Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

A vast, surging torrent of nobles, royal armies, exiled soldiers, Kaidan mercenaries, followers, soldiers of the Fallen Eagle Legion, demi-humans, miners, guardians of the Golden Tree, evil soldiers, mud men, skeletons, and imps clashed with the equally crowded army of dead servants, like two streams of paint blending together.

Where the jagged edges meet, it's not a blending of colors, but a hellish, narrow battle line where swords, spears, and halberds are entangled and unable to move. Those with armor can hold on, but those without any armor are instantly turned into mincemeat.

On the battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, battle cries and dragon roars rose and fell.

The Lost Knights, charging at the forefront, rode the storm. Among them, the Spirit Knights transformed into shadows, instantly penetrating deep into the enemy ranks, brandishing their weapons and unleashing a bloodbath, limbs flying in the whirlwind. Close behind, the Corrupted Knights, bathed in the swirling aura of Michaela, charged into the enemy ranks, their gleaming lances pinning down enemies attempting to take flight.

The low-altitude airspace and the ground were a chaotic and brutal meat grinder. The omnipresent ancestral spirits became the dragons' nightmare, unleashing arrows of spirits whose power remained undiminished even at a distance of tens of kilometers. Dragons, chanting incantations in mid-air, constantly plummeted with agonizing cries. Oracle bubbles, blown by divine messengers, hovered in the low sky, slow yet deadly. Once a diving dragon collided with them, its body was instantly blasted open with horrific wounds.

A dead servant sprouting dragon wings soared into the air, dodging the arrows of the spirits and the bubbles of oracles, and escaping the combined attacks of the harpy and the storm eagle. He landed in a safe area and attempted to unleash the Word of Heaven and Earth as a furnace, but the ice surface suddenly shattered in the next second. A sharp beak burst through the ice, and spiderweb-like cracks spread instantly. Amidst the icy mist and spray, a massive blood raven devoured him.

Dragons possess powerful incantations, but the more powerful the incantation, the more time it takes to condense its domain, making the battlefield environment increasingly bloody and primitive.

The battlefield was now like a boiling furnace.

Amidst the surging torrent of cavalry were the Knoxians riding giant ants, silent and swift. The heavily armored Tree Guardians were like mobile fortresses amidst the horde of Death Servants, unstoppable, each swing of their halberds shattering large groups of Death Servants into pieces. In stark contrast to the Tree Guardians were the Night Riders, black-robed assassins who had abandoned heavy armor for ultimate mobility, riding funeral horses capable of leaping between cliff faces, their massive halberds even threatening the low-flying dragons.

Among them are the Forge Knights, who stand like pillars of the battlefield. They are active in the areas overrun by giant beasts, wielding the ancient arts of the Forge, and are unparalleled in their prowess.

However, the dragons finally organized a counterattack, with the Death Servants army sacrificing their lives to defend the noble dragon servants so that they could unleash a spell powerful enough to change the course of events.

The blazing flames roared, hindering the allied forces' offensive. Waves surged across the earth, and lightning serpents hundreds of meters long rushed through the crevices of the rocks. These massive elemental attacks temporarily divided the battlefield, but even amidst the devastating aftershocks, some still stood. The fire-wielding martial arts cultivators roared and launched a fearless charge against the sovereign flames.

The monsters from the borderlands also cultivate elemental power, which was unexpected by the dragons who relied on the power of words to dominate the ancient times.

On the battlefield of the giant beasts, the fighting between them was even more shocking. The tall second-generation species and dragon servants intended to crush everything with their huge bodies. However, when they approached the seawater, they were tightly entangled by the octopus monster composed of tentacles and egg sheaths. Each slash of the thick tentacles could break the dragon bones.

On the edge of the battlefield and in the crevices, limbless zombies with many arms and legs were crawling out of the ice cracks, and soft, muddy creatures were falling from the sky. Deadpool was basically unable to break free once he was caught by them.

Amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the figures of the Blood Nobles appeared particularly sinister. They completely disregarded the corrosive nature of dragon blood, which was like strong acid, and turned the blood left in the corpses on the battlefield into deadly weapons capable of overturning the balance of the local battle.

The ghostly, fanged imps can lurk in any shadow, crevice, or even on a knight's raised shield, suddenly emerging to deliver a deadly sneak attack.

The giant finger worm, with eight or more fingers, leaps nimbly among the broken rocks, crushing a group of Deadpools with each pounce.

The assault forces' attacks were even simpler and more violent. The mountain demons roared as they charged, while the giant pots spun their rock-hard bodies, whipping up deadly gales. Flame chariots roared into the enemy ranks, exploding violently even when surrounded and killed, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

The mountain range in the sea where the Supreme Black King was hatched has been completely transformed, now teeming with monsters.

