"Dream... We stand with you."
"Oh?"
Patriarch Star gave his answer. It wasn't an easy decision, but a shallow judgment on his part could force things down a very bad path. For now at least, he didn't wish to walk a path of no return. Plus, he could tell that there was more to Dream's situation than he knew.
Dream smiled at this.
"That's good."
"No! Patriarch of the Red Eye clan, you are siding with an evil being!"
"Hey old bag, shut your hole."
Suddenly, Dream snapped to the old man. Reaching for his holster, he rapidly equipped his 1911 pistol, pointing it at him. Seeing this, the old man's pupils contracted as he instantly raised a barrier of mana.
*BOOM*
Dream fired, shooting a white beam of light. When this beam of light exited the barrel, the power of space it was enchanted with made it zip around in unpredictable directions. Then, the old man was horrified to see it come from the side. The beam hit his body.
"Ahh!"
He yelled, mustering up any power he could to dodge. But the beam still hit his arm, and despite the defenses he brought up, the arm was directly obliterated. Everyone watched as the old man's arm exploded into a blue mist before his body was blasted toward the ground, not unlike the barbarian earlier.
"Dammit!"
Seeing this attack, the barbarian cursed. The old man had spoken of these attacks of Dream's, but he had yet to actually see them. Now, it looked like Dream was even more powerful than imagined, and he truly did make preparations to kill them.
But he didn't cave in. Today, the barbarian had prepared. Behind him, aside from the old man, were 7 other class 6's. They were all affiliated with the Blue Blood clan not unlike how the Red Eye clan had its ancients or non-leader class 6's.
This was one more class 6 than the Red Eye clan, and normally, it would give them a great advantage. But there was now Dream who not only made up for the number but had power possibly able to kill multiple class 6's. This placed the Blue Blood clan at a great disadvantage.
Of course, the barbarian knew this fact beforehand. Thus, he had prepared himself. Rather unfortunately though, Dream knew all about the barbarian's preparations. After all, who could hide from him on this planet?
Dream smiled at the barbarian.
"Alright, I think its about time we start. However, I still sense a few auras back there. Mister Barbarian, how about you call out your allies. I have a feeling you'll need them."
"Shut up! I need no allies to deal with you!"
"You're really trying to play dumb in front of me? Fine. I'll call them out myself."
Raising his pistol, Dream suddenly shot out another 3 rounds. These three rounds shot into three different directions, heading toward specific buildings in the city.
*Boom!*
"Ahh!"
After the rounds made impact, there were three distinct roars. Then, three people shot out of the city and into the sky. They were three class 6's, and each of them now had new wounds.
Patriarch Thousand Sword recognized these people with a scowl.
"You dogs of the Flying Sword clan! What are you doing here?! Patriarch Mountain Blade, you dare to call upon foreign clans?!"
Thousand Sword turned his anger back to the barbarian, otherwise known as Mountain Blade. Mountain Blade just scoffed.
"Don't be a hypocrite, Thousand Sword! This war was only supposed to be for resources, and as soon as you gained an unlikely ally, you launched a conquest! For the sake of my clan, I have also made allies!"
"..."
Thousand Sword was quiet as he heard this. Technically, he was indeed using the help of a foreigner. Mountain Blade wasn't exactly in the wrong.
Dream clapped.
"Alright, enough. I think just about all our cards are on the table now. So I think it's time we get started. Aegis, if you please.
"Always, my lord!"
With a slight tinge of excitement, Aegis shot over to Dream. Then, everyone watched as Aegis's body turned invisible before enveloping Dream's own.
At the same time, Dream released his cosmic form, grabbing his second pistol at the same time. With these pistols in hand, his full power was unleashed.
"Now... Give me your souls."
"Not before I eat yours!"
With a roar, the barbarian equipped his sword. Like that, he shot toward Dream.
Patriarch Star raised his own weapon.
"This is it! All those of the Red Eye clan! Lay siege!"
"Charge!"
