Chapter Fourteen: Summoning the Troops

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Using the heavens and earth as his altar, with wind, rain, and clouds as his sigils, Lu Mingfei wielded the power he had purchased at the cost of a quarter of his life with effortless grace. Riding atop the eight-legged celestial steed, Odin charged like a mountain collapsing and a great peak toppling. Nono’s face turned pale; she tried to maneuver the Ferrari to evade, but the car, having operated at full power for too long, clearly reached its limit, letting out two frustrated roars before falling silent.

“Wild dog.”

Lu Mingfei cast a glance at Odin, who stood with spear in hand and murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Without moving a muscle, Lu Mingfei chanted an unknown incantation, his magic swirling as he placed his left hand on his forehead, his index finger and thumb forming an equilateral triangle.

With an instant spell cast, he struck his adversary.

An immense invisible force sent Odin’s vast and sacred form hurtling through the air. The fierce eight-legged warhorse crashed heavily onto the ground, struggling but unable to rise.

Compared to the divine power that had just frozen the entire world, Odin’s strength seemed comparatively weak.

Nono stared at Lu Mingfei in disbelief, unable to accept that the towering god had been so easily blasted away by him.

“Lu Mingfei, how did you—”

Without turning his head, Lu Mingfei said, “Find a place to hide. The fight will be over soon.”

Nono looked at Odin, who was preparing to throw his spear once again, then at the lone, slender figure standing amid the raging storm. Biting her lip, she opened the car door and sprinted toward the rear.

This was no battlefield for her to be involved in.

Odin stood still, charging his attack, while Lu Mingfei quietly recited spells and formed seals. The scene was oddly serene.

Two massive hands made of dark clouds appeared in the sky, forming magical seals, followed by five great banners embroidered with twin-headed serpents entwined around a bird’s egg, positioned at east, west, south, north, and center.

At the same time, a grayish pottery jar floated midair, an invisible hand inscribing dense runes upon it.

This was Lu Mingfei’s most frequently used battle technique from his previous life: summoning an “army.”

Though the timing was off and the magical tools incomplete, now that he wielded immense power, none of it mattered.

He could forcibly open the gates between reality and illusion, summoning unimaginably powerful dream creatures to serve as his troops.

Moreover, even after the power he traded for faded, the contract he signed would endure, and his summoned army would remain under his command.

To squander the power gained from such a bargain would be extravagant. His current approach was akin to taking out an interest-free loan by sacrificing a quarter of his life, founding a company to attract employees. When the loan was recalled, those employees would already be bound by mandatory labor contracts, forced to generate surplus value within the company.

“Command!”

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The final seal was completed. Brilliant lights of blue, red, white, black, and yellow erupted between heaven and earth, dazzling and blinding.

In the blink of an eye, the world halted once more. Odin, clad in dark gold armor, hurled his spear through the frozen air, piercing Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei hung on the spear’s wooden shaft, its curved arc like a meteor streaking across the sky, flying backward. He caught up just in time with Nono, who had fled some distance, and crashed heavily to the ground.

“Ah!!”

The scene was too intense for Nono, who had been stretched to her psychological limit. Finally seated on the ground, she screamed aloud.

“Damn it, where’s my dream realm?”

Lu Mingfei pulled himself up, inch by inch extracting the spear Gungnir from his body. The wound across his chest writhed and began healing rapidly.

This world could not connect to the dream realm. Had he entered some special domain, or was the concept of the dream realm simply nonexistent in his homeland?

No matter; it wasn’t only spirits from the dream realm that could be bound. Couldn’t Odin himself be subdued?

The torrential rain ceased again. In a flash, Lu Mingfei instinctively stretched out his right hand, fingers spread wide.

“Revoke.”

Nothing.

Odin, like a sinister phantom, dodged Lu Mingfei’s block and suddenly appeared behind him. Without retrieving Gungnir abandoned on the ground, he formed a single-handed blade and struck toward Lu Mingfei’s neck.

So fast! Too fast!

Though Odin lacked the overwhelming divine power described in Norse mythology, his speed was like a ghost flickering through the cracks of time, impossible to catch.

Such a swift assassin was every mage’s nightmare.

Fortunately, Lu Mingfei was no ordinary mage—he was a “dog” with eyes at his back.

He grasped the iron armored hand attempting a sneak attack from behind, while his other hand climbed up, shifting his posture to throw Odin aside and slam him fiercely onto the ground.

The earth shattered like tofu, and the pooled water on the viaduct rippled violently. A massive crater formed, the shockwave trembling the entire bridge as if by an earthquake.

In that instant, Lu Mingfei judged:

Odin’s speed was too great, and clad in armor, direct confrontation was unwise.

He hoisted Odin once more, swung him in a wide arc through the air, and slammed him down again.

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Odin’s massive frame was surprisingly weaker than Lu Mingfei’s. After he grabbed one of Odin’s arms with both hands, the god could not break free, resorting to relentless attacks with the other hand, striking at Lu Mingfei’s vulnerable points in retaliation.

Still unable to break free, Odin cut off the captured arm with a hand blade. But just as he escaped, Lu Mingfei, disregarding all decorum, leapt and locked his ankle.

Smash!

Lu Mingfei’s recovery was astonishing. No matter which vital spot was struck, it healed visibly fast. Thus began the most brutal, primal brawl between man and god.

Most of the potent mythic magics he wielded required complex rituals and great mental focus; under current circumstances, it was better to fight raw.

Lu Mingfei unleashed silent, violent throws, enduring terrifying injuries with stoic resolve. Odin was equally silent. The battlefield was dim, filled only with the howling wind, the pattering rain, and the tremendous impacts.

After a long while, the crashing sounds ceased. Beneath the drumming rain, faint chanting resonated briefly.

Three golden lanterns in the dark dwindled to two. The overwhelming rain washed away the blood clinging to Lu Mingfei’s battered body. His clothes were tattered; in his left hand, he clutched a dull gray pottery jar as he stepped from the shadows.

If not for his radiant golden eyes shining like a lighthouse beacon, this frail boy could have been mistaken for a roadside scavenger.

Now, even those brilliant golden eyes were slowly dimming.

Lu Mingfei said nothing, merely beckoning to Nono, still seated on the ground.

“Quick, come with me. Something’s wrong here.”

Nono froze, asked no questions, trembling as she tried to stand, then collapsed back down, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“My legs are weak…”

Lu Mingfei slapped the pottery jar, drawing out a talisman. In Nono’s view, a simple humanoid figure, composed of basic lines, appeared behind him.

Summoning his army.

The torrential downpour slowed. Lu Mingfei grasped Nono’s shoulder; their forms blurred and vanished from sight.

Before long, a towering figure of bronze-like metal silently appeared atop the shattered viaduct. It gazed toward the exit of this rainy night, lost in thought.