The archers of the Platinum Children occupied the high ground, unleashing arrows imbued with magical light, like a deadly yet beautiful meteor shower streaking across the sky.

In relatively safe areas, the mages of Reyallucalia formed their own independent force. They only needed to continuously release Radiant Stone Shards, and the dense magical missiles could form a rain of suppressive fire, covering a large area.

The battlefield was also dotted with nauseating death zones. Tall figures, wielding wooden clubs, staggered unsteadily, occasionally vomiting up a pile of wriggling earthworms and thick death fog at their feet, resembling leprosy on the battlefield when viewed from above.

Where they appear, only one type of lizard with huge, frog-like eyes can survive in the area, spewing the same deadly poisonous mist. Wherever they go, they create vast forbidden zones for life.

Not all battlefields are smooth sailing; many elite units that penetrated deep into enemy territory found themselves surrounded. The Tree of Return guard hound golem, besieged by dozens of dead servants, finally succumbed to the ever-expanding cracks left by the dragon claws. It leaped up with all its might, using a final slam to repel the enemy, but in the violent impact, it shattered completely.

However, the Hound Rider, who was also besieged, used his extraordinary agility and combat skills to weave through the enemy ranks like a ghost. With a sweep of his blade, the Deadpools fell like weeds.

In one corner of the battlefield, a high-pitched dragon chant abruptly ceased, for a cold, deadly blade had already pierced his neck and chest. The black-clad assassin, his face shrouded in a black robe, materialized from the shadows and gently laid the dying assassin to the ground, his movements so elegant as to be a ritual, that even his companion standing nearby did not notice the impending death.

The dragons' incantation power became increasingly ineffective, and some of the silver teardrops even began to mimic the bodies and incantations of dragons.

Chapter 310 Rebirth

As the situation on the battlefield reversed, increasingly terrifying fluctuations began to emanate from the incubation grounds. The elements were in extreme chaos, and the creatures within struggled desperately. They were born to fulfill Earth's destiny and were determined to win this war. Or rather, because the outcome was predetermined, and the script was collapsing due to unforeseen circumstances, they resorted to any means necessary to correct it.

The first of the original species finally obtained a complete dragon body. It roared and burst out of the sea, and the sea level rose several meters in an instant. The tsunami crashed against the coast with a thunderous roar, and the dead servants and monsters in the sea all died.

The seawater shimmered with a crimson hue, and the battlefield fell silent.

At this moment, a burly figure strode to the front of the group, leaped into the air, and a cloud of dust shot straight into the sky. Compared to the First Generation, who was like a dragon emerging from the water, his figure was quite small, but the moment the two met, the First Generation's mountain-like body trembled.

Holly Lu, the first king of Elden during the Golden Law era, was assisted by the Beast Chancellor Throsh to suppress his warlike nature after becoming king. At this moment, he was completely unarmored and unleashed his immense power, clamping down on the dragon's head in mid-air and bringing the first species' massive body crashing down.

With a deafening roar, a peak of the mountain range in the sea collapsed.

The mountain range in the sea, forged by the power of the elements in Nidhogg, was actually formed by intensifying volcanic activity and accumulating eruptive material. The basalt, strengthened by the power of the earth, was incredibly hard. Even the battle between the monster legions only damaged its surface. The collapse of one of the mountains seemed to be a signal of a change in the phase of the battle.

More first-generation species joined the battlefield one after another. Facing them were the fragment kings of the borderlands and other powerful beings. Among them, the most solidified beings almost possessed free will, while most of the others only had the will to fight.

Many people's first reaction was to look up at the battlefield at the top of the troposphere. Lu Mingfei used his extraordinary combat skills to keep Nidhogg confined in the sky, minimizing casualties from the aftershocks of the battle.

"My king, I am so glad to see you again."

"Truly a king."

"I, Alexander the Warrior, once again fight alongside the Faded Ones!"

"Truly dazzling, my disciple..."

"Hehe... He's clearly a pushover, yet he's reached such a terrifying level."

"A black dragon, what an incredible thing. Are you fighting against one of those?"

Dragon shadows soared across the sky, including ancient dragons from the borderlands, and a chaotic battle was about to break out.

The ground cracked open with deep fissures, undulating like a shaken blanket, as if the king of earth and mountains were dancing gracefully. Wave energy spread outward in a ring along the surface, and the rock pillars at the crests undulated and swayed, like ten thousand rock serpents reaching out from beneath the ground.

