Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

"Ahem... Now is not the time to rest. I suggest you drink some Element Gray. We're about to face another formidable enemy."

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Homura Akemi's Intelligence Compilation Manual

Information about the world itself:

The World of Fire (Supplement): It seems that this world is not merely a series of trials or a game, filled with endless levels and countless enemies. The native inhabitants also possess their own rich history and splendid culture. Even though Anri's descriptions are vague, she has her own feelings about Astra's long history and the tragic war unfolding in Lothric. It seems necessary to reassess how to approach them.

Information regarding the battle:

Shield Breaker: A special technique in longsword combat, it involves prying open an enemy's shield from below, creating an opening for a decisive strike. Anri easily used this move to defeat a seemingly difficult enemy; it's likely to be a very useful skill. I'll try it next time.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Second update delivered. There shouldn't be any other updates today ≡ω≡

Chapter Thirteen: The Despicable Stranger

"Ahem... Now is not the time to rest. I suggest you drink some Element Gray. We're about to face another formidable enemy."

Despite still harboring resentment, Xiaoyan was convinced by Anli's previous actions and had no choice but to take Anli's advice seriously. She struggled to take out the Elemental Ash Bottle and gulped it down.

Anri, however, put away her joking expression and became vigilant at the entrances and exits of the tower, once again offering Xiaoyan suggestions... no, they should be called a battle plan.

"A Lothric Knight will appear from the tower later. If you encounter him alone, the best thing to do is ignore him and run straight to the next campfire. If you have to fight him head-on, you can find a shield that you are comfortable with and practice the 'block the first hit, deflect the second hit' technique. Of course, to master this technique, you may need to accumulate deaths."

The helmet obscured her expression, but Xiaoyan could still faintly hear the sound of her teeth grinding.

“But now that we have two people, we don’t need to be afraid of him at all. We’ll stand apart facing each other, and whoever he’s facing with his shield, the person with his back to him can just go up and stab him in the back.”

Anri's explanation came to an abrupt end, and with a series of heavy footsteps, the Lothric Sword and Shield Knight, clad in fine iron armor, wearing a bright red cloak and an equally bright red battle robe, walked out of the tower.

"Proceed according to plan!"

She raised her emblem shield and charged out first. The knight who spotted the enemy charged forward without saying a word and delivered a sharp thrust.

But how could the emblem shield, as the standard equipment of Astrakian knights, lose to the Lothric knight's sword, which is also the standard equipment of knights? The shields and swords of knights from different countries crossed the border and clashed head-on on the battlefield, sparking a dazzling display of power.

Anri defended well against the first attack. The second backhand slash after the Lothric Knight's thrust would have been a good opportunity for a shield parry. However, Anri was not a true Astrakian Knight, nor were they in a fair knightly duel arena. The Ashes of No Flame, however, were willing to use any despicable means as long as they could complete their mission.

The knight's attack betrayed him to another Ash, though he was unaware of it at the moment. But sooner or later, any Lothric knight who wanders this place again will remember that chill that ran down his spine.

He felt a chill run down his spine as Xiao Yan plunged her longsword into his back.

Blood splattered everywhere, but the knight in iron armor rose once more after this vile battle.

However, a newly ascended Ash seems to intend to preserve some dignity for him.

After successfully backstabbing the enemy, Xiaoyan didn't rush to create distance and wait for the knight to choose who to give her back to next.

She assumed a longsword fighting stance, and as the knight rose and raised his shield, she thrust her longsword upwards with great force.

The Lothric Knight's shield was knocked away by this tried-and-true defense-breaking technique, and his predetermined execution awaited him.

Xiaoyan's longsword pierced his chest for the second time. Last time, the tip of the sword went out, but this time it went in. What remained the same was the pain and the life sliding towards death.

He stared intently at Xiao Yan, seemingly intending to make this despicable stranger suffer even after the execution's stun had worn off, sacrificing his last shred of health.

But another longsword protruding from his chest ended his resolve. Three consecutive attacks from his openings would have killed even the most elite knights of Lothric.

The longsword and shield fell from his hands, and the knight, held in place by two longswords, slowly lowered his head.

Having confirmed that their skillful teamwork had yielded results, Homura and Anri simultaneously drew their longswords.

One high, one low; the blades of different materials slashed across the same armor, producing different low hums, their interplay creating a cruel symphony.

The knight knelt on the ground, but his upright posture made him unwilling to fall even in death.

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"Let you taste what it's like to be outnumbered two to one!"

Okay, while the knight's death is portrayed as heroic, in the normal course of events, reckless newbies usually encounter two common predicaments. One is that after finally managing to charge onto the platform amidst the dragon's flames, with only a sliver of health left, they are finished off by the Lothric Knight; the other is that after respawning at the bonfire on this tower, they rush downstairs, and before the knight has even left, they alert him, leading to a struggle in the cramped room, with a thief skilled in throwing knives and backstabs behind them.

Similarly, you shouldn't ask the person involved how they know this kind of thing. Even Anri, who has now completed the memorization process, went through blood and tears to go from being tricked to breaking the trick.

"Alright, next we'll clear out the thief inside the tower. Then, go up the steps outside the other wall and you'll find the second campfire."

Anri bent down and picked something up from the knight's body, then pointed to the locked gate opposite the tower and reminded Xiaoyan.

"There's a treasure chest behind that door over there. If you have time later, you might want to go down and take a look."

A treasure chest? It sounded like there might be something good inside, but Xiaoyan sensed a subtle malice in her words, and decided that it would be better not to touch the treasure chest unless absolutely necessary.

"Oh, right, this is for you."

Anri tossed over a prop that was slightly burning. Xiaoyan took it and examined it closely. She found that it was a somewhat old little figure, as if it had been scorched by flames for a long time. Its whole body had turned into a black charcoal, and the cracks all over its body faintly seeped out red flames.

"You seemed to be looking for something near the first campfire. I guess it's a message or a talisman or something. Those things can only be seen after using this 'ember'."

"This is the 'Ember'?"

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised. She still remembered the desire for "Ember" that had been aroused when she first saw the message from the flame. But now that she actually had it in her hands, that inexplicable desire didn't seem to be urgent enough for her to use it.

"Yes and no. After all, what we are pursuing is the 'ember embers' of the extinguishing First Flame. Although what you have in your hand can be arguably called 'ember embers,' it is more about communicating with other worlds that have fire through the flames that remain on it."

"Alright, I'm going to find the prison key that holds the thief now. You can explore the rest of the journey on your own. Finally, I hope we never see each other again."

Xiaoyan was still examining the strange human figure in her hand when she suddenly heard Anli's resolute and rude farewell. While she was still stunned, Anli disappeared into the depths of the pavilion without looking back.

What did I do to offend her?

Xiao Yan asked herself.

"Perhaps it's because of that strange sense of familiarity."

She was certain.

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The second bonfire on the high walls of Lothric is on the tower next to the platform in front of you. Just as Anri said, after entering the platform, go out the right exit, and go up the steps to see it.

When Xiaoyan entered, the tower was in a mess. Broken wooden boxes and barrels stretched all the way down to a wooden staircase. Among the wood chips, several thieves' corpses lay. It seemed that Anri had gone directly this way, and this direction was probably Xiaoyan's next destination.

"Do you really want to get rid of me that badly?"

Since their destinations didn't conflict, Anri could have waited for Xiaoyan to contact Zhi before acting together. Her actions at this moment perfectly illustrated that resolute farewell.

Dispelling her pointless disappointment, Xiaoyan found a second campfire. Before lighting it, she took out the human figure called 'Ember' and, following Anri's instructions, sculpted it.

The crack on the statue flickered, and Xiao Yan felt a warm current flow down her arm, coursing through her body and slowly rising, leaving patches of firelight on her skin.

"It seems this thing can be reused."

The firelight on the statue had dimmed somewhat, but it seemed usable again, so she carefully stored it inside her shield.

Next, amidst the flickering embers of the campfire, a ripple seemed to spread outwards, its waves spreading layer by layer, leaving streaks of runes on the solid bricks of the side tower.

The white and gold symbols gleamed with a soft glow, and when Xiao Yan looked over, faint, illusory images matching the colors of the symbols appeared.

She checked them one by one, and finally, behind the images of the dead-eyed uncle, the burly and fierce man, the short and roguish teenager, and the indifferent and tall and thin young man, she found an image that seemed to be Zhi.

The reason for saying "seems" is that although the golden image has the signature short hair of the kimono, it is not wearing the eye-catching kimono. Instead, it has a tattered loincloth tied around its waist, and equally tattered foot bindings. Its upper body is naked, with only a breast wrap wrapped around its chest, which flattens its obviously heaving breasts.

If you remove the chest wrap, this is exactly the appearance of a katana-wielding guy who taught Xiaoyan combat techniques.

The image of Zhi is shown with one hand holding a katana and the other raised above her head, waving it around, with her usual cheerful smile on her face.

What should I do if I suddenly don't want to summon her anymore?

At this moment, Xiaoyan has learned to make dead fish eyes without any instruction.

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Homura Akemi's Intelligence Compilation Manual

Information regarding a formidable enemy:

Lothric Knights: Exquisitely forged armor, knightly swords and shields bearing the name of Lothric, and crimson cloaks and robes define these powerful knights. They excel in battlefield combat, possessing a craftsmanship more than the finesse of a katana master, but their unwavering will and well-organized numbers make up for it. It's foreseeable that they will be a frequent and troublesome enemy in the future; I certainly don't want to encounter more than two knights at once. Countermeasure—the legendary technique of "block the first hit, deflect the second" is said to be remarkably effective against them, but its credibility remains to be verified.

Information regarding special items:

Ember: A human-shaped remnant given by Anri, which can be used to communicate with other worlds of ash.

Symbols: One of the common means of communication used by the Ashes. They can leave symbols anywhere and wait for others to summon them. It seems that different colors represent different summoning methods.

Chapter Fourteen: The Choice of Oath Requires Careful Consideration

Despite her lifeless eyes, Xiao Yan eventually summoned Zhi through the golden talisman.

It seemed that this summons required confirmation from the other side, so she sat back down by the campfire, resting her chin on her hand and quietly waiting for Zhi's response.

As expected, Zhi didn't keep her waiting long. Xiaoyan had only been sitting down for a short while when the golden rune Zhi had left behind suddenly twisted into a golden circle. Then, in the rising golden light, Zhi's figure gradually appeared from head to toe. She knelt on one knee in Xiaoyan's direction, leaning on her katana with one hand, her head slightly bowed, like a knight with strict etiquette—if you didn't look at her equipment.

She slowly raised her head, her thin lips parted slightly, and in a low voice solemnly uttered her vow.

"Weaving Yin and Yang have answered the call and will fight for you, my princess."

She gazed at Xiaoyan with deep affection, her cheerful smile inexplicably dazzling in the golden light that enveloped her.

"..."

"……"laugh

"...Weave?"

"I am here, Your Highness."

"Is there any way to send the summoned ashes back?"

"Using the Farewell Black Crystal will suffice."

Where can I get it?

"The old woman at the sacrificial site will give it to us."

Do you have it with you now? Can I borrow it for a moment?

"Here you are, my princess."

Zhi handed over a black hexagonal crystal phantom wrapped in white cloth.

Amazingly, the crystal, which was originally an illusion, took on a real form after Xiao Yan received it, as the embers of her body swirled around it.

Xiao Yan curiously held the crystal in front of her eyes and examined it closely.