Chapter 88: Reven and the Dolls of Dreams

Alright then. Let’s start with a little warm-up.

From what I can tell, these golems may be numerous, but individually they’re nothing special.

This is a dream. Meaning, everything here bends to perception. I noticed that along the way. For example: in the back alleys where people normally wouldn’t go, no one appeared. Outside the shop, because Charlotte assumed there would be crowds, a crowd appeared. Inside the clan house, because she believed no one was there, nothing showed up.

The logic holds. Which means—the more one knows about a given field, the harder it is to force something absurd into being.

Golems are firmly in the domain of sorcery. Increase the numbers, and the quality drops. That’s only natural. So, let’s see if this place dares to ignore such rules.

I leveled Kagutsuchi at my side and cleaved a golem in a single sweeping strike.

Born of the earth, it was sturdy—but not invincible. My blade sheared through its upper half cleanly. As it toppled, the body collapsed, and the remaining torso soon lost its form as well.

I see. Not even intricately made. Just a stalling tactic at best—

"Trishel!"

"Hehe! Took you long enough to notice, Reven!"

Of course. Magic casting is her specialty. If she’s raised a wall, the next step is obvious.

Ahead stood Trishel, a spear of flame raised in one hand. She’d widened the distance again—her idea of a safe range, no doubt. The firelight made her blue hair dance with an eerie glow.

"Burn to ash!"

The blazing spear shimmered, scorching the air as it came hurtling toward me.

The pressure was real, far beyond what you’d expect from a dream. Instinct screamed—if I took that head-on, I’d die.

Block it? Impossible. Dodge? Not an option.

"You think you can escape?!"

"What!?"

Before I realized it, thin ice spread across the ground, locking my feet in place.

When—? I hadn’t noticed. Just moments ago the ground had been clear.

No. Save the analysis. Focus on countermeasures.

Dodging’s impossible. Blocking, no chance. Only one answer left: cut it.

This is a dream. Imagine it. This blade can do it. Kagutsuchi—a cursed sword said to cleave even magic itself.

I shifted my weight, aligned the blade, and poured in my spirit.

The crimson vortex bore down on me. Heat blistered my skin, my eyes felt like they were boiling.

Fix your gaze—then cut.

A flash of white split the crimson apart. Scraps of fire scattered like torn paper, drifting away.

"What—!? That’s insane!"

"Now it’s my turn."

Shock creates openings. Smashing through the thin ice gave me just enough time to free my legs.

Once I lock onto her, there’s no need to play along with her delays.

Crushing aside the fragments underfoot, I surged forward—one step, two, three. The distance between us vanished in an instant.

"Wh-whoa, wait—!"

"Too slow."

Even if she tried to block with golems, it was pointless. I leapt from one to the next like stepping stones, closing the gap.

She caught on quickly. Pulling a chakram from her sleeve, she jumped back and hurled it toward me.

…Something felt off. But no time to dwell on it.

"What’s wrong? That response feels awfully weak."

"Hah, still acting confident, huh?"

"For something this trivial, sure."

Batting away the chakram was simple. It was just a tool pulled along by threads of mana. Reading its arc was easy—I’d already adapted to such tricks fighting Rosalind.

I half-expected Trishel to anticipate that, yet her expression was strained.

I’d seen her style against Rosalind. Her strength lay in weaving chakrams into magic circles to cast large-scale spells, while also casting on her own—simultaneous deployment. And the chakrams themselves were dangerous weapons. Those three factors made her formidable.

But her tactics had one fatal flaw. If she lost control over her chakrams, her whole style collapsed. Her strategy thrived only on initiative—it was a “first strike kills” kind of approach.

So I disrupted her spinning chakrams one by one.

I didn’t rush straight for her. Instead, I cut down her circles before they could form, closing in step by step.

Not recklessness—certainty. I knew how dangerous she was.

"You know, fighting with nothing but harassment like this—you’ll never be popular!"

"As if it’s ever worked out otherwise!"

Her joking tone couldn’t hide that she was pressed.

If I wished, I could drive my blade into her throat right now.

And yet… that wrongness again. Something didn’t add up.

"Focus on me!"

"What?"

"I’m right here! Look at your enemy, Reven!"

The ground shook violently as she shouted.

Recognizing it as magic, I pulled back instantly to widen the distance. Whatever she was casting, it punished anyone who stayed close.

My guess was half right, half wrong.

"…I’ll be damned."

"This is a dream. As long as I imagine it, I can do things I normally couldn’t."

The golems around us crumbled, their forms merging into something new.

