Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

The firelight dispersed the swirling snow and revealed the battlefield to the two of them.

The two, who should have seized the opportunity to gain a favorable position, stopped in their tracks, stunned.

It wasn't a trap at all, nor was it a Deadpool invasion. The area, which was 20 meters in diameter, was completely scorched earth, with a clear boundary between snow and black soil at the border. This plot of land, which was more than 300 square meters, looked like it had been dug out from somewhere else and forcibly stuffed into the ice field.

A T-72 tank lay overturned amidst burning fuel, its hull riddled with scratch-like cuts. The top hatch was open, revealing half of its skeleton, which was also engulfed in flames.

Intense fighting had taken place in the area where tanks were used as cover, and three or four bodies lay dead. Strangely, none of these soldiers were wearing the identification markings prescribed by the council.

In the center of the battlefield, a humanoid skeleton was bound by several rope guns, the hooks embedded deep in its chest, limbs, and skull. The other ends of the ropes were tied to corners of the battlefield, making it look like it had been torn apart by five horses. Behind the skeleton were remnants of wing bones, its body burned, and the exposed bones were neither the shape nor the number that a human should have.

The bodies looked like they had been burned there for a long time, but Caesar had just heard voices.

The two searched every corner of the battlefield but found no survivors or remaining enemies.

This is a battlefield where the battle has ended; humans and high-bloodline Deadpools fought here, and it seems they ultimately perished together.

“The battle is taking place so close, yet we haven’t received any notification, and this isn’t the kind of battlefield scene that would result from operations guided by the Council.” Caesar frowned.

Based on its research on dragons, the council has developed operational guidelines for combat against dragons, focusing on beyond-visual-range and unmanned equipment strikes, supplemented by armored forces and artillery.

Chu Zihang glanced at the corpse in the corner again. The man was clutching a rope tightly. Unlike the others, he hadn't had time to secure the rope; he was just pulling desperately, which resulted in a fractured bone on his shoulder.

This is an even more brutal battlefield, just like the world originally predicted by EVA. There is no council, no regulatory bureau, and no great unity. There is only infighting, burning civilization to ashes on hellish battlefields.

"Still can't get in touch." Chu Zihang tried again after finding the communication equipment, but the command center still did not respond.

"This is truly unsettling." Caesar looked at the swirling snow. In this isolated situation, without means of communication, and having encountered strange battlefield ruins, one couldn't help but wonder if something had happened outside.

Chapter 312 Game Restart

The apocalypse arrived in just 20 seconds. In a mere half minute, most satellites in the Earth's atmosphere lost their response, and observatories around the world reported seeing a large number of satellite debris. People in some clear areas could see the flickering fragments with the naked eye.

The council didn't have time to calculate the amount of debris, otherwise they would have discovered that each orbit had doubled or even more debris out of nowhere. To be precise, all the satellites were smashed by space debris that appeared in their orbits with such precision, almost like shadows.

At the same time, undersea earthquakes of varying degrees occurred in all oceans, and Dead Servants around the world were awakening in an abnormally large number, as if a vanished civilization had reappeared overnight.

How could that be?

Nidhogg sensed the merging of timelines, yet his emotion was one of terror.

Opposite him, the person appearing in Lu Mingfei's guise was revealing her true form due to the loosening of the timeline. In a few moments, Nidhogg saw her true appearance—the otherworldly person named Melina who had always been by Lu Mingfei's side.

He roared, ignoring Melina's attacks, and forcefully carved a path through the air, leaving the Arctic Circle, which had been the "final battlefield," with his body covered in wounds. Humanity finally witnessed the complete Black King in its soaring state. Surviving reconnaissance satellites transmitted images from above the clouds, showing him as a moving mountain, cleaving through the thick clouds.

A Chinese scholar named Jing Fang once wrote in the Book of Changes: "The mountain moves silently by itself, the world is in chaos, and the state perishes."

