Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of heavy hooves echoed across the dark plain as a knight clad in black robes, carrying a black coffin on his back, galloped on a black steed.
Behind him, seven or eight grotesque Nightmare creatures clung to his trail like gum on a shoe.
A blood-drenched humanoid Nightmare creature shouted, "Black Coffin! You can't escape! Just surrender, and I'll make it quick for you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" A toad-like Nightmare creature, as large as a calf, chimed in, "We've worked together before. Out of old camaraderie, we promise to make it quick!"
The knight glanced back. These two Nightmare creatures had been his companions just a month ago.
Now, they were bounty hunters pursuing him.
The knight reached to his waist with his left hand, and in it appeared a handful of black beans.
He tossed the beans behind him, and they exploded into blinding white light in the air.
Under the illumination of the light, the pursuing Nightmare creatures shut their eyes.
But these weren't just ordinary flashbangs.
Even with their eyes closed, the creatures perceived a vast expanse of white light, obstructing their senses.
The knight whipped his steed, hoping to use this opportunity to shake off his pursuers, or at least create some distance.
But as the whip came down, his body lurched forward.
He had forgotten one crucial detail: this steed had been running non-stop for over half a month.
Even as a Nightmare creature, the horse had reached its limit.
"Damn it!"
The knight cursed, twisting his body mid-air and landing firmly on the ground.
Beneath the black robe, a pair of crimson eyes quickly scanned the pursuers.
Without the speed of his steed, escape was impossible.
He had to act fast, before the pursuers recovered from the flashbangs, and eliminate the one who could accelerate their chase.
His eyes quickly locked onto a horse-like Nightmare creature.
Clang! A massive Adamantine sword, etched with dark red runes, shot out from the knight's robe as he charged toward the creature.
Just as the Nightmare creatures regained their senses, they saw the knight, wielding the Adamantine sword that had slain countless Nightmare beings, closing in on them.
"Defend! Defend now!" screamed a Nightmare creature who had once worked with the knight.
He had witnessed the sword's power—unmatched and indestructible—something their flesh could never withstand.
But his warning came too late.
Squelch!
The Adamantine sword cleaved a humanoid Nightmare creature, covered in festering sores, in two. Black ooze gushed from the wound like a fountain before turning into dark dust.
With a single strike, the hunted knight had taken down one of his pursuers.
The remaining Nightmare creatures stumbled back, terrified by the knight's display of might.
They were mere bounty hunters, not the Nightmare Lord's trained army. Compared to death, the bounty seemed trivial.
The knight rushed toward the horse-like Nightmare creature. In such close quarters, the creature's speed advantage was useless.
In the heat of the moment, one Nightmare creature suddenly snapped to attention and shouted, "What are we afraid of? He's just one man!"
With that, the creature lunged at the knight. It resembled a moss-covered boulder, and its abilities matched its appearance.
Clang! The Adamantine sword struck the boulder, sparks flying. The moss on the creature acted like a layer of grease, deflecting the blade's attack.
Seeing this, the other Nightmare creatures regained their courage.
The knight was just a paper tiger.
Two Nightmare creatures transformed into wolf-like, tiger-like beasts and pounced on the knight.
Their sharp claws and fangs left visible trails in the air.
Behind them, the other Nightmare creatures began to unleash their abilities.
A flayed creature's body swelled, and a stream of foul, dark red liquid shot toward the knight like a water arrow.
Meanwhile, the toad-like Nightmare creature's belly expanded, and the pustules on its back grew, spewing jets of thick green venom.
Other Nightmare creatures also displayed their unique powers, leaving the knight with no room to dodge.
"Damn it!" the knight cursed again.
Instead of retreating, he swung his Adamantine sword, engaging the two charging Nightmare creatures.
The ranged attacks from the others only corroded his black robe, revealing a golden armor underneath that gleamed in the dark light.
Squelch!
The Adamantine sword sliced off one Nightmare creature's front claw, but the other creature's fangs tore a chunk of flesh from the knight's neck.
This was the first injury he sustained in this battle.
Before he could react, a stream of green venom hit the wound.
Instantly, a potent toxin spread through his body via his Nightmare Power.
Though not fatal, the toxin stiffened his body.
Then, a stream of dark red liquid struck the same wound.
The knight's movements slowed further, and a burning sensation spread throughout his body.