Suddenly, the flagship opened up. With echoing roars, tens of thousands of soldiers came flying out, shooting down to the city below where class 4's and 5's of the Blue Blood clan laid in wait. Blood was quickly spilled as the two sides entered their biggest battle yet.
The class 6's also stepped forth, facing their enemies. As if planned beforehand, the three allies that Mountain Blade recruited charged toward Dream. Dream didn't panic at this situation, only speaking to those behind him.
"I got them. Take the others."
"Very well. Time to fight!"
Patriarch Star didn't argue with Dream. With his own roar, he pointed his weapon forth. The tip started to glow as he found his enemy, shooting out to attack. The other class 6's, the three ancients plus the couple and single woman, followed behind their leader. Thousand Sword created ethereal swords numbering exactly one thousand, these swords all converging upon a single enemy.
Like this, the battle ensued, kickstarting with fierce brutality and desperation. This was a battle that determined the futures of both clans, so everyone put forth everything they had.
........
*Bang Bang Bang!*
Highest in the sky, Dream rapidly fired his pistol. Around him, four enemies were dodging or eating his attacks.
First was the barbarian, clad in metal armor and wielding another massive sword that he prepared for this battle. Then were his three allies.
There were three men, and each of them wielded two swords. Interestingly though, the way they wielded these swords was unconventional. The first sword they used was standard, swung around with their two hands. But the second was a flying sword that stuck by their side, supporting their attacks like it had a mind of its own.
Dream had been initially surprised by this since it was quite new. Afterward, he became much more confident. If these were enchanted swords, then he could immediately take out a large portion of their fighting ability.
Even more surprisingly though, when Dream made contact with the flying swords using his Will, he found that there were actually souls inside of them. Dream found these souls to be exactly the same as the souls of the wielders. It looked like these people put a piece of their soul into their weapon, thus wielding it like an extension of themselves.
Naturally, this made it much more difficult for Dream to get rid of the swords. If they were enchanted, then he could easily reverse or destroy the enchantments. Nobody here was better than him at enchanting, after all. But with the souls there, they could fight his power with their own power. He would have to destroy the soul, and that wasn't much different from fighting another person.
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This was all surmised within the first minute of battle. After learning about this, Dream was able to formulate plans.
The barbarian came from above, slashing down with his massive sword. Around the sword, rippling waves of mana were created, threatening to blow anything it hit into particles.
Before the sword could hit Dream though, his body slightly shifted, dodging the sword. At the same time, he fired his pistol in response.
To this, the barbarian gritted his teeth. He didn't dodge or block, and the beam hit his shoulder. Surprisingly though, only some of his flesh was blown up before the beam's power dissipated. What was left was the exposed muscle of the barbarian's shoulder. He still had his arm.
"Solid natural defense and powerful attacks. Unfortunately, you lack speed and technique."
Dream muttered as his body shifted through space. Instead of teleporting through the chaotic void, he decided to just zip around, space bending and pushing him places faster than the others could keep up with. The three flying swords that constantly swung at him also constantly missed as if they were actively avoiding him. This was the power of space at work.
*Bang!*
Dream fired five more shots. These shots all zipped around space like flies, their targets unknown. All at once, the four attackers backed off, watching the beams of energy with vigilance.
Then, the beams selected their targets. All of them shot at the barbarian, catching him completely off guard. He roared as he slashed at two of them with his sword. The two he hit exploded, taking out two chunks of his sword with them. As for the other three, they came from behind.
Like last time, the barbarian sought to tank these. However, he was shocked when the three converged before hitting the same spot on his spine. They exploded.
*BOOOM*
The power of three nuclear bombs went off, all of their power being transmuted into magical power and impacting the barbarian's body. After a flash of light, everyone saw a new hole appear in the barbarian's chest.
"Ahhh!"
Mountain Blade let out a pained yell. Luckily, Dream didn't take the chance to keep attacking him. Instead, Dream started focusing on the others.
The three flying swordsmen kept slashing at Dream while he shifted between their attacks. Nothing was able to hit him, and it frustrated them. However, they knew Dream's energy couldn't be infinite, so they wanted to wear him down while making him expend energy. If they could get rid of all his weapons then they would be victorious even if he didn't die. Only, they were also starting to realize how terrifying their enemy actually was. They couldn't hit him even with all their power. Didn't this mean he couldn't be killed?
