Chapter 148: Truly, Becoming Blank

In an instant, countless thorny vines spread across the throne, instantly pinning Zhang Jie firmly to the throne.

Zhang Jie instantly felt something was wrong; although the thorns caused no harm now, this was clearly not a good omen.

The next moment, above the throne, in that gray sky, five huge swords suddenly appeared, hanging just above Zhang Jie's head.

【King's Sword of Virtual-Reality Separation】

【Effect: % HP execute effect, true damage, unaffected by damage reduction; those slain by it shall see the truth】

【Description: Its creator hoped you would break free from illusion and embrace reality】

Zhang Jie only had time to glance at their attributes; the next moment, the five huge swords dropped at extreme speed, piercing his chest and nailing him firmly to the throne.

「Damn! 」

「Zhang Jie!!! 」

Yu Xiaomo widened her eyes, shouting anxiously, ready to rush forward.

「Shaleng, don't move! 」

Liu Delie also hastily waved his wand, trying to stop the huge swords above Zhang Jie's head, but it was too late.

The five huge swords fell in rapid succession; aside from Liu Delie, no one present took any effective action.

Zhang Jie had four lives left, while there were exactly five huge swords.

Zhang Jie's buff raised his max HP to 9000%, and the swords' execute effect was exactly %.

Everything seemed prepared for Zhang Jie, as if they would not rest until he was placed in a deadly situation.

At the moment Zhang Jie's HP dropped to zero, the mission panels of the others around him also changed at that instant.

【Second Stage final mission has been activated!】

【Mission: Between Virtual and Real】

【Description: The old king is dead, the legend crowned, shatter illusion, return to reality】

「No!!! 」

Yu Xiaomo let out a heart-rending cry, her small frame rushing forward, wanting to grab Zhang Jie on the throne.

But the next moment, Zhang Jie's body suddenly burst forth with endless nightmare fluid, flying outward in all directions; at that moment, all top-player gamers were directly kicked out of the game, leaving only the silhouette of Zhang Jie impaled by the swords on the throne.

Nightmare fluid flowed from Zhang Jie's dead body, blackness covering the land; endless nightmares appeared once again at this moment.

These nightmares were no longer those summoned by the former Nightmare King; they were no longer twisted shapes, but became the kind summoned by Zhang Jie, possessing concrete forms and appearances.

Meanwhile, on the throne, the five huge swords slowly rose, floating on their own behind the throne.

Zhang Jie's 'corpse' slowly sat up, the wounds on his body gradually healing.

It looked at its own hands, twisted its neck, and sat steadily upon the throne.

Behind it, several powerful nightmares appeared—indeed the ones Zhang Jie most often commanded, with the ancient dragon and arcane arts among them.

Countless streams of nightmare fluid converged, forming a purplish-black coat, while a black crown appeared above his head.

He crowned himself; he has become the new king!

【Ultimate X-rank game "Nightmare" is under maintenance, please players re-enter later~】

At the moment everyone was kicked out, the system prompt of Dream Online appeared before their eyes; some only then realized what had just happened.

「No... no... 」

Yu Xiaomo knelt on the ground, unable to believe what was happening before her eyes.

Zhang Jie... did he just die like that?

She couldn't believe it; just half an hour ago, Zhang Jie had, under her words, regained confidence, shouting that he would become the Ultimate Player.

And now, how could it...

Liu Delie frowned tightly, reaching out to touch the teleport point of the Ultimate Game, but felt a strong repelling force emanating from his hand.

「Damn! 」

At this moment, a top-player gamer noticed that the mission panel had updated again, and the information there became even more confusing.

「I don't believe it... I don't believe it! 」

Yu Xiaomo rose, sprinting toward the teleport point, but was flung away by an immense repelling force, her small body rolling repeatedly on the ground before stopping.

Pain spread; Yu Xiaomo lay on the ground, her emotions finally unbearable, pouring out continuously.

「Top-player Zhang Jie was killed in the Ultimate Game; this news soon hit the hot searches, people felt shocked and regretful at the passing of this new star, while also doubting his death. 」

「Regardless of outside gossip, when Yu Xiaomo exited the Dream Realm, she immediately ran to your home, but saw nothing. 」

「Zhang Jie should have become a vegetative state, but his body mysteriously vanished without a trace. 」

「And his mother, that gentle and beautiful woman, also mysteriously disappeared at this moment, leaving nothing behind. 」

「Staff of the Dream Management Bureau quickly began investigating, checking surveillance and dream records, but found nothing. 」

「Zhang Jie seemed to have never existed; if not for the traces he left online and the memories he gave others, he would be indistinguishable from never having existed. 」

「But the most terrifying thing is not this, but the increasingly frequent appearance of nightmares. 」

「Those twisted nightmares before seemed to vanish in an instant; now the nightmares that appear all have regular forms and intelligence! 」

「In a single day, over fifty nightmare intrusion incidents occurred nationwide; just that day, nearly ten thousand people died! 」

「Besides the players, the existence of those who died was completely erased; the figure of nearly ten thousand is a conservative estimate, as some of the dead cannot be counted at all. 」

「For a time, the world again fell into extreme panic, while nightmares showed no sign of stopping, continuing to slaughter humans in every corner they could invade. 」

「Many residential complexes inexplicably gained many empty houses, and street shops began to disappear continuously; everyone knows what happened, but cannot stop it. 」

「At this point, many people realized that the monsters named 'Blank' spawned from the earlier nightmare chaos were not truly 'Blank' at all. 」

「Forgotten by the world, existence completely erased, no one cares, no one remembers. 」

「This.... is truly becoming 'Blank'」

This.... is truly becoming 'blank'.