Carl's Baptism Church

Xia Tong packed his belongings and prepared to set out.

All the Spirit Ashes had been nurtured back to full vitality.

Xia Tong rubbed the Demi-Human Group intelligence in his hand and set out once more with Miss Irina.

Attached to the intelligence was a map, showing the route to the Demi-Human Ruins where the Demi-Human Queen resided.

Xia Tong did not dare waste any time.

Irina sat in front while Xia Tong sat behind her. Torrent moved at a decent pace, carrying the two of them as swiftly as the wind.

After traveling for a while, they could vaguely make out the outline of Castle Morne through the thin mist.

Then, following the map's directions, Xia Tong pulled the reins and turned right.

He tried to stick to the main road. It would let them travel faster and reduce the risk of an ambush.

They occasionally encountered scattered Winged Misbegotten along the way, but Xia Tong casually disposed of them without any trouble.

As they walked, the terrain gradually rose, and the woods around them became thicker. The light turned patchy and dim.

Whenever they came across collectible materials, such as Erdleaf Flowers and Eyes of Yelough, Xia Tong deliberately gathered them.

That included Smoldering Butterflies, which always appeared near flames. They were an image that represented Melina.

Whenever he saw one, Xia Tong carefully tucked it away.

Suddenly, the sharp cries unique to rodents rang out beside them.

"Squeak!"

"Squeak!"

Xia Tong glanced to the side and found a gray-black rat the size of a mutt in the bushes to the left, staring straight at their group with bright yellow eyes.

"Damn, it's huge!"

Xia Tong was stunned. Even as an experienced player, seeing such a massive rat in real life for the first time was still quite a shock.

Compared to the blood-red eyes of ordinary rats, this rat's bright yellow eyes seemed even more terrifying, overflowing with madness and bloodlust.

That yellow was not merely a color. It was as if flames burned inside its eyeballs, making them especially glaring and eerie in the dim forest.

"Frenzied Flame Rat!"

As a veteran Elden Ring player, Xia Tong recognized it at a glance.

Though this monster was not particularly strong, those distinctive eyes meant that it carried the terrifying Frenzied Flame virus.

Stray Wolves were perfect for dealing with rats like this.

With the crisp chime of the Spirit Calling Bell, three Stray Wolves were summoned and pounced forward as white phantoms.

Then, to be safe, Xia Tong summoned two Fanged Imps as well.

In less than a few breaths, the Frenzied Flame Rat was completely eliminated under the assault of the five Spirit Ashes.

After the rat died, a glowing substance that was half-liquid and half-solid seeped out of its corpse.

It gave off a faint bright yellow glow. Xia Tong touched it, but it had no warmth.

"This should be Yellow Ember."

Xia Tong collected it. It might come in handy for crafting items someday.

"They've been infected by the Frenzied Flame."

Melina's figure appeared as she looked at the dead Frenzied Flame Rat. She spoke slowly, her tone carrying a trace of gravity.

"Frenzied Flame?"

Xia Tong repeated the words softly.

He was far too familiar with the Frenzied Flame.

In his previous life, when he played Elden Ring, he had gone beneath the Royal Capital to receive the Frenzied Flame, following Vyke's old path, so that Melina would not burn herself at the Giant's Cauldron.

Naturally, at the ending, Melina opened her violet dusk-colored eye and swore to bestow "Destined Death" upon him.

(ಥ_ಥ)

Shaking his head hard, Xia Tong stopped dwelling on that upsetting matter.

He turned to Melina and found confusion in her eyes as well, as though she were wondering what this guy was zoning out over again.

They continued exploring. Along the way, they found several more Frenzied Flame Rats and directed the Spirit Ashes to eliminate them one by one.

Gradually, a church-like building emerged deep within the woods—Carl's Baptism Church.

"There's a powerful presence nearby," Melina warned softly.

Xia Tong was no fool. He had a rough idea of what was inside the church.

After all, he was a veteran player. He knew the setup here like the back of his hand.

He slowly entered Carl's Baptism Church. The surrounding walls had long since crumbled, giving the place a desolate air.

At the very front stood a damaged statue of Queen Marika.

In the shadows beside the statue lay an outrageously huge body, nearly the size of two adults.

Its massive tail swayed constantly like a whip, sweeping up clouds of dust.

A Giant Frenzied Flame Rat.

