The Creators: From Night City

Page 402

Jiang Bing grasped the other's calloused hand in return, and a rich golden light emanated from his body.

"Face the reality of this world!"

The golden light surged instantly, enveloping the crow completely.

She was lifted up by the [Forger], briefly ascended to a higher dimension, and was able to glimpse a corner of the true world.

That higher dimension that exists outside the real world.

The crow opened its eyes and finally got a full view of Yharnam.

Yharnam was indeed a dream, illusory and ethereal, like a giant abscess clinging to the world.

The abscess was throbbing slightly, as if it were alive, constantly swelling and contracting.

The crow also vaguely spotted several other abscesses, all of which seemed to be connected to the huge abscess.

"Dreams are illusory worlds that exist in reality."

A grand and vast voice rang out from above the crow's head.

The hunter looked up and was able to catch a glimpse of the true appearance of the Lord of Eternal Flame.

Only now did she realize how terribly wrong her stereotypes were.

The fact that a deity conceals itself and its divine light is not because the deity is ordinary, but because its perspective is not broad enough to perceive the true divine countenance.

Now, having temporarily ascended to a higher dimension and transcended human limitations, she is able to glimpse the full extent of the [Lord of Eternal Flame].

How sacred that is!

The giant stood before her, looking down at her, this tiny ant.

An inextinguishable fire burns eternally around Him, but the flame is not a wild burning; rather, it is like liquid light, constantly flowing.

Gold is like His body, a suit of metal armor covering His magnificent form. Knowledge is the thread that connects each piece of armor, which fit together perfectly to form His magnificent body, shimmering with a cold and eternal luster.

Boundless light and heat continuously emanated from His chest, illuminating this desolate space.

Apart from that, there were no disgusting deformities, no grotesquely twisted limbs, no chilling whispers, no corruption, no depravity; the other party was as normal as a genuine deity, inside and out.

Deities in the traditional human sense.

This unexpectedly brought tears to the crow's eyes.

The Lord of Eternal Flame cast his gaze upon her, making her feel a tangible heat.

“The ancient gods dwell in pustules, using human souls as a breeding ground, producing chaotic ‘information’ as nourishment, solely for the purpose of ‘reproduction’.”

The ancient gods longed for offspring.

“Dreams are the wombs they carefully choose and create.”

The abscess sensed His presence and began to writhe, as if something wanted to burst out of its body, or as if something was peering out through the barrier of the dream.

Unfortunately, a giant sword gleaming with golden light appeared in the giant's hand. It had grown to tens of meters long along with its master, and with the [Lord of Eternal Flame]'s swing, it ignited a raging 'ethereal fire' and pierced straight into the swollen 'pustule'.

In an instant, the crow seemed to hear a clear and eerie scream.

"I cannot force my way in. The fragile dream cannot contain my existence. Forcing my way in would only shatter the dream and force the ancient gods to awaken from it," [Lord of Eternal Flame] continued.

Although the dreams of the ancient gods were evil, the form in which the dreams existed was not evil.

This is somewhat similar to the idea that technology is innocent.

These 'pseudo-worlds' that exist in relation to the real world are excellent learning materials for Jiang Bing, the young creator.

Of course, these ancient gods are also included.

Those in positions of power are often distortedly linked to some profound human concept, desire, or fear, while also being connected to certain rules of the world, or even being the manifestation of some rule concept.

This is clearly a living example of a 'creation rune'.

The key is still working!

Although Jiang Bing now possesses the ability to directly puncture a boil, doing so would undoubtedly be a waste of his talents and an act of using the valuable to redeem the worthless.

Pulling out the abscesses, forging runes, claiming the dream world as one's own, and dissecting and learning from it are the ways to maximize benefits.

However, this step is indeed a bit difficult.

When Jiang Bing first arrived, he tried to force his way in, but his 'size' was obviously too 'massive' compared to the dreams composed of ancient gods and the general consciousness of many humans.

Although Jiang Bing really wanted to say, "I'm very big, please bear with me."

