The battle was finally under control. Clusters of crimson flames rained down from the sky, striking groups of Dream Wraiths still surging toward the city walls. Old Moe stood with arms raised, the Vermilion Birds swirling overhead, shrieking as they swooped through the air.
The sight stunned me. It seemed all those Vermilion Birds were under Old Moe's command, their beaks opening wide to spew fire. On the ground, the Dream Wraiths had begun retreating toward the eastern woods. I breathed a sigh of relief.
The shouts and cries atop the city wall gradually faded away, disappearing completely. Most of the Dream Wraiths had been dealt with. Old Moe, still dressed like a beggar, held his arms high, his entire body radiating crimson fire as he closed his eyes and directed the Vermilion Birds that danced in the sky.
“Old Moe, that's enough! Stop!” Watching the fleeing Dream Wraiths being hunted down one by one, I felt a pang of guilt and couldn't help but shout.
Old Moe finally opened his eyes and smiled at me. Then he slowly lowered one hand, and the crimson flames on his body began to withdraw inside him. The soaring Vermilion Birds gradually turned into small clusters of fire and streamed back into Old Moe's body.
I couldn't help but marvel at the scene—so many Vermilion Birds swirling in the air, all under Old Moe's control. I was deeply grateful to him; I was exhausted, and the city wall was a mess. If not for Old Moe's arrival, Dream City would likely have fallen.
After a while, all the released Vermilion Birds returned to Old Moe's body. He stepped lightly on a crimson mist and slid down to stand in front of me.
“Hey, son-in-law, what happened to you?”
I forced a smile, then closed my eyes. The exhaustion of these past days had caught up to me. In just a moment, my consciousness blurred, and I slipped into unconsciousness.
When I woke again, the first thing I saw was Susie's worried face. I managed a faint smile.
I shouted, and Old Moe nodded.
"It's true, it's a real mess now. If all the Dreamers are wiped out, this world will collapse completely."
"If you know that, why are you still..."
"I have no choice, son-in-law. Mona Ouyang must die." Old Moe spoke, his face set with determination, as if nothing could change his mind.
I stood up, staring blankly at Old Moe. My hostility toward Mona Ouyang had diminished a lot at this moment.
"Ethan, think carefully. The Ghost Burial Squad incident—have you forgotten?"
Old Moe's tone was stern. I lowered my head. It was true—back then, Mona Ouyang had joined forces with people from the Ghost Mound, searching for the Nightmare Stone, and nearly destroyed the Ghost Burial Squad.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy.
"Are you planning to have Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts kill him tomorrow?" I asked. Old Moe nodded.
"At this point, it's the only way."
"But if Endbringer isn't stopped, this world will end."
I shouted loudly. Old Moe stood up and walked step by step toward me.
"Ethan, what can you stop? Nothing, right? Whether it's the end of this world or Mona Ouyang's death, do you really think tomorrow will be like the last two days? The things you could protect are already gone, Ethan."
With a creak, I pushed open the door and walked out, looking at the distant gray sky.
"Maybe that's true. The things worth protecting are long gone, Old Moe. But this is my interest, I guess. No matter what happens tomorrow, I won't let this world disappear, and I won't let Mona Ouyang die."
I said firmly, then walked away.
I walked all the way to the city wall, meeting many residents along the way. They all thanked me, and I smiled as I reached the watchtower. Now the problem was, we were running dangerously low on bullets—there was no way to keep firing like we did two days ago.
After yesterday’s battle, fewer than five hundred residents were left here. But at least some hope had returned to them. Today, I decided to finally tell them the whole truth.
I found Xiaoxing and told him to notify all the residents. They all had the right to know what would happen next—I wasn’t going to hide anything from them.
Gradually, more and more residents put down their work and gathered beneath the city wall, behind the main gate. I looked around; almost everyone had arrived.
"First of all, I want to thank everyone. Last night, thanks to your efforts, we're still alive today. Next, I want to tell you what will happen to this world after tomorrow."
I shouted, and the residents below, along with fewer than fifty remaining Dreamers, listened quietly. I began to explain—the relationship between Dreamers and Dream Wraiths. They are the foundation of the Dream Realm, while the residents here are foreign elements that disrupt this world's balance.
As soon as I said this, many residents' faces turned uncertain. But this was something they would have to face, whether it was their last day or not—life or death.
Then I continued. If the last Dreamer dies, this world will completely collapse and disappear. As for Endbringer, I didn’t mention it. I only told the residents that if this world is restored, they will be expelled from the Dream Realm, becoming ghosts—the only destination is the Underworld.
There was dead silence below. No one voiced an opinion—the air was heavy with despair.
"This is the situation now. Whether you’re a Dreamer or a resident, tomorrow—either this world is destroyed or it survives. In either case, you residents will not exist in this world any longer."
After I finished, I slowly walked down from the city wall. I saw many residents with faces ashen with despair. The efforts of the past two days had all been for nothing.
Gradually, the crowd started to argue—curses and cries filled the air. Things grew chaotic. Only today had they glimpsed a sliver of hope, and now, whether they resisted or not, they would be erased completely.
Old Moe stood quietly to the side, watching the residents. I walked over to him.
"Ethan, I never thought you'd lay it all out for them."
I nodded.
"No matter what, sooner or later, they’ll have to face this, Old Moe. Please, tomorrow—help me."
I spoke, head bowed, looking at Old Moe. He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Ethan, you know Mona Ouyang is a dangerous presence. If he regains his power, this world will never know peace. Now is the only chance to end him for good."
"That's enough, Old Moe. I've made up my mind, no matter what..." I paused, raised my right hand, and clenched my fist. "Old Moe, you told me before—a man should risk his life for what matters. I’m ready. Whatever happens tomorrow, I’ll stake my life on it."
With that, I walked past Old Moe, planning to check the West City to see if Yin Choujian had found any trace of Nathan Ouyang. Old Moe said nothing, just laughed out loud—a laugh full of helplessness.
When I arrived at the West City, I entered the room where Yin Choujian was hiding Little Nao. Sure enough, Yin Choujian was inside, his face expressionless as he looked at me.
"Brother, what did Lan Qinmo say to you?"
I nodded.
"He wants to deal with Mona Ouyang."
"Oh, is that really so?"
Yin Choujian said quietly. I didn’t continue the topic.
"Where’s Little Nao?" I asked. Yin Choujian pointed below again.
Then Yin Choujian stood up, whooshed past me, and went outside. He looked up at the sky, his back to me, and beckoned. I hurried after him.
"Brother, things here are far more complicated than you think. Heh, that old bastard Nathan Ouyang has probably merged with the entire city by now."
I gasped, staring blankly at Yin Choujian. He smiled faintly.
"That corpse demon probably can't hold out much longer. Time's almost up. Today will be even longer than usual, brother."
Yin Choujian spoke, stretching out a hand to point toward the eastern sky. I looked but saw nothing.
"Merged with the city—what does that mean?"
Yin Choujian smiled and pointed at the ground.
"Brother, why do you think this place exists?"
After hearing Yin Choujian say this, it was as if this city had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. From the bits and pieces I’d heard, I still didn’t know when this city was truly born—whether it was before or after Nathan Ouyang entered.