Chapter 501: 2.2 Main·Pinokangni (172)

"If Miss Huangquan hadn't pre‑arranged things, we might have been forever sunk in this dream."

Huangquan: "The fate of order controls all things, yet it cannot affect the void itself. I only realized this when the dreamer expelled me at any cost."

"That is why you felt something off when you walked with her before," Black Swan shook her head, sighed lightly, "But I wasn't so lucky; even as a Rememberer I am still affected by order and fall into hallucinations. Still, thanks to your memory, we now have a chance to survive a dead end."

"Mortals may possess the great power of destiny, but they cannot create a flawless world like a god. Hence flaws appear in your dream. In other words, once you perceive the world's irregularities, consciousness can pull itself out of the dream."

Black Swan: "The flaw in your dream is that Mi Sha, who shouldn't exist in reality, appears. It was only when I turned that page of memory that I became sure I was also inside a hallucination."

Xing's gaze dimmed slightly, a hint of disappointment: "I never thought we'd actually lose…"

"Now, Xingqiri seized the Qi Xiang Choir's power through the Harmonic Grand Festival. Asdeena also fell into the Great One's Dream, turning everyone into its notes equally. Yet failure does not mean your strength is weaker; on the contrary, only the strong can stand opposite the beautiful dream and break order's constraints."

——

Chainsaw Man.

"The Great One's Dream… is fake, which means… Miss Machima beside me is fake…"

Dianci felt his speech stumbling, and secretly glanced at the meticulously dressed Machima beside him.

It was afternoon; sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappled shadows dancing on Machima's profile. She tilted her head slightly, her vortex‑like eyes calmly fixed on him, a familiar, heart‑racing smile curving her lips.

"Dianci, why are you constantly staring at me?" Her voice was gentle, like a feather brushing his ear.

A pleasant voice…

No.

The Great One's Dream… this is real!

The Machima before him was so vivid—the curve of her hair strands, the rhythm of her breathing, the temperature when her fingertips brushed his back of the hand, even the faint perfume‑mixed scent on her, matched the Machima in his memory down to the last detail.

How can a dream be this realistic?

"Miss Machima…" Dianci's voice turned slightly hoarse, like a saw being pulled back and forth, "Um, are you… real?"

Machima blinked, then suddenly leaned in, so close that only her enlarged face filled Dianci's pupils.

"Dianci… what do you think?"

The woman's warm breath brushed his lips, reminding Dianci of freshly baked, warm toast, while Miss Machima's lips were like strawberry jam spread on the toast.

Dianci's throat tightened.

Can't worry about all that! Fake or real, what you can touch is the best! With that thought, Dianci couldn't help pressing his face a bit closer to Machima, his flushed cheeks dotted with bead‑sized sweat.

He gritted his teeth and finally voiced the words he had been holding inside.

"Miss Machima, may I kiss—"

Before the words left his mouth, a finger of Machima was already pressed against his lips.

"Let's go watch a movie, okay? Dianci, after the movie I can do anything with you~"

——

"Now we still have a sliver of hope. To make it real… Black Swan, lead us to meet those who are equally strong."

The three walked down the corridor, seeing many people lost in beautiful dreams along the way. In the hall, they soon spotted a familiar, lucid face—Zhigengniao.

Seeing the three, Zhigengniao's eyes brightened: "Finally, you're here."

"Meet Miss Zhigengniao. She is the one who awoke from the Great One's Dream by her own will, and this steadfast lady tirelessly guided us here with her song."

Zhigengniao's gaze was forlorn: "The reason I am lucid is the same as yours. In the dream, I experienced things that could never happen in reality…"

Zhigengniao's hallucination involved her brother; in the dream, he was the one who voluntarily suggested sending the little bird soaring high. His philosophy differed completely from the real Xingqiri, which instantly made Zhigengniao realize she was inside a hallucination.

"This is also our final hope. The Great One's Dream is built upon the embodiment of the Qi Xiang Choir—【Tongyuan】. Only when the wishes of all beings of Pinokangni unite can it manifest."

"Now it has become indestructible because people desire to remain asleep in the dream. To destroy it—we must make everyone of Pinokangni 'want to wake from the dream.'"

"That's not an easy goal to achieve," Black Swan's gaze darkened, "But the question is, how do we do it?"

Xing rubbed his head: "How about we just return to the Great One's Dream?"

Black Swan chuckled, "Backed out, huh? What a pity, human consciousness always leans toward reality. Since you've already sensed the dream's flaw, you can't go back."

"People's yearning for beautiful illusion borders on obsession, a mindset that subconsciously resists… the cruel truth. I even carefully chose a moment when Xingquan was completely unguarded, guiding her to uncover the truth herself, so she could regain lucidity."

——

Jujutsu Kaisen.

"The Great One's Dream… could the Sukuna before us also be fake?"

Huzhang stared in disbelief at the Sukuna lying on the ground, his fist smashing into Sukuna's face; the dull thud of bone meeting flesh rang sharply in the silent battlefield. Sukuna's head snapped sideways, blood spilling from his mouth, yet his expression remained twisted, a grotesque disbelief.

"What a joke…" Sukuna's voice rasped, "This can't be…"

Just a few minutes earlier, Sukuna swaggered into the High Specialized Gate; the sudden appearance of the King of Curses instantly put everyone on alert, however—

"For some reason, Sukuna couldn't even withstand three moves in front of Wujiao Wu."

The 'He' attack, originally a 120% power 'welcome gift', instantly crushed half of Sukuna's body; though under the reversal technique he quickly recovered and tried to unfold a domain—yet the seals on both sides lasted less than a second, and the Fumo Yuchi collapsed instantly in the clash with the Infinite Void, leaving Sukuna in a cursed technique breakdown state.