Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 72 Grek, Dead

puff!

Blood spurted from Greck's leg, revealing a gruesome wound.

The force of the storm tore apart the bloated muscle fibers that had been forcibly stitched together, causing the massive body to stagger abruptly.

He knelt on one knee, barely supporting himself with only his deformed right leg and the enormous golden axe, smashing the ground and sending shards of stone flying and dust billowing.

The dragon head that had been forcibly reattached abruptly stopped breathing due to the violent tremors, as if it had choked, and let out a roar.

Lu Mingfei wasn't in much better shape. Although he severely injured one of Grek's legs, rendering him unable to move much, which was almost a major victory, half of Lu Mingfei's body was exposed to the dragon flames, and the scorching temperature almost cooked him alive in a tin can!
He pulled out the red Dettol jar, tilted his head back, and gulped down more than half of it in one go, barely managing to stay alive.

A faint golden light appeared on Grek's kneeling body. Although it was so faint as to be pitiful, it was indeed the power of Marika's direct bloodline and the fragments of the Golden Law stubbornly at work.

The muscle fibers of the leg wound torn by the Storm Sword were slowly wriggling and healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the seeping blood gradually stopped. These wounds all over his body were forcibly repaired under the supreme golden radiance!

"Don't think about it!"

Emiya Shirou's eyes narrowed, and the Kalia Knight Sword, which he had prepared beforehand, burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling light! The tip of the sword pointed directly at Griek's massive body, and the Radiant Stone core embedded in the blade instantly condensed into a deep blue glow that was impossible to look at directly!

The greatsword of radiant stone, seemingly descended from the Milky Way, reappeared, held high above Shirou Emiya's head, growing larger and larger as magical energy gathered.

"drink!"

Emiya Shirou's shout pierced through the clamor of the battlefield.

Holiness Caria!
This time, its radiance was more magnificent than ever before! Shirou Emiya's arm muscles bulged, veins stood out, and he unleashed his accumulated magical power without reservation!

boom--

Like a comet crashing into the earth, the massive sapphire lightsaber slashed down fiercely, striking Grek's enormous back and smashing into the area that was barely stitched together by countless grotesque limbs!
A burst of intense light and magical shockwaves exploded instantly, tearing flesh apart, shattering the crude stitches, and sending countless twisted limb fragments mixed with foul-smelling black blood flying everywhere like raindrops!

Even Shirou Emiya himself has only used the fully charged Great Caria a few times. If it weren't for Lu Mingfei providing such a good output environment, he would never have had the time to do such a luxurious thing on the battlefield.

“Aa ...

Greck's roar rang out again, his massive body staggering forward as if struck by a battering ram, almost hitting the ground face-first. The slowly repairing golden radiance was abruptly interrupted by the raging magic.

However, this excruciating pain also completely ignited the demigod's madness!
Just as Grek's body was slammed forward by the greatsword, the huge, ferocious dragon head also shook wildly due to its master's excruciating pain and rage!
The enormous head slammed down, its target being Subaru Raigetsu, who had just rolled to the side and rear to avoid the dragon's breath and was now directly below it!

The speed was as fast as a falling meteor.
"Holy crap! This angle—?!"

Subaru's dead fish eyes suddenly widened, and he only had time to hastily hold the Greatsword of the Hunting God in front of him.

boom! ! !
A dull crash sounded!

The dragon's hard horns and sharp teeth slammed into the thick spine of the sword, and unimaginable force was transmitted through the blade.

Subaru was thrown into the air as if hit by a speeding truck, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He tumbled like a broken rag doll and crashed into the distant ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust. His fate was unknown.

The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye.

Smoke and dust filled the air.

All that remained on the battlefield was Grek's deafening roar and Shirou Emiya's slightly rapid breathing due to exhaustion.

"--Well!"

The magnificent light of Kalia had just faded from the tip of Shirou Emiya's sword when the excessive draining of magic caused the red-haired young knight's vision to go black and his balance to falter.

He leaned on the Kalia knight's sword, kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. Kalia's power was magnificent, but the price was equally heavy.

Just as Shirou Emiya was nearly crippled due to exhaustion of his magic power, and Subaru Natsuki lay in the dust and ruins with his fate unknown, the thin yet stubborn golden light emanating from Grik suddenly surged!
"Ugh... the golden...bloodline!!!"

With a muffled roar, Grek slammed his right leg into the ground, and his left leg, which had been severely injured by Lu Mingfei but barely repaired, also unleashed its last bit of power.

