Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

"Um...can you communicate?"

Xiao Yan often complained that the local inhabitants of the Fire World would start fighting without communicating, and now she was being criticized for the same reason.

"Isn't communication a fundamental aspect of social interaction? How can you doubt that? You must be an evil spirit! Evil spirit! Prepare to die!"

Even though she had dispelled her murderous intent and tried to bring the situation back to normal communication, Huang Quan had already anticipated a series of follow-up actions and troublesome review reports because of the big news it had caused. At this moment, she vented her anger on Xiao Yan, and the Lion King slashed down at Xiao Yan.

Having recently received a hellish katana counter-strategy tutorial from the katana master, this wide-open attack was practically handing her a chance to parry, and she didn't hold back, seizing the opportunity to swing her shield.

The Lion King of the Underworld was instantly thrown back, leaving her wide open again in front of Xiaoyan.

Fortunately, this time Xiao Yan recognized that they were people she could communicate with, and she did not sense any killing intent from Huang Quan's attack, so she did not take the opportunity to stab them with her longsword.

"Um...I misunderstood something earlier, could you..."

"Questions are useless! Just let me have a good beating to vent my anger!"

He hadn't expected the girl in front of him to be so skilled in martial arts. Despite looking younger than him, she could easily see through his swordsmanship. Even though he hadn't used his full strength, the swordsmanship he had honed by slaying evil spirits meant that the speed of his sword strike in that instant was definitely very fast.

She knew perfectly well that the skill to deflect an attack so precisely and create such a large opening couldn't have been acquired by chance; it required real combat experience. Thinking this way, the girl's identity couldn't be simple. This battle-hardened demeanor filled Huang Quan with a sense of elation.

She forgot all about cleaning up the mess and writing self-criticisms; all she wanted to do now was use her swordsmanship to take down the girl in front of her.

Huang Quan's aura suddenly became fierce, and only now did she deserve the unsheathed treasured sword.

But Xiaoyan has no fear of battle at all. In fact, she is somewhat uninterested in this kind of sparring where she doesn't have to risk her life.

Why not use her to practice skills you're not yet proficient in?

Having made up her mind, facing Huang Quan's horizontal slash, she did not choose to parry. Instead, she took a step forward and used her longsword to block the katana at the most difficult point in the middle, thus forcing Huang Quan's horizontal slash into a contest of strength.

"What kind of superhuman strength is this?!"

Without the aid of spiritual power, Huang Quan's strength was only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary adult. She was no match for Xiao Yan, who could deflect the attacks of the Ash Judge. Even though she did not use magic, the physical attributes of a magical girl were still far superior.

Knowing he was no match for his opponent, Huang Quan stared intently at Xiao Yan's cold face, suddenly withdrew his sword, turned around, and used the force of the turn to swing his katana around and slash at Xiao Yan from the side.

The basic skills are not bad, but there are too many unnecessary movements.

Xiaoyan silently compared the skills of the katana-wielding man and Yomi. Yomi's sudden withdrawal of his sword did not have much of an impact on Xiaoyan. She found Yomi's sword path again and swung her longsword straight towards the Lion King.

So this is what it feels like to parry without a shield.

The Lion King was once again swatted away by Little Flame, but she still didn't take the opportunity to execute him. Instead, she took a step back and silently looked at Yomi.

This calm gaze was misinterpreted by Huang Quan as mockery, and she immediately lost her composure. Lion King swung his sword from all angles, no longer considering holding back, and tried his best to deliver a blow to Xiao Yan.

Even so, Xiaoyan calmly tried the tricks of sword parrying, and when she really couldn't handle it, she would use shield parrying and rolling to make up for it.

"Hey, rolling around on the ground like that! Don't you have even a shred of ladylike composure?"

Your shouting and yelling is anything but ladylike.

Xiao Yan silently complained in her heart, while constantly deflecting Huang Quan's attacks with her hands.

"Wow, these two girls are amazing! Is cosplay really this good?"

"Who cares if they're cosplaying or not, two beautiful girls fighting, we can't miss this opportunity."

"That's right, that's right, just relax and take your photos."

"Sister Huangquan... what should we do..."

A cacophony of voices, mixed with the girl's helpless sighs, drifted over. Perhaps because of Huang Quan, Xiao Yan, who was usually quite inconspicuous, had now become the focus of attention. In fact, her somewhat tattered uniform and the wound on her waist made her even more eye-catching than Huang Quan.

It seems that a large difference in strength can really increase the correction for parrying, and even when using a weapon like a longsword, it can simulate the effect of a knife parry.

