Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

Light descended.

Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, and even through his eyelids, he felt his vision burning red and bright.

He understood that the enraged Dragon King was about to launch a fatal attack.

Completely blinded, he would find it difficult to dodge at the right moment, especially since the opponent's ability to control the explosion remotely was inherently difficult to defend against.

It was an almost entirely passive and unfavorable situation.

However, calmness seemed to be ingrained in Lu Mingfei's instincts. Through countless resurrections and battles, he had long since become a formidable warrior; the loser hadn't evolved overnight. In those later moments of life and death that could only be described as desperate, the cruelty and coldness in his eyes never wavered.

The murderous intent was unleashed once again.

A certain change occurred in Lu Mingfei.

The bloodline is further purified, high-pressure blood flows through the entire body, and incredible subtle changes penetrate every cell, with a rich, wine-like power flowing in the blood vessels. Tiny hairs emerge from under the skin, like a layer of dark blue moss growing on the skin's surface. Under a microscope, these "hairs," magnified hundreds of times, are each shield-shaped, with annual ring-like patterns, and sharp as a sword at the front.

These "swords" are piercing Lu Mingfei's skin, taking the shape of scales, covering his entire body. With his breathing, they close and open, close and open again. The flesh and blood stuck under the scales evaporate a large amount of blood-red steam due to the drastically increased body temperature, and the bloodstains stuck to the scales also dry quickly.

Second burst of blood!

The Crimson Sky Sword in Lu Mingfei's hand trembled with joy, as some kind of "spirit" within it cheered and the blade hummed.

His spirit expanded out of his body, as if there were a domain within which he could perceive the outside world even without eyes and ears.

The wind, a violent, explosive wind, rushed toward him as if a cannonball had torn everything in its path.

Lu Mingfei leaned to one side, his right hand gripping Chixiao at an exaggerated angle behind him. He suddenly exerted force in a crouching, power-gathering posture, rushing towards the charging Dragon King.

Even as the scorching dragon flames burning almost against his face, he did not waver in his judgment until the most precise moment, when Chixiao slashed upwards from the lower right at a huge angle.

The attack was not deflected; the blade tore through the Dragon King's skin, flesh, and bones!

Lu Mingfei spun around in the reaction force of the slash, using the momentum to bounce away, drawing a "V" shape in the air and dodging the Dragon King's fatal charge.

He landed on the solid bronze ground.

Under the Dragon King's fierce attack, the water had long since evaporated.

As the light dimmed, Lu Mingfei regained his vision.

Countless terrifying lava clung to his body, slowly burning, his dark blue dragon scales crackling and wisps of blue smoke rising from them.

The Crimson Sky Sword had already melted halfway, with some kind of liquid adhering to it, like concentrated sulfuric acid dissolving foam, constantly devouring the sword's body, leaving less than half of its original length.

Lu Mingfei was breathing heavily.

“Look, brother, you are powerless before strength and authority. He did not destroy your sword immediately because it reminded him of his loved ones. Now, you will face his wrath.”

......

That night, all students of "A" grade or above who were not on missions and all members of the executive department received an urgent message from Norma.

"Emergency! Two Executive Department members and an 'S' class student are trapped in the palace of Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire. The traps have been triggered, and all exits are blocked. Their oxygen is dwindling every second, and we must find a way out for them as soon as possible. Some of you are related to him by blood. Here is a picture, taken by Executive Department member Jiudeyaji, containing dragon-script information. It is speculated that it may be an inscription about the casting of this bronze city. I hope you concentrate on reading it. If you experience clairvoyance, please try to decipher the map immediately."

The attachment contains a giant blue dome composed of a series of photographs, as well as a 3D simulation of the city's structure.

Across oceans and lands, day and night, dragon-slaying elites scattered around the world meditate on images on their phones or computers.

Through the door, you could hear the giggling of four women; Chu Zihang had ordered them a late-night snack.

He sat upright on the bedroom floor, pressed against the wall, with the lights off, and a complex and lush tree pattern on the screen in front of him.

As his breathing rhythm changed, a pair of golden eyes, like gas lamps, lit up in the darkness.

He activated his bloodline to see the writing in the twisted branches and leaves, thus saving the lives of three people.

Chapter 31 Contract

As evening falls, the Bay of Genoa, surrounded by mountains, is bathed in layers of sunset colors that paint the sky and water red. Seagulls gather and fly low, landing in flocks on the wet sand after the tide recedes. The beach, teeming with shellfish, crabs, and stranded small fish, becomes a bountiful feast for the seagulls.

Caesar would spend the hottest weeks of each year in Portofino, staying in a suite he had rented year-round.