If mountains move silently on their own, war will break out across the land, and nations will perish. Perhaps this alludes to the resurgence of the dragon.

……

Lu Mingfei felt like a fish made of clay, swimming in muddy, murky water. If the qualitative change in the rules of spacetime was the standard for dividing world levels, then Lu Mingfei was in the depths of a world more than ten levels higher, far more frenzied, chaotic, and unpredictable than he had seen in the dream world last time.

Perhaps this is where God truly dwells.

Lu Mingfei thought of the Supreme Will again. Had He also explored such a place? Staying here was no longer just enough to make one lose their mind and be unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. The real world here was as illusory as a colorful film of oil floating on the surface of a bubble.

Lu Mingfei has lost all laws and supernatural powers. He is also losing something more fundamental. On the other hand, the fate cards related to humanity around him are constantly reshaping him... with something stronger and more resilient.

After an unknown period of time, the projection of the real world finally became concrete.

This description is relative; the scene Lu Mingfei saw remained chaotic and disordered. With each blink and each breath, the scene before him shifted rapidly, time flew by, and the world changed beyond recognition.

He finally saw clearly and stopped in his tracks. The world lines anchored around him unfolded before him one by one. He saw the birth, growth, aging, and death of Lu Mingfei after another... In all sorts of worlds, the worlds constantly flickered, and life was but a fleeting thought.

Countless Lu Mingfeis, countless fates.

A happy ending is often a peaceful death in one's sleep, surrounded by children and grandchildren, living to be over eighty years old, experiencing the ups and downs of life, and feeling that one's life has not been in vain. A bad ending... is illness, especially all kinds of cancer, cancer in various parts of the body.

Lu Mingfei stopped and looked at the emaciated man on the hospital bed, whose dignity and self-respect had been taken away by illness. He was so weak that even breathing and speaking were a burden. He often stared blankly at the daylight outside the window, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Lincheng and Qiao Weini finally returned from the distant horizon. The two stayed by his bedside day and night, taking meticulous care of him, feeding him medicine and wiping his body. But that was all they could do. Even a strong person like Qiao Weini would look exhausted and wipe away tears in front of the corridor window.

The end of a life is such a solemn thing, but a young life waiting for its end to count down is simply unbearable to look at.

Lu Mingfei was startled. He suddenly realized that the person on the hospital bed was staring straight at him. The patient moved his lips with difficulty, but Lu Lincheng, who was resting with his elbow propped up beside him, did not notice. Lu Mingfei slowly walked to the bedside, bent down, and held the patient's hand. It felt like touching clearly defined bones through a thin membrane, but he could feel a faint life force flowing in the veins.

In a world without laws and the power of dragons, such a disease could completely bankrupt a family.

Lu Mingfei understood what the patient was saying, and he nodded silently.

The patient's face was no longer expressive. He tightened his grip on Lu Mingfei's hand and tried to force an expression. He smiled, and when he smiled, his face showed some resemblance to his appearance before he got sick.

"Thank you," he said.

Lu Lincheng frowned and woke up with a start, only to find that Lu Mingfei, who had been standing by his bedside, had already left.

There are countless Lu Mingfeis like him, like blades of grass in a field, and the timeline he belongs to is just one of them that died young.

Humans all yearn for life, just as plants grow towards the sun. As long as there is a glimmer of hope and a drop of rain, how can they not flourish? This is just Lu Mingfei alone; compared to the world's seven hundred million people, he is but a hair on a cow.

Sensing something, Lu Mingfei found himself standing on a vast grassland. The emerald green stretched to the horizon, and a strong wind rippled across it, creating a shimmering effect.

On the scales of world rules, the weight of life may be insignificant, but Lu Mingfei stubbornly believes that such a life should be given a chance.

A tiny shadow appeared on the grassland, like a black butterfly. Lu Mingfei reached out and held it in his palm, muttering to himself, "Only now can it be called exhilarating."

Bering Strait, Dragon Disaster.

