Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

This poem, taken from a poem by the poet Du Fu after hearing of his friend's demotion, originally expressed reluctance and worry. However, after being excerpted and rearranged, it now contains a murderous intent.

Now you are imprisoned and barely able to take care of yourself, how could you possibly have flown to this northern land? This is probably not your spirit at its peak in life; the journey is long and your fate uncertain. The world is treacherous, and ships are not immune to capsizing. The return journey is fraught with danger and turmoil; are you not afraid that your soul will be devoured by a dragon?

The figures finally converged, and in a region of the sky, the laws of physics were rewritten. Ashes were converging on a single point, and a golden skeleton was sculpted, radiating great light.

He slowly descended the invisible steps.

Nidhogg's remnant soul raised its head and roared at the figure.

He stretched out his hand, like a conductor gesturing, directing the composition of the elements. The domain that Nidhogg had just condensed vanished instantly, without any process. The next second, an absolute void appeared in the domain, and elements fell toward the singularity. Such intense elemental activity would normally have formed a breeding ground for the Rhine, but what emerged from the domain was a smoky yellow flame.

Nidhogg's massive, hill-like body collapsed silently, the speed of destruction far exceeding the transmission speed of its super nerves.

With its complete disappearance, the world briefly returned to peace. Lu Mingfei condensed a complete body, wearing the same white robes as the Supreme Will, and returned to the ground from the heavenly staircase.

Only three creatures remain in this desolate space.

Lu Mingfei, Melina, and the King of Mad Fire in the distance.

After exchanging glances with Melina, Lu Mingfei began to move forward against the still-warm, scorching air currents, gradually approaching the figure of the King of Mad Fire.

As the distance shortened, more and more of the mad flames seemed to be drawn, converging from the King of Mad Flames and gathering towards Lu Mingfei. The mad flames sensed the source and were attempting to complete their final manifestation. This process destroyed Lu Mingfei's condensed human form; his body was like weathered rock, stiff, cracked, and then peeling away piece by piece.

When He arrived before the body of the King of Mad Fire, most of the body was already broken, and the skeleton was clearly visible. Contrary to the dilapidated appearance, His aura was extremely vigorous, and most of the Mad Fire had detached from its original body and gathered around Him, pacing like hunting dogs that were looking for someone to devour.

His soul endured excruciating pain every moment, yet He remained unperturbed. His eyes shone with a light of pity, yet were veiled by a shadow of indifference, like a prophet peering into the future from the altar, "As I said, it was not fate that chose me, but I who chose fate... You are far from being my fate."

He stretched out his mutilated arm and pressed it onto the remaining mad fire. The last mad fire was also drawn out, and all the mad fire gathered together in a trembling motion. They gathered into a fireball, which did not have a terrifying temperature, but when you looked directly at it, you would feel a sense of loss of control as if your soul was being pulled out of your body.

The fiery rage signifies submission.

This world finally reached true tranquility; the twilight dissipated, and the wind and clouds dispersed. Melina came to Lu Mingfei's side, and together they gazed at the terrifying fireball of mad flames gathering in the sky. Twilight evenly painted the distant horizon; on this symbolically composed land, all shadows had been burned away, leaving only the corpse of a god.

“No one can change you now,” Melina said. Her spirit was showing signs of disintegration; the twilight filtered through her body, making the light brighter and the shadows thinner.

Her soul was officially freed from this world, and Lu Mingfei no longer needed her protection.

"Please keep a close eye on the Secret Service headquarters," Lu Mingfei said.

“You really know how to boss people around. Don’t you trust Angers’ abilities?” Melina said. “For you now, an ocean distance isn’t much of an obstacle, is it?”

“Angers can be trusted in the matter of slaying the dragon, but he may not fully agree with what I’m about to do.” Lu Mingfei’s body was reassembling. He raised his hand toward the twilight, as if to feel if the distant light still carried a trace of warmth. “I still have to deal with Lu Mingze. You’re really the only person I can trust.”

