Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

Little Flame had already deduced their attack range. At this moment, she leisurely took out a fire pot, wondering if the weak fire would work in this world, and also thinking that these guys were all formed from darkness and probably couldn't be ignited; anyway, she still threw out these explosives. Although she didn't set them on fire, at least she stopped their frantic swinging.

At this moment, she once again plunged into the wolf pack, swinging her longsword and drawing large circles with a sharp trajectory through the pack. The giant wolves within the circles were constantly struck by the longsword, which was burning with deep purple and golden flames. Each time it was struck, some of its parts flew up and were burned to ashes in mid-air.

Three, four, and another one.

The swirling, slicing plow swept past the wolf pack, and now only a few small, menacing beasts remained. The flames on Ash's body ignited the black liquid filling the room, and in the deep purple flames, the beasts became trembling prey.

With a swift swing of her longsword, ash lunged at her prey.

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After laughing for a while, the withered King of Fire turned back into whitish charcoal, as if the heat from before was just an illusion of the onlookers.

"Alright, kid, didn't you want to know the inside story? I'll tell you now."

Resting his chin on his hands, King Xin pondered for a moment before slowly revealing the information that Origami was most concerned about.

"I deduced this little by little from the fragments of your predecessors' words and the services they provided to help you return to your own world."

"You ashes from another world, in some ways, fit the definition of 'ash' better than the ashes of our world. Our ashes refer to the containers that can hold souls in their bodies, while you are really just a little bit of embers left."

"I don't know how you initially connected to our world through that tiny spark, but I do know that at least one of you ashes successfully projected our world into your own heart fire. And you, the successors, unconsciously continue to emulate your predecessors, cloning the world before you in your own heart fire, as if it were a test for yourselves."

“That’s right, you call our world ‘the torch,’ but what you truly reside in is your own world of inner fire.”

"However, almost no one explains this to newcomers, simply because there are very few people who truly care about this information and are willing to take responsibility for knowing it."

"People like you, who are free from all attachments, generally don't turn to ashes, because the fire in their hearts has voluntarily been extinguished; while those who have attachments are more concerned with how to return to their own world."

"It was under these circumstances that I accidentally came into contact with your world of inner fire and came here—but I won't go into details about that. Let's talk about what you're concerned about first."

"Because your world of inner fire is a projection of our world of kerosene, you have unintentionally established a connection with the world of kerosene, and this connection links to your world of ashes, which is why you are able to meet other ashes in your own world."

"If you can't see your companion right now, it means that she is not projecting the torch, or that she has entered the opposite of the inner fire."

“I don’t know exactly what that place is either. Judging from some clues, it is probably a projection of a world that is contrary to our own. As long as she gets out of the shadow of her own inner fire, she can climb out of the abyss again.”

"Yes, the reason she fell there is that she fell into some kind of negative will, or rather, the kind of person who is so firm in their beliefs that they don't care whether the means are twisted or not, has already stepped into the abyss with one foot in it."

"That's all I know. If you're interested in the world beyond the abyss, you can go to Faran Fortress. It has been developed into a base in the World of Fire and can also be projected onto by you."

"As for why we built this base, it's simply because some of you lunatics have already brought some things from over there into our world."

"Although in my opinion, you haven't been in other worlds for long. After all, even if you left many traces there, the little power you drew from your own hearts wouldn't be enough to support your return for too long. However, even in that short time, it's enough for our world to undergo some changes. Correspondingly, the worlds you projected into have also changed."

"Kid, now that you know this information, you've unwittingly burdened yourself. Think carefully about how you intend to walk the path of the true 'Ashes' from now on."

"I don't expect you to fully shoulder the mission of turning our world's ashes into dust, but as the fire in your hearts inadvertently draws closer and closer, trouble will inevitably come your way sooner or later, and you will eventually step into the world of fire—so please don't forget your previous promise."

The sacrificial site fell silent again, with only the glow of the bonfire echoing in the air.

