A slender red tentacle struck like a sword.
It passed by Balazs's head and pierced directly into Claire's body.
However, Claire was like a phantom, the tentacle useless.
The tentacles began to converge, all the red tentacles from the entire island converging towards this point.
Balazs took this opportunity to escape behind Claire.
Because Claire was now like an invisible target, the tentacles in front of him would attack him first.
But due to the blessing, Claire had become a phantom, making all attacks ineffective against him.
Countless red tentacles spread out like a fluid, and more emerged from the water near the shore.
Observing the encircling tentacles, Balazs looked at Claire, now completely invulnerable.
His hatred could no longer be concealed, yet his enemy would live well.
And he himself would die here.
A wave of sadness welled up in his heart.
How could he survive, even at this moment?
A faint red mist swirled around him, tentacles passing over him and converging in all directions.
Gazing at the white mist, Balazs quickly raised his head to the guardian snake in the sky.
The guardian snake's attention was now completely focused on the rapidly gathering red tentacles below.
The tentacles of the red mist gathered together, growing larger and larger.
Finally, they formed a gigantic, deer-like creature, tens of meters tall. Tentacles like buds stretched out and swayed from the deer's body.
"Roar!"
The deer's head roared, and the piercing sound echoed once more, spreading outward.
Balazs, once safe, fell to the ground again, clutching his head and rolling around madly.
"Milmi? I haven't seen you in a thousand years, and you've become so disgusting."
His voice still echoed only in his mind.
The giant red deer known as Milmi ignored his words.
He displayed a complete lack of rationality.
The fleshy buds of red mist shot upwards, converging into a giant tentacle that attacked the white mist serpent.
...
"It's not absorbing anymore? What's going on?"
Alka, who was sitting in his dream, waiting for the island to return, said something strange.
"What's wrong?" Lucelia, who was reading nearby, turned and asked.
Alka looked up at her, a bit surprised, and said, "The monster isn't absorbing dream energy anymore."
"That should be a good thing, right? Maybe it's full," Lucelia said, laughing at her own words.
Alka shook her head in amusement. "How could it be that he's full?"
"But it's definitely a good thing. It finally gives me a break."
It was not a pleasant feeling to have my dream energy being sucked away while I remained awake.
He stood up, patted his butt, and flew up, quickly reaching the edge of the dream.
He reached out and touched the membrane of the dream bubble.
But his finger slipped through easily.
The hard, steel-like touch didn't come.
Alka looked at his finger as it passed through.
"He didn't even seal me in the dream bubble? Damn, he won't find out what's wrong with the bubble, will he?"
Alka panicked, thinking inexplicably that if he discovered something wrong and broke the dream bubble, it would basically be his death.
He quickly calmed himself and sent a wisp of mist out to observe the situation outside.
He found that there were indeed no monsters or anything else outside. The red tentacles that had attacked him earlier had completely disappeared.
Logically, he should have completely occupied the surroundings.
However, as soon as he poked his head out, Alka immediately pulled it back in, covering his ears.
He had just been assaulted by that piercing cry again.
This time, he learned his lesson.
He gently wiped the film, turning it transparent, allowing him to see outside.
Although it would hinder his perception, at least he could see clearly.
There was nothing unusual about the place he was facing now, just the strange environment of a dream and the dragging light and shadows.
He looked up.
"...?"
Alka rubbed his eyes. What a freak!
He looked carefully again.
"What's going on? How did this thing get here?"
What he saw truly startled him. The thing swirling in the sky, almost completely enveloping the area, a snake-like form condensed from white mist, was incredibly familiar to him.
Isn't that the giant white mist serpent that roamed the dreamland of Southern Cross Island?
How did it get here?
Tracing the source of the body, Alka went to the back, made the membrane transparent, and examined it carefully.
This time, Lucelia and the others could also see it clearly.
"Oh my god! What is that?"
"Oh my god, what a giant snake!"
"A giant white snake, so adorable."
A variety of surprised cries emanated from the puppet girl.
Lucilia froze in place, staring blankly at the distant scene.
She mechanically turned her head to look at Alka.
She pointed at the distant scene.
"What...what is that?"
A creature so massive it blocked out the sun and the sky, and a giant red mist deer that practically covered the entire island.
Two enormous creatures appeared before them.
It gave them a feeling of utterly unreality and dreamlike wonder.
"Is this common in dreams?"
Arka was also somewhat bewildered by the scene before him.
He knew the giant white mist snake, so could that enormous deer made of red mist be the giant creature in this place?
Arka had initially thought it was a tentacle monster or an octopus, but he hadn't expected it to be a deer.
This was quite different from his first impression.
The two creatures were now completely entangled.