Melina suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“I suddenly remembered the first time we met, that disheveled fellow, his hand hovering over the phantom of blessing, as if warming himself by a campfire,” Melina said with a smile. “I never imagined that one day you would become a true king, ambitious, with all hardships seemingly retreating before you.”

“I always thought it was my charisma as the chosen one that attracted you back then…” Lu Mingfei stroked his chin.

“I thought to myself, this Faded One is really stupid. Blessings are just cold guidance, how can they have warmth? I know you lost the witch, and the key is that you don’t even know it, but you still went very far,” Melina said calmly. “It was in that moment that I decided to come to you.”

"You want to save me?" Lu Mingfei looked at her.

“It’s not pity, it’s trust.” Melina grasped his hand, the phantom’s hand overlapping his cracked one. “I’ve believed in you, until today, so I thank you for not giving up. Faded One, go and save everything.”

"Yes, sir." Lu Mingfei gave a somewhat informal military salute.

Melina had completely disappeared. Lu Mingfei understood her worries; when the madness appeared, she may have briefly thought he had failed and died, which was indeed something he hadn't considered.

Lu Mingfei reached out, grasped the Mad Flame in his palm, and abruptly crushed it, completely merging with this destructive power. He tore open a "door" and returned to reality.

……

In that instant, the aura broke through countless barriers, even briefly erupting across the entire snowfield. A strange storm formed on the ice plains, and several agile hellhounds raised their heads amidst the blizzard, then simultaneously moved towards the center of the aura's eruption.

This strange phenomenon immediately caught the attention of the sentries hidden in the snow. The nearest sentry, after receiving an emergency notification, did not wait for his teammates to provide support and immediately headed towards the center of the storm.

He would never forget that brief minute when the ice storm that had raged for countless years finally subsided. The ferocious "hellhounds" lay prostrate on the ground, all facing a certain direction in the snowstorm, much like the snake-man statues in ancient dragon religious sites. The difference was that these were all alive; he could feel the life of those vicious dogs covered in a thin layer of ice, their breathing, their heartbeats. But reason told him that these terrifying creatures had been completely reduced to puppets or statues of something.

The figure parted the wind and snow, like an ancient priest walking on a sacred path under the moon. The moonlight was bright, the statues were lined up, and the tranquility flowed like mist, permeating everything.

He almost knelt down.

Chapter 279 Reunion

But he could not kneel down, for God had come before him and demanded an answer.

The sentry stared into God's eyes, and for a moment, it seemed as if he saw sunlight... On the rare sunny days, sunlight pierced through the lingering blizzard, casting white spots of light in the snow and mist. A warmth seeped through his winter clothes, and he felt as if he were soaking in a warm pool, basking in the sun.

Unconsciously, he activated his Golden Eyes, and his B-grade bloodline was burning, allowing him to enter the dream woven by the gods.

"So it's already eroded to this extent..."

"Stay here, someone will ensure your safety..."

The sentry vaguely heard two sentences, but had no other memory of them.

The entire haven was on high alert, and alarms were sounded for the first time in a long time. The people living here tried their best to pretend that this was Eden, a warm cradle, but when the crisis struck, everything shattered like a bubble. Non-combatants went underground via elevators hidden in the surface buildings, while the remaining combat units remained outside, where there were sophisticated alloy trenches in the surface buildings.

Such a concrete jungle is a nightmare for any mechanized force—if they want to get something out of it.

Beyond the city's borders lay an ice field, with snow and wind blocking the perimeter of the buildings. Soldiers and those in the underground shelters watched intently the main roads leading into the city. The shelters were equipped with large, high-definition screens, and a few rooms used projectors that hadn't been modified in time—all to ensure morale remained high.

