Chapter 769: Farron Breakdance Squad, Teaching Awkward Dance Online

"To think they expect a bunch of un-dead rascals to seek out the Lords of Cinder, and even harbor the illusion of dragging them back to their moldering thrones. Those people are the heroic lords who linked the fire! How could we possibly achieve such a thing?"

Just as that despondent swordsman said upon first entering the Firelink Shrine, this world was, in truth, filled with countless nameless souls who possessed neither past nor future. They crawled from their graves, yet on any given day, they might silently wither into hollows upon the road, never to awaken again.

Death was their eternal companion.

Iudex Gundyr, Vordt of the Boreal Valley, the Curse-Rotted Greatwood... and within the filthy, toxic swamps of the Farron Keep, the ubiquitous basilisks capable of inflicting instant death curses, the Darkwraiths who were the oldest of invaders, and chimeras far more troublesome than any boss... It could be said that whether a player was new or a seasoned veteran, reaching the first Lord of Cinder, the Abyss Watchers of Farron, required undergoing the crucible of hundreds upon hundreds of deaths.

Whether against ordinary monsters or bosses, nearly every single clash was a grueling, desperate battle.

Nalan Hongwu, the former venerable Martial Emperor and now Martial Sovereign, had clearly died a countless number of times along the way. This was perhaps his most perilous experience to date, and consequently, his demeanor grew increasingly cautious.

This was only natural; in fact, even a Saint-level entity like Kaelanbell felt a lingering desire to simply give up at this point.

Every single day, they were ground into the dirt by all manner of common mobs and bosses, suffering in utter agony!

...

Sera and her group of elves fared even worse, with over ninety percent of them thoroughly deterred by Gundyr. Recalling how naively they had once purchased the entire trilogy of Dark Souls One, Two, and Three all at once, it seemed a pure delusion.

It felt as though completing just one of them would take a literal lifetime.

However, this did not prevent them from finishing the game via walkthrough videos.

At this moment, Mr. D, acting as a renowned major streamer, clearly felt that he could not remain so idle, considering everyone everywhere was currently discussing this new game.

Thus, concentrating deeply, he sat upon the sofa to watch first. He would stream only after watching, at least to familiarize himself with the game beforehand to avoid suffering too grievously during the live broadcast.

Within the combat of Dark Souls, almost every encounter was a struggle of the weak against the strong, and unlike many other games, powerful adversaries could not be overcome through scripted narrative deaths.

At this juncture, Nalan Hongwu raised the Dark Sword in his hand and returned a military salute in kind.

Only upon witnessing this scene did a certain emotion stir within the onlookers. Perhaps this was not a great king, but they were absolutely a company of dutiful soldiers.

The responsibility of a soldier and the destiny of a king—no matter which one was chosen, both commanded deep respect. Being forced to choose between the two was not an act of evasion, and perhaps only an old veteran of the battlefield like him could truly empathize with such a plight.

Two swordsmen clad in the distinctive red cloaks and pointed helms of the Undead Legion rushed toward Nalan Hongwu, executing a bizarre, rhythmic footwork.

The swordsmanship they employed was known as the "Wolf Swordsmanship." In this era where myth had not yet faded into the distance, the "Wolf Swordsmanship" was the martial style used by Artorias the Abysswalker, a legendary figure of matchless prowess who served beneath Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight.

Distinct from the greatswords in Final Fantasy that resembled thick door panels, these greatswords, nearly two meters in length, did not appear cumbersome. The blades, as thick as a man's arm, could sweep across a vast area when swung, yet they remained exceptionally agile.

The short dagger held in the left hand served perfectly to cover the vast majority of openings left after a greatsword swing.

The blade-light, resembling a streak of silver silk, severed a distance of several yards almost instantly during the charge. Virtually simultaneously, Nalan Hongwu made his move, decisively and cleanly rolling away from his original position. The gravel upon the ground shattered completely as if blasted apart by the strike; had Nalan Hongwu confidently tried to evade it by merely stepping aside just now, he would likely have been blasted away by the sheer impact in an instant!

Nalan Hongwu's judgment regarding his opponent's powerful assault still carried a slight margin of error, for at that very moment, the diagonally downward-slashing blade violently swept upward. Accompanied by billowing dust and howling gravel, the blade thrust toward Nalan Hongwu once more!

The speed was so immense, executed and retracted entirely at will, that it left onlookers utterly dumbfounded!

