Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

How do I use it?

"Just inject special energy into the person you want to expel."

"Okay, I get it now."

After saying this, Xiaoyan raised the crystal, pointed it in Zhi's direction, and a faint purple magical flame flickered in her hand.

"Wait, wait, wait! Xiaoyan, you're not really planning to send me back, are you?"

"What do you say?"

Xiaoyan revealed a rare smile, but Zhi, facing this stunning smile, could only tremble in fear under the black aura it contained.

"Lord Yan, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance, considering the merit I gained from providing the information."

She knelt down on both knees, and in an instant, the stern knight transformed back into the cheerful, somewhat tomboyish girl.

Zhi clasped her hands together and looked at Xiao Yan in a flattering manner.

"Ugh, your expression is even more disgusting."

Xiao Yan seemed to be avoiding something disgusting, leaning her body back and waving the crystal-holding hand at Zhi Yi as if shooing away flies.

"Okay, okay, I won't make a fuss anymore, Xiao Yan. Give me back the crystal."

"Really?" He glanced sideways.

"Really!" I bowed deeply.

"Here you go."

Xiao Yan tossed the crystal toward Zhi, and after Zhi caught it in a flurry, the crystal turned back into a golden phantom.

"Honestly, we haven't seen each other for so long, and not only was Xiao Yan not moved at all when she saw me, she even had the heartless intention of sending me back. It's really heartbreaking."

After confirming the crystal's recycling, Zhi reverted to his old ways, looking hurt and clutching his chest in a wronged manner. But trying to make a wronged expression on his handsome, sunny face only made him look strange.

"..."

Xiao Yan put her hand back on the campfire.

"By the way, you can't use a campfire after summoning other Ash or after being invaded."

Seeing Xiaoyan's actions, Zhi was not worried at all, and proudly revealed another piece of information.

"Oh, I see. Then this is the only option."

Xiaoyan drew her longsword and used a slash on Zhi. Xiaoyan missed, and the sword mark on the ground increased by 1. Zhi remembered the fear of being dominated by the longsword, and Zhi was so terrified that she could not move.

"Hmm, even in this situation, there's still no way to attack each other?"

Looking indifferently at the sword marks left under the legs of the seated Zhi, Xiaoyan uttered the question above in a nonchalant tone.

"No...that's right. Under normal circumstances, even if you summon other ash into your world, they will still be in a spirit state. White spirits and gold spirits like me are friendly, so we can't attack each other; while red dark spirits and purple mad spirits are hostile and can attack each other from the start."

"Is that so? So you're saying that without invading you, there's no way to actually teach you a lesson with this longsword? What a pity."

"Hey, don't say 'I regret' with a blank expression. It just gives people a creepy feeling."

As usual, Zhi continued her rant, but this time she seemed a little distracted, her eyes darting around as if she were considering something. Xiaoyan noticed this and stopped arguing, silently waiting for her to continue.

"...Ahem, there's another way besides intrusion that allows the ashes to come into contact with each other, Little Flame, do you... want to know?"

Xiaoyan's sudden silence naturally caught Zhi's attention. Under Xiaoyan's expressionless gaze, Zhi finally made up her mind, coughed slightly, straightened her attitude, and asked her final question.

It sounds like just a basic inquiry, but the solemnity and expectation in it add weight to the language.

At some point, Xiaoyan's casual sitting posture also changed into a serious sitting posture.

She looked directly into Zhi's eyes without flinching, recalling the scene at the sacrificial site not long ago—that warm embrace, that real touch, had loosened a crack in her previously frozen heart; now she needed more warmth to fill that crack, otherwise, she feared she would collapse again when faced with certain unanswerable questions.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly revealed her resolve.

"Of course... in this lonely world, I also hope to truly fight alongside a real comrade."

Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed self-deprecatingly. Once upon a time, Zhi only cared about one person, but now she had someone she could offer her whole heart to—Shiki. In this world without desires, I have finally found my new way of life. I wish you can find true happiness in your own world as well.

She closed her eyes slightly, weaving a farewell blessing to someone in another world.

Now, Zhi, having truly become an independent individual, will officially embark on her own life journey.

She opened her eyes again, and Xiao Yan saw that they were filled with a dazzling light like the sun.

"The last resort is to forge the 'Oath of Ashes,' share our embers, and completely connect our worlds; from then on, outside the sacrificial site, we will fight shoulder to shoulder to the very end."

Zhi knelt down on one knee again, but this time, under the golden light, her cheerful smile was so warm.

They reached out their hands to each other, and the golden phantom lifted up their flesh and blood bodies.

"I swear once again that from this day forward, Ryougi Ori will fight for Homura Akemi!"

"I hereby swear that from this day forward, Homura Akemi will walk alongside Ryougi Ori!"

The ashes ignited, the purple hourglass intertwined with the golden magic pupil, and sparked a purple-gold flame.

In the flames, Zhi's figure gradually became clear.

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Homura Akemi's Intelligence Compilation Manual

Hehe, I managed to snag the intelligence-writing job this time! Finally, I can sneak a peek at if Homura's written any little secrets~ Wait, this is surprisingly serious! Weren't you supposed to be recording some girlish thoughts in the booklet? And what's with this Fire Keeper's record? Homura, what was wrong with you back then? —by Zhi

Information regarding special items:

Farewell to the Black Crystal: Can repel summoned spirits, but cannot repel intruders.

