystal lid shifted... just a sliver.

Behind him, a rush of wind swept through the palace.

Liana shot upward like a comet, ignoring the ghost entirely. She streaked toward the true form of the Genesis Sphere.

She was going to refine it!

Somnus, hovering in the air, was still in a state of pure disbelief.

After being sealed for millennia, the ancient could not fathom that this young pair had broke her dream simulation simply because the boy did not believe his crush liked him back.

"In the First Era, even Exarchs would kneel before my domain!" Somnus shrieked, abandoning all pretense of Pontifex Valerius. "Do you think you can force me back into slumber?!"

The light of the Genesis Sphere churned fiercely, as if something within was reshaping its architecture.

Countless elongated hands pierced through the light, stretching outward like a prisoner reaching through the bars of a cage.

The inky hands surged directly toward Theo, attempting to drag him into the abyss of eternal nightmares.

But an elegant figure wreathed in phantom phoenix feathers stepped between them.

"The collective prayers of humanity twisted you into this," Liana sighed softly.

The sword, *Frost-Moon Eclipse*, materialized in her grasp.

She moved like a specter through the shadows... swift as a fleeting glimmer, yet poised and serene.

*Swish—swish—swish—*

One after another, the grotesque nightmare hands were severed, crumbling into ash as they struck the crystal floor.

*BOOM—*

A deafening impact shook the palace as Theo finally hurled the crystal lid onto the floor.

Inside the sarcophagus lay a woman whose face was identical to the apparition hovering above.

"She is still breathing," Theo noted, pressing two fingers to her neck.

*Great Sage, execute historical scan.*

[Name: Pontifex Valerius]

[Age: 35 (Physical) / 6,640 (Chronological)]

[Realm: Early Exarch]

[Status: Target burned her own neural pathways to forge a prison for the Nightmare. Her body is currently in deep stasis to anchor the seal.]

[Recent Activity: Dreaming of the Imperial Strategy Board. Target is currently executing the ’Iron Phalanx’ maneuver.]