Evolution (two chapters in one)

In the instance.

Lu Xiu was unaware of what was happening outside. If she had known, she would probably have been surprised by Gwyndolin's performance and exclaimed that the Title "Dark Sun" was truly fitting.

The Dark Sun.

Gwyndolin has this Title because he was born with the power of the moon, which is completely different from the sun, which his father symbolized, representing the shadow hidden behind the brilliance.

In the offline dungeon's automatic evolution, he has an additional setting: he inherited a portion of his father's soul power in his bloodline.

The combination of these two factors can be considered the natural enemy of King's Scion.

After all, the form of King's Scion's body was composed of shadows.

Lu Xiu's previous assessment that Gwyndolin was important was not without reason.

But at this moment, Lu Xiu had no mind to think about these things...

After Gwyndolin left, everything went black before her eyes, and she found herself in complete darkness.

It was pitch black all around.

Even the System Panel won't appear. "What...?"

Lu Xiu muttered a complaint under her breath, while glancing around.

She had originally planned to visit the Painted World, which was another purpose of her visit to the Anor Londo. After all, she had promised the half-dragon girl during the arena battle that she would give her a chance to see the outside world...

But suddenly I was pulled into the darkness.

Has the Roland Pilgrimage mission been completed?

Isn't there still the Painted World?

Or is it that the Painted World also belongs to the Anor Londo? So, the moment Gwyndolin agreed, the Painted World also appeared in reality? If that's the case, it seems to make sense; nothing seems to have been omitted...

etc.

Lu Xiu suddenly thought of something.

wrong.

I haven't seen Gwyn yet!

Just as Lu Xiu had this thought, a scraping sound suddenly came from the darkness.

Immediately afterwards.

Two giant snakes slowly emerged from the void.

Lu Xiu's crimson eyes turned towards the direction from which the sound came, and she just saw the giant snake swim up in front of her and stand upright.

Prominent large eyes, signature buck teeth, and two long, fleshy whiskers at the corners of his mouth...

It's really ugly...

These are the two world serpents in the Dark Souls dungeon, representing two completely different world paths and opposing ideologies.

Frampt, the guardian of the flame, and Kaathe, the guide of the Abyss.

In the darkness, they raised their Big Head high, one on the left and one on the right, their vertical pupils staring intently at Lu Xiu. "No, you two..."

Lu Xiu looked at the two snake heads, just about to say something.

The two colossal world serpents didn't give her a chance to speak at all; in the next instant, they simultaneously opened their massive jaws and let out a roar.

With a roar, the boundless darkness surrounding Lu Xiu began to melt away inch by inch, like paper being set ablaze.

Lu Xiu's vision blurred.

When she came to her senses again and her vision refocused, the oppressive darkness around her had vanished.

She looked down and saw that beneath her feet were no longer the smooth white jade slabs of the Anor Londo, but thick ashes that had accumulated over countless years. Before her lay a desolate, gray-white land, with countless twisted and intertwined giant withered branches that stretched across the sky like a dome.

And directly in front of your line of sight.

An ancient, dilapidated, massive semi-circular altar stood silently amidst the falling Ember.

The Kiln of the First Flame.

Did you finally see him?

Lu Xiu was somewhat surprised by the scene before her. She hadn't planned to see Gwyn at all, but she'd been forcibly dragged in. But since she was already here...

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then picked up the Nameless Blade and walked through the fog gate into the furnace, before suddenly being stunned.

Because Gwyn's classic leaping slash didn't come, and the familiar pathos piano music didn't play either.

In the center of the furnace, only the First Flame burned quietly.

"... Where is Gwyn?"

Lu Xiu took a step forward, and at that instant, the First Flame seemed to sense something. The flame suddenly flared up, and a faint spark drifted over and landed on the Nameless Blade that Lu Xiu was holding in her right hand.

Call!

The scorching flames ignited on the blade, illuminating the slightly dim environment and Lu Xiu's profile.

And just then...

Two giant serpents slithered in from two directions again, then stood up in front of Lu Xiu, their abstract heads facing Lu Xiu.

"Creator..."

Frampt swayed slightly. "The gods have departed, the world is ravaged. Please inherit the will of Lord of Cinder Gwyn, touch that flame, offer your soul as a sacrifice, and let the First Flame reignite, continuing this glorious era!"

But then...

