An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2675

Chapter 2675 

The remnants of the illusion shattered under Logan’s spiritual force. One by one, the dazed guards regained consciousness, only to be met with the grim reality before them—the desolate valley, the foul air, and their fallen comrades lying lifeless in pools of blood.

Fear gripped their hearts. Faces turned pale. The paradise they had seen moments ago now felt like a cruel joke.

“What a terrifying illusion…” Grace whispered, her voice trembling. “It reflected our deepest desires so perfectly.” Her gratitude toward Logan deepened, the thought of what could’ve happened without him sending a chill down her spine.

But Logan’s eyes were no longer on her. They flashed like lightning as he turned his gaze toward the one thing that had remained unchanged—the spring at the far end of the valley.

The air above the spring began to twist. Ripples spread through the void, and a figure slowly took shape—a woman in a shimmering, multicolored gown. Her beauty was haunting, almost otherworldly. She seemed woven from mist and light itself, her body flickering between substance and illusion.

Barefoot, she hovered above the spring, radiating an intoxicating allure that made the soul quiver. Her eyes were deep and endless, reflecting all things—and nothing at all.

She looked at Logan, lips curving in a faint, entrancing smile. Her voice was soft, airy, and unsettlingly seductive.
“You actually saw through my Seven Emotions Illusion… and broke it by force. Impressive, outsider. Your spirit is… unusually strong.”

Logan’s sword gleamed coldly at his side, his expression composed and steady.
“You feed on the desires of others—building false paradises, trapping the lost, devouring their spirit and essence. You’re the guardian of this formation… Mirage?”

The woman—Mirage—laughed lightly. The sound was like crystal chimes carried on a poisonous breeze.

“Guardian?” she echoed, her tone playful. “Perhaps. But really, I just enjoy watching mortals struggle—drowning in their own desires, begging for dreams they can’t have. When they finally give in, I consume what’s left of them. It’s quite beautiful, really.”

Her gaze shifted toward Grace and the others. The look in her eyes turned hungry.
“Your companions, however…” she purred. “They are far more fragile than you.”

Logan stepped forward, shielding the others with his body. His sword tilted downward, its blade humming. The air around him grew sharp and cold as his sword intent tore through Mirage’s lingering charm.

“It ends here.” His voice cut through the tension like a blade.

But Mirage only smiled wider, her voice echoing through the valley like a haunting song.
“Ends? Oh, no… it’s only beginning. You humans cling to pain, call it reality, and reject joy because you fear illusion. Yet… what you seek is obsession, not truth. Isn’t bliss—no matter how false—better than despair?”

Her words slithered into their minds like smoke.

The guards who had just escaped her illusion began to falter again. Their eyes lost focus, faces softening with longing as the scenes of their greatest desires resurfaced in their minds.

Even Grace staggered. She saw her father again—frail, coughing, his hands reaching for her. Her chest tightened; her heart ached. The pain was too real, too heavy.

“Enough!” Logan’s voice thundered, cracking through the trance like a whip.

He couldn’t let Mirage drag them into her rhythm. Once she took control of their emotions, they’d be lost for good.

He raised his sword, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade released a piercing cry like a dragon waking. A surge of green energy burst forth—pure and blinding, cutting through the seductive haze and flying straight toward the Mirage above the spring.

The strike was swift as lightning—deadly and precise.

But just as it was about to hit, Mirage’s body twisted and rippled like a reflection disturbed by water. She vanished.

The sword energy slammed into the rock behind her, carving a deep gouge and scattering shards of stone.

A soft laugh echoed from all directions, mocking and distant.
“Hehehe… brute force? That won’t work here, warrior. You can’t shatter illusions with a sword.”

Her voice was everywhere at once, blending with the wind, teasing the edge of madness.

A heartbeat later, she reappeared beside a withered tree, her form coalescing in a swirl of color and mist. She smiled—calm, unhurried, and impossibly beautiful.

Logan’s eyes narrowed. He moved again, his form a blur. Sword light danced, weaving a net of green energy that slashed toward her new position.

The strike connected—yet again, it only tore through light. Mirage’s figure dissolved like smoke, reappearing atop a large boulder across the valley.

She tilted her head, amusement glinting in her eyes.
“Futile,” she murmured, her voice sweet as poison. “My true body is everywhere and nowhere. This entire Mirror Flower Water Moon Valley is me. Tell me, how can you kill a dream?”

She lifted her delicate hand. The world rippled.

In an instant, everything changed again.

The blood-red ground turned lush and green. Dead trees sprouted blossoms. The air filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the foul spring transformed into a pool of crystal water, radiating pure energy.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

Their companions’ faces began to change.

To Grace, the female guard beside her morphed into someone she despised—an old enemy, smirking cruelly.

The guards, too, saw their comrades twisting into enemies from their pasts—rivals who had betrayed them, foes they longed to strike down.

“Stay back!” one guard roared, eyes bloodshot, slashing wildly.

Another screamed, retreating in panic while swinging his blade at empty air.

Chaos erupted.

Even knowing it might be an illusion, the sensory assault was too real—the sounds, the faces, the emotions. Under such pressure, their fragile minds began to crumble.

And once again, Mirage’s laughter echoed through the valley—soft, musical, and utterly merciless.