Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

A leaping slash is difficult to parry with a shield because it requires the strength to withstand the impact of the opponent's full power and to flip them over. So Xiaoyan chose to parry with her sword. She slashed her longsword diagonally, and while being slashed herself, she also dealt him a heavy blow.

Both of them were momentarily stunned, and then simultaneously performed a shield parry/sword parry. The shield collided with the horizontally parried katana, and then the two rolled away in perfect unison to create distance between themselves.

Slowly moving forward, Xiao Yan drank a mouthful of elemental potion to heal the knife wound on her chest.

It was precisely because she discovered that the swordsman didn't have any elemental vials that she dared to adopt this strategy of trading blows, but the elemental vials, which could only be used three times, were now empty.

They continued circling along the narrow path along the cliff edge, but Xiao Yan didn't realize that, due to the tumble, she was now standing on the edge of a precipice.

At this moment, the katana-wielding guy actually charged up from the front, his waist slightly bent, his katana sheathed. Xiaoyan judged that this was another Iaijutsu attack, but coming from the front was practically creating an opportunity for him to parry. It seemed that the opponent was losing his patience under her chipping away at his health.

Without further ado, she raised her shield, ready to parry.

But this time, the swordsman didn't swing his sword at all. After rushing in front of Homura, he kicked her shield directly.

To reiterate Homura's location, she is currently standing on the edge of a cliff.

And so, as she fell off the cliff, she felt that deep malice once again.

YOU DIED

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Homura Akemi's Intelligence Compilation Manual

Information about the formidable foe: These humanoid creatures can use all the simple techniques available to Ash, including but not limited to rolling, parrying, and backstabs. It is currently unclear whether they can use items such as Elemental Flasks. It is recommended to treat them with caution, considering them as equals.

Information regarding the battle:

Parry: It now appears that parrying an attack before executing it is not limited to using a shield. The katana's parry is one example. When facing strong enemies, pay close attention to their parries. Being greedy with your attacks is usually fatal.

Parry: You can use a weapon to parry and block an opponent's attack. However, when facing a powerful enemy, you will usually be injured even if you parry, and your parry may even be broken, creating an opportunity for an attack.

Kick: An attack that involves directly kicking someone with your foot. There's no known use for it other than kicking someone off a cliff (just kidding!).

In a world where the fire burns intermittently, there is no daily routine.

As darkness descended upon her after death, Xiaoyan, enduring the agony of being shattered to pieces after falling off the cliff, reflected on the mistakes she had made in the battle just now.

Admittedly, the katana-wielding guy's final kick was insidious, but the root cause of his death was that he accidentally walked to the edge of the cliff while moving. In this light, the terrain can be a useful tool in the future.

As time slowly passes, the pain of death diminishes considerably during reflection. This is probably because once people become accustomed to death, they are no longer troubled by the fear it brings. Consequently, the pain of death transforms into something to be endured, a ritual of resurrection.

Flames surged up, and the joy of rebirth, accompanied by a warm and comfortable sensation, permeated her limbs. She even felt that if she could experience this a few more times, being reborn amidst flames would soon become one of the few enjoyable things she could do in this world.

Wait a minute, the price for this kind of enjoyment is a bit too high. Surely no one would commit suicide just to enjoy the pleasure of rebirth?

She quickly dismissed the idea and quietly waited for the flames to dissipate.

We'll try it again later; maybe we can consider letting him experience what it's like to fall off a cliff.

The flames died down, and without checking her location, she walked straight out.

Anyway, they should have been resurrected in the Ashen Tribunal, so they just need to head towards the exit.

She subconsciously thought so, until she took a few steps and was startled by the bright and noisy exit in front of her, and the dim and narrow environment at that moment, realizing that she was not in the Ash Tribunal.

"What...what's going on?"

She unconsciously walked towards the bright and bustling exit. The moment she stepped out of the alley, the warm sunlight made her squint.

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"Come, Kagura, ah~"

"Oh, Sister Huangquan! I can eat it myself."

