While Uriel was relaxing quietly, the rest of the world was in total chaos.
Both in the awakened world and in the dream realm, several things happened.
The mundane people who witnessed all the chaos happening in East Antarctica and the large number of people mobilizing to other continents to get away from the chain of nightmares lived attentively to the news or rumors to spread them before the government could hide the information.
Because of this, hearing the rumors brought by the awakened from the dream realm caused them to be published on a large number of internet forums, which in turn spread further and further.
It wasn't strange that mundane people knew more or less what was happening in East Antarctica or who was taking which actions.
However, those who heard it were completely incredulous. It was simply impossible for it to be true, but the more they asked, the more the information was confirmed, and the more truthful it became, until they began posting on forums.
Among the thousands of awakened deployed to Antarctica for the evacuation of nearly a billion inhabitants, one name stood out above all others.
Lord of Darkness.
It wasn't the first time that name had been heard; after all, the vast majority of humans knew that true name—one of the most powerful awakened, even being recognized as the strongest Master in the world, second only to the Saints.
His feats were legendary and unimaginable since he was a Sleeper.
From leading a full assault with nearly a thousand Sleepers to bring them out of an unexplored zone of the dream realm, to turning those same Sleepers into awakened of terrifying power. Allying himself with the very Changing Star, the daughter of the Immortal Flame clan, being part of the legendary cohort that led the campaign.
Surviving unexplored zones of the dream realm, vastly expanding information about those unexplored lands.
Killing impossible creatures and achieving astonishing feats.
All this and more made Lord of Darkness a globally recognized figure, beginning to gather devotees who started to worship him, and the number of his followers constantly grew.
Even those few who had no interest in what was happening in the dream realm found it shocking. However, what made his fame explode and overflow like a wild flood was his most recent action: his deeds in central Antarctica.
A chilling image circulated on the internet, taken from a great distance and blurry, but clearly visible.
It was a figure with black hair, two wings on its back, holding a sword while facing seven nightmare creatures dozens of meters tall.
Speculations were quick to follow. The unanimous conclusion was that those nightmare creatures were all of the Corrupted rank, at least Devil and above.
Shortly after, a video circulated showing Lord of Darkness walking away, leaving behind enormous destruction, with only seven enormous corpses of the destroyed abominations remaining.
This caused the image everyone had of Lord of Darkness to be reshaped.
How had a simple Ascended not only eliminated one Corrupted abomination but killed seven of them, when supposedly only Saints could kill them? What was Lord of Darkness really? How powerful was he truly?
The answer to all these questions was as simple as it was disconcerting: no one had the slightest idea.
Due to those two fragments, which spread faster than gunpowder among the entire population, the government had no choice but to begin disseminating more information, using Uriel's image as a firm pillar for human morale in such turbulent times.
Soon, videos of his feats, conspiracy theories, his battles, and comparisons began to circulate.
As more information was released, one shock was followed by another, and then another.
However, what most shocked humanity was the event known as the Armageddon of Camp Erebus.
Video fragments were published from a simple camera showing an enormous war: hundreds of awakened and thousands of mundane soldiers fighting against an endless sea of abominations.
Then another of how Lord of Darkness summoned all his Echoes. A seventy-meter-tall imposing dragon that even those who saw it through a communicator screen felt awe and fear at the sight of the imposing dragon.
Then there was an enormous butterfly that again shook the entire civilian population because that butterfly was the Echo of a Fallen Titan, according to awakened experts.
Finally, there was the video of when Lord of Darkness summoned an enormous two-kilometer-tall tree that began to control the abominations to defend Camp Erebus.
The more people watched, the more awe they felt at the Master's feats and power.
But the revelations and surprises never ended. Whenever something incredible happened, something else occurred that left the previous event looking like nothing.
The most recent video was when Lord of Darkness transformed into an imposing twenty-meter-tall black knight to crush a swarm of abominations with an enormous hammer made of shadows.
Theories kept increasing, but they always strayed from reality.
While all this was happening, a collective question passed through everyone's mind.
"...What the hell was Lord of Darkness?"
On internet forums, it wasn't much different.
HunterByNature: "Did anyone else see how he moved his arm before killing the Tyrant? It was so fast the cameras barely captured it. That's not normal speed. That's... something else."
SouthernLight: "I just know that my cousin who was at Camp Erebus won't stop talking about him. He says that when Uriel appeared, he felt like they could win. That before that, everyone was ready to die."
Theorist789: "And isn't anyone going to mention the TWO-KILOMETER tree? What kind of Echo is that? My friend who studies Echoes says that shouldn't be possible. That Echoes can't be that big."
