bookbashuk Chapter 90 Merlin's Quiet Dream, Grandfather Suppresses the Demon!
Chapter 90 Merlin's Quiet Dream, Grandfather Suppresses the Demon!
Chapter 90 Merlin's Quiet Dream, Grandfather Suppresses the Demon!
Before the solemnity on Merlin's face had completely faded, the figure riding a celestial beast and surrounded by celestial light appeared at the entrance.
Taigong Wang's appearance was silent, yet it instantly froze the already tense atmosphere in the room to a freezing point.
The Red-Haired Pirates' officers instinctively gripped their weapons, their eyes scanning Merlin and the uninvited guest with suspicion.
Recalling Merlin's words, do these two unfathomable "magicians" know each other?
Merlin blinked his purple eyes, breaking the silence first, and put on that relaxed yet slightly irritating smile again.
"Oh dear, riding such an adorable mount, have you gotten lost?"
Taigong Wang gently patted Sibuxiang's neck, his voice as languid as ever.
"No, no, it came following an unusual trajectory. But you, sir, are quite swift in your actions."
His gaze swept meaningfully over the sleeping Uta.
The two exchanged pleasantries as if no one else was around, leaving the Red-Haired Gang members even more confused.
Beckman's brow furrowed, while Shanks's gaze was sharp as a knife.
"You know each other?" Yasopp couldn't help but ask, voicing everyone's unspoken question.
"know?"
"Nice to meet you."
Merlin and Taigong Wang spoke almost simultaneously, then exchanged a glance; one smiled slyly, while the other remained expressionless.
"Strictly speaking," Taigong Wang turned his gaze to Shanks, with a scrutinizing tone.
"I was summoned by the Master of the Black Faction, and together with you all, I am a potential adversary."
"An adversary?!" Raki Lu exclaimed, already raising his bone club.
"However," Taigong Wang changed the subject, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
"The Holy Grail War has not yet officially begun, and the troubles here are too much of an eyesore, disrupting the proper order. Before the dust settles, it would be in accordance with the will of Heaven to lend a hand and clean up the mess."
His gaze met Merlin's again, and the two seemed to have reached some kind of consensus in silence.
Next came a riddle session that left the Red-Haired Pirates completely bewildered, as if they were lost in a fog.
Merlin: "The source of contamination in the nest is hatching at an accelerated rate. If this drags on any longer, the script might completely fall apart."
Taigong Wang: "Hmm, the erosion of the rules is deeper than expected. The container itself has also become part of the breeding ground."
Merlin: "The last actor is about to go on stage. Before the curtain rises, the fire backstage must be put out."
Taigong Wang: "Time waits for no one. That thing must be dealt with immediately, otherwise it will turn the war into a complete mess."
Merlin: "Agreed. The spring cleaning should start early. But, as for the method..."
Taigong Wang: "Attack from both inside and outside, cut off the fuel supply. The interior belongs to you, the exterior to me. I will anchor the point firmly."
Beckman's cigar ash fell to the ground, and Yasopp rubbed his temples. Raki Lu looked on with a blank expression, as if asking, "What are you talking about?"
Gordon listened to the cryptic conversation, and although he didn't understand the specifics, he grasped the core meaning: the demon of song within Uta needed to be dealt with immediately, right now.
"etc!"
Gordon took a sudden step forward, his deep, powerful voice interrupting the two riddlers' encrypted call.
"You want to deal with demons? That's impossible!"
Shanks, who had been staring directly at Merlin and Taigong Wang, asked the most crucial and unsettling question: "What are you going to do? Won't this hurt Uta?!"
Upon hearing this, Merlin's smile turned somewhat amused. He looked at Shanks with great interest, his purple eyes seemingly able to see right through people's hearts.
"Oh? Master, that's an interesting question. Although I don't like answering questions with questions, I have to ask you."
He walked up to Shanks, his voice echoing as if from a distant dream.
"Then, my dear Master, let me ask you: you have two choices."
"One of them is your daughter."
"The other is this world, an abyss where even dreams may not exist."
Which one would you choose?
Shanks was startled!
Merlin's words and those deep purple eyes instantly pulled him back to that unforgettable dream—in the snowstorm.
A lonely blonde girl, holding the sword in the stone, with a kingdom on the verge of destruction beneath her feet. Should she draw the sword, or choose to remain silent?
A tremendous, icy pressure gripped Shanks' heart.
He looked at his sleeping daughter's pale face, and it was as if he saw the world being completely swallowed up by those strange things.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his teeth were clenched, but no sound came out of his throat.
This silence was more somber than any answer.
