Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 145: Don't ask about the source of the goods (Thanks to Mo Shang Ling Yuan for the reward!)

"Clatter—clatter—"

A dozen or so stark white skeletons emerged from the muddy ground ahead.

They wielded massive, heavily rusted scythes and thick broadswords, and eerie green flames flickered in their hollow eye sockets.

At the same time, clusters of grayish-white vengeful skulls, emitting mournful shrieks, began to condense in the air and swirled and flew around.

Faced with this tireless army of Deathborn, who could fall and then rise again, Xia Tong remained completely calm.

He took the Claw Mark Holy Sign from his waist with his left hand and whispered the corresponding prayer.

"Prayer—the sword of holy law."

In an instant, a pure, dazzling golden light poured out from his palm, rapidly spreading along the winding blade of the hound's fangs.

This golden light appeared dazzling and sacred in Lake Lienia, which was always gloomy and shrouded in mist year-round.

A giant skeleton wielding a heavy cleaver roared as it charged at the front, carrying with it a howling aura of death.

Xia Tong lightly kicked Torret's horse's belly.

The latter understood and led him forward hastily.

Using the momentum of the horse, Xia Tong swung the hound's fangs, imbued with the Holy Law attribute, and slashed fiercely at the giant skeleton.

"Pfft!"

It must be said that the prayer given by D was indeed very effective.

In addition, Xia Tong has a high level of faith points of 20.

This strike was as smooth as a hot knife cutting through butter.

The seemingly indestructible giant skeleton was instantly cleaved in two.

The deathly aura that had been swirling around him was completely evaporated by Xia Tong's Holy Law Sword, turning into specks of golden light and dissipating.

The scattered bones lay motionless, utterly silent.

"Sigh, there's always someone to counter something else. I don't even need to finish them off anymore," Xia Tong remarked, looking at the golden light dancing on the hound's long fangs.

Seeing how powerful Xia Tong's attack was.

The dead did not show the same fear as humans. Instead, they seemed to be enraged by the pure holy light and rushed forward like madmen.

"Well done!"

Xia Tong's fighting spirit surged, and he leaped into the air from Toret's horse, gripping the hound's fangs tightly with both hands.

Combat Technique - Lion Slash!

He completed a spin in mid-air and slashed fiercely at the Deathborn One wielding a giant scythe in front of him.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the latter was instantly cleaved in two by this powerful blow, bone fragments flying everywhere.

As Xia Tong landed, the remaining dozen or so Deathborn Ones swarmed around him, completely surrounding him.

Seeing this, Xia Tong remained calm and stomped her left foot heavily on the ground.

Combat Skill - Storm Step!

"boom""

A powerful whirlwind rose from the ground, spreading outwards from him, instantly blowing the approaching Deathborn Ones off balance and causing them to stagger and lose their footing.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Tong changed her tactics.

Combat Technique - Spinning Slash!

He gripped the hound's fangs, which were covered in golden light, with both hands, and danced like a whirlwind of death.

"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

Golden sword light flashed wildly among the horde of skeletons.

Soon, these troublesome undead were slaughtered by Xia Tong as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

Xia Tong was like a ruthless tractor, plowing through the entire cemetery beside the lakeside cliff.

The power of the Golden Law instantly burned away the death forces that sustained their existence. The scattered bones quickly turned to ashes in the golden light, never to be reassembled and stand up again.

After clearing out this area.

Xia Tong's attention was drawn to a mummified corpse leaning against a huge tombstone in front of her.

The mummified corpse was clutching a dossier-like object tightly in its arms.

"This must be the royal scroll."

Xia Tong stepped forward, picked it up and examined it, then carefully put it into the package on Torret's back.

He then remounted the Torret and continued his journey into the lower-lying lake basin.

As they walked, the outline of a military camp began to appear faintly in the mist ahead.

This military camp is situated right on the only route from the lakeside cliffs to the bottom of Lake Lienia.

"Ring ring one"

Xia Tong didn't take any chances and directly shook the summoning bell, summoning the lost knight Oreg and Ingwell.

They were both better at dealing with this kind of dense enemy formation than Ruthel.

Xia Tong could see the patterns on their tents from afar.

That's the logo of the Academy of Real Lucaria.

On either side of the design are two "cuckoo" emblems, symbolizing the mercenary's identity.

At the center of the emblem are wisps of light patterns.

That pattern represents the academy's Brilliant Stone Magic.

The entire tent was painted in a deep blue, a color that represents the vast starry sky and pyroxene.

"This should be the outpost that the Reallucalia Academy has set up here."

"The purpose is to stop anyone from trying to enter the lake area through the cliff," Xia Tong thought to herself.

"Waaaaah—waaaah—waaaah"

A soldier on guard duty in the distance seemed to have spotted Xia Tong and the others, and he immediately blew his longhorn.