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The Intelligence Compilation Manual of the Ryougi-ori

Good habits must be maintained. While Xiaoyan is away, I'll be in charge of organizing the intelligence. —by Zhi

Revisions to the intelligence regarding the world itself:

The World of Cinder: The world of Lords of Cinder, including Rudolf, and their ashes.

The World of Heartfire: Previously mistakenly believed to be the World of the Flame, it is actually a projection of the Flame within the mind of the Otherworldly Ashes. It is said to be a trial the Otherworldly Ashes created for himself. (Weaving's guess: It doesn't seem to be a real, complete world; a dream, an illusion? I don't understand…)

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Phew~ An important setting has finally been revealed.

Chapter Three: Fog

Xiao Yan wandered through the town in the night. It was only dusk here. She could still see the sunset on the way out of the clinic. The fiery clouds hung on the horizon, red as if the sky was burning. Under the dim sunlight, after climbing a long flight of stairs, the mist seemed to transport her to London in the night.

A gloomy and obscure feeling accompanied her, giving her the illusion from time to time that she was a little girl lost in the foggy city, who was so captivated by the city's prosperity on a foggy night that she returned home too late; and while wandering in the fog, she was unknowingly being targeted by the Ripper, and perhaps a meat razor was waiting for her around the next corner.

Now she really hoped there was a Ripper waiting for her around the corner, so that she could at least pry some information out of him after defeating him, instead of wandering around town alone like this.

Yes, one person, because she felt that those creatures that crawled out of the darkness, even if they had human-like appearances, could not be categorized as human.

The dark humanoids were playing a killing game with her in the city, but she felt it was more like a game of hide-and-seek; those creatures that looked like humans but had beast-like characteristics upon closer inspection were about as strong as the villagers of the Undead Settlement. To Ash at this moment, they were just straws to be harvested along the way.

Their weapons ranged from cleavers, axes, machetes to longswords, and their movements were slow and vulnerable. Xiao Yan only needed to adjust the rhythm of her footwork, and these creatures would crash into her blade one by one. She only needed to stab them in the right spot, and these creatures made of black liquid would wail and re-enter the darkness.

The humanoid figure, however, was quite pleased with this. She would always try her best to summon the townspeople from the most secluded places, and then throw a giant wolf down from a rooftop to scare Little Flame.

The town was bustling with activity, but Xiao Yan found herself dancing alone on a lonely stage. Her only audience member kept throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes at her, which gradually made her feel annoyed.

The killing continued, from the densely packed streets to a dimly lit mansion; from the dimly lit mansion, it continued all the way to a dilapidated bridge. She discovered that the brighter the place, the less likely the humanoid would stay. On the bridge, she didn't even encounter any decent resistance, and followed the somewhat panicked humanoid as it slid down into a dark sewer.

Only then did the slaughter truly escalate. Humanoids entered her domain, and countless monsters began to appear amidst the dark rafters and black manholes.

Crows and townspeople fell from the roof beams, water ghosts emerged from the filthy puddles, rats lurked among the crowd, a huge, burly man charged at her carrying a brick, and townspeople transformed into werewolves, armed with machetes and spears, frantically pounced on what they considered their prey.

The humanoid figure floated on the roof beam, laughing shrilly, while Xiao Yan, in the middle of the sewer, charged left and right with her longsword.

She has no equal here, so why bother with a steady, turn-based tactic? She just needs to cut them down with her sword before their sharp claws can fall.

She planted Irithyll's straight sword in the ground, the cold air condensing the mist, and ice crystals spreading along the water, covering all the enemies with white frost. Their already slow movements became as sluggish as a slow-motion film.

The broadsword and longsword danced together, the reflection of their blades leaving countless slashing marks around her. Any enemy that fell into these marks would be torn apart by the whistling blades as they sliced ​​through the air, then ignited by flames and scattered on the frozen water.

