There was another thing Neo noticed.
If Tartarus was so strong, then why was it trying to hide the truth about the Abyss of Nightmares?
“How is Tartarus killing them?” Neo mumbled to himself.
“You don’t know?” Zera asked, surprised.
She took deep breaths to stabilize her condition and kept her hands on her abdomen to stop her entrails from spilling as she spoke,
“When did you wake up from the nightmares?”
“Two days ago.”
“How did you do that?”
“…”
Neo suddenly became silent.
From what she told him, everyone was inside a collective nightmare.
They were having the same dream and could meet each other in that dream.
But Neo?
He had been in an entirely different Nightmare alone.
‘Tartarus must’ve done that to end me and to make sure no one can help me.’
When he remained silent, Zera chuckled.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to reveal it. Everyone has a trump card or two that they keep hidden.
“What I want to know, though, is something else. How have you been surviving for two days?
“The energy recovery must be a problem for you,” she said.
“Huh?” Neo frowned. “Energy recovery problem?”
Zera stared at Neo, wondering why he was trying to act clueless.
It took her a few moments to realize Neo was serious.
“You… what are you?” she spoke, surprise leaking into her voice for the first time. “This place is near Tartarus’ Core. All Energy and Elementals here belong to Tartarus.
“It doesn’t want us to recover. Thus, we can’t absorb the ambient energy in the air to recover our energy reserves.
“Eating energy-rich food is an option, but that would mean you realize you can’t absorb energy from the air.
“How did you not know that?” she questioned.
“I am used to recovering my energy from devouring the food inside my Shadow Space, not from the air. That’s why I didn’t realize it,” he said with a calm tone.
“That’s a lie,” Zera said instantly. “Could it be that….”
She looked Neo up and down as if she was evaluating him.
Neo tensed, ready to escape at a moment’s notice.
Kane had warned him the Dragon Clan leaders might attack him if they found out he was a Heavenbreaker.
‘Since they don’t have any place to draw energy from except food or natural treasures that are rich in energy, they might try to use me as a battery.’
There was no doubt the Expedition must’ve stocked up on energy-rich food and materials.
But a Heavenbreaker was special.
Neo’s Energy Purity was off the charts.
His current energy purity was on par with a Stage-1 World.
Gods could never match that, since they were inherently weaker than Worlds at their same rank.
A Paragon Demigod, Stage-1 God, and Stage-1 World were at the same rank, technically.
However, Demigod was the weakest.
The reason being their low energy purity and low element mastery.
Stage-1 God had Element mastery at the same rank as Stage-1 World, but their Energy Purity was much lower than the World’s.
Stage-1 World had both: high Element Mastery in multiple elements and high Energy Purity.
It would take multiple Stage-1 Gods joining hands to fight a Stage-1 World.
‘I might be lower rank than Zera, but my Energy Purity must be far higher than anything the Expedition could have brought.’
‘I need to be careful.’
Neo remained alert.
Zera was injured badly.
If she attacked him, Neo should be able to escape. He wasn’t sure though. After all, Zera was a Stage-3 God, which equaled a Fabled-rank Demigod.
“You have a Sacred Treasure with the ability to provide energy, right?” Zera spoke.
“Huh?”
“Sacred Treasures have unique and arbitrary abilities. The only way something as absurd as having its own energy will make sense.”
“I said I consumed food.”
“Then you must have a lot of food in your Shadow Space. Can you show it to me?”
“…”
Neo clicked his tongue.
Having a Sacred Treasure like that would garner him attention, and maybe jealousy.
He wanted to say he did not have anything like that, but Zera seemed sure of her guess.
“Let’s not digress,” Neo said. “Are you sure the Expedition members who died during past Expeditions did so due to lack of energy?”
“That’s my only guess for now.”
“I see,” Neo nodded. “Rest for now. I have to do something.”
Neo prepared to jump into the air.
According to the Moon’s blessing, Elizabeth was above.
“What are you doing…?” Zera questioned.
“Someone I know is there.”
“Stop!”
Just before Neo could jump, Zera’s hand transformed into a giant hand and grabbed him.
The giant hand was a deformed mass of flesh, similar to her dragonized form.
She held him with force to make sure he couldn’t move.
“What are you doing?” Neo asked the same question as her.
“Take a look at my condition,” Zera said, trying to ignore the burning pain in her body. “I am a Stage-3 God, and I look half-dead after trying to rescue people from the nightmares.
“I haven’t saved a single person. You think you can do that?” she asked.
“Let me go,” Neo said, instead of replying.
Zera could feel the threatening undertone in Neo’s words.
She looked above and then back at him.
“That white-haired child up there. She isn’t a member of the Grand Expedition. Is she the one you are trying to save?”
Neo blinked, confused.
Child?
Who was she talking about…
Ah!
Zera was a Stage-3 God. She must be a few thousand years old.
No wonder she called Elizabeth a child.
“Dear, are you thinking something rude?” she asked with a smile, while flexing the muscles of her transformed hand, as if saying she could crush him if he called her old.
“Yes, I want to save her,” Neo said to change the topic.
“I can see why,” Zera said. “She has been corrupted by Void and doesn’t have long to live.”
She chuckled and let Neo go before transforming into her dragon form.
“I’ll bring her down.”
“What…?”
Neo suddenly noticed a detail he had forgotten.
Why had Zera been trying to rescue someone from the nightmares?
She herself told Neo that those in nightmares were safe, and those who escaped nightmares would be killed by Tartarus.
Saving someone from the nightmare was stupid.
“You… did you get those injuries while trying to save Elizabeth?”