Chapter 5 Jormungandr (1) I'm fine, don't misunderstand, my nose...
"All [entrance exams] have concluded, and the train is about to enter the Cocytus region."
As the announcement sounded, three tracks suddenly appeared on the water, stirring up waves in the once calm river. The three trains came from different directions and sped toward the confluence.
"Beep! Trains are about to connect! Connecting carriages are [Charon - The Garden of the Dead & Nibelungen], [Charon - The Underworld], and [Charon - Hell]"
The trains joined together at the point where the three tracks converged, their overlapping whistles echoing across the River Styx. Amidst the surging waves, the Charon, which had been divided into three sections, was reunited as one.
As the sole survivor of the Charon: Underworld, the demonic beast Qiongqi slowly walked through one horribly damaged carriage after another, its Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade still dripping blood.
Three trains arrived at their destination: the Underworld, Hell, and the Netherworld and Nibelungen, which merged along the way.
This means that the victors who survived on this merged train endured a battle twice as treacherous as those on ordinary trains.
She developed a strong interest in the abyssal creature she had never seen before, and the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade hummed, its warlike nature stirred within her.
This was an unfamiliar carriage, likely from the recently connected [Hell] or [Garden of the Underworld & Nibelungen]. Numerous traces of battle remained here, but what truly caught her attention was the presence standing in the center of the carriage... a certain being.
Qiongqi couldn't make out the shape or face of the thing. A large amount of high-purity magic essence was wrapped around its body, causing space to shift and distort, presenting as a chilling black vortex.
A sense of crisis instantly seized her instincts, and Qiongqi immediately released the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, swinging it with all its might at the chaotic object.
"drop!"
As the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's blade sank into the swamp-like, viscous wall of magic energy, the announcement sounded again.
"Attention all passengers! The Charon will arrive at Cocytus within a quarter of an hour. Survivors, please proceed to the Golden Fleece Vault to complete your reward calculation..."
The resistance of the magic wall reached its limit at this moment, and the violently trembling Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was flung away from Qiongqi's hand and deeply embedded in the ground.
"...The rest of the dead will be reborn in the Fountain of Life within three time intervals."
After the mission announcement finished its last sentence, a clear and joyful voice suddenly came from within the magic wall: "Rebirth?"
Xia Ying instantly lost her strength and slowly slid down to the ground: "That's great..."
Only then did she realize that a tall, beautiful woman with crimson demonic markings on her cheeks, dressed in Tang Dynasty style, was standing in front of her, looking at her with an incredulous expression.
Xia Ying subtly summoned the Abyss Compendium and cautiously asked, "You are... *gurgling sounds*?"
Before she could finish speaking, the other person swiftly reached out and grabbed her cheek.
Qiongqi felt the soft, elastic texture in its hand and seemed even more terrified than the victim:
"What on earth is this adorable creature?!"
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Abyss Species: The Four Evil Beasts
Name: Qiongqi
Danger Level: SS
Special Note:
1. This creature is warlike by nature, but it is not hostile to weaker creatures. In certain situations, contact should be avoided.
2. An excessive fondness for all cute things should also be guarded against.
Synchronization rate (unlocked): 21%
Synchronizable skills: Not yet unlocked
(Unlocked entry)...
"So, you really are the only survivor on this train?" Qiongqi asked in surprise. "How did you do it? With your charm?"
“…Just consider it luck.” Xia Ying struggled to push away the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade that was aimed at her, creating a tiny bit of space for herself. “Sorry, but you seem to be crowding me a little.”
"Oh? Sorry, I just leaned in without realizing it."
Even so, she simply moved the scabbard to the other side and pressed herself against the human girl with even more confidence.
"Besides the two of us, there should be another survivor, but there doesn't seem to be any other living creature on the train... Maybe there are no survivors on the third Charon. Such situations can indeed occur in the chaos of battle."
Xia Ying was silent for a moment, then asked, "Miss Qiongqi, do you know what the [Fountain of Life] is?"
Qiongqi thought for a moment: "When you were selected as a freshman, you also signed the admission notice, right? That thing is actually a demon contract."
"I know."
"The essence of the demon contract is to trade souls with demons. For us, it means exchanging our souls with the Demon Lord for the qualification to enter the Cocytus Academy," Qiongqi said. "Therefore, at least during the period of enrollment and within the Demon Lord's territory, our souls belong to the Demon Lord."
Qiongqi nodded: "However, the [illegible] will still be damaged, but our souls will not flow into the River Styx. Instead, they will be collected by the Lord of Demons and resurrected in the Immortal-level magical artifact [Fountain of Life]."
Xia Ying blinked: "Speaking of which, what exactly is a magical artifact?"
"My God, are you from a realm smaller than a toenail? No wonder you feel so weak."
Qiongqi looked at Xia Ying with affection, as if she were a caveman.