The flames were dazzlingly bright due to the refraction of the frost, while the viscous black paste covered the dazzling frost and was ignited by the flames again.

One cold, one hot, two forces were vying for control of the sewers. The humanoid laughter gradually subsided. She realized that no matter how many monsters there were, they could not turn slaughter into killing. The slaughtered monsters were wasting her darkness, and the darkness, which was clearly from the same source as the flames, was never accepted and would only be burned to ashes by the flames.

She decided to take matters into her own hands. The dark slurry solidified into a large axe, its handle stretched out. She leaped from the roof beam and delivered a powerful falling slash to Little Flame in the monster horde.

Xiaoyan had been keeping an eye on the humanoid figure, planning to shoot her down as soon as she finished clearing out the monsters. But before she could carry out her plan, the humanoid figure obediently fell down on its own.

The longsword was pulled from the werewolf's corpse, and the step backward caused the great axe to fall squarely in front of her. A few strands of hair flew up, shattering the ice and splashing black liquid. The great axe, now engulfed in flames, landed heavily on the ground.

The longsword slashed past the axe handle, while the broadsword was hidden in her chest and abdomen, waiting to reveal its sharpness upon impact.

How could the humanoid figure let her succeed so easily? A musket was also conjured, and the trigger was pulled at the little flame who was right in front of it.

The longsword that had been slashed out instantly returned to his chest, cutting through the flying bullets along with the broadsword, but also losing the opportunity to attack.

The axe handle shortened, and the humanoid figure raised the axe with one hand, smashing it down towards Xiaoyan's head.

The two swords clashed and pressed against each other, the metallic clang echoing through the sewers with a distant resonance.

The great axe was raised, the twin swords were drawn apart, and the two bodies passed each other. The broadsword was replaced with a pistol, and the gun flashes flashed on both sides of the two. Mercury bullets and magic bullets pierced through the frozen water behind them.

The monsters had somehow merged back into the darkness. The two faced each other, moving in opposite directions, slowly circling each other with the Irithyll Straight Sword as the center.

The muskets and pistols were pulled again, bullets magnified in their pupils, yet grazed their cheeks. They charged at each other simultaneously, one slashing upwards with her longsword, the other raising her great axe and smashing it down from the air. The metallic resonance echoed once more, and the rewinding of time made the collision between the two resound incessant.

The two men's swings created afterimages as their weapons clashed, with muskets and pistols hidden behind the swords and axes, filling the gaps in the clashes and unleashing a barrage of bullets at each other.

The stray bullets kicked up ice shards, but were then smashed down by the great axe. The longsword was at a disadvantage in the clash, but it was never meant to fight the great axe.

The axe pounded down with increasing ferocity, until finally the longsword stopped striking it, and it gave way to the shield.

The swift shield parry dodged the axe blade and struck the axe face, leaving the humanoid figure wide open, but now it was only holding the axe with one hand.

The musket turned its muzzle and fired a bullet at the ashes who swung the longsword, forcing the longsword to deflect the bullet.

Another fierce exchange of fire ensued, the bullets colliding in the air, producing sparks much weaker than those from axe-sword clashes.

The ashes and the humanoid separated again and began circling the ice sword once more.

After two rounds of confrontation, they both discovered each other's bottom line.

This is probably the real challenge to herself, because the humanoid is exactly the same as Homura in terms of skills and abilities, except that she uses a large axe and a musket that Homura has never seen before, and she is missing a shield.

That's how it should be. The human form is a reflection of the flame. Homura slid into the abyss to find her. She knows that this darkness represents something twisted, and her flame is resisting her return. But she just doesn't want to give up on her. A certain demon won against her using these things, and if she gives up, it will be a farewell to the Homura Akemi of the past.

The flames raged, eager to burn away the darkness, yet she could not bring herself to slash the blade engulfed in flames.

