The Fate of the Mixed-Blood Is to Slay Dragons

Melina's voice drifted softly through the wilderness, like wind whispering by his ear.

"Dragon Communion is a ritual that devours Dragon Hearts."

"It is said that by swallowing the burning heart of a Flying Dragon, one can gain the power of dragons."

"Since ancient times, countless warriors have embarked upon the path of Dragon Communion in pursuit of that supreme ritual, ceaselessly hunting Flying Dragons and even losing their lives for it."

The girl spoke of these ancient secrets in a calm voice.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lu Mingfei suddenly raised a hand to interrupt her, his face twisted as though he were constipated.

"The dragons you're talking about, are they the kind that are huge, with four claws and two wings, look like lizards, can fly, breathe fire, and use the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind?"

Melina fell silent for a moment at the boy's sudden excitement, but she still answered him:

"Ancient Dragons possess rock-like scales and eternal lives. They wield storms, flames, and lightning.

"Dragon Hearts, meanwhile, come from the descendants of Ancient Dragons—Flying Dragons. Though they are inferior to Ancient Dragons, they are still immensely powerful."

Lu Mingfei was dazed for a moment.

"What the hell," the boy grumbled. "So even after running off to another world, I still can't escape dealing with dragons? What kind of bullshit fate is this..."

He scratched his messy hair.

"And how big are these Dragon Hearts supposed to be? With this five-foot-seven body of mine, wouldn't I choke to death?"

Unexpectedly, a trace of helplessness flashed through the single eye of the girl who was usually as still as water.

"...They can be transformed through the ritual."

Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief.

"However."

The girl suddenly changed her tone.

"All who perform Dragon Communion will gradually become inhuman."

"The desire for dragons will not disappear. It will instead gradually accumulate..."

"Until it fills your entire body and torments you without end."

"The power of dragons is powerful and beautiful, yet terrifying—

"Therefore, performing Dragon Communion is the same as embarking upon a one-way road to destruction."

"Desire will erode reason, and power will twist the body."

"Will you still continue?"

The one-eyed girl tilted her head slightly and turned her gaze toward the foreign youth beside the Site of Grace. Yet the mouth that was always spouting idle chatter was unexpectedly shut tight in silence.

The boy thought of the past, of his hometown.

This ancient ritual known as Dragon Communion seemed inextricably linked to dragon bloodlines, yet it had shattered his hope of returning to Earth.

His golden eyes dimmed.

"...So Dragon Communion is a path where humans gain the power of dragons, then gradually turn into dragons?"

Melina nodded slightly.

"You could put it that way."

"It has nothing to do with time travel or summoning rituals."

"No."

Melina shook her head.

Lu Mingfei sighed and muttered:

"Actually, back where I'm from... we've got similar bullshit. Things like Mixed-Bloods being noble, dragon bloodlines being supreme, breaking through your limits turning you into a Dead Apostle..."

Whether or not the girl beside him could understand, Lu Mingfei simply kept talking:

"And bloodline rankings, Blood Sorrow, and all that..."

Melina saw the boy's clenched fist trembling slightly.

A long time passed.

"So I understand everything you're talking about." The boy sighed. "Miss Melina, just tell me everything you know."

"Anything's better than being an S-rank piece of trash..." he said quietly.

Melina watched him silently. This foreigner who was always chattering away had become as silent as a statue after saying those words.

"In Limgrave," she finally said, "there was once a Church of Dragon Communion. It is said that it had existed since the era of the Storm Lord, founded by knights who had lost their homeland."

Her figure began to fade, but her words grew ever clearer:

"The bonfire there has long since gone out."

"And in distant Caelid, tales of Dragon Communion are more widespread... but now, every inch of that land has been tainted by Scarlet Rot. I fear it will be difficult for you to reach it..."

Lu Mingfei pulled his straight sword from the Kaiden Mercenary's chest. Blood sprayed from the massive wound along the blade, and the mercenary's powerful body crashed to the ground with a boom, soon falling silent.

The Lands Between was as peaceful as ever today.

Lu Mingfei let out a long breath, casually retrieved his dagger from the horse's corpse, wiped it on its mane, then returned it to his waist.

Kaiden Mercenaries were far stronger than the Godrick soldiers under Godrick's command, and could be called fierce warriors. Every one of them was a blade fighter possessed of both strength and agility, capable of using a special technique that spun their bodies wildly as they slashed at their enemies.

Moreover, they excelled at mounted combat.

If Lu Mingfei fought them from horseback while riding Torrent, then he had at least an eighty percent chance—

Of dying horribly.

However, after learning through repeated deaths, Lu Mingfei's combat instincts had steadily improved.

I'll kill your horse first!

As long as he chopped at the horse's legs first, then faced the dismounted mercenary one-on-one, Lu Mingfei had nearly a ninety percent chance of taking these big brutes out by surprise.

As Lu Mingfei hummed a tune and sheathed his sword, preparing to head back in triumph.

"Hey—passerby,

"Help me."

Click.

His footsteps stopped dead.

Shing—

Lu Mingfei instantly drew his weapon and looked around warily.

The area was empty. Other than corpses, there was only grass and brush.

"Haunted."

Lu Mingfei muttered, sheathing his sword again with a shing.

"Hey—I mean you.

"Why are you pretending not to see me?

"...Why is everyone like this?

"Am I really that ugly?"

Lu Mingfei said nothing.

He knew that on this land where demigods, dragons, and monsters roamed freely, anything he encountered was normal.

If he wanted to die less miserably, he could only be cautious, cautious, and more cautious.

It did not take much effort for him to confirm where the voice was coming from.

A short yellow shrub.

Lu Mingfei slowly approached, lifted the branches with his sword tip, then quickly leaped backward to evade and open up some distance.

Something strange happened.

The shrub gradually vanished, replaced by a curled-up demi-human covered in gray fur. It wore tattered sackcloth and covered the wound pierced by his sword tip with its claws.

Those cloudy yellow eyes were wet, reminding Lu Mingfei of a stray dog soaked by rain.

"Fine, fine. Even beastmen can wear armor and swing greatswords now. What's so surprising about a clothed, talking demi-human..."

Lu Mingfei grumbled as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"Who are you?"

The small, ugly demi-human struggled to rise from the ground.

"Ah... thank you. My name is Boc.

"I was unwelcome among the others in the cave, so they drove me out...

"Then they used magic to turn me into a tree. You really helped me out."

Lu Mingfei lowered his sword tip slightly, though he remained wary.

He examined the demi-human calling himself Boc—the tattered sackcloth was caked with mud and grime, and several leaves were tangled amid his gray fur.

"Magic?" Lu Mingfei complained. "Who was bored enough to turn you into a tree?"

Boc rubbed his claws together uneasily:

"It was... the other demi-humans in the cave. They said..."

His voice grew quieter and quieter.

"They said I was too ugly..."