"Lord of Nightmares!"
Amidst the continuous screams and pleas for mercy from the Nightmares, the supposedly extinct [Dream Eating Anomalous Carapace] reappeared in another form within the Demonic Soul Abyss, ravenously devouring all the gathered Nightmares around it.
And with the dual "feasting" from himself and the Dream Eating Anomalous Carapace, the half-severed mirrored crown atop Nightmare Leon’s head showed signs of faint restoration.
I already warned you!
Seeing the Cleaners retreating in shock from the rapidly expanding sea of insects, the immensely enlarged Nightmare Leon snorted coldly with a sense of satisfaction, then accelerated his "feasting" once again.
The earlier performance of these Cleaners was most likely to stall until reinforcements arrived. The longer it dragged on, the less favorable the situation would be for him, but he couldn’t escape now. If he turned back to fight the "original," he would easily be slowly "assimilated." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI[F]ire.net
Thus, his choice was reduced to only one path... directly consume massive amounts of Nightmares born from nightmares, forcibly replenishing the remaining [Nightmare] authority, and becoming a new Lord of Nightmares!
Although completing [Nightmare] authority this way required consuming an astonishing number of Nightmares—likely enough to devour half the entire Demonic Soul Abyss—it was all worth it!
As long as he could completely transcend the difference between man and god and become an actual god, he would gain acknowledgment from the entire Dream Realm. At that point, he would be immune to "assimilation" from the "original," becoming an invulnerable, genuine King of Nightmares!
With Nightmare Leon’s all-out effort, using millions of Nightmares gathered nearby as "nourishment," the carpet of insects spreading from him began to grow exponentially, no matter how the Cleaners tried to kill them, the black and gold beetles just multiplied endlessly.
"These bugs... there are too many!"
"There’s no end to them!"
"We can’t stop them!"
No! This can’t go on!
Amidst the Cleaners’ anxious responses, Leon looked at the endless black and gold beetles in front of him, and at the impostor already restoring the mirrored crown and undergoing a faint transformation, his fists clenched tightly.
When he called Abigail’s name, Leon stood far away, but as he apologized with a regretful tone, he was already behind Abigail.
Once again seized by the arm by Leon, Abigail, guessing what he intended, froze entirely.
Big brother! This is the third time! What grudge do you have against me? With so many people around, why are you fixated on eating me? And, can you do it quickly? If you’re going to eat, just... ah!
Under the Cleaners’ shocked gazes, the once human-like Leon’s body suddenly swelled dozens of times, his once clean, fair skin turning blood-red in an instant.
A flood of seemingly endless blood flowed sticky and unceasingly from his facial skin downwards, gurgling into the black river water below, while an ancient gate dividing life and death began to open slowly behind him.
Even while "feasting" in the Dream Realm, a non-material realm, could visions still appear?
Taking a surprised glance at the looming Death’s Door, due to the "impostor" appearing close to becoming a god, and the urgency of the situation, Leon didn’t delve further and simply opened his mouth, tossing the screaming Abigail inside.
He actually ate her!!!!!!!!!
Even though they had been warned many times before, knowing Leon would gorge himself when pushed too far, the Cleaners were still shocked witnessing him devour Abigail in one bite.
However, what shocked them even more...
It seemed like it wasn’t enough.
Grasping the also gigantic [Silver Dagger of Cutting], after exterminating a large swath of the insect sea stretching to his feet, Leon estimated the black and gold beetles’ proliferation speed and couldn’t help but sigh.
Following this, his blood-stained giant figure vanished instantly, reappearing behind a fleeing second-level Cleaner from the Aries Branch, grabbing him in one fell swoop.
Why are you apologizing? You clearly have no shame!
Seized by Leon, the weeping Cleaner from the Aries Branch knew he was doomed, summoning his last courage to shout out before being tossed into Leon’s mouth:
"Ashima! Take them and run! Don’t let... ah!!!"
With the Aries Branch Cleaner’s "last" warning, the remaining Cleaners reacted immediately, frantically fleeing away from Leon, relying on the acceleration provided by the [Cursed Mercury].
But before they could start, Nightmare Leon, noticing the soul strength of the "original" soaring, had already begun forcibly deploying Nightmares and black gold beetles for a joint massacre, attempting to kill these "nourishments" that would strengthen the "original."
Not just deploying Nightmares; to increase the killing efficiency and prevent these "nourishments" from being consumed by the "original," Nightmare Leon’s hand again reached for the mirrored crown atop his head.
Noticing Nightmare Leon’s movement, Leon’s gaze sharpened slightly, then activated the [Unfair Serpent Pact], forcibly summoning the entire [Cursed Mercury].
And utilizing the high speed provided by the cursed mercury, he transformed into a silver streak, rushing to save any struggling Cleaner, though his method of saving...
The safest place now is in my stomach!
It’s not just Cleaners, even Nightmares on the road to rescue!
Nightmare Leon has protection from the gray fog robe; I can’t hurt him for now. Eating the Nightmares before him also slows his continued "evolution!"
So... I must eat! And eat voraciously!
Under the terrified eyes of the Cleaners, the blood-covered Leon seemed genuinely deranged, just like his counterpart Nightmare Leon, stuffing whatever he caught into his mouth. Thanks to the speed boost from the [Cursed Mercury], his eating pace wasn’t much slower than Nightmare Leon’s.
In merely a few hours, faced with the two Leons’ extreme devouring, the entire area around them was emptied, the originally gathered millions of Nightmares eaten without a trace.
Except for holding the Pisces director’s hand with Ameen and a trembling snail hiding behind them, the surroundings were devoured into silence by the two of them, leaving only the pitch-black waters of the Nightmare River.