"Most magical artifacts are polymers of magical essence passed down from the ancient war of the gods, but there are also extremely rare and powerful ancient abyssal creatures that can directly create magical artifacts, and the demon lord Tartarus is one of them."
"Is the [Fountain of Life] a magical artifact he created?"
“Not only the Fountain of Life, but also the Charon and the Student Handbook.” Qiongqi took out the cell phone called the Student Handbook from his pocket. “The Demon Lord seems to be very interested in human gadgets… The abyssal creatures that come to Cocytus have to spend some time getting used to his tastes.”
Just then, the phone Qiongqi was holding beeped again.
"Beep! The Charon is about to undergo a jump!"
Without giving the two any time to prepare themselves, the Charon suddenly made a vertical turn and sped off into the depths of the River Styx.
The sudden change in the direction of gravity caused Xia Ying to fall headfirst, but fortunately, her companion grabbed her before she rolled to the other side of the train.
Qiongqi plunged the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow deep into the ground, gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with one hand, and held Xia Ying with the other, fixing the two of them in place so that they wouldn't be crushed by the corpses of abyssal creatures that kept rolling down to the bottom.
The river lapped against the train, and one by one the copper lamps inside went out, plunging everything into a deathly silence.
In this darkness, even the sound of her own heartbeat seemed to fade away. Xia Ying held her breath, almost doubting whether she was still truly alive.
But gradually, a faint light began to appear ahead, and the light grew stronger and stronger until it completely engulfed the Charon.
The bright light made Xia Ying involuntarily close her eyes, until the sound of rushing water faded from her ears, and she began to hear the gentle breeze.
She opened her eyes and looked at the sky and clouds around her, with a flock of white birds flying past the window.
Xia Ying gently pressed her palm against the windowpane, murmuring to herself, "The Charon... is it flying?"
Qiongqi stepped forward and said, "We're almost there."
The first thing Xia Ying saw was a towering clock tower with a pointed spire that seemed to reach into the clouds. Then, a series of castles, temples, labyrinths, flower gardens, and dense forests came into view, and a fantastical world unlike anything she had ever seen before gradually unfolded before her eyes.
As the train approached the ancient castle complex, a warning sounded:
"Beep! We have arrived at Cocytus Academy. Passengers, please disembark immediately! Passengers, please disembark immediately!"
All the carriage doors swung open at the same time, and Xia Ying was immediately blinded by the strong wind. She reflexively hugged Qiongqi's waist tightly: "How do we get off?! Jump off?"
Qiongqi sheathed his sword and said succinctly, "With me here, jump."
Xia Ying gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, let go of the hand, and bravely jumped out of the car.
Qiongqi followed closely behind. She transformed into a beast in mid-air, a giant cinnabar tiger spreading its wings, grabbing Xia Ying by the back of her collar, and swooping down towards the ground.
Having completed its mission, the Charon circled in the air once before heading back into the unknown horizon. Xia Ying, who had finally returned to the earth, felt her legs go weak upon landing and collapsed forward to the ground.
For a human being, the earth provides a great sense of security, but it is also very hard.
Hmm.
Xia Ying thought to herself as she lay face down on the ground.
It looks like she fell and got a nosebleed.
Just as she was figuring out how to wipe away the blood from her nose discreetly and stand up nonchalantly as if nothing had happened, a hand gently lifted her chin.
"Good boy, are you one of the survivors this year?"
A warm sensation flowed into Xia Ying's nasal cavity, quickly relieving the soreness and pain. Xia Ying looked in the direction of the gentle voice and saw a tall man with white hair and dark skin, wearing a loose robe.
The man knelt before Xia Ying, carefully examining her injuries. A simple robe draped over his full, muscular body, and his soft, curly white hair cascaded down his sculpted, beautiful curves, like a halo enveloping his form. Xia Ying also saw thorny golden tattoos of snakes crawling across his honey-colored skin, coiling around his waist and finally disappearing into the shadows.
The man was like a steadfast and valiant warrior, yet also like a compassionate and merciful priest; a fierce lion, yet also a tender lamb. For a moment, Xia Ying was captivated by his mysterious and contradictory charm.
"Why are you bleeding again?" he asked softly. "Are you badly injured?"
Xia Ying met the other person's warm brown eyes, which were filled with concern, and was immediately jolted awake, wiping away the blood from her nose.
"I'm fine." She glanced awkwardly at the bloodstains on her hands and said abruptly, "I fell."
The other party smiled and accepted the strange explanation completely. After helping Xia Ying up from the ground, they slowly let go of her hand.
"In any case, dear children, welcome to Cocytus Academy."
The white-haired man, with his back to the rolling black castles, nodded slightly to the two of them.
"Nice to meet you. I am Jormungandr, the guide for the survivors."
A note from the author:
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Lady Qiongqi's view of Xia Ying: A caveman with clear eyes, but she seems cute, so I dote on her a bit.
Jormungandr: A famous serpent in Norse mythology.
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