Melina followed Nidhogg, trying to stop him, but if the Black King were to act recklessly, there would be nothing in the world that could be considered a cage for Him. The devastating natural disasters breached the Council's defenses, and the Arctic encirclement was also broken through after the global Deadpool resurgence.

The crisis of destruction was like dark clouds on the summer horizon, which suddenly obscured the sky.

Melina still couldn't contact Lu Mingfei. What he was about to do was unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated. Precisely because of this, failure was possible.

Just then, she suddenly stopped, standing amidst the menacing, shattered clouds, watching Nidhogg disappear into the distance.

Nidhogg also sensed the pressure behind him decrease suddenly. He turned around in confusion and saw that the clouds that had been shattered by his huge body had closed up at some point. The cloud mist and ice crystals had broken free from his control and were being driven by just the right amount of heat and wind to flow slowly. There were even some biological features in the gaps between the cloud flows.

Palm print!

It was a purely natural phenomenon, with a probability so small as to be almost impossible, but it did happen.

A gigantic hand stood tall amidst the clouds, reaching to the heavens and the earth, its five fingers curled, enveloping Nidhogg in its palm!

Chapter 313 The Sixth Mass Extinction Peak

The black dragon spread its wings to their fullest extent, summoning air currents from the sky, the ground, and all directions. The wind force, powerful enough to shoot down the most advanced human fighter jets, gathered under its membrane wings, yet it could not propel its body forward even a step.

The laws of the real world had been distorted, and Nidhogg could sense this, but he was still a living being, and his intuition confined him to a futile struggle. He missed the most crucial early stages of the distortion.

Centered on Him, the sky and the ground were reconstructed, and the unified rocky surface stretched into the distance, as smooth as a mirror.

"A temple?" Nidhogg raised his dragon head.

The exaggerated dome reflected in its dragon eyes, which was the first impression the ancient sages gave it—tiny. At that time, it was a member of the ancient dragons, stepping into the ruins of an ancient civilization like a pilgrim.

Amidst his感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), Nidhogg also sensed the essence of this space. If he possessed the rich facial muscles of a human, he would be filled with astonishment and doubt. The "fate of Earth" had no effect here, and the power of the elements was beyond his comprehension.

"Humans could never have such an opportunity," He murmured to himself. "Unless they are true gods... But how could gods consider ants as their own kind? How could such a being exist?"

A voice laughed from the darkness, "Of course there is!"

Nidhogg then saw that in front of him, the temple of the ancient wise men bordered another space, a dim space with a faint glow.

Lu Mingfei.

Centered around Lu Mingfei, there was also a foothold, seemingly a ridiculous human structure, with densely packed tables and chairs arranged in a small area, each table adorned with human electronic devices. Nidhogg, upon awakening, was also amazed by humanity's use of electricity and machinery, but he equally scoffed at humanity's waste of technology on trivial matters, seeing it as a sign of a lack of divine guidance.

Yes, He remembered the name of that place—an internet cafe, a place where people indulge in virtual reality.

"The rules are simple: the winners and losers here will determine the fate of the Earth. The winners will set the new rules, and I will decide the competition events." Lu Mingfei stroked the old-fashioned screens and raised his finger. "Because I have a little more courage than you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the space of the internet cafe began to engulf the ancient temple of the wise. Nidhogg suppressed his impulse and did not retreat, letting those human creations surround him. The size of the keyboard and mouse was even suitable for his body.

Space here is easily molded, and everything serves Lu Mingfei's rules. This made Nidhogg immediately extinguish the last remaining thought of using violence in his mind.

“Fortunately, I didn’t deny my past.” After choosing a seat, Lu Mingfei looked up at Nidhogg and said, “You may not believe it, but this is what I really want to do, what I’m good at, and what I could have done.”

He was right. At this moment, the fate of billions of lives on a planet rested on the line of victory or defeat. But he was not nervous at all. He was a nervous person, and it was only through repeated deaths that he developed a strong spirit. But now his relaxation was genuine and had nothing to do with any training he had acquired.

