The world had changed its colors.
When Zoran and Shendu departed, the colossal weight of their presence faded, and a semblance of peace returned to the ruins. The witnesses slowly gathered, their gazes fixed upon the chosen King.
Chu Zihang, Caesar, and NoNo looked at Lu Mingfei in silence.
Actually, what Zoran hadn't said was that Lu Mingfei's actions couldn't be defined as "selling out his world." He had simply taken a world that was destined to be his anyway and sold it for an excellent price. Had his tongue not been so sweet, Zoran still had ten thousand ways to take what he wanted. Had it come to that, things would not have ended so peacefully.
Everything had been set in stone the moment Zoran appeared.
"Junior Brother," Chu Zihang murmured his name.
Caesar and NoNo remained speechless. They had heard the conversation between Zoran and Shendu clearly. As the chosen Anchor, the two demons had spared Lu Mingfei the brunt of their pressure, but the witnesses had not been so lucky. They hadn't been able to utter a single word during the exchange; simply looking at those two beings had suppressed every thought in their minds.
This left them at a total loss as to how to face Lu Mingfei now. The ownership of the world had shifted, and its second master was now standing right in front of them. It wasn't a plot of land, a city, or a nation, it was the entire world, the very planet beneath their feet. It was a concept so absurd it defied belief, yet the attitude of those two terrifying entities suggested they weren't joking in the slightest.
"Junior Brother... you've certainly moved up in the world!" NoNo gave a dry laugh. She instinctively reached out to pat Lu Mingfei on the shoulder, but her hand hovered in the air, hesitant to descend.
Lu Mingfei looked at her.
The draconic transformation had faded, but the Fire Demon Chi had permanently altered him in certain ways. Looking into his tranquil eyes, NoNo couldn't help but take a step back. This was no longer the boy she had rescued from that small town; this was a predatory beast at rest.
Lu Mingfei didn't say anything. People grow. Some believe a person is born a certain way and is destined to stay that way forever, as if it were etched into their marrow. Lu Mingfei used to believe that too.
Until he met Zoran and played his part in this magnificent drama.
Strangely, his heart had become calm. Perhaps it was maturity, perhaps it was the perspective gained from facing two primordial horrors, or perhaps it was a side effect of the Demon Chi.
He smiled, looking at NoNo and Caesar, and joked half-seriously, "When's the wedding? You better invite me to be the best man."
Without waiting for an answer, he supported the nearly collapsing Chu Zihang. "Senior Brother, you too. Don't be so reckless next time, charging in first all by yourself."
After speaking his piece, Lu Mingfei leaped into the remains of Fenrir, searching for something. After a moment, he said happily, "Found it."
Chu Zihang's pupils shrank. Lu Mingfei walked out of the pool of blood toward him, carrying a figure in his arms. The figure was curled up like a wounded kitten, frail and completely defenseless.
Lu Mingfei handed the girl to Chu Zihang, scratching his head with a grin. "I thought something was off during the fight. Fenrir didn't eat our Junior Sister; he was just protecting her in his mouth..."
"Professor Tso Lan extracted the Authority of the King of Earth and Mountains. She's just a normal girl now, Senior Brother!" Lu Mingfei whispered.
Chu Zihang held Xia Mi, his eyes shimmering with emotion. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. After a long pause, he finally whispered, "Thank you."
Lu Mingfei waved a hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it!"
Once again empty-handed, he turned his back on them and began walking along the tracks toward the exit. A portion of the ground above had been torn open. The storm had weakened into a light drizzle, but as the raindrops fell near him, they were instantly vaporized into a hazy mist by the lingering heat of his fire.
Shrouded in the mist, his figure became unreadable. He looked back at the group and said, "What are you all standing around for? Let's head out. Everyone go home to their moms!"
Chu Zihang didn't know how to describe the current Lu Mingfei. He seemed lonely, yet he finally possessed the bearing of a man. Beneath that modest frame, power thrummed, and his every word carried a weight that was impossible to refuse.
Often, a boy's transformation only requires one event, one single moment.
The air fell silent save for the pitter-patter of the rain. Lu Mingfei walked into the shadows. He came to a halt and spoke softly to the empty air beside him.
"Lu Mingze. Come see me."
As the words fell into the darkness, the world began to shift quietly. The sound of light footsteps approached from nearby. A young boy in a perfectly tailored tuxedo, his face etched with weariness, came to a stop before him.
"Brother, you've changed!" Lu Mingze looked at Lu Mingfei expressionlessly. "You possess power greater than mine now. You don't need me anymore."
His voice sounded mournful, his small face scrunched up.
"How is that possible?" Lu Mingfei crossed his arms and laughed. "Don't you see they all have significant others while I'm still single?"
"Yuck…" Lu Mingze feigned a shiver, then sighed softly. "Brother, even your tone when talking to me is much more composed. You really have changed."
"Of course. I've always had a talent for clinging to powerful people. I just swapped one 'leg' for a bigger one!" Lu Mingfei squinted slightly.
"Then do you still intend to slay dragons, Brother? Those 'Usurpers'?" Lu Mingze asked sadly.
Lu Mingfei paced slowly until he stood before the boy, looking at him with a gentle gaze.
"Of course," he said softly. "We're still on the same path."
Now that he no longer needed to trade with the boy, Lu Mingfei found Lu Mingze much more tolerable.
"You're right. They are Usurpers." He reached out and boldly ruffled Lu Mingze's hair; it felt surprisingly soft. "But it's not for any other reason."
He took Lu Mingze's hand and led him toward the exit, his voice echoing in the darkness.
"We are going to purge this world, not for some 'King'..."
"But for a God."
"Brother, you really did sell yourself for a good price. You should say that to him; being loyal behind his back won't get you much. Also, you sure change fast. You just stopped liking that senior sister you had a crush on? Is that how men are?" Lu Mingze teased.
"Who said I stopped liking her? People have to make choices. If I'm always pining for someone else's wife, am I some kind of homewrecker?"
"Hmph. If I were you, I'd beat Caesar up and take the woman I love, just like the dragons in the stories."
"Everyone has their pathetic moments. I believe there's a girl out there waiting for me. When the time comes, I'll make sure to hold on tight," Lu Mingfei said quietly.
"Do you really trust what that guy says so much? He kept me in solitary confinement for so long and only let me out after he left."
"I trust him," Lu Mingfei said.
Two sets of footsteps, one large and one small, gradually faded into the darkness.
The world endures, and there are always stories that must continue. They might take on a new form, but that is all.
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