Chapter 100 - 95: Would Rather Lie Down Than Kneel

Chapter 100: Chapter 95: Would Rather Lie Down Than Kneel

Lian used Snow Walk to slay the young woman who tried to cuckold him.

He might be a Glory Knight, but he had no code against killing women—especially not one who, in some bizarre dream, tried to make him her unwitting stooge.

’Oh, wait. She might not even have been a woman.’

It could have been the vengeful spirit of the red-skulled Wizard he’d killed, come to haunt him!

Of course, that sounded a bit absurd. How could a Skeleton Monster have a vengeful spirit? At most, like the Heart of the Tree Monster, it would curse the one who killed it, tainting them with Misfortune.

Besides that explanation, Lian thought of another possibility.

The Spirit of the Forest.

This mysterious Angel Tier being, unable to corrupt him through the Illusion Realms of others, had come up with a more direct method: invading his dreams to torment him.

The light of the Bright Sword flashed.

The young woman and the Illusion Realm were dispelled in an instant.

But Lian still hadn’t escaped the dream.

The comfortable bed beneath him had vanished, as had the familiar ceiling light and the wedding photo on the wall.

He now stood in the Bone Forest, faced with the magnificent Emerald Palace.

Strangely shaped stone statues moved on their own, clearing a path for him.

A voice whispered in his ear, luring him into the palace.

’It really is the Spirit of the Forest!’

Lian tightened his grip on his long blade. It was just a dream, after all, and he had the protection of the Divine Wager. He was confident he couldn’t be corrupted by the Spirit of the Forest. ’So what’s there to fear?’

And so, in a sudden fit of recklessness, Lian strode up the steps.

The next moment, he was inside the palace of the Spirit of the Forest.

At the head of the grand hall sat a woman whose face was impossible to make out.

Though he couldn’t see her features, Lian had a feeling she was the "wife" from the earlier part of his dream.

She wore a crown, held a Magic Staff, and was dressed in a magnificent green gown studded with dazzling gems of every color. Each jewel reflected the image of Lian holding his long blade.

Resting her chin on her hand, she sat upon a throne carved from green Crystal. She lifted her gaze ever so slightly, and the atmospheric pressure in the entire palace plummeted.

The endless Suppression and the aura of a true powerhouse emanating from the woman were enough to make anyone tremble.

His knees buckled against his will. If he hadn’t been using Snow Walk to desperately prop himself up, he would have been forced to kneel—or perhaps even grovel—on the floor.

This was the inherent suppression of an Angel’s Status upon a mortal. Even though Lian had just been promoted to a Five-star, and had far surpassed ordinary Five-star Knights by earning the title of Light and Shadow, he was still no more than an ant before an Angel Level being.

Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Lian’s forehead. He could smell death in the air.

’Perhaps I was too impulsive. So what if the Spirit of the Forest wanted me to be her stooge? In a life-or-death situation, being a stooge doesn’t mean a damn thing!’

Lian felt a pang of regret, wishing he could go back to the cozy dream from before.

At least then he could be matching wits with the Spirit of the Forest on a soft mattress, rather than facing her wrath head-on.

It felt very much like he’d refused a polite offer only to be met with force.

Of course, the Spirit of the Forest would have no way of knowing this famous proverb from Lian’s homeland.

This was the third time Lian had come face-to-face with the projection of a higher being.

The first time was Jari’s [Eye of Misfortune], the second was the God of Tiger, and the third was the Spirit of the Forest.

Although the Spirit of the Forest was the weakest of the three, she was still a being who could crush him with a single finger.

The [Divine Wager] could guarantee he wouldn’t be corrupted or suffer Erosion, but it couldn’t guarantee his life.

If the Spirit of the Forest decided to kill him, Lian figured this day next year would be the anniversary of his death.

’Say something. I have to say something to save myself.’

Lian’s mind was racing, but he couldn’t make a single sound.

It felt as if he’d been born a mute, as if he had never known how to speak.

At this moment, Lian panicked.

He knew this meant the Spirit of the Forest had no intention of hearing his explanations, nor was she willing to communicate with him in any way.

This oppressive atmosphere persisted for an unknown length of time. The lofty Spirit of the Forest said nothing, and Lian was rendered completely silent.

Eventually, even Snow Walk could no longer support his body, and he collapsed, utterly prostrate on the ground.

They say a man’s knees are precious as gold. Lian figured he would rather lie prostrate than kneel.

The Spirit of the Forest slowly descended from her throne, her magnificent gown rustling against the floor.

Lian swallowed hard, his heart suddenly racing. His sixth sense screamed a frantic warning: danger was approaching.

The Spirit of the Forest wasn’t giving him a chance to explain. She intended to kill him.

The intense killing intent radiating from her was proof enough.

’But why didn’t she kill me from the very beginning?’

’Maybe she has some weird fetish? Like wanting to bear her enemy’s child to mess with his head? Or maybe she wanted to trap me in a honeyed paradise, to make me slumber forever in a false dream, never to awaken.’

Lian couldn’t begin to fathom the perversions of higher beings, but now was not the time to let his imagination run wild.

At a time like this, Lian could only pray for the God of Tiger’s protection and hope He would quickly drive the Spirit of the Forest from his dream.

’Who the fuck said dreams couldn’t be terrifying? I was too naive.’

If he died in this dream, he might never wake up again.

Lian silently prayed for protection to the God of Tiger dozens of times, but he received no response.

He suddenly grew frustrated. It seemed this supreme deity didn’t always answer His Believers, even one who was already a [Silver Believer]. He had to maintain His cool, aloof image.