Kaathe whispered seductively, "Creator, do not believe false lies..."

"The First Flame is destined to be extinguished, this era is destined to decline. Turn around, leave the furnace, let darkness descend, and you will become the Dark Lord, ushering in an era belonging to mankind!" Lu Xiu stood still, looking at the two world serpents in front of him, then at the First Flame that seemed to be extinguished at any moment, and finally looked down at the Nameless Blade burning in his hand.

It suddenly dawned on me.

She didn't collect the Lord Souls according to the normal procedure, which meant that, according to the dungeon's setting, she would never be able to meet Gwyn.

The offline dungeon's completion quest is a pilgrimage to sacred sites.

So the World Serpent, or more accurately, the system, directly brought her here after Gwyndolin's departure, as the final link in the pilgrimage quest.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu raised her fair finger and slowly pointed it at her nose, her expression becoming quite interesting. "No... I've become Gwyn?" It turns out she's gone through all this trouble.

Ultimately, it's either become the Dark Lord or become fuel for the Kindling? Will offline dungeons also present this classic choice?

On the left is the act of passing on the fire, burning oneself to prolong the life of this world destined for decay.

On the right is the fire extinguisher; turn around and leave, plunging the world into complete darkness.

The mission is a pilgrimage to sacred sites! Why is there a choice to be made? Wouldn't all that effort have been for nothing?

"Again?" Lu Xiu looked shocked.

Neither of the two large snakes spoke, patiently waiting for Lu Xiu's reply.

Lu Xiu noticed that the two large snakes were ignoring her, so she slowly lowered her hands and fell into deep thought.

He only thought about it for less than two seconds.

She raised her head and looked at the two large snakes. "Speaking of which, neither of you are good people, are you?"

Two giant snakes. "?"

"One deliberately concealed the truth about linking the First Flame, luring the Undead to be fueled by it; the other yearned to collect humanity and reshape the Dark Souls. Both were acting for their own purposes, yet claimed it was to usher in the Dark Ages."

Lu Xiu raised the Nameless Blade in her hand. "So, I'll chop you all down first. One for firewood, let you experience what it feels like to be used as Kindling. One for throwing out, and we won't even need to wait for the Dark Ages, we'll be plunged into eternal darkness."

Two giant snakes:..."

"Prepare to die!"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Lu Xiu then raised the Nameless Blade, which had transformed into the joy of fire, and slashed at it. What a joke!

This is already an offline instance, and they're still letting you choose!

I've already tried online dungeons, why bother with all this extra work?

I've always had to choose what I, the Architect do!

Call!

The Nameless Blade, wreathed in flames, roared out.

The two giant world serpents clearly hadn't expected their Creator to be so ruthless, drawing their swords at the slightest provocation.

They jerked back sharply, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

After retreating to a safe distance.

Two enormous, abstract snake heads swayed slightly in mid-air, then asked in unison.

"Then what?"

"And then?" "You will transform."

"Or become the Dark Lord."

Kaathe and Frampt's voices overlapped.

"None of them."

Lu Xiu charged forward again, sword in hand. "I choose a river of blood! Then I'll take the First Flame along with the Kindling... and show you what a King of Wandering Souls really is!"

Upon hearing this,

The two large snakes were clearly taken aback, and their voices overlapped once more.

What is meant by the King of Wandering Souls?

"This is what you call the King of Wandering Souls!"

Lu Xiu closed in and suddenly drew her knife.

The Nameless Blade, trailing flames, vanished in a flash.

The two snake heads were severed in two with a single stroke. The instant the snake heads were cut off.

Crack!

A crisp cracking sound rang out without warning above the Kiln of the First Flame.

Two colossal world serpents, along with the thick layer of ash beneath their feet and the entire scene of the Kiln of the First Flame, were covered in countless cracks. The next instant, the scene shattered with a deafening roar!

Ashes filled the sky, and the firelight and furnace crumbled and disappeared.

Lu Xiu's vision blurred again, and a slight feeling of weightlessness washed over her.

When she refocused her vision, she found herself back in the pitch-black darkness she had been in before.

"... He's dead already? I haven't even taken over the Fire yet."

Lu Xiu was stunned for a moment, not yet reacting.

A system window then popped up.

[You have completed the Dark Souls offline dungeon!]

