[Chapter 239: Be Destroyed!]
Daniel put away the check and flipped his hand, revealing a Seal.
"This is a Mind-Linking Seal," Daniel said as he looked at Ivanka. "In a moment, I'll use this Seal to enter your dreamscape and face that red door with you. The process might be a bit uncomfortable; you need to clear your mind and trust me completely."
Ivanka nervously stared at the paper emitting a strange aura and asked, "What do I need to do?"
"Go to the guest room upstairs and lie down."
...
In the second-floor guest room, Ivanka lay flat on the large double bed. Even lying down, her proportions remained stunning.
"Don't lie down just yet. Come here and give me a drop of your blood to drip onto this Seal," Daniel instructed.
Ivanka blinked in surprise. "Blood?"
She quickly sat up, then nodded, "Alright."
With Daniel's help, Ivanka soon dripped a drop of blood onto the heart-linking seal. Daniel followed, adding a drop of his own blood as well.
"All set. Now lie down."
As Ivanka lay back down, Daniel settled beside her.
"Give me your hand."
Ivanka stretched out her fair, slender right hand, and Daniel grasped it. Their palms met, the Mind-Linking Seal sandwiched between them.
Daniel felt a thin layer of sweat on Ivanka's palm, and her pulse was racing fast.
"Close your eyes and follow the rhythm of my breathing."
His voice deepened, becoming magnetic, almost hypnotic.
Ivanka closed her eyes as instructed. Gradually, her body felt light, and the surrounding air seemed to dissolve.
An indescribably profound sensation enveloped her. In the darkness, she saw that terrifying flash of red again, the shadow of the red door.
But this time, before the splash of red and beside her, stood a tall, upright figure. Daniel held her hand, standing together in the gray mist, facing the red door slowly opening and seeping like bleeding flesh. Seeing the figure and feeling the warmth of his palm, a comforting sense of security rose in Ivanka's heart.
"No matter what you hear, don't look back," Daniel warned, his voice slicing through the whispering voices of the evil spirits around them.
Ivanka instinctively gripped that large, warm hand tightly in return. In this silent world of death, this mysterious man was her only anchor.
Deep in the mist, a massive form with a red face slowly rose from a heap of clocks, its crimson eyes fixed on Daniel.
The mist swirled as layers of old grandfather clocks began to tick wildly.
The ticking merged into an overwhelming, nerve-wracking roar.
"Ivanka... my new doll..." the Red-Faced Demon screamed, its wrinkled, grotesque face shining in the gray mist.
Suddenly, it swung its arms, and countless alarm clocks floating around it hurled at them like cannonballs, accompanied by shattering rings.
"Stay behind me and don't let go," Daniel ordered, narrowing his eyes.
He gripped Ivanka tightly with his left hand and made a grasping motion with his right, summoning a copper coin sword glowing with faint golden light.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Daniel swung the long sword across. Wherever the blade passed, the incoming alarm clocks exploded into scattered gears and springs.
Roar!
Seeing its attack fail, the Red-Faced Demon leapt from the pile of clocks. Its black claws, like withered branches, carved red streaks through the air, aiming straight for Daniel's throat.
Daniel snorted coldly. Instead of retreating, he advanced, causing Ivanka to stumble.
Without hesitation, Daniel reached out and hoisted Ivanka onto his back. "Hold on tight."
Ivanka quickly wrapped one arm around him while still holding his hand with the other. Her legs curled around his waist, fearing she might fall.
No longer hindered, Daniel moved, his figure creating multiple afterimages in the mist.
Clang!
The copper coin sword clashed violently with the demon's claws, producing a metallic bang.
A bone-chilling cold energy tried to seep into Daniel's Sea of Consciousness along the blade, but it was instantly dissolved by the orange-red power radiating from his body.
A flicker of surprise flashed in the demon's crimson eyes.
"You really are as strong as they said."
"They?" Daniel's heart stirred. It seemed this red door was indeed coming for him -- at least, in part.
The Red-Faced Demon suddenly opened its mouth, releasing a thick red mist that engulfed the space around them for hundreds of feet.
"I can't see! Daniel! I can't see anything!" Ivanka screamed in terror.
She felt countless cold little hands tugging at her dress, trying to pull her away from Daniel's side.
"Calm your mind!" Daniel pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth and shouted low:
By heaven's order and earth's foundation, let corruption be scattered.
Let every illusion be shattered and every falsehood laid bare.
Let no veil conceal corruption, and no darkness escape the light.
May the guardians of every direction bear witness and restore what is true.
By sacred decree and sanctified seal, let my mind remain steadfast and my spirit unshaken.
Authority affirmed.
As the incantation echoed, golden light radiated from Daniel's entire body. The thick red mist met the radiant light and vanished instantly like snow under the scorching sun.
At that moment, the red-faced demon crept above their heads.
Its long, thin tail hooked down like a venomous snake, aiming for the top of Ivanka's head.
Daniel sneered. "Five Thunder Doctrine, Flame Lightning!"
Boom!
In the silent, desolate realm, a sudden clap of thunder rang out.
"Aaah--!"
The Red-Faced Demon howled in agony as half its tail burned into a puddle of black water by the thunder-fire.
It retreated rapidly, vanishing into the depths of the mist.
"Hiding won't help," Daniel said.
Ivanka's grip in his palm tightened, her trembling growing worse; she was on the edge of breaking down.
"Daniel... can we leave this place?" Her voice quivered with a sob.
"Soon."
A sharp light flashed in Daniel's eyes as he sensed the dream space's stability weakening.
"Show yourself!"
He stomped hard, sending a majestic surge of power flowing through his sole into the thick fog at their feet.
"Doctrine of Arcane Geometry, Ward Rise!"
Instantly, centered on them, a massive consecrated sigil blazed into existence on the ground. Concentric circles, radiant runes, and perfectly aligned geometric paths spread across the ground like an enormous celestial diagram.
Wherever the paths spread, illusory disguises dissolved.
The Red-Faced Demon crouched on the red door's frame, preparing for a final attack. Exposed, it swelled into an irregular mass of red flesh veined with black tendrils.
Roaring, it lunged toward Daniel.
"This body... I want it!"
"You can't have it."
Daniel's expression hardened as he flipped his left hand, igniting a violet Prayer Seal at his fingertips.
"Be destroyed!"
He surged into the air. The Sovereign Coin Sword in his grasp erupted with brilliant golden light, its radiance taking the form of a magnificent divine lance stretching dozens of feet.
Wrapped in overwhelming divine authority, it plunged directly into the writhing mass of crimson flesh.
Bang!
A violent explosion rocked the dreamscape, the blinding light forcing Ivanka to close her eyes.
She felt a wave of heat wash over her, but the hand holding hers remained steady as a mountain.
*****
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