Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

“Norton, that’s my real name. Ronald Don’s life is nothing but a fleeting illusion.” The voice was cold, unlike that of Lu Mingfei’s good brother.

“You killed my brother, so I’ve come to seek revenge.” He broke off a bone spur from his bone wing. “Draw your sword, Lu Mingfei. Only death can end our hatred.”

That familiar face had transformed into that of a true monarch, bearing an undeniable air of authority.

Chapter 106 Contract

Old Tang, no, Dragon King Norton no longer responded to Lu Mingfei's words. Pale bone spurs were stuck with flesh and blood, and red blood dripped down the tips of the spurs little by little, as if he was crying.

He slowly walked towards Lu Mingfei, looked at Lu Mingfei's face, raised the bone spike, and flames rose, covering his right arm. The bone spike transformed into a shape similar to a softened candle, moving and molding, turning into an ancient longsword. A ferocious white bone spear sprang out from the hilt and pierced into flesh. At the joint, bright red blood vessels were exposed, beating rhythmically, like a living heart.

"To kill 'matter' and then give it a new form and properties, that is the essence of alchemy."

The sun had completely set, and four golden fireballs swirled around Norton, flying to the area around the cliff, their golden light illuminating the rocks.

"I wield the power of fire, which can easily kill 'matter' and remove all impurities, therefore I am the greatest alchemist in the world."

His words carried an undeniable authority.

“…” Lu Mingfei silently gazed at that familiar yet unfamiliar face.

Introduction to Alchemy, a course he was taking this semester, but he hadn't attended a single class yet. The brick-sized book was daunting, and his head started to throb after just a few minutes.

"You said you'd treat me and Fingel to dinner." Lu Mingfei drew his blade, the cold edge reflecting his profile.

Norton gave Lu Mingfei a deep look, and suddenly a burst of firelight obscured his figure.

Blades clashed, sparks flashing in their black pupils.

"Why don't you use your fire?" Lu Mingfei said. "With your fire, you could easily burn me to death."

"Because your blood will be used to pay tribute to Constantine!" Norton's figure once again disappeared into the firestorm.

"Your strength is so weak!" Lu Mingfei deflected the pale bone knife and roared, "Is it because you and your brother haven't fully developed yet! Or are you holding back!"

“And what do you know!” Norton let out a piercing scream that no human could utter: “It’s just twenty years of a fake life! In human terms, that’s only equivalent to one day.”

"But there are some days that I will remember for the rest of my life!"

The blade of the blade, Wedge Maru, trembled and vibrated. Lu Mingfei stepped forward and forced Norton back with a series of sharp slashes.

He didn't know how many battles Norton had experienced, but at least from this duel, he couldn't appreciate the Dragon King's superb swordsmanship.

Norton seemed to be swinging his knife wildly in anger; you could predict his next move just by watching his movements.

Lu Mingfei repeatedly deflected his knife, while Norton only slashed at him, without using any fire or other abilities.

Strangely, each time the blades crossed, dazzling sparks would fly from the edges of the bone knife and the wedge-shaped weapon, like some kind of flashy but useless special effect.

"Stop, Lao Tang, let's think of something, okay?" Lu Mingfei said.

“My name is Norton!” Norton took a deep breath, and flames once again enveloped his body.

"You killed my only brother! Now, pay for his death!" Norton's body hovered high in the sky, his mouth open, and scorching dragon breath brewed within.

His voice echoed in the sky, and everyone could hear his angry roar. A huge fireball condensed in front of him, like a star falling from the sky.

The dragon's breath, the breath of the King of Bronze and Fire, melted mountains with this flame; his enormous dragon body overturned mountains and swam in the lava.

Lu Mingfei showed no intention of dodging. He looked up and met the golden eyes. His gaze was calm and serene, devoid of any fear of death.

The heatwave created updrafts, causing the black coat to flutter and Lu Mingfei's hair to stand on end.

"Brother, aren't you going to do something, like leap up and stab the Dragon King in the chest with your knife?" Lu Mingze said, taking a big bite of the shrimp meat from a large, red-hot grilled shrimp claw.

Everything became extremely slow, much slower than the principal's "time zero." If the principal's incantation was 0.25 times the speed, then this was like pressing the pause button.

"He's only just awakened, and his physical abilities are about the same as the black-haired man you knocked out the other day. I can help you get rid of his flames, and then you can kill the Dragon King and become a dragon-slaying hero. What a cause for celebration!"

Lu Mingfei shook his head. "You've finally arrived..."

He looked up and said, "Can you help me, little brother? Help me save Old Tang. It sounds reckless, but I don't want him to die."

"But in your eyes, Old Tang is just a memory of Norton's, a part of his life. For him, it's just a movie. How do you think you can bring someone who died in a movie back to life?"

"You have no other way either..." Lu Mingfei lowered his head.

“Yes, but brother, the price will be very heavy and the process will be very complicated. Although I really don’t want to say it, I can’t guarantee success because this is my first time taking on this kind of business.” Lu Mingze took out a napkin and wiped his hands and mouth.

"Okay, tell me how to do it."

Aren't you going to ask me what the price is?

What is the price?

"How perfunctory." Lu Mingze sighed and took out a piece of parchment from his bag. "Well then, brother, let's draw up a contract before we go any further."