The three swordsmen kept attacking, but their attacks always seemed to miss of their own volition. Then, Dream fired 20 more shots in succession. They backed off while raising all their defenses.
Then, all 20 shots targetted a single person. The swordsman's eyes bulged as he mustered even more power. The attacks hit him from all sides.
*BOOM*
An explosion momentarily blinded everyone. However, Dream was immediately able to see what his attacks did. Without waiting, he started firing again at the same person. More attacks rained down.
Seeing Dream fire more shots at the same person, the two others went to attack him, trying to stop him. However, he couldn't be hit, so he couldn't be stopped from firing. Over 90 shots landed on that single person in the span of less than a minute.
Then, Dream stopped, and the area cleared. The barbarian as well as the two other swordsmen glanced at the third swordsmen who was targetted.
A completely bloodied body with a dozen holes throughout. The man didn't even have arms anymore, and he was generally unrecognizable.
"No! Damn you!"
The two other swordsmen were livid, throwing themselves at Dream with their strongest attacks. However, this time, Dream entered the chaotic void.
The next second, he appeared in front of the almost dead swordsmen. Dream's cosmic form raised his hand, plunging it into the man's chest.
"AHHH!!"
Suddenly, the man let out a horrifying scream. The entire battlefield froze up as everyone turned to Dream.
His cosmic form was clear as his hand was planted in the man's chest. After a moment of hesitation, the two other swordsmen launched more attacks, as did the barbarian. However, with the body, Dream was able to zip around.
Finally, under everyone's shocked eyes, Dream grabbed the man's body with his other hand and pulled. Like this, his soul was separated from his shell. Everyone felt a dreadful chill as Dream held up the swordsman's soul, dropping the body to the floor. The body didn't even hit the ground before it turned to dust, drifting off into the wind.
"..."
The battlefield was momentarily silent as everyone gazed at the soul. It was a large golden orb, perfectly round and releasing boundless power. It was the thing that gave a class 6 their power. It was their everything. Dream now held this soul in the palm of his hand.
"You were dragged into this, but you don't deserve great pain. Die peacefully."
Mumbling those words, Dream sent in a wisp of his power. The remnant consciousness and Will of the man inside the soul was quickly wiped out. There was a momentary flash of light in Dream's vision at that moment. Seeing this, he guided the light straight into his body.
With that, the soul was now mere material. Dream wrapped it up with layers of mana, securing its integrity before putting it into his inventory.
"You... You fiend!"
One of the flying swordsmen shakily pointed at Dream. He had just harvested a soul!
Dream turned to him.
"Relax. His consciousness is wiped. He's dead. It's not like he's going to suffer or anything."
"That's his soul, you monster! You are desecrating his very existence!"
"Existence? His existence is nothing but dimensional energy. Whatever. I'm not going to lecture you."
Without emotion, Dream raised his pistol again. The swordsmen gritted their teeth as they raised their defenses.
"Fight me, heathen!"
Just as he was about to fire again, the barbarian came roaring over. Dream disregarded him though, just moving around space as he fired at the second of the three swordsmen.
Like this, another barrage started. The first swordsman watched as his friend was subjected to the same thing. More than anything, he was horrified that Dream had so many beams of energy to constantly fire. How could he power such weapons?! It was mind boggling.
"Damn! You've forced me!"
Suddenly, the first swordsman roared. Then, he took out a device. Dream immediately noticed this. Shockingly, this device radiated the power of space.
"Hm, you should've pulled that out earlier."
"Shut up! Spatial Cage!"
With a shout, the swordsman threw out the item. It was a large orb, and with an explosion, it locked down space. Dream quickly found himself unable to bend space anymore. He especially couldn't tear open the chaotic void.
More than that though, Dream found his own body unable to move much. It's like he was being tied down by chains, vastly decreasing his speed.