Having put her conjecture into practice, she gradually grew tired of being watched. Seeing that Huang Quan showed no sign of stopping, she unceremoniously deflected another straightforward Iai attack from him with her shield.

This time, Xiao Yan did not miss this excellent opportunity. She rushed to Huang Quan's side and slammed the hilt of her sword into her abdomen. As Huang Quan bent over from the attack on her abdomen, Xiao Yan struck her on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

"Sister Huang Quan!"

She picked up the unconscious Huang Quan, put away her longsword, grabbed the fallen Lion King, pulled the panicked Kagura along, and pushed through the crowd to run away.

The sun had unknowingly begun to set in the west, casting long, golden shadows that stretched out across the girls' bodies.

After avoiding the crowd, Homura's presence seemed to diminish again. Even as she carried Yomi and dragged Kagura along as they ran wildly through the streets, few people turned to look back.

It seemed like it was time to go back; she had a vague premonition of this.

With the other two by her side, she ran to an empty park. After setting Huang Quan against a large tree, sparks began to drift from the flames on her body.

"Huff...huff...this lady?"

Kagura had been dragged this far and was now panting, supporting her knees. After she finally caught her breath, she looked up and saw the boiling flames and the embers drifting in the wind.

With her back to Kagura, Homura gazed at the setting sun sinking below the city horizon. In Kagura's eyes, Homura seemed to be merging into the sun, and the flames on her body grew brighter and brighter.

"Hey, my name is Homura Akemi, I am the Ash Without Flame. If there's a chance next time... see you later."

She turned her head slightly, giving Kagura a dazzling smile, before slowly turning to ashes in the sunset.

The fire went out, but the lingering warmth it left behind made the girl feel warm inside for some reason.

"Um... see you next time."

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Homura Akemi's Intelligence Compilation Manual

Information about the world itself:

Intermittent World (Speculation): Perhaps death really is like a train; if you miss your stop, you'll end up in another world, but no matter what, the ashes will always return to where they were burned to ashes. (When you get to the Firelink Shrine, you should ask around carefully; I have a feeling this world of fire isn't as simple as it seems. —by Xiaoyan)

Information regarding the battle:

Parry (supplement): It seems that if you use parry well, you can also develop parry, but to use parry of other weapons to the level of parry of the katana requires a lot of practice. I don’t know if there will be such a convenient practice object in the future (crossed out!).

Chapter Seven: The Dark Side Always Happens When No One Knows

"They're back again."

The familiar campfire and the familiar dilapidated arena made that previous encounter seem so unreal.

"The road I'm walking on now is indeed full of beautiful scenery. I wonder if I'll have the chance to see it again next time."

There will definitely be a chance, she knew it in her heart, just like when she was in that world, she knew she would come back. It was inexplicable and without any clue, but she just knew it. Anyway, the thing of "not dying" really happened, so Xiaoyan would no longer be surprised if something incomprehensible happened.

"Alright, that's the end of our break. It's time to settle things with that guy with the katana."

After checking her equipment, Xiao Yan set off on her journey once again.

Along the decaying roadside, coffins of unknown origin lie piled high. Gravekeepers wander the world, roaming and dying in this lonely corner, until the ashes rising from the graves raise their weapons against them, their blood staining the withered earth. Whether they cling to the world or not, even as immortal wandering spirits, they use their blood to deeply etch their existence here, and onto the armor of every ashe.

After clearing out the wandering spirits and grave guardians along the way, Xiaoyan returned to the katana-wielding man once again.

Only through comparison can one truly understand the opponent's strength. After sparring with Huang Quan, she couldn't help but wonder how many battlefields he had honed his exquisite skills to achieve such conciseness and sharpness. And why was he waiting under this tower, merely to display his skills to them, the Ashes who had just passed the trial, and to let them know how important proficient skills are in this world?

All of this was unknown; he refused to communicate, and only occasionally could one glimpse his unwavering conviction when swords clashed.

Xiaoyan abandoned her shield parry and elemental bottles, putting them away. She felt that to truly graduate from his tutelage, she had to surpass him in skill when facing such an unknown master.

This was a test of both mind and skill. Xiaoyan's longsword clashed with the katana time and again—parrying, thrusting, slashing. Gradually, Xiaoyan's casual stance became more refined. She held the sword with both hands, raising it to her brow, the blade slightly downward, her feet moving lightly. In contrast to the stance of an iaido slash, power was constantly gathering in her arms and waist, her entire body like a powerful torsional spring, ready to unleash a swift attack at any moment.

Her movements became more concise, with no more large slashes. She focused on thrusting, combined with pressing, cutting, picking, and flicking motions. She always used her waist and shoulders as the center of power. If she missed, she would immediately withdraw, maintaining this stance steadily. Even if she was hit by a knife rebound, her meticulous stance gave her a chance to recover.