This is a so-called emergency shelter. If the harbor is attacked and the ground defenses are destroyed, the survivors will come here. High-strength resin will be injected into the elevators and all passageways, and once it solidifies, the shelter will be completely sealed off. At the same time, the broadcast system will announce the fall of the harbor to the world.

Anyone who witnesses the disaster will remain underground in despair, which will minimize the risk of riots.

The landmines didn't trigger. The hellhounds scattered across the ice plains seemed to have stopped the invaders. Were they fighting the vicious dogs? Or had they suffered too many casualties and retreated?

The ferocity of the hellhound is comparable to the lethality of an A-grade bloodline.

At the boundary between the inner and outer defensive lines, a guard bit his tongue, wondering if he was hallucinating. A sound was approaching in the wind and snow, growing clearer and clearer—not footsteps, not the sound of vehicles, but the sound of horses' hooves.

Gradually, everyone on the outermost defensive line heard the sound of horses' hooves.

A tall figure appeared in sight—a man on horseback. He was wearing the autumn uniform of Kassel College, holding the reins in one hand and a large-caliber revolver in the other.

If it weren't for the dazzling custom-made Kassel College uniform, everyone would have thought this was a cowboy who had wandered onto the wrong set.

"Stop! Put down your weapons!" Five or six guards immediately and cautiously surrounded the newcomers.

"Stop!" A middle-aged man's voice rang out in all the guards' earpieces.

Lu Mingfei calmly dismounted, tossed the revolver to the nearest person, then handed the reins to another person, whispering, "Its name is Torret. Please prepare some vegetables and grains for it."

The guards were completely bewildered, but they had no choice but to obey Secretary Lu's orders over the communications channel. Since the other side had already disarmed, they took no further action, simply following with their guns drawn until Secretary Lu and his wife arrived.

"Son! Son! Come here quickly!" Giovanni strode into the circle of guards and hugged Lu Mingfei tightly.

"Put the gun down," Lu Lincheng commanded.

The guards chose to lower their guns because they simultaneously received orders from their direct commander through their headsets.

"Mom, they've put down their guns." Lu Mingfei patted Qiao Weini's back helplessly in her arms. "Don't worry."

Giovanni released him, but then gripped his hand tightly again, looking at the guards and whispering, "Don't worry, even if you're a spy sent by Kassel College, with Mom here, no one can hurt you! Your dad should have brought you here a long time ago."

"Son, don't be afraid, we're all on the same side." Lu Lincheng finished negotiating with the guards before approaching them.

The alert was lifted. The broadcast explained that a small group of members from the Secret Party had followed Secretary-General Lu's son, triggering the Nibelungen's defenses. It was estimated that the small group had perished in the bellies of the hellhounds. The Supreme Council expressed its regret for the lost party and severely criticized Secretary-General Lu Lincheng for his unauthorized communication with the outside world.

"Dad, are you in trouble?" Lu Mingfei asked, as he, Qiao Weini, and Lu Lincheng were riding in the same sled.

"No, your dad has connections," Lu Lincheng said confidently. "At most, there will be a symbolic punishment, like paid leave or something."

“It sounds like you’re doing quite well here,” Lu Mingfei shrugged.

“Son, don’t blame us, we had no choice,” Lu Lincheng said without turning his head as he drove the sled. “Now that conditions are better, isn’t this why we brought you here as soon as possible?”

“That’s not what I meant. I miss you all very much,” Lu Mingfei said. “But you shouldn’t have lied to me and said you were with the archaeological team.”

Lu Lincheng wanted to say something, but Qiao Weini stopped him by pinching his waist hard. Qiao Weini said coldly, "Stop bringing up the confidentiality agreement. Do you have to use official language with your son?"

She tugged at Lu Mingfei's coat and said softly, "It's all because your father is incompetent and has a strong desire for officialdom. If I hadn't forced him, he probably would have waited until he got into the Supreme Committee before picking you up."

"The Supreme Council?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“The Board of Trustees, something similar. You should have encountered it at Kassel College, right?” Lu Lincheng lowered his voice. “There used to be a Council of Elders as well.”

