Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 372 Dream Proxy: Counterattack in the Dream Sea
"Not all wars are for power; some wars are simply to make the voiceless heard."

—From *The Dream Agent's Handbook: The Dream Guardian*

Dark clouds surged on the distant horizon, swallowing every ray of light from Aleston, as if the end of the world was nigh. The domain of the Reflection Lord, Sazeroth, expanded like a tidal wave, dragging the city completely into the abyss of the mirror. Soldiers, their faces filled with terror, stared at their reflections struggling to their feet as Sazeroth revealed mocking and cold smiles, dragging them one by one into nothingness.

The glorious knights, the majestic noble guards, and even the priests' hymns, all seemed as fragile as paper before the reflection, instantly crumbling into dust.

The collapse of the front line was almost a foregone conclusion.

Medici gasped for breath, clutching the shattered scepter tightly in her hand, her pale face showing overwhelming exhaustion. She stood with difficulty, struggling to maintain her last line of defense, but the shadow of despair was gradually creeping into her eyes.

Behind her, Edel and Liseria continued their stubborn resistance, but the mysterious radiance of the life element was rapidly dimming on them.

The stag's mournful cry, like a death knell, echoed in everyone's hearts, seemingly sealing Trelian's utter destruction.

"Is this where Trean is going to end up..." Medusa whispered, closing her eyes in near despair.

Just then, a long, drawn-out horn sound suddenly tore through the thick clouds, coming from the north of the city.

The soldiers looked up abruptly, their faces alternating between confusion and shock. The bugle call, deep and desolate, carried an irresistible force, as if it were destiny, jolting them awake from their fading hope.

Medusa opened her eyes and looked incredulously at the northern sky: "That's..."

The bugle sounded again, this time more impassioned and resolute, as if summoning the dormant will of everyone and shaking the boundary between reality and illusion.

In the depths of the sky, the dark clouds were finally torn apart by a blazing silver light, and moonlight poured down as several figures arrived on the light, rapidly approaching the battlefield.

"Reinforcements!" the soldiers whispered in surprise, then burst into shouts of ecstasy, quickly gathering their scattered weapons in preparation for this unexpected turn of events.

The leader, her black trench coat fluttering in the wind, held a mirror card that emitted a star-like silver light. Her gaze was icy, but softened slightly as it swept over the soldiers' weary faces before returning to its cold composure, and she strode resolutely into the battlefield.

Edel's pupils suddenly contracted, his expression a complex mix of emotions, and he murmured in a low voice, "Allison..."

Liseria, her voice barely a whisper, said with barely concealed surprise, "They've come."

Allison trudged through the ruins and dust, brushing past Medici and Liseria, before finally stopping before Edel. A barely perceptible smile played on her lips, and her voice was cool and calm:
"Edel, it's been a long time."

Edel's fist clenched slightly, his tone strained and complicated: "You shouldn't have come back. This place... no longer belongs to you."

Allison gripped the gleaming card in her hand, her knuckles turning white, as if suppressing past anger and pain. But then she raised her eyes, looking at the soldiers and civilians struggling on the edge of despair, her gaze firm and resolute:
“I have never owned this city. But now, the people here belong to me.”

As she finished speaking, three more figures emerged from the shadows:

Selene's dagger gleamed coldly; Calvino held the Dream Lantern, a calm smile on his face; Baroque stood as tall as a mountain, laughing loudly, "Come on, gentlemen, how can this apocalyptic feast be complete without strong liquor!"

Upon seeing these men appear, the soldiers' fighting spirit was rekindled, and the recently broken lines of defense were reunited.

Allison, holding the mirror image card, strode forward, a silver glow sweeping across the arena like a tidal wave, and coldly shouted:
"At this moment, we are Trelian!"

In an instant, the light of the mirror image tore through the darkness of the Sorcerer's Lands, and the battlefield situation instantly reversed.

Allison's voice pierced the darkness like thunder, instantly replacing the soldiers' fear with fighting spirit. They grabbed their weapons and charged back into the battlefield.

The Reflection Lord Sazeroth roared in fury, and the massive body of the giant stag condensed once more. Lenses and stars spun wildly in the void, seemingly mocking the mortals' resistance.

"You think you, a few wanderers, can defy the destiny in the mirror?" Sazaras sneered, his mirror field swirling with countless illusions that instantly transformed into sharp giant blades that pierced straight toward Allison.

Allison neither dodged nor evaded, calmly raising the card in her hand. A surge of silver light instantly devoured the incoming mirror blade: "Destiny? What a joke. Even if it truly exists, I will shatter it with my own hands."