The deep sound of bugles echoed through the mist, instantly igniting a cacophony of clanging armor throughout the outpost.

Xia Tong roughly estimated that the outpost was not very large, with about thirty or forty soldiers stationed there.

A dozen or so blue tents bearing the college's pyroxene emblem were scattered in the mud, looking somewhat dirty.

The outer perimeter was encircled by a ring of rough wooden barricades, used to defend against attacks from wild animals and cavalry.

A short while later, dozens of figures rushed out of the outpost and lined up behind the barricades.

The twenty-odd people at the front were dressed in blue robes and armor, wearing metal-faced helmets, and carrying medium-sized kite shields, longswords, and spears.

These are well-equipped regular soldiers from the Kalia Academy.

Behind them followed a group of academy infantrymen and laborers wearing cloth headscarves, simple armor, and carrying crude weapons.

Facing this group of well-prepared defenders.

Without wasting any words, Ingwell launched the first attack.

He let out a deep, muffled roar, and like a terrifying whirlwind, he smashed through the fragile wooden barricades and plunged into the crowd.

"Clang! Clang! Pfft!"

Soon, the sounds of fierce hacking and slashing filled the air.

Xia Tong observed the soldiers from the Kalia Academy from the rear.

Their individual soldier skills and tactical coordination are actually better than those of the Grik soldiers.

After all, Grek was obsessed with limb extensions every day, so he had no time to properly train the army.

However, the difference in strength between these soldiers and the two lost knights was still too great.

Ingwell doesn't need to defend himself at all.

The infantrymen's short swords struck his heavy, lost-home knight's plate armor, only sending up negligible sparks.

Every time he swung his heavy halberd, the resulting storm of airflow would inevitably be accompanied by the flying limbs and severed bodies of his enemies.

As for Oreg, he appears even more bizarre and dangerous.

If Ingwell is like a rampaging beast, then Oreg is a deadly viper roaming the battlefield.

Each time he slashed down seven or eight soldiers with his Storm Swords like a meat grinder, he would immediately vanish like smoke.

Then it suddenly appeared behind a soldier who was trying to launch a sneak attack.

Before the other party could react, two greatswords had already mercilessly pierced through the man's chest.

The battle quickly devolved into a one-sided massacre.

Some soldiers, driven to desperation, desperately pulled out some faintly glowing "Azalea Gems" from their waists and threw them out.

"Bang! Bang!"

These pyroxene stones exploded on the ground, releasing clouds of light blue magical mist to harm enemies.

It's somewhat similar to the magic pot thrown by the fanged imp.

However, the power of these rhododendron pyroxenes is far too weak.

The blows landed on the heavy armor of the two displaced knights, barely scratching the surface and having no effect whatsoever.

"Form ranks! Form ranks!!"

The commander's angry roar echoed from deep within the outpost.

A fully armed team of elite guards from the Reallucalia Academy had finally assembled.

The medium-sized kite shields in their hands were tightly connected, instantly forming an indestructible iron wall.

A sharp spear protruded menacingly from the gaps in the shield, like a hedgehog.

These were the academy's rigorously trained elites, who were attempting to halt the advance of the Lost Knights with a dense barrage of gunfire.

However, Xia Tong, who had been watching the battle from a distance riding on Toret, immediately raised the demi-human queen's scepter in her hand.

A massive, crescent-shaped wave of magical energy, radiating a deep blue light, swept across the muddy ground.

They instantly cut into the seemingly solid formation of soldiers.

"boom!"

The soldiers in the front row who were holding up shields felt an overwhelming and terrifying force coming towards them.

"Snap!"

Their prized kite shield shattered instantly.

He and his companions were thrown into the air by the huge wave of magic.

A huge gap suddenly appeared in the well-organized gun formation.

Xia Tong's intelligence is now as high as 35 points, and the power of this Bright Stone Curve is many times stronger than before.

Ingwell immediately seized on this fatal flaw.

He strode forward, his halberd piercing the gap with precision, like a poisonous dragon.

"Pfft!"

A captain who tried to fill in and gave loud commands was pinned to the ground.

At the same time, Oreg roared and transformed into a storm, crashing into the crowd through the gap.

The battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

Without the cover of their formation, the academy soldiers were utterly helpless against the two knights who had lost their homeland.

"It's magic!!"

"That person actually knows Shining Stone magic!!"

Some soldiers in the rear who were not affected immediately cried out in terror.

In Lienia, having magic skills is not unusual.

However, the magic this person wielded was so powerful that it was in no way inferior to some of the teachers at the Realucalia Academy.

They are even comparable to some senior teachers.

"Who exactly is he?!"

The soldiers were in despair.

Xia Tong rode his Torret leisurely along the edge of the battlefield.

Every now and then, he would wave his staff, shooting out a beam of radiant stone or a radiant stone meteor, as if he were playing a lighthearted shooting game.