What should have been a relaxing dinner time after swimming turned into Caesar sitting alone in front of his computer screen, with the school board secretary, Percy, standing at his door to prevent anything from entering and disturbing his meditation.

The crimson glow of the setting sun poured into the room through the huge French windows, falling on the expressionless face of the blond nobleman. A faint gold glint flickered in his eyes, as if it were a remnant of the brilliant midday sun.

......

Late at night, in a dilapidated neighborhood hidden behind high-rise buildings.

In a room converted from a power distribution room in Building 31.

A slender girl sat cross-legged on a blue bed sheet, facing the window, humming a theme song from an anime. The melody, which was supposed to be uplifting, sounded ethereal to her, as if it had echoed from ancient times to the present.

A cell phone with its screen lit up lay beside her, and the big tree reminded the girl of someone she had lost.

The wind ruffled her hair, and her dark eyes were as deep as a well.

......

"The view is back!" the woman in the earpiece exclaimed. "Luckily, this camera position is far enough away."

"Tell me quickly, what's going on inside?"

"Humans are gone; now it's two dragons fighting each other."

Inside the bronze hall, Lu Mingfei's figure was like a black meteor, rapidly darting between the ground, walls, and bronze pillars.

Following behind him was a figure with fiery wings. The Dragon King's bone wings tore through the flesh on his back and burst forth, with blazing flames raging across them. Wherever he passed, bronze buildings and snake-faced statues melted instantly into a scorching red liquid, as if they had been touched by a hot knife.

Lu Mingfei hardly fights with his eyes; he can only barely predict attacks using his mental abilities.

Scorching flames erupted around him, each burst of red-hot air disrupting his path and leaving brief burn marks on his body. Although his turbulent dragon blood could quickly heal these injuries with his heavy breathing, he was acutely aware of his own depletion of life force and mental energy.

His perception of the spiritual realm allowed him to vaguely predict the Dragon King's fiery attack—a sudden burst of heat igniting in the air around his body, followed by a violent explosion. Without this ability, he would have been melted by the Dragon King long ago.

In the blink of an eye, you could be facing an eruption of flames or death.

The Dragon King, carrying immense heat, approached him once more.

Just like he had done countless times before, Lu Mingfei sensed the movement in advance, stomped on the spot, and quickly turned around.

But this time was different. The Dragon King did not follow. In Lu Mingfei's mental perception, the heat source crashed straight into the bronze wall and exploded.

It was a fake body made of flames. The Dragon King himself had hidden himself at some point, waiting for the tired Lu Mingfei to misjudge this time.

Lu Mingfei felt an intense sense of crisis coursing through his body like an electric current. He growled menacingly, raising his arms and crossing them in front of his chest, trying to defend against the impending attack.

It was too late; the Dragon King had torn off his arms and shoulders.

It was a thin, pale arm, its owner almost pressed against Lu Mingfei when he launched the attack. He was a handsome young man, looking only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a small face, light eyebrows, and a pair of clear, dark eyes. He was wearing that small, snow-white robe; who knows how its material could withstand the terrifying heat.

He looked like a junior disciple from a fantasy drama—if it weren't for the pair of menacing dragon wings on his back and the scar on his left arm that revealed the bare white bone.

Lu Mingfei was sent flying backward, crashing into the bronze wall and landing slumped in the corner. Blood gushed from the huge laceration, flowing down the scorching bronze wall with a hissing sound and emitting white steam.

The dragonification phenomenon on his body was disappearing, and the bluish-black hard protrusions on his face and the dilated capillaries like plant roots were receding.

The sound fades into the distance, and the view dims.

The familiar taste of death, which I haven't experienced for so many years, has once again surged back from my memory.

"Brother, I told you, you can't handle it."

Lu Mingze squatted down in front of Lu Mingfei, scrutinizing the monstrous face of the man who was dying.

Time seemed to stand still in the bronze hall. Flames were reigniting on the Dragon King's body, and molten bronze fluid surged from the ground around him, enveloping him like a flower bud. Wisps of heat spread between the dome and the ground like spider silk. Red-hot lava dripped from the half-snake-faced human statue, which remained suspended in mid-air.

Everything froze the moment Lu Mingze's voice rang out.

Lu Mingfei felt his vision clear again, and death seemed to be receding into the distance.

"Now you can tell me your true purpose?" He had just been about to fall into eternal darkness, but now his tone was indifferent.

Lu Mingze sighed, stood up, and looked down at Lu Mingfei. "In the end, I still have to help you, brother."

