Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 180 Where to Drift To
"Yeah!!"

Natsuki Subaru suddenly realized, then looked at Lu Mingfei with a hint of doubt:
"How did you know?"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, carefully considered his words, and then said:
"As I mentioned before, my old man is Storm, you know, the former general of the Knights of Lost Homeland. He sometimes mentions names like Oregon, Ingwell, O'Neill, Neo, and so on when he chats with me."

These men were all former subordinates of the Storm King, the generals of the Knights of the Lost Land.

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Subaru seemed to recall something, and a deep thought appeared on his face:

"Now that you mention it, the armor that guy is wearing does look a bit like yours. However, his cloak is much cooler than yours, and his helmet doesn't cover his entire body."

Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes:

"How can that be the same? If I wear a big cloak normally, wouldn't it become a burden during battle? How am I supposed to go into tombs and caves?"
So he's the general, and I'm the knight.

"so."

Natsuki Subaru sat up with great interest, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Mingfei:
"Are you going to challenge him? Do you need my help? I have a blessed spot nearby; it won't take long to draw the talisman there."

Lu Mingfei lowered his head in thought, and after a while slowly shook his head:
"No need, I'll go talk to him first. If that doesn't work..."

"Ok."

Natsuki Subaru was slightly disappointed.

These days, he's been nothing but exploring the map; he hasn't encountered a boss battle like this in a long time. In short, he's itching to get back to fighting.

However, since Lu Mingfei insisted on doing so, he couldn't say much.

Before leaving, Natsuki Subaru asked:

"Should we tell your master about this? After all, he's his colleague."

"Do not."

Lu Mingfei shook his head:
"It's best not to let him know about this."

If veteran O'Neal, like many others, has lost his mind in this age of decline and decay, or has become a beast in the most corrupt and toxic place, then his best end would be to die by Lu Mingfei's sword and find release.

This is definitely not good news for the old man.

So let Lu Mingfei take the blame for this.
-
Crimson Ionia, the heart of the swamp.

With the help of the spirit horse, Lu Mingfei arrived here without much effort.

He stood behind the gnarled, massive tree roots, traversing the rugged terrain, and looked into the distance, and indeed saw the figure that Natsuki Subaru had spoken of.

His silver armor was covered in thorns, and behind him was a gray-white cloak. He held a huge halberd in his hand, which was wrapped with a red, tattered battle flag. He stood tall and straight, and his whole body was full of murderous aura.

Lu Mingfei was momentarily stunned when he saw him.

Veteran O'Neal seemed to still be in that earth-shattering war, holding his weapon, wandering this kingless battlefield, searching for his enemy.

Is he the Storm King's general?
He was a figure who had experienced numerous wars, large and small, at the borderlands, and had witnessed the Storm King, the First King Gofrey, and many demigods. His strength was definitely no less than that of the old knight.

He knew the nature of the Storm Riders very well.

Loyal, stubborn, honor-conscious, and ruthless.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, suppressing the awe he felt for this knight-general who had lost his homeland. He slung his two swords behind his back, not drawing them to show that he meant no harm, and then slowly stepped out from behind the tree root cover and into the guarded area.

The sound of their boots hitting the ground was especially clear in the silent heart of the Ionian swamp.

Veteran Shaquille O'Neal's body trembled slightly as his Storm Helmet, adorned with ancient and intricate patterns, slowly rotated, revealing a weathered face.

Beneath the helmet, the old man's sharp eyes fell on Lu Mingfei. When he saw Lu Mingfei's full set of Lost Knight armor, a flicker of emotion seemed to cross his usually silent face. Lu Mingfei stopped a few dozen paces away, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed slightly, performing a standard Storm's Greeting.

He remained silent; sometimes, a gesture of courtesy is enough to say everything.

O'Neill didn't speak, but just silently watched him, his hand gripping the halberd slightly, the military flag behind him moving without wind, fluttering loudly.

Lu Mingfei straightened up and met the other party's gaze, the meaning of which was self-evident: to fight or not to fight?

A silence fell over the room.

After a long silence, O'Neal finally spoke slowly:

"Boy, this is an old noble custom from the Storm King's era; even the younger knights don't know it. Where did you learn it from?"

Lu Mingfei said softly:
"A stubborn old man who refuses to bow to the Golden Tree, exiles himself to the Dragon's Feast Church, and is full of sarcastic remarks, who calls himself the third seat of the Storm Knights."

He didn't name names directly, but O'Neill must have already guessed who was still holding on to the embers of the storm.

O'Neill remained silent for a longer time, then his helmet slowly rotated again, seemingly scrutinizing Lu Mingfei from head to toe, lingering on the twin swords behind him for a long time.

"The aura of the dragon's feast... and the shadow of a storm."

O'Neill asked:
"He's still alive?"

"Alive," Lu Mingfei answered simply, "alive well, and even has the energy to teach apprentices."

"Is it?"

A complex emotion flashed across O'Neal's eyes:

"The era of storms is long gone. The Storm King lost to the Gold Saints, a crushing and utter defeat."

O'Neal shook his head:
"Your stubborn master refused to bow to anyone and eventually left alone, pursued by the Night Riders. Unexpectedly, he is still alive and well."

"but me……"

O'Neill's voice was deep:
"The Storm Court has fallen, its former lord is dead, and the embers of the Storm...where can they drift to?"

He slightly raised his hand, pointing to the worn-out insignia on his chest, which was concealed by his cloak and overcoat.

Lu Mingfei looked slightly puzzled; he didn't recognize the mark.

Seeing the expression on his face, O'Neal shook his head:
"This is the emblem of the sacred tree."

O'Neill seemed to have been on this land for far too long, without seeing a single living person. Now, a lost descendant came to his door. He didn't even ask Lu Mingfei the purpose of his visit, and just kept rambling on and on, like an old man giving his last words in his final moments.

"I led my brothers who were willing to follow me into the shade of Michaela's trees, to serve the Holy Tree Legion. We were the sharpest blades that tore through the enemy lines..."

"Lady Komikaira suddenly disappeared, and Lady Malenia led us on an eastward expedition, all the way to Galide, where the War of Ionia began."

He turned his gaze to the gnarled, scarlet tree:
"When the towering scarlet flower bloomed, everything was destroyed. The legion collapsed, corpses littered the ground, and those who survived... mostly became living corpses under this rotting ground, howling in the mud."

Did Lady Malenia win? Lose? Or escape? Who can say for sure... What meaning does victory or defeat have at this moment?

"But, kid."

He suddenly changed the subject, slammed the battle flag in his hand onto the ground, and straightened his posture:

"We each serve our own lord, and we should be loyal to our sovereign! This Ionian War is not over as long as I stand here!"
Listen, leave before you are completely consumed by corruption!

(End of this chapter)