The hit rate is naturally 100%!

These soldiers moved too slowly through the mud, and once locked onto by Xia Tong's magic, they had almost no way to escape.

After Xia Tong greatly improved her concentration and intelligence, she had extremely high control over magic, and could hit any target she wanted!

Soon, the outpost fell silent again.

Only the occasional crackling of sparks and the faint groans of a few wounded dying echoed in the air.

Oreg stood amidst the pile of corpses, shaking the blood off his twin swords.

Ingwell stood quietly, leaning on his halberd, for he was now free of any enemies.

Xia Tong then dismounted and began to carefully search the entire camp to see if there were any valuable spoils of war.

Soon, he found a yellowed notebook in a tent, belonging to a pyroxene craftsman.

Upon opening it, one would find that it contained the very method for making the "Azalea Glow Stone" that the soldiers had just thrown.

The materials needed to make this thing are very simple; all you need is ordinary Roa Fruit and a few common Pyroxene Fireflies.

Most of these soldiers, hired by the academy as cannon fodder, lacked magical aptitude.

The academy's artisans invented these inexpensive consumable items, allowing them to barely unleash some weak magical attacks on the battlefield.

Without lingering there, Xia Tong continued riding towards the lake area.

As the terrain continued to descend, the surrounding fog became incredibly thick.

I could only see about ten meters ahead, and the air was filled with a lingering damp, musty smell.

Soon, a glimmer of light shining through the fog ahead caught Xia Tong's attention.

That was a camp of wandering merchants.

Beside the campfire, the iconic donkeys carrying goods still stood, and the merchant's attire was strikingly different: a bright red coat and hat.

From afar, the merchant heard the sound of horses' hooves and saw Xia Tong's figure.

"Oh? I've never seen you before."

The merchant poked at the fire, his voice a little hoarse.

"I never expected that you would find me even though I was hiding in such a remote place."

"Well, they're all guests anyway, so let's talk business first."

He pointed to the goods beside him: "However, don't ask about the origin of these goods."

Xia Tong laughed heartily, dismounted, and asked him to take out all the items for a look.

However, Xia Tong was greatly disappointed by the merchant's inventory.

It's mostly basic materials and ordinary arrows; there's nothing particularly needed.

However, Xia Tong was more interested in a notebook about making crystal throwing knives that was being sold among them.

He then spent 1500 runes to buy it.

When dealing with magic-driven golem-like enemies, this crystal throwing knife can cause a short circuit in their magical circuits if it hits them multiple times.

It can even drive them into a state of chaos, causing them to turn against their own kind.

Xia Tong had intended to continue talking with the wandering merchant and gather more information about the depths of this lake area.

However, the merchant seemed uninterested; after accepting the rune, he lowered his head and poked at the fire, not wanting to say anything more.

Left with no other choice, Xia Tong mounted his horse and continued on his journey.

Soon after, a warm golden light finally appeared in the mist ahead—the light of the Blessing Point.

Xia Tong quickly stepped forward to light the blessing, rested for a moment, and then prepared to rest on the spot, as it was already dark.

Under Melina's watch, nothing happened that night.

The next morning, the thick fog still showed no signs of dissipating.

Xia Tong continued to advance towards the bottom of the lake area.

Gradually, the solid soil beneath their feet turned into a shallow swamp that reached above their ankles.

We arrived at this area with a complex environment and obstructed visibility.

Xia Tong dared not be careless and immediately shook the summoning bell to summon Ruthel.

The latter's towering figure, its massive eclipse-patterned shield like a wall, and its unpredictable teleportation ability.

It gave Xia Tong a strong sense of security.

We continued walking for a while.

Xia Tong suddenly noticed something floating on the water ahead.

He rode forward to investigate and found that they were three or four winged hybrid corpses.

-

The body, submerged in water, appeared somewhat whitish, indicating it had been dead for some time.

"Mixed race?"

Xia Tong frowned, wondering how a hybrid could appear here.

He had a vague suspicion: Could it be that the lion hybrid Aslan led his people through this area and a battle ensued?

However, there are too few clues, and it is currently uncertain.

"Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore. We need to focus on important matters."

Xia Tong shook her head and continued walking forward.

Several tens of minutes passed.

Several strange creatures suddenly appeared in the muddy swamp.

They crawled frantically in the mud, their limbs extremely contorted, wearing strange metal headbands. It seemed that they could not stand because their legs had degenerated, and could only crawl on the ground with their hands in an extremely bizarre and rapid manner.

This bizarre posture instantly reminded Xia Tong of the limb-prosthetic nobles in Stoneville.

However, the intimidating power emanating from these monsters was far less terrifying than that of the limb-splitting nobles.

"So they're the first generation of Platinum Sons, these poor bastards—"

Xia Tong looked at them and couldn't help but sigh.