Lord of Cinder in American Comics

"Thousands of years have passed, and I already have new children. Eivor, help me one more time..."

A man dressed in neat leather armor, carrying a sword and shield, and with his red hair meticulously styled, walked past Eivor and bowed his head to Odin.

"The spirits of Asgard are at your service!"

Odin laughed heartily, patted the man on the shoulder, and said, "Tyr! My god of war! Now, let us fight side by side and leave Asgard with a worry-free future!"

Eivor was speechless. He gripped his battle axe tightly and looked at the enemy's already formed ranks and their raised thunder spears.

The people behind them sounded horns, and the heroes and undead of Valhalla in Asgard clashed with the knights of the gods from Dark Souls.

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Chapter 469: The Deep Bishops

Valhalla, the final resting place of the gods and warriors in Norse mythology, is the hall where Odin receives the souls of the dead.

Valhalla houses Odin's handmaidens, and also contains the brave and skilled warriors chosen from the battlefields of the mortal realm.

The Valkyries who had been killed by Hela reappeared and offered their last strength to Odin.

Inside Valhalla, these chosen ones engage in various forms of combat face-to-face every day, and then feast and revel as if nothing had happened at night.

Their most important duty is to face Ragnarok alongside the Norse gods.

Ragnarok doesn't reside in any one person; it represents the end of Asgard, which is now.

The Valkyrie, riding her Pegasus, and the charging Heroic Spirits attacked the knights.

For divine knightly orders like the Black Knights and Silver Knights, tens of thousands of years of warfare have long made them fearless of all enemies.

Besides, what enemy could be more terrifying than the ancient dragon, the former ruler of the world?

Seeing the enemy about to arrive, a group of black knights approached the front of the formation with ill intent, and took out the dragon-headed shields they had taken from the Ringed Knights.

The dragon-headed shield was aimed at the Valkyries in the sky. The moment the dragon roar was produced, the winged horses ridden by the Valkyries lost their original reason.

Ancient dragons are immortal; their roars still contain the power of their former world dominance, and the Pegasus cannot withstand the intimidation of such overlords.

The Valkyrie's fall momentarily halted Asgard's charge, but they quickly recovered and resumed their advance.

However, the spirits in these Halls of Heroes still retain the fighting style from thousands of years ago.

In this chaotic battle, before close combat, they would throw out their double meteor tripwires or other secondary weapons in an attempt to inflict some damage on the enemy.

However, their enemies were fully armored knights, plate-armored warriors with the highest defense, so such attacks were completely ineffective.

Think back to the ancient dragon wars; the knights' equipment was designed to withstand large creatures hundreds of meters long, and this kind of weapon simply couldn't penetrate their defenses.

Being able to withstand ranged attacks doesn't mean there are no other dangers. The various heavy weapons carried by the heroes or the Valkyrie's Dragon Fang Sword can also cause damage to the knights.

But this is where the importance of battle formation becomes apparent. The knight at the very front used his shield to block the first wave of attack for his comrades behind him.

Then, to the heroes' surprise, the shield-bearing knights suddenly took a step back. This made the first wave of attacks from Valhalla seem like hitting cotton, powerless and ineffective.

Before they could even catch their breath, they saw a silver knight leap up from the rear of the battle formation, thrusting his lance into the shield wall.

Anyone who's ever been a Darkmoon Maniac knows how troublesome Silver Knights are. Especially the Gun-Shield Knight; if he leaps at you, even a little bit of low resilience will break your defense. Not to mention the Silver Knight's signature lightning enchantment.

These silver knights aimed their spears directly at the enemy at the front, and as they attacked, lightning burst forth from the spear tips, extending infinitely outwards along the earth.

The situation was unfavorable for Valhalla, yet Odin made no move, simply watching his enemies march towards their deaths.

The knights acted like a dam, blocking wave after wave of attacks until the enemy filled their path.

Odin then slowly raised the Spear of Eternity, with Eivor and Tyr standing on either side of him, and together they were transported away by the Rainbow Bridge.

The Rainbow Bridge's primary function is to deploy Asgardian forces to any location regardless of terrain or space, and Odin, who created this weapon, is also adept at using it in every way.

While the battle raged on the front lines, Odin, along with Eivor and Tyr, infiltrated behind the knights and launched an attack on their leader, the Fire Keeper.

Among them, Eivor was an ancient Order Keeper, a fierce warrior who raided England against the Order. Tyr was Odin's appointed god of war.

Not to mention Odin, who conquered the Nine Realms; these three are the strongest beings in Asgard, both then and now.

Now, they see the Fire Keeper not far away; if they can take her down, they can sever one of Lothric's arms.

The knights were certainly prepared for this, and the Black Knights surrounded the Fire Keeper as her guards.

These warriors, who had fought the longest and fought the widest areas, raised their weapons upon seeing Odin and his companions, ready to kill the enemies.

However, the Black Knights suddenly stopped their attack preparations and withdrew from around the Fire Keeper, a hint of resentment in their eyes.

The retreating Black Knights kept looking back until they reached the front line, where they finally vented their anger and frustration on the spirits of the fallen heroes in Valhalla.

Seeing that the area around the Fire Keeper had been deliberately cleared, Odin and his companions were momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Knowing it was a trap, but with the Fire Keeper right in front of them and the opportunity so close, the three of them still charged forward despite their fear.

As a Viking warrior, Eivor charged ahead, and just as his weapon was an arm's length away from the Fire Keeper, the billowing black mist obscured her figure.

A faint black mist hung in the air, through which enemies could be vaguely seen. However, these enemies appeared to be dressed in elaborate robes and carrying candlesticks or large scepters, making them look somewhat out of place on the battlefield.

These people who appeared varied in height and build. After casually cutting one down, Eivor discovered that these enemies were as weak as the cults he had plundered in his lifetime, and even weaker than those cult members.

But then Eivor changed his mind. He saw the guy who had just been cut down get back up and return to a state of being uninjured.

The Bishops of the Deep, as followers of Eldridge, guard the coffin of the Saint of the Deep, Eldridge, awaiting their savior to continue the world after the God of Food.

But the Deep Bishops could not stop the Ashes who were killing indiscriminately like mad dogs, nor could their saints heed the Ashes' admonitions.

Those who served the Deep were given the Ashes to another person who was safe and sound in the Abyss—the Fire Keeper.

From then on, the original Bishops of the Deep became followers of the Fire Keeper. They did not change their faith, but simply chose a more powerful Abyss Walker.

The appearance of the Deep Archbishops shielded the Fire Keeper from a wave of attacks. If anyone could stand in front of the Fire Keeper, they would see that she had removed her blindfold, and the twisted abyssal humanity within it was gone.

But the Fire Keeper's eyes no longer had a clear distinction between black and white; there was only darkness, and within that darkness was a glimmer of light, which was the Fire Keeper enveloped by her soul.

The bishops began to sing hymns, continuously casting fireballs at Odin and his companions as they sang.

The fireballs were barely effective against Odin and his companions, but the ever-spreading black mist was their death warrant.

Perhaps not many Ash will be able to resist killing these easily killed bishops, but if they hold out long enough, they will find themselves gradually accumulating curse points.

This curse, which would kill anyone who came, was merely a power exerted by the bishops through Eldridge's coffin.

Their faith now rests on the Fire Keeper, the terrifying being who protected the campfire, healed the Dark Mark, and returned from the Abyss. She is even the embodiment of the Abyss itself.

Now, Odin and his companions are tainted by a curse from the Deep Abyss, and even the Fire Keeper couldn't touch them; their lives are now on a countdown.

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Chapter 470: Tears Ahead, But Fearless

The Fire Keeper blocked all Asgardian attacks for Ash, leaving Ash with the space to deal with Solaire.

But looking at Solar, Ash couldn't bring himself to do it.

If Ash still holds any belief in this world, besides its yearning for fire, its response to kindness, and its desire to prevent tragedy, then all that remains is its yearning for the sun.

Solar is the sun of ashes.

Once upon a time, in this desolate world, Ash felt the warmth of the sun from Solar.

While Solaire provided assistance, Ashes accompanied Solaire through Undead Town, conquered Dragonvale, and annihilated Blighttown. Even the dragon was no match for Solaire's few lightning spears.

It seems that with Solar, no difficulty is insurmountable.

'I want to be a sun warrior like him!'

Following Solal's example, Ash left his own summoning runes before each challenge, driven by a mission to help others that drew him closer to Solal.

And now, his idol, his sun, the person he so desperately wanted to get close to, is swinging his sword at him.

"Give me back my sun!"

Ash only responded passively to Solal's attacks until they landed on him, at which point he swung his spiral sword to deflect them.

Solar is the sun of ashes, how can you attack the sun!

Not only the ashes, but all the surrounding sun brothers were unable to attack the sun before them.

Solal's gaze remained fixed on Ash, while behind him stood the Sword Saint wielding the Ringed Knight's Straight Sword. If he were to unleash a flurry of attacks, Solal would surely be severely injured.

But none of the Sun Brothers made a move; they simply surrounded Solar and silently mourned.

No one wanted to lay a hand on the man in front of them.

"Oh, sun! Finally, finally I have it! I have it..."

The murmuring Solar rushed toward Ash without regard for anything else, frantically trying to grab him.

However, it is clear that Solal does not want to give his former little brother a warm hug. People parasitized by the sun worms will only chase after all the light in their madness.

Now, all Solar wants is to hold Ash in his arms, so that he can have his own sun!

Seeing Solar about to touch him, Ash lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Solar..."

Suddenly, flames erupted from Ash's body, and Ash, burning with the First Flame, swung his spiral greatsword at Solal.

The spiral sword was deflected by Solal's sun-patterned shield, which remained completely still. Solal even had the strength to deflect the ashes at that moment.

Solaire, who was once capable of fighting Gwyn the Lord of Cinder, now possesses power born from human imagination, with the Reality Stone as his core and faith as his foundation.

With so many warriors who believe in the sun, Solar is enough to elevate it to the highest level.

Solal deflected the spiral greatsword, and his right-hand sun sword showed no mercy as he slashed down directly at Ash.

The clanging of metal striking metal was incessant.

The air currents generated by the clash of weapons cleared away the collapsed celestial palace.

In close combat, Solar has a shield available, making him well-rounded in both offense and defense. Ash changed his weapon, transforming his greatsword into a spear.

Ash held the spear at his waist, lowered his body to firmly hold the spear in place, and then thrust it at Solal.

Flames blazed from the spear, and its sharp thrust pierced through space, appearing suddenly before Solal.

However, Solal used the same old method: blocking with his Sunbeam Shield.

Like the clatter of steel being shredded, or the scraping of fingernails on a blackboard, the spear and shield collided.

Before everyone's eyes, space seemed to freeze. The spear tip and the shield made only the slightest contact, as if the spear had been carefully stopped by the ashes the instant it touched the shield, for fear of scratching it. And the previous collision sound seemed to have never existed.