Mud Truck!

Lu Mingfei abruptly opened his eyes and found himself still kneeling before the altar, his undershirt completely soaked with cold sweat.

"Awake?" a familiar voice came.

The old knight squatted before him.

"That was much faster than expected."

Lu Mingfei raised a hand blankly.

The scales on his skin were fading. But when he focused, those black scales flickered into view again.

Even more strangely, it felt as if a ball of fire were burning inside him, ready to be called upon at any time.

"This is..."

"Dragonification."

The old knight rose to his feet and spoke slowly.

"Looks like your bloodline is more unusual than I imagined."

Lu Mingfei looked up in confusion and asked,

"Aren't all Dragon Communion warriors like this?"

The old knight shook his head.

"Those scales came from you, not Dragon Communion."

He said no more, merely turning and walking deeper into the church.

"Rest for the night. Tomorrow, you'll begin adapting to your new power."

Supporting himself against a statue, Lu Mingfei stood up and suddenly realized that his perception of the world had become extraordinarily clear.

He could see every crack on a statue a hundred meters away and hear every blade of grass rustling in the night wind.

It was a bit like a mutated version of Word Spirit: Kamaitachi.

Thinking that, Lu Mingfei clenched his fist and experimentally punched the wall beside him.

Bang!

Crack—

A faint cracking sound came first. Web-like fractures spread violently from the point of impact, and the already crumbling brick structure completely gave way.

Rumble!

That section of badly damaged stone wall collapsed entirely.

Lu Mingfei stared wide-eyed at his fist, then at the fallen wall.

"Holy shit..."

"Holy shit, holy shit..."

"I'm basically a tiny Superman with godlike strength..."

"No, no, no! Ah! Teacher, I was wrong! Stop hitting me! Stop!"

Lu Mingfei stood at the entrance to Fringefolk Hero's Grave, watching the roaring mud truck make a turn and roar away again. He could not help clicking his tongue.

He touched his helmet, and its icy feel reminded him of what the old knight had said the previous night.

"Kid, if you want to truly master the power of Dragon Communion, you need to make a trip through Fringefolk Hero's Grave."

The old knight tossed a piece of firewood into the campfire, the flames illuminating his wrinkled face.

"There lies the most ancient Dragon Communion Mark. It can help you master and strengthen Dragon Communion incantations—perhaps even one far stronger than the one I have."

Lu Mingfei remembered nearly falling off his rock at the time.

"Old man, you want me to rob a tomb?"

"Bullshit!"

The old knight smacked the back of his head.

"You're retrieving a lost legacy!"

"Fringefolk Hero's Grave is General Oleg's tomb!

He and Engvall were known as the Storm Lord's Two Wings, the foremost knights of the original order. Although he joined the Grace King and became a claw of the Golden Family, used to hunt those who betrayed the law, he was still a hero of old!

How could I possibly tell you to rob his grave!"

Now that he stood before the tomb, Lu Mingfei watched the chariot thunder in and thunder out. His Golden Eyes were practically bulging like a dead fish's, yet he still did not dare set foot on the tomb path.

"If that thing hits me, won't I reincarnate in another world even scarier than the Lands Between?" Lu Mingfei complained. "I don't want that!"

Despite what he said, Lu Mingfei still took a deep breath. The instant the chariot turned around, he followed behind it and began a resolute marathon campaign.

With his armor plates clanking, Lu Mingfei reached the middle of the tomb path and discovered that there was an archway at intervals along the route, meant for taking cover.

"Perfect!"

Lu Mingfei hurriedly turned and ducked into one of the archways, hoping to rest for a moment.

However...

Squelch!

A crossbow bolt flew in from behind and buried itself viciously in his ass.

"Fuck!" Lu Mingfei turned around in pain, only to find a nonexistent, ghostly soldier standing on the other side of the tomb path.

He angrily raised his greatsword, ready to go over and slaughter this fool of a soldier who had actually dared shoot Lord Lu in the butt, when the mud truck came roaring past once more!

Forget it!

Lu Mingfei could only continue onward with tears in his eyes.

"The designer of this place was definitely a pervert!"

But who would have thought that the spectral soldier would be waiting at the next archway too? Fortunately, Lu Mingfei had learned his lesson and took it out with one strike.

The path through Fringefolk Hero's Grave was incredibly long.

Lu Mingfei ran, hid, and killed monsters all the way. After countless narrow escapes, he finally saw an arched doorway at the end of the path.

Phew!

Lu Mingfei let out a long breath.

When you were seriously exploring an ancient tomb and suddenly got sent flying by a chariot—that was probably just part of a Tarnished's daily life.

Still, being crushed into a pile of meat was far too painful and ugly a way to die. If it could be avoided, all the better.

He slowly drew his greatsword and cautiously peered ahead.

A half-kneeling white spirit stood with its back to him, clad in the familiar heavy armor of a Storm Knight.

There was only one difference: it wore no helmet. In its place was a hood that covered its neck and head.

Behind the knight were a standard Storm Knight greatsword and a shield Lu Mingfei had never seen before. The shield's design was divided into four sections, depicting patterns of Dragon Communion and thorns.

Lu Mingfei recalled the old knight's words again.

"If you encounter knights in the grave dressed like you, don't show mercy. They have lost their minds. They are merely a group of pitiful people unable to return to the Erdtree, left only with obsession, wandering the grave day after day to protect their leader.

Killing them may not be a way of helping them find release."

With that thought, Lu Mingfei no longer hesitated. He gripped the Exile Knight Greatsword in both hands and slowly entered the inner chamber.

Hearing an unfamiliar presence, the spectral Storm Knight rose, drew its greatsword with a shing, equipped its shield, and turned around.

Two knights dressed alike faced each other in silence—one holding a sword in both hands, the other wielding sword and shield.

Two generations of the Storm Knights met here.

Though they were knights from the same lineage, there were no greetings, salutes, or embraces when they met. There was only a battle to the death.

Lu Mingfei held his breath and focused. The light in his Golden Eyes burned fiercely as a storm slowly gathered around his blade.

Then he swung.

Skill: Storm Blade!

A blade formed from the storm tore through the air and shot straight toward the spectral Storm Knight.

The knight raised his shield and blocked the gale. At the same time, he stepped forward, slashing his blade directly at Lu Mingfei!

Lu Mingfei easily sidestepped the strike.

Their fighting styles differed. The Spirit Knight clearly followed the sword-and-shield school, while everything Lu Mingfei had learned came from the old knight's two-handed swordsmanship. His strength had simply been too weak, and even now he still had to wield the greatsword with both hands.

Yet their swordsmanship came from the same source.

The instant their blades collided, sparks flew.

Lu Mingfei's sword, wrapped in storm winds, smashed heavily into the Spirit Knight's shield again.

Clang—

The shield bearing Dragon Communion patterns rang out sharply.

The next second, the knight stomped heavily and launched a backhanded shield bash. A howling gale surged around him, shoving Lu Mingfei into a stagger.

Seizing the opportunity, the Spirit Knight raised his sword and swept it sideways.

Bang!

Lu Mingfei hurriedly raised his sword to block, and the blow sent him stumbling back again and again.

He shook his numb wrist, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing fiercer.

He recognized this all-too-familiar move: Stormcaller!

It was just that the other side used a sword-and-shield variation, while he had learned the two-handed version.