"Come on, come on, this is your sister Huang Quan's special feeding service, it's unique and there's no other branch here~"

"Mmm...mmm, just this once, okay? I absolutely will not accept being fed again next time!...Ah..."

"Kagura is such a good girl~ Here, have another cherry, ah~"

"Huh? —Didn't you say that was the last time? Why are you here again?!"

"What does it matter? No matter how much Kagura wants to eat, Yomi-nee will satisfy her every whim~"

In the afternoon, the cool aroma of ice cream mingled with the rich scent of milk in the dessert shop, dispelling the summer heat. It wasn't after school yet, but two girls in school uniforms were enjoying ice cream without restraint. Their intimate behavior drew the attention of many passing office workers, who couldn't help but stop and admire this scene filled with the fragrance of lilies through the shop's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Kagura blushed and lowered her head, carefully chewing the cherry on her ice cream. Amidst the kind smiles of passersby at the dessert shop, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Huang Quan keenly sensed the source of her sister's shyness. Although this bashful appearance excited her, she knew that the shy Kagura could only belong to herself. How could the passersby by the window be worthy of enjoying this healing scene?

Without another word, Huang Quan raised his eyes and glared at the crowd standing outside the window.

Although Huang Quan put on what she thought was a fierce expression, she was actually a beautiful young woman of high quality. This expression did not frighten passersby at all. On the contrary, the heroic spirit she had cultivated through long battles made the passersby on the street look at her again.

However, as gentlemen, the passersby were well aware of the rule of not offending a beautiful girl, so after Huang Quan clearly expressed his dissatisfaction, the crowd stopped moving.

After watching the gentlemen leave with satisfaction, Huang Quan couldn't help but nod. When she turned her gaze back to the other side of the table, she saw Kagura biting a spoon and happily enjoying her ice cream. She gave herself a thumbs up for her decision to use exorcism as an excuse to legitimately let Kagura skip class.

"Hey, Sister Huangquan, look, there's a girl over there who looks really strange."

"Whoo-hoo-hoo~"

"Sister Huang Quan? Sister Huang Quan!"

"Ah, ah? Kagura, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

Looking at Yomi, who was staring at her with her hands supporting her chin, making a lewd, middle-aged man's voice, Kagura's face turned bright red. She had to interrupt her sister, who seemed to be lost in some strange delusion, and pointed to a girl outside the window, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Over there! Over there! That girl looks strange."

Huang Quan silently added this flustered look to Kagura's emoticon collection, and then calmly glanced out the window.

That one glance made her take things seriously.

On the afternoon street, a girl wearing a somewhat tattered uniform with a slightly fantastical style, a wound on her waist, and a strange shield on her left hand, was looking up at the sun hanging in the sky.

Her hand rested on her forehead, her long, smooth black hair billowing in the wind, swaying behind her. In the warm sunlight, it seemed as if flames were slowly burning on it, distorting the sunlight and making the girl's figure appear dreamlike, as if she would disappear in the blink of an eye.

Huang Quan rubbed her eyes. For a moment, she seemed to feel a sense of distant vicissitudes, but it quickly disappeared as the girl began to move.

"Kagura! Let's go!"

"Huh? Huh! Sister Huangquan, you haven't paid yet!—"

This afternoon in this unknown world is as warm and cozy as ever.

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Xiao Yan walked slowly down this unfamiliar street. When she stepped out of the alley, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised. After all, compared to the desolate world of Xin Huo, this modern city made her feel like she had returned to her own world.

However, the surprise only lasted for a short while. When she saw the news broadcast on the big screen in the shopping district, with a date that did not match her own timeline, her heart sank again.

But that's normal, isn't it? After all, I've already died in my own timeline.

She smiled self-deprecatingly, looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky. The warm sunlight was a little dazzling, and she couldn't help but shield her eyes slightly with her hand, feeling the warm sensation similar to that of flames.

Although it's not my own world, this peaceful atmosphere, far removed from battle and death, is something I haven't felt in a long time.

She withdrew her gaze from the distance and strolled leisurely through the unfamiliar streets.

