"Phew, a warm-up is really necessary before a real battle, I'm fired up!"
After dealing with the Black Knight, Xia Yu felt his body gradually limbering up, and his heart eager for action.
He immediately turned and walked towards the Black Knight, beginning to strip his armor. Don't misunderstand, he wasn't trying to take advantage, but rather wanted the Black Knight's full set of armor.
The Black Knight's armor was originally silver, but during the war against demons, they were affected by demonic power, and their armor and equipment underwent significant changes.
Black Knight armor not only has good fire resistance, but its weapons also have bonus damage against demons, making them specialized for demon combat.
With this set of equipment, it should be easier when fighting the Demon Old King later. Speaking of which, the demon race is quite tragic, almost always targeted since their birth.
They were hunted by King Gwyn in dark souls i, then by Lothric's eldest prince Lorian in dark souls iii, and finally wiped out by the Ashen One, leading to their extinction.
But then again, demons are inherently twisted beings. Life born from the Bed of Chaos naturally cannot survive normally.
"Speaking of which, if I mastered chaos fire, wouldn't I be able to create life?" Xia Yu instantly fell into delusion.
But after thinking it over carefully, Xia Yu shook his head with a wry smile. Life born from chaos fire is twisted; that's not normal life creation.
After taking his spoils from the Black Knight, Xia Yu directly entered the depths of the ruins and found another target: Farron Coal.
Fortunately, the aftermath of the battle didn't reach there, otherwise, with this ruined church whose terrain had greatly changed, he would definitely have to search for a while.
As for why Farron Coal could be found here, it's because by passing through the ruins and walking a certain distance, one can reach Farron Keep.
But that wasn't Xia Yu's goal, so he left without much hesitation.
The Crystallized Elder was still waiting for him. The crystal magic in the Crystallized Elder's memory alone would be enough for him to study for some time.
A moment later, Xia Yu arrived at a broken city. This was where he found Teacher Orbeck, and the Crystallized Elder was at the end of this city.
Perhaps because of the Crystallized Elder, he encountered many magic-wielding Hollows here.
These Hollows were all sneaky, hiding in corners to cast spells, which annoyed him greatly in the game.
But now, his Xia Shuangying's Ashina Sword Style was not to be underestimated. As for who was sneakier, he had never feared anyone.
Concentrated magic bullets landed headshots, and these Hollows entrenched in the abandoned city were decapitated before they even had time to notice their enemy.
At the end of the city, a moss-covered, overgrown path appeared, and at the end of the path was a shattered plaza.
Knowing the enemy was ahead, Xia Yu didn't rush forward, but first buffed himself.
Any experienced Soulsborne player knows how important it is to buff before fighting an enemy.
Unfortunately, he hadn't obtained Tears of Denial yet, which was a miracle that could bring him back from the dead.
In a short while, Xia Yu, gleaming with buffs, held an Apprentice's Sword in one hand and a Lothric Knight Straight Sword in the other. He had also enchanted the Lothric Knight Straight Sword with fire, perfect for letting the Crystallized Elder taste the dual sensation of ice and fire.
The moment he stepped into the shattered plaza, a figure in a grey robe and a large hat suddenly emerged from underground.
"Stop, Unkindled Ash, you may not pass here."
An ancient voice suddenly came. Looking at the Crystallized Elder holding a crystal ball in front of him, Xia Yu was a little surprised; no one had told him that the Crystallized Elder could communicate.
But that made sense. In the game, the Crystallized Elder was just a blocking BOSS. In reality, if communication was possible, it might avert a battle.
"Why can't I pass? You don't seem to have a reason to stop me," Xia Yu asked, looking at the Crystallized Elder before him.
Hearing Xia Yu's words, the Crystallized Elder suddenly tilted his head back, his voice somewhat crazed: "Yes... yes, I have no reason to stop you."
"You are the Ashen One, you are the King Slayer, you are the one who saves this world. Why should I stop you? My... my brain is trembling!"
The Crystallized Elder suddenly convulsed, as if some power was controlling him, tearing at his sanity.
"I am an ally of the Undead Legion, and the Undead Legion is a force that resists the Abyss, so I should also resist the Abyss..." Murky blood-tears flowed from the Crystallized Elder's grey eyes as he trembled, looking at the Ashen One before him.
"Kill me, kill me before I am completely dragged into the darkness by the Abyss!"
So he was corrupted by the Abyss, Xia Yu mused in his heart, looking at the crazed Crystallized Elder before him.
Even the current Undead Legion couldn't stop the Abyss's corruption, so it was unexpected yet reasonable that the Crystallized Elder, an ally of the Undead Legion, would be corrupted by the Abyss.
"Quickly kill me! I am the successor of Great Sage Logan, I will not succumb to the Abyss!"
The Crystallized Elder's ancient voice sounded incredibly desolate, but his body trembled as he brushed the crystal ball in his hand. The next moment, a crystal orb shimmering with purple light was instantly shot out.
He could no longer control his body; under the Abyss's corruption, madness had already dominated him.
Looking at the Crystallized Elder before him, Xia Yu exhaled. This was a respectable elder, and he would naturally respect him by granting him death.
Seeing the incoming crystal orb, Xia Yu's expression suddenly hardened. His dual swords crossed and danced rapidly, and continuous sword qi of ice and fire was instantly unleashed.
The crystal orb was shattered into countless fragments by the sword qi before it even got close.
Amidst the flying purple fragments, crimson and ice-blue sword qi slashed towards the Crystallized Elder. Xia Yu took the opportunity to charge forward, following the sword qi.
Although the Crystallized Elder was disoriented, his instinctive combat memory was still clear. A purple crystal barrier was instantly summoned by him.
Continuous sword qi slashed at the crystal barrier, chipping off large chunks of purple crystal fragments, but it failed to break through.
But Xia Yu was already close. The enchantments on his dual swords, stimulated by magic, instantly erupted with intense light.
The intertwining attacks of fire and ice overwhelmingly broke through the Crystallized Elder's crystal barrier, and the intense heat and freezing cold made the Crystallized Elder's body pause.
In an instant, sword qi stimulated by magic pierced through him, tearing open the Crystallized Elder's magical grey robe. However, the grey robe had decent magical defense, and before it could inflict damage on the Crystallized Elder, the opponent had already reacted.
The next second, the crystal ball in his hand flashed purple, and the Crystallized Elder's figure immediately burrowed underground.
But Xia Yu seemed to have already anticipated the Crystallized Elder's move. He suddenly did a backflip, his dual swords pointing straight at the ground.
Blinding crimson and blue shrieked downwards, the blades frictionally generating intense magical sword qi in the air. The Crystallized Elder's subterranean escape was directly interrupted, and the large hat on his head was instantly shredded.
Boom—!
In an instant, countless sword marks appeared on the ground, heat and cold intertwined on the surface, and the attacked Crystallized Elder was sent flying backward in disarray.
Blood tainted by the Abyss splattered onto the surrounding crystal fragments, and the noble purple crystals were stained with intermingled black and red blood.
"...Cough cough!"
The Crystallized Elder, his grey robe shredded, struggled to his feet. Without his large hat, his true face was revealed: an old but wise countenance, though at this moment, it was filled only with madness.