The sky was shrouded in thick, fiery clouds. Countless vengeful spirits danced in the crimson sky, causing explosions of flames and lava. The light of the Candle Dragon clashed with these explosions, and a fireball rose up, enough to obscure half the sky.

Amidst the blazing flames, golden spears fell with a storm-like ferocity and speed. In the sky, the Beast of Elden battled against the King of the Sky and the Wind, with lightning occasionally striking and creating pools of lava.

The aftershocks of Shiva's dance of karma paused before Esti. The gravitational field trembled amidst the cataclysmic geological activity, ultimately withstanding the pressure. Rock fragments of various shapes floated in the air, and the invisible hand of gravity peeled away the rough rock shell, reshaping them. Finally, a star-like array of sharp rocks appeared around the King of Earth and Mountains, like a pack of wolves surrounding a lion king.

The King of Earth and Mountains seemed insulted. He roared, and the earth trembled at his king's presence. The moment his domain expanded, a storm of wind and rain swept in. All the rock spears were crushed to dust by the King of Earth and Mountains—this was his dignity.

In the history recorded by the hybrid race, the awakening of the King of Earth and Mountains was a catastrophe that shook the mountains. They watched in trembling fear as the entire city was destroyed in minutes, and passed down their awe, fear, and admiration for Him to future generations in the language of mythology.

But now, facing Him is a truly monstrous being, the one who was born from the darkness beyond the sky, fell to the borderlands, and destroyed the Eternal City—the “Dark Abandoner” Esther.

The body of the King of Earth and Mountains is more in line with human aesthetics, just like the other dragon kings, or rather, they shaped human aesthetics in ancient times. His body is like an enlarged work of art, with every curve showcasing a beauty that combines elegance and majesty. When his membranous wings unfold, it is as if the shadow of a classical angel sculpture is projected down.

Esther, on the other hand, is a complete monster. She has a human head and worm teeth, and her body is deformed like a large protein model. She has six arms but no feet, and four wings like a dragonfly grow on her back. At the nodes of her body, there are organs modeled after elements of the starry sky, such as the tail of a comet and the belly of a star ring. She is more like a weapon created by the power of the starry sky than a naturally born species.

According to the logic of human mythology, the victory of the King of Earth and the Mountain would be a triumph of the gods, while Esther's victory could only be a part of Ragnarok.

However, human perspectives, culture, and the related tendencies are merely the result of evolution. Just like this war, unlike any other war in human history, this is a true battle of the dead between species, and there is no good or bad outcome.

An unprecedented war, its justness for humanity is as undeniable as the very existence of the human race. Never before has there been a war like this; its purpose needs no emphasis, its urgency no propaganda. Everyone knows why we are fighting and for whom we are fighting.

In the depths of the world, in the darkness.

A golden card materialized.

[Human Heroes: In a certain timeline, humanity has reached its final moment of despair. Soldiers in the midst of war are acutely aware of the battlefield they are on. Basic units have lost their command structure, yet only a very few choose to retreat. They speak different languages, they are of different skin colors, but behind them lies humanity's homeland. They have no way out; they know why they are fighting. Many small groups of soldiers, facing utter desperation, choose to launch an attack.]

They had run out of ammunition and food, but they were fearless.

Other cards of varying sizes floated around the card, their radiance differing in size, all related to human civilization. When combined, they resembled something Voyager 1 would carry, a condensation of a profound civilization.

The power of this last card was like the last straw, the last snowflake; a qualitative change occurred deep within the world.

A hand materializes, and the disordered molecules collapse together at this moment to form the organs of a carbon-based organism: bones, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and skin. Even the blood oxygen content in the arteries and veins meets human health standards, and those blood vessels are not closed, but are extending upwards along the end of the arm!

Only after a human body was fully formed did he slowly open his eyes. His skin was as pale as a specimen soaked in preservative solution, but his eyes had a crystal-clear quality, and his expression seemed to carry the sluggishness of someone who had just woken up. He examined the cards around him one by one.

The chaotic reflection in his pupils was as dazzling as a kaleidoscope.

"Perhaps you can't understand all this, Black Dragon," he said slowly. "If it's meaningful... what's so difficult about giving up?"

He reached into the chaos, and at the same time, reality was undergoing dramatic changes.

Chapter 311 Global Integration

Outside the core battlefield, unprecedented chaos descends.

Nidhogg was also unaware of the true power of Earth's destiny: after the fate of the borderlands intervened and changed the battlefield situation, the power of a single timeline was no longer enough to resist the reversal of fate. As a result, the timelines near Earth began to converge, and a full-scale war descended upon humanity, with more Dragon Kings crossing timelines to arrive.