She had a strange feeling, as if this world was just a place where she could catch her breath temporarily between deaths. This place did not belong to her, and she would not stay here for long. It was like a passenger on a train of death who should have rushed back to the path of her mission, but accidentally got off at the wrong station. There was also a charming view here. She could rest for a while and then wait for the next train to take her to where she was supposed to go.

With that thought, the panic of accidentally entering a strange world disappeared. In any case, she would eventually embark on that path filled with flames and death anyway. She strolled along, recalling her experiences in the world of fire.

Has he died ten times in such a short period of time?

Yes, although I didn't feel it myself, the pressure of death had probably accumulated quite a bit, and it just so happened that I came to this peaceful world at this time. Was all of this a coincidence?

Whether it's a coincidence or not, since we're already here, it wouldn't hurt to relax a little.

She wandered aimlessly, and the people around her would occasionally glance at her with curiosity. But for some reason, even though her appearance was out of place here and she even had a wound on her body, the passersby would only notice her by chance. After being surprised by her appearance, they would quickly ignore the girl with a faint flame burning on her body, as if her presence, like her current race, was merely a thin "ash" in this world.

That's better, she thought to herself. The scenery along the roadside only feels beautiful when you're outside of it; if you're actually there, you'll be dazzled by its splendor.

It is dangerous to bring gaming habits into real life.

But as the poem says, you walk along the roadside admiring the scenery, unaware that someone is watching you from afar.

Huang Quan and Kagura were mingling in the crowd, secretly following Xiao Yan. They also noticed the strangeness in the crowd. It seemed that only the two of them could clearly find the girl's presence. The passersby could see her, but ignored her.

"Sister Huangquan, is that girl an evil spirit?"

"Not really. I don't remember any evil spirits that were humanoid and burning with flames."

"So what should we do now? Notify the countermeasures office?"

"No need, but following her around like this isn't a solution... Alright, let's go and try to make contact with her!"

"Hey? Sister Huangquan, wait for me!"

Suddenly, Yomi ran out from the crowd where she was hiding, and as Kagura hurriedly followed, she quickly ran towards Homura.

The crowd behind her seemed to be stirring. Xiaoyan gradually stopped and keenly sensed someone rapidly approaching her. This feeling inexplicably made her very uncomfortable. She remembered the feeling of being tricked from behind, so without saying a word, she turned around and swung her shield.

Seeing that the person in front of her had stopped, Huang Quan couldn't suppress her curiosity and quickened her pace, raising one hand to grab Xiao Yan's shoulder.

The shield swung over, accurately deflecting Huang Quan's arm. The immense force caused a large bruise on her hand and made her stagger, revealing a huge opening.

The longsword was drawn from the shield, and Xiaoyan aimed at her heart, ready to stab her without hesitation.

"Sister Huang Quan, danger!"

The chilling killing intent completely stunned Huang Quan, and she could only watch helplessly as the longsword pierced towards her chest.

Kagura arrived, disregarding that they were on the street, she activated the air compressor of the Dance Kick No. 12 and slashed at Kohana's longsword.

"Iai?"

Having failed in her execution attempt, Homura rolled away to create distance, raising her shield and cautiously guarding against Kagura, who was wielding a sword.

"That was dangerous! Hey, you really are some kind of evil spirit, aren't you? Who would deliver a fatal blow while greeting someone?!"

Having escaped the brink of death, Huang Quan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. She clearly felt that Xiao Yan's killing intent was not an illusion. Although she didn't know why this girl, who seemed to have a story, had suddenly become so dangerous, she still drew her treasured sword, Lion King, just to be on the safe side.

"Pfft, I hope it doesn't make the news tomorrow."

Because the incident happened so suddenly, they didn't have time to set up a barrier to ward off people. At this moment, the three beautiful girls, each brandishing their weapons, were already surrounded by onlookers, and some oblivious people had even taken out their phones to take pictures.

"Oh no, it'll be hard to avoid the news now."

She could already vaguely hear people commenting on how daring their cosplay was. Even someone as thick-skinned as her felt a little uncomfortable, let alone the shy Kagura, who was completely at a loss.