She felt she had found the knack for using weapons. The battle was no longer a slow turn-based affair. Blades danced around her, leaving silver trails, occasionally clashing with the longsword in her hand. Sparks flew from the friction, and the cold blades would lick away in an instant. Even if they only took away a few strands of black hair, the chilling coldness still stung her skin.

The glint of blades and the shadows of swords enveloped the two nimble figures. The clash of metal was so melodious. The wind blew and whistled softly between the cliffs, as if cheering for the lifeless world that had finally welcomed a bit of vitality.

Even if the carnage on the battlefield is as beautiful as a dance at a banquet, it must end with the death of a person.

The finely forged blade was thin yet deadly; its touch was lethal to flesh and blood, easily severing blood vessels and causing profuse bleeding. But it was also this thinness that made it the first to succumb in this dance of pure skill, and after countless exchanges, it was cleaved in two by the heavier longsword.

The battlefield dance stopped at that moment. Xiao Yan maintained her stance in her longsword combat technique, creating distance between them. Her chest heaved violently, and her long, wet black hair, stained with blood, clung to her lips.

The nameless katana master stepped aside when his weapon broke. He stroked the broken blade with some reluctance, and then, to Xiaoyan's astonishment, sat cross-legged on the ground.

He held the broken knife in reverse and plunged it into his own abdomen, slowly drawing out a hideous, bloody gash.

He finished everything steadily, placed the broken sword beside him, glanced at Xiao Yan, and lowered his head slightly.

This ancient ritual of sacrificing oneself with such generosity filled Xiao Yan with mixed emotions. She slowly stepped forward, raised her longsword, and lowered her head.

Picking up the broken sword from the ground, after the katana master's corpse turned into light fragments, she silently put it into her shield and placed it next to the equally broken golf club.

"It took quite a bit of time, but let's take a break."

She leaned against a large tree on the edge of the cliff and closed her eyes slightly.

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The fire-lighting ritual site is one of the few lively places in this desolate yet burning world.

Teresa was dressed in a high-ranking knight's outfit, but without a helmet. She wore her signature smile as always, waiting for the arrival of a newcomer.

Having heard from Zhi that a newcomer had passed the trial, Zhi, as a mentor to her junior, accepted the junior's request. Carrying information about resurrection in her own world, she sat quietly on the steps, intending to have a good talk with this junior who was also in the original world and had a mission to complete.

But isn't this waiting time a bit too long?

"Denesha, you've been at the Firelink Shrine for so long, but you don't seem like an Ashbringer with a mission at all. Is it really okay to waste so much time?"

The conversation was started by a figure wearing a strange triangular pointed helmet. From Teresa's perspective, it was a blurry figure, but it was still clear that she was not very tall. Her tight-fitting outfit, with its tattered cloak, complicated buckles, and high collar that covered half of her face, looked odd on her. However, the two brown ears that protruded from the sides of the helmet somehow made the whole outfit look harmonious.

She carried a large, curved sword adorned with wolf hair, leaned against an equally enormous shield that appeared to be patterned with wolf heads, and spoke to the smiling Denise in a leisurely tone.

"You lazy old wolf are the only ones who have no right to talk to me. Speaking of which, you're the one who appears the most in front of the newbies, right? After all, you're here almost every day. You and that annoying guy who's always trying to get rid of people are a perfect match."

"Hawkwood was just a bit pessimistic, but overall he was a strong kid who ultimately gave his life for his beliefs—oh dear, it seems we've revealed some serious information. Teresa, just treat this as an old lady's nagging and forget about it once you've heard it."

“I understand, Granny Wolf. I don’t want to have too much contact with that world. Even if you tell me about these native Ashes, I’ll just listen to it as a story.”

"Oh my, you really dare to say that. You actually 'held a wedding' with that child over there in order to take all the Dark Caverns."

"Hmph, strictly speaking, that guy isn't from that world either. Besides, I'm not like you, an old woman who's enjoying your retirement here, spending all your time nagging and teasing newbies. I still have reasons to go back."

"So, you little ones who rush headlong into your dreams, be careful one day you don't get too carried away and plunge headfirst into the abyss—oh dear, another little one has reached Farron Fortress! I wonder which one of them it will be. Well then, this old lady is off to tease the younger generation. See you later, Teresa with the fake smile~"

She waved to Denise, and then faded and disappeared in the firelight.

"Get out of here, you noisy old woman."

The sacrificial site fell silent, leaving only the fire-keeper sitting quietly and the bonfire that seemed to never go out.

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