As though it had sensed the presence of living people, the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat slowly turned to look at Xia Tong and the others.

At the same time, it let out a sharp, ear-piercing squeal.

Then, more than a dozen normal-sized Frenzied Flame Rats crawled out from gaps in the ruined church.

"Trying to overwhelm me with numbers?"

Xia Tong sneered.

"I can do that too."

Jingle, jingle.

Jingle, jingle.

To be safe and end the battle quickly, Xia Tong always went all out.

Kulala the Spirit Jellyfish and two Godrick Soldiers were summoned once more.

The Spirit Ashes quickly engaged the ordinary Frenzied Flame Rats, and the scene immediately became chaotic.

Taking the opportunity, Xia Tong removed the light crossbow from his back and fired several arrows at the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat.

The difference between a crossbow and a bow was that a crossbow only needed to be aimed; it did not require exceptional skill in drawing and holding the shot.

Combined with the Tarnished's powerful physique, Xia Tong's shots were both fast and accurate.

However, the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat's hide was incredibly thick.

Xia Tong's three bolts lodged in its body, drawing only a little blood and failing to inflict any serious wounds.

Even so, the intense pain still enraged the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat.

Its thick hind legs slowly crouched, gathering strength, before it launched itself from the ground like a cannonball!

It leaped straight over the Spirit Ashes in front of it and lunged at Xia Tong!

It was unbelievably fast!

Xia Tong naturally did not dare take it head-on. This rat was built like a calf!

Its sharp teeth jutted outward, and it reeked of rot and burnt flesh. Much of its fur had ulcerated, with pus and blood flowing from the wounds.

Facing its charge, Xia Tong abruptly slid to the left.

The Giant Frenzied Flame Rat missed and skidded straight toward the entrance of Carl's Baptism Church!

Having failed to land its attack, the giant rat grew furious and began squealing loudly.

Its claws scraped wildly against the ground, producing a shrill, grating sound that made one's sanity plummet.

In the distance, Miss Irina sat atop Torrent, listening closely and trying to grasp every moment of the battle.

Her hands were clenched tightly as she worried deeply for Lord Xia Tong.

Torrent, meanwhile, faithfully followed Xia Tong's instructions and did not approach.

Some Frenzied Flame Rats that had slipped through the net rushed out of Carl's Baptism Church and lunged toward Torrent and Irina.

However, compared to Torrent, those Frenzied Flame Rats were far too slow.

With just a double jump, Torrent easily dodged them.

Inside the church, the situation suddenly changed.

"It's calling its companions!"

Perhaps due to the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat's shrieks, five or six ordinary Frenzied Flame Rats that had been lingering around the perimeter suddenly turned and charged at Xia Tong with bloodshot eyes.

A giant rat in front, a swarm of rats at his side.

Xia Tong's scalp tingled. The densely packed sight was utterly disgusting.

As five or six Frenzied Flame Rats suddenly disengaged to surround Xia Tong, the pressure on the Spirit Ashes eased considerably—but Xia Tong was now in danger.

Just then, with a splat!

A spray of purple-red acid arced through the air and splashed precisely onto the Frenzied Flame Rats.

At once, the smell of protein scorched by strong acid filled Carl's Baptism Church.

It was Kulala!

Seeing Xia Tong in danger, the adorable jellyfish Kulala was the first to react.

"I'm so touched."

Xia Tong's eyes welled up for a moment. This was his little sweetheart.

While the Frenzied Flame Rats writhed in pain as the venom corroded them, Xia Tong decisively drew the Lordsworn's Straight Sword and viciously stabbed at them.

This time, he did not choose the greatsword. Against these nimble, disgusting creatures, the cumbersome weapon could easily miss and would be no different from courting death.

Stab! Stab!

Two Frenzied Flame Rats were precisely pierced through their vital points by Xia Tong and died on the spot!

Meanwhile, the Giant Frenzied Flame Rat that had rushed outside had already turned around and lunged at Xia Tong again!

This time, the yellow Frenzied Flame in its eyes burned brighter and more frenzied, faintly tinged with blood-red.

Even its speed had increased significantly!

Several remaining ordinary Frenzied Flame Rats at Xia Tong's side also lunged at him.

Damn it, I can't dodge this!

Xia Tong cursed inwardly and tightened his grip on the shield in his hand.