Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

The "Intermittent Four-Test of Courage" is synonymous with courting death.

In the conveyor belt sushi restaurant, delicious sushi is placed on the conveyor belt and slowly moves forward on the tray, carrying the aroma of the sea, and thus, it circulates in this bustling store.

Diners gathered in twos and threes, choosing their favorite sushi, dipping it in balsamic vinegar and wasabi, and swallowing the whole sushi in one bite. As they chewed, the tender seafood and soft rice were mixed together and swallowed. Then they took a sip of fragrant tea and chatted with their companions. It was as if the fatigue of the day had been relieved at this moment.

Xiaoyan slowly savored the long-missed sushi, observing the lively scene before her, and couldn't help but feel nostalgic; once upon a time, she also had such friends, some elegant, some energetic, some proud, some... gentle, and the time spent eating together was just as lively as it was now, but now...

"Come on, Homura, let's toast to defeating Ice Dog!"

Zhi suddenly hugged her. This guy actually ordered a pot of sake, and with her current appearance, she looked just like a delinquent; no, delinquents don't have this kind of temperament. She's more like a boss who can control an entire street.

She clinked her teacup against hers, watching as the girl downed the sake in her small cup in one gulp, her slightly flushed face bearing a bold smile that didn't belong to a young girl.

And now, with new companions, isn't that great?

She suddenly laughed too, and to Zhi's surprise, she picked up another cup, poured in some sake, and slowly drank it down.

"Ah... so this is what alcohol tastes like."

Seeing her chugging tea because of the spiciness of the alcohol, Zhi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

As for Xiaoyan, perhaps due to the alcohol, a hearty smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.

For a moment, the laughter of the girl from another world echoed in the ordinary sushi restaurant of this other world.

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"Ugh... I really shouldn't have drunk alcohol, I feel awful."

The girls didn't eat much. After a rare moment of relaxation, they said goodbye to the unlucky guy at the sushi restaurant and began to wander around this city that was similar yet different.

"Haha, Xiao Yan, you can't do that! Wine is a rare pleasure in this world. If you don't study it properly, you'll miss out on a lot of fun!"

After drinking, Zhi completely lost her girlish demeanor and instead resembled a sleazy middle-aged man, hooking her arm around Xiaoyan's shoulder and constantly teasing her.

Xiao Yan stared at the part of her body covered by the bra, resisting the urge to grab it and confirm her gender.

"With all three schools gathered together, there are quite a few people participating in the test of courage."

The two wandered aimlessly, and before they knew it, they followed the crowd toward the busiest place, only to find that it was a subway station.

"I am the planner for this event, from the Spirit Research Association. Please give me your guidance."

In the direction they were heading, a group of high school students had gathered, seemingly having arranged to participate in some kind of test of courage.

"Hello, are you two also participants?"

As the two walked towards them, Homura, who was wearing a uniform, seemed to be mistaken for someone who had come to gather, and a busty girl suddenly spoke to them.

"Oh? Oh, there are two more people here. Since you're here, please join us."

Strangely, the boy who organized the event seemed to only notice them after the girl spoke to him. This indicates that Ash's low profile hasn't changed, and since Weaving hadn't made a scene, it means...

"That's interesting, Xiaoyan. Let's go and take a look."

Zhi's gaze lingered between the girl who had spoken to her earlier, known as Kasuga Nozomi, and another girl wearing a coat and a sun hat. Her eyes sparkled with a brilliant light, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"...Is there something wrong with those two girls?"

"Remember when I said I could barely be considered an exorcist? I've noticed that these two girls are quite unusual, especially the one over there. How should I put it, her situation is very similar to ours, except that her body is still alive... How interesting."

She gestured with her chin, indicating that Xiaoyan should look at the girl wearing the sun hat. Sure enough, the girl was also looking in their direction, seemingly unaffected by the properties of the ash.

"Well, I'm also a little curious. What's so special about people who can notice us directly?"

"Right, right? Let's go then."

After a while, once it was confirmed that no one else was coming to gather, the young leader, along with the group of people who had tried their luck, arrived at a deserted building that appeared to have been burned down. He used pliers to cut through the surrounding barbed wire, and while using a flashlight to probe the way, he introduced the information about the place.

"This building is called the 'Cannibal Building' because four bank robbers escaped here three years ago."

"Those four men were habitual robbers and murderers. It's said they stole a lot of money, but a dispute arose during the division of the loot, and they all turned on each other..."

"...As a result, all four people died, and the building eventually caught fire, affecting other residents as well."

"So! It's said that you can still hear the sounds of four ghosts killing each other in that room on the sixth floor!"

The interior of the building, like its exterior, was completely dark due to long-term abandonment, and was dilapidated everywhere, bearing the marks of fire.

"This environment reminds me of some familiar smells."

Weaving whispered beside Little Flame, her face faintly showing the bloodthirsty excitement she felt after slaughtering the Lothric Knights.

Xiao Yan punched her without hesitation.