WarVeteran: "I've been killing abominations for fifteen years. I've seen it all. But that tree... I've never seen anything like it. And the worst part is that Uriel controls it like it's nothing. Like having an Echo the size of a mountain is normal."
MariaS: "I don't understand anything about ranks or Echoes. I just saw the video of the dragon and almost died of fright. Is that dragon his pet or what?"
EchoExpert: "It's not a pet. It's a Transcendent-level Echo. It means Uriel killed something so powerful that its soul became his servant. And from the dragon's shape... he probably killed a Great Devil or something similar. Only the strongest awakened have an Echo like that. Uriel has THREE."
Skeptic999: "And why isn't anyone asking how one man has so much power? This smells bad to me. Maybe he's not human. Maybe he's an abomination in disguise."
UrielDefender: "Here we go again with the stupid theories. The guy just saved millions and you're calling him an abomination. Are you out of your mind?"
Skeptic999: "I didn't say he was evil. I said maybe he's not human. Those are two different things."
NervousLaughter [Mundane]: "It's funny that we're discussing whether a man who killed a Titan is human or not. Guys, he killed a TITAN. Those building-sized bugs. Since when do humans do that?"
LoneWolf: "Since Uriel, apparently."
DarknessFan: "Does anyone have more images? The ones circulating are very blurry. I want to see his face clearly when he fights. They say he smiles. That he enjoys what he does. Is that true?"
WitnessAtCamp: "I was fifty meters away from him during the battle. And yes. He smiles. Not all the time. But when he's in the center of combat, when everything is darkest, that's when he smiles. It's... disturbing. But it also gives you confidence. Because you see that he's not afraid. And if he's not afraid, neither are you."
Analyst123: "That's called the leader effect. It happens in all military units. If the commander shows fear, the unit collapses. If he shows confidence, the unit fights better. Uriel simply understands that."
WanderingShadow: "Are you sure it's just that? Because I've seen confident commanders. I've seen brave leaders. Uriel isn't just confident. Uriel is... different. When he fights, he doesn't seem human. He seems like something that came out of a nightmare to kill other nightmares."
OrdinaryGirl: "I don't know about you, but I already have his photo as my wallpaper. Don't judge me."
NervousLaughter: "I judge you. But I understand. I have him as my wallpaper too."
WarVeteran: "In the end, what matters is that we won. That Camp Erebus is still standing. That millions of people are alive thanks to him. You can argue whether he's human or not, whether he's a hero or a threat. I just know that when shit hit the fan, he was there. And that's more than many can say."
SouthernLight: "That. That's what matters."
Theorist789: "I still think there's something strange about him. But as long as he keeps killing monsters, I'm not complaining."
DarknessFan: "Lord of Darkness. Dark Hero. Angel of Death. Whatever you want to call him. To me, he's the fucking master."
Far away, in a house in a quiet area of NQSC, more specifically in Uriel's house, a vigorous, tall, energetic woman was lying on a large sofa, eating several delicious cookies while laughing as she read the comments on internet forums on her communicator.
Of course, this woman was none other than Effie, who was at Uriel's house, raiding all the food in the refrigerator and using his incredibly soft bed to sleep carefree.
"Oh, wow. It seems Little is quite a phenomenon in Antarctica," she said with amusement as she continued reading the forum posts.
But before reading another comment, a new notification reached her. Seeing the news, she choked.
The news read: "Confirmed: Lord of Darkness killed a Great Abomination during Armageddon."
Effie coughed several times.
...
Elsewhere, in the remunerated mansion of the Immortal Flame clan.
Nephis was enjoying a cup of coffee. She had recently begun developing a new habit of using her days off to simply relax and set aside the stress of having to lead three septenaries of awakened who followed her loyally and unquestioningly.
Taking out her own communicator, Nephis searched the internet for the latest news on the situation in Antarctica.
Since she spent most of her time in the dream realm at her citadel, she didn't have the opportunity for constant information on the most relevant events.
But nothing prepared her for what she read.
Nephis frowned. As her eyes scrolled through the lines of text, she felt amusement—an amusement that made her laugh freely.
"So he did it again," murmured the Changing Star, seeing that once again Uriel had done things that no one, including her, had ever imagined.
"Killing a Great Abomination, fighting seven Corrupted at the same time, having a Titan-class Echo, and killing a Fallen Titan," she murmured, reading some of the most striking headlines with millions of views.
"It seems I'm falling behind again," she said, amused.
...
In a spacious, luxurious building, the famous former idol singer Kai, or Nightingale, read the news on his communicator, unable to believe it. His once-hot coffee had gone cold, while his handsome face was full of pure bewilderment, trying even to process everything he was seeing and the videos circulating on the forums.