"Alright, Lord Merlin, stop teasing this father who loves his daughter so much."
Taigong Wang spoke at the opportune moment, breaking the heavy atmosphere. His voice was calm and carried a reassuring power.
"Our plan is not to sacrifice your daughter."
He looked at Shanks and explained.
"Within the dream, under the guidance of Lord Merlin, the foreign entity residing deep within your daughter's soul will be weakened."
"Outside of the dream, I will sever its connection with this polluted land and place a seal to completely suppress it here."
"A two-pronged approach, attacking from both inside and outside. In this way, we can both eradicate the scourge and protect your daughter's soul from severe damage to the greatest extent possible."
"But," Taigong Wang's gaze deepened.
"Only through action can we know how deeply your daughter is bound to that foreign object and the pollution of this land."
"The ultimate guarantee of completely removing the foreign object from her body may still lie in the upcoming Holy Grail War. If one can obtain the Holy Grail, its omnipotent power will ensure absolute safety."
Shanks took a deep breath, and the struggle in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination.
He got it.
This is currently the only and best solution.
He looked at Merlin: "What do you need me to do?"
Merlin smiled slightly: "It's simple, Master. Bring your trusted companions and come with me into the dream."
"Your existence, especially your will, will be the best beacon illuminating that twisted land, and also excellent bait to attract the attention of that alien entity. As for outside—"
He looked at Taigong Wang and said, "I'll leave it to this person who conferred the titles of gods."
"Action!" Shanks gave the order without hesitation.
Beckman and Yasopp stood by his side without hesitation.
Dual-track mission, begin!
With everyone's fighting spirit soaring, Merlin once again led them into this twisted musical hell.
The scene here is even more chaotic and desperate than what Merlin had just witnessed: broken musical staves, distorted musical instruments, and a nauseating mix of colors in the space.
At the heart of this chaos, the Song Demon Totemjika revealed an even larger form.
It was like a god made of destroyed musical instruments and fleshy spheres, its clown-like face raised, its eyes fixed on Shanks and the others who had broken in.
"Drive out and destroy the outsiders, they shall die!"
The demon let out a muffled roar, recklessly mobilizing the power of the entire dream!
A massive sonic blade tore through space, and chaotic noise coalesced into a shockwave, squeezing the entire dreamscape towards them like a boiling cauldron of oil.
"Pfft, you never learn your lesson."
Merlin's voice still carried a hint of nonchalance as he stood in front of Shanks and the others, casually waving his staff.
A soft, pinkish-white light unfolded, deflecting the demon's ferocious attacks. The sonic blade struck the light barrier, shattering into silent starlight. The impact was like hitting a deep pool, creating only a few ripples before vanishing without a trace.
"Go, Master, and brave crew members!" Merlin's voice carried a strange sense of encouragement.
"Use your will to illuminate this darkness! Let it see the true allure of dreams!"
Shanks roared, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki without reservation!
Strangely enough, inspired by Merlin, he felt his power grow even stronger.
The dark red aura was no longer an ineffective attack; it transformed into the sharpest sword, striking the demon.
Beckman's calm will was as solid as a rock, Yasopp's precise "lock-on" was as bright as a searchlight, and their fighting spirit was as fierce as a raging fire!
With the combined will of the three, and Merlin's blessing, they managed to carve out a stable area in this distorted chaos, like an isolated island on a dark sea.
This perfectly drew the majority of the demon's attention and attacks.
"Now!" Merlin's eyes blazed with purple light, and he raised his staff high, no longer with a mocking tone, but with an undeniable authority.
"O Demon of Sound, before you vanish, can you tell me what corrupted you?"
But the demon seemed to lack reason, and could only utter angry and meaningless roars.
Merlin smiled and shook his head: "Never mind, see you later."
Boom!
The pinkish-white light transformed into a surging torrent, carrying an absolute will to purify, and fiercely swept towards the demonic core at the center of the dream.
The surging dark vortex emitted a piercing scream, its form violently undulating under the scouring of pure magic. Merlin's power severed the stubborn connection between the demon and Uta's soul.
At the very same moment that Merlin launched his all-out attack in the dream!
Taigong Wang inside the room stirred.
He remained seated atop the Four-Unlikes, but his aura instantly became incredibly sharp!
Those lazy, squinting eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze that cut through illusion.
"Those who follow heretical paths and defile the very source, how dare they harbor living beings and poison this world!"
Jiang Ziya's voice was like thunder from the heavens, shaking the entire room.
The Red-Haired crew members left outside and Professor Gordon felt their souls tremble.
The God-Slaying Whip in his hand was no longer that inconspicuous fishing rod, but instead burst forth with divine light as bright as the sun!
