Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 104 Don't Die, Lu Mingfei

Lu Mingfei and his men had not yet recovered physically and mentally from yesterday's battle. The price of pushing their adrenaline to the limit was much greater than Lu Mingfei had initially anticipated. Henrik originally wanted them not to participate in the upcoming general offensive on Dead Man's Mountain. The scale of forces deployed in this general offensive was unprecedented, almost filling all the available reserves on the left flank, so they didn't need these few wounded soldiers.

But Lu Mingfei was unwilling. Their desperate attack on Hill 304 yesterday was all for this moment. If they didn't participate in today's attack on Dead Man's Mountain, their holiday would be ruined.

So, despite his poor condition, he still managed to catch up with the main force with his men, but they had started late and had fallen behind.

"Everyone! Speed ​​up! We must be the first to plant the flag on the summit of Dead Man's Mountain!" Lu Mingfei shouted as he activated his domain once more.

Now is not the time to worry about side effects. Even if there are significant side effects, the long vacation will allow them to fully recover.

"Charge!!!" The adrenaline of the soldiers behind Lu Mingfei surged again, and they accelerated, overtaking the other soldiers around them.

"Lu Mingfei! There's a situation ahead!" Just as Lu Mingfei and his men were about to approach the vanguard, Caesar heard an unusual sound coming from ahead.

"Are French reinforcements arriving?!" Lu Mingfei immediately asked.

"No!" Caesar's voice was heavy with disbelief.

"There was only one person! But—that guy's heartbeat was incredibly strong and incredibly fast!"

Definitely not an ordinary person! Most likely—a hybrid!

His weasel sensed a heartbeat as strong as a war drum, moving at a speed beyond human limits, while in front of it came the screams of Prussian soldiers and the horrific sounds of flesh being torn apart.

Without Caesar's further reminder, Lu Mingfei had already witnessed the strange situation that had occurred ahead.

About fifty or sixty meters ahead, three Prussian soldiers who were charging forward with bent backs suddenly seemed to be hit head-on by an invisible high-speed truck. They screamed and flew backward, with deep, gruesome claw marks on their chests, necks, and faces.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Fire! Fire!"

The nearby Prussian soldiers were stunned by the sudden and terrifying attack, but they quickly recovered and opened fire.

Bullets whistled through the air, and the attacker had already left his original spot. Several bullets hit the place where he had just stood, splashing up dirt. His figure appeared on the other side like a ghost, and his claws swung again, cleaving a soldier who was trying to operate a light machine gun in two, along with the gun!

Yes, it was split in two! It looked less like flesh and blood and metal weapons, and more like two soft cakes.

Blood and entrails splattered everywhere, staining the ground beneath their feet red.

More bullets came flying, and this time, several hit the dark red figure, but he only swayed slightly and felt no pain at all.

The muscles at the wound writhed wildly, the bullet was forced out by the proliferating tissue and fell to the ground with a soft clatter, while the wound stopped bleeding and scabbed over at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Monster! He's a monster!!"

Fear began to spread among the Prussian soldiers; when had they ever seen an enemy so impervious to bullets?

Sakurai Akira weaved through the crowd, leaping and slashing. His movements were completely haphazard, relying entirely on his instincts as a demon to fight. He tore the Prussian soldiers apart with absolute violence like a true beast.

He had only one thought in his mind: to tear them apart, to tear this war apart, to tear this damn fate apart.

He grabbed a Prussian soldier by the neck who was trying to back away and easily lifted him over his head. The soldier kicked his legs in terror and tried to pry at the sharp claws that were like iron pincers, but with a forceful pull from Sakurai Akira's arms, he could easily escape.

The Prussian soldier was torn in two, and blood and entrails poured over Sakurai Akira's body like rain, making him look more like a demon crawling out of a pool of blood.

He threw his head back and let out a roar full of violence and pleasure, then casually tossed aside the two still slightly twitching pieces of the body in his hand like trash, his golden vertical pupils immediately locking onto other targets nearby.

But the next moment, several .460 caliber bullets carrying terrifying kinetic energy struck Sakurai Akira squarely in the chest and shoulder.

Even with his enhanced body after transforming into a dragon, being hit repeatedly at such close range by bullets powerful enough to take down an elephant would be extremely painful.

The immense impact froze him in place, even causing him to stagger back several steps. Where his chest and shoulders were hit, scales shattered, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and gaping holes the size of bowls appeared.

