Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 110: Odin’s Shadow (7)

Dragon Raja 4

“If the Lu family were truly a hybrid family, why hasn’t the principal ever thought to test the bloodlines of the rest of the Lu family? His uncle and cousin should both be able to pass the 3E exam with ease.”

“But the principal never cared about them. He was more than happy to take Lu Mingfei, the treasure,” Finger muttered. “Yeah, it’s definitely odd.”

“Doesn’t that photo look a little familiar?” Nono pointed to a distant photo wall.

On the large photograph, a luxury car was seen stuck in a rice paddy, which was the cover image from the news story they had just seen. On the opposite photo wall was a half-shrouded highway, hidden in thick fog.

“This city has long had a mystical legend about a highway that doesn’t exist on any map,” Finger said, showing Nono the book he was reading. “Some say that during stormy nights, they’ve seen a highway suspended in the rain but couldn’t find the entrance. Others claim that when driving out of the city at night, they kept going in circles until morning, only to find themselves back at the toll station. Later, when checking their dashcam, it showed the car hadn’t moved at all, but the fuel tank was empty.”

The book was titled Science Approaches Mythology, its cover and binding showing it was an old street-side read.

“Mommy, mommy, I want a hug! I want a hug!” A little boy chased after his mother, who was admiring the photo wall.

“Sister hit me! Sister hit me!” Two twin girls ran after each other, playing and shouting.

The library was filled with the comforting sounds of life. Outside, the sounds of the wind, rain, and waves blended together, and the fear in Lu Mingfei’s heart gradually subsided. He didn’t hear any hoofbeats or caws from the crows. In this place, shielded from both light and rain, it seemed the Nibelungen truly couldn’t penetrate. He turned around and peered through the peephole in the door, seeing the rocky beach already submerged by rainwater. The rain splashed on the surface, forming ripples, evoking a poetic scene reminiscent of “Night Rain on the Ba Mountains Swells the Autumn Pond.”

Just then, the chandelier made a hissing sound before abruptly going out, plunging the library into darkness. Startled children dove into their mothers’ arms.

Above them, there was still a faint glow. Lu Mingfei looked up to see a mass of crows perched on the glass roof, their terrifying golden eyes glowing.

“Don’t come out! Don’t come out!” Lu Mingfei shouted in panic.

He was trying to warn Nono to hide in a place where the light couldn’t reach, but his outburst only frightened her and Finger, who were deeper in the archives. Finger grabbed a chair, while Nono found a bent steel pipe, and both rushed out. The other people in the library were also startled. The once peaceful, elegant space suddenly became oppressive and terrifying, and the crows on the roof began to caw in unison: “Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!”

Amidst the cacophony, the sound of hoofbeats drifted in with the wind.

Lu Mingfei grabbed Nono’s shoulders, his face pale, even his lips white: “We have to go! We have to go! He’s here!”

There was no time to explain. Even if he could, no one would believe him. Death had arrived. If Odin retained his full power from the Nibelungen, even the entire Execution Bureau might not be able to fight their way out of the library. They had chosen the wrong refuge. They had been marked long ago.

“Who’s here? Come on, we’re in a prosperous, democratic, and harmonious place—let’s not start spouting supernatural nonsense!” Finger reached out to check if Lu Mingfei was running a fever.

“I don’t have time to explain! I can’t explain! Trust me! Please trust me!” Lu Mingfei grabbed Finger’s wrist. “Take Senior Sister and go! I’ll stay behind and hold them off!”

“Lu Mingfei, give the backpack to him. I’ll take you out of here. Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you,” Nono added.

They slowly approached him from both sides. Finger had already put the chair down, but Nono was still holding onto the steel pipe. Lu Mingfei suddenly realized that, in their eyes, the real threat wasn’t Odin—it was him. He was the anomaly stuck between the Nibelungen and reality, the lone singularity caught between two worlds. To either world, he was a monster.

He took a step back, raising his dual pistols and aiming them at Nono and Finger’s foreheads. “I don’t want to do this, but I know you won’t believe anything I say. Finger, take Senior Sister and leave! If I make it out, we’ll meet at my uncle’s house!”

Nono’s face changed drastically. She couldn’t believe he had drawn a forbidden weapon in front of ordinary people. Finger cracked his neck, clearly ready to rush in and disarm him.