[Dark Souls Dungeon Offline Rating: Mythical] [Received Dungeon Character Gift: Ancient Lord Soul Shard]

[Title obtained: Chaos Walker]

"Character gifts? Title?"

Lu Xiu looked at the pop-up window, somewhat surprised; this was the first time this had ever happened.

There were no physical rewards for clearing the offline Witch Instance and Monster Hunter Dungeon, only indirect rewards. The Witch Instance Liberation Skill, while the Astera provides a workshop.

This time, surprisingly there was...

It also has a Title.

Lu Xiu clicked on it and took a look.

[Title: Chaos Walker]

[Title Description: You choose not to continue the Age of Fire, nor do you embrace the darkness. You only want to revel in the collapse of order and chaos, while also planning to usurp the world. Your mental state is extremely beautiful...]

[Title Effect: Permanently increases base Mental Strength attribute by 20%.]

Lu Xiu: "!" Putting aside that sarcastic description... this is good stuff!

This Title became even more precious after the appearance of the King Monster.

Not to mention that skills like Atypical Courage, Azure Blade Myriad Forms, and Rampage also benefit from this.

"The Goddess's Blade, the Lord of the Realm, the Mother of Berserkers, Apostle Candidate, the Chaos Walker..."

Lu Xiu glanced at the Title she possessed, but unfortunately, the King of Immortality she had previously obtained in Dungeon Fighter Online was not among them.

Otherwise, she could have collected six, and then Daenerys would have made her grand entrance with the title...

Lu Xiu smiled, dispelling the jumbled thoughts in her mind, and then looked up.

Were those two giant snakes really created by the system based on the dungeon's situation?

This is open to discussion.

The system giving such Title proves that the goddess has been watching, right?

It seems the reality of gamification isn't much better...

She didn't know what had happened. Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then gently shook her head.

never mind.

Since that goddess is being so secretive, there's no point in guessing; I won't just add to my troubles.

If the sky falls, let the tall people hold it up.

Although Chi doesn't look very tall...

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she shifted her attention from the Title panel and opened her backpack.

An item emitting a faint glow appeared in the backpack.

[Item Name: Ancient Lord Soul Shard]

[Rating:???]

[type:???]

[Effect:???]

[Note: Even the Deity decay and perish, but it will not. It was once used to divide life and death, light and darkness. Now that the old gods are gone, this fragmented essence awaits the crucible of the next era... or the swordsman.] A familiar series of question marks.

This is precisely the material needed for Evolution Judgment.

Lu Xiu immediately drew out the long sword called Judgment.

"Is this the Lord Soul from Dark Souls...?"

Lu Xiu looked at the Lord Soul Fragment in her hand, thinking as she worked, immediately activating her Deconstruction skill.

[System notification: Ancient Lord Soul Shard has been detected, representing a material of the same origin.]

[Miracle Armament upgrade in progress...]

As the system notification sounded, the [Judgment] in Lu Xiu's hand trembled slightly, and then slowly rose into the air along with the Lord Soul Fragment. Immediately afterwards...

Lord Soul Fragment began to swirl rapidly around the sheathed longsword.

Initially, the two were clearly distinct.

But as time went by, the Lord Soul Fragment cracked, turning into wisps of energy that slowly seeped into the blade of Judgment.

A clear, high-pitched clang of the blade reverberated through the air.

A blinding white light burst forth from the gaps in the scabbard, like several long rainbows, instantly dispelling the surrounding darkness.

A moment later.

The light in mid-air vanished, and all the strange phenomena flowed back into the blade, which then fell back into Lu Xiu's hand.

As Lu Xiu raised her hand and grasped the knife, a strange sensation washed over her, as if she were connected to the knife by flesh and blood, as if her arm were an extension of itself.

She looked down.

The originally dark and simple scabbard has now become even more profound, with an additional layer of dark gold patterns resembling flowing clouds on its surface, making it even more handsome. At the same time...

A brand-new weapon attribute panel automatically popped up in front of Lu Xiu's eyes.

[Item Name: Judgment]

[Rating: Unique (Tier 2)]

[Type: Miracle Armament]

[Attribute Bonus: Strength +7, Agility +7] [Passive: Crimson King Eyes]

When you hold this weapon (it also works when it's in your inventory), your pupils turn a clear crimson. This state grants you an exceptionally keen sense of death, allowing you to see through all pseudo-death and parasitic states, and also to see the weaknesses of the souls of all things. (Attack the weak point to inflict double damage.) New Feature 1: Undying Vision: No longer affected by bright light and darkness.

