Elden Ring, building a legion of ashes

Chapter 94 Attacking the Zhang Mansion

As the enormous skeletal phantom slowly disappeared, Watercall Village returned to peace.

Standing on a distant hillside, D's eyes narrowed, and he murmured softly:

"They actually solved it?"

"He must have already obtained the dead root."

Beside him, the demi-human Burke had been standing there, frozen in place.

His mouth dropped open; he could hardly believe it.

Such a powerful monster was actually defeated by Brother Tong.

This strength was so great that it far surpassed that of the demi-human leaders and the terrifying demi-human queen he had seen in his tribe before.

"See? Even without you, Brother Tong can handle it!"

D turned to look at Burke, his face hidden behind his helmet, so his expression was not visible.

Burke immediately shut his mouth and said no more, but his face still showed an expression of pride.

In the distance, Xia Tong was already riding Toret towards them.

Upon approaching, he threw the dead root in his hand in front of D.

"Clatter".

"This should be what you wanted, right?"

D slowly bent down to pick up the dead root, examined it carefully, and then confirmed it was indeed true.

"It is indeed a dead root."

"But you shouldn't give it to me; you should give it to the Beast Priest."

"In the entire border region, only he has the ability to digest and devour the Dead Root."

"A beast priest?"

Xia Tong pretended not to know and thought about it for a moment.

He knew, of course, that D referred to the beast priest, Gurang.

Moreover, Granger's true identity is actually "Black Sword" Maricus, who was once the Death Agent who instilled fear in all demigods.

"Where is the Beast Priest? How do I get there?"

Although he knew the consequences D was trying to predict, he still had to go through the standard procedure.

Otherwise it would seem too strange, as if you opened it yourself.

Then, D took out a map and gestured to Xia Tong.

He pointed out the location of the Third Church of Maryka.

"Next to the Third Church of Maryka, there is a hidden river."

"Follow the river to its end, there's a hidden portal that leads to the Temple of the Beasts."

"You will find the Beast Priest Granger there."

Xia Tong patiently accompanied D through the act before revealing her true intentions.

"A warrior like you who hunts the dead year after year must surely have some holy prayers."

"Could you teach me? Of course, I will pay you a certain fee."

"You...your faith..."

D gently closed his eyes, seemingly sensing the fluctuations of power within Xia Tong's body.

Then, he reopened his eyes, looked at Xia Tong, and slowly said:

"It's so low."

"Not even as good as your servant."

D turned to look at the demi-human Burke, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Xia Tong's expression immediately changed slightly.

"???"

No, you're mocking me to my face. Aren't you afraid I'll chop you up?

Although my faith is not strong, I am still the future King of Elden, right?

Fortunately, Xia Tong is a very gentle person, and he maintained his smile on the surface.

"Yes, but I think my faith will grow in the future."

"Sigh..." D sighed and shook his head:

"I can only offer you some basic prayers that can be used with a low level of faith."

"Otherwise, if you forcefully use high-level prayer, not only will you fail to release it, but you will also suffer severe backlash."

After thinking it over, this is the only one that suits you.

As he spoke, he took out a stack of old parchment from his pocket, then pulled out one of the sheets and handed it to Xia Tong.

"This is the prayer book of the sword of holy law."

"You can study according to the requirements in the prayer book."

"This is a prayer that can grant weapons holy attribute attack power, and it is very effective against the Deadborn."

D glanced at Xia Tong and added:

"However, your faith seems to fall a little short of its basic usage requirements."

"I hope you'll be able to use it next time I see you."

"Considering that you were able to hunt a Deadborn on your own and obtain a Dead Root on our first meeting, I'll give you a discounted price."

"Two thousand five hundred runes will suffice."

Xia Tong sighed helplessly to herself.

They really spend money like water.

Most of the money I earned from defeating the BOSS just now disappeared in an instant.

But you still have to buy it if you need to.

This prayer proved quite useful later on, at least making things much easier when going down to the cemetery.

.........

The ruins of Yizhan Street.

The demi-human Burke looked nervous, his hands trembling slightly.

In front of him stood a homeless nobleman dressed in tattered yet luxurious clothes.

This once respectable nobleman has now become almost a mindless zombie, delirious and driven only by primal aggressive instincts.

Looking at the small, thin Burke in front of him, he let out a low growl and instinctively lunged to bite.

Even though his teeth were rotten and blackened, the stench and madness were still terrifying.

With a "whoosh"!

Burke reacted quickly, clumsily rolling over to narrowly avoid the attack and landing behind the homeless nobleman.

He then gritted his teeth and brandished the brass dagger in his hand.

It ripped the filthy silk clothes of the powerful and wealthy in one go.

The sharp brass dagger, blessed by the demi-human Burke faith, gleamed with a cold light, exceptionally sharp.

The blade sliced ​​open a large gash in the nobleman's lower back, and blood gushed out.

Instantly, a nauseating, fishy stench filled the air.

The blood of these wandering nobles has long been tainted and stank due to years of corruption.

However, even with a lower back injury, the homeless nobleman's movements remained almost unchanged.

Undeterred by the pain, he suddenly turned around and lunged at Burke with open arms once more.

Burke had no idea that he would react so quickly, and was tackled straight to the ground.

"what!"

Burke screamed in terror.

Just as that foul-smelling mouth was about to bite his neck, Burke, out of instinct for survival, plunged the brass dagger in his hand into the mouth, blocking the closing teeth.

However, this was not a fatal injury.

Although the homeless nobleman's mouth was gagged, his hands did not stop moving, and he tightly gripped Burke's neck.

Xia Tong watched coldly from the side without making a move.

Although Burke was in a sorry state, he was only in danger of injury, not death.

That powerful figure was already at his last gasp.

If we want him to break free from his deep-seated inferiority, cowardice, and weakness, then we must test him with blood.

You can never become a warrior without fighting and shedding blood!

Finally, Burke, who had been choked to the point of near suffocation, exploded.

He managed to free one hand, groped for the staff at his waist, and then pressed the tip of the staff hard against the nobleman's chest.

With a "sizzle" sound.

The sapphire at the tip of the staff lit up.

A beam of radiant stone magic fragment shot out.

In this close contact, the magic stone moved at extremely high speed, directly piercing through the nobleman's fragile skin, penetrating deep into his muscles, and exploding inside his chest cavity.

One shot, two shots, three shots!

After three shots.

Under such close-range, continuous bombardment, the nobleman's chest was completely blasted apart, and his heart was shattered by magic.

He finally went limp and collapsed onto Burke, falling silent.

"Well done, Burke!"

Xia Tong looked at the demi-human Burke, who was lying on the ground, panting heavily, sweating profusely, and with his chest heaving, and gave him her praise.

"You're a soldier now!"

Xia Tong walked over, kicked the corpse of the powerful man aside, and gently pulled Burke up.

While fear still lingered in the latter's eyes, an unprecedented excitement also flickered within them.

That's the thrill of defeating a powerful enemy.

Xia Tong then returned to the underground chamber of the Post Station Street ruins, leaving Bo Ke alone in the ruins above to review the battle and calm himself down.

As he watched Xia Tong's retreating figure, Burke's eyes gradually lost focus.

He murmured softly:

"Mother... Mother..."

"If only you were still here, I would have the power to protect you!"

As he thought about it, tears welled up in his eyes, mingling with the blood and grime on his face, and slid down his cheeks.

……