Although Akira Sakurai can no longer feel pain, he can still sense the threat the bullet poses to him, and soon a red area spreads outward from his body.

The Prussian soldiers, enveloped by this dark red area, instantly became dazed and blank-eyed, as if their souls had been ripped out.

They put down their weapons, turned around stiffly, and like a group of mindless puppets, spontaneously formed a thick human wall, blocking the wounded Sakurai Akira.

Word of Power: Ghostly Victory, Serial Number: 09

During the period when the Demon Victory is in effect, the caster will completely eliminate the sense of pain. At the same time, the caster's strength and flexibility will greatly increase, and the will to kill will also be greatly enhanced, making them as ferocious as a demon. This is the origin of the name of this spell. In addition, the Demon Victory can also accelerate cell division and promote wound healing.

Not only that, Gui Sheng can also release a domain, and the creatures within the domain will forget their pain due to the will of the releaser and instinctively obey the releaser and become his friends.

In ancient Japan, some Onmyoji (yin-yang masters) would form contracts with creatures through Oni (demons), thus treating them as shikigami (spirits) to be controlled. However, these so-called contracts were always temporary.

Lu Mingfei had just raised the Wraith Gun in his hand and fired all six bullets into the chest of the hybrid without hesitation. However, to his surprise, the bullets meant for shooting bears and elephants failed to kill the hybrid.

Just as he was unleashing his unlimited bullets to blast the hybrid into dust, the surrounding soldiers were actually controlled by the hybrid and formed a human wall in front of him.

"Caesar! Do you know what kind of Word of Power that is?!" Lu Mingfei shouted, the human wall formed by his own people making him hesitate to attack for a moment.

"I don't know!" Caesar was also witnessing such a bizarre ability for the first time, which could greatly enhance himself and control the minds of others for a short period of time.

However, he did not panic. The Kamaitachi's senses were firmly locked onto the dark red figure, providing Lu Mingfei with the most crucial information.

"Watch out! He's going to bypass the human wall from the left and attack you! He's incredibly fast!"

A dark red, ghostly figure, moving at a speed beyond human comprehension, bypassed the human shield in front of him and grabbed at Lu Mingfei's neck from a tricky angle on the left.

Almost as soon as Lu Mingfei heard Caesar's warning, his body reacted. He twisted his waist and dodged the grab attack, while raising the Wraith Spear in his hand and unleashing a barrage of firepower. Sakurai Akira's figure was immediately sent flying backward.

However, just as Lu Mingfei was about to fire another shot, the Prussian soldiers surrounding Sakurai Akira were once again controlled and blocked in front of him.

"Back off! Everyone back off!" Lu Mingfei shouted, the ordinary soldiers around him now becoming a burden.

Otto held the machine gun, his finger on the trigger, but he couldn't bring himself to pull it. Even though they were under control, the tough man's hand still trembled slightly as he tried to fire at his own men.

Carl and the other soldiers were also caught in a dilemma, holding their guns but not knowing where to aim. However, after hearing Lu Mingfei's order, they began to lead the uncontrolled soldiers back, clearing the battlefield.

Sakurai Akira, who had been blasted back by Lu Mingfei's close-range firepower, knelt on one knee in the crowd under the cover of a human shield, his head down and breathing heavily like a wild beast. Clearly, Lu Mingfei's attack had also brought him considerable burden and damage, and the dark golden light in his eyes was much dimmer than before.

The area on his chest was almost completely smashed; large areas of scales had peeled off, revealing the writhing muscle tissue and broken bones beneath. Although the wound was still healing at a visible rate, the pace had slowed considerably.

He slowly raised his head and looked through the gap in the human wall at the Prussian officer standing outside with a gun and a cold gaze. When his eyes met Lu Mingfei's face, the chaotic and violent killing intent in his mind paused slightly.

He recognized the face; it was that of his kind, the one who had shared a brief period of peace and song with him on the front lines on Christmas Eve.

But this slight hesitation was quickly overwhelmed by the murderous intent in his mind.

He has nothing left now; all he wants to do is kill, he wants to kill everyone.

"I will tear you all to pieces!"

"Lu Mingfei! His Word of Power is trying to strengthen himself and control others, he can't hold out for long! Let's wear him down!" Caesar shouted from the side, holding a gun and keeping watch for Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei also wanted to wear down the enemy, but he didn't have that much time. His unlimited ammo skill only lasted for two minutes. Moreover, the French army in the rear was redeploying, and every second was precious.