New Feature 2: Intimidation: When making eye contact with an enemy, you can apply intimidation based on Mental Strength. If your Mental Strength is higher than theirs, you can interrupt their current skill, instill fear in them, cause them to freeze briefly, or even reduce all their attributes.

[Active: Draw Blade, Sever Realms]

"Severing ties between life and death, drawing a clear line."

This sword is not usually drawn; its purpose is to unleash that stunning, ultimate strike.

Effect: The moment the sword is drawn, the King's Soul repairs the broken blade, creating a killing field with a radius of fifty kilometers centered on the swordsman. Within this field, the user can vaguely sense all beings, clearly recall the target's appearance and characteristics, or simply say the target's real name or System 1 to lock onto them.

Then, a wide-range crimson blade aura can be unleashed at the locked target, ignoring all defenses and spatial distance, causing massive damage. New Feature 1: The size and kill range of the unleashed crimson blade aura have been greatly expanded, capable of causing devastating damage to the environment and accompanying units around the locked target.

New Feature 2: Dark Sign: During the swing, the celestial phenomena are activated. Within the active range, Dark Sign appears in the sky. Targets that look directly at the mark will be briefly stunned until the slash ends.

[Cooldown: Five calendar days.]

[Cost: 90% of current health]

Lu Xiu glanced at the newly added entries, her red lips parted slightly, and she let out a soft "wow."

Now you can use your eyes to kill...

All right.

We can't kill him for now.

However, his eye contact was quite effective in suppressing tension.

In addition, the sword draw attack has now become an area-of-effect attack, and it also comes with a special effect.

That's really impressive!

This only adds one Lord Soul Fragment.

If this were in its complete form... I don't even want to think about it.

Collect them slowly.

She originally just wanted to place a dungeon, but she didn't expect to gain so much.

I wonder how many Mortal Blade fragments she'll get after placing the Sekiro instance, and how much of a boost it will provide. If it's a boost of this level... then she'll really need to find a good place to place the Sekiro instance.

"Never mind, I'll think about it later. I should go back and check on things."

Lu Xiu stroked the ornate longsword in her hand with obvious delight, then tossed it back into her backpack. She gathered her thoughts and checked her status one last time. Now, with the 20% boost to base Mental Strength from the [Chaos Walker] Title, she wondered if staring directly at that king-like monster would still cause mental pollution.

If you don't know how...

Let's draw our swords and slash it first!

If so... then we'll discuss it further.

"Exit the instance."

Lu Xiu silently recited this in her heart.

As the brief dizziness from the spatial displacement subsided, the boundless darkness before my eyes receded like a tide, followed by a strong stench of blood that instantly filled my nostrils.

Lu Xiu landed on her feet and returned to reality, standing inside the materialized Dark Souls map.

The false sunset hangs high overhead in Anor Londo.

Lu Xiu looked around. The original center of Sea City had completely disappeared; at least, there were no tall buildings to be seen, only the dilapidated city and landscape of Dark Souls.

Unlike the dungeons, the real-world Dark Souls Map has changed drastically...

Everywhere were bottomless ravines, crisscrossing each other. In the distance, some of the ruins were pierced by sharp, eerie blue crystals, and hung with the remains of countless monsters from the front lines like skewers of candied hawthorns. Others were swallowed by lava, leaving only half of charred stone pillars. Huge claw marks from wild beasts and craters from terrifying force were also everywhere.

The ground was covered with thick, black blood and the corpses of monsters from the front lines; it was truly a river of blood.

There was no sign of those King's Scion.

Of course, those Dark Souls bosses who were forcibly removed from the instance by Lu Xiu also disappeared.

"Looks like the Dark Souls bosses are still pretty tough... but not a single monster was left?"

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she slightly bent her knees and suddenly exerted force.

Boom!

She leaped into the air like an arrow released from a bow, then looked down into the distance.

In the sky, you can see a huge dragon on the Dragon Bridge, seemingly licking something.

A few undead could be vaguely seen wandering in the distance. But the King's Scion, who should have been surging in like a tide, were nowhere to be seen.

As far as the eye can see.

Only the corpses of monsters from the front lines.