A complex light flickered in Medici's eyes as she gazed at Alison's unwavering back. Suppressing her guilt, she straightened her posture again and raised the shattered scepter high: "Allied forces, regroup!"

Edel took a deep breath, his heart churning with indescribable emotions, but then gritted his teeth and raised his longsword high: "In the name of the Royal Guard, we will fight with all our might!"

The battle line quickly stabilized, and the soldiers, as if reborn, launched a renewed charge under the protection of the silver mirror light.

However, Sazarath was no ordinary being. It roared again, its body rapidly expanding and reshaping. Countless mirrors and stars converged to form a massive barrier, easily blocking all attacks.

The battle has once again reached a stalemate.

At that very moment, a languid yet resolute voice rang out from the center of the battlefield:

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Calvino walked slowly to the front of the crowd, the dream lamp in his hand emitting a ghostly blue flame. A cynical smile played on his lips as he looked at Allison: "This time, I'm very clear-headed, First Mate."

Allison smiled slightly, her voice tinged with sarcasm: "I hope so, Captain."

Calvino raised the dream lamp, closed his eyes, and softly chanted an ancient incantation:

"Using dreams as boats, we awaken the sleeping shores beyond the stars."

Let the fire of illusion illuminate the journey lost in the mirror.

Nightmare Sea, in the name of the Dream Traveler
Please descend upon this place and transform illusion into reality.

As his whisper ended, the flame of the Dream Lamp suddenly surged, and a deep blue ocean poured out from the wick, quickly engulfing the entire battlefield.

The soldiers looked down in astonishment and found themselves beneath a strange, churning sea. In the dark ocean, the crests of the waves twinkled like countless stars, their depths breathtaking.

Edel suddenly seemed to realize something, taking out a dull card with a resolute look in his eyes: "The Royal Rose of Trelian, it's time to wake up."

A burst of golden light erupted, causing the entire dreamlike sea to churn violently, and a colossal golden warship emerged from the sea. Its sails slowly unfurled, like blooming golden roses, dazzlingly beautiful.

"Royal Rose, prepare for battle!" Edel's voice boomed like a bell, piercing the heavens.

Allison calmly took out her card: "Doomsday Rose, set sail!"

In an instant, a ghostly warship, as black as night, emerged from the tide, its hull wrapped in black thorns, exuding a chilling and murderous aura.

Calvino chuckled, and a silver card reappeared in his hand: "The Lost One, respond to the call."

Amidst the swirling silver mist, the silver shadowy warship appeared and disappeared, giving it an elusive and mysterious aura.

The three warships gathered in the Dream Sea, their imposing presence seemingly tilting the balance of the entire battlefield.

“Sazarras, your dream ends here.” Calvino waved his hand, his voice calm yet full of confidence: “Fire!”

In an instant, the three giant ships roared in unison, their cannons slamming furiously into the massive mirror-like structure of Sazeroth. The shells trailed fiery trajectories, exploding into dazzling yet destructive fireworks that illuminated the entire night sky as if it were daytime.

Sazarras let out a painful wail, and the giant stag's body was instantly torn to pieces, scattering fragments of mirrors and stars across the sky in a spectacular yet eerie sight.

The soldiers cheered in unison; the tide of battle seemed to have finally turned.

However, before people's joy could truly settle, Calvino looked up at the sky with a grave expression and said in a low voice, "The battle is far from over..."

Medici looked up and saw that the shattered mirror was strangely suspended in the air, slowly rotating and reforming itself.

A power that made one's soul tremble spread rapidly.

Sazarras’s voice echoed eerily, cold and mocking: “Foolish mortals, this is the end you have brought upon yourselves. The gates of the world’s end are opening for you.”

As soon as the words fell, the void trembled violently, the cracked mirror expanded wildly, and a huge, deep eye slowly opened, coldly looking down at everyone.

Allison felt a sudden sinking feeling deep inside her, gripping the card tightly in her hand, her heart turning ice-cold.

The true Sazeroth is about to arrive.

A huge, deep eye slowly opened, gazing down upon all living beings like the abyss of the universe. Within that eye, lenses and stars spun wildly, as if mocking everyone's resistance and struggle.

“This is its true form…” Medusa murmured, her face suddenly turning pale.

The void trembled violently, and the soldiers felt a sudden difficulty in breathing, as if their bodies were being firmly suppressed by an invisible gravity.

"Prepare to meet the attack!" Edel gritted his teeth, raised his longsword high once more, and tried his best to boost morale.

However, the oppressive aura emanating from Sazarath's true form was beyond everyone's imagination; merely staring into that eye was enough to instill despair.

Allison gazed calmly at the giant eye in the void, her expression resolute yet slightly weary: "Looks like we'll have to go all out this time." Calvino sighed softly, saying wistfully, "It seems this dream is much harder to wake from than we imagined..."