Sun Oath: After making the oath, you become a Sun Knight and will carry out the Sun Knight's Sun Way.

Ash Pact: After making the pact, both parties will be able to enter each other's worlds in their true form and travel freely between their worlds anywhere except the Firelink Shrine, without the need for talismans. Once the pact is made, it cannot be revoked, and for the rest of their lives, the flames of the two will be intertwined.

Xiaoyan's comment: Why is there an extra Sun Oath?

Weaving's reply: Because I was summoned by you while under the Sun Oath. Let's not talk about that anymore, Homura, what exactly happened before?

Xiaoyan's reply: It's nothing serious, please don't ask anymore. →_→

Zhi's reply: Σ(⊙▽⊙)

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Second update! Our motto for this chapter is—no guns, no cannons, no CP, we'll make our own! (??????)??

PS1: Thanks to readers [桂乐源] and [Arcuied] for the monthly tickets, and thanks to [Arcuied] and [魔法少女晓美炎] for the donations. So, Homura, hurry up and marry Ori!

Chapter Fifteen: As a member of the Flynn Party, one must be prepared to run naked.

In the flames, Zhi's figure gradually became clearer.

The tattered breast wrap, which she had somehow found, looked so awkward against her fair skin.

"In reality, I look even more disheveled than when I was in my spirit form."

With dead fish eyes, Xiao Yan gave a very fair evaluation.

"Hey, I think this outfit looks really cool."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I think Granny Wolf's outfit is really cool."

"That equipment can only be obtained much later in this world, and even if I did get it, it wouldn't be suitable for me."

"Unsuitable? Do these equipment items have special attributes?"

"Of course, wearing a well-matched set of equipment and carefully adjusting the attributes can greatly enhance combat power... Although the defensive performance of most equipment is almost like paper, a proper combination can still make a difference between killing someone in one move and dying in two hits."

"There's basically no difference, so you might as well pick something that looks good and suits your style."

"No, no, no, that's a misconception of those who only care about appearance. Two hits to die means you can still drink an elemental potion and maybe you can brute force your way through. One hit to kill means you can only go back to the campfire and start over. Besides, the focus of my gear is here."

She stretched out her left hand and shook her little finger, revealing a brass ring with a large diamond set on it.

"Oh, a celibate?"

Xiao Yan still stared at her with deadpan eyes, clearly unaware of what the ring represented.

"What the hell! This is Flynn's ring, Flynn's ring!"

"and then."

"...The lighter the equipment you wear, the more effective the Ashes' attacks become—seriously, what am I showing off to you? You don't even know what this is."

Zhi suddenly realized that Xiaoyan in her calm state was just as difficult to deal with as she was in her dark state. At least, the situation of showing off good things but having no one to appreciate them was a big blow to her.

"You've finally figured it out. So instead of showing off your carefully designed outfit, why don't you actually demonstrate it to me? I happen to know there's a good test subject downstairs."

Xiaoyan smiled kindly.

————————————————————————————————————————

The two returned to the tower of the border tower. Zhi watched the figure wearing a red cloak slowly walk out and couldn't help but swallow.

“Lothric Knight, Little Flame, how about we change our demonstration subject? Look at that rogue over there, he’s pretty good.”

Xiao Yan glanced at Zhi, who was having second thoughts, and after Luo Qi left, she went up herself and cut down the thief who could throw knives with two sword strikes.

"Clearance complete, now it's up to you."

"Alright, alright, I've trained under the same cavalryman as Luo, so I'll show you the proper fighting style besides 'block the first hit, deflect the second hit'."

Knowing she couldn't avoid it, Zhi stopped making excuses, tucked her katana into her waistband, assumed an iaido stance, and stepped out the door.

After all, she's someone who's made a name for herself in the peaceful and honest Undead Street. As for a mere Lothric Knight... well, she's still a bit of a coward. Could she at least equip herself with a shield temporarily?

Of course, Homura couldn't hear her inner complaints; she was simply silently comparing the differences in Iaijutsu stances of the four katana users she had encountered.

She seemed much more skilled than the two girls she encountered in the unknown world, and her posture was less refined and more ethereal than that of the swordsman. She could vaguely understand the "intention" that martial artists spoke of through observation.

"When fighting a Loki without a shield, the most important thing is to control the distance, that is, to make sure he can't hit you while you can hit him; therefore, rolling and positioning are key."

As they spoke, the Knight of Lothric spotted the enemy. He seemed to have completely forgotten how he had been outmaneuvered by two despicable outsiders. Despite having two enemies in sight, he charged forward and launched a thrust straight at them.

Zhi perfectly put her explanation into practice, dodging the attack with a side somersault and leading him to the center of the city wall.

"Before making a move, first determine if he is raising his shield within your attack range. If not—"

After missing his attack, Luo Qi raised his shield and moved slowly. Seeing that Zhi, after rolling away, was about to get away from him, he lowered his shield and took a few quick steps, seemingly trying to close the distance.

The instant he lowered his shield, Zhi, who had been maintaining her iaido stance, immediately bent down and took several quick steps forward, rapidly closing the distance between them. A bright flash of light slashed out from her waist, cutting straight across the part of Luo Qi that he hadn't had time to protect with his shield.