Chapter Eighty: He Is Nidhogg!

Nighttime in Fontaine City.

The darkness drapes the sky, and countless stars adorn the night. The climate within the splendid metropolis is pleasant, yet there are those who find Fontaine chilling to the bone. It is that woman, the one whose hair and attire are a stark blend of black and white.

The Servant

She returned once more to that familiar place. The cool touch of the wooden bench made her feel as if she were seated upon a chopping block, while the devil preparing to carve her stood nearby, toying with elemental power.

“Word Spirit—Judgment.”

The boy, who had breached worlds, unleashed his Word Spirit upon a distant mountain. Earth and trees were forcibly torn apart, transformed into mediums for the strike, obliterating the far-off peak. The thunderous collapse, both in sound and sight, was so overwhelming it left one breathless.

The lingering shockwave from the mountain’s destruction was a storm; the wind whipping past felt all too real. Yet the Servant still felt as if it were unreal—such power... it was like a dream!

Wait, am I actually in a dream?

As she came to her senses, the Servant began to ponder quietly: if Lu Mingfei possessed such strength, perhaps it was because he was the creator of this dream, its sovereign. Having overwhelming power would be only natural.

Perhaps his true strength was not so formidable—perhaps this was merely a show of intimidation. If he was demonstrating such power to deter, what was his intention?

Was he afraid she might act rashly?

Did he need to worry about such things?

Hmm...

The boy in the distance slowly turned his head, a gentle smile on his face. “You two go ahead and talk,” he said. “Don’t mind me. I’m just testing out the Word Spirit since I have nothing better to do—no other intention.”

Most of the time, Lu Mingfei was an honest person. Just as he said, he truly was simply testing the power of the Word Spirit.

The last time he used it was in reality, against the other side of the world’s fracture. Though he could not see the results, he could sense the wide-reaching impact—a power explosive in strength.

He was curious how much strength would remain if he used Judgment under normal circumstances.

To satisfy his curiosity, Lu Mingfei chose to experiment in the dream. Using the Word Spirit here was relatively safe, unlikely to be discovered by others, and would not harm the environment—a green, pollution-free trial.

If he were to use Judgment in reality...

Afterward, the entire world of hybrids and dragon kings would be thrown into chaos. His current strength was at the level of a juvenile dragon king; the Word Spirit’s intensity far outstripped that of hybrids like Eriyi. None dared ignore him.

‘Is this really the extent of my power?’

Lu Mingfei gazed at the vanished mountain in the distance, feeling the limits of Judgment’s effect, and sighed inwardly.

Without Lu Mingze’s help, the power of his Word Spirit was still too weak when used alone. Judgment’s range was only a few kilometers, and it required time to search for a medium, then condense it into a strike and launch the attack.

Simply put, the casting delay was greater without Lu Mingze’s assistance, and the power was weaker.

In a high-intensity battle, every second could decide the outcome, and yet he needed a full 2.3 seconds to find a medium—far too long! Though the attack was somewhat potent, such a lengthy preparation meant the enemy could easily escape its range.

Alas, he was still too weak.

“Uh-haha, alright.”

Seeing Lu Mingfei’s genial smile, the Servant’s own smile became gentle in turn.

It is well known that a smile can be contagious; the clarity and kindness within it can be passed on, even reflected in the eyes, making the Servant’s gaze pure.

Though she knew this was a dream, it was all too real—the sensation of wind brushing her face felt as if in the waking world, and wounds suffered in the dream would carry over to reality. This was no ordinary dream.

Thus, even though she suspected that Lu Mingfei’s power was not his true strength, she dared not act recklessly—after all, the danger of the dream-eater was ever-present.

“Gulp!”

On the other side, Furina was startled too. She stared blankly at the mountain destroyed with a single blow, the water-drop eyes sparkling with unusual brilliance.

Though she knew Lu Mingfei was powerful, she had not expected him to be so strong. The Word Spirit’s might rivaled the full force of the Seven Archons, and this was not even his full strength.

He’d said before that only when Lu Mingze fully cooperated could he wield his complete power. In full form, the Word Spirit’s potency could increase dozens of times over—as things stood, in his complete state, he could wipe the surface clean with Word Spirit.

“Ahem.”

