Chapter 471 When You Stare Into the Abyss, the Abyss Also Stares Into You

Is such a rotten world and despicable king worth challenging?

Looking into Hawkwood's tired gray eyes.

Ashes seemed to feel the despair and discouragement rooted in Hawkwood's heart for the first time.

"……I have no idea."

Ashes said.

I am but an ember awakened by the sound of a bell, longing for the fire.

For one reason or another, the Xinwang are unwilling to continue the initial fire, and what I have to do is to bring the Xinwang back, or bring back their firewood, so that the first fire can continue and the world can continue.

That is my mission, my innate desire for fire as a fireless ashes.

When the flame was about to go out, I threw myself into the furnace and burned my soul, my humanity, and even my body.

But in the end, due to lack of strength, he eventually became ashes and failed to reach the rank of Salary King.

So I can't understand how miserable this rotten world and this despicable king are.

As the scheduler of the salary kings, all I believe in is my mission.

And with that said...

Ashes looked at the sword carried behind Hawkwood.

It was a sword that looked similar to a wolf sword, but it had always been wrapped in a scabbard and had never been pulled out by Brother Cangxin.

During the days and nights at the Fire Sacrifice, he always held the shield in his hand, sat dejectedly on the steps and sighed.

It was only at this moment, the first time the two of them talked so much, that Hui Jin noticed Brother Cang Xin's sword, which seemed particularly familiar.

"...Perhaps...can you talk about the Frank Undead Team?"

Hui Jin's eyes retracted from the hilt of Brother Chong Xin's big sword.

It is not difficult to find that Hawkwood's sword is the Farlan Great Sword - exactly the same style as the large swords that are engraved next to the empty throne with "King of Salary - Farlan Undead Team" engraved on it.

But there is no doubt that he must know some news about the French Undead Team.

Hearing this, Hawkwood took a deep look at Ashes.

"...what a fool..."

Even so, do you still want to continue your mission?

For a moment, he couldn't see clearly the true nature of the person in front of him.

When they first met, he had thought that this poor incombustible garbage was just an apostle of the Fire Prevention Woman, willing to be a tool that could be manipulated for the so-called "great cause of spreading fire".

But this moment.

He seemed to see something in Ashes' eyes.

what is that?

Is it hope? Is it sincerity?

Or is it a faint but bright ember spark?

The same as Ashes' answer - he doesn't know either.

Perhaps at this moment, as someone who knew King Xin's past, he, like Ashes who had lost his memory, was just a fool who was ignorant and confused about the world.

Perhaps at this moment, the faint but blazing fire in Hui Jin's eyes also made his heart waver a little.

Salad—Salad—

After stepping on the dry and barren yellow weeds, Hawkwood left the Wolf Sword Tomb and walked towards the Fire Passing Sacrifice Site.

"...Outside Lothric City, in the lower level of Undead Town, I heard there is still a way to go."

"That's the road that transports living sacrifices to the Deep Church. If you follow the road, you can reach Fran Fortress..."

Speaking of which.

Hawkwood's voice paused, as if he was a little distracted, and his voice was also a little lost:

"The French Undead Team is an army of undead people. We..."

"They swore on the wolf's blood and monitored the abyss. As long as there was the slightest sign, they would not hesitate to destroy the entire country,"

"That's who they are..."

"And if you want to join the Frank Immortal Team, you have to pass a special test——"

"Extinguish the three wolf smokes of Fran Fortress, and the door to Wolf Blood will open..."

Say it.

Hawkwood shook his head, seeming to feel both sad and ridiculous:

"...Even a cursed immortal person still believes that he is special. It's really sad..."

While talking.

The two of them also returned to the Fire Sacrifice.

salad.

The frustrated brother once again sat in his old seat, looked at the weakly burning and flickering campfire, and sighed.

Then, he took out a thick gem from his arms and handed it to Ashes:

"I'll give this to you. I won't need it anyway..."

"You guys who don't know the heights of the sky, if you want to understand what it means to not hit the wall and never look back, then go ahead."

"I'm afraid you will be just as discouraged when you come back."

That's it.

The discouraged brother stopped talking and just looked at the throne covered in dark red cloth and guarded by countless French swords.

Youyan's low chanting sounded in the Chuanhuo Sacrificial Site.

Ethereal and sad, with a distant and ancient smell of dust.