"Caesar! You take the men and take the top of the mountain first! Leave this to me!" Lu Mingfei shouted.

"You alone—" Caesar's words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back. He looked at Lu Mingfei's golden eyes, which were now completely ignited, and knew that no amount of persuasion would be effective.

"Fine!" Caesar gritted his teeth, nodded heavily, and then growled at Otto, Karl, and the others.

"Did you hear the platoon leader's order?! Follow me! Head to the summit! Hurry!"

He gave Lu Mingfei one last deep look, his eyes filled with complex emotions—worry and trust. Then, without further hesitation, he led Otto, Karl, and the remaining soldiers, taking advantage of Lu Mingfei distracting the terrifying monster, to bypass the main battlefield and launch a final assault on the smoke-filled mountaintop.

They must be quick! They must plant the flag firmly on the summit before Lu Mingfei can't hold on any longer! Then they must come back to reinforce!

Almost the instant Caesar and his men turned to leave, Sakurai Akira moved. He seemed to have sensed Lu Mingfei's intentions, or perhaps it was simply his killing instinct that drove him to eliminate the greatest threat before him.

He no longer relied on the human wall for cover, let out a low roar, and his figure once again turned into a blur, rushing straight towards Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei's eyes narrowed, and he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He quickly moved to the side and rear to create distance, while raising the Wraith Gun to fire again. Most of the unlimited bullet time had passed, and he had to end the battle as soon as possible.

Three .460mm bullets were fired in a triangular pattern towards Sakurai Akira's path, attempting to block his movements. Sakurai Akira merely twisted his body a few times in an extremely strange manner, like a boneless snake, narrowly avoiding two bullets. The third bullet grazed his shoulder, taking away a large chunk of flesh, but he didn't care at all, and his speed increased instead of decreasing.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two was reduced to less than ten meters!

Knowing he couldn't dodge, Lu Mingfei stopped trying and charged towards Sakurai Akira instead.

Sakurai Akira's right claw, covered in dark scales, pierced through Lu Mingfei's right abdomen without any resistance. The sharp claw tip emerged from behind, bringing with it a trail of blood and a few bits of torn clothing fibers.

Intense pain swept over Lu Mingfei's entire body in an instant, causing his vision to go black and almost making him faint.

But just as Sakurai Akira struck successfully, his fingers tightened, intending to rip out Lu Mingfei's internal organs or tear him apart.

Lu Mingfei pressed the Ghostly Spear against his abdomen and frantically pulled the trigger.

Bullets powerful enough to kill an elephant exploded one after another in Sakurai Akira's abdomen. Dark golden blood, shattered internal organs, and torn muscle fibers gushed out like a fountain from the gaps where their bodies were in contact and from the wound on Sakurai Akira's back!

Sakurai Akira's body trembled violently as if struck repeatedly by an invisible hammer. His claws, which had pierced Lu Mingfei's abdomen, were suddenly pulled out due to the violent tremor, bringing with them a large amount of blood and fragments of intestines.

Lu Mingfei groaned, his body staggering backward, but he gritted his teeth and used his last bit of strength to steady himself, his finger still tightly gripping the trigger.

Until the infinite bullet time ends.

At this moment, half of Sakurai Akira's body was almost shattered, but he was still not dead. His broken body continued to move towards Lu Mingfei, but at an extremely slow speed. The soldiers he controlled also surrounded Lu Mingfei.

At this moment, Lu Mingfei's condition was not much better. His abdomen had been ripped open, and blood was gushing out continuously. This was the first time he had suffered such a serious injury since he went to the battlefield.

The excruciating pain and weakness from excessive blood loss made it difficult for him to stand up, but he still drew the entrenching tool from his waist and placed it in front of him.

The entrenching tool was like a blurry mirror, reflecting his current appearance: a face as pale as paper, twisted with pain, yet bearing a ferocious expression of defiance, and those golden eyes that, though dim, still refused to be extinguished.

"Don't die—Lu Ming.—You haven't seen Nuonuo again—you haven't led the others to survival—how can you fall here—"

"Don't die, Lu Mingfei! Don't die, Lu Mingfei! Don't die!!!" Lu Mingfei shouted again and again as he looked at his reflection, his voice filled with resentment and the desire to live.

His golden eyes, which had been dimmed by the pain and blood loss, reignited like embers doused with gasoline, burning with a blazing flame that nearly consumed everything. At the same time, the bleeding from his abdominal wound began to stop.