The humanoid figure opposite had no such reservations. The darkness, which had transformed into a giant axe, twisted again, and she let out a shrill laugh. She flung away the darkness that had transformed into a staff, and the dark blades formed a long whip, which she swung at the ashes through the ice sword.

The air that was pulled away also emitted a shrill scream, and after Ash dodged, his whip left a long mark on the ground.

The cane continued to be wielded in the humanoid's hand, and the whip transformed into a venomous snake that coiled around Xiaoyan's body. She completely lost her advantage in distance, and even if she wanted to slash with her longsword, she couldn't reach the enemy. The magic bullets fired from her pistol could only be deflected by the mercury bullets one after another.

Even if the soft chain blades were deflected by the shield, they would still cut into her body. She moved nimbly, constantly dodging the venomous snake's body.

Seeing that the situation was about to be suppressed by the weapon's performance, Xiaoyan kicked the Irithyll Straight Sword towards the humanoid. The barrage of bullets that followed prevented the humanoid from using a musket to knock the ice sword away. The chain blade retracted instantly, reverting to the shape of a cane, and swung the ice sword away.

However, the ice sword that had just been swung away suddenly replaced the longsword and returned to Xiaoyan's hand, and she threw it out again. The bullets were still colliding in the air, and the flaming broadsword followed closely behind.

The humanoid had no chance to shake off the chain blades. Following closely behind the two flying blades, Xiaoyan was about to rush in front of her again.

Her sunken smile remained unchanged, and she vanished abruptly before the attack could arrive.

Xiao Yan paused for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

The cane pierced the air at an angle towards her back, but before it ignited flames.

The ashes vanished abruptly, and the longsword, just like before, pierced the humanoid's vest.

Having circled the sewers so many times, the two had already covered most of the available spaces in terms of their possible return locations. Moreover, since they were essentially one person, returning to their "own" position was no problem for them.

The competition of skills has become a competition of abilities, and the competition of abilities has evolved into a competition of endurance.

Ash and the humanoid figure appeared and disappeared repeatedly, the longsword and cane pointing at each other's backs each time they appeared. Their figures flashed alternately like neon lights; Ash was the purple light, and the humanoid figure was the black light. The purple and black lights represented stopping or proceeding, but no one knew their meaning.

Just as the purple-black lantern festival drives passersby mad, this contest of abilities will also drive onlookers crazy. Flames and darkness intertwine, and the fleeting afterimages are almost folded together, but the two are simply incompatible, creating a stark contrast that brings a tremendous visual impact to the onlookers.

Finally, the cruel twist of time caused one of them to give in and stop his frenzied behavior, while the other pulled out his weapon and was about to celebrate his victory.

The purple was finally pierced by the black, but before the humanoid could even raise the corners of his mouth, Ash had already grabbed the staff that had pierced through his chest.

"Finally caught you! You runaway kid."

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 is earnestly asking for votes~

Chapter 4 PVP Practical Tutorial

Looking out, the dense forest is filled with ancient trees reaching for the sky, their roots intertwined in the water, winding and twisting, occasionally surfacing, like the veins of this land, flowing with vibrant life.

The vibrant life force was almost overflowing; small crabs swam on the thin surface of the water, playing and waving their tiny pincers, giving any creature that dared to disturb the calm before diving back into the water and running away.

In any case, not many creatures would care about these small crabs. Even if they did, the larger crabs would attract the attention of all intruders, their ferocious size serving as a reminder that this was their territory.

Even so, the calm and clear water surface is like a smooth mirror, reflecting the towering ancient trees. The lush branches and leaves, when viewed from the water, appear as dense green clouds, making it impossible to distinguish whether the water reflects the sky or the sky is the water.

This is the Forest of Crucifixion. As its name suggests, it was originally the edge of the Farron Undead Legion's territory for dealing with the Abyss Infected. Before the calm water, under the towering ancient trees, there were layers upon layers of wooden crosses. All the Infected would be tied to the crosses and then purified by flames.