Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

Lu Mingfei listened quietly to her explanation.

“Every thread of fate has its own probability in the history of the world. However, among the many possibilities, some things are bound to happen. The threads that have branched out are brought back by this event. This is what is called a convergence point.” Jormungandr picked up a crystal glass and let it fall to the ground, but a vortex of air lifted it into the air. “In all timelines, there are worlds where the glass falls and shatters and worlds where it doesn’t shatter. But no matter which world it is, the Black King will be resurrected.”

“The broken glass has nothing to do with the Black King’s resurrection.” Lu Mingfei said thoughtfully, “But what if the broken glass really was related to the Black King’s resurrection?”

This question is like asking: if the relative speed between light and all observers in a vacuum is an absolute value, what if we force the observers to travel in the same direction as the light and at the speed of light?

According to existing theories, the universe observed by an observer is likely in a state of time standstill.

In this theory, the speed of light is an absolute value, while in Jormungandr's theory, the Black King's resurrection is also an absolute value.

“No matter how much the water glass affects the Black King’s resurgence, the world will correct this ‘mistake’.” Jormungandr withdrew the airflow, and the water glass fell to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound. “Therefore, the smoother your current plans and progress go, the more cautious you should be regarding matters concerning the Black King.”

"Thank you for your kindness." Lu Mingfei nodded.

"In short, Odin has been plotting among humans and hybrids for a long time. In his eyes, dragons, hybrids, and humans are all his enemies, and the Black King is undoubtedly the greatest enemy," Jormungandr continued. "As far as I know and speculate, he should have already found the Black King's hatchery and obtained the authority of another dragon king. When the time is ripe, he may launch a war and crush all his enemies in a storm, just like Ragnarok."

"The Black King's Hatchery and the Dragon King's Authority..." Lu Mingfei finally heard some new information. "Any details?"

“No,” said Jormungandr. “He is secretive. I have never even met him. I only know that his Nibelungen should be on that viaduct.”

"How many years have you been awake?" Lu Mingfei suddenly asked.

“Almost the same age as 'Xia Mi'”.

"One last question, do you recognize me?" Lu Mingfei waved his hand, and the surrounding light suddenly brightened, illuminating his face clearly.

“I met you at Shilan Secondary School, but I didn’t pay much attention to you at the time,” Jormungandr said frankly.

Chapter 149 The Depths of the Soul

“I believe what you said is true.” Lu Mingfei nodded. “Let’s get down to business.”

Jormungandr was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I have only one condition."

"Go ahead."

“Don’t hand Fenrir over to those half-bloods. He has lost his destiny as king and is no different from an ordinary dragon.” Jormungandr looked directly into Lu Mingfei’s eyes and said seriously.

"The Dragon King, who calls himself a tyrant and believes in the survival of the fittest, actually had a wish for family?" Lu Mingfei was slightly surprised.

“Dragons are a race that survives on the strong, therefore we are stronger than fragile humans. Only the strong can survive to the end, while the weak become food for their own kind.” Jormungandr’s voice was somewhat hoarse. “But he is the only one who has been with me for a thousand years. For so many years, only he… On the throne of the Forsaken, only kings embrace each other for warmth…”

Lu Mingfei stared at Jormungandr; the sadness and resentment on her face seemed genuine.

Such power, and the race it shaped, and the progenitor of all—the Black Emperor… it’s almost a curse. Something high above creates a filthy, bloody path to godhood, watching the lowly people hate and wage war against each other before their steps.

“I promise you.” Lu Mingfei agreed to her request and then came to stand in front of her.

"Hurry up." Jormungandr squinted at him. "I almost intervened at least three times. The blood of the Dragon King boils when faced with humiliation."

What Lu Mingfei wanted to do was very simple: the Great Rune of the King of Earth and Mountains, the incomplete version of the gilded pattern on the circular ring, was inside Jormungandr's body.

His hand, through Jormungandr's veil-like translucent body, grasped the Great Rune. "You're suppressing your dragon king instincts. What has kept you going until now?"

“I know there’s no escaping this place. It’s more like a cage than a meeting room.” Jormungandr’s eyes suddenly sharpened. “And… only a monster like you can shatter this dark destiny. Consider it an offering of a new god before my Father’s throne.”

Her form disintegrated, and a grayish-white mist exploded, spreading and gradually dissipating. Jormungandr was gone, and Lu Mingfei would carry on with her final resentment towards her father.

Only Lu Mingfei remained in the empty hall.

He waved his hand to extinguish the candles and wall lamps, and sat alone in the darkness.

……

The sky was covered by a cloud of yellow sand. Even though it was noon, the sun was barely visible under the hazy dust, like a lukewarm boiled egg.

