Chapter 585: Schiller's Unexpected Turn of Events (Part 1) (Patreon)

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At the top of the Schiller Temple of Thought, the imposing Khonshu sat cross-legged on the edge of the high tower, with his recently repaired staff resting on his lap. The massive serpent head of Jormungandr was nearby, and both of them were focused on a room within the high tower.

Their current postures were not too different from two old men relaxing under a tree after a meal, just missing a mat and a bag of sunflower seeds to complete the image.

However, the state of affairs inside the room they were watching was in stark contrast to their relaxed demeanor.

You may recall that Batman's examination at Gotham University involved uncovering the mastermind behind a murder case within the university. Lex's opponent in this examination was Schiller.

Of course, it wasn't the real DC Schiller himself, as DC Comics couldn't have him physically engage in combat with a youthful version of Luthor. Instead, he had dispatched Moonlight Schiller for the task.

But there were good reasons for this choice. Firstly, unlike Batman, Lex wasn't dealing with the kind of villains who only knew how to talk big. He wasn't up against the Joker, who kidnapped people every day and forced Batman to make impossible choices. Lex had to face the incarnation of justice: Superman.

If Lex's future held a face-off with Superman, his first lesson wouldn't be how to be a better villain but how to save his own life while minimizing harm. Superman was unlikely to kill Lex, but it was akin to having a fully grown elephant tell you he means no harm, he just wants to play with you. Lex needed to learn how to dance with the elephant without getting trampled.

In terms of sheer strength, Moonlight Schiller was no match for Superman, but if a real Superman were involved, the cost of this exam would be too high. The tuition paid for two buildings of the university couldn't compensate for the damage caused by a nuclear explosion in the Schiller Temple of Thought.

Moreover, being blown up wouldn't provide Lex with any valuable experience. On the other hand, being pursued and attacked by Moonlight Schiller would teach him how to quickly find escape routes.

At this moment, Schiller, wielding an umbrella knife, was pacing back and forth at the entrance of an alley. To create a fair examination environment, there were limitations imposed on both sides within this room.

Firstly, Moonlight Schiller could only see objects illuminated by the moonlight. Anything concealed in shadow was invisible to him and out of his reach.

Lex, on the other hand, could only move in areas with moonlight and was immobilized in darkness.

This created a standoff situation. Lex stayed hidden and motionless in the dark, out of Moonlight Schiller's sight, and Moonlight Schiller couldn't determine his location. Even if he guessed it, he couldn't touch Lex; he could only wait outside the alley.

The situation had reached a stalemate, but clearly, DC Schiller, who had arranged this exam, had anticipated it. At this moment, Khonshu, sitting at the top of the high tower, sensed that it was time. He lightly tapped his staff with his finger, and in that moment, the moon in the room began to move slowly.

With the moon's movement, the position of the moonlight naturally changed, as did the position of the shadows. Lex, hiding at the end of the alley in the shadow, was exposed to the moonlight. In that moment, he rushed out, his umbrella knife flashing, and blood splattered.

Lex had a gash on his back, but at the same time, he emerged from the alley. As he reached the street, he realized he had terrible luck; at that moment, the moon was directly overhead, and only a thin strip of shadow remained on all the buildings.

There wasn't enough space for him to stand there, but he didn't have much time to think. He sprinted toward the nearest building's staircase.

Buildings were inaccessible, but the external staircases could be used to ascend. The shadows at the corners of the staircases were sufficient for Lex to take cover.

This dreamland battle wasn't about improving his combat abilities or physical strength. It could not even toughen his physique. The only thing that could be enhanced was his mental strength.

In countless instances of fleeing, making choices, and hiding, his mental strength would grow stronger, his reflexes would become sharper, and his willpower would strengthen.

Facing Superman, increasing physical strength was futile because no matter how strong you became, you couldn't overpower Superman. Mental strength and mental stability were more crucial. Even using agile thinking to develop equipment was better than trying to physically confront Superman's punches.

This battle had no endpoint; Lex's task was to endure for half an hour in each scenario. It wasn't overly challenging because within this room, Moonlight Schiller possessed the physique of an ordinary youth—stronger than Lex but still limited. The only true advantage he had was his umbrella knife.

However, what Lex found most challenging was Moonlight Schiller's pervasive sense of oppression.

Even though Lex knew that as long as he stood in the shadow, Schiller couldn't touch him, when Schiller approached from the shadow, Lex still felt his heart racing and cold sweat on his body.

It seemed like an innate aura, akin to that of a hunter specialized in hunting humans. During the constant chase and hide-and-seek, Lex began to carefully observe this aura, trying to understand how to use his own posture to exert pressure on his opponent.