However, the dream of the Primordial Coiled Beast clearly disagreed. The dream it had painstakingly woven and maintained was burst open the moment Jiang Bing 'entered,' and the Primordial Coiled Beast, which was sleeping soundly, was immediately awakened.

He was extremely grumpy when he woke up, and his anger rose from his heart and his malice was born. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to teach Jiang Bing, this "offender in front of his husband," a lesson.

Then Jiang Bing smashed the sixth brother's head, nailed him to death with the [Dictionary], and he willingly fell into the deep dream, becoming a newly forged creation rune.

The good news is that Jiang Bing got the first kill as soon as he arrived, achieving a great start.

The bad news is that after this battle, those 'superiors' who witnessed everything have all retreated into the 'information interlayer' on the side of the world. As the original inhabitants of this world, they are determined to escape, and Jiang Bing really has no way to deal with them.

Fortunately, the dream remains. Even with a murderous killer lurking beside them, these powerful figures who crave offspring are unwilling to give up the "reproductive womb" they have nurtured for many years and remain closely connected to it.

This also became the key to Jiang Bing breaking the deadlock.

“These parasites of the world are not easy to catch, but fortunately they still have a strong desire to ‘reproduce’ and will do anything for it.”

"Reproduction?" The crow had never imagined that these high-ranking people had such a down-to-earth side.

[Lord of Eternal Flame] turned his head, a human-like mocking smile appearing on his divine face, making the crow feel that the scene was quite jarring.

"Although they exist as a higher dimension, they are still imperfect, like a kind of flawed evolution. They are born with fundamental 'defects' and 'curses,' which is an eternal and inescapable 'loneliness' and 'incompleteness.' This loneliness is rooted in the essence of their existence, just as a eunuch will always involuntarily fantasize about what he has lost."

Jiang Bing revealed to Crow, the 'pre-selected god,' the information he obtained by burning the primordial coiled beast without reservation.

"They crave 'reproduction,' 'continuation,' and 'the birth of offspring' in order to complete their own 'integrity' and achieve a higher level of 'evolution.'"

Jiang Bingdao revealed the complete chain of logic behind the actions of these ancient gods.

Chapter 822 God Hunter

"So you need me to go into the dream world and stop all of this?"

“Of course~” [Lord of Eternal Flame], like a chainsaw-wielding killer, stared at another restless 'dream' while brandishing his greatsword, and continued, “No!”

“I cannot enter these dreams for the time being, but you, as the ‘Dream Ferryman,’ can enter them without hindrance. Your task is not to stop them from multiplying; on the contrary, you need to find their offspring and provide me with ‘location’.”

"Not just offspring, but also the condensation of power, and even any information about the existence of these ancient gods themselves."

He brought the gleaming golden sword to Eileen, radiating a suffocating heat.

"Simply put, you seek out the god, I chop down the god, each of us has our own role."

Her down-to-earth words were rapidly desensitizing Raven to the "Lord of Eternal Flame," but her trust in him was also growing stronger with each passing moment.

After all, compared to the frenzied and chaotic 'superiors', the [Lord of Eternal Flame], whose words, actions and ways of thinking are similar to those of humans, is clearly more on the side of humanity.

"I understand"

The hunter agreed, after all, as a hunter, hunting 'monsters' was her duty.

"very good"

The transaction was completed, and the flames surrounding the raven rapidly dimmed. She began to fall, descending into a lower dimension.

In a daze, she saw the Lord of Eternal Flame suddenly pass by her and walk behind her.

She couldn't help but turn around and look, only to see the familiar starry sky.

The starry sky was originally dim and without light, but at this moment, the starry sky above Yharnam... has actually come alive!

The stars shone with an uncertain blue light, yet they also seemed to wriggle like worms.

Nebulae are no longer ethereal gases, but have become slow-moving tendrils, dripping with cold, luminous light, stretching across the sky.

Countless 'superiors' exist here, exerting their influence on the entire world.

In an instant, a massive amount of information swept over her, but the next moment, a tall figure stood between her and the starry sky, intercepting all the prying eyes.

