Lord of Cinder in American Comics

It was through Moz's subtle help that Ash gradually returned to life on Earth.

If Ash wasn't afraid of startling Moz, she would have already buffed Moz with various status effects, turning him into an ashes on the spot.

Hearing Ash's sincere words, Moz patted Ash's arm and accepted the rusty coin.

"By the way, Moz, if you encounter any danger that you can't handle, just crush the gold coin."

The rusty gold coin's greatest effect only occurs after the coin is broken; the luck boost from holding it daily is not as significant as the effect of crushing it.

"Ok, I see."

After taking notes of Ash's instructions, Moz became fascinated by Leslie's betting games, the Detroit dentist who made his name through the simplest street gambling.

So another ruthless person arrived at the sacrificial site to teach Leslie a lesson. How much Leslie loses today depends on Moz's mood.

Ash took the floppy disk and went to the campfire at the sacrificial site.

Wielding the spiral sword, Ash teleported to the Firelink Shrine in the Dark Souls world.

Rudauth of Courland still sits on his throne of desire, burning his own body to temporarily maintain the world's legacy.

Rudolf seemed to be asleep, not reacting even when Ash approached. Ash didn't disturb the Lord of Cinder's rest, standing silently beside him and waiting.

"Oh, you're back. Sorry, I think I fell asleep. So, is there some interesting spirit this time?"

When Rudolph woke up, he saw Ash beside him and asked her questions in a friendly manner.

Before becoming Lord of Cinder, Rudolph of Culland was a researcher of 'alchemy,' who would extract the essence of a soul and grant it uncontrollable forbidden power.

Using the old smelting furnace in Courland, Rudaws can forge deformed souls into weapons and create special items.

It was with the help of Rudolf's knowledge and guidance that the Firelink Shrine was able to later develop a series of Ash's imaginative weapons.

He handed the 3.5-inch floppy disk to Rudolf. Rudolf stroked the floppy disk, feeling the spiritual power within it.

"Oh, this is a vessel created by a human, an extremely weak soul, so weak that even the Fire Keeper can't sense it. It was created solely because of one person's emotions. Ash, is it really as powerful as you say?"

Ludovic's last question was a rhetorical one directed at Ash. In Ludovic's view, such a weak soul could hardly achieve the strength that Ash had described.

The 3.5-inch floppy disk that Moz secretly smuggled out was, in Ash's memory, comparable to the king of the internet.

This floppy disk has another name: Samaritan. In the TV series Person of Interest, Samaritan was created by Finch's classmate at MIT, Clapey, as an artificial intelligence project with the same functions as Finch's 'machine'—a large-scale surveillance system.

Finch's machine is an AI with feelings; it analyzes like a human and cherishes its creator and executor.

The Samaritan, on the other hand, was a blank slate who was later trained to become a data analyst for the government, with a group of people who worshipped him as God.

Both have one thing in common: reducing crime and making the world a better place.

Chapter 106: The Boss Has Arrived

However, the ending of Person of Interest is open-ended, and the outcome of the showdown between the machine and the Samaritan remains to be seen.

But this also proves the power of the AI ​​on this floppy disk.

After Ash's explanation, Rudolf chose to believe Ash and follow her plan.

“In that case, to shape a soul, I need the help of witches and fire keepers. The witches of Izalith can create souls and give birth to life, and the fire keepers can look directly into the soul and see through the abyss. Only with them can I shape this soul according to your requirements.”

"I will inform them. I'm leaving the rest to you, King of Courland."

After Ash finished speaking, she jumped off the Throne of Desire and walked towards the campfire. Just as Ash was about to teleport away with the Spiral Sword in hand, she heard what Ludovic said.

"King Hunter, fulfill your mission..."

"I will."

Back at Firelink Shrine on Earth, Ash told the Fire Keeper about Ludovic's request, and the Fire Keeper, understanding Ash's plan, quickly agreed.

Time passed, and the Fire Keeper would occasionally return to the Dark Souls world to assist Ludos in building a new soul, together with the witch Karula.

Meanwhile, Ash took advantage of this time to begin her and Kassel's slacking-off lifestyle.

During this period, with the military's presence in New York City, the orcs' living space has been continuously compressed. In addition, the residents of New York are full of martial spirit, and the number of orcs is constantly decreasing.

Even the number of orcs outside the sacrificial site is decreasing, to the point that only a few people are needed to patrol and hunt down the invading orcs. The scene of shooting at the walls is no longer there.

A while ago, Kassel found the arcade machine that was still somewhere and was determined to challenge Ash's Bee record again.

The two began a relentless duel. This, of course, once again attracted the attention of Leslie, the founder of the Sacred Grounds betting platform.

One night, Ash, in a dark corner, forced Leslie to change her odds of losing to 1 to 100. But seeing Leslie's tearful voice, Ash softened and changed it to 1 to 20.

After Ash left, Leslie, sitting in the corner, carefully calculated how much he would have to lose. Ash might not understand gambling, but could Leslie not? Adjusting the odds of losing for one's own team would inevitably increase the odds of winning for the other team proportionally.

Since Moz arrived at the Firelink Shrine, Leslie has lost more than half of his original gold artifacts to Moz.

Based on the odds, if Ash loses, he may lose all his gold.

Leslie sighed silently, wondering if he should ask Cassel to help him fix the match.