His massive body, imbued with unparalleled brute force and golden divine power, crashed down like a mountain descending from the sky towards Shirou Emiya, who was closest to him and in the worst condition!

boom! ! !
A visible circular shockwave, like the epicenter of an explosion, spread out instantly! The ground cracked, bulged, and then collapsed downwards inch by inch, centered on Grik!
Emiya Shirou, who was directly hit, had his pupils shrink! He switched to the Kalibr Knight Shield and tried to release a magical shield to defend himself, but his exhausted body and the magic power he had hastily gathered were no match for this terrifying attack containing the power of a demigod!
puff--!
The magic shield shattered instantly! Shirou Emiya was violently thrown back by the impact!
He struggled to get up, but a mouthful of blood gushed out, and his vision went black; he had clearly suffered severe internal injuries.

Just as Grek was about to slam the ground again, a gray-white shadow was faster than him!
Like a storm descending!

It's Lu Mingfei!

His movements were without the slightest hesitation. The old knight's countless death training sessions had long since etched the crazy belief of "offense as defense" into his very bones!
Seeing Greck's ground-slamming stance and knowing his target was the weakened Emiya, Lu Mingfei's body reacted faster than his mind!

Charge! Charge forward with all your might!

As the storm howled, the dragon blood within Lu Mingfei boiled and roared, and black, metallic dragon scales reappeared all over his body.

The next second, the Storm Greatsword, stained with the blood of a demigod, was raised once more!

Like two intersecting bolts of lightning, the greatsword slashed fiercely at the joint of Grek's massive leg—the very spot where the old wound had been burned by Subaru's black flames and torn apart by Luminfei's storm power.

“Ouch——!!!”

Grek let out an unprecedented scream! His massive body could no longer maintain its balance and, like a collapsing mountain, crashed down in the direction where his severed leg had been!
"Insects...damn...insects!!!"

In excruciating pain and rage, Grek, with his relatively "intact" offhand that had been gripping the smaller golden battle axe, suddenly swung it up from below with a frenzied speed, drawing a deadly arc and slashing fiercely at Lu Mingfei's abdomen!
puff--

The breastplate, crafted from high-quality steel using ancient dragon techniques, groaned under the strain, caved in deeply, and cracked! Sharp axe blades were embedded deep into the flesh!
"Uh……!"

Lu Mingfei's cries of pain were muffled by the helmet, becoming dull and short.

Warm blood gushed out instantly from the cracks in the armor, staining the metal surface red and spilling into the air.

The entire courtyard instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and pebbles littered the ground. A strong smell of blood and burning permeated the air.

Lu Mingfei lay on his back on the cold, broken stone ground, the huge wound in his chest and abdomen causing excruciating pain, pulling at him with every breath, as if countless steel needles were churning inside.

Blood was gushing uncontrollably from the gaps in his torn armor, quickly spreading a warm patch beneath him. His helmet blurred his vision, revealing only Greik's massive, mountain-like body, still convulsing in agony.

Emiya Shirou lay motionless among the rubble in the distance, his fate unknown.

The area in which Subaru was thrown was still covered in dust and remained silent.

Only Greck's intermittent, bellows-like breathing and Lu Mingfei's own heavy, labored breathing echoed in the courtyard.

Grek was convulsing in pain.

The supporting leg, which Lu Mingfei had severed most of, was a bloody mess at the break point, with filthy black blood mixed with eerie golden light constantly gushing out.

However, right at the edge of that gruesome wound, a chilling scene was unfolding.

Countless tiny, lifelike buds are wriggling and multiplying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Although the speed was far slower than when repairing minor wounds, this tenacious vitality was the very reason why a demigod was called a demigod! With his incomparably powerful life force, he was enough to wear down these three challengers to death here.

"Cough cough..." A suppressed cough came from the direction of the pile of rubble.

Shirou Emiya struggled, propping himself up with trembling arms. His face was covered in dust and blood, and blood was still trickling from the corner of his mouth. The backlash from the depleted magic and the impact of the previous shock made his vision blur, and he could barely see anything.

But deep within his eyes, the stubborn flame of a "partner of justice" had not yet been extinguished. He gritted his teeth, used his sword to support himself, and shakily stood up.

"...It hurts so much..."

Beneath the ruins in another direction, the dust was roughly brushed aside by a hand. Subaru Raizuki crawled out, covered in soot, using the Greatsword of the Hunting God as a cane.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if several of his ribs might be broken. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his lifeless eyes were filled with agony and an urge to curse. But when he saw the frantically writhing flesh at the site of Greck's broken leg, and when he saw Shirou Emiya's swaying yet still managing to stand up, an inexplicable anger surged up within him!

"Damn it...it's not over yet?!"

He roared, the excruciating pain seemingly fueling his attack. He gripped the massive hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, and a burst of black flame erupted violently from the greatsword of the Hunting Gods with a deafening roar!
Black flames rose, illuminating his face. The power of the "Hunting Gods," carrying malice towards "divinity," once again locked onto that blasphemous demigod!

"Uh...ah!!!"