This is talent. Everyone has talent, but you may never find it in your whole life. Lu Mingfei's talent is in this small screen. His hands are on the keyboard, and he feels as carefree and relaxed as he did years ago when he walked into a dimly lit internet cafe filled with the smell of smoke after school.

The implications of the supreme will are clear enough: without divine protection, planets and life are merely playthings in the hands of extraterrestrial forces. This is why the planet's will created Nidhogg. Even though Earth doesn't yet have truly complete laws and a divine throne, Lu Mingfei must become the second "Emperor" after defeating Nidhogg—that's the rule of the game. Lani is the third option, but the difference is minimal.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Supreme Will, Lu Mingfei is an insatiable god-like being; in Nidhogg's eyes, Lu Mingfei is a complete madman. He wants to create a world with a divine throne but no gods, and for this he has given up everything he possesses, including his physical body and his original soul!

There is only one game on the computer.

"One game decides the winner, you and me," Lu Mingfei said calmly. "This planet can't withstand a second game either."

StarCraft.

All other options on the main interface disappeared, leaving only the words "Final Battle" in the center. Lu Mingfei's selection page only offered the Human race, while Nidhogg's was the Protoss. Unlike the original version, the Humans were depicted as soldiers wielding rifles, their shoulder straps bearing the insignia prescribed by the Special Council for Dragon Affairs, with scorched earth and ruins behind them. The Protoss were depicted as a dragon's shadow perched atop a high mountain, blocking out the sunlight.

With Nidhogg's mental abilities, he quickly mastered the computer through rapid operation and analysis. A thin, frost-like cocoon spread across his body, and moments later, a new body emerged. He actively evolved a human form that resembled Lu Mingfei. Operating a computer requires nimble fingers and eyes adapted to a flat screen—things that a dragon's body is inherently incompatible with.

Although the only limitation on the two men's operating speed was the performance of the hardware, Nidhogg was full of caution and suspicion towards the madman in front of him. In order to rule out any accidents, he decided that he must compete with him fairly.

Lu Mingfei didn't care about this at all.

The map is outlined by the Earth's topography and the regions are asymmetrically distributed, so it can be basically identified as an operational map.

……

The building where the council was located was deserted. Not long ago, most of the world's nuclear missiles were launched into the sky. No one knows who launched the first nuclear missile or how it was launched, but everyone understands that when the fireball of the nuclear explosion rose in the city center, the survival of human civilization had entered its countdown.

In the coastal cities where nuclear weapons have not yet fallen, the remaining human army is still fighting against the landing Deadpool legion. In the bays where the fighting is most intense, the average survival time for humans and dragons is measured in minutes, and tens of millions of shells fall per square kilometer.

But even if all the cannonballs were thrown at the dragons' heads, it wouldn't save them from defeat.

Meanwhile, the simultaneous news of the impending doom to billions of people was a catastrophe in itself. The global collapse of public morale brought unprecedented chaos. Any place that could be called a "refuge" was packed to the brim, and even unfinished fortifications were used as a lifeline by surrounding residents.

Most of the area has fallen into complete anarchy, and any broadcasting system that EVA can connect to is broadcasting survival rules in the local language, including knowledge of the ranks of Deadpool and dragons and possible attack methods.

Chapter 314 Match

Dragon scales peeled away from Chu Zihang's skin, leaving only dried bloodstains—his blood and that of his enemies, a thick, black mingled together. Caesar, not far away, was in the same state.

Upon returning to their camp, they were ambushed by the Dead Servants, and the camp, which had originally housed thousands of people, fell overnight. With communication cut off, Chu Zihang and Caesar could not contact anyone, so they had to use their alchemical weapons to kill hundreds of Dead Servants in the camp, including a second-generation one.

Chu Zihang was in slightly better condition, as he was already used to high-level blood explosions, while Caesar was still immersed in the aftereffects of a third blood explosion.