From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 408 The sky has cleared, the rain has stopped, and now you think you're all set?
"How does it feel to step into the realm of demigods?"

Zarathustra clasped his hands behind his back, scrutinizing Pompeii with great interest.

"Very good, excellent."

Pompeii sat alone on his stone throne, his body occasionally emitting a blinding white light, and an invisible sense of oppression permeated the entire temple.

However, upon closer observation, it can be found that His current state is far from 'excellent'.

His body was covered in black scales, but his lower body's legs had turned into sticky, intertwined tentacles.

That once handsome face is now enough to terrify the women who are obsessed with him. His face is now a dark purple, blackish-black color. On his octopus-like head, there are tentacles on his jaw that look like whiskers. His scarlet pupils mixed with gold are like searchlights in the dark night. The twisted and crazy look in his eyes is even more terrifying!
Moving your gaze downwards, you can see Pompeii's current state, like a piece of broken porcelain that has been pieced back together, its entire body covered with jagged, crisscrossing cracks.

The occasional bursts of blazing white light from the cracks were filled with a repressive and violent aura, like natural disasters such as thunder and tsunamis.

Zarathustra quietly activated his spiritual vision to observe Pompeii's condition.

The deep colors that enveloped the surface of Pompeii's mind included a blood-red hue and an ominous, dense black, both of which reflected that Pompeii's mental state was far from ideal, and he was only a hair's breadth away from 'losing control'.

As the observation continued, the auras and spirits of the astral bodies and ethereal bodies all approached 'chaos'.

The potion path is different from other power systems. Without the protagonist's halo, rapid progress may lead to future troubles.

It needs to solidify the foundation at every stage; otherwise, if it takes even the slightest wrong step or rushes ahead recklessly, the result will naturally be a slide into the abyss, an uncontrollable and complete descent into madness!

Clearly, Pompeii was unaware of the implications and, under deliberate manipulation, did not allow the potion to be fully digested, did not understand the art of acting, and was unaware of the risks of losing control. Instead, he blindly pursued power, and although he reached the level of a 'demigod,' he actually sowed the seeds of a great disaster.

"It seems that Sequence 3 is the limit."

Zarathustra withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly.

Although I held onto a sliver of hope, things ultimately didn't go as planned.

Even after devouring the 'King of the Ocean and Water', Pompeii's limit remained the same; at most, it would only reach 'Sequence Three'.

Unless He is given a considerable amount of time to digest the potion within His body, there is no hope of advancing to Sequence Two. Otherwise, even if He is forcibly given the potion, the extracted 'extraordinary characteristics' will be full of pollution and will still need to find a suitable host for more complex purification.

After a moment of reflection, Zarathustra cleared his mind of all distractions and turned to Pompeii: "Congratulations, Holy Son, on taking another step forward and entering the realm of demigods."

"Is this the form of a mythical creature?"

Pompeii raised a hand, looking at his palm, which was covered in swollen, gelatinous scales, and turned to Zarathustra: "I think I can hear 'His' voice, very clearly. Is this normal?"

"It's okay, this is a normal phenomenon, don't worry."

Zarathustra smiled calmly and explained, "But there's one thing: while mythical creature forms can enhance combat power, it's best not to maintain them for too long, as it will put a great burden on you."

He said this not out of a change of heart, but simply because he didn't want this 'pawn' to be rendered useless too early.

After all, a considerable price was paid to cultivate a Pompeii.

"Really? I don't think there's a problem."

Pompeii grinned, seemingly unconcerned. He quite liked his current form; the feeling of being filled with power truly captivated him.

However, given His current dignified appearance, it was truly somewhat terrifying.

"I'm just offering a suggestion; it's up to you whether you listen or not."

Zarathustra remained expressionless and spoke calmly.

"Zarathus, I'm curious, between you and me now, who is stronger?"

Influenced by the 'Tyrant' pathway, Pompeii became extremely manic and warlike. He squinted his eyes, seemingly provocatively looking at Zarathustra.

Inside the main hall, a heavy, low-pressure atmosphere prevailed, with occasional bursts of bright white light accompanied by muffled thunderous sounds.

"You can try."

Zarathustra maintained his smile, completely unfazed by Pompeii's provocation.

Those who follow the Tyrant path are inherently irritable and often cannot distinguish between jokes and sarcasm. Once their anger erupts, they may even disregard the bigger picture.