The red deer continuously emitted huge red tentacles, while the white mist snake hung suspended in the air, its head poking out.
None of the red tentacles could reach him; they were pierced by sharp arrows of white mist, then vanished into thin air.
In both size and combat, the White Mist Serpent's performance demonstrated its vast superiority over the red monster.
Every attack on him seemed like a joke, easily blocked by him.
However, for some unknown reason, the White Mist Serpent didn't attack either, remaining in the hold, waiting for the Red Deer to strike at its will.
Balaz, at the bottom of the battlefield between the two sides, remained frozen in the small circle of white mist, not daring to move.
The noise and commotion of the battle, along with the intimidation emanating from both sides, made him dare not move.
Coupled with the pain his soul had just felt from the roar, he remained dazed and still.
Finally, the White Mist Serpent launched its attack.
A portion of its body descended from the sky; it was the tip of its tail, which swept past in an instant.
The massive tail, like a colossal stone pillar reaching up to the sky, swept past with such swift speed.
The surrounding light and shadows, as well as the sand, rocks, and trees on the island, were torn apart by the fierce wind and sent flying.
And that enormous tail also brought devastating damage.
A single blow split the red deer in half, without the slightest resistance or evasion.
Another sweeping blow struck down.
The red deer was completely split into four pieces.
"Just like that...just gone?" Lucelia muttered to herself.
The monster that seemed like a calamity to them was nothing more than a toy in the eyes of the White Mist Serpent.
A few random attacks instantly shattered it into four pieces.
"Don't be impatient. That red deer can't be underestimated," Alka warned.
Even after the red deer was scattered, the White Spirit Serpent remained fixed on the area in the middle.
As expected, the dispersed red mist regrouped, and a brand-new red deer emerged.
As if it had never been harmed.
As expected, a creature capable of forcing the white mist snake to attack could not be so weak.
Although Alka didn't know why the snake had come, it was clearly here to kill the red deer.
He couldn't tell whether it was a friend or foe. However, judging by its white mist-like form and the image it had displayed on Signpost Island, Alka was more inclined to believe it was friendly.
Or rather, he hoped it was.
He didn't want to have to face this even more powerful white snake after having just escaped the red deer's clutches.
He thought he shouldn't be so unlucky; today was already unlucky enough.
The white snake didn't seem surprised by the red deer's regrouping. With a few casual sweeps of its tail, it scattered them again.
The two sides seemed to be stuck in a stalemate.
Neither side could do anything, and the cycle continued indefinitely.
By the time the red deer gathered again, the white snake's tail had already completely drooped onto the island, tightly encircling the deer like a rope.
Leaving him completely unable to move.
The previous all-out attack seemed to have given way to a kind of restriction, controlling him.
"What's he going to do now? Is he going to eat the deer?"
Lucelia asked excitedly, watching from the side.
Because snakes, when they want to devour their prey, they first bind it tightly with their bodies.
Although this snake was enormous and clearly different from its normal form, its behavior made them think in that direction.
Alka shook his head. With the main body of the dream bubble, he could only see and observe with his naked eyes.
He couldn't sense anything at all.
And to be honest, he had no idea what such a gigantic dream creature looked like. He had no idea what it represented or what species it was.
He had no idea how to fight on this level. If it was just a matter of binding and restraint, why hadn't they done it before?
As the red deer remained entangled, the white snake lifted it into the air.
It didn't seem ready to continue its attack.
Then it paused, and suddenly, for some unknown reason, it lifted its massive head slightly.
Then its head turned slightly, and its sun-like eyes stared directly in the direction of Alka and the others.
"...!!"
The people who had been watching from the transparent film were immediately startled, a sense of inexplicable panic rising within them.
It felt as if their hearts were being pinched, making it impossible to breathe.
"He...he's looking over here."
"Calm down, calm down. Maybe he's looking in the other direction," Alka tried to soothe him.
However, his words of comfort were of no use, for there was no doubt those eyes, as bright as the sun, were watching them.
It's over.
A chill ran down Alka's spine.
He felt he was sometimes too unlucky. He'd just escaped death twice, and now it happened again.
This third time, he was afraid he'd have to face death head-on.
Just as Alka was thinking this, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Young hunter, come here, come to me."
Who?
Alka asked in his mind. The voice echoing in his mind was ethereal yet majestic.
Suddenly, Alka looked up at the giant white mist snake staring at them.
Could it be...
"Come here, young hunter. I mean no harm."
"Come and accept him, accept this trophy."
Listening to the voice in his mind, Alka looked at the giant snake head that raised its head and stared at them.
He sighed silently.
Although he didn't know what it meant, he figured it couldn't escape.