It seemed that after crossing the long river of countless days and nights, it finally exhausted its last strength and stopped slowly circling in this sacrificial field.

It's also like the embers and ashes of a fire that has been burning over the Fortress of France for many years, but was extinguished at this moment.

rumble--

Pushing open the dusty stone door, what he saw and heard along the way shocked Hui Jin deeply.

This was also the first time he felt the desperate influence of "the fire is about to go out, but the king is nowhere to be seen".

The Undead Town is full of undead people who have turned into zombies.

As the First Fire became weaker and exhausted, humanity and memory continued to drain away, plunging the entire Lothric into a desperate haze of zombie transformation.

In order to deal with the increasing number of undead people, the sacred tree at the bottom of the town, which was originally the most prosperous, dense, kind, and efficacious, became the best place to bury the undead.

Until the sacred tree was also eroded and became a cursed tree.

There is an atmosphere of confusion and despair everywhere.

Just like on the broken bridge of Lothric, the kneeling pilgrims looked at the direction where the flames were rekindled, but they were helpless against the broken bridge like a chasm in front of them.

Of course.

The world is not dead and gray, full of loneliness and complete despair.

On the way, he met a strange man.

The whole person is not tall, and is even a bit funny. The bloated armor on this person makes him look fat, like an onion with legs.

Completely opposite to Brother Cangxin.

Brother Onion is always full of optimism and worry-free mood. Even if he is injured in the encounter with the devil, he will kindly remind him not to be reckless and protect him at the same time.

After finally winning the final victory, he would pant heavily, sit down and celebrate with himself drinking, and raise the glass boldly: [Long may the sun shine! 】

Along the way, Hui Jin saw the darkness of the world, and at the same time he saw the brilliance of humanity shining in the dark world.

Perhaps the world will one day fall into a long period of darkness.

But the brilliance that shines in human nature will be like the eternal burning star of enlightenment and will never be extinguished.

Until in that darkness, a weak but hopeful little flame ignited again.

Accompanied by the rumble of the door opening.

In front of him, a huge altar covered with bluestone bricks was revealed.

"call--"

Hui Jin raised his hand to fan the dust falling in front of him, but suddenly he heard the sound of clanking knife tips clashing continuously in the altar——

…

Liuliu's eyes followed the winding blood trail in front of him, looking in the direction of the sound.

Buzz-buzz-!

Boring——!

Boring——!

The light of the sword and the shadow of the sword!

At this moment, two warriors wearing the same uniform were waving the huge swords in their hands, launching swift and even terrifying attacks at each other!

And the next second!

Giant swords intertwined!

The sword warrior on the left side quickly dodged and avoided the opponent's attack. Then he slid sideways and cut the opponent's chest with the blade of his sword like lightning, followed by a backhand stab!

Pfft——! ! !

The blood-stained sword penetrated a warrior's chest, and then slowly pulled away.

Gudong.

There was only one warrior left in the altar.

He wore a pointed war helmet on his head and a dark red cloak.

The armor on his body was mottled, and under the shadow of the faint brazier, it emitted a dangerous and sharp light.

In his right hand, he holds the same flange sword as the one on Cinderella's back.

But the left hand is not holding a shield, but a rugged, blood-stained dagger in the forehand position.

[Abyss Monitor-Flan Undead Team]

The night wind is chilling and the smoke is billowing.

The deep altar site was filled with corpses of members of the Frank Undead Team.

Sensing the arrival of Ashes, the remaining member of the team slowly raised the sword in his hand and pointed it straight at Ashes.

At the same time, the other hand was holding a dagger, resting it on his right shoulder.

This is the duel etiquette of the French Undead Team.

At this moment, the players felt goosebumps all over their bodies——

'Holy shit - this is so handsome -'

‘So Brother Cangxin was actually a member of the Immortal Team, but later he defected? ’

‘It looks like this’

‘My scalp is numb, this scene is so ritualistic’

'This salute is really desperate. The Undead Team is very aware of the mission of Ashes' arrival, but at the same time Ashes also extinguished the brazier and swore an oath to the wolf blood. This means that Ashes is also a member of the Undead Team, so there is This duel salutes'

‘This is GW’s game’

‘It’s so shocking. To be honest, the grand vista of Lothrik City didn’t shock me when I first saw it, but this duel salute really gave me goosebumps.’