Therefore, he is called "Grumpy Old Man" by most netizens in the book, which is truly a fitting title.

"hehe."

Pompeii felt a surge of fighting spirit, his pupils filled with a blazing white light.

An invisible pressure, like a tsunami, enveloped the hall, and every brick, every pillar, and even the particles in the atmosphere seemed to tremble and emit mournful cries.

A violent gust of wind spun rapidly in the hall, creating friction with the ions in the air.

Sizzle sizzle—!
A terrifying hurricane, visible to the naked eye, swirled around, its air currents mixed with violent lightning, annihilating and pulverizing anything caught in its path.

Zarathustra grinned.

The weather has cleared up and the rain has stopped. Do you think you can do it again?
Then, he suddenly took half a step forward and slapped the target across the face.

boom!
The tornado that had just formed was shattered by a single slap.

Then, Zarathustra slapped Pompeii back in the direction he was facing.

A spiritual lash!

A spiritual lash!

A spiritual lash!

Although it appeared to be a slap, in reality, he directly condensed dozens of mental whips, which lashed out hard at Pompeii's astral body.

pain!
Severe pain!

This was Pompeii's first reaction; the pain from the depths of his soul, a burning sensation like being whipped, almost made him scream.

Pompeii instantly reverted from his mythical creature form to his original state, his face contorted, veins bulging, and large beads of sweat visible to the naked eye streaming down his cheeks.

But He still gritted his teeth, trying his best to control himself from screaming.

It's just too embarrassing!

Pompeii gasped for breath, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Zarathustra.

Ha, dealing with this kind of stuff is incredibly easy.

Zaratu chuckled inwardly, but his face remained expressionless as he calmly said, "It seems that I am still stronger. The Holy Son needs to work harder."

The immortal Pompeii was furious, but his remaining intelligence restrained his desire to fight to the death.

He gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the calm old man, as if he wanted to swallow his anger, humiliation, and blood: "Zaratu is indeed powerful, hahahaha."

"Let's stop testing the waters and get back to the main topic."

Zaratu stroked his beard and said calmly, "I observed the stars last night and foresaw that the next Black Star to rise in the sky will be in three days."

"Where's the location?"

Pompeii became excited and seemed to think he was invincible again.

To hold a summoning ceremony, the right time, place, and offerings are required; all three elements must be present.

"Kassel."

Zarathustra smiled slightly, a smile that held an indescribable meaning.

“Kassel? Heh, just what I wanted!” Pompeii’s hand, which was gripping the chair, suddenly bulged with veins, and he crushed it into stone powder. His eyes gleamed with a fierce light: “Perfect, everything should end where it began!”

Chicago, Kassel College.

The group was not in a good mood when they left Schneider's war room.

Xia Mi, in particular, was even more depressed. Having witnessed the tragic scene of her former kind being devoured, she couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow, even though they were hostile to each other.

Caesar and Nono exchanged a glance, as if they were of one mind, and said in unison, "We have something to attend to, so we'll be leaving first."

Then, he grabbed the bewildered Lu Mingfei and left, leaving only Xia Mi and Chu Zihang behind.

Chu Zihang sighed and rubbed his forehead. He could understand why they did this; they just wanted to give him and Xia Mi some private space. He also had many questions he wanted to ask Xia Mi in person, but the problem was that their approach was a bit too obvious!

Turning to look at Xia Mi, who was in low spirits, he, who was usually very calm, was inexplicably flustered.

"How about we talk?"

After holding it in for a long time, Chu Zihang finally blurted it out.

Seeing his helpless expression, Xia Mi couldn't help but laugh, which eased her low spirits considerably.

"Ahem, if you don't want to, then forget it," Chu Zihang said hurriedly.

Fortunately, since he changed into this form, no one can see his expression anymore, otherwise he would definitely be blushing red right now.

"Okay."

Xia Mi brushed a strand of hair from her temple amidst the fluttering petals on campus.

Tranquil yet playful, with an elfin-like face and a perfectly curved smile, her smile was like a warm spring breeze that instantly warmed Chu Zihang's heart.

Chu Zihang's emotions surged, and fragments seemed to flash through his mind.

On a rainy day, he was walking along a roadside filled with puddles when a fair arm reached out and held up a transparent umbrella for him.

