Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 203 Battle Festival - Prologue
As dawn approached, a faint light appeared, but the stars in the sky had not yet disappeared, twinkling with their unchanging starlight.

Lu Mingfei did a final check on his weapons and armor, making sure the red and blue Dettol jars were full, and checked all the items hanging at his waist before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He walked in the dim light, a blend of starlight and dawn, into the church that Jellian had pointed out, boarded the old elevator, and descended to the shore at the bottom. He hadn't gone far when a portal came into view.

However, the portal did not activate.

The center of the door, which should have been surging with a torrent of blue magic, was now just a silent void.

Lu Mingfei's expression shifted slightly, his eyes revealing a complex and unreadable emotion. He inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, yet his mood grew increasingly heavy and solemn.

A steady, powerful hand covered in armor gently pressed down on his shoulder armor.

"It seems you can't wait any longer, young man."

Jeremy's aged voice came from behind.

Lu Mingfei turned around.

Jellian placed his hand on the hilt of the flame-shaped greatsword, his posture ramrod straight, just as he had upheld his knightly beliefs to this day.

"That piece on you, is it Grik's Great Rune?"

Lu Mingfei was slightly taken aback, but then understood. Indeed, he had already activated the aura of the Great Rune, and it was not surprising that Jellian, as a former subordinate of a demigod, could sense it.

He nodded calmly:
"Yes."

A hint of emotion flickered across Jeremy's face, and he nodded slightly.

"Truly...the younger generation is formidable. At your age, I was still wandering around, unknown and obscure..."

Just then, footsteps sounded from behind.

"It seems that none of you are having any sleep problems."

A knowing smile curved at the corners of Jeremy's lips.

Terragos stood like a rock, carrying the imposing giant-crushing hammer. He had actually arrived earlier than Lu Mingfei and had been sitting quietly on a nearby reef, gazing at the sea.

Beside him stood an equally tall figure. Ryannir held a sword in one hand and a staff in the other, with a shield strapped to his back. He was a man of rather diverse learning, and Lu Mingfei could not determine what school of prayer or magic he used.

The sound of Alexander's jug rolling could be heard, followed by the steady and determined half-wolf warrior Blazer and the mysterious swordsman "Old Man" from the Reed Lands.

At the very back of the group was a bald man whom Lu Mingfei didn't recognize at all. He was holding a long spear and had a large shield in front of him, and he looked very unfamiliar.

Jeremy looked around at the silent faces of the crowd and took a deep breath.

Everyone who wanted to participate in the festival had arrived.

Those who truly fear death have already fled under the cover of night.

He declared, his voice echoing in the morning breeze:

"I will join you all, and all the courageous and respectful warriors, to step into the final battleground."

"Together," Jellian's voice was filled with determination and poignant heroism, "we will offer General 'Shattered Star' Rataen the gift he has long awaited."

"The death of glory!"

These words, like the resounding war drums on a battlefield, completely dispelled the darkness of dawn.

No one spoke, but a burning fighting spirit shone in everyone's eyes.

Lu Mingfei's eyes flickered slightly, the last trace of hesitation in them vanished, replaced by determination and resolve.

He reached into his leather bag, pulled out several pieces of roasted, reddish-brown meat, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed them swiftly to the crowd. [Cooked shrimp meat, a tender and juicy delicacy. It's said there's a trick to the amount of salt used. For a certain period, it can increase physical defense. But this is actually crayfish meat. In short, as long as the food tastes good.]

“This is some good stuff I got from a friend,” Lu Mingfei said, swallowing a piece himself. A solid energy wave immediately enveloped his body. “It’s not free. If you all survive, remember to pay.”

Teragos laughed heartily and put the shrimp meat into his mouth without hesitation.

The others did not hesitate either. Those who stood here were all heroes, with broad-mindedness, and there was no need for them to be suspicious at this moment.

Jellian said no more. He turned to face the silent portal and slowly raised the flame-shaped greatsword in his hand.

He pointed the tip of his sword at the center of the portal and chanted an ancient and obscure incantation.

As the last syllable fell, he plunged his greatsword into the ground in front of the portal!
boom--

The immense magic was instantly unleashed, and a torrent of blue energy surged from the sword, pouring into the hollow frame of the portal.

The silent space inside the door twisted and vibrated violently, eventually stabilizing into a continuously spinning blue vortex—

The passage to the former battlefield has been opened here!

"go ahead!"

Jellian drew his greatsword and stepped into the dazzling vortex, his figure instantly swallowed up.

Lu Mingfei and Teragos exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.

Alexander let out a deep, excited laugh and rolled the pot inside.

Blazer, "Old Man", Ryannil, and the nameless bald warrior also stepped in one after another without hesitation.
-
After a brief period of weightlessness and dizziness, the feeling of being grounded returned.

What came into view was a vast, desolate, and lifeless expanse of sand dunes.

The sand looked as if it had been stained with blood, giving it an ominous color.

The sand dunes were densely covered with countless broken weapons and banners, the vast majority of which were various kinds of spears. They stood crookedly, like a withered forest of steel.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay, far more pungent than anywhere else in the Galid Plains. The sky was shrouded in an eerie, dark red, oppressive and suffocating.

Lu Mingfei didn't even have time to carefully search for Ratan's figure—

scoff!

A sharp whistling sound ripped through the silence!

In the distance, a thick purple streak of light was hurtling through the sky at an alarming speed!

The power it contains is so terrifying that the energy emanating from its flight path alone causes the air it passes through to groan in agony!

It was an enormous gravity arrow, its target clearly aimed at the group of people who had just completed the teleportation and had not yet fully dispersed!
"spread!!!"

It was unclear who had let out the furious roar.

There was no need for reminders; everyone present was a warrior forged in the crucible of life and death, with an extremely keen sense of danger.

Lu Mingfei's pupils contracted sharply, and the purple light magnified rapidly in his golden eyes.

With his excellent physical instincts, he suddenly lunged to the side and rolled heavily onto the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The instant he fell, the massive, devastating arrow struck the spot where they had just stood.

boom! ! !
The earth trembled violently, and the shockwave from the explosion, mixed with sand and gravel, spread out in a violent ring, instantly engulfing everyone who had just landed!

(End of this chapter)