But the thought was quickly suppressed and buried deep within Leslie's heart. While Ash might not say anything, simply laughing it off, Leslie still had his boss, his big brother. Offending his big brother would definitely upset his subordinates.

Leslie laid out the gold items, half of which no longer belonged to her, and tearfully changed the odds.

Upon seeing Leslie change the odds, the assassins, feeling they had seized an opportunity, began placing bets amidst Leslie's cries.

The next morning, just after breakfast, the arena outside had already been set up, and the assassins even made their own banners for the people they supported.

Just as Ash and Cassell were locked in a fierce confrontation, their eyes practically blazing with lightning, a loud engine roared overhead.

At the very beginning are two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, each carrying a standard seven-rocket launcher. Four combat personnel are also mounted on either side.

Closely following the little bird was an OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter, painted in army livery. As soon as it appeared, it fired four Hellfire rockets, blasting them into the orc horde outside the wall.

This situation caused the assassins who were originally preparing for the gambling game to pick up their weapons, and some even replaced them with anti-aircraft missiles and carried them on their shoulders.

However, the arrival of armed forces later on caused the assassins to give up resisting, and even the guy carrying the anti-aircraft missile had already dropped it on the ground.

Because the distinct preheating sound of the machine gun reached the ears of people on the ground.

Two AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and two AH-64 Apache helicopters escorted a CH-53K heavy helicopter as it entered the field.

Armed helicopters circled around the perimeter, guarding against any possible attack, while the CH-53K landed directly on the open ground of the sacrificial site.

Compared to the trouble they'd caused during their careers as assassins, this was clearly not a situation targeting them. Relieved, the assassins started egging each other on, urging Ash and Cassel to continue their duel.

However, the people who stepped out of the heavy helicopter silenced the assassins.

Sheffield and Ross are rarely seen together in the same frame, and they even ride in the same helicopter.

If the Pentagon saw this, someone would definitely write another book titled "Two Hundred Years of Love and Hate Between the Air Force and the Army".

Upon seeing the two, Ash realized they were after him; the last time was at the Phoenix Firepower Base.

Before I even got to the helicopter, I could hear Sheffield’s voice coming from there.

"Ash, your vacation is over. You have twenty minutes; we need to leave immediately."

Although Sheffield did not specify what it was about, the fact that two high-ranking military officials appeared together suggests that it was not something that could be discussed in person.

Ash didn't answer, but turned around and went straight into the sacrificial site.

The arrival of the military terrified the assassins. People also gathered inside the sacrificial site.

Without explaining the reasons to everyone, Ash immediately began making arrangements.

"Brother Cong, if someone tries to break in while I'm gone, I'll have to rely on you."

Onion Knight responded to Ash's request, drew his Storm Ruler, and stood before him.

"Kingpin, keep an eye on those assassins outside. If any of them disobey, beat them to death."

Without saying a word, Kingpin took out his phone and started contacting Leslie, who was running the betting operation outside, to inquire about the number of assassins and their equipment.

When Ash stood before Logan, he hesitated. The Onion Knight and Kingpin could be considered allies in some respects, but Logan found it difficult to give them orders.

However, after waiting for a while, Logan didn't hear Ash's words. He frowned and said, "Do you look down on me, or do you not believe me?"

“No, of course not. I just don’t know what right I have to ask you this. Logan, I hope you can protect these people while I’m gone.”

Hearing Ash's words, Logan became happy instead. He took out a new cigar from who-knows-where, extended the steel blade between his fingers, clashed them together, lit the cigar with the sparks, and took a puff.

"Don't worry, no one can walk over my dead body to get in. Hmm~ except Magneto."

Next up was the Cassell family. Cassell looked at Ash with an air of entrustment, and with the roar of military helicopter engines outside, he couldn't help but feel tense.

However, Ash bypassed Kassel and walked straight towards the Fire Keeper.

Chapter 107: Last Time or Last Time

“Wait, wait, what about me? You’ve forgotten about me!” Cassel exclaimed.

To demonstrate his bravery, Kassel even stood sideways and held his church pistol to his chest.

Martha reached out and pulled her child back; Kassel's attempt to make a name for himself at this moment was rather worrying.

However, to everyone's surprise, Ash listened to Cassell's words and thought about it seriously.

Although Kassel was eccentric and unreliable throughout his life, he always cared about others, and in many ways, Kassel was the key figure.

Instead of seeking trouble to prove himself, Kassel now wants to truly contribute to the Firelink Shrine.

Ash then handed a Lothric Standard Rifle to Cassel.

“Casel, you’ve seen me use it before. When necessary, summon those dragon riders; they will cover your retreat.”

Kassel nodded solemnly, took the Los Ridge Rifle with both hands, and slung it over his shoulder.

Ash walked up to the Fire Keeper, then knelt down and took her hand as she always had.

"Farewell, Lord Ash, may the flames guide you."

After saying goodbye to the Fire Keeper, Ash boarded the helicopter with Sheffield and Ross.

Outside the helicopter window, the accompanying armed helicopters constantly moved back and forth, detecting any potential dangers.

Inside the helicopter, Ross tossed a sealed report to Ash.

He didn't care whether he could see it or not; since Rose had thrown it, Ash had to be careful.

"An investigation report about Ash Solar? When did you guys start doing this kind of thing?"

Ash read out the report's cover title and said jokingly to Ross.