“Listen carefully, here are the terms of the deal. Norton is one of the four Dragon Kings, the King of Bronze and Fire. The others are the King of Sky and Wind, the King of Earth and Mountain, and the King of Ocean and Water. So I can offer you four times of assistance. In return, you must give me a quarter of your life each time.”

"Hmm," Lu Mingfei replied casually.

“Are you really listening?! That’s a quarter of your life!” Lu Mingze shouted.

"Of course I was listening, and then what?"

“Alright, I didn’t expect you to be so indifferent to your own life.” Lu Mingze spread his palms. “Now let’s talk about the business process.”

"Brother, first put your fingerprint on the parchment, using your blood." Lu Mingze handed the parchment to Lu Mingfei.

"Hmm." Lu Mingfei used the wedge to cut a small wound, leaving a bright red thumbprint at the bottom of the parchment.

Lu Mingze put the parchment away, tucked it into his pocket, and cleared his throat.

“The contract is established.” Lu Mingze reached out and slapped Lu Mingfei’s palm loudly. “Give me your gun first.”

Lu Mingfei took the Maklov pistol from his waist and placed it in Lu Mingze's hand.

"It's fully loaded now, brother. Be careful with the bullets. After each use, you have to wait 24 hours before you can reload. Today is an exception, so I've reloaded it for you."

"Thank you." The pistol was put back into the belt.

"Given your limited brain capacity, which prevents you from understanding the entire business process, I'll just tell you what to do. First, kill Norton!"

"What!" Lu Mingfei opened his mouth in surprise: "But isn't Norton Old Tang? You want me to kill Old Tang?"

“That’s true, but brother, I have to tell you something: the Dragon King can’t die.” Lu Mingze said softly, “The fish in the fish tank can only see the scenery outside through the distorted glass. Humans have never truly understood this world; they just think they killed the Dragon King.”

"You mean... Constantine isn't dead?"

"died."

"Then how can you say the Dragon King won't die?"

"In your understanding, he is dead. He can no longer speak, his fingers will no longer move, and his body will gradually become cold and stiff."

"So, is he dead or alive?" Lu Mingfei was completely confused.

"If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be that he died, but not completely. It was like death in a certain way, but not in the true sense of the word."

"Do you need me to explain it to you in more detail?" Lu Mingze smiled silently.

"..." Lu Mingfei suddenly felt like a hard stone was stuck in his heart, and for some reason wanted to spank Lu Mingze's butt.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to pick up the kid. "So you want me to kill Old Tang, right? But isn't our contract to bring Old Tang back to life?"

Do you think Old Tang and Norton are the same person?

“I…I don’t know…” Lu Mingfei sighed.

He recalled a philosophical question raised in the magazine.

A ship that has sailed at sea for hundreds of years has been continuously repaired and had its parts replaced. As soon as a plank rots, it is replaced, and so on, until none of the functional parts are the original ones.

The question is, will the final ship be the same as the original ship, or a completely different ship?

The magazine's answer was: Yes.

Because of continuity, if these new planks were assembled into a ship from the beginning, it would undoubtedly be a new ship. However, they only gradually replace a part of the ship without interrupting the continuity of the old ship.

Lu Mingfei recalled a short science fiction story he had read in elementary school.

People in the future invented a teleportation portal that could transport them to all parts of the world. But one day, the portal suddenly malfunctioned, and countless identical people ran out in panic.

The truth is that the so-called portal has no teleportation function at all. In reality, people who enter the portal are destroyed, and on the other side of the portal is a clone with the original owner's memories. Each teleportation represents the destruction of a clone.

Is a clone whose body is exactly the same as yours, whose memories and even personality are exactly the same, you?

Obviously not, because it lacks the most important continuity.

And Old Tang and Norton are a continuous whole.

"I guess so..." Lu Mingfei scratched his head, lost in philosophical contemplation.

"Do you think the Dragon King who's playing the Infinite Fireball spell in the sky is the same person who threw cards in the dorm the night before last?" Lu Mingze asked again.

"..." Lu Mingfei was about to go crazy.

Did the "S-class" who committed suicide by shooting himself back then face the same level of problems?

“Brother, don’t think too much about it. That’s not suitable for you. Just do as I say.” Lu Mingze patted Lu Mingfei on the back. “Don’t worry, I understand the client’s requirements very well. Norton has lost the will to live. Even if you don’t kill it, it will die.”

"He never intended to kill you."

Lu Mingze smiled mysteriously, straightened Lu Mingfei's knife, and pointed the tip directly at the huge fireball.

"If the dazzling flames can't harm you, then who are they for? It's him, bidding you farewell..."

"No one can change a heart that wants to die. You can't, and neither can I. Changing a predetermined fate is no easy task..."

In an instant, time began to flow again.

The embers of the flames fell like golden snowflakes.

Everyone was awestruck by the Dragon King's immense power.

"The King of Bronze and Fire..." Caesar gazed at the blazing fireball and the frail figure standing on the cliff, a sense of powerlessness rising within him.

Although it is far from being fully formed, it is still much stronger than the weak, premature dragon king from before.

The students fired under command, but just like in a swimming pool, the bullets melted into molten steel and flowed at high speed over an invisible barrier.

Chu Zihang ran towards the cliff not far away, chanting dragon script.

A lone ice pack lay on the lawn, its surface condensing into fine water droplets. In the chaos, no one noticed the disappearance of a figure.

A person was crawling on the ground.