So this is the 'S' Rank hybrid recognized by the principal?!
On the sinking Moniyah, the group of people who had transferred to the lifeboat stared in shock at the black-haired boy standing amidst the crashing waves, holding a greatsword.
For a moment, they all had the illusion.
The figure standing there wasn't human, but a being bathed in royal blood, declaring its return to the world.
Lu Mingfei dragged the greatsword, stepping on the waves, slowly walking toward the lifeboat.
Although he had lost his hearing, Caesar could still feel the mixed aura of hostility and murderous intent emanating from Lu Mingfei, a dark, oppressive pressure that felt like the abyss itself, closing in.
"Lu... Lu Mingfei? Is that really you?" Nono stared at the black-haired boy, her heart trembling uncontrollably.
The overwhelming bloodlust and killing intent hit them like crashing waves, shaking everyone's soul.
The black-haired boy standing on the water's surface seemed like a tyrannical emperor, bathed in the blood of countless beings, walking on a path made of bones, seated on a throne of cruelty.
The invisible pressure gathered, and everyone anxiously awaited the black-haired boy's response.
Caesar instinctively reached for his Desert Eagle, unsure whether the boy in front of him could still be called human under the crushing presence of murder.
However, in the next moment, the aura of the violent tyrant suddenly faltered, and the black-haired boy scratched his head and said, "Hey, hey, hey, is this how you guys at Cassell welcome a hero who worked hard to defeat the dragon king?"
The heavy atmosphere was broken in an instant.
Caesar read the lip movements, and his eye twitched slightly, struggling to follow the erratic thoughts of this guy.
"Welcome back, hero, Lu Mingfei." Nono relaxed a little, showing a bright smile and extending her hand to Lu Mingfei. "From now on, we're classmates."
Lu Mingfei lowered his head, looking at Nono's pale hand reaching out to him.
If this were the normal timeline, he might have felt ecstatic, even overjoyed inside, finally receiving Nono's recognition.
But now, none of that mattered anymore. Nono would only be Caesar's girlfriend, and his connection with Nono would never be the same. Let the 'loser kid's' secret crush end here, on this river mixed with dragon blood.
"No need for a handshake," Lu Mingfei tossed the sword over, then left without looking back, saying, "I'll leave the rest to you, I'm heading out."
"I didn't expect the junior to be so cold," Nono chuckled, not feeling awkward as she withdrew her hand from the air.
It wasn't until Lu Mingfei's figure disappeared into the distance that everyone snapped back to reality. Manstein stared at the rough river, feeling the breath he had been holding finally release.
But Xia Mi remained frozen, staring blankly at the river, her eyes filled with a kind of sorrow.
"Mission complete. The King of Bronze and Fire, Norton, has been confirmed dead at the Three Gorges Reservoir at 1:13 AM. Team members: Caesar, Chen Motong, Chu Zihang, Xia Mi, Manstein, and Lu Mingfei. All members survived."
Manstein dialed an international call.
Then, slowly lowering the phone, Manstein gazed at the stormy river and the dragon king's remains sinking to the bottom, finally smiling.
"Did I fail?"
The black-haired boy had severed his body with 'Wrath,' erasing all life.
Norton, sinking into the river's depths, was enveloped by darkness.
The colors in the golden pupils gradually faded, turning into a dull, lifeless lead gray.
'Wrath' severed its connection with the body fused with Samson, then cleaved through the tough dragon bones, directly piercing the heart.
The alchemical matrix activated on the blade perfectly killed the dragon's regeneration abilities, destroying its chance of resurrection at the cellular level.
For high-level dragons, as long as they prepare an 'egg' before death and complete the soul 'cocooning' process, they can be reborn countless times.
But this time, it hadn't prepared an 'egg,' let alone completed the soul cocooning process.
Rather, this was the result Norton had deliberately engineered. From the moment Constantine was killed, his only remaining goal was revenge.
A long life had finally reached its end. As he had once said, it was like being sealed in a black box, with only eternal darkness waiting for him. He reached out but touched nothing.
"So, this is the feeling of despair."
Norton fell into the cold bronze city, witnessing the collapsed ruins. A strange thought appeared in his mind: "Anglewid, is this the despair you sought?"
"Then, let's make a deal."
A light, floating voice echoed in Norton's mind.
"As agreed, when you fall into despair and call upon my name, I will appear before you."
It should have been a pitch-black cold riverbed, but the scene before Norton changed in an instant. Time and space shifted, and he found himself in a towering, magnificent cathedral made of bones.
Behind an ancient bronze table, under a cross made of pure white bones, a figure of light, mixed with countless images, sat on a massive bronze throne.
Golden vertical pupils observed Norton as he entered the cathedral, and the figure softly spoke: "Welcome… to my divine kingdom."
"Are you Anglewid?"
Norton, after a brief moment of distraction, calmly stared at the shadow of light.
"Yes, and no."
Uchiha Sogetsu's answer was ambiguous, neither admitting nor denying.
Norton was speechless. After a moment of silence, he softly asked, "What exactly do you want, Anglewid?"
"In your moment of despair, I offer you hope." Uchiha Sogetsu chuckled lightly, tapping his index finger rhythmically on the bronze table, then said softly, "Give up the glory of the Dragon Clan in exchange for a completely new life. That is our deal, Lord Norton."
"The glory of the Dragon Clan..."
Upon hearing this, Norton suddenly sneered, almost as if mocking himself. He said, "The Dragon Clan has long lost its glory. Since the moment we were driven from the throne by humans thousands of years ago."
"Should I take this to mean that you agree?" Uchiha Sogetsu smiled.
"I refuse."
Norton shook his head, his gaze hollow and confused. "Even if I gain a new life, what does it matter? To live on alone, I might as well die cleanly."
"Then... what if I tell you," Uchiha Sogetsu paused slightly, then said meaningfully, "That it's you and your brother, a brand-new life, Lord Norton?"
Norton's pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't control his emotions. He stared in shock at the figure on the throne. "Do you mean... you can bring Constantine back to life?"
The Dragon King, killed in its egg, meant complete death, with no possibility of soul cocooning.
But he still chose to believe, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.
"Well then, are you willing?"
Uchiha Sogetsu stopped his tapping, leaning slightly forward. His faint golden vertical pupils reflected Norton's figure.
"Imagine, if you could exchange the glory of the Dragon King for a brand-new life."
Norton exhaled and said, "If it's with Constantine, then…"
Over the long years, he had long forgotten the glory of the Dragon Clan, and no longer thought about chasing those pasts. Yet, there was one thing he could never abandon — Constantine. The brother who was always timid but stayed with him through the lonely years.
"I'm willing!"
Norton's voice was firm, with no hesitation.
Uchiha Sogetsu gave a slight smile and nodded, "Then, the deal is struck."
For a Sequence 3 Dreamweaver, while it was impossible to truly bring a dead being back to life, there was another way.
The Dreamweaver could separate identities they once held and make them into living beings. Even if these identities died, it wouldn't cause the original body to perish.
This ability was a precursor to the Discerner's ability to create, so for him, allowing Norton and Constantine to live another life under new identities was a simple task.
By extracting Norton and Constantine's personalities and memories, then placing them into newly created real bodies, an alternative form of "rebirth" could be achieved.
Of course, Sogetsu did not tell Norton the price for this.
That price was the 'power' and 'authority' of the King of Bronze and Fire.
********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer