Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

His finger was on the trigger.

"Calling Xiaoyan! Third floor rooftop on the north side, requesting sniper support!"

Just then, Zhi's sudden shout interrupted the bullet that was about to be fired. She subconsciously looked towards the rooftop on the third floor to the north. From the roof beam, she could observe the situation outside through the floor-to-ceiling glass.

The dark spirit, glowing red, reappeared in her field of vision, prompting her to immediately turn her gun around. Before she could even aim, the bullet pierced the glass and deflected the dark spirit's straight sword.

He appeared again, and this time he appeared next to the staff officer who was being chased. However, he did not attack the staff officer. The straight sword that Xiao Yan had just deflected was previously pointed at a member of another execution group.

The wooden swordsman, Teng Juan, was slumped under Dark Spirit's sword. Beside him was a PPSh submachine gun with an empty magazine, still emitting smoke. He watched in horror as Dark Spirit, after being deflected by a sniper rifle, hid in a blind spot with their strategist.

Before Xiaoyan could fire a second shot, the floor-to-ceiling glass on the rooftop was so small that if Zhi hadn't keenly observed that the glass was within Xiaoyan's field of fire, the wooden swordsman would have tasted the pain of being pierced by a needle-like straight sword once again.

"Well done! Leave the rest to me!"

It seems Zhi is right behind them, so she should continue her previous probing.

The gun was turned back, but in that short time, the two distinctive girls were no longer in their seats.

"Tsk, what a pity."

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Kirishiki Sako pulled Tachibana Kanade into the nearest emergency exit. Just a moment ago, she had sensed malice directed at her.

Although she wasn't a proponent of war, she had at least spent a long time navigating the worlds of Bloodborne and Fireborne, and had long since taught all the Ashes and Mist how to run away as soon as something felt wrong.

It seems I was a bit too overconfident. By starting to move the ghouls as soon as I entered, I made myself an easy target for someone with ulterior motives.

However, she wasn't worried about being completely exposed. She was confident that she hadn't left any major flaws. She even deliberately darted in front of another Ash, letting her see through her with her demonic eyes. The fact that they didn't attack at that time meant that her strategy had succeeded, which cleared her of suspicion to the greatest extent possible.

She twirled the antique dark ring on her finger, guessing that the sniper was probably just trying to probe her.

"what's wrong?"

The angel she had pulled over was confused and tilted his head to look at her with a somewhat naive air.

"It's nothing! I just thought the cafeteria was too noisy. By the way, since we still have time, let's go check out the horticulture department's greenhouse!"

She gave Xiao Zou a perfunctory reply, then took her hand again and left the cafeteria through the emergency exit.

The rest can be left to his subordinates. After tonight, Ash will be too busy to take care of himself.

Intermittent Twenty-Seven Traps

Are wild beasts more terrifying, or are humans who have degenerated into wild beasts more terrifying?

It's probably the latter, because humans who have degenerated into beasts, after abandoning the moral compass that binds them, are capable of doing things far more terrifying than beasts.

Therefore, the unbridled human heart is the true source of all evil.

In the cafeteria, where the noise had been going on for a long time, one guy's heart was finally freed from its constraints.

Former strategist, now a ghoul... no, he's much luckier than those who become ghouls. To be precise, he should be called a "werewolf," a high-level ghoul subspecies that is completely unafraid of the weaknesses of traditional vampires.

Therefore, Ashflame was unable to test the characteristics of the ghoul, which is why he was able to temporarily shake off Ashweave's pursuit. Utilizing his physical abilities far superior to those of the ghouls and the blind spots in the pursuers' thinking, he did not flee the cafeteria but instead searched for the members of the execution team who were also searching for him at that moment.

What he was going to do was simple, and it's what most humans who have fallen into beastly ways would do: drag their once close companions into the abyss of depravity as well.

He circled around the safety passage and arrived at the rooftop on the third floor. According to the pre-operation plan, there should be an execution team sentry here. After Yuri issued the order to intercept him, someone would definitely come here to find the nearest safety passage.

"Takamatsu! You stop right there!"

Sure enough, we successfully encountered our target here, and it was a relatively easy target to deal with.

Fujimaki, the delinquent who likes to carry a wooden sword, is said to have been a member of a gang at school. He is now carrying a PPSh submachine gun, threatening him with a fierce expression.

"Wait, don't you want to know why Yuri is stopping me?"

Under the threat of the submachine gun, he obediently raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.

But her feet subtly moved closer to him.

"I don't care about the reason! If Yuriko wants to arrest you, all I care about is arresting you!"

Fools never play by the rules, let alone a delinquent fool. He completely disregarded Gao Song's attempts at verbal manipulation and seemed ready to unleash a machine gun at the slightest provocation.

"It's because of your attitude that I'm being hunted down by you."

He casually pulled out his pistol, but the staff officer did not attack. Instead, he took out the magazine and threw it at the officer's feet in front of him.

This further implied that she would not resist, which unconsciously changed her negative attitude, causing her to relax her guard against him slightly.

"The captain believed those rumors about 'ashes' and thought that 'vampires' really existed in this world, and he even believed that some of his subordinates would become 'vampires'."

Yuri had never shared accurate information about Ash with all the members, which became a loophole for him to exploit the information gap and launch verbal attacks.

He continued to approach stealthily, throwing out his last weapon—a dagger—as he spoke.

"Isn't it ridiculous? 'Vampires,' something that only exists in novels and anime, are being used as an excuse to target our own subordinates. Even in the cafeteria, we let 'Ash' kill many of our comrades."

"Yuriko would never do such a thing! Don't frame her!"

The two were already very close. If the werewolf took just a few more steps forward, he could use his speed advantage to kill his former comrade before the submachine gun fired.

"Isn't the fact that I'm being hunted by you proof that she's doing this kind of thing? Look at me now, how do I resemble a vampire?"

He spread his hands, as if in a grief-stricken protest, or perhaps to indicate that he was no longer armed.

He was wavering. After all, they were comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side for a long time, and he was unsure how to handle the current situation.

"If there's anything that makes them resemble vampires in any way, it's this tooth, isn't it?"

There's just one last step left. Once we take that one, our former companions will become our current companions.

He couldn't wait to drink the blood, and before he could, he bared his fangs.

"I don't care about anything else! You can't go wrong by listening to Yuriko!"

However, he underestimated Yuri's dominance over the idiots. The guy didn't even notice the dangerous fangs and pulled the trigger of the submachine gun simply because he trusted Yuri.

His eyes turned red, and with a sway of his body, guided by the werewolf's powerful intuition, the strategist immediately dodged to the side before the gunfire began to erupt.

The bullet that missed its target left a trail of fire behind him.

"Well said! You can't go wrong listening to me, the commander! Stop him like this!"

The leader finally caught up, or rather, Ash finally caught up; in any case, both of them caught up. However, in order to speed up the pursuit, the leader was riding on Ash's back, relying entirely on Ash's speed to quickly close the distance between them.

"Watch me, Commander!"

With the barrage of submachine gun fire continuing to suppress the enemy, and just when it seemed that precious time was about to be bought for the commander and Ash, the staff officer knew that he could no longer hold back and immediately revealed his trump card.

The modified "invasion" rules connected with the Dark Spirit on the other side, and along the line of blood ties with its master, the Dark Spirit redefined this world.

The spiked shield blocked the barrage of submachine gun bullets, and amidst the sparks flying, a bloody killing intent enveloped the thug wielding the gun.

The memory of the brutal massacre he suffered when he last faced the Dark Spirit flashed before his eyes. He suppressed his fear and desperately pulled the trigger, but even after the magazine was empty, he could not stop the advancing Dark Spirit in the slightest.

The straight sword, which had been refusing to drink blood throughout this noisy night, was finally about to have its moment of reckoning.

"Calling Xiaoyan! Third floor rooftop on the north side, requesting sniper support!"

Ash once again played the role of a savior at a critical moment. She keenly sensed that the place where the three were fighting was right next to a floor-to-ceiling window, and according to her sense of Little Flame's flames, this place was still within her range of fire!

Her well-coordinated partner did not disappoint her. As soon as she finished speaking, the French windows shattered instantly, and the isolated rock and electronic music, along with sniper bullets, struck the straight sword that had been handed over.

