The Righteous Player(s)

Chapter 430: Nightmare: Dreams Within A Dream, Clear!

Annan ended his sentence.

The vast, ice-blue pupil finally came over and stopped in the captain’s room where Annan and the white-haired youth were.

For some reason, Annan had a strong hunch in his heart.

He chose not to move but calmly accepted that light’s basking.

The icy blue light shone on Annan’s back, casting a long projection that shrouded “Danton, ” crouching on the ground.

As predicted.

Annan was unharmed under his own “scrutinizing” gaze.

The damage he suffered in the nightmare previously had rejuvenated.

As Annan’s vigor gradually stabilized, “Danton” opposite Annan slowly curled up, and his presence weakened.

Annan had collected all seven fear fragments.

There was a saying in this world that a person would only be unlucky seven times in a row. The reason being “seven” was the number of luck and accidents. Danton only had seven chances to launch offenses directly at Annan.

After seven times, the “accident” was over.

At this moment, this place was Annan’s home base.

The self-seeing eye on the sky was a mechanism like a firewall.

It existed to seek out and kill the invader in the consciousness: “Danton”.

In a sense, “Danton” was a “Trojan horse” [1] – he combined Annan’s memories. Naturally, some belong to Annan’s emotions, and some belong to Annan’s will.

He would be determined as the “changed Annan”.

Originally, the “self-seeking” eye would not be able to detect Danton.

When Danton invaded other people’s minds previously, he had never failed once when he used this method.

However, Annan was unique.

Annan had incomparable confidence and affirmation of his form and soul.

Annan was sure his trajectory would not change deep down in his heart. If there were any growth and changes, he was well aware of the direction he would be heading.

Even when there was an impurity in the process, Annan would eliminate them immediately.

His self-belief and self-discipline were not human-like.

“You have failed.” Annan raised his eyebrows and looked down at “Danton” with his hands in his pockets, “Do you know why you have failed?”

“The chef doesn’t look at the recipe but read the art of war!” “Danton” responded subconsciously.

[TN: A Chinese saying that someone is being scammed terribly and he has to resort to out-of-the-box aspects to counter the scams.]

“—Ooh, as expected of me!”

However, Annan was not surprised or stunned by this comment. Instead, he reached out his hand and applauded excitedly and happily, “That’s a good saying!”

“Aren’t you wanting to kill me?” “Danton” looked up from the shadows and looked at Annan with complex eyes, “Now you can.”

“I can.” Annan replied, “But I don’t believe you.

“I don’t think you will perish so easily even if I kill you here. I want to eradicate you.” With Annan’s voice, the world around him trembled again.

The world had changed again.

The captain’s cabin gradually collapsed and was flattened. The three-dimensional world slowly turned into a plane and a high mountain later.

That icy blue pupil became even bigger and penetrated the sky’s veil.

But this time, Annan and Danton were thrown into a new world.

Danton was powerless in front of Annan and was fixed on the guillotine.

The shape of the guillotine was precisely the same as what Annan had seen from the Pale Princess.

It was the place of judgment for the immortals — powerful enough to end everything.

“You modified other people’s memories without authorization for your selfish desires.” Annan’s voice rumbled in the sky.

“You stole others’ status and identities.

“You bullied the weak, confused the mind, and toyed with others.

“You live by stealing. You’re a thief of the mind, Danton.”

“What is this? Are you putting me on trial?”

“Danton” couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “But that’s what our Soul Snatch school is all about. I’ve been taught this way since I was a kid.

“It’s all about ‘having everyone to serve me’. We are weak and limited, and I can’t do anything alone. So we must make good use of the power of others to survive and progress further in this world.

“Since the purpose is to take advantage of others, does the outer shell have a moral value?”

Danton argued slyly like Annan’s sophistry.

Use confusion as the knife and plunge at the core like a spear.

However, Annan wasn’t being dragged around by his nose.

After all, Annan also possessed this sophistry.

“Indeed, there’s nothing wrong with using the power of others to achieve your own goals. It’s a life choice, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Unexpectedly, Annan did not deny the matter.

He replied softly, “It’s just that you are accustomed to stealing for a living, and you are accustomed to the life you can readily get your hands on. This will make your soul lazy, not thinking about progress, and not trying to change;

“You think that you are a strong person, and you play with the fate and mind of the weak at will, which will make you arrogant and less cautious;

“If you don’t respect other people’s past, that weakens your will and resilience.

“In every challenge you have faced in the past, you have chosen the most inferior and simplest answer. Your truancy from the life lessons will send you to the grave you dug with your own hands.”

That would be this moment and this place.

“Your failure is inevitable. You will encounter the same fate even if you don’t meet me. In the end, you will still fail.

“That’s because you were originally a loser, and that’s why you came to this place.”

Thus…

Failure…

All the fears Danton instilled in Annan were various scenarios and types of [Failures].

That was because Danton had an intense fear of failure.

He was a complete failure himself.

He was terrified of his failure, particularly Bernardino, who defeated him with an unstoppable force. This fear was deeply engraved in his brain and had not been overcome even to this day.

He had a fear of his identity being discovered, the fear of his strength being nullified, the fear that made him indecisive, the fear of being powerless, the fear of sacrifice, the fear of repeated failure, and the fear of death.

Ahhh.

I see.

Everything is clear now.

Danton took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

They weren’t Annan’s fears all along.

Instead, his fears were turned into nightmares.

It happened because Annan’s and Danton’s memories were mixed when Danton absorbed them.

Although Danton wanted to murder Annan and trap the sentience, Danton instinctively created nightmares that came from his fear.

That was how Annan overcame some levels so easily.

It was not that Danton’s dream control became inferior.

Instead, the fear of [Failure] in his heart had not dissipated.

“Yeah, I failed…” Danton smiled wryly and slowly lowered his head to the guillotine.

He had been playing with dreams for decades. However, Annan, who was not even a Soul Snatch Wizard, had a much more thorough grasp of human hearts.

What an…

At his life-and-death moment, the cordless beheading blade hanging high above his head slammed down.

It easily cut off Danton’s neck.

“What an irony.”

No mind reading was required.

Annan calmly continued Danton’s last words.

The world in front of Annan instantly turned into darkness.

Nightmare: Dreams Within A Dream—

—Perfect Clear.