A quirky and lively girl walked playfully along the roadside, skipping and hopping along, exuding youthful energy. She would occasionally lower her head and chatter away.

He didn't hear what the girl was saying at the time, but he did smell a delicate fragrance.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

Xia Mi stretched out a hand and waved it in front of Chu Zihang's eyes, saying angrily, "Did you even hear what I said?"

A fair, jade-like hand brushed against his face, leaving a familiar, delicate fragrance that pulled Chu Zihang back to reality from his memories.

"Sorry, something just suddenly popped into my head."

Chu Zihang gave him an apologetic look and said, "Could you repeat that again?"

"Fine, I'm not going to argue with you anymore." Xia Mi crossed her arms, stared at Chu Zihang, and said, "Come with me, and don't let your mind wander anymore!"

"Oh."

Chu Zihang behaved quite obediently, following behind Xia Mi.

The two walked for a long time, remaining silent the entire way, until they reached the top of the mountain next to the academy. Xia Mi then found a grassy area with a wide view and sat down.

"I'm exhausted. I should have just borrowed a car," the girl complained, rubbing her slender legs.

Chu Zihang silently sat down next to him. By this time, it was completely dark, and the sky was filled with stars, making for a beautiful scene.

"Ask~"

Xia Mi crossed her legs and hugged her arms, looking at the star-studded night sky, and said softly, "I know you have many questions for me, but don't worry. I will tell you everything I need to."

Chu Zihang thought of the first question, and he turned to look at Xia Mi seriously: "Have we known each other before?"

Xia Mi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Yes, we not only knew each other at Shilan Middle School, but we were also friends."

"Then why don't I remember?" Chu Zihang stared intently at the girl, a strange look swirling in his eyes.

"Because I deleted that part of your memory."

Xia Mi's eyes were complicated. She didn't want to look at Chu Zihang. She buried her head in her knees and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want you to remember those days."

"why?"

Chu Zihang was stunned for a moment, his brows furrowed, and he looked puzzled.

"Pass! Next question!"

However, Xia Mi shook her head, crossed her arms to make a big 'X', and pouted, saying, "I refuse to answer this question. Next, next!"

Chu Zihang, who had been rejected, was filled with questions.

But he quickly composed himself and asked again, "Are you really the Dragon King?"

"Nonsense, it's the real Dragon King, no doubt about it!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Mi patted her meager chest, revealing a proud expression: "I am Jormungandr, King of the Earth and Mountains!"

Seeing Xia Mi's proud expression, Chu Zihang's lips twitched. Was it really okay to shout it out so loudly?
If any students from Kassel nearby hear this, the forum will explode with discussion the next day!
"Isn't the Dragon King a twin?" Chu Zihang asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

Xia Mi asked.

"No, I was just curious. I haven't seen anyone else with you," Chu Zihang said.

“My brother has a mental disability. He’s like a child, so he’s always stayed in Nibelungen and never comes out.” Xia Mi suddenly felt a little down. Thinking of her brother, if she really died this time, who would take care of him?
Looking at the dejected girl, Chu Zihang said with a pang of sympathy, "Perhaps you could try talking to the principal; he might have a solution."

“I once thought that if I died, I would completely shut down the Nibelungen.”

Xia Mi gazed blankly at the starry sky, exuding an aura of loneliness, and said softly, "I don't need Him to avenge me. It's fine to just live on alone like this."

"I think you don't have to be so pessimistic."

Chu Zihang thought for a moment and said, "Since the principal has chosen to let you go, he naturally has a way to resolve this matter."

"Hey, Chu Zihang."

Xia Mi suddenly turned around, her bright eyes seemingly filled with deep affection as she gazed at Chu Zihang: "If one day, someone forces you to kill me, what would you do?"

Chu Zihang was stunned. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

In my mind, it was like two little figures were fighting, one shouting "Don't kill!" and the other shouting "You must kill!"

"Never mind. I was just kidding."

Xia Mi's eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly regained her mischievous demeanor, making a face: "Don't mind me, I was just kidding~"

Then, the girl got up from the lawn, patted the dirt off her bottom, and said, "Let's go, it's getting late."

Watching the girl's departing figure, Chu Zihang lowered his eyes and, as if talking to himself, whispered, "I won't kill you."

Xia Mi paused for a moment, but quickly recovered.

However, the girl's steps became much lighter.

(End of this chapter)