The wind howled among the sand dunes, and the wispy white mist outlined the wind's path, like several celestial curtains stretching across the sky.

Lu Mingfei climbed up the sand dune, where a figure stood at the top waiting for him.

"Your Majesty, you are being far too willful," Melina said helplessly. "Traveling this far is a tremendous burden on your body."

Lu Mingfei had already come to her side. "You don't need to worry about that."

Standing atop the dunes, one can gaze out at the undulating sea of ​​sand stretching to the edge of the world, disappearing into the vast expanse of sand and clouds on the horizon. In the far distance, a towering peak stands.

It is so high that it is tinged with a hazy gray-white by the clouds, while the lower half of the mountain is completely covered by clouds.

Its indescribable grandeur is like the Tower of Babel in mythology, a "gateway to heaven" that humanity attempted to use to communicate with the divine. On the day it was completed, its towering structure could be seen reaching into the clouds from the edge of the world.

The golden tree at the border is also a magnificent sight, but Lu Mingfei has been eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping under its radiance for many years and has become indifferent to such miracles.

At this moment, Lu Mingfei was more concerned about the clearly outlined dragon shadow at the top of the mountain. The huge black dragon lowered its wings and covered the entire mountain.

"Is this the depths of my soul?" Lu Mingfei asked softly.

“I’ve been here ever since you returned to your homeland.” Melina gazed at the dragon with him. “At first it was just a dilapidated church. After you acquired the Great Rune, the world expanded. First it was a lifeless, scorched earth, then sandstorms swept across the land. After your conversation with Jormungandr ended, that mountain appeared.”

"Only those runes who possess two kings are qualified to have an audience?" Lu Mingfei chuckled.

“Your Majesty, I will monitor everything here for you.” Melina looked at Lu Mingfei. “Peeping into souls is taboo in this world, so you should stay away from here.”

Lu Mingfei was silent for a moment, then said, "Melina, your mission ended the day you threw yourself into the furnace. In this world, I am not the king of the Golden Law, and you no longer need to bear such a depressing task."

“The king I have chosen is you. In your homeland, your destiny as king, or even as a god, is already set.” Melina held his hand. “You once accompanied me to the Golden Tree. This time, let it be my turn to accompany you to that towering peak.”

Lu Mingfei laughed, "What's the difference?"

“Of course, I used to be the one asking you for help, now it’s your turn to ask me for help,” Melina said playfully.

Lu Mingfei smiled helplessly. He understood that Melina's decisions were beyond persuasion, and today he had to "beg" her.

He knelt on one knee, performed the knightly salute, and solemnly said, "I hope you can help me—take me to the place of destiny beneath the towering peak."

Melina gently placed her hand on Lu Mingfei's outstretched hand. "That means the deal is done."

At this moment, the roles seem to have reversed. It is no longer the king and the witch, nor the mission leading to separation and death, but Lu Mingfei and Melina, a request and a request for help.

Lu Mingfei got up and walked side by side with Melina in the desert. The whole world was filled with the howling wind, and the sky was dark and oppressive.

Lu Mingfei raised his hand and swept it across the sky. With the traces left by his fingers, a rift was torn in the sky, and the daylight on both sides quickly dissipated, while the night sky and stars expanded.

In just a few breaths, the sky transformed from a sandstorm into a tranquil night sky, with a huge full moon hanging above the Milky Way.

"Are you not comfortable living here?" Lu Mingfei asked casually. "How about I build you some more comfortable housing and living facilities?"

“As you know, appearances here are only symbolic; even creating housing and other things would be meaningless,” Melina said with some helplessness. “You and your brother have been too reckless. That kind of fabric, which uses precious materials, is too extravagant just to allow me to travel outside. Now that you have gathered many warriors under your command, you should assume the responsibilities of a ‘king’.”

"The authority of the two kings alone is not enough to touch the soul, which transcends the spiritual element. But one day I will make you appear in the real world in your current form as Jormungandr." Ignoring Melina's accusations and suggestions, Lu Mingfei made the promise on his own, then seemed to remember something, "Lu Mingze... what did he do?"

“He forged the spirit of those twin blades with his soul, then erased its vitality, and finally made me merge with the spirit.” Melina shook her head. “He could have just used my power directly.”

“He did a good job,” Lu Mingfei said, holding a different opinion.

Chapter 150 The Ancient Battle

Lu Mingfei and Melina walked along the desert, and in the boundless sea of ​​sand, some silent, standing black shadows gradually appeared.

Those were jet-black pillars cast in bronze, the original column patterns worn away by wind and sand, leaving only the towering pillars. The pillars, of varying heights, were clustered together in one area, some with collapsed and tilted bases, others broken and dilapidated, like a forest of bronze.

Lu Mingfei and Melina stood at the base of the pillar, looking as small as ants.

