Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 99 If I die, who will remember them?

So how did that old man, Grik, end up like this? He has the title of demigod, but he doesn't even have a fraction of the demeanor of a king.

As Lu Mingfei was thinking this, he unknowingly reached the end of the corridor. It was in this place that Kaneki Ken had reached out and stopped him.

Back then, he would feel disgusted and angry at the huge burial pit filled with human cocoons, but now Lu Mingfei has grown up and no longer feels disgusted when he sees that thing.
It was still disgusting, and my anger had intensified.

He even regretted being too merciful when he killed Grek; he shouldn't have let that old guy die so easily!
Completely forgetting that he was also beaten badly and crawling on the ground, and only narrowly won in the end.

"tsk"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head in frustration. His tall figure shifted slightly to the side, silently blocking the door to the nightmare with his armored shoulders and back.

He lowered his head, his voice tinged with hesitation:
"Are you sure you want to go in? The scene might not be what you imagine."

Rodrika's pale face strained, even clumsily, to force a weak smile. The smile was fragile, like a thin layer of ice on a river in early spring, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

“Mr. Lu Mingfei,” she said softly, “you have brought me this far. Please let me walk the rest of the way on my own.”

She raised her head, her gaze passing over Lu Mingfei's broad shoulders, as if she could see her former companions through that door.

She took a deep breath, her voice surprisingly firm:
"If I don't even dare to see them one last time, then I will never be able to truly 'live' again."

Lu Mingfei fell silent. He heard in that trembling voice an almost tragic transformation.

Without further hesitation, his tall figure moved aside, clearing the path to the nightmare.

Looking at the girl's slender yet seemingly strong back, Lu Mingfei felt a surge of admiration for the first time. What would he have done in this situation if he had been in her shoes?
They probably wouldn't even have the courage to face death; they would just bury their heads in the sand like ostriches, trying to escape everything.

Beneath the mask, Lu Mingfei silently grinned, revealing a back view that was more unsightly and bitter than crying.

This is the real Lu Mingfei. Cowardice ingrained in his bones, escapism etched into his genes. If it weren't for the presence of that "Little Red Riding Hood" girl behind him, like an invisible rope binding his taut nerves, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure time and time again, he probably would have already slipped away and made a run for it.

Sharpness—that was never his forte. Only when he had nowhere to retreat and was forced to the edge of a cliff would he, like a kitten, with red eyes and bared teeth, unleash that pitiful, forced ferocity.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, feeling its rough, cold touch. At least for now, he had to stand here and wait for her to come out.

Rodrigo stopped in her tracks at the doorway. Time seemed to stand still.

Lu Mingfei couldn't see her expression, but he could see her shoulders tense up instantly and then begin to tremble uncontrollably and violently.

Her straight, feignedly strong back hunched over at a visible speed, like a building that had completely collapsed.

He saw the girl's gaze sweep across the pupae, as if searching for something. After a long while, she slowly stopped and stopped looking at a certain area.

She murmured something, seemingly calling out her companion's name, but her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

She recognized him, even in this state.

Lu Mingfei saw the girl's shoulders tremble violently, as if she were vomiting from excessive grief. She reached out as if to touch them, but then withdrew her hand as if burned, tightly covering her mouth.

She stood there, her back to Lu Mingfei, facing the desecrated graveyard where her companions lay eternal rest, as if time had lost its meaning at that moment.

All that remains in the world is that tiny voice, utterly drowned out by sorrow.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rodrika's trembling figure finally stopped.

She slowly turned around, her face still pale, her long, light golden hair damp with sweat and plastered to her forehead, but Lu Mingfei could see the change in her.

She was still sorrowful, but a glimmer of life appeared in her eyes. "Mr. Lu Mingfei," she said softly, "could I trouble you with one last thing?"

"explain."

Lu Mingfei subconsciously straightened his back, his gaze falling on her face, which was lowered and half-hidden by a dark red hood.

“I can hear you.”

Rodrigo didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the swarm of pupae, as if listening to the mournful cries in the wind, inaudible to mortals.
“I can hear their cries since the ring of justice was broken. Their souls have been unable to follow the guidance of the golden tree and return peacefully.”

She took a deep breath; the air was thick with the stench of decay. Rodrika raised her head, meeting Lu Mingfei's golden eyes directly for the first time:

"I have heard that dragon flames possess the power to end immortality and burn away all impurity. Please, end their suffering."

Lu Mingfei silently gazed into those eyes that bore so much pain and sorrow. He nodded slightly.

"it is good."

He raised his hand, unfastened the clasp, and removed the blood-stained and dust-covered helmet of the Lost Knight, revealing an equally weary face beneath, his short, black hair damp with sweat. Then, he gently placed the two heavy Lost Knight greatswords on the ground, his movements carrying a reverent sense of ritual.

He walked bare-handed, step by step, toward the edge of the huge, square burial pit, which resembled the mouth of hell. Below, there were countless twisted "pupae" that wailed silently.

"In my hometown"

Lu Mingfei's deep voice broke the silence above the empty burial pit. At the same time, the blood-red, illusory dragon emblem slowly appeared on his chest, its massive dragon head raised proudly, majestic and ferocious.

"There is a tradition of cremation."

His golden eyes shone with an astonishing light, as if molten lava flowed within them. From the throat of the dragon's phantom, scorching light gathered wildly, and terrifying heat waves distorted the air.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes," he said calmly, gazing at the purgatory below. "...May the souls find peace."

The moment the words fell—

Roar! !

A thick dragon flame, like a torrent bursting its banks, poured downwards, carrying the will to incinerate all things and the mercy to end suffering, instantly engulfing the dense swarm of pupae!
Flames leaped and licked, the intense heat distorted vision, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt protein mixed with putrid stench, creating an aroma that symbolized both end and rebirth.

Those twisted shells rapidly carbonized, disintegrated, and turned to ashes in the raging flames.

The firelight illuminated Lu Mingfei's sharply defined profile and Rodrika's pale face. As she watched her companions' suffering vanish into nothingness in the flames of destruction, she suddenly reached for her red hood, a symbol of her identity in some ways, removed it, and threw it into the fire, as if discarding a part of herself.

When the last spark extinguished at the burial pit, leaving only ashes and wisps of smoke, the world fell silent.

“Mr. Lu Mingfei,” she said softly, “thank you.”

She spoke each word slowly and deliberately, as if making a vow to herself, and also to her companions who had vanished in the flames:

"I will...live well."

"After all... now only I remember them."

A slow, sorrowful smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"If I die... that would be too cruel for them."

(End of this chapter)