Meanwhile, in Dreamland, Schiller turned his head to Constantine and said, "You go back to the ship and find Captain Schiller. Have him take you back. I want to show Morpheus around my home. We'll meet again later... Oh, and don't forget to bring Clark along."

After Constantine, Clark, Batman, and Victor, the group of onlookers, left, Schiller reached out to Morpheus and said, "Please."

The two of them traversed through Dreamland and arrived beneath the Schiller Temple of Thought. They ascended along the hole they had previously created and reached the ground floor of the temple. This was Morpheus's first time entering the high tower; before this, he had only seen it from afar.

"It's a bit quieter here than you might have imagined, isn't it? But that's because many versions of me are still on that ship. It'll liven up once they return," Schiller explained.

"But with no relationships, you probably didn't come here to meet my other personalities this time, did you, Jormungandr? Jormungandr? Where are you? Weren't you excited about having guests today and being the tour guide?" Schiller called out for a while before the massive python slowly descended from the inner wall of the high tower, accompanied by Khonshu.

Khonshu's reason for lingering in Schiller's Temple of Thought was primarily due to Moonlight Schiller's direct actions, which resulted in him being wanted in the Egyptian god hierarchy. Schiller had caused chaos in the heavenly realms with his ship, making it impossible for Khonshu to return home, so he had to stay there.

When Khonshu saw Morpheus, it seemed like they both sensed something between them, but they instinctively avoided the topic. Instead, Jormungandr, the young and fearless serpent, circled around Morpheus a few times and clicked his tongue, saying, "Look, another victim. Has he also messed with your body?"

Morpheus looked up at Jormungandr's massive snake head, seemingly deep in thought. At this moment, Jormungandr continued, "I am the great Earthly Python Jormungandr! I'm also the first God to arrive here! I must inform you of the rules here. I sleep at the top of the tower. You better not..."

Before Jormungandr could finish speaking, he saw a black and gray Siamese cat appear in Morpheus's arms. Jormungandr was momentarily taken aback. He was familiar with cats as creatures, but he didn't understand why Morpheus had suddenly conjured a cat.

However, he soon found out because after the cat opened its eyes, it started growing larger and larger until it pinned Jormungandr to the ground with one claw.

Schiller looked up at the enormous Siamese cat and remarked, "Is this the Thousand Cats' Dream? I thought there would be many cats."

"There are many cats; this is the physical manifestation inheriting the collective consciousness of cats. It's called Thousand Cats' Dream. Of course, you can also call him Little Black."

Schiller looked up at the giant cat that had pinned Jormungandr with a single claw and thought that the adjective "little" might not be very accurate.

As Morpheus, Schiller, and Khonshu stood side by side, watching the cat's struggle with the snake, back in the room where Moonlight Schiller and Lex were, something unexpected happened. Because Khonshu, who was responsible for controlling the moon's position, had left, the moonlight remained static. Lex, hiding in the shadow of the staircase, felt relieved, thinking he could hold out until the next scene transition. However, after a long half-hour, the scene remained unchanged, as if the game had frozen.

Moonlight Schiller was not particularly good at waiting, and his most lacking quality was patience. Frustrated by Khonshu's inaction, he began attempting to break the room's limitations and communicate with Khonshu directly.

However, Khonshu was currently engaged in a deep conversation with Morpheus. They found common ground because one was the Moon God, and the other was the Dream God. The moon and sleep were interconnected, and changes in the moon's phases were related to different aspects of dreaming.

God-to-God communication was not a simple exchange of words. When Khonshu was fully immersed in understanding the changes in the moon phases and their connection to dreams, he didn't notice that the Pope, the one he had chosen earlier for his combat skills, had become thoroughly impatient.

As the showdown between the cat and the snake reached its climax, and Jormungandr, unsurprisingly, attempted to slither away, there was a loud "boom" from a room above, followed by debris flying out. In a moment of connection with Khonshu's power, a massive blade of light flew downward.

It is well-known that cats, regardless of their breed or condition, tend to react to stress.

Thousand Cats' Dream, engrossed in playing with the snake, completely ignored what was happening overhead until it suddenly felt a "whoosh" sound above, and its ear on the right side felt a chill as the massive blade of light nearly grazed it, cutting off a tuft of its ear fur.

"Meow!

!

!"

The startled cat emitted a sharp cry. In that moment, all of its fur exploded, its body arched, its tail stood on end, and even its claws popped out.

With a "boom" sound, the giant cat shattered into hundreds of smaller cats, and in a moment, they engulfed Schiller's Temple of Thought.

At this moment, a deep horn sounded, and the recently returned Ship of the Underworld slowly sailed into its parking spot beside the high tower.

Marvel Schiller, standing at the bow of the ship, watched in disbelief as the high tower was submerged by a swarm of cats.

He saw his home blink twice and then disappear.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 586: Schiller's Another Setback (Part 2)