The Bronze Forest is home to countless dragon bones. In fact, information about hybrids rarely describes the true form of ancient dragons. These creatures have the ability to completely alter their skeletal structure to disguise themselves, so the dragons that are sighted are sometimes winged quadrupedal dinosaurs, sometimes beautiful Nagas, and sometimes horned serpents.

Ancient painters also said that the steps for drawing a dragon are: "First draw deer antlers, second shrimp eyes, third dog nose, fourth ox mouth, fifth lion mane, sixth fish scales, seventh snake body, eighth flames, and ninth chicken feet to draw the dragon." To put it bluntly, it is a "nine-not-like" dragon.

However, at this moment, the skeletal structures of these dragon remains, most of which are buried in the sand, are almost identical, with the only difference being their size.

“They died in the war, and this is the most ferocious form of the dragon.” Lu Mingfei and Melina climbed the steps along a spine. This dragon skeleton was not Fenrir’s bronze color, but bluish-black. “A brutal war, with both sides possessing equal power and even the power of words, the killing became a matter of minions against minions.”

The dragon's ribs are buried deep underground, and its head, wing bones, and tail bones have disappeared without a trace. Perhaps they were weathered away over a long period of time, or perhaps they were torn apart and devoured by enemies in battle. Dragons gain power by devouring their own kind, so there is reason to believe that dragon wars were both slaughter and bloody feasts.

Thick vertebrae remain on the sand dunes, their massive joints resembling stone steps, offering a panoramic view from the top.

In the distance, at the center of a cluster of bronze pillars, a mountain-like black shadow looms, with the outlines of crumbling, broken walls, archways, columns, and towers vaguely visible. It might be a dragon city, a war fortress, or even just a memorial structure in a cemetery.

Time has erased the vibrancy and traces of the city, leaving only a rough skeleton for future generations to imagine its former grandeur and glory.

“Looking at this kind of scene all day long is too depressing,” Lu Mingfei said. “It would be better to renovate a place for you to live.”

Melina held his arm and pulled him to sit down on the edge of the highest vertebra. The desert stretched to the horizon and met the starry sky, and the dilapidated city standing between the tombstone-like bronze pillars looked like a silhouette.

"Your Majesty, if you were here, whether it was loneliness or misery, do you think you could endure it and persevere?" Melina asked softly.

"Yes," Lu Mingfei replied truthfully.

“Then please believe in me too…” Melina said with a smile, “I believe you can do it, and you should believe in me too, shouldn’t you?”

"Of course I believe you." Lu Mingfei looked up at the starry sky. The cold, still stars formed a lifeless night sky. In this frozen solitude, Melina would hold on until he became a god.

“I’m leaving, Melina.” Lu Mingfei felt a weariness welling up from the depths of his soul, which meant he had been here too long.

He gazed at Melina's face, the face he had met countless times by the campfire or in the glow of the Golden Blessing, the face he would recall from time to time as he sat on the throne—it all felt like a lifetime ago.

He stretched out his hand, but it hovered lightly in mid-air.

Melina's gaze softened at that moment. She gently, almost cautiously, covered Lu Mingfei's hand with her own, slowly pulling it closer until it gently touched her cheek.

"You are so kind."

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, with only the distant wind drifting among the bronze pillars, producing melodious music that sounded exceptionally clear in the tranquil night.

Besides tranquility, Lu Mingfei had nothing else in his heart; all his worries and anxieties had vanished with the wind.

The next moment, his figure, like Jormungandr dissipating, gradually became transparent and finally turned into smoke.

As Lu Mingfei left, the night sky was once again replaced by daylight.

A sandstorm swept in rapidly, and the dim sunlight cast the shadows of the bronze pillars. Between the light and shadow, it seemed as if some kind of door had quietly opened.

In addition to the dry smell of dust, the wind carried a pungent, sour stench of blood.

Those deep, twisted shadows slowly began to writhe, yet a faint light flickered within them, like ghostly fire.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, enormous undead ancient dragons, clad in tattered armor, slowly emerged from the abyss behind the shadows. Their scales had lost their former luster, their bodies were broken, and each pair of empty eye sockets flickered with intense fire.

These dragon spirits, filled with endless resentment and unfulfilled fighting spirit, caused the foundations of the Bronze City to tremble with their footsteps, and even the sand dunes to shake.

One by one, the ancient dragons with somewhat intact bodies took to the air. Their wings were tattered and torn, but when they flapped, they still stirred up a cold and biting gale, carrying various wind-based incantations.

At the very front of the undead army stood the largest ancient dragon, its armor crackling with lightning and its body enveloped in a terrifying royal aura.

Melina appeared small and fragile in the face of the overwhelming army of undead, but behind her, an army of dead dragons rose from the desert.