He gripped the entrenching tool and painstakingly pulled his swaying body, inch by inch, from the mud soaked with his own blood.

"You want me dead? Not so easy!"

He used the heavy entrenching tool as a crutch, supporting his swaying body, and took a step forward. "I promised Caesar—I would keep them alive—"

He took another step forward, his body swaying violently, but the flame in his eyes burned even more wildly and stubbornly!

"I promised Otto and Karl—I would take them home—"

The third step! The tip of the entrenching tool was driven deep into the scorched earth, supporting his almost collapsing body.

"I haven't—I haven't—seen the person I want to see yet—"

In his mind, Nuonuo's blurry yet vivid smiling face flashed by, as did the sunlight streaming through the corridors of Shilan Middle School, and the ordinary yet long-gone world that belonged to Lu Mingfei.

"How could I possibly die in a place like this?!"

With a final roar, Lu Mingfei no longer relied on the entrenching tool; he yanked it out of the ground and held it high above his head!

The shovel blade, stained with blood and mud, reflected the most intense, crazed light in his eyes in the dim, smoke-filled light of the day.

Dragging his broken and bleeding body, like a moth drawn to a flame, or a wounded lion charging into battle, he launched a desperate charge towards the broken demon!

Sakurai Akira's eyes, now empty and lifeless yet still carrying a last shred of obsession, reflected Lu Mingfei's resolute figure charging towards him. He seemed to see light, a lion, and a moth drawn to a flame.

The puppet soldiers who were about to capture Lu Mingfei suddenly stopped. A glimmer of light reappeared in Sakurai Akira's eyes, and he, like a moth drawn to a flame, launched a desperate charge towards Lu Mingfei.

The distance between the two shortened as they charged at each other slowly but resolutely.

Three meters, two meters, one meter!

Lu Mingfei roared, pouring all his remaining strength, willpower, pain, and resentment into the raised entrenching tool and swung it down at Sakurai Akira's mangled head.

Sakurai Akira extended his broken claws towards Lu Mingfei's neck, but for a fleeting moment he hesitated. He remembered the sausage Lu Mingfei had once given him, and he remembered Nyanko-sensei—

The other person seemed to be someone who was good to him—does that mean all people who are good to him will die tragically?

With a dull thud as the shovel blade pierced flesh, mixed with the cracking sound of bones shattering, Lu Mingfei slashed with all his might, severing Sakurai Akira's neck!

A head covered in scales, with a ferocious yet strangely calm expression, flew high into the air, tracing an arc through the air, tumbling a few times in the dark red blood mud, and finally came to a stop, facing the sky.

Those empty eyes gazed one last time at the sky, reflecting the lingering smoke of Verdun and a sense of relief.

But the next moment, the corner of that lonely head curved upwards very slightly.

He seemed to see Company Commander Bernard, Marechal, the other soldiers in the company, and Antoine holding his novel.

They came to pick him up—it turns out everyone had been by his side all along.

His already broken and headless body, at this moment, completely lost all support and collapsed to the ground with a thud, never to move again.

The soldiers around him, who were controlled by the Ghost Victory Domain, collapsed like puppets with their strings cut as the caster died. The confusion in their eyes was quickly replaced by clear-headed fear and bewilderment.

Lu Mingfei remained frozen in his slashing stance.

His body trembled slightly, and his vision began to be swallowed by darkness, leaving only a blurry halo in the center. Was that the direction of the mountaintop? Or was it a hallucination before his consciousness faded?

He heard hurried footsteps and a familiar, tearful scream.

"Platoon leader!!!"

"Hans!!!"

That's Otto and Karl's voice—they're back? The mountaintop—did they take it?

And Caesar—he seems to be shouting something too—

I can't hear you anymore —

So tired————

It's so cold!

It seems like I can rest now.

Lu Mingfei's lips curved upwards very slightly.

Finally, the will that had sustained him to deliver the final blow, taut as steel, finally snapped completely.

The arm that had been holding the entrenching tool high fell limply to the ground.

His body, like a puppet with its strings cut, slowly tilted forward, finally collapsing heavily into a pool of blood, next to Sakurai Akira's gradually cooling remains.

Before his consciousness completely faded, he seemed to see the Prussian flag planted atop Dead Man's Hill, fluttering in the smoke, and he saw the figures running towards him—