Jörmungandr took a deep breath.
Her dragonified body gradually returned to human form.
The clothes on her had long been shredded to pieces by her razor-sharp scales.
As she resumed her human appearance, the key parts of her body shed their armor-like scales.
On the ancient platform stood a cute young girl.
Her skin was snowy white, and her figure was flawless—like a divine artifact crafted by God, now unveiled.
Sadly, no one was there to appreciate this stunning beauty.
"I'll go to Japan in human form. The identity of a Dragon King is still too inconvenient."
Jörmungandr had sensed danger. Compared to the other Dragon Kings, she was still somewhat weaker.
Disguising herself as a harmless bunny and delivering the fatal blow at the most critical moment—
That was the approach of a seasoned hunter.
And Jörmungandr was exactly that: a seasoned hunter.
Brute strength was not her forte.
But intelligence—intelligence could often solve most problems.
Clever girls, after all, never complain about their circumstances or hardships.
Just then—
Jörmungandr's phone rang again.
This time, it was an incoming call.
The number displayed on the screen was unknown.
After a brief hesitation, she answered the call.
As soon as the line connected, a man's crisp voice rang out from the other end:
"Hello, hello—moshi moshi!"
Jörmungandr's brows furrowed slightly. She recognized the voice—it belonged to the man who had spoken first in the earlier video.
"Hi there! What can I help you with?"
The girl's voice rang clear, lively and full of cheer.
Jörmungandr still wasn't sure what the other party wanted, so she put on her mask.
She had spent many years pretending to be a girl in human society—
and after wearing the mask for so long, sometimes it truly became her face.
To put it bluntly: she was a little schizophrenic.
Ren Asakura, listening to that lovely voice, couldn't help but feel amused.
"Should I call you Jörmungandr? Or Xiamie? You're using that name now, right?"
Jörmungandr fell silent for a moment, then resumed her cheerful girl persona.
"Aiya, what are you saying? I'm Xiamie!"
The girl's tone was mischievous.
"Jörmungandr, schizophrenia is a real illness, you know. You need treatment. You're supposed to be a majestic Dragon King—what's with that bubbly tone?"
"What's your problem?! I don't even know you, and now you're calling me out of nowhere saying I'm sick?"
Jörmungandr's voice was full of guarded suspicion—
she really sounded like a girl who had just received a creepy call from a stranger.
Maybe she was playing the part a little too well—
to the point of deceiving even herself.
Ren Asakura dropped the act and suddenly burst into a very villainous laugh.
"Keh keh keh! Jörmungandr, your dearest brother Fenrir is in my hands now! Don't you dare call the cops! Quietly bring 100,000—no, 200,000—to Japan, or your brother is going to be sooo dead! I'm known in the underworld as the guy who removes kidneys without anesthetic—if you don't pay up, your brother's kidneys are toast! Keh keh keh!!"
Ren Asakura hung up right after his dramatic declaration.
Fenrir, standing beside him, looked panicked.
"You think she'll be mad over a joke like that?"
Ren Asakura shook his head, the smile on his face one of absolute confidence.
"Don't worry, your sister has a great temper. This was just a teeny-tiny prank."
The next second—
Ren Asakura's phone rang again.
It was Jörmungandr calling back.
"See? Your sister's calling already," Ren Asakura said to Fenrir.
Fenrir curiously leaned in to listen.
Ren Asakura held a finger to his lips.
"Shhh. Stay quiet."
Then he answered the call.
And on the other end came Jörmungandr's charming voice—
"Wow, it really went through! On TV, the kidnapper's phone never connects."
Ren Asakura was a bit speechless. The mighty Dragon King had become addicted to roleplaying.
"Keh keh keh… Jörmungandr, what's with this girly act? You're a Dragon King—you've lived for thousands of years!"
"Your laugh sounds so evil! And you're demanding 200,000 from her—she's just an ordinary girl, how could she possibly have that kind of money?"
Jörmungandr's voice sounded a little dejected.
It really felt like the person on the other end of the call was just an average girl.
"As expected, wear a mask long enough, and it becomes your face. Fine then! Miss Xia Mi, if I may call you that—
The grand stage play is about to begin. The Black King will be there, the White King will be there, a gathering of Dragon Kings—
The finest audience will arrive one by one to witness the tragic life of a dancing clown. And clowns, well… they're the most entertaining part of the circus.
I believe you'll enjoy the show."
"Are you the ringleader of a circus? I've heard about you guys—you kidnap kids with mental disabilities and train them for circus tricks.
So evil."
The girl's voice cried out in mock horror through the phone.
Ren Asakura just chuckled softly.
"Maybe. But I'm not the only ringleader in this circus.
They build the stage and treat others' fates as scripts to perform on it.
You should be thankful I'm the kind of ringleader who prefers writing happy endings."
"Hearing you say that, maybe you're actually a good guy!"
Jörmungandr's voice was crisp and pleasant, as if they were just casually chatting.
Ren Asakura continued calmly:
"Maybe. But Miss Xia Mi, even if you're staying home, remember to put on some clothes, alright?
Be careful—there might be some pervert peeking through your window.
And even if there isn't, you'll catch a cold if you walk around naked. Keh keh keh…"
Jörmungandr's hand holding the phone clenched involuntarily.
She was inside Niflheim.
There were no so-called "windows" here. No one could find this place.
She had just used the powerful Word Spirit Heaven and Earth as the Furnace to reshape the entire Niflheim.
She was absolutely certain there were no intruders.
And yet, a strange sense of being watched gripped her.
Jörmungandr said with a deeply aggrieved tone, "Pervert… creep… sob… I feel violated now…"
Ren Asakura shook his head with a sigh.
"Heh, quite the performance. But Dragon King of Earth and Mountain,
you wouldn't want anything to happen to your dear brother… would you?"
"You're not saying…!"
The plot seemed to be veering dangerously close to Tokyo's Getting a Little Hot territory.
"I have to say, Miss Xia Mi, if you entered the Oscars this year, I'd vote for you to win Best Actor—no doubt."
Ren Asakura's voice held a faint note of mockery.
Several seconds passed before Jörmungandr's voice returned—this time, cold and sharp:
"What exactly do you want?!"
"Nothing much. If I had to say, just rewriting the future of a miserable guy. After all, he's my little brother. And I've got his back."
Ren Asakura ended the call again.
This time, Jörmungandr didn't call back.
Staring at his phone, Ren Asakura smiled.
"Next target: Kassel College.
And those decrepit old men on the Board of Directors.
The families behind them must be quite the spectacle."
°°°
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