He turned to Lucilia and said, "The snake is calling me. If I don't send you a message soon, leave quickly."
The red tentacles blocking their path had already gathered in the center, captured after repeated battles.
Although they didn't know what the giant white snake was calling them to, they still had to plan their escape.
The Alka Society waved their hands, dispelling the dream bubble.
Lucilia, landing, quickly disappeared with the puppet girl.
Alka silently walked towards the location of the white snake's head.
This walk took quite a while.
It seemed not far away, but the snake was enormous. Now with a reference point, the White Mist Serpent's size became more clearly apparent.
As he approached, Alka saw Balazs within a white circle, and Claire, lying on the ground, his life or death unknown.
The general's condition made Alka somewhat happy.
At least one threat was eliminated.
Though it was a pity that it wasn't dead.
Then Alka raised his head and gazed at the enormous snake head in the sky.
He opened his mouth, but suddenly didn't know how to address it.
"Young hunter, it's been a while."
As expected.
His earlier observations in the dream had already been discovered.
"Hunter, do what you must do. Eliminate this abomination that threatens the dreamland.
His body is your prize."
The White Mist Serpent spoke, looking at Alka, his voice echoing in Alka's mind.
As expected, his Dream Catcher power was just as powerful as his name before these creatures.
But he called himself a Hunter.
Why?
It seemed the White Mist Serpent wasn't powerful enough to take down this monster made of red mist.
And from what he said, as a Hunter, he could rely on the power of the Dream Catcher to destroy such a monster.
It seemed the Dream Catcher had a higher priority and was more powerful within the dreamland than he had imagined. "What should I do?" Alka felt a little nervous as he looked at the giant snake head.
"Just hunt as usual. You're the hunter."
As usual? Alka thought doubtfully, listening to the voice in his head.
But since everyone else said so, he had no choice but to go for it.
He didn't know if his red mist was enough to completely envelop it. After all, the monster was ridiculously large.
The Dreamcatcher flew out of his chest, and a large amount of pink mist surged from his body like a tide.
These pink mists
The pink mist began to spread towards the encased deer.
However, the deer was far too large, like a mountain.
Did Alka's pink mist seem a little...mini?
A large amount of red mist surged forward, barely enveloping a small section of the other deer's leg.
Watching this, Alka couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He said cautiously, "Uh... this might take a while."
In the dream, Alka could create as much pink mist as he wanted, but it would take time.
"That's fine. Time has no effect on dreams, and it doesn't affect me either."
Alright.
Although he didn't understand, he was still quite impressed. This enormous white snake seemed quite accommodating, inexplicably dissipating some of Alka's nervousness.
He began to concentrate on controlling the mist.
From a distance, Alka looked like a chimney releasing clouds of mist, plumes of pink mist billowing into the sky.
The mist enveloped the still-struggling red deer.
The monster's struggles were futile; the white mist serpent's massive tail bound it tightly, immobilizing it.
Lucilia also seemed to feel somewhat safer and appeared beside Alka.
"Son of Milkora? If you're already dead, why wouldn't you leave?" the voice echoed in their minds.
The White Spirit Serpent was clearly referring to Lucelia, who had just appeared.
"Huh?" Lucelia was stunned by the sudden voice.
Then she realized it seemed to be referring to herself.
"Respected sir, I don't quite understand what you mean," Lucelia said softly.
"Don't worry about it; it just brought back a few memories."
With that, the voice fell silent, echoing in their minds.
The two of them fell silent.
Alka, who was continuously outputting energy and controlling the upward surge of the mist, suddenly asked, "How are the others?"
"They've already come out. Julia and the others are staying on the boat, and Sofia and the others are on their way."
Hearing this, Alka nodded.
It didn't matter. After all, if the white snake really attacked them, there would be no escape.
He focused on controlling the pink mist.
As time passed, the pink mist had already enveloped most of the red deer's body.
Each time the mist spread, the white mist snake controlled its tail to leave a gap, allowing it to completely envelop the enormous red deer.
As the envelopment grew, Alka felt the pressure mounting, forcing him to focus entirely on controlling the pink mist.
Not far away, Sofia and the others had already arrived.
They were remarkably quiet and polite as they approached.
The enormous, sky-blackening white mist snake made them hesitate to even raise their heads.
It seemed as if meeting the snake's gaze would be disrespectful.
Sofia approached Lucilia's side.
Everyone sat there quietly, waiting.
The pink mist had already enveloped the deer's neck and was spreading toward his head.
The Dreamcatcher on Alka's chest was already starting to sway slightly.
His strength was there, and even with the Dreamcatcher's help, the pressure was already approaching its limit.
It seemed he was about to fail.
"Call upon your deity and pray for her help.