A suppressed roar escaped from his throat! Lu Mingfei used all his strength, ignoring the excruciating pain tearing through his chest and abdomen, and forcefully used his elbows to prop himself up from the pool of blood!

From the gaps in the tattered armor, wisps of chaotic, grayish-white energy began to seep out!
He staggered to his feet, bent down, and picked up a Stormsword that had fallen beside him, then another!
The wild storm's power, like an out-of-control torrent, entangled his arms and the two bloodstained weapons! The gray-white storm turbulence roared and swirled around him, its momentum rising steadily!
Black flames, radiant stones, and storms! Three distinct forces, yet all burning with an indomitable will, are like three beacon fires lit in a desperate situation, once again illuminating this desolate courtyard!

Their brilliance may no longer be at its peak, but it carries a desperate, all-or-nothing intensity!

As if sensing the gathering of this desperate will, the reattached dragon head roared even more violently, and the flames in its mouth gathered wildly once more!
"Fuck him!"

Like a wounded wolf, Subaru roared as he charged forward, his greatsword piercing fiercely at the frantically writhing flesh at the severed leg of Grik!

The black flames, like maggots clinging to a bone, instantly coiled around it, burning and eroding it wildly.

Shirou Emiya had exhausted his magical energy, but he still gripped the Kalia Knight Sword tightly and resolutely rammed into Grek, trying to raise the dragon's head, not to kill, but only to disrupt him!

Lu Mingfei made a move.

The storm of power he had accumulated to its peak erupted with a roar! His entire being transformed into a gray comet!

The twin swords folded together like the wings of a storm eagle, and then, in the instant they reached Grek's neck, they unleashed all his power and will!

"die--!!!"

Two intertwined, gray-white sword lights, like the Grim Reaper's scissors, viciously severed Greck's thick, stitched neck.

puff-

There was no earth-shattering noise; the skin, muscles, and bones were all severed in an instant.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Amidst the chaotic storm of sword light, Grek's frantically roaring head abruptly detached from his massive and blasphemous body.

A fountain of blood shot into the sky!

The head belonging to "Leg Extension" Grek traced an arc in the air, its face frozen in astonishment, rage, confusion, and a barely perceptible sense of relief, before crashing heavily to the ground, rolling a few times, and coming to a stop. Its empty eye sockets stared blankly at the leaden sky.

The massive body swayed, and finally collapsed completely into a pool of blood with a dull thud.

The storm gradually subsided.

The black flames slowly died down.

The brilliance of the pyroxene dimmed.

In the courtyard, only three swaying figures remained, their heavy, labored breathing accompanied by a strong stench of blood.

Subaru Natsuki leaned on the Greatsword of the Hunting Gods, panting heavily.

"Win...win?"

He looked around to confirm that the twisted demigod was indeed no longer moving. But how could Grek, whose head had been cut off, possibly still be alive?

"Damn it...we really won! Lu Mingfei! Emiya! We..."

Subaru loosened his grip on the sword hilt and staggered toward Lu Mingfei, who was still in a bow stance after swinging his sword.

"Lu Mingfei! Awesome! That last sword strike..."

Subaru walked over to Lu Mingfei, grinned, and with a triumphant smile, raised his relatively uninjured arm and patted Lu Mingfei's shoulder heavily and affectionately.

Snapped!
At the very moment of contact—

Lu Mingfei's body suddenly went limp.

Those burning golden eyes suddenly went out and faded, while the mouth continued to utter a series of extremely faint, almost dreamlike murmurs:

"...lower your waist...keep a close eye on the movement...roll away as soon as you raise your hand...poke with your foot...don't...don't stand there...wait to die..."

Lu Mingfei didn't even have time to blink before he fell straight to the ground with a loud thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Subaru Natsuki, with his arms outstretched, froze completely in place.

"……Eh?!"

He looked at his dangling hand, then at Lu Mingfei lying on the ground, his eyes wide open, his dead fish eyes filled with the shock of "Who am I? Where am I? What happened to him?"

Subaru Natsuki slowly turned his neck to look at Shirou Emiya. The latter also looked up at the same time, and their eyes met.

Emiya Shirou took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood and dizziness from the depletion of magical energy, and dragged his heavy steps toward Lu Mingfei. He squatted down and carefully opened a gap in Lu Mingfei's body.

A soft snoring sound came from inside.

Subaru looked at him blankly, and in an extremely uncertain tone, posed a soul-searching question to Shirou Emiya, whose face was equally blank:

"...Is he...slept from exhaustion, or has he passed out?"

"Ah."

Emiya Shirou nodded slowly, seemingly in a daze, as if he were sleepwalking.

Grik's head stared blankly into its empty eye sockets not far away, silently watching the frozen scene—three wounded challengers, one fast asleep, the other two looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Won't he bleed to death if this continues?"

"Ah."

"Why don't we just chop him up?"

Speechless.

(End of this chapter)