‘The sense of fate is really the core of games like Lao Thief’

‘Who the hell can withstand this life-and-death duel with a sense of tragic fate, the tension of the plot and the shaping of the scene...’

'I can only say that the old thief really understands...'

'So handsome...'

‘…’

And with the players exclaiming!

The next second!

Boo--! ! !

Suddenly, the undead team who had saluted suddenly flew forward!

The flange sword in his hand was swung, and with a sharp and swift sweep, Liuliu's neck was slashed!

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, my God!"

Boring——!

In a hurry, Liuliu raised his hand and shield.

Although he barely withstood the damage from Fran's sword, he couldn't offset the powerful and heavy impact!

Just hear a thud!

This critical strike actually knocked Liuliu back five steps!

Holy shit—! So strong——!

As the first of the four salary kings to appear, the strength of Fran's Undead Team is significantly higher than the bosses she defeated before!

Although he does not have the majestic body of the ice dog, nor the troublesome arcane skills of the crystallized old man.

But his sense of oppression is unprecedentedly strong!

As a humanoid BOSS of the same size, his attack frequency and desire to attack are even more aggressive than the ice dog after becoming mad!

and!

The attack movements of this ghost BOSS are really weird!

The huge blade of the sword moved like an arm in his hand. Whether it was a three-consecutive slash using force, or a delayed and ferocious drag slash, almost every attack and even every movement was unexpected by Liuliu. .

This guy even has the soaring "Tornado Lightning Slash" and the powerful and heavy "Thunder Half Moon Slash".

The posture is graceful and enchanting, the dynamic power is full, and the movement is sharp and strange, making it completely unpredictable.

During the rumbling chops, Liuliu scurried around in panic, while the audience had a climax——

'OHHHHHHHH... He's so handsome, Brother Frank...'

'This movement, this posture, this combat technique... these guys are all ground movements...'

'"This is Street Dance"'

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

'It's too difficult to hold a piece of grass...'

‘Brother Frustrated (promax enhanced version)’

‘Flan Fortress (×) Flan Dance Studio (√)’

‘If you want to fight, go to the dance studio to fight, right (dog head)’

'Too rude...'

'My sister has been knocked unconscious. She can't predict the interval between attacks at all. This move is really too cruel.'

‘You should be more careful when you see the size of the hip-hop team’

'Indeed, there are all humanoid enemies in Sekiro, so the giant bosses are particularly strong, such as lions, monkeys, and ghosts. On the other hand, in a game like Black Souls where giant bosses run around, I see bosses that are about the same size as me. , it’s time to be mentally prepared...'

"Compared to the Immortal Team, Guda-sensei's attacks are simply amiable"

‘After all, he is an entrance teacher’

'This is pure military training...'

‘…’

So fierce!

Liuliu didn't even have time to take a breath!

In fact, from the beginning of the BOSS battle to now, she has drank four bottles of elemental bottles, but she has not drawn a single sword!

There is no time at all!

The attack of the undead team is so strange and coherent.

She almost couldn't find the rhythm of her attacks. In most cases, just when she was about to take action, Fran's sword came down.

Or they thought that the Immortal Team was going to take action, but actually missed the opportunity to attack.

Boring! Boring! Boring!

Another wave of three!

Liuliu was staggering after being slashed, and his energy bar was rapidly reduced.

She had no choice but to put down her shield temporarily, otherwise the stiffness of breaking the defense would be even worse.

However!

Just when she relaxed her left hand to release the shield, she didn't even have time to take a breath!

I saw that the French Undead Team actually jumped back, then raised the sword and launched a Charge Thunder Half-Moon Slash!

call--! ! !

bad!

Liuliu's heart skipped a beat!

At this moment, she no longer had the energy to block.

And if this powerful and heavy sword were to hit her, then with only one-third of her health left, she would most likely go home and sit on the bonfire.

Seeing that the edge of the French sword was getting closer and closer to me!

At this critical moment!

brake--!

Pfft——!

…

Boom——chi——

With a powerful and heavy thrust!

Hawkwood watched helplessly as the sword that was about to hit his forehead flashed!

And his demented teammate, whose eyes were emitting a frightening red light and wanted to kill him, also flew out in response!

Next!

The comrade who helped him to relieve the siege did not hesitate. He stepped forward, turned his body, and slashed in the air with the big sword in his hand!

puff--! ! !