Amidst the wind and snow, Caesar and Chu Zihang walked side by side. They were assigned to a brigade-level unit of the Army Special Operations, where they would shine as elites of Kassel College.

Since the Arctic information barrier was further tightened, the Council has stopped reporting on the fighting situation in the Arctic Circle, but the number of Deadpools escaping has indeed decreased.

Compared to the worst-case scenario predicted by EVA, the casualties since the start of the war are almost negligible. Caesar and Chu Zihang's work, initially involving fighting the high-risk Deadpools, later turned into patrolling.

Deadpool is a creature that can survive for a long time even with only half a body remaining. It can quickly recover its strength by eating fresh flesh and blood. Even releasing just one could lead to the massacre of villages or towns near the front lines.

The strategy for the army's defense line is not to build trenches or fortresses around the Arctic Ocean, as that would be impractical due to the financial and material requirements. The coalition's operational form is closer to that of a land-based aircraft carrier, using radar, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and drones to monitor large uninhabited areas, identify targets, assess the level of threat, and then dispatch blocking units at appropriate costs.

The simplest sniping unit is a small drone, costing a few hundred dollars per unit. More expensive sniping methods involve calling in artillery fire to coordinate with drones and robotic dogs. Only when facing a large number of Deadpool swarms will organized armored forces and air support be deployed.

However, there are always special circumstances on the battlefield that defensive strategies cannot handle. Extreme weather phenomena caused by elemental turbulence, such as frequent blizzards on the northern coast of Siberia, render existing reconnaissance methods ineffective and prevent unmanned equipment and air force aircraft from passing through. Yet, Deadpool is able to survive in such extreme weather.

At this point, it is necessary to dispatch elite teams to eliminate the danger; this has become a common response across the entire front.

The so-called elite squad is a class-level combat unit formed with mixed-race individuals or veterans as its core. It carries individual combat, communication and reconnaissance equipment, and lightweight heavy weapons as needed. The number of combat personnel varies depending on communication conditions, and on-site operations emphasize adaptability.

Caesar and Chu Zihang are a duo.

Initially, the commander tried to pair them with comrades, but the power of Kamaitachi and Junyan's Word of Power was too complementary. Often, when Caesar spotted the enemy, Chu Zihang and the two of them could handle it, while the others could only clean up the mess after deploying their battle formation. Over time, a lot of feedback and complaints reached the commander's ears.

After discussion and reporting, a German leader at the regulatory agency approved the formation of two-person teams for operations, but only in extreme weather conditions.

The wind and snow lashed down, and judging by the force of the blows alone, it was the fiercest blizzard since the start of the war. Caesar and Chu Zihang trudged through the snow, their feet sinking deep into the mud. Weasels darted through the snowstorm, and Caesar would occasionally stop to listen intently with his eyes closed.

Most of the time, it was just the sound of snow breaking branches or animals moving around; they hadn't encountered Deadpool in a long time.

"There are voices!" Caesar suddenly crouched down. "Nine o'clock."

Using a snow slope as cover, Chu Zihang silently checked his weapons, his eyes fixed on the direction Caesar was reporting.

“Deadpool?” he asked in a low voice.

“No, it’s too noisy; the weasel can’t get close,” Caesar replied.

"Multiple enemies, possibly hybrids?" Chu Zihang frowned. "This is troublesome."

"What's going on?" A few mixed-race individuals weren't enough to cause Chu Zihang trouble; Caesar knew there was more to the story.

"Communications have been cut off," Chu Zihang said calmly. "It might be a trap."

“Then they’re one of our own,” Caesar said. “They do this kind of thing as soon as the situation improves a little. They’re even more shameless than I thought.”

The two fell silent, keeping their distance, and stealthily made their way towards the battlefield. As they drew closer, the wind began to carry the smell of gunpowder, and the flickering firelight cast indistinct shadows in the snow.

“The Kamaitachi still cannot get close,” Caesar said. “It’s a circular area about 20 meters in diameter.”

"There are no high grounds around, so we have to attack from the front." Chu Zihang put down his backpack, threw all his communication and reconnaissance equipment on the snow, and only carried his pistol and Murasame.

The same goes for Caesar; his Dictator can unleash a lord's flame no weaker than Chu Zihang's. With just this alchemical weapon, ordinary Deadpools are no match for him.

Two Sovereign Flame Domains suddenly unfolded, invading the larger domain. Then, the Eye of the Wind King erupted. After the Sovereign Flame Domains shattered, the flames that should have exploded gathered with the wind. The flames climbed upwards with the wind, like a torch soaked in gasoline being lit, forming a fire tornado with a wind speed of nearly 200 meters per second.