Even when he thought he had already adapted to Uriel's feats and prowess, destiny threw an even greater feat in his face, making him doubt whether he was actually sane.
Kai looked at his communicator, then pressed a button and simply went to sleep, deciding to stay away from social media for a good while.
...
Rain was in her room, reading the internet forums about the bewildering feats of Lord of Darkness—her other master, who had taught her the method of awakening naturally without relying on the nightmare spell.
Although it had been three months since her two masters had left for the Antarctica campaign, she continued with her regular training to try to feel soul essence.
At first, she felt nothing, but from a certain point on, she began to feel slightly different.
Although it was almost imperceptible, she could feel something warm beginning to circulate from deep within her.
Not only that, but her strength and reactions were becoming sharper. It was as if she was strengthening herself as she continued training and repeating the meditation exercises she had been taught.
Snapping out of her internal monologue, Rain played a short video showing Uriel summoning an enormous butterfly, as well as a dragon, an imposing knight, and another Echo with a human appearance and scarlet hair whose features were difficult to distinguish.
When the Echoes finished being summoned, the video ended. Then another played, showing an enormous whale—which she knew from the comments was at least a Corrupted Titan—falling dead from the sky. Shortly after, from the sea of clouds, the same dragon and the same butterfly appeared, covered in enormous wounds from the fight.
Rain was about to watch another but, seeing that it was almost three in the morning, she cursed and went to sleep.
...
Elsewhere, more specifically in the dream realm, a large number of people could be seen. They were all dressed in dark clothes, their faces hidden by hoods except for their leader—a young twenty-year-old woman with red hair and vibrant green eyes who looked with annoyance at a citadel in ruins.
Finally, they had found it. After months of tireless searching and gathering information, they managed to find a citadel that would be vital to start their base.
"Lady Scarlet," said a member of Shadow Garden with respect.
"What's wrong?"
"We have secured everything. The gate guardian, as we feared, is a Great Beast."
Scarlet nodded.
"Alright," she said, then turned to look at the army of six hundred people. Although Shadow Garden was an organization founded by her, she was only the second-in-command. The true leader was so lazy that if she ever found him again, she would beat him for making her work so much.
"Well, listen up. Our research and effort have borne fruit. Inside this citadel, there will be many dangers, but also many rewards. If anyone wants to leave, they can do so now, and they won't be judged."
No one moved.
Scarlet smiled.
"Good. Follow me. It's time to fulfill our mission." She launched herself toward the citadel, followed by the six hundred members, including multiple Ascended.
...
Elsewhere in the dream realm.
Cassie was sitting on a bench in front of the lake on Ivory Island. The sun was high, reflecting off the crystalline water.
Of course, she couldn't see directly due to her Flaw, so she saw through the eyes of a Fire Kreeper beside her, which remained silent.
Seeing through someone else's eyes was a bit strange and disconcerting, but she had already adapted. Her consciousness was wide and vast, looking at everything through multiple perspectives. She could see the events in the waking world regarding Uriel's growing fame and his actions in central Antarctica.
She had seen everyone's reactions—all her friends. She could see Scarlet leading her army into battle against a Great Nightmare Creature to secure a special citadel.
She could also see how Uriel was sitting on one of the branches of the Echo he had obtained from the Soul Devourer, which was used to control and eliminate abominations.
Cassie hummed mentally. Through her mind appeared hundreds of possible futures—futures that were discarded and others that happened immediately after.
As a seer, Cassie knew how Antarctica would end. Originally, according to her prophetic dreams, Camp Erebus was supposed to be destroyed, and with it, tens of millions would die. But that didn't happen.
Even when destiny was made that way. Instead, something occurred that wasn't in the futures she saw—an anomaly that slightly affected destiny and brought new possibilities.
Now the consolidated future was one where the Winter Beast would be killed thanks to the Supreme-rank Echo Uriel obtained, as well as the war between the Song clan and the Valor clan, and what would happen during their Third Nightmare.
Cassie trembled slightly. Even knowing what would happen, she had no way to avoid it. Events changed so much that she wasn't even sure what would happen and what wouldn't.
For now, the only thing Cassie was sure of was one thing: she had to prepare for the Third Nightmare. That would be the biggest turning point in the world. That would be the point where the tapestry of destiny would be completely destroyed, achieving one of her greatest goals in life.
...
Completely unaware of all the chaos currently happening, Uriel lay back and closed his eyes.
It was time to do something he had been putting off for several days.
'I hope nothing bad happens, though knowing my luck, it will certainly be something ugly.' With that thought, Uriel delved into his soul sea.