Cursed Immortality

Chapter 1213: Primary Nightmare: A Light in the Void

A cold realization settled in Jacob’s mind as he thought, ‘If this creature fell, I would fall with it, and unlike Whiteness, there would be no escape as it didn’t have Whiteness’s talent of Void Autocrat…’

But all of a sudden, something changed as the special Zodiac Beast’s intent shifted from fear and desperation to hope!

When Jacob sensed that unexpected intent, his eyes flickered with a hint of astonishment as he thought maybe the Legendary Noble State Zodiac Beast had given up the chase.

But it clearly wasn’t the case, as that monstrosity was still chasing after them relentlessly.

However, Jacob soon noticed something strange, and it was probably the source of the Fable Legendary State Zodiac Beast’s hope.

Ahead, Jacob felt something appear, but then there was nothing, and then again, a distortion was felt, and this time it was stronger than before.

Right at that moment, when Jacob was wondering if there was something wrong with this Primary Nightmare, suddenly a crack appeared like a fracture in the void itself. Unlike anything before, not violent or chaotic, but utterly wrong.

Jacob’s thoughts halted, ‘What is that…?’

Just like Jacob, the special Zodiac Beast also noticed it, but unlike the former, the latter didn’t even consider the possibility of it being dangerous, as only survival filled its mind.

The next moment, it surged forward with everything it had left, and behind it, as if sensing the anomaly ahead, the three-headed monstrosity accelerated, its killing intent exploding as it closed in for the final strike.

The fleeing beast also reached the crack and, without hesitation, forced itself inside, dragging Jacob along. The latter’s vision twisted as the space collapsed, and then silence reigned.

Behind them, just as the pursuing beast arrived, the fracture in the void suddenly closed instantly without any traces as if it had never existed, leaving the enraged monstrosity reeling with madness.

On the other hand, the moment he dragged along in that mysterious fracture in the void, everything changed, and Jacob felt it immediately that the void was gone, replaced by something else.

‘Light?!’

Jacob was astounded, as this was the first time he had seen real light in the emptiness of the Universal Void, and it was not blinding or harsh, but soft, flowing, and felt almost alive.

Moreover, this ‘light’ drifted through the space like liquid radiance, shimmering in impossible hues that didn’t belong in existence. Colors that shouldn’t exist in the void danced silently, wrapping around everything in a surreal calm.

Even someone like Jacob found this light beautiful, but because it existed in a place like the Universal Void and because he had reached it through an unknown means, he found its presence there wrong and terrifying.

The massive Zodiac Beast also stopped as if bewildered by the light that it should’ve seen for the first time ever since it was born as a concept of ‘light’, and ‘colors’ simply don’t exist for a Zodiac Beast.

That’s also why, for the first time, it hesitated, and now that it couldn’t sense the dangerous Zodiac Beast’s presence anymore, it became slightly relaxed but still remained highly vigilant.

But right at that moment, the light touched the special Zodiac Beast, and thereby, everything began to burn!

Apparently, the special Zodiac Beast’s Void Energy reacted violently the moment its physique came in contact with the light, as if it had been thrown into something fundamentally incompatible.

Thus, its massive body began to break apart, not through force, but through dissolution like water meeting the sun or existence being undone. Its form vaporized slowly yet inevitably.

The special Zodiac Beast finally panicked as this strange place turned out even more dangerous than the jaw of the Legendary Noble State Zodiac Beast, and a silent scream echoed through its being as it tried to pull back.

But it was only then that it was realized that there was nowhere to go, as the path seemed to have vanished as if it could only lead inside.

Jacob felt it too, as the moment that light brushed against his Zodiac Beast physique, it was ignited like the special Zodiac Beast, and this light seemed to be even affecting his very soul.

‘I was right! Just what is this light that could appear in the middle of the Universal Void?! How could it still affect my soul despite being a mere projection of a Dreamscape! Or could it be it’s only affecting the ‘Zodiac Beast’ persona and the trace of my soul attached to it?

‘But according to the process, Whiteness should also be here if this is a part of his Nightmare…could it be he had been following us and ended up inside this space? Just what is the source of Whiteness’s nightmare? It couldn’t be this light and this special Zodiac Beast that led him here?’

Just as Jacob seemed to have gasped something, pain unlike anything before consumed him, and this pain wasn’t physical or not even mental but existential, as if his entire being was burning, and then unraveling before disappearing.

As his thoughts scattered and his identity blurred, even Anachronism showed signs of failure.

‘No, I need to keep my mind stable! It’s just as I suspected, only this role’s identity seemed to be burning, but because I’m attached to it, I’m feeling the same pain and hallucinating as if I, myself, am experiencing it…’ Jacob stabilized his mind, but it was harder than he anticipated.

Right at that moment, just as everything began to collapse, as Jacob’s ‘Zodiac Beast’ consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion…

An ethereal, cold voice, filled with absolute malice, echoed. “Filthy Void-born…dare to touch the sacred Light of Aurora?!”

Just as that voice trailed off, thereafter, everything shattered.

Jacob’s eyes snapped open, and he was back.

However, not in the Dreamscape Realm, but in his real body within the Infinity Space, and his mind was still burning, yet those final words, ‘Light of Aurora,’ still echoed like an obsession!