A shimmering aura of blue and silver light rippled outward, slowly spreading across his field of vision.
Kurose Akira opened his hazy eyes. The discomfort vanished in an instant. He shifted his perspective and scanned his surroundings.
Beneath a sky glowing with faint blue luminescence, nearly a hundred adventurers and players stood suspended in midair.
Expressions of astonishment filled their faces—they were floating on the surface of the moon itself, as if experiencing flight for the first time.
"So this is the Moon Dream?""H-How am I flying all of a sudden?!""It's just flying, what's the big deal?""Holy shit—! I've got acrophobia!""Keep it down! We're on a mission!""…"
After a wave of commotion, the crowd gradually calmed.
Yet confusion still lingered—especially at the fact that they were floating above a glowing, blue-tinted moon.
More importantly… this moon wasn't quite like the one beside Earth. It appeared far more crystalline, almost translucent.
And every so often, it flickered—like a living celestial body.
"This place is fascinating." Camellia's lips curled into a smile as she curiously observed her surroundings.
"Where are they?" Lucia noticed that the members of Xu Feiyan's guild were nowhere to be seen and turned to Akira.
"They were probably teleported to a different area due to faction differences," Akira explained.
"So you've already decided to abandon your own guild's mission to help hers?" Lucia cast him a sidelong glance.
She had only heard fragments of the mission from Akira and Xu Feiyan, but she understood one thing—this decision might cause Puff Fantasyland's own mission progress to fail.
Perhaps the loss wouldn't be significant… but Lucia was a perfectionist. She always sought the optimal outcome.
"Relax." Akira smiled at her. "This mission will end in a perfect outcome—one that benefits us."
"?"
Lucia didn't question him. Instead, curiosity flickered in her eyes. Just how did her guildmaster intend to achieve such a "perfect ending"?
At that moment, several streaks of blue light flickered across the sky.
Then, a group of soldiers from the Moon God Empire appeared before them.
Among them stood a priest clad in blue robes. Positioned at the center, his gray-green eyes swept across the adventurers from behind a fractured mask. A cold smile tugged at his lips.
He drifted forward slightly, spreading his arms as he spoke in a chilling tone:
"Welcome, all of you, to the Moon Dream. As this is a special domain, you have been granted the ability to float."
"However, the dream has a time limit. Within three hours, you must locate the Moonlight Witch's clone. Defeat it, and the mission will be complete…"
Akira listened quietly.
The Moon God Empire had not revealed their true objective. Their real goal—the Moonlight Key of Truth hidden within the clone—remained concealed.
At the same time, he mentally assessed the combat strength of the participating guilds.
"Seven above level 70… twenty-three above level 60… the rest around level 50…"
He frowned.
The strength of the participants exceeded his expectations. Combined with the presence of the Crescent Priest, it would be difficult for just his guild and Xu Feiyan's forces to handle.
Fortunately… they had a powerful ally of their own.
"Time is limited, so I won't elaborate further," the Crescent Priest concluded. "The moon shall witness your valor, and the stars shall guide your path! Go—purge the witch who defiles the moonlight!"
As his voice fell, starlight shimmered across the night sky, forming an arrow that pointed the way.
"Move! The Moon Heart belongs to our Nightglow Guild!""Damn that Moonlight Witch—face justice!""They say witches are all beauties. Finally, we get to see one!""Stay sharp. She's a top-tier witch of the Witch Cult!""It's just a clone—what are you scared of?""…"
With the stars guiding them, the players surged forward toward the clone's location.
Not everyone could master flight immediately, so only about half the group took the lead.
Of course, for someone as naturally gifted as Akira, controlling levitation took only seconds.
As for his guild members—none of them were ordinary. Flying was as trivial as breathing.
Thus, Akira's group was the first to arrive at the destination.
But upon arrival… they froze in confusion.
It wasn't that the Moonlight Witch's clone wasn't there—
"...That's the clone?"
Akira frowned, staring into the distance.
Lying sprawled across the moon was an enormous white tiger—so massive it defied reason.
He had never heard that the Moonlight Witch's clone took the form of a tiger.
And more importantly—
[Moonlight Witch Clone (Mythical)]Level: 88 (??/??)Race: ??Strength: ?? / Agility: ?? / Magic: ?? / Constitution: ??Growth: 15 (Gains +15 to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)Traits: [White Moon Tiger Cub][Moonlight Clone][Witch]
"Level 88…"
Akira didn't act immediately. He simply observed from afar.
The white tiger stretched over a hundred meters in length, its snow-white fur thick and gleaming. A crescent mark was etched into its forehead.
Compared to Mare Rhein's thousand-meter dragon form, it was smaller—but its oppressive presence was even greater.
Like an iceberg—cold, overwhelming.