"Pfft! -- Hey, why did you hit me again?" QAQ

"It's nothing, I just suddenly feel a little unwell."

"If that's the case, what about going back?"

Suddenly, a third voice broke in. The girl in the sun hat was walking not far from them, seemingly having heard Xiaoyan's voice and misunderstood something. She didn't turn around, continuing to walk straight ahead. Only her sidelong glances told them that the words were indeed directed at them.

"If your intuition tells you you feel uncomfortable, go back... that's the right choice."

She warned the two of them in a serious tone, and there was even a faint sense of pressure emanating from her, as if she didn't want them to get too involved.

"Haha, it really is my sister—pfft! Cough cough, she's a little scared. I think we'd better not go in."

Despite enduring Xiaoyan's iron fists, Zhi dragged her away from the main group.

"What are you doing? You're the one who came running here, and you're the one who's leaving now?"

"Don't be in such a hurry. I think I know what's lurking here, don't you think? Mr. Corpse~"

She suddenly leaped out, and a shadow lurking in a dark corner was pinned to the ground with her bayonet before it could escape.

Xiao Yan followed, and a purple flame flashed in her eyes. With her enhanced vision, she could see clearly what it was.

"Crack crack crack... I won't... let you... touch my money!"

Dried bloodstains, tattered clothes, a corpse-like figure struggling under Zhi's bayonet, letting the bayonet slice off half of his shoulder, before lunging at Zhi.

Another bayonet stabbed down, and this time, Zhi mercilessly pinned his head back to the ground.

Golden flames slowly ignited from the bayonet, engulfing the corpse-like man and burning him to ashes amidst his agonizing screams.

"I take back what I said earlier. You creatures are far more filthy than even the lowest-ranking wandering spirits!"

She pulled the two bayonets from the ground, held them awkwardly in her hands, waved them around a bit, and then put them back into her kimono.

"It's a pity that the sword broke and I didn't have time to repair it. This thing is not very convenient to use, but using a dagger is too disgusting."

"I'm so sorry for breaking your katana."

Xiaoyan, who was used to what had just happened, stared blankly at Zhi, who was complaining about the weapon, and made sarcastic remarks.

"Haha, it's not Homura's fault. After all, you were the hero who defeated Ice Dog. Besides, I think that in this world, it doesn't matter much if we don't use our own weapons. After all, if all the threats here are like this, drowning in narrow-minded obsessions, no matter how many come, we can burn them all to ashes!"

PS: Yunxi: The original story of this world (744486102) is a bit heavy, so good kids shouldn't read it lightly~

If five people act recklessly, they will die.

Maki Hoshimura watched the strange sisters disappear from sight, sighed slightly, and then caught up with the main group ahead.

If only those guys in front of us were as sensible as they were.

She is now beginning to realize that using this method of infiltrating the daredevil team to search the building is completely putting the cart before the horse. Once she knew the exact location, she could have carried out the cleanup by herself, which would have been more efficient and would have prevented unrelated people from getting involved.

Even though she loathed these people who disregarded life and even risked their lives for thrills, she couldn't ignore it if her mistake actually put them in danger.

Thinking this, she rushed forward, attempting one last attempt to dissuade him.

“I have a feeling there’s some danger here. Let’s advise the team leader to turn back.”

She grabbed a boy's wrist and gave him her final words of advice.

"Hey, do you feel that way too? Me too... a little uneasy."

The girl who brought her in was said to be the daughter of the benefactor of her contracted monk, a girl named Kasuga Nozomi. At this moment, she also had her hands clasped in front of her chest and spoke in extreme fear.

"Hey, have you already given up? You've come all this way, you can't just go back without even checking out the scene."

But the boy she had grabbed didn't appreciate her kindness at all. Instead, he got excited when he saw two beautiful young girls approaching him.

“I know you’re all scared, so how about I hold your hands and go up to you? That way you can relax.”

With a disgusting smile that revealed his true intentions, he reached out his hands to the two girls as he walked up the stairs.

"Wait, it's too dangerous for one person to go up alone."

Makina grabbed his wrist again, trying to stop his reckless actions.

"Hehehe... Why are you so worried about me? Could it be that..."

The boy took the opportunity to grab his hand and start rubbing it restlessly.

"...That's not how it is."

Maki was about to shake off his hand when she suddenly heard a sound behind her.

Thump—clang—crash!

"What...that sound just now..."

Was that the sound of something falling over?

"It came from up there. Anyway, we'll know once we go up and take a look."

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, but their discussions led them to a conclusion different from Maki's own.

The boy stopped trying to take advantage of her and hurriedly followed the leader to the next floor.

She was silent for a moment, then looked in the opposite direction.

"Is this the scene of the arson on the 6th floor? It's so dark..."

The team leader shone a flashlight around, excitedly observing the scene left behind after the disaster, occasionally flipping through a magazine in his hand, comparing his own observations with those in the magazine.

"It's so lifelike, it's really unsettling~"

"Let's take a picture too..."

"Oh—there's a big hole here, you can see down there, did something explode like that?"