Before he could finish speaking, heavy footsteps echoed across the bridge of the Lost One, and Baroque strode up to the group. He stared at the colossal abyssal eye in the void, then suddenly revealed a hearty and bold smile: "Since ordinary methods don't work on it, let me try a more direct approach."

Allison turned her head slightly in surprise to look at Baroque: "What are you going to do?"

Baroque turned around and waved his hand boldly: "Of course, I'll use my best method—smash it with one punch!"

After speaking, Baroque leaped off the deck, causing a massive wave as if a boulder had crashed into the sea. Everyone watched as he plunged into the dreamlike, dark sea, and moments later, the entire surface began to churn violently.

The soldiers stared wide-eyed, holding their breath as they gazed intently at the waves below.

A massive black shadow suddenly rose from the tide, and in an instant, a colossal sea giant emerged from the sea, standing upright on the waves. His body was entirely formed from the deep blue seawater. The giant, tens of meters tall, was as majestic and magnificent as a Titan, his skin gleaming like stars, and his body surface shimmering with mysterious star patterns, like an ancient star map.

The soldiers erupted in cheers, their morale soaring once again.

Baroque's voice boomed like thunder: "Come, Sazarras, let us fight to the death!"

Sazarras roared in fury, and countless mirrors swirled towards him, quickly coalescing into sharp blades that pierced the Tide Giant.

Baroque did not back down, throwing a punch that shattered the incoming mirror blade. A massive surge of tidal power followed his movement, impacting Sazarras's colossal true form.

Seeing the opportunity, Lyseria swiftly mounted her Azure Lion, swooping down and tearing through the void with her sharp claws, ripping open the rift in Sazarras's body. Medusa, wielding her scepter, rose into the air, holy light coalescing into a dazzling spear that pierced straight to the enemy's core.

"Allied forces, launch a full-scale attack!" Edel's voice boomed, and the three giant ships fired simultaneously once more. The fierce cannon fire precisely weaved through the attacks, slamming into the giant eye form of Sazarras.

Sazarath let out an unprecedented agonizing scream, its giant eye trembled violently, and countless lenses shattered and scattered once more.

The soldiers witnessed this scene, and the hope of victory that had just risen in their eyes was instantly shattered by the violent tremors.

To everyone's horror, Sazarras's body rapidly reassembled once again, but this time, the reshaping was incredibly fast. Lenses and stars spun wildly in the air, forming even more bizarre and distorted shapes, as if it were swallowing the entire sky.

Allison's face was grim as she stared intently at the enemy's frantically contorted form: "How much longer can it hold out?"

Calvino responded calmly but with a hint of bitterness: "Until we completely banish it from reality."

At this moment, everyone knew that Sazaras had fallen into complete madness and out of control, and this battle would not end easily.

Medusa raised her scepter firmly, her voice booming: "Continue the attack until victory!"

But in the next instant, the giant eye of Sazarras suddenly burst forth with an even more dazzling and eerie light, and the void was suddenly expanded by countless overlapping mirrors, swallowing the boundary between heaven and earth.

The soldiers felt their bodies being pressed to the ground by an immense force, making it almost impossible for them to move and causing them great difficulty in breathing.

Sazeroth's whisper echoed again, his voice filled with mockery and anger: "Mortals, you will never understand the truth of this world. Since that is the case, then perish with the world."

Allison felt a deep sense of powerlessness, and the cards in her hand began to tremble slightly.

Is it really impossible to win this final battle?
Just when all hope seemed lost, the giant body of Baroque suddenly stood upright, and he roared to the sky with a deafening roar. The power of the tide surged again and slammed into the giant eye of Sazarras.

"As long as we stand, the world will not be destroyed!" Baroque's voice boomed like a bell, his aura as imposing as a mountain, resonating in the souls of everyone present.

Hope rekindled in the soldiers' eyes, and everyone struggled to their feet again, rushing with Baroque toward the indescribable entity in the void.

The battle is far from over; the real endgame has only just begun.

Sazarath's mad roar echoed through the heavens, and his giant eye shone with an increasingly eerie light. Countless mirror blades rained down like a storm, each blade carrying the power to devour everything.

Baroque swept across the mirror blades with his massive, tidal arms, creating powerful shockwaves that shielded the allied soldiers on the ground. Liseria skillfully rode her lion through the chaos, her claws tearing apart the mirror reflections that tried to approach with lightning speed.

Medusa was now radiating a dazzling holy light, standing tall in the air with her scepter in hand, chanting an ancient war song: "Gods above, grant me the power to destroy evil!"

