On this day, everyone in Penacony remembered the terror known as Pom-Pom.
The sudden appearance of the gigantic mechanical Pom-Pom shocked not only the Family but even random bystanders, who all felt their heads buzzing.
In the distance, Welt, who had just left not long ago, heard the commotion.
When he instinctively turned to look, he froze completely.
What did he just see? A massive robot made entirely of mechanical parts, wielding a melee weapon?
Though the robot had Pom-Pom's appearance, Welt didn't mind that in the least.
In fact, he was even thinking about how this huge mechanical being would attack.
"What a classic setup—weapon in the right hand, shield in the left. If it had some explosion effects on top of that, it would be absolutely perfect!"
This time, Welt successfully demonstrated prophetic powers: because the moment he said that, the Dewlight Pavilion behind the mechanical Pom-Pom exploded!
The explosion wasn't Pei Guang's doing, but rather because someone, having seen the giant mech appear, thought some explosive effects would make it look even cooler.
So when the mechanical Pom-Pom showed up, a group of Masked Fools grabbed explosives and stormed into the Dewlight Pavilion.
After all, it was the Family's turf, and the Masked Fools had to show some respect to Sunday.
Since the Dewlight Pavilion's defenses were tight, they only managed to blow up its front gate.
Still, even blowing up just the gate added an awe-inspiring sense of power to the mechanical Pom-Pom's presence.
Explosions and mechs really do complement each other!
Watching the blast, Welt felt his blood boiling with excitement. "It's been so long since I've felt like this… I really want to get in there and pilot it myself."
Beside him, Acheron overheard his muttering. "Hm? That's…"
She turned toward the Dewlight Pavilion too, and when she saw the massive mechanical Pom-Pom, her mind also short-circuited for several seconds.
"They… created that, too?"
Welt nodded. "Other than him, I don't think anyone else could pull it off... but still…"
Welt looked completely envious now. He even wanted to message Pei Guang privately: maybe Pei Guang would let him borrow that suit of armor for a bit.
While Welt was lost in envy and the urge to join in, inside the cockpit of the mechanical Pom-Pom, Pei Guang, Firefly, and March 7th had synchronized their thoughts under the power of Harmony.
In perfect unity, the three moved together, and the mech mirrored every motion they made in the cabin.
"One stroke, two cuts—Pom Cleave!"
The mechanical Pom-Pom swung Akivili's fruit knife in a wide arc, slicing through a straight line of enemies ahead and sending them all crashing back to reality.
"Pom Ray!"
Red light burst from the mech's eyes, scorching everything caught in its beam.
Yet something strange happened: the mechanical Pom-Pom's attacks seemed to have built-in ally recognition.
Every time its attacks struck members of the Sweet Dreams Troupe, nothing happened; but if they touched any Family member, that person instantly collapsed and was forced awake back in reality.
As for ordinary spectators… since the Family had cordoned off the area, they hadn't come near.
However, in the distance, more and more onlookers were gathering to watch the chaos unfold.
Because everyone's attention was fixed on the massive mech, nobody noticed that some Sweet Dreams Troupe members and a few suspicious figures were quietly whispering with Family-aligned Dreamweavers.
Commander: "Brother! Are you really going to stay here forever? Do you want to live enslaved as a tool, or will you give everything for freedom?"
Spade: "Bro! Come with me—join Harmony! Let's seek our freedom together in the dream!"
Outside these two familiar members of the Sweet Dreams Troupe, everyone in the bar was following Xipe Cake's lead, uniting the entire troupe within the dreamscape.
Every Dreamweaver who had awakened self-awareness was drawn into Harmony by Xipe Cake, becoming part of the Family.
The earlier battle had been so fierce and overwhelming that no one noticed the troupe being intercepted.
Facing the mechanical Pom-Pom's attacks, the Family's members showed no fear at all.
In fact, even the Dreamchasers and regular workers visiting Penacony, upon seeing such a gigantic boss, were filled with fiery excitement.
Among the passionate onlookers, a girl in a school uniform stepped onto a square bathed in golden light and began to speak.
"Friends from across the universe, please hear me out!"
Her voice carried a mesmerizing power drawing everyone's attention.
"The evil Stellaron Hunters have infiltrated this dream world! They're sinister, cunning, and have committed every imaginable atrocity."
"They plot to destroy Penacony, this dreamlike haven, to rob everyone of the right to dream!"
"I'm just an ordinary person, but as an ordinary person, I know this truth: the rise and fall of the world concerns us all."
"Since this world has granted us beautiful dreams, then we must protect this city—this City That Never Sleeps!"
"Let us unite! We will defeat the Stellaron Hunters who threaten the cosmos. Let us pledge our loyalty together!"
Though her voice wasn't loud, it carried immense conviction.
Spurred on by her speech, Sampo chimed in, "That's right—loyalty online!"
With Sampo joining in, more and more people began shouting too, all radiating the determination to perish alongside the Stellaron Hunters.
Guided by that girl, they began marching toward the battlefield.
Yet just before they advanced, someone suddenly asked, "That thing's so big—can we even win?"
The girl smiled. "We'd win."
That single phrase, "We'd win", set the entire crowd ablaze.
For most of them, it was their first time meeting this girl, yet her words alone made them believe victory was already assured.
Of course, in the real world, faced with true danger, who would believe that so easily?
But this was the dreamscape. Death here only forced one awake: no one truly died in reality.
Normally, no one would act recklessly in the dream world; Family control was enough to keep everyone peaceful. But now, most of the Family members were fighting Pei Guang's group, leaving only a small number maintaining order.
Under such circumstances, if the Masked Fools didn't stir up chaos, they couldn't call themselves Masked Fools.
Sure enough, several Masked Fools disguised as ordinary people had already begun encouraging others to fight.
As the surrounding onlookers listened to Sparkle's words and thought carefully, they realized: this was an opportunity.
To fight against the Stellaron Hunters—how glorious would that sound!
Besides, this is the dreamscape; death here only means waking up. Countless people have already proven that much.
After all, humans are like this: once they hear they can't actually die, there will always be someone reckless enough to test it.
And once they realize they truly won't die, they start indulging themselves without restraint.
Standing against the Family might bring trouble later, especially if the Family decides to settle scores afterward: that'd be a total loss.
But fighting for the Family? Now, that's different.
On one hand, you can let loose a little in this dreamscape; on the other, even if the Family questions your actions, you can righteously say, "We were just helping out when we saw injustice on the road!"
No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win!
So more and more people joined in.
Some were talked into it by jokers, some were genuinely interested, and others simply followed after seeing people parading down the street.