Chapter 784: Dream Lantern (Part 2)

So this is your dream.

Watching the massive hand descending from above, the veteran investigator instinctively clenched his legs, then glanced regretfully at the female journalist beside him.

"I can't move right now—give me the lantern… Nicole, I'm leaving him to you!"

"Understood."

The female journalist nodded, handed the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】 to the veteran investigator, then, under Leon's surprised gaze, deliberately raised her hand to meet the descending palm.

"Crash!"

As the giant hand came down, the top of the bell tower exploded violently, chunks of brick and stone spraying in all directions, sending up a thick cloud of gray dust into the air.

According to the law of "smoke without injury," this slap had been wasted.

Sensing the odd lack of resistance—as if he'd struck empty air—Leon immediately retracted his right hand, drew a deep breath, and from the swirling dust around the bell tower came a familiar, aged voice.

"Do you remember? I told you before…"

Twisting the handle of the 【Dream-Traveling Lantern】 to dim the light surrounding him, the veteran investigator stepped slowly out of the smoke and smiled.

"We'll meet again soon—you now… cough! Cough cough cough! What's that smell?!"

Uh… tonight's dinner was garlic spaghetti; the odor really was quite strong.

After exhaling a breath thick with garlic aroma that dispersed the dust atop the bell tower, Leon frowned tightly at the veteran investigator, whose face had turned slightly green.

"I knew it—you've got something wrong with you!"

"… "

Yes, I actually… never mind, I suddenly don't feel like talking to you anymore…

As Leon spoke, the garlic scent intensified further. The veteran investigator, unable to bear it, immediately covered his nose and mouth with a grim expression and took a half-step backward, clutching the lantern.

"And you!"

Having already established his Ultraman persona, now standing over forty meters tall, Leon bent slightly, fixing his gaze on the female journalist.

"Miss Nicole, I never expected to meet you here."

"… "

"What exactly are you two trying to do?"

"… "

"Is the Aquarius Director still alive? What's your connection to him?"

"… "

"Speak!"

"… "

Please just shut up!

Overwhelmed by the odor, now amplified manyfold as Leon's size surged, the female journalist leapt without hesitation—rising over thirty meters—and shoved hard against his chest.

"Lie down!"

At the female journalist's sharp command, Ultraman Leon—officially a tourist from M78 Nebula—his massive body weighing tens of thousands of tons—actually collapsed with a thunderous crash, flattening the street behind him.

So this is the 【No-Touch】? Even Ultraman can be pushed down?

After glancing at the journalist's clean, unblemished hands and recalling the relevant intelligence, Leon frowned again.

That strange lantern in her hands seems to fix the dream's scenery—so even though I'm the dream's master, I still can't make drastic changes to the environment.

Turning the Wang Palace into a paid park, adding a few skyscrapers or overpasses—that's already my limit. Anything more sci-fi simply won't fit into this dream. So… I still need to focus on "myself," then?

…

"Stop struggling."

Crushing something in his hand, dispelling the thick garlic odor from the bell tower's peak, the veteran investigator walked to the edge, looking down coldly at the fallen giant Leon.

"If I'm not mistaken, you dared to ambush me here because you knew you were the dream's master, and thought you could exploit that, correct?"

"… "

"You're too naive. Dreams aren't that simple."

Pulling a strange white rope from his pocket, he tossed it to the female journalist and sneered.

"Even in a false dream, one cannot conjure something entirely unfamiliar—saying 'I am equal to a god' doesn't grant divine power.

In a false dream, the strongest thing is reality."

"Your dream may be strange, but whether it's the Wang Palace turned into a garden or your seemingly mighty body, both are hollow shells, crumbling under scrutiny.

With your experience and understanding of power, you simply cannot conceive what true strength looks like—and thus cannot construct it within your own dream…

So stop struggling. Lie still. Before the Abyss of Fallen Souls descends, I'll spare your life!"

"… "

Thanks for the explanation… but are you certain the things I created in this dream aren't real enough?

After hearing the veteran investigator's words, Leon raised an eyebrow, decisively dropped his Ultraman persona, and his massive body rapidly shrank back to normal human size.

Though his chest lacked a countdown light, the fact that being pushed down landed him squarely across half a street proves his "Ultraman Leon" was reasonably authentic.

As for why Ultraman got pushed down anyway—it must be tied to the journalist's hands.

Her 【No-Touch】, when properly activated, forcibly resists all "contact" below the level of a true god. If no contact occurs, no matter how powerful Ultraman Leon's strength is, it's useless—so…

Time to switch to Super Saiyan!

…

Heh, given up already?

Watching Leon shed his giant form and return to normal size, the veteran investigator's lips curled slightly.

Believing an enemy's words—he's still too green.

The power of dreams is ultimately the power of belief. As the dream's master, he holds the highest level of "permission." So if he truly believes he can defeat me, the outcome remains uncertain.

But now that fear has taken root, if I keep undermining his confidence, make him doubt his own abilities, he'll gradually weaken, losing control over this dream.

Once the dream grows chaotic and his power is sufficiently drained, it'll be time… wait—why is his hair turning gold? And why is it sticking up like a hedgehog? And what's that blue glow in his hand?

(*–-)===3

…

"Hehe~"

"Kid?!"

Seeing Leon suddenly laugh in his sleep, the Black Goat tensed and shouted urgently:

"Wake up! Wake up now!"

"… "

"Your soul feels wrong—too agitated! Watch out for traps!"

"… "

"Don't sleep! Wake up! Stop laughing!"

"… "

"Wake up! What are you dreaming about? Why are you laughing so happily?!"

(End of Chapter)