In an instant, golden holy light condensed into a spear, piercing straight into the core lens of Sazarras.

At the same time, the three Rose-class battleships quickly adjusted their formation, and Edel commanded the Royal Rose to fire again. Golden shells, trailing dazzling flames, accurately struck the massive eye of Sazarras.

Like a black shadow, the Doomsday Rose swiftly circled the enemy, its artillery fire and dark thorns intertwining to tear apart the outer defenses of the giant eye.

The Lost One appeared and disappeared, Calvino stood at the bow, the eerie blue flames of the Dream Lights extending continuously, as if drawing the lens into a realm of illusion.

"Go all out!" Allison shouted coldly, the card in her hand blazing with silver light, the Mirror Image Domain and the Dream Sea merging perfectly to form a huge vortex, attempting to devour the giant eye of Sazarras.

The giant eye of Sazarras trembled violently, emitting another painful shriek. The lens shattered and scattered, making the void rift even more grotesque and eerie.

Witnessing this scene, the soldiers' fighting spirit instantly soared to its peak, and they charged forward bravely, brandishing their weapons.

However, just as everyone was about to launch their final, fierce attack, Calvino suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

Allison turned around and saw Calvino's face suddenly turn pale, his hands pressed tightly against his chest, and fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead, as if he were in great pain.

"What happened?" Allison's voice betrayed her anxiety.

Calvino struggled to keep his voice steady, his expression unusually grave: "The power of Sazarath... is eroding the Sea of ​​Dreams. I must temporarily take control of the Dream Lamp, or we will all be dragged into an eternal nightmare."

Allison's heart sank, and she decisively turned around and shouted to the others, "Cover Calvino!"

Baroque immediately adjusted his position, blocking the Lost One's path, the giant fist of the tidal wave slamming against the countless shards surging forth. Liseria swiftly returned to reinforce, skillfully commanding the Azure Lion to protect the boundary of the Dream Sea.

Medusa landed beside Calvino, her holy light coalescing into a sturdy defensive barrier to withstand the raging corrosive power of Sazarras.

"Can you still hold on, Captain?" Medici's voice was firm, her eyes revealing a hint of arrogance and inquiry.

Calvino smiled wryly and said in a low voice, "Don't worry... this ship is far from sinking."

Allison witnessed the scene before her, a complex and indescribable emotion flickering in her eyes. She gritted her teeth, and the Mirror Image card in her hand erupted with intense silver light once more, shooting skyward straight towards the center of the Eye of Sazarras:
"Now's the time to attack its core!"

Without hesitation, Edel responded: "Royal Rose, open fire!"

Golden cannon fire poured out violently, followed closely by the Doomsday Rose and the Lost One. The cannon fire, interwoven with black thorns and silver mist, converged and slammed violently into the core mirror of Sazarras.

"boom--!"

The heavens and earth trembled violently, and Sazarras's agonizing scream tore through the sky. Lenses and stars fell like a meteor shower, as if the end of the world had arrived.

The soldiers cheered again at the sight of such a devastating blow, but Allison's expression grew increasingly grave.

She clearly sensed that although the attack had severely damaged Sazaras, it had not completely destroyed it.

Sure enough, the next moment, a deep and cold voice came from Sazeroth's giant eye: "Do you think this can stop the end of the world? Your resistance is the key to opening the gates of the end!"

As these words fell, the void trembled violently once more, and all the shattered mirror fragments rapidly coalesced again. This time, the resulting form was even more terrifying and grotesque, and the terrifying pressure sent chills down everyone's spines.

Calvino steadied himself with difficulty, and said with a slightly weary wry smile, "This guy is indeed not so easy to deal with..."

Allison stared at the re-emerging form of Sazarras, a sense of powerlessness rising within her.

Is the real end yet to come?
At that moment, Edel's voice rang out, steady and firm: "No, this is not the end—as long as we are alive, there is still hope."

Upon hearing this, a new fire gradually rose in Allison's eyes. She took a deep breath and looked resolutely at the ever-reforming enemy in the sky: "Edel is right, the war is not over yet!"

Upon hearing their commanders' voices, the soldiers steadied themselves again, gripping their weapons, their gazes fixed resolutely on the massive, distorted entity in the sky.

The great battle continues, and everyone knows that this life-or-death struggle will determine the fate of Trelian and even the entire world.

"When the mirror breaks, what we gaze upon is not nothingness, but the cracks in fate."

The real war is never about fighting against illusions, but about bravely facing reality.

That is the reality that even if victory is destined to be impossible, the resistance will never cease.

—Excerpt from *The Mysterious Revelation: The Mirror Within a Mirror*

(End of this chapter)