"No..."

Lu Xiu's ponytail fluttered slightly in the sea breeze. "Is the efficiency really that high?"

She had originally planned to test the waters on a King's Scion, and also use the offspring to see how the prince was doing.

And the bosses...

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then closed her eyes.

The Title of the Lord of the Realm is activated.

As the Architect, she has the highest authority over all Instance Placement Site.

Buzz.

Invisible ripples spread rapidly outwards from her. In an instant, the entire Dark Souls instance materialized in reality appeared in her mind.

She could clearly sense everything within the territory.

There are indeed no King's Scion in this area...

As for the bosses, they seem to have a strong sense of territory. With no enemies around, they've retreated to their respective territories. Nito returned to the newly formed catacombs, Quelaag sank to the bottom of Blighttown, and Sif lay once more before the tombstone in the Black Forest...

Just then...

Lu Xiu sensed the gaze.

When she is in the Instance Placement Site, she can freely travel to any position and sense everything within that location, including external views.

The main reason is that it wasn't some kind of covert spying at all; it wasn't just one or two gazes... but thousands upon thousands!

"... That king?"

Lu Xiu followed the direction of her gaze, her crimson eyes seemingly traversing a vast distance to see the coastline... and the enormous mountain of flesh that lay upon it.

It's still there, peering into this place with thousands upon thousands of giant eyes.

"... Fifty kilometers should be enough." Lu Xiu estimated the distance, then with a flick of her wrist, the long sword Judgment appeared in her hand.

Then.

She slowly lowered her body, assuming a drawing stance, her left hand gripping the scabbard of the Judgment Sword, her right hand resting on the hilt.

At the same time, she slowly closed her eyes.

moment.

She vaguely sensed everything within fifty kilometers: collapsed high-rises, abandoned streets, the King's Scion and their offspring wandering outside the Instance Placement Site, and of course, the king at the edge of the coast.

This was the first time she had seen its existence without the King's Scion acting as a medium.

A majestic silhouette.

Countless thick tentacles dancing.

It's looking right here.

... Found it.

Lu Xiu exerted slight force with her right hand, while her left thumb pressed against the hilt of the blade, beginning to Power Accumulation! Killing intent and sharpness began to coalesce.

And it was at this very moment.

As if sensing something, the Dark Souls bosses, who had already retreated to their respective territories, suddenly made a move.

The Gravelord Nito, his skeletal body as large as a mountain, accompanied by a thick miasma of death, suddenly appeared on the graveyard. Gwyndolin appeared in the shadows of the Anor Londo's corridor, the Great Grey Wolf Sif straightened up in the Black Forest, and even the irrational bosses subconsciously began to act. They all turned their gazes toward Lu Xiu's location.

On the other side...

On the coastline, the king also sensed something; his waving tentacles paused, and thousands of eyes suddenly narrowed.

The next moment.

It raised all its tentacles high, all pointing upwards.

"Gotcha..."

Lu Xiu used her left thumb to push the knife forward.

Clang!

A crisp, high-pitched clang of a blade suddenly rang out in the air above the South City. The Judgment had been drawn a short distance.

In an instant, dazzling pale flames burst forth from the gap in the scabbard, and with the revelation of this half-inch of sharpness, the false sunset in Anor Londo, which had been radiating golden afterglow, was suddenly swallowed by a wisp of black.

A Dark Sign, capable of annihilating all light, slowly descended like Eclipse.

At the same time.

The Seventh Defense Line.

Cheng Xiu, Yan Fushou, Wei Yidong, and the others, who were still speechless at the appearance of Anor Londo in the South City, suddenly narrowed their eyes.

Countless players from other directions looked up, staring blankly at the setting sun at the southern edge of the South City, swallowed by the Dark Sign. Even though they were far away, separated by half a city, this scene made all the players on the defensive line hold their breath and instinctively feel fear.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiu, suspended in mid-air, was gathering the power to instantly kill her opponent with a single strike.

But the next moment...

She paused slightly, slowly opened her eyes, and looked in surprise toward the coastline.

"... Disappeared?"

In her perception, the enormous mountain of flesh vanished into thin air the instant the Dark Sign took shape. It seemed... it had escaped?

No.

wrong.

More accurately, it has been hidden.

However, Lu Xiu's Mental Strength was not as high as itss.

Enroll in biology courses