"That's a big tiger! Want this Progenitor to take it down?" Camellia flapped her wings eagerly.
"Wait, we—"
Akira was about to tell her to hold off and observe first—
But then he saw her licking her lips, crimson eyes fixed on the tiger, drool glistening at the corner of her mouth.
His expression darkened instantly.
He knew exactly what she was thinking.
Despite its form, blood still flowed within that body.
"Stand still and behave!"
He knocked her on the head.
"Ow—! Stop hitting my head! You shameless, despicable human brat!" Camellia clutched her head, nearly in tears.
A vampire progenitor… getting bonked repeatedly?
What kind of humiliation was this?!
"If you keep talking, next time I won't be aiming for your head," Akira warned coldly.
"Damn it… damn you, brat…!" she muttered under her breath, on the verge of crying.
Akira ignored her sulking and focused on the battlefield.
So this giant tiger… was a manifestation of the Moonlight Witch.
Which meant—
A female tiger?
As that thought passed through his mind, the rest of the players began arriving.
"Holy crap! That thing's huge!""That's the clone? It looks awesome!""I thought it'd be a beauty—turns out it's a tiger!""Doesn't matter! Kill it first!""…"
Impatient players immediately launched their assault.
The noise stirred the sleeping beast.
Slowly, the white tiger opened its pale eyes, casting a cold gaze toward the charging adventurers.
"Fools."
It rose to its feet.
Moonlight reflected in its eyes, like blue flames burning within.
"Finally, it's starting! Hehe~" Camellia watched eagerly, thrilled at the thought of bloodshed.
"When do we join?" Mare Rhein asked excitedly.
"Not yet." Akira replied, scanning the surroundings.
Where was Xu Feiyan's guild?
"They should be nearby…"
After a moment—
"Found them."
Petico and the others arrived, rushing toward him as soon as they spotted him.
"Guildmaster Akira!"
They bowed in unison.
"Follow my commands," Akira said. "Our primary objective is the Moonlight Key of Truth inside the clone."
"Understood!""Haha~ Our strength is yours!""Give us your orders~"
They pledged their temporary allegiance.
Akira nodded and turned back to the battlefield.
Dozens of adventurers unleashed waves of magic. Brilliant spells illuminated the sky as they rained down upon the white tiger.
But just before impact—
A transparent barrier reflected every spell.
"AH—!""What the hell?!""Our magic got reflected?!""Magic reflection?!""Is that even possible?!""Forget magic—go physical!""Charge!"
They switched tactics instantly.
But the moment they closed in—
"Fools."
The tiger tapped the moon's surface with its paw.
A blue ripple spread outward—
And in an instant, a devastating shockwave blasted the attackers dozens of meters away.
Screams erupted.
Even with numbers, they stood no chance against a level 88 entity.
Within minutes, over a dozen adventurers were erased—unable to withstand the pressure of moonlight.
It was a complete one-sided slaughter.
"This thing's insane!""It's just a clone—how is it this strong?!""Our losses are massive!""What do we do?!""Where's the Moon Empire's support?!""…"
Panic spread.
Then—
The Crescent Priest appeared.
He glanced coldly at the adventurers.
"…Useless trash."
His voice was so soft that no one heard it.
"Do not panic!" he declared, raising a blue crystal. "I will suppress it—attack while you can!"
He crushed the crystal.
Blue flames drifted toward the tiger, weakening its moonlight aura.
"Crescent…!" the tiger growled.
A full moon manifested behind it, unleashing a beam of light.
The priest countered with a barrier.
"The clone is restrained! Attack now!"
"Go!""Now's our chance!"
Without the reflection barrier, magic struck true.
Spells engulfed the tiger.
"…Now's our moment," Akira said.
"Mare Rhein, Camellia—come with me. The rest of you, disrupt the other adventurers."
"Preserve your strength. If they turn on you—retreat."
"Yes, sir!"
Under his command, they moved.
Using the chaos as cover, Akira advanced toward the tiger.
Their goal—
The Moonlight Key of Truth.
But just as he approached—
The tiger turned its head.
Its gaze locked onto him.
"…It noticed me?"
Akira tensed.
But instead of attacking—
The tiger grinned.
Its fangs gleamed, saliva dripping.
A chill ran down his spine.
And in the next instant—
The world changed.
Before him hung a crescent moon.
Upon it sat a veiled woman in moonlit robes, hugging her knees.
Her lips did not move.
Yet her voice echoed—
"You've finally come."
Akira immediately understood.
"You're the Moonlight Witch?"
"Mm~"
She nodded and rose slowly.
Only then did Akira realize—
Beneath the robe… there was nothing.
The pale glow of moonlight revealed everything, unobstructed.
..
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