A freshly created golem. Its form was unmistakable—

"A dragon, huh."

Calling it an “earthen lizard” would be a joke. In reality—

Its sheer size alone dwarfed me, easily the height of ten grown men stacked together. I could run beneath its legs without even crouching.

If it was all bluff, fine. But if not—

"Here I come! With everything I’ve got!"

"Yeah."

The Dragon Golem opened its mouth, its maw glowing red.

Flames? Was it just Trishel’s illusion, or an actual function of the golem?

Either way… there was no cutting through that.

"Burn them all!"

At her command, I leapt back.

A searing beam swept out in an arc, gouging deep into where I’d stood moments before.

Plenty of firepower. Good thing I hadn’t been foolish enough to meet it head-on.

Charlotte… she was far in the distance. At that range, she wouldn’t get caught.

"Riven-san! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah! Just stay clear—don’t get caught up in it!"

Now then—what’s next?

I watched carefully. The golem, built not just from earth but from collapsed houses and debris, was far beyond the crude dirt-lumps from before. This one wouldn’t be easy to cut.

Its movements were heavy and slow. If I could find an opening, climb up, and strike Trishel—then… ah, I see.

That’s what felt off. In the end, I had no choice but to crush that dragon-shaped golem head-on.

That would line up with Charlotte’s request, after all.

I let out a dry laugh through my nose. A ridiculous challenge—but fitting for a dream.

And since I’d mocked her wish as selfish, I had no choice but to grant it. To reproach that coward, trying to let himself be killed by me in this dream on purpose.

"Trishel."

"…What?"

"Give up on giving up."

"Hah?"

I leveled Kagutsuchi straight at her, taking a stance that was nothing less than a declaration of war.

"From here on, I’m going to cut that pile of dirt to pieces."

A brief silence. Then, a heartbeat later, a loud laugh.

"You can’t be serious."

"I am."

"Then… go ahead and try!"

All right. Time for the real thing.

Keeping my distance, I began circling the Dragon Golem in a wide orbit.

Its turning speed was sluggish. Even if it couldn’t match my pace, it still reacted to every move.

Either way, there was no avoiding close combat. The only danger was misjudging the rhythm once I stepped into range.

"Spinning around like that, trying to make me dizzy?!"

"Not exactly. But it’s about time I made my move!"

I’d gauged the timing. In a single rush, I closed the distance.

The Dragon Golem’s mouth flared with light—another beam. As long as I tracked its aim, I had nothing to fear.

At the instant it fired, I shifted my axis. The scorching blast grazed past me.

If it touched me, I’d probably evaporate. But I wasn’t afraid.

Now—I was close.

The claws lashed out to swat me down. I met the blow head-on.

"Kh…!"

"You can’t possibly win against sheer mass like this!"

As expected—solid. It wouldn’t let me cut through so easily.

If I could slice it, I’d dice it end to end—but it looked like that wasn’t an option.

I deflected the claws sideways, slipped beneath them, and rolled under its body.

Circling toward its back, I slashed at its belly for a test strike—no effect.

This was going to be… quite the grind.

"Scurrying around like that won’t change anything!"

It stomped down, trying to crush me underfoot.

I barely rolled clear—there was no way I could endure a direct stomp. Deflecting a downward strike was another matter entirely.

Still, the timing was as I expected. The real question was how to actually cut this thing apart.

"—You let your guard down, didn’t you?"

"Huh?"

My thoughts lagged for only an instant.

The shape was too convincing, so I had let it slip from my awareness.

This thing was a golem—a construct. Which meant… it could generate heat-ray outlets anywhere it wanted.

I jerked my head aside on reflex. The beam passed close enough to sear my cheek. Not fatal.

It had formed a tiny mouth on its foot and fired the beam from there.

"Too bad, you dodged it."

Don’t say it like you’re actually disappointed.

I’ll wipe that smug tone right off your face.

"Then how about this—can you dodge it now?"

Dozens of new mouths opened inside the dragon’s jaws, all glowing red.

Would it fire a beam from every one of them? Was that even possible?

No—reason denied it. But instinct screamed at me: Cut it. Now.

――There was no choice but to cut. Could I really do it?

I couldn’t afford the luxury of hesitation.

Stance. Breathe. Time the instant when the power is focused.

"Riveeeeeeeeeeen!"

Charlotte’s scream tore through the air.

"Do itttttttttttt!"

――In a dream, what matters is whether you can imagine it.

And it isn’t only the dreamer’s imagination that counts.

In my vision, only the white trail of a slash remained.