Famine 55: Doom Harbinger

The glacier groaned beneath their weight.

Shi He reacted first, yanking a teammate down with him. “Get down!”

Icy water spread over the surface, making the ice slicker than ever. Shi He, caught off guard, slipped and fell, but he quickly shifted his center of gravity and used the momentum to slide forward over ten meters, rolling once and landing on one knee.

Crackle—!
The glacier split in web-like fissures, groaning with an unbearable pain as cracks spidered out in all directions.

Instantly, everyone lowered their stance, spreading their bodies to reduce pressure on the ice.

Wang Jianguo’s face was iron dark. “Is that water underneath?! We’re on ice over water?! Where the hell have we landed?!”

Crack!
The ice trembled violently once more.

Seeing the ever-widening splits, Shi He pulled off his gloves and pressed his fingertips to the ice. Light flickered in his eyes—

Buzz—A faint grey glow shimmered from the cracks, causing the ice to still for the moment.

[Shi Jin Shouhun—Stop the Bell]

“All right,” Shi He whispered in relief. “Let’s move out, slowly…”

Suddenly, a wild gale tore through.

From the northwest, a sharp crack of ice shattered the calm, and then, like a burial shroud, a grey-white wall of fog was ripped open by a massive rent. High-pressure airstreams blasted shards of ice across the expanse, plowing a swath of emptiness in the sea of fog!

Hooo!—

Shards of ice lashed Shi He’s eyes, breaking his spell and forcing his hand up in defense. Wang Jianguo, without hesitation, crawled over, clapping Shi He on the shoulder and shouting against the wind, “Get down! Stay down!!”

Hooo!!—

No sooner had Wang Jianguo forced Shi He down than a second wave struck. Something enormous cut the wind with razor force, splitting the storm with explosive roars. Ice shards scraped along their backs, ripping slits through winter coats, stuffing torn out by the gusts.

Clap… clap, clap.

Someone was applauding, the sound crisp and distinct in the howling wind.
Unhurried, almost polite, each clap measured and deliberate.

Shi He’s shoulders trembled.
Some strange homesickness, mingled with dread, gripped him. When what you long for most finally appears so close, it sometimes brings not joy but instead a twisted, paralyzing fear that snakes into every corner of your being.

Facing the storm and flying ice, he slowly raised his head.

The mist had blown away; above, stars circled, and a huge silver moon hung over the boundless glacier.

A figure floated before the moon.

The man looked perhaps forty, reddish-brown hair ruffled, back lit by the moon’s rim of silver. Muscular lines showed even under a down jacket; he stood casually, shoulders slightly slouched, slowly, steadily clapping.

Half his face was lost to shadow, obscuring his expression—just a vague impression of deep-set features, a European cast.
Only a pair of golden slit pupils glimmered in the dark, gazing down with amused curiosity.

Behind him, two massive dragon wings beat the air, each spanning tens of meters, black as night and blocking the stars. Glossy scales shone in the moonlight; the dark red wing membranes hovered high above the ice, with bone spurs trailing icicles and a few sparks.

[Doom Harbinger—Nidhogg]

—This storm had come from the beat of his dragon wings.

“Holy shit! That’s a human?!” Wang Jianguo blurted without thinking.
Zhong Yanqing gritted her teeth: “Nidhogg… the evil dragon of Norse legend, first appeared in the Poetic Edda. Devourer of the World Tree’s roots, herald of Ragnarok.”

The man like a black dragon stood in the howling wind, nodding serenely, even looking somewhat pleased. “Ha! The little lady’s got brains.”
“Look at you, roughneck over there—learn a thing or two. Swearing your way around the world, what a disgrace.”

He paused, then added, “And that… what’s with playing dead over there?”

As if he could call someone else uncultured! Wang Jianguo nearly coughed up blood in rage.

Some people only look high-class until they open their mouths.

Shi He pushed himself upright, swaying in the wind. Blood dripped from ice cuts on his hands. He wobbled, slipped once, forced himself up, and finally stood firm.

Nidhogg hovered a yard over the ice behind him, slitted golden eyes narrowed in a dangerous smile.

“Well, well,”
“Feeding yourself well, aren’t you… kid?”

His voice was low and rough, a slight lift at the end, examining Shi He with intrigue.

Facing the wind, Shi He looked up into those burning gold eyes, trembling as he spoke, “…Brother.”

“Are you still angry with me?”

—

The storm’s howl receded.

Nidhogg slowly dropped to a standstill before Shi He.
He bent over, leaning close, blinked once.

Too close. A faint sulfurous scent hit. Their breaths seemed to blend. Shi He flushed red all over, mind going blank, carefully prepared words vanishing instantly—only his thundering heartbeat remained.

Voice juddering, Shi He stammered,

“I have… a lot I want to ask you—“

Nidhogg didn’t answer. One hand drifted to Shi He’s slim waist, tapping gently—breaking off what he’d been about to say.