The opponent's superb and incomparably seasoned swordsmanship would make the battle extremely grueling even if their strengths were perfectly equal, let alone now, when Nalan Hongwu's own strength, speed, and other faculties were entirely inferior to his adversary's.

Right at that moment, a flash of sword-light resembled a falling star, traversing almost the entire battlefield to instantly pierce through the opponent's arm!

The eyes of that newly risen figure gleamed with a crimson light; it was an Undead Legionnaire corrupted by the Abyss, bound to endless resurrection.

As the commander of the Farron Undead Legion, he was forced to accept this sorrowful conclusion. The comrades of yesteryear now stood opposed with bared steel, leaving him no choice but to drive a blade through their chests. The battle raged on.

Because the initial duel had devolved into a three-way chaotic brawl, the pressure of the combat lessened considerably.

Ultimately, the warrior strove to stand, yet could endure no longer, collapsing powerlessly to the earth.

"Did he just die like that?" For reasons unknown, as the elves witnessed this scene, they felt absolutely no joy of victory or completion, but only a tinge of profound sorrow.

Even Nalan Hongwu fell into a brief silence.

Perhaps for them, they too wished that this admirable army could pass away with dignity.

Just then, they suddenly beheld sparks of fire beginning to ignite.

Upon the ground where countless lifeless corpses lay, a myriad of wolf blood began to flow slowly toward the open air, converging in a single direction.

Upon the cloaks, upon the armor, embers of fire began to kindle.

The glow of the sparks resembled countless fireflies in the dark, illuminating this realm of shadow.

A torrent of scorching flame instantly erupted from the hilt, like a pillar of crimson fire, engulfing the entire length of the blade.

Propping himself up with that blazing greatsword, the warrior who had previously fallen returned once more.

He slowly dragged himself up from the ground, as though many years ago, that god who fought the Abyss was issuing a fearless challenge to the endless dark.

Only this time, his eyes were blood-red; by now, the darkness of the Abyss had completely consumed the consciousness of every last soul!

Yet this was the true power of a Lord of Cinder!

The true decisive battle, perhaps, had only just begun!

The greatsword, enveloped in raging flames, swung wide, its fiery light seeming to illuminate the entirety of the grim, darkened hall.

"My goodness...!" At this moment, even several Saint-level figures like Kaelanbell and Leyton were watching from behind, their eyes locked firmly onto the screen.

The searing flames seemed to ignite the very air itself. As the two-meter-long flaming greatsword swung in rotating arcs of fire, one fierce and rapid offensive followed another, rendering the audience almost unable to breathe.

"Oh my god! How is he doing that!?" a nearby kobold shrieked in alarm. On the screen, that member of the Farron Undead Legion moved with an incredibly bizarre footwork, mysteriously evading several of Nalan Hongwu's sword strikes in succession!

Flames danced through the air; perhaps it was precisely because it verged upon death that such beauty could exist.

Not only the elves, but even the Saint-level powerhouses standing at the back had their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ah! This swordsmanship looks absolutely brilliant!" Sera cried out in amazement.

After watching for a long time, they finally saw the battle draw to a close. They discovered that Nalan Hongwu went to the Firelink Shrine to transpose the Soul of the Blood of the Wolf for an identical greatsword. Instantly, as if he had mastered it on the spot, he began to execute that strange footwork, swinging the weapon around within the shrine.

"That's the very sword style!" Even Saint Leyton from behind cried out in astonishment, "This sword style can actually be learned!?"

"Look at me! The first move goes like this..." Sera mimicked the motions on the side as she watched.

"Look at me, look at me! The next two moves are like this!" Several elves also began to move with elegant steps, entirely absorbed in imitating the style inside the shop.

"No, no, no! It should be like this!" Several Saint-level powerhouses nearby clearly mimicked the forms with far greater accuracy.

"What are you all doing?" At this moment, Boss Fang walked over, "If you want to do a cringe dance, go out to the streets!"

He muttered discontentedly, "Honestly... why on earth are you coming into the shop to perform the dance of the Farron Breakdance Squad?"

Kaelanbell, whose ears were sharper than anyone else's, suddenly froze. She stopped her wild movements and glanced at the elves, who were spinning and leaping with wooden sticks procured from goodness knows where: "..."

"Can you please just shut your mouth!!" Her face was completely distorted with rage.