Furina calmed herself a bit, her smile growing more composed and elegant, her posture even straighter. She turned her gaze to the Servant, politely inquiring:

“Good evening, Arlecchino. Did the dinner at Meropide suit your taste? Would you like something different for breakfast tomorrow? Feel free to request anything.”

“No need to trouble yourself.”

The Servant felt Furina was subtly warning her. After all, the public trial was tomorrow, and a warning tonight was understandable. She even wondered if she might be killed twice in the dream, further reducing her threat.

“Oh, very well.”

Furina sighed lightly, seemingly a bit disappointed, but soon smiled again, looking at the Servant on the bench. “By the way, you must have seen Lyney today?”

“Yes.”

The Servant answered honestly.

When she saw Lyney earlier, she had already guessed that these matters were under Furina’s watchful eye, so she refrained from communication. In retrospect, her choice was absolutely correct—otherwise, Furina might have caught her in a capital offense.

If she had chosen to communicate with Lyney, her crime would have been confirmed. Should any incriminating words have surfaced, not only she, but the entire House of Hearth could have been in grave danger.

Her choice was sound.

As she spoke, a massive shadow gradually enveloped the Servant and Furina, accompanied by a naturally emanating, terrifying pressure.

‘What now?’

The Servant’s body grew tense. She slowly turned her head to look behind. Lu Mingfei was gradually transforming, taking on a half-dragon form. The shadow of black wings covered her, and the process of dragonization continued.

Was he restoring his true form?

The Servant knew well that, although she could sense the pressure, it was not directed at her. If it were, she would likely be crushed instantly—she had died this way before, with the experience to prove it.

Lu Mingfei’s true form was indeed a dragon, and a fearsome black dragon at that. His wings could obscure the sky, his body could suppress the earth, his golden eyes could pierce through all illusions, his might awe-inspiring.

What a powerful being!

He was like a legendary Nibelung!

No, perhaps even greater!

“Don’t be afraid, Arlecchino.”

Furina spoke again, and the Servant instinctively shifted her gaze back to her. Furina’s voice was gentle as she said, “Lu Mingfei has only recently awakened—he’s still relatively weak, about at the level of a juvenile dragon king. Once he grows, he’ll be able to descend into the world in his true form, just like the Nibelung.”

“I—I thank you.”

The Servant managed a strained smile.

Thanks to Furina’s ‘comfort,’ she was now even more afraid.

How was this comfort?

It was a blatant threat!

A dragon king whose power rivals the Nibelung, poised to descend upon Teyvat at any moment—this was an apocalyptic danger for the world. The battle between Celestia and the Nibelung nearly destroyed the realm.

If this dragon king, comparable to the Nibelung, were to enter... and clash with Celestia again...

The whole world would explode!

Suddenly, the Servant felt that the one who raised the banner against Celestia highest was not the Cryo Archon, but the Hydro Archon—Furina, Focalors.

The Cryo Queen merely gathered the remains of the third descender, the Nibelung, attempting to revive it. Furina was different; she brought a new Nibelung from beyond the world itself—one that might be even more terrifying, an even greater threat to Celestia.

No matter how strong the Nibelung was, it was merely a defeated subordinate of Celestia. But this Lu Mingfei...

He was a pure Abyssal Dragon King!

In the Servant’s elemental vision, Lu Mingfei was entirely black—a terrifying blackness. He was unlike those tainted by abyssal power; his existence was akin to the abyss itself.

“Does Lu Mingfei have any other names?” the Servant asked suddenly, curious.

“Other names?”

Furina pondered a moment, gazing at the black dragon roaring in the sky. Suddenly, she felt that Lu Mingfei resembled the black dragon king of his world, so she smiled and said, “Yes, he’s called Nidhogg, the Black Dragon King.”

“Nidhogg?”

“Yes, Nidhogg!”

Furina’s tone was unequivocal, her smile broad and confident.

Since little Lu enjoys stealing accounts and helping others do so, I’ll borrow a big name for him—he shouldn’t mind, right? I, Furina, have the name Focalors; it’s only natural for Lu Mingfei to have the name Nidhogg.

“I’ll remember this name.”

The Servant looked at the black dragon soaring through the sky, the crimson in her eyes buried deep within. That was an existence as untouchable as Celestia itself.

Luckily, she hadn’t attacked him before; given her connection with Nidhogg, if he learned she died in Teyvat, he might fly into a rage, break through the world’s barriers, and ignite the continent with the fury of a dragon king.

(The chapter ends)