“Long time no see. Let’s not talk about that now.”

Shi He shuddered, instinctively shrinking back half an inch before stopping himself. Like a cat bristling before its greatest foe, torn between affection and fear, fighting the urge to flee.

His nemesis smiled. “Kid, may I give you a word of advice?”

“…?” Shi He trembled lightly.

Nidhogg tilted his head, leaned to the boy’s ear, lowered his voice, and whispered, with intimate gentleness:

“Watch your step.”

Boom!
A burst of fire exploded from his fingertips, blasting the ice beneath them. Instantly, the fragile surface shattered completely, and everyone plunged downward!

Splash, splash, splash!

In that wild freefall, everyone in the North Team tumbled into the icy, biting current.

The shock snuffed even the bitterest sorrows, scattering them to ashes.

Beneath the ice, a shadowed river rushed swiftly away. Shi He instinctively tried to activate [Return Flow], to swim back, but detonations of fire chased him underwater, shattering his power.

All that was left was to grit his teeth and drive a dagger into the ice above, trying to slow his passage.

It was no use.

Hold your breath!

The North Team were Seekers—after the first panic, everyone quickly recovered. Each drew on their abilities, stabilizing their position. A few adept at water magic mustered their strength to create a huge bubble, drawing everyone together so they could breathe.

A faint mist clung to the bubble, sheltering them from the rocks.

Thump, thump…

The bubble bounced and bumped along the river, swept by the current.

Soon, the water grew warmer, the ice overhead thawed, and then vanished—the stream shallowed…

Finally, they ground to a halt.
The underground river had run its course.

Pop. The bubble burst. Soaked to the bone, Shi He sat dazed and dejected, waist-deep in the river. Drops dripped from his hair into the water.

Nidhogg was gone.
They had left the glacier behind.

The team stared at one another in shock.

“Nidhogg… definitely isn’t in the same league as ordinary Seekers!”

Zhong Yanqing gnawed anxiously on a fingernail.
As Chosen Seekers, the North Team were hardly defenseless, but they had chosen not to fight back—if they couldn’t win, and their opponent hadn’t killed them, best let the current carry them elsewhere.

“Frightening strength. Only Bian Xu and that gentleman have given me a similar feeling…”

“If he’s that powerful, it’s no wonder he’s the Main God’s first candidate now.”

“But then why isn’t he on the Seekers’ leaderboard? Who exactly is he?”

“No offense, but… is that guy even human?” Wang Jianguo muttered. “Are you sure you two can even reproduce?”

“…”
Shi He hugged his arms and said quietly:
“He’s not related to me by blood.”

“Nidhogg… my elder brother, was my guardian. I was born in a war zone, remember nothing of family, and was always starving. My brother adopted me, carried me from the wreckage, fed me, taught me to shoot, showed me the world…”

His voice broke.
Shi He took a deep breath, wiped his face, and forcibly subdued his emotions.

“…Now isn’t the time to talk about this.”

“Once we’re somewhere safe, I’ll tell you all.”

“Where are we now?”

Shi He lifted his head from the water’s edge.

Before them lay a wasteland. Mist drifted everywhere, and countless pitch-black dead trees, like daggers, stabbed straight into the sky.

A black forest.

Shi He activated his [Eye of Insight], the trees’ names flashing in his pupils: [Blackthorn Deadwood].

For now, their only option was to enter the woods.
Shi He sighed, unconsciously patting his waist.

Suddenly, his face changed.

“Wait!”

Shi He checked himself up and down, pupils contracting rapidly.

“W-What is it?” Zhong Yanqing felt a chill of foreboding.

“…The Holy Grail.”
Shi He’s face went ghostly white as he slowly replied:

“The Holy Grail for summoning that god… It’s been taken.”

…………
……

Snap.

Back on the glacier, high amid the clouds and fog.

A winged man casually tossed a golden goblet, letting it spin a lazy arc before catching it in hand.

“What kind of thing is this? Such a treasure, and you just strap it to your belt with a padlock…”

Nidhogg narrowed his slit pupils.
He couldn’t even tell what grade of curse energy this thing held.

How intriguing.

He tossed the Holy Grail back into his pack and flew on.

The glacier stretched on, boundless and blank beneath a sea of fog, no landmarks to guide the way. The ice underfoot seemed ready to shatter at any moment.

None of it troubled Nidhogg. He glided low across the landscape, as if he knew every inch, flying on with calm confidence.

Suddenly, ahead in the mist, a faint warm yellow light appeared.

Nidhogg’s wings paused.

What was that? That wasn’t here this morning.

An illusion?

Nidhogg frowned, hands behind his back, fingers flicking out a tiny spark as he drifted closer.

But what he saw was even more incredible than any illusion—enough to make you doubt your senses.

Was that… a convenience store?!