Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

Chapter 457 Candidate for the New King

In this world of despair, Angers finally understood what it meant.

Pompeii was right; they were indeed saving the world. In their eyes, everything in the old world would be destroyed, so they could do anything that seemed insane to ordinary people without any psychological burden.

They created clones, plotted to kill the leader of the Secret Society, and revived dragons to wage war against humanity, all for their ultimate goal: to have someone inherit the part left by the Black King, to ascend the throne as the new Black King, and to become the new pillar of the world.

In their view, it doesn't matter how many people die in the process. This world is inherently false, and apart from the ultimate end of the world and the original life, nothing else is real.

Everything is for the continuation of the world, for the continuation of humanity, for the continuation of civilization.

They did not believe that human emotions could contend with God. They believed that humans were weak and fragile, and that human emotions were insignificant in the face of God. The Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father would ultimately return to the Triune God, abandoning His people and ascending to the Oneness alone.

"Is this the truth?" Angers gazed into the distance.

Half the world was shrouded in cold darkness; there was nothing there.

“It will get better in a while.” Pompeii took an iron flask from his belt and took a sip of strong vodka. “When a new king is born, the world will be reshaped. Angers, although you are old and dying, you should be able to witness that moment.”

“Your new king candidate is Caesar Gattuso?” Angers turned and stared at Pompeii.

"Yes, Caesar is the child the Gattuso family has been waiting for for thousands of years. He is destined to become the new king. He has a natural 'dragon's heart.' His soul and his spirit were felt by us the moment he opened his eyes. The purpose of the Gattuso family's existence has always been to bring Caesar into the world. He is the chosen one and the successor to the throne!"

"If the Gattuso family is the foundation for the birth of a new king, then what is the Chen family? Chen Motong, that girl must be very special to you too."

"That's the Queen, the Queen born for the new King's ascension to the throne. Chen Motong is the bride that the family prepared for Caesar. The new King's ascension ceremony is also their wedding ceremony."

"Does Caesar also know your entire plan?"

"No, he doesn't need to know. The new king only needs to sit on the throne. The new world doesn't need a black king who can break the rules at will. Caesar, my son, he will forever slumber on his throne, laying the foundation for the operation and birth of the new world."

“How cruel, Pompeii, that was your son.”

“That is his destiny, Angers. The new world does not need an omnipotent god.” Pompeii threw the butt of his cigar on the snow, the glowing embers going out the instant they touched the ice. “Besides, do you think we’ll gain anything from this? No, we will all disappear when the old world is destroyed. The new world may give birth to a new us, but that will have nothing to do with us now. Caesar, he is the only one who can reach the new world.”

"When is the coronation ceremony?"...

"On the night of December 21st, rebirth will come along with destruction. The Black King will merge all the dragons she split off into her body. Then the Holy Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Father will also merge. After that, she will leave our world. So there will be no dragons in the new world. There will be no Word of Power or hybrids in that world. Isn't that good? You've always longed for that kind of world. It's about to be realized."

“Don’t you have any expectations of the ‘Holy Spirit’?” Angers asked, looking at the ice hole that had been chiseled out.

"From my personal perspective, of course there is. I certainly hope that this generation's 'Holy Spirit,' I mean the will named Lu Mingfei, can defeat Black King Nighogg and the 'Holy Spirit' itself. But he only has those insignificant twenty-odd years. At the gambling table, do you think a gambler with only twenty chips can gamble against a dealer with hundreds of millions of chips and make the dealer lose everything, even his underwear?"

Human emotions are the most unreliable thing in the world. We can't possibly gamble everything on that most unreliable thing. Let alone Lu Mingfei, Angers, you've lived to be 130 years old, do you think you can fight against the will of a creature like Nighoggi? We are as insignificant as a grain of rice in the ocean, destined to be swallowed by the waves.

"But you didn't even have the courage to try before you chose to give up."

Suddenly, a child's voice came from behind.

Angers found the voice familiar. He turned around and, in the lamplight amidst the wind and snow, saw a petite girl.

The girl had long, light blonde hair and quietly held a boy's hand.

The boy was wearing only a small suit jacket with a red bow tie, and his face was as delicate and beautiful as the girl's.

"Zero," "Lu Mingze," "Holy Son"—he has many names. He stands there, not an illusion, not a bubble, but a real body.

Angers once made a pact with him, in exchange for the power of his bloodline and the evolved Time Zero.

“It’s you.” Angers didn’t expect him to appear at this time. Although he knew that Lu Mingfei had released “Zero”, this was the first time “Zero” had appeared in front of him.

“Long time no see, Hilbert Jean Angers.” The boy smiled. “And Mr. Bondarev, oh no, I should call you Pompeii now.”

Pompeii shrugged and continued drinking, looking completely unfazed.

“You did a great job. I’ve only recovered a little bit today. Do you remember how many years you imprisoned me? From Black Swan Harbor to the internment camp in Siberia, it was a truly airtight prison. Not even a fly could get in.” The boy extended his hand to shake Pompeii’s hand. “In terms of your opponents, I have to commend you.”

“If you want to kill me, just do it.” Pompeii ignored him. “You can no longer stop our plan. According to our calculations, Nighogg took most of your power many years ago. That’s why you have been searching for the ‘Holy Spirit’ in the cycle of reincarnation, trying to remove the ‘Holy Spirit’s’ seal on you and let him kill Nighogg in your place.”

