Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 22 A Loyal Companion, Toret
After parting ways with the old knight, Lu Mingfei returned to the front of the checkpoint to continue his solitary 'great undertaking'.

The first challenge he faced was this ancient and treacherous Storm Pass.

Lu Mingfei stood in front of the checkpoint, looking up at the ancient military fortress.

The gray-white stone wall has become mottled and worn from wind and rain erosion, and its surface is covered with fine cracks and moss.

The entire pass was built against the mountain, with high and steep rock walls on both sides winding along the narrow path like two giant dragons. Not far away, a huge temple ruin spanned the two sides, and a mountain demon carrying a giant sword stood on the ruin. Cold wind blew through its hollow ribs, and it stood there motionless like a dried corpse.

Directly ahead, a massive bronze gate, suspended high by chains and gears, revealed its opening. Along the road, numerous chevaux-de-frise and wooden barriers stood every few meters. Grek's soldiers, clad in cylindrical cloaks emblazoned with trees and beasts—symbols of the Golden Family's glory—patrolled and prowled.

Lu Mingfei narrowed his eyes.

This is the only road leading to Stoneville, and also the outermost military fortress of the Grek forces.

Even a fool could tell that this "Storm Pass," with its name and ancient design, must be a remnant from the pre-Golden Law era, when the Storm King occupied Nymgford.

It has both the advantage of its location and the ruthlessness of a storm.

This obstacle course is incredibly tricky. With cliffs on both sides and only a narrow mountain path in front, it's practically a natural meat grinder.

It is now the only passage to Storm Hill. To continue, one must force their way through.

Lu Mingfei originally thought that although this place was an insurmountable barrier for the army, he might be able to break through it by acting alone and using his agility.

So he gripped his greatsword, took a deep breath, and stepped into the checkpoint.

With a deafening roar, the mountain demon that had been standing quietly on the ruins leaped down from its height, its heavy body crashing to the ground and sending up a cloud of rubble.

Lu Mingfei reacted extremely quickly, dodging the mountain demon's signature move with a roll. The mountain demon roared. The deafening roar carried a powerful vortex of air; anyone who touched it would be sent flying several meters.

This was not the first time Lu Mingfei had dealt with mountain demons.

He clearly remembered that when he was exploring near the church on Islay, he had wandered along the coastal lawn and lost his way.

It was then that he encountered his first mountain demon.

At that time, he was still weak, and faced with such a huge creature, he couldn't even muster the courage to fight. He could only be beaten and run away in panic.

What about now?
Lu Mingfei's lips curled into a cold smile.

He is now a Dragon Warrior who has even slain a powerful dragon, and a formal knight who has taken over the mantle of the former chief of the Storm Knights.

How could a mere mountain demon possibly stop him?

Today, he, Lu, will prove his growth to the entire border region and wipe away his shame!
Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei's blood boiled, and with a loud shout, he swung his sword and charged forward.

then.

call out!call out!call out!
The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out one after another. Before Lu Mingfei could even see where the arrows were coming from, he was riddled with crossbow bolts flying from all directions.

When he awoke again at the Blessed Point, an expression of disbelief still lingered on his face.

"I was so stupid. I only knew they would put a mountain demon up there to ambush me, but I forgot they could also shoot arrows."

Lu Mingfei pounded the ground, feeling utterly ashamed of his actions.

After recovering from the hail of arrows, Lu Mingfei rubbed his temples in annoyance.

"This place is more troublesome than I imagined; I need to think of a solution."
-
Lu Mingfei squatted down next to the blessing point, staring at Toret with wide eyes.

"Old Torres."

He patted the spirit horse's mane-covered neck and said:

"Let's go big this time."

Since a direct assault won't work, we'll have to resort to strategy!
How can we outsmart them?
The only difference between humans and animals is that humans use tools.

Since there's a useful workhorse... no, a loyal and reliable spirit horse like Toret, then of course we should try charging into battle on horseback! Lu Mingfei mounted the horse, swapped his greatsword for a straight sword for easier handling, and with a flourish, swung his leg and waved his hand:
"charge!"

A man and a horse transformed into a whirlwind, charging straight through the checkpoint with unstoppable force!
Then--

boom!
The mountain demon's giant sword cleaved down, sending men and horses flying.

"Old Tuo, listen to my command, this time we're going to the left!"

Torret snorted uneasily.

"Trust me, this time it will definitely work! Since the mountain demon jumped from the middle, let's speed up from the left first, and then go back to the main road!"

Lu Mingfei patted his chest and assured him.

The plan went smoothly, and this time it was not hindered by the mountain demon.

however.

call out!call out!
Amidst a hail of arrows, a man and a horse galloped past, then simultaneously collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

The horse's rump was riddled with arrows.

"This rain of arrows is too hard to dodge."

"After avoiding the mountain demons, you need to move nimbly to avoid being hit by the rain of arrows, and you can't jump over the barricades on either side; you can only break through or jump over the wooden wall in the middle. However, there is a ballista at the end of the road."
"The ballista must be avoided. Neither I nor Torret could withstand the power of a single shot, let alone the patrolling soldiers after we were knocked down."

Lu Mingfei squatted beside the blessing point, his finger unconsciously drawing circles on the ground.

Torret stood to the side, occasionally nuzzling his shoulder with his nose, seemingly trying to comfort his master.

“Old Tuo,” Lu Mingfei sighed, reaching out to stroke the spirit horse’s soft mane.

"Do you think we should change our tactics? Should we come up with another way to get around them? Like, maybe call Emiya over to draw their fire?"

Thinking of this, Lu Mingfei shook his head, holding fast to his last moral bottom line:

"No, that would be too inhumane. Emiya is my best friend and family member, and I'm counting on him to help me get through this ominous sign."

Torret snorted, seemingly in agreement.

"Alright, alright," Lu Mingfei patted Torret's corner, "We've come all this way, we've both died so many times, how can we give up halfway!"
"Come on, take me for one more charge!"

After his eleventh death, Lu Mingfei finally realized that brute force and opportunism were not advisable, and that he should make detailed plans before setting off.

So he started drawing tactical diagrams on the lawn.

Avoid the mountain demon.jpg
Dodging the shot.jpg
"This time it's definitely...wait, where's my horse?"

Lu Mingfei turned around confidently, but failed to find his loyal partner, Toret.

He turned his head and looked, only to find that Torret was hiding behind the blessing point and refused to come out no matter what.

"Old Tuo?"

Lu Mingfei tentatively called out:

"It's time to go."

Torret simply flicked his tail and turned his head to the other side.

Lu Mingfei sighed, finally realizing a cruel reality:

Even his spirit horse has started to go on strike.

(End of this chapter)