"He's just like me. The same loneliness."
"You want to help him?"
Eva tilted her head again.
"Maybe… I want to help the old me."
Finger let out a bitter laugh. He scratched his messy hair that looked like instant noodles and sighed.
"There are already too many lonely people. One more won't make a difference."
"I hope you can let go."
Eva stared at the man in front of her with obsession in her eyes. She knew exactly why the man—once proud and wild like a beast—had ended up in such a broken state.
"I'll let go when I figure things out."
Finger smiled.
"Can I get a bottle of Coke?"
"Coke? In the server room?"
Eva gave him a playful glare but still granted his request.
"If only... you were still here."
Finger opened his arms, as if trying to embrace something that wasn't there. He whispered softly.
"I am here. I've always been here."
Eva leaned gently into him.
Under the beam of the projection light, their shadows on the wall looked like they were truly holding each other.
But then, a sharp alarm shattered the tender moment between the two lovers.
"Someone's breaking in!"
Eva gasped.
"Seriously? They had to pick now of all times?"
Finger cursed, his voice full of frustration. "Who is it? Where's the intruder?"
"Front gate."
Eva's body trembled slightly as she pulled up the feed.
The surveillance footage appeared on the wall.
Blinding light swallowed three-quarters of the screen— like tons of molten lava bursting through from another world.
The light seemed to flow like steam along the shattered road by Iron Forest Lake, where everything was almost indistinguishable in the blinding glow. In the middle of this, stood a shadow, pitch black as night.
Intense lightning sparks, like surging waves of anger, surrounded that figure.
It was a god, a king, and a devil!
"Odin!"
The man was utterly shocked.
Dark clouds, as black as ink, loomed over Cassell College.
Suddenly, the distant clouds began to churn, like restless beasts brewing something, faint thunder rolling across the horizon, as if ancient battle drums from the dawn of time were being struck.
The deep, oppressive atmosphere spread throughout the academy.
Finally, after the churning clouds reached their limit, a bolt of lightning split the night sky, as though attempting to tear the heavens in half!
The dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire Cassell College.
Immediately after, the deafening thunder rang out, like the roar of the divine, shaking the earth and hearts alike.
Heavy rain followed, driven by the howling wind.
The students, once in deep sleep, were suddenly awakened by the strange weather, uncontrollably activating their Golden Eyes.
The soul-shattering pressure, like a tsunami, swept through them. Everyone felt as if a giant stone was pressing on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Boom—!!!
In the next moment, the lightning, carrying immense divine power, descended!
Like surging waves, it carried destructive force, directly obliterating the entire Iron Forest Lake. The lake water was evaporated by terrifying heat, creating dense smoke.
Then, the shockwave from the center of the lake lifted the ground itself, visible gusts of wind and air roared, expanding outward in all directions!
The copper bell hanging in the clock tower let out a deep, mournful sound.
For a moment, all the students at Cassell College, whether they were paying attention to the earlier noise or not, instinctively looked up.
The students, enveloped by an oppressive aura, clearly heard the announcement from Norma.
"Dragon invasion!"
"Dragon invasion!"
"Dragon invasion!"
"The target is the King of Sky and Wind, Odin!"
"One of the Four Great Monarchs, the King of Sky and Wind, Odin, has been confirmed to have invaded!"
The broadcast echoed throughout the entire academy.
However, upon hearing the identity of the invader, the students' faces instantly filled with shock.
Though they were taught from a young age that slaying dragons was their life's goal, most of them had never even seen a living dragon.
Now, they were being told that they were about to slay a dragon, and it was one of the Four Great Monarchs, the Dragon King?!
The absurdity was on the level of a village elder patting a newly equipped warrior on the back and saying, "Congratulations, you're now a qualified warrior. Now, take your new sword and go challenge the final boss, the Demon King!"
For a moment, most of the students were in a daze. They were going to slay a dragon already? Isn't that a bit... too fast?
Thunder ripped through the sky, as if composing an intense symphony. The deafening roar shook their souls, and a storm accompanied by heavy rain descended.
Silver-white lightning streaked out from the clouds, carrying a violent and destructive aura.
The bolts relentlessly struck around them, covering a radius of several hundred meters in a thunderstorm. Everything visible within this chaotic storm was obliterated in the violent lightning forest!
It was a terrifying scene, as if the end of the world had arrived.
The "Regulation" field that had originally surrounded the academy was replaced by an even stronger field. It felt like a tangible mental pressure, surging through everyone's consciousness like a tidal wave.
Students with weaker bloodlines could barely stand under the pressure of this field!
"All students with bloodlines below A-rank, immediately proceed to the shelters!"
The alarm from Eva rang out again across the entire academy: "Lower-year students, please be escorted by upper-year students to the shelters. Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Quickly, many of the students who were still able to move, supported those who were as limp as mud, rushing hurriedly towards the shelter.
Thanks to their usual training, though they were panicked, their evacuation was orderly, and there were no stampedes.
Meanwhile, the professors who had no combat ability were running faster than anyone.
Standing in the thunder, the king seemed tired of the crowd, like ants, and raised his blessed Gungnir. "Cassel's history… will end today!"
The terrifying thunder immediately turned into scorching beams of light, tearing through the sound barriers of the air, crashing into the students fleeing.
The air was thick with a destructive aura, like the death knell of the Grim Reaper!
The students couldn't escape in time. No matter how fast their legs could move, they were no match for the lightning and could only await their doom in despair.
But just then!
A figure suddenly dashed out from behind the crowd.
He was holding a sword, wrapped in black flames, and the intense heat warped the air.
Then, the person leaped into the air, and his momentum surged upwards explosively, like a long-dormant volcano erupting with unmatched power.
The blade suddenly cut through the air, sending out a blazing and pitch-black slash!
In the next moment, Odin's thunder strike was cleaved in two by the sword, and the sword's power continued, slicing through the air to create a transparent tunnel, heading straight for the high-standing god!
The spear swung horizontally, effortlessly shattering the blade's force. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"
"Dragon Slayer," the person carrying the sword said calmly. "Remember it, my name is Finger!"
Looking at the man with a scruffy face and a disheveled appearance, the students were left dumbfounded. It was hard to believe that it was he who had just saved them with a single slash.
Finger… isn't he a useless person?!
********
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