Blood spurts!

The head of the red-eyed comrade rolled down with a sound, and the headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud.

And as the tinkling sound continued, Hawkwood looked around——

One after another, the comrades with flashing red eyes waved their swords wildly like walking zombies.

And other comrades like him kept killing their red-eyed companions who fell into madness.

【When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares into you】

No matter how powerful the French Undead Team is, in the process of monitoring the abyss day after day, it is difficult to avoid being corrupted and invaded by the abyss.

The reason why the French Undead Team is so powerful is because they share the same blood and even soul.

As a result, the invasion of the abyss was like a plague, constantly spreading among their ranks.

If one is infected, kill one, and if two are infected, kill a pair, whether there are ten, twenty or a hundred.

As monitors of the abyss, as long as there is a slight invasion from the abyss, they will not hesitate to destroy a country.

But as the first fire dies down, the erosion of the abyss intensifies.

Therefore, fratricide has become the main theme of the French Undead Team.

Hawkwood slumped to the ground tremblingly, watching his comrades wearing the same uniforms killing each other in this small courtyard.

The companion whose arm was cut off was the same group of friends who swore on wolf blood; the companion whose chest was penetrated was the brother who stayed vigil with him yesterday.

The elder brother cut his younger brother in half, and the nephew's sharp knife penetrated his father's heart.

Brutal fratricide continues to reincarnate in front of the gate of the abyss forever.

Is this the king?

The greater the power, the deeper the misery. Is this the curse that the king has to bear?

He couldn't figure it out.

Is this the king?

They who would rather kill each other but still fight to suppress the abyss are the same type of people as Eldridge, the despicable drowned pig who creates chaos?

He couldn't figure it out.

Is this the king?

The world that looks on with cold eyes will never pity their curse, but only throws them into the furnace when the fire is about to go out to continue the life of this rotten world?

He couldn't figure it out.

Salary King.

The king who burns himself to perpetuate the entire world.

Shouldn't he be a hero who has the most noble soul, receives the most high admiration, walks into the initial furnace, burns himself, and re-lights the world amidst the expectation and attention on the verge of destruction?

Looking at the dripping blood in front of him like a long river of curses, and the mess of severed limbs that were constantly hacked.

Hawkwood's pupils were trembling.

[Is this rotten world and such a despicable king worthy of your heroic challenge? 】

And right now!

call--! ! !

With a splitting neighing sound!

The comrade who had just saved his life turned back at this moment, swung the French sword in his hand, and struck him hard!

And in his eyes, there was a fierce red light eroded by the abyss!

A sharp sword covered with strong wind came.

Hawkwood, who has mastered the essence of wolf swordsmanship, subconsciously tightened his grip on the sword hilt.

But this moment!

But it was as if his memory had been drained from his mind. He could no longer muster up the courage to stab the chest of his siblings who had fought side by side just now.

Boring——! ! !

The heavy blow of Fran's sword struck down like lightning, making a harsh golden sound!

Boom——Gulu——! ! !

Hawkwood was violently thrown away, causing dust and smoke to roll far away!

In his hand, he was holding tightly a shield he had picked up from the ground in a panic.

Wolf swordsmanship never uses a shield.

Hawkwood reluctantly climbed up from the ground, clenched the Flan sword in his hand for the last time, and then inserted it back into the scabbard on his back.

Then, he hugged the shield tightly, lowered his head, and limped out of the door.

Then, he disappeared into the bloody night of Fran Fortress.

Call me a traitor.

Call me a coward.

I will gladly accept it and carry it forever.

Because I cannot accept swinging the blade at my comrades who swear the same wolf blood, and I am unable to bear this desperate curse called King Xin.

From today on, I will no longer be a watcher of the abyss holding a Farlan sword.

After picking up the shield, I am no longer qualified to use the wolf sword technique, which is famous for its offense.

I'm Hawkwood.

A person who did not become the salary king because of cowardice and self-doubt——

The escapees...

——

PS: Like "Sekiro", the story of Dark Souls is also extremely confusing and fragmented. So this time I want to change the writing method and use some of my own understanding and additional narrative to tell a story that is parallel to the main line. Some of the descriptions of Brother Cangxin are derived from the game, and some are supplementary narratives to present the story more completely. After all, the novel is not a game, and the story cannot be fragmented like a game. I hope all shareholders can Just accept it this way.