“I must admit your calculations were precise, and I truly have no power to stop you.” The boy withdrew his hand. “But you don’t know me well enough. I searched for the ‘Holy Spirit’ in the cycle of reincarnation not to kill Nighogg. The ‘Holy Spirit’ is my brother. I simply want to be with my brother, nothing more.”…

“What are you planning to do?” Angers asked him.

"To do what I've always wanted to do," the boy said casually.

He and the girl arrived at the huge ice hole.

Su Enxi and Jiu Demai were also there, seemingly having been waiting for a long time.

“The day has finally come.” The boy said to Su Enxi and Jiu Demai, “You have helped me a lot over the years. Thinking back, it was really a good decision to take you in.”

"Mai, I think I should apologize to you for always assigning you difficult tasks."

"It's alright." Mai waved her hand. "Although you always leave me half-dead, I've managed to pull through, haven't I?"

"It's such a nostalgic time. I remember when we first met, you were about the same height as me. Now you're a mature woman with 99 boyfriends."

"It's just that we haven't found the right one yet."

The boy smiled: "Enxi, you are a great assistant. Without you, I think our cash flow would definitely collapse."

"With the way you spend money, if it were someone else, they probably would only be able to eat plain white flour buns for three meals a day."

"That's why I chose you. Thanks to you, we don't have to eat white flour buns for every meal."

"Alright, alright, if you're going to leave, then hurry up and leave. Being so serious isn't like you." Su Enxi crossed her arms.

“As expected of the woman I chose, even her farewell words are so unique.” The boy said, “Then our contract ends today. You are free. From now on, your lives belong only to yourselves. You no longer need to listen to an annoying boss who orders you around.”

The boy snapped his fingers, and Su Enxi and Jiu Demai could feel a thread break, like a snapped string on a musical instrument, which could no longer be plucked.

"So in the end, only Sanwu can accompany you?" Mai Shude sighed.

“After all, her contract is different from yours,” the boy said. “Besides, we’re going on vacation to some nice place again, so there’s no need to look so disappointed.”

"Will we have a chance to meet again?" Su Enxi asked, looking at him.

"Maybe so, I don't know."

"There are things you don't know."

“Even with a confirmed script, unexpected things can happen sometimes, and besides, I can no longer see the script.”

"Goodbye then," Su Enxi and Jiu Demai said in unison.

"Goodbye," the boy and Zero said at the same time, holding hands as they had done many years ago.

They jumped into the water, and a transparent bubble enveloped them.

"Are you scared?" the boy asked softly.

"I'm not afraid." Zero shook her head.

"It's not too late to regret it now. I'll send you up there. Actually, it's not bad for you to stay with those two, is it?"

Zero gripped his hand tightly: "Don't leave me."

"Women are such troublesome creatures. After all these years, you haven't changed at all."

"Am I still of any use to you?"

What are you thinking? Do you still think I would abandon you?

"."

"Don't think about it anymore. You're mine. We made a promise many years ago, didn't we? You had to be useful to me forever, and you have. So I will never abandon you. You're a woman who can't live without love, so just keep loving me."...

"Hmm." Zero felt the warmth of her palm and didn't even realize that she was smiling. Fingel had once said that her smile was strange and incongruous, but now her smile was gentle and natural.

She recalled that winter in Moscow when she and the boy escaped from the Black Swan Harbor and made their way across the frozen sleepers.

She pressed herself against the boy's back; in that cold place, only their body heat could keep each other warm.

Her lips were chapped and her hands and feet were covered in chilblains from the cold, but when she pressed her back against the boy's back, she only felt peace.

The bubble sank silently into the deep sea, and the door appeared before them, emitting a dazzling golden light.

They passed through the door, and the bubble burst.

It was a gray world, everything was still, and the splashed blood droplets lingered in mid-air, suspended but did not fall.

Everywhere were masked spirits, arranged in a circle with bizarre postures.

The boy and Zero stepped onto the ice, and then the boy snapped his fingers, and the world returned to color.

Everything started running again: roars, howls, the scraping of blades cutting through bone, and the monster's furious bellows.

The space was filled with a cacophony of noise.

At the very center, a girl covered in blood tore at the flesh of a massive mountain of flesh, tentacles flying and ice shattering.

No one noticed the two extra people there; they were both focused on fighting the enemy before them.

“Go and find your little bear,” the boy said.

"Hmm." Zero nodded, her eyes immediately falling on her beloved Mr. Zuo Luo.

It was an adorable teddy bear, hand-sewn, which Zuo Luo had tucked into the waist of some undead.

Zero and the boy walked over. The undead was burly and thick-waisted, as big as a grizzly bear, but the boy just patted him lightly, and he froze as if he had been cursed. The dark gold mask fell and collided with the ice with a crisp sound.

Zero took off the teddy bear and dusted it off.

"It's about time you woke up!" The boy kicked the "undead's" butt.

The guy suddenly shuddered, and the fat on his face twitched.

Fingel von Frings regained consciousness.

"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

He shook his head groggily and spotted Zero and the boy.

Looking around, he saw the hellish battlefield and his eyes widened.

“Zero?” He looked down at the petite girl.

“I’ve brought Mr. Zuo Luo back.” Zero shook the teddy bear in his hand and pointed to the center of the battlefield: “Go over there, they need your help.”

"there?"

Fingel looked up and gazed into the distance. Although most of the faces were unfamiliar, he spotted a familiar one—Susie.

"What are you doing?"

"There's no time to explain. If you don't go now, they'll be in danger." The boy picked up a knife from the ground with a serious expression and handed it to him.

Fingel nodded as if he understood, though he didn't know who the boy was, he could tell that the situation was critical.