At that moment, a light suddenly shone from behind. Lu Mingfei slowly turned and saw the massive mirror behind him, two stories tall. Lightning and flames surged within the mirror, and the surface rippled like water. Odin, holding his spear of destiny, was riding his eight-legged horse out of the mirror. Sparks of lightning from Sleipnir’s hooves had already spread into the library’s hall. Fine raindrops penetrated the glass ceiling, and the crows flew wildly, their black feathers falling like a storm of dark snow.

The mirror’s frame represented the alchemical concept of a “gate,” and now the gate had opened, connecting the Nibelungen to reality.

“Get out of the way!” Lu Mingfei roared in fury, firing both pistols at the advancing Odin.

The bullets couldn’t harm Odin, nor could they shatter the fragile mirror. The surface of the mirror had melted, like molten iron, and the bullets rippled into it as if they were pebbles thrown into a pond.

On Gungnir’s spearhead, that eerie deep green eye opened, slowly rotating as it scanned the surroundings. It was searching for its mark.

Suddenly, Nono let out a groan, clutching her chest. She didn’t understand what was happening—she only felt a sudden, searing pain there, as if she had been branded by a hot iron.

Lu Mingfei dropped his guns and rushed to embrace her, trying to block the gaze of the two sinister eyes. But deep down, he knew it was futile. The gaze of fate and death could pierce through any barrier.

Nono was initially stunned by his actions, then angrily shouted at him, trying to push him away. But she couldn’t move him. Lu Mingfei’s strength was overwhelming, and she felt like a deer pinned down by a lion.

“Let go! Let go! Let go!” Nono shouted, but even as she yelled, she felt the words lose their power, like the lines of a romance novel heroine.

“Finger! You bastard! Are you just going to stand there and do nothing?” Nono glimpsed Finger rummaging through his pockets nearby.

“I wanted to take a picture to commemorate this special moment, but I didn’t bring my phone,” Finger said with regret.

Nono was so furious she almost fainted.

“Junior Brother, calm down! You’re making a scene in front of everyone! There are kids here!” Finger rushed over, trying to separate them. “Even if you don’t care about the kids, I can’t handle this!”

But Lu Mingfei refused to let go. He buried his face in Nono’s hair, inhaling a scent like seaweed. He couldn’t hear her shouts, nor Finger’s babbling. All he felt was the vast, cold emptiness of the world. In the sound of wind and rain, he held onto a dying girl. He could feel the warmth of her body, but the flame of her life was about to be extinguished.

“I’m sorry… I was wrong… Senior Sister, I was wrong…” He rambled incoherently.

He regretted it all—he shouldn’t have dragged her into this mess. His selfishness had led to an irreversible tragedy.

Nono struggled furiously, but when she heard his words, her heart softened. She felt an inexplicable sadness, though she couldn’t say why.

Gungnir’s spearhead had already emerged from the mirror. It had found its mark, and Lu Mingfei could feel the deathly gaze passing through him. Fate was too powerful to be defied by human will. Time suddenly froze, as did the wind and rain. A small figure appeared behind Lu Mingfei, its terrifying aura spreading like black wings unfurling.

Lu Mingze, holding a thick volume of bound newspapers, hurled it toward the mirror with all his strength. The mirror finally shattered, and with it, Odin’s image dissolved into fragments of light.

Lu Mingze approached Lu Mingfei. “I’ve taken care of it for now, but he’ll be back. Gungnir’s eye can see the real world—it cannot be deceived.”

Lu Mingfei, still shaken and out of breath, could only nod at the little devil.

Over Nono’s shoulder, Lu Mingze patted Lu Mingfei’s cheek. “Brother, you better run. Before her breath stops, take her to see the sea or something.”

Lu Mingfei felt a wetness on his cheek. When he touched his face, his fingers were covered in blood. Only then did he notice that Lu Mingze’s hands were covered with blood-red cracks.

“Your hands?” Lu Mingfei was stunned.

“Just battle damage, I can still manage,” Lu Mingze smiled. “The ones who can kill me are on their way too. If that day really comes, I’d like to go see the sea with you, brother.”

He turned and walked out through the library doors, disappearing into the wind and rain outside, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Time resumed its normal flow—the wind continued to blow, the rain kept falling, and lightning still flashed outside. Lu Mingfei was still clutching Nono tightly. The massive mirror had shattered into shards all over the floor.

“It’s over… it’s over… the problem’s solved,” Lu Mingfei exhaled, releasing Nono, and said, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

Nono narrowed her eyes at him, taking a few cautious steps back. Then, she reached for her chest. The burning pain was gone.

“Apologizing is right, but what problem was solved? Everything’s so messed up!” Finger said sternly. “What was that? Did you see a ghost or something?”