The runes on the whip flowed, as if they contained the laws of heaven that judge all things!
Without any fancy moves, Taigongwang simply lashed out with his whip at the sleeping Uta and the shadow beneath her body that seemed to connect to the very root of the entire island!
*Smack!*
A sharp, tearing sound, as if space itself were being ripped apart, indicated that some connection had been severed.
A golden whip mark, whose power cannot be described in words, tore apart the boundary between matter and spirit.
It disregarded physical distance, striking directly at the point where reality and dreams overlapped, striking the demon of song, Totemjika, and the core of the polluted ley lines on the island of Elegia.
"Roar!"
A roar a hundred times more piercing than in the dream, filled with endless pain and fear, erupted from the depths of the earth!
The remaining dark purple moss in the room instantly withered and turned to ashes, the dark crystal in the corner shattered with a crack, and Professor Gordon fainted from fright.
The crew members of the Red-Haired Group, including the well-informed officers, were all utterly astonished.
They had witnessed the power of the Demon of Song firsthand back then. It was a terrifying existence that required a huge price to be paid and could only be barely sealed away when Uta fell asleep!
And this Taoist priest before us, with just one lash! Just one lash! almost shattered the demon's very foundation, reducing it to nothing!
Is this the true power of a top-tier Heroic Spirit?!
However, this is just the beginning!
Taigong Wang's eyes were cold. With a flick of his left hand, an ancient and profound bamboo scroll, exuding a vast and primordial aura, appeared in his hand.
It is the supreme treasure that holds the power of all gods and bestows titles upon the true gods of heaven and earth—the Investiture of the Gods!
The Investiture of the Gods unfolds slowly, without any wind!
The book shone with brilliance, flowing with endless golden runes, each rune seemingly containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, and the laws of order.
"The Way of Heaven is clear and bright; evil has no place here! In the name of the Primordial Celestial Venerable, I hereby decree this seal to suppress them!"
"Totemjika! Your form shall rest here!"
"Your soul is here on this list!"
"Those who do not follow the righteous laws of Heaven and Earth will never escape! So be it!"
Taigong Wang's voice accompanied the imperial decree, and every word caused the runes on the Investiture of the Gods to shine brightly.
Vast and boundless, the sealing power representing the order of heaven and earth descended across the world with a thunderous roar.
Centered on Uta's residence, a massive three-dimensional magic circle composed of countless golden runes instantly formed, covering the entire island of Elegia, penetrating deep into the earth's veins and reaching the clouds.
All the remaining filth on the island melted away as rapidly as ice and snow scorched by the blazing sun.
The cloying, decadent atmosphere that had permeated the entire island was completely dispelled by a pure and solemn aura.
Meanwhile, in the dream, the demon core, which was on the verge of collapse due to Merlin's magic, was firmly bound by a golden chain that descended from the void!
The chains, composed of countless tiny runes, ignored the demon's final struggles and cries, forcibly binding its disintegrating spirit.
In the end, it transformed into a twisted and struggling black shadow, and was forcibly dragged into the unfolded bamboo slips of the Investiture of the Gods.
On the bamboo slip, golden runes outlined the phantom of a demon roaring in pain, but it only flashed by and was then covered and sealed by more runes of order.
The image freezes.
Inside the room, the golden light slowly receded.
The bamboo slips of the Investiture of the Gods were closed and floated quietly in Taigong Wang's palm, as if they were just ordinary ancient artifacts.
Uta was still asleep, but his furrowed brows seemed to have relaxed a bit, and his breathing had become steady and long.
Taigong Wang sat upright atop the Four Impossibles, his aura returning to calm, as if the earth-shattering suppression from just moments before had never occurred.
Merlin and his group's figures also emerged from Uta's brow and solidified again.
He looked at the Investiture of the Gods in Taigong Wang's hand, a hint of understanding and admiration flashing in his purple eyes.
The members of the Red-Haired Pirates, whether it was Shanks and his two companions who had just returned from the dream, or the crew members who remained outside, all stood still like clay sculptures.
His face was filled with extreme shock and bewilderment, and he was unable to recover for a long time.
Only outside the window, the sky over Elegia Island seemed a bit clearer than before.
And that suffocating silence quietly receded, leaving only the boundless stillness of someone who had survived a catastrophe.
The Demon of Song, Totemjika, is a force to be reckoned with, both in form and spirit!
Ignoring the horrified looks on everyone's faces, Taigong Wang gently handed the Investiture of the Gods to the Four-Faced Beast.
"Sorry, Dragon Beard Tiger isn't here, so please take this for now. Keep it safe."