"Don't look around when you're standing on a high place."

Hearing the advice of the Lord of Eternal Flame, the raven began to fall.

………………

The night in Yanan was even quieter and more eerie.

This 'night of the hunt' was longer, deadlier, and more dangerous than ever before.

The old hunter Henrik firmly believed this.

Not long after he escaped from the Forbidden Forest, the radiant greatsword vanished without a trace, along with the beast, the remains of the ancient god, and the raven-like hunter.

Yharnam was plunged back into darkness, which further intensified the wildness of the beasts within the city, while continuously exerting invisible pressure on all the living.

Both he and his friend, Father Gascoigne, looked rather grim at that moment.

In the dimly lit room, a candle was lit, and two old hunters sat at the table, remaining vigilant.

Although the candlelight might reflect on the window and attract the attention of monsters on the street, these dangers are insignificant compared to the darkness.

Everyone in Yharnam knows that the darkness of the 'Night of the Hunt' will devour humanity. If one is immersed in the dark environment for a long time, one will inevitably fall into the abyss and witness terrifying scenes.

In fact, the old hunter Henrik scoffed at this idea, but staying in the dark for a long time can indeed lead to tension, irritability, and even illness.

Living alone, being withdrawn, and not communicating with others for a long time will also have the same effect.

After all, these behaviors are constantly diminishing humanity.

"Koin, our incense is almost burned out."

"It's sad," said Vera, the priest's wife.

"In addition, our lamp oil reserves are almost exhausted."

The priest looked at his twin daughters lying obediently on the bed, his face filled with sorrow.

"I remember we prepared enough portions beforehand, didn't we?"

“But we’re almost out of them, I just checked,” Vera said, pursing her lips.

“This night has been too long, Gascoigne. In that case, why don’t you come with me to my sanctuary?”

Henrik, the old hunter from Gascoigne, who happened to run into his friend Gascoigne upon returning from the Forbidden Forest, suggested...

"Although I don't have incense there, it's sturdy enough, and I have plenty of food and lamp oil."

The incense mentioned by the public is a special spice made and distributed by the "Healing Church," which is a byproduct of the church's research on animal disease.

This incense, when burned continuously, emits a peculiar, tranquil white smoke that repels wild animals, keeping them away.

When the 'Night of the Hunt' arrives, the residents will close their doors, light lanterns, and burn incense to ward off danger.

However, incense will eventually burn out completely, and it will also eventually lose its effectiveness.

The streets of Yharnam, now shrouded in darkness, have long been overrun by hordes of 'beasts'.

The darkness exacerbated their bestiality, making these mutated beasts, which were originally human, even more ferocious, more dangerous, and less human-like.

"But to get to you from here, you have to cross the church bridge, which has been closed by the church since early morning."

Gascoigne carefully wiped his top hat, which was covered in thick blood from the previous hunt, including the black top hat.

As he wiped away the dried blood, he calmly analyzed the feasibility of the plan.

“We can take the road through Church Town and go through the town.”

“But the danger level is too high, Henrik. There are 'beast patients' everywhere outside, and the hunters have all disappeared. Taking Vera and the others out under these circumstances is not a good idea.”

"But you know, staying at home is just as dangerous, after all, this is the most densely populated residential area in Yharnam."

Henrik took off his hat, revealing thinning, graying hair, and continued trying to persuade his old friend.

"Moreover, I feel that the atmosphere tonight is very bad, very similar to that of the old Yharnam."

Henrik, who had just seen the remains of the ancient god, appeared very uneasy.

Father Gascoigne keenly sensed the panic and unease on his old friend's face and pressed him for an answer: "Henrik, what exactly happened to you in the Forbidden Forest?"

Recalling the frenzied image of the original coiled beast's corpse and the 'beast' appearance it parasitized, Henrik still felt a chill run down his spine and his head itch as if tiny insects were crawling inside. How could he possibly tell his best friend everything?

You should know that some 'knowledge' is toxic!