The threat of death and the sudden upheaval caused Fujimaki to collapse to the ground after narrowly escaping with her life, even throwing her weapon aside in terror.

The watchful sniper made Dark Spirit and Werewolf dare not expose themselves to Little Flame's line of fire again. Their speed did not decrease. They rushed over the vines that had collapsed on the ground, entered the safe area covered by the wall, stepped on the railing of the rooftop, and ran up to the roof of the cafeteria in one go.

"Well done! Leave the rest to me!"

Ash didn't stop either, carrying the leader on his back, quickly passing the wooden sword boy, jumping onto the rooftop, and chasing after a dark spirit and a werewolf.

The scene was somewhat familiar: a wide-open space, pursuers and runners racing at breakneck speed. Only this time, the rooftops beneath their feet weren't covered in ice, and the pursuers were no longer the massive ice hounds. This time, they were the pursuers, while the dark spirits and werewolves, like the still-weak Ashen Ones, pondered their strategy for victory during the chase.

The ashes that ignite the fire in her heart will not give them that chance; she is now more dangerous than the Ice Dog of the past.

The chanting miracle transformed the golden flames into golden lightning. The electric snakes intertwined and extended, shaped like spears, and were thrown out by the ashes. In the restless night sky, they tore jagged cracks and pierced straight towards the dark spirit that glowed with a blinding red light.

A chill ran down his spine. As he ran, he leaped into the air, spinning around to block with his shield.

The lightning spear was blocked, but the lightning itself was not. The electric snake climbed over the shield and bit into his body. The instant numbness made him stumble as he landed.

Meanwhile, the werewolf on the other side was being looked after by the captain, and Yuri, having a mount, freed up her hands. As Origami threw the lightning spear, the Beretta 92FS pistol also locked onto the werewolf's path and spewed out its flames.

The barrage of bullets, blocking his movement, cut in front of the werewolf at an angle. If he didn't stop, he would be hit by bullets that were gradually increasing in angle.

The escalating chase was disrupted by a ranged attack, which slowed the fleeing enemy. Meanwhile, Ash, learning from Ice Dog, leaped into the air in one go.

Golden flames began to gather again, the stories of the gods were recited once more, and solemn prayers drowned out the leader's exclamation. The gathered gold transformed into the sun in the night sky, and ashes, carrying bursts of miracles, crashed directly in front of the dark spirits and werewolves.

It wasn't just a [Force Burst]; it was a meteor mixed with inner fire, using ash itself as a vessel. Upon impact, it released a torrent of flames that devoured the escapee's path and abruptly ended the chase.

The sword was drawn, and golden flames jubilantly made way for the master's sword intent.

As if cleaved by a sharp blade, the gap that suddenly opened revealed the form of a dragonfly about to take flight.

Yuri was thrown to the ground when she landed. She stared blankly at the ashes that had become serious, like a katana forged by the morning light. There was no killing intent, only a resolute sword intent, pure and persistent, moving forward without hesitation.

The golden flames were warm, and as the ashes stepped forward, they suddenly brushed against her face, causing her to squint slightly in the direct sunlight of the rising sun.

The bright moonlight dimmed for a moment, and all the light under the noisy night was overwhelmed by the fleeting glint of the blade. Only the golden sunlight could be seen cutting through the darkness, bringing with it a shower of light.

Ashes did indeed cut through the darkness, but she didn't intend to.

The blade was originally meant for the dark spirits; werewolves who had fallen into darkness were never her targets.

But now, her vision, which had been obscured by the flash of the blade, has returned to normal, and Yuri can no longer feel the warmth of the golden flames.

Death was happening before her eyes, a death as dazzling as scattered light.

The one who met his death was her former advisor.

The Needle Knight was laughing, and although his expression couldn't be seen through his sealed helmet, Ash knew it could only be a harsh sneer.

It's incredible, illogical, incomprehensible, and unimaginable.

The werewolf actually blocked the blade for the Dark Spirit just as it was about to strike?

The crimson light slowly faded from his eyes. He was momentarily confused, then looked at his severed body.

A complex smile appeared on his face, a mixture of helplessness, resentment, apology, and... relief.

Ash's face was expressionless, devoid of joy or sorrow; the only thing he showed was the katana he had raised once more.