In spite of Nightmare Emperor Evergreen's doubts, it seemed like the Soul Emperors were fighting someone—and other than Arthur Pendragon, who else could match them?
The Land of Beginnings was single-handedly supported by that unfathomable entity. It was solely because of him that neither of the two other Dimensions dared reach their hands too far into that World.
Whether it be for the souls of Humans and Beastkin or their flesh, Soul Eaters and Nightmares alike had to hold themselves back. It was only by doing this that they avoided incurring Arthur's wrath.
"But now…" Nightmare Emperor Evergreen smirked as he teleported up to the skies above his dark palace, located in the depths of a deceased worm Nightmare's mouth. "If that fossil is injured or dying for some reason, then now is the best time to take advantage of the situation before he recovers. I should go and inform the others!"
With that, he zipped into the distance, passing through countless layers of mist similar to the kind that remained uncharted by the Mistalore Defense Nation.
On the grander scale of things—and if one zoomed out enough—they'd see that the explored region of the Mistalore Defense Nation was but one of thousands. These were all created by various Island Nations in the Azure Archipelago, as well as an untold number of minor and major forces of the Mainland.
However, except for three explored territories that belonged to the three Great Empires of the Motherland, the rest of the territories were very small. The Mistalore, more than most others, was so tiny that it couldn't even be considered a blip on the map.
There were even flying Nightmares swooping in and out of the misty ocean that were thousands of times bigger than the entire Mistalore Defense Nation…
Those 'Terrors,' as they were called—the ones sealed in the Boundless Gorge—were insignificant in the larger picture, as there were millions just like them, each also wanting to be released in order to find a way to escape the 'Eternal Dream.'
It was actually because of this so-called 'Eternal Dream' that they were locked up in the first place.
In the Era predating the Great Eclipse, these Terrors were instead called the Supreme Scholars. They were among the first intelligent Nightmares to appear among the mostly savage, starving populace.
However, over the course of hundreds of thousands and millions of years, the Supreme Scholars lost their way. They'd go to extreme, ridiculous lengths for the sake of 'breaking the illusion.'
To escape the 'Eternal Dream,' they were willing to sacrifice everything.
But the Darkdoms, Dark Empires, and various other intelligent Nightmare Factions that had risen up in recent times didn't agree with the ideology of the Supreme Scholars. Thus, they worked together to scheme against them, seal them off, and ultimately throw away the keys to their prisons.
This was the history of the Nightmarescape—one that still haunted the Supreme Scholars to this day.
— In the Land of Beginnings, high above the Mainland —
The battle between Cassius and the Soul Emperors reached a point of no return. Explosions went off without an end in sight, the lights produced from their attacks visible from all around the world.
"It's time we end this," Cassius said coldly as he raised Lilith in one hand and Mora in the other, their projected energies blotting out the skies. "One move. Let's settle this in a single move."
They had already been fighting for years, and both sides knew that it would never end if they continued as they were. After all, everyone involved had insane amounts of stamina and regenerative capabilities.
It was virtually impossible to harm, let alone kill, Cassius when he had his Origin Progenitor Bloodline as advanced as it was. And the same could be said for the Soul Emperors, who had one of the purest Bloodlines in all existence.
As if understanding his intent, the mindless Soul Emperors erupted with a level of power that exceeded all preconceived notions. Tendrils of volatile energy stretched and challenged the heavens, causing all of the Mainland to violently tremble.
In the midst of watching this final showdown between two Pinnacle Forces, Arthur Pendragon noticed a disturbance in the Barrier between Dimensions. It was similar to the one that showed up a few dozen years ago, but this time on a much larger scale.
"The Creatures of the Night actually dare to invade…?"
Arthur was about to make a move that would truly shake the world but stopped when he thought of something.
Young Cassius is a Nightmare Slayer, so killing THEM could prove very beneficial to him.
Arthur could pretty much guess why the Monsters of the Nightmarescape decided to invade with such an overwhelmingly large army. However, prioritizing Cassius's advancement was of more importance to him.
Unknowingly, and without even asking for it, Cassius acquired two backers who wanted nothing more than to see him evolve…
"We're finally back here!" A Nightmare King shouted at the top of his lungs as he scanned the world below, licking his lips over all the tasty snacks just begging to be devoured. "The Land of Beginnings!! Oh, the good times I'll have here!!!"
"Haha! Don't think you're gonna be the only one feasting!" remarked a different Nightmare King, this one much larger and more fearsome. "When I get my hands on some human flesh, I won't be able to control myself. And in the end, I'll have consumed so much that whole Nations will disappear off the face of the map!!"
"Everyone, split up and weed out the Transcendent Class Slayers." A command came from Nightmare Emperor Evergreen as he and the other Nightmare Emperors searched for traces of Arthur Pendragon's existence. "While you do that, we'll take care of the main obstacle. Once all is said and done, we'll divide the territories and subsequent human breeding farms based on how much we contributed. This means that you shouldn't slack around, only caring about satiating your appetites."