"Wow. That's impressive. Very intriguing use of space. And, is it locking down my position on the dimension? So this uses the dimension as well. It's like it wants to maintain where I am, and moving goes against some kind of law. Dimensional reinforcement?"
"Die, you fiend!"
As Dream was analyzing the power that locked him down, both the two swordsmen and the barbarian came shooting over. Obviously they weren't locked down, so they could still move as freely as they have been.
Seeing their approach, Dream released his Will. Like that, he was able to fight for absolute control of the forces around him. However, as this item apparently used dimensional concepts and not just spatial, he still wasn't able to tear into the chaotic void. Using mana, he quickly moved around, but obviously not nearly as fast as before.
Because of this, he was subjected to the attack of two flying swords and the barbarian.
"Aegis."
"My lord!"
Suddenly, Aegis manifested over Dream. Because space was locked down, not even Aegis could use his chaotic void armor to defend. But his mana body was still filled with huge amounts of sheer power.
Mobilizing this power, Dream put away his gun, raising his hand. 100 marbles appeared, all of which he instantly tossed out. They were his fusion bullets.
"Shit!"
Seeing these, the barbarian cursed. He didn't know that these were the bullets Dream was firing, but any weapon Dream brought out was bad news. Still, he continued forward, slashing down with all his might. The two swordsmen were the same.
Then, the 100 marbles exploded. The entirety of their force was directed toward the three attackers. Dream stood in the midst of a cataclysmic explosion, watching the three get blown away.
There was a flash of light brighter than any star. Several seconds later when the dust settled, Dream looked between the barbarian and the two swordsmen. All three of them now had myriads of wounds, blood spilling from their bodies. There were a few holes through their torso and limbs, and one of the swordsmen had even lost an arm.
As for Dream, he had sustained a bit of a heavy wound himself. There was a sword that was now impaling him through the chest. It was the flying sword of the swordsman he had bombarded but not killed. With all the swordsman's power, he had sent this sword forth, attacking Dream at the expense of taking heavier damage from the marbles.
Without a word, Dream grabbed the sword, ripping it out of his chest. The sword vibrated as it tried to attack Dream's hand that gripped it, but when Dream sent in a burst of power, all that stopped.
"Ugh! No!"
Suddenly, the swordsman who was the owner of the sword fell to his knees, clenching his chest as blood streamed from his mouth. He had already been heavily wounded by Dream's attacks, but now, his soul had been hurt. Literally. The soul within the sword was a part of his, and Dream just destroyed it. It was no different from slicing a chunk of his soul out.
After that, Dream obliterated the sword in his hands. The wound in his chest also closed up, though not before some gray blood dripped out. Dream had seen the attack coming, and with Aegis's help, he was able to keep his soul from getting too wounded. He had still sustained damage though, so he was no longer at 100%.
Dream mumbled.
"So I've used about 240 marbles. One of you is almost dead now. I wonder if I can kill the other two before I run out of ammunition."
"Agh! Just die already!"
With a thunderous roar, the barbarian suddenly took something out of his inventory. Dream looked at it as he prepared his weapon.
The thing the barbarian took out was a sword. Only, it was a much smaller sword than the one he used. It looked like a small stick in his large hands. Still, Dream could feel copious amounts of aether radiate from this sword. It also felt ancient, as if it had lived for hundreds of thousands of years.
"Go to hell!!"
Launching forward, the barbarian swung this sword down on Dream. He watched as space constricted around the blade, concentrating on the target and preventing it from moving anywhere. The chaotic void was even opened along the path of the blade, directly tearing through the Spatial Cage they were still inside.
Finally, Dream was taking this weapon a bit seriously. If he let this blade hit him, then he could be torn in half. While this wouldn't kill him, it would injure his soul, and he could be put in a bad position. With the Spatial Cage locking him down as well, he wouldn't be able to run. If something didn't change, he could be cut down here.
However...
"You severely underestimate me if you think I haven't prepared more than this one gun."
Saying that, Dream suddenly raised his other hand. In it was the hand cannon, the weapon he had yet to use. He pointed it at a random point in the sky, pulling the trigger.