"You've read *Faust*, haven't you? Mephistopheles made a bet with Faust: Mephistopheles would become Faust's servant, and once Mephistopheles satisfied Faust with worldly pleasures, the master-servant relationship would end, and Faust's soul would belong to the devil. My terms are similar; I'll make a contract with you, and I'll grant your wishes..."

Chapter 32 No Signing

"Looks like I guessed right." Lu Mingfei's breathing was hoarse and rattling; the Dragon King's attack had ruptured his internal organs, and something had somehow gotten into his trachea. He gave Lu Mingze a miserable smile. "Now I know your purpose... a demon?"

"So what?" Lu Mingze said dismissively. "Brother, no matter how strong your will is, you can't change your cruel fate. Just accept my deal. It's just a crippled one of the Four Great Kings. You're about to die, and you can't rely on yourself. Accept the contract, and I can do almost anything for you. That Dragon King will just be an appetizer, and you can treat his brother as a bonus."

Lu Mingfei struggled to his feet. In Lu Mingze's dream, death seemed to be truly outside his reach. But he knew it was all an illusion, and perhaps the moment Lu Mingze left, he would collapse to the ground.

"Lu Mingze? Or a demon? You've revealed your trump card." His eyes held a sense of ease, as if he had just uncovered a mystery. "Whether you coveted my soul or my body is not important. What is important is that you have revealed one thing to me—I myself am the strongest weapon, so powerful that even someone like you who uses the Dragon King as a pawn would have to seize it through a contract."

Lu Mingze frowned, feeling a sense of unease. He silently watched as Lu Mingfei gripped the wound, squeezing the bleeding veins tightly.

“I’ve never been sure what the so-called ‘bloodlust’ of dragons truly means, but now I know.” Lu Mingfei smiled faintly, his golden eyes shining again, just as he had when he recounted death on the train. “This was a trap. You saw that I’m the kind of person who strives for the unknown and higher, so you deliberately left a clue to provoke me. But you’ve got one thing wrong, Lu Mingze. I’ve never been a king, at most I sit on the throne. Those in power can accept deals with demons to achieve their goals, but I am a faded one, a warrior!”

His voice transformed into a roar in his throat as some kind of power surged forth.

"Those who have faded away, we are born with nothing. Light and darkness lie ahead, power and curse are upon us. Never think that a faded one has failed, even if his life is coming to an end, even if the enemy is as powerful as an insurmountable mountain!"

Three times the blood burst!

Dense scales regrowed, along with bloody bone spurs. The muscles beneath the scales rippled like flowing water before suddenly taut and solidifying. His bones cracked with a deafening sound, and his knees snapped backward. A pair of ferocious, bluish-black wings tore through the flesh on his back, unfurling violently and whipping up a gale.

On the wound where the Dragon King had torn off his arm, blood vessels and nerves grew out of the newly formed bone, dripping with blood. Eventually, flesh and blood grew and scales covered the wound. The bluish-black scales first opened and then snapped together, bluish-black and shiny.

Lu Mingze's dream ended, but he stood in the corner, expressionless, silently watching Lu Mingfei walk towards the Dragon King.

The Dragon King sensed danger; the humans before him were completely different from before. So he roared angrily, causing the flames and molten metal to descend once more.

Lu Mingfei bowed slightly, his figure like an arrow released from a bow, so fast that it distorted the shadows.

The Dragon King was struck, and the two became entangled, crashing into the thick bronze wall. The Dragon King's struggle caused the bronze to melt rapidly, and soon a section of the wall was dented. The fiery red fluid flowed around the two of them, but they were separated by an invisible domain.

Lu Mingfei's hands, covered in fine scales, gripped the Dragon King's wings and ripped them off with a sudden force. The sound of bones breaking rang out, and golden blood gushed out.

The Dragon King's terrifying roar echoed throughout the hall.

Flames erupted from all over Lu Mingfei's body as the Dragon King launched a full-scale attack, the resulting explosions pushing Lu Mingfei away.

As the Dragon King grew enraged, thick, bright purple lightning surged throughout the entire bronze hall. Everything cast in bronze melted into fiery serpents that seemed to come alive. Moments later, countless lava swords took shape in the air, their tips falling towards Lu Mingfei.

This is a rain of swords that will destroy everything.

Even the ground turned into a magma-like liquid, forming a cage upwards.

Lu Mingfei stared at the crazed and ferocious Dragon King and suddenly realized that the other party was not mature in mind. He was like a child playing with an insect. At first, when he saw that the insect was carrying his brother's weapon, he splashed some hot water on the insect to test it. Later, when the insect suddenly bit him, he angrily tore off the insect's limbs.