"Hahaha, I hit him! We hit him! We can capture him alive!"
A cheer reached the knight's ears. He suddenly remembered that his bounty notice specified "preferably alive."
A slowed knight posed no threat. Stiffly, he swung his Adamantine sword, black ooze seeping from beneath his golden armor.
"This is it," the knight thought dejectedly.
After a hundred years of running, he had finally been caught.
He planted the Adamantine sword into the ground, gasping for breath. The surrounding Nightmare creatures grew excited.
According to the bounty notice, capturing the Nightmare creature codenamed "Black Coffin" alive would earn them 500,000 Nightmare Crystals.
However, none of the creatures dared to approach immediately.
They were waiting for Black Coffin to collapse completely.
That earlier, awe-inspiring strike still haunted them.
The knight looked at the Nightmare creatures around him, a bitter smile on his face.
He glanced at the coffin on his back and thought, "My lord, if you don't wake up soon, your loyal servant is going to die."
But the coffin remained motionless.
The knight turned back, despair in his eyes, and pulled the Adamantine sword from the ground.
He would not be captured alive. He would not die in such humiliation!
Under the wary gazes of the Nightmare creatures, the knight gave a mournful smile, turned the blade, and swung it toward himself.
If he couldn't kill them, he could at least kill himself. The knight closed his eyes, ready to embrace eternal peace...
Boom!
A deafening explosion jolted the knight's eyes open. His sword was caught mid-air by a massive, magical hand.
Black fireballs flew from behind him, exploding among the pursuing Nightmare creatures, sending them screaming in terror.
"Bones, why are you always cornered like this? You're not the heroine, you know."
A familiar voice came from behind, bringing tears to the knight's eyes.
He turned to see a slightly translucent figure holding a silver staff.
Fireballs rained down like meteors, obliterating the surrounding Nightmare creatures.
The knight, Bones, was stunned.
Who is this?
Since Richard had entered the Nightmare World through the Nightmare Gate, he was not in his Nightmare form but fighting as a pure soul.
But Bones had never seen him like this.
In Bones' memory, Richard had always been a figure in a Wizard Robe, his face obscured.
Soon, the Nightmare creatures were wiped out by Richard.
Using his magical hand, Richard collected the remnants of the creatures and turned to the dazed Bones.
"What? Don't recognize me with a new look?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Bones hesitated. "Are you really the boss?"
Richard was speechless.
He teleported next to Bones, tapped the staff lightly, and broke the chains on the coffin.
Bones tried to dodge, but the toxin in his body hadn't dissipated yet.
He could only watch as Richard opened the coffin and retrieved the body inside.
Then he was dumbfounded.
Richard's soul entered the Nightmare body, and it opened its eyes.
"Now do you recognize me?" the Nightmare body said.
Bones stared, his mind reeling.
Is this even possible?
But he quickly recovered and bowed respectfully. "Boss, you're finally awake!"
Richard nodded. "Yes, I'm awake. Now, what's your situation? Why are you being hunted again?"
Bones began to recount his tale.
After Richard left, Bones followed his instructions to cross the wilderness and leave that Nightmare territory.
But as soon as he entered the wilderness, a group of pursuers appeared.
He struggled to eliminate them and learned from them that he had been issued a bounty by the Nightmare Lord.
The Nightmare Lord offered 100,000 Nightmare Crystals for his corpse and 500,000 for his capture alive.
If he hadn't entered the wilderness in time, he would have been overwhelmed by a flood of bounty hunters.
After crossing the wilderness, Bones thought he would be safe in the new Nightmare territory.
But the bounty notice quickly spread, carried by bounty hunters, forcing him to cross the wilderness again.
This cycle repeated over a dozen times, and even then, bounty hunters continued to pursue him.
The price of 500,000 Nightmare Crystals was simply too tempting.
It was enough to hire Nightmare Knights, let alone lesser Nightmares.
Richard listened, nodding slightly.
After Bones finished, Richard summarized, "So, a group of powerful bounty hunters has been relentlessly pursuing you, right?"
Bones nodded. "Exactly."
"Well, that's actually good."
Bones was puzzled as Richard's voice grew cheerful.
"Later, we'll head to the nearest lawless land. These bounty hunters make for excellent ingredients, Bones!"
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