"Yes, I've had some contact with them." Lu Mingfei nodded, then changed the subject, "Are we going home now?"

“You noticed, didn’t you?” Lu Lincheng said with a hint of pride. “Isn’t this place like where we used to live, the Khrushchev Building? It’s a pity that sycamore trees don’t adapt to the ecology here, but spruce trees are much more suitable. The heat emitted by the buildings can ensure the basic survival temperature of the spruce trees, and there are heating pipes laid underground so that the soil won’t freeze in the coldest season, and the spruce roots won’t be damaged. And they also help us shelter from the wind and snow, a symbiotic relationship.”

Lu Mingfei looked up at the thick, towering trees. They had only a long branch and leaves at the top, and their dense canopies cut through the sky, making them look like they were extending from the tops of the buildings, offsetting the lifelessness of the dense buildings and concrete tiles.

"By the way, how's my brother?" Lu Mingfei asked casually as they approached home.

"What?" Lu Lincheng and Qiao Weini both seemed to be startled.

“Lu Mingze,” Lu Mingfei said with a smile.

"Lu Mingze is your cousin, are you alright, son?" Lu Lincheng pressed his forehead, wanting to see if he had a fever.

“My brother.” Lu Mingfei smiled and pushed Lu Lincheng’s hand away, tilting his head in confusion. “Are you guys joking? My brother, Lu Mingze, hasn’t he been with you all this time?”

Before the couple could react, the door was pushed open, and someone poked their head out, shouting to the family of three struggling in the hallway, "The brother's back?!"

Facing the two smiling "sons" in front and behind, Lu Lincheng and Qiao Weini felt a chill run down their spines.

Chapter 280 Destiny

The family of four sat around the table in the living room, snowflakes drifting outside the window, the house warm and cozy. Lu Lincheng's gaze subtly observed Lu Mingze. As the secretary-general, he had long been in contact with the committee and his understanding of the dragon race was far deeper than Qiao Weini's.

The strangeness of Words of Power and Alchemy is mostly manifested in their interaction with the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. Among the five elements, the spirit is the most mysterious. Humanity has yet to accurately define the existence of the spirit element, only having the Philosopher's Stone as a reference. Lu Lincheng couldn't determine where the problem lay. Perhaps Lu Mingfei's spirit had been parasitized, or perhaps the "Lu Mingze" before him was the source of the abnormal phenomena in the ice plains.

Lu Mingfei, on the other hand, was much more enthusiastic, exchanging pleasantries with Lu Mingze as if they were long-lost brothers reunited. Only Qiao Weini remained remarkably calm in the living room, seemingly unconcerned about Lu Mingze's presence.

The phone rang in the living room.

Lu Lincheng answered the phone calmly, gave a low reply, and then hung up.

He was finally able to confirm that the entire haven had been affected. He subtly inquired with staff in several departments, and their answers regarding Lu Mingze were all the same—consistent with Lu Mingfei's description, Lu Mingze was a family member that Lu Lincheng and his wife had brought with them when the haven was first established.

Lu Lincheng glanced at the people in the living room and stood up.

"Emergency meeting. I'll try to be back before dinner. If you're not back, have your mom take you to the cafeteria. Everyone's very tense today due to the emergency evacuation. The cafeteria has made an exception and prepared festive dishes, transferring a lot of pork, beef, and mutton from the experimental zone."

“You’re just a secretary, yet you’re worrying about the boss’s affairs. I don’t believe the committee can’t function without you for a day.” Qiao Weini glanced at him. “Couldn’t we have made them wait a few hours when our son comes home today?”

“I can’t wait.” Lu Lincheng picked up his briefcase and tucked it under his arm. He was in a hurry to go to the Supreme Committee to determine a solution.

Before leaving, he gave Joe Winnie a meaningful look, but Joe Winnie seemed not to notice.