Stars Fell Before Their Eyes 30

Gong Qiying has great faith in the bonds between adventurers and in their abilities.

So I stopped watching, since the outcome was already obvious.

The adventurers win because of Saine's mercy, and it's not surprising that they lose; that's normal. If they really didn't want the adventurers to succeed, they wouldn't even be able to get past the initial Farron Keep.

Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom is purely a numerical monster; with him around, you can forget about getting past him.

The difference between him and the "door that cannot be opened from this side" is that he can move; otherwise, he serves the same purpose of blocking the adventurer's path.

But then again, why didn't Gong Qiying let the adventurers pass?

Is it because the later scenes of Anor Londo haven't been completed yet?

No, no, it's already finished. I've finished Anor Londo in the Painting World, and even the stats for Phantom Ornstein, Smough, and Socough cough are all adjusted.

He temporarily increased the power of Sulyvahn's illusions because of a sudden event.

It's related to the recent once-in-a-century Meteor Shower.

Gong Qiying lay on the Shrine, writing a letter stroke by stroke.

[To the esteemed Red Fang Dungeon]

The Zane Dungeon is ready and can begin anytime. Let's bring you some surprises!

"Everyone, hold on! Let's buy some more time until the commander recovers!"

Inside the Cathedral of Irithyll, the mercenaries, under Sally's command, opted for a delaying tactic.

A mercenary who can use Healing Magic has already gone to treat Iliphis. All they have to do is stall for time with Sulyvahn Phantom until the captain wakes up.

Although their leader had already fainted, the mercenaries were still under emotional control, only thinking about fighting Sulyvahn Phantom the Phantom and waiting for their leader to wake up.

As for what use Iliphis could possibly have if he woken up, no one would naturally consider such a "rebellious" idea.

In any case, we can't reverse the overall situation.

With the idea of fighting to the last man, the mercenaries were determined to gnaw a branch off Sulyvahn Phantom, even if it meant using their teeth.

What they didn't notice was that although the mercenary who ran over was casting Healing Magic on Iliphis, the flames on Elifis's body showed no signs of going out. Although the wounds were healing, they would soon be burned by the flames again.

Iliphis turned the Light Eagle Legion from humans into puppets, and the Light Eagle Legion turned Iliphis into Flame Fist.

It wasn't just the Flame Fist; the mental torment he suffered was comparable to that of a second-generation male. He endured both mental and physical torture. If Gong Qiying were here, he would definitely choose to give him a quick death, Elsa might do the same.

Unfortunately, the only two people who would give him a quick death, Gong Qiying and Elsa, were gone. All that remained were filial sons who hoped that Iliphis would live as long as possible and refused to remove the oxygen tube.

Given that every second Iliphis lives means another second of unforgettable suffering for him, could it be said that the mercenaries meant well but did more harm than good?

So what does the Zane Dungeon think about this?

Sain remained silent, focusing solely on accumulating Spirit Power.

"Watch me!"

The Assault Captain threw the shield, which had been cleaved in two by the Profaned Greatsword, aside and hurled it with all his might at the Sulyvahn Phantom of Sulyvahn Phantom squarely.

At times like this, it would be too damaging to a person's confidence if Sulyvahn Phantom didn't react.

Unfortunately, he didn't react at all, and with a backhand strike, he smashed the Assault Captain into Potato Mine.

The Charge organized by the Lancers Captain turned into easy prey, with Sulyvahn Phantom slicing them down one by one as easily as cutting vegetables, making it seem like he was playing Dark Souls Dynasty Warriors game.

The only effect of the cavalry Charge was to give the archer captain an opportunity to deal damage. His arrows, fired with all his might, could actually damage Sulyvahn Phantom, although it wasn't very clear from the enemy's movements, Sulyvahn Phantom turned his attacks on him.

Isn't this just because he injured her and she got angry?

Just then, the archer captain suddenly realized a problem.

Sulyvahn Phantom turned his attention to him not because he had harmed him.

It's not because he's the only one left standing on the field, but because he's the only one left.

"Not good!"

Before the Punishment Greatsword could strike, the archer captain turned and fired a magic arrow with Iliphis.

The magic arrow, imbued with wind magic, instantly created a tornado beneath Iliphis, lifting him high into the air—all for this purpose.

"Commander, please wake up!"

Everything was done so that Iliphis could live a few more minutes!

As the magic arrow took effect, the archer captain was slain. Sulyvahn Phantom rushed over and, with a swift stroke, killed the last mercenary responsible for healing. Then, watching Iliphis the tornado, he suddenly stopped moving.

The underlying logic of the Zane Dungeon is to collect Spirit Power and eliminate threats.

Now, Iliphis can unleash his Spirit Power but poses no threat, so in the eyes of Sulyvahn Phantom, he suddenly becomes "harmless".

After an unknown amount of time, the tornado disappeared, Iliphis fell to his death.

To reiterate, if the kind-hearted Gong Qiying were here, he would have to Iliphis something as compensation for his emotional distress.

But if he didn't see it, then forget it.

The scene shifts to a kitchen with a campfire.

The mercenaries lay scattered on the ground, making the already small kitchen feel even more cramped.

But no one dared to go out, because there were four Silver Knight inside the house in front, and the waterway behind was full of mutated centipedes. For the mercenaries who had just suffered a crushing defeat and had no desire to fight again, neither option was acceptable.

So everyone had to squeeze in, and even Onion Knight had someone lying on his lap.

That's right, Onion Knight is still sleeping here, completely oblivious to everything around him, just leisurely snoring away.

Reviving at the campfire restores their stamina, so the mercenaries are currently at their theoretical peak.

But even the team leaders were silent with their heads down, so the other workers had even less to say and were too frustrated to speak at all.

The Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom is simply too powerful to contend with. To put it another way, it's like trying to defeat the Full Moon Queen's Mimic Tear with only thirty people without Topus's Force Field. It would be a miracle if they could even win.

Sally fell into deep thought, wondering if those recently famous adventurers could win if they came. It seemed unlikely.

If we mobilize all members of the Light Eagle Legion, there might still be a chance of victory.

But the tricky thing about the underground city is that there is a limit to the number of people allowed in this underworld.

So who exactly is Pontiff Sulyvahn, and why is even his phantom so powerful?

"Sigh," everyone sighed in unison.

When they finally saw Iliphis appear, a huge weight was lifted from their hearts. They didn't know whether to be happy or sad; in any case, it was good that their leader was back.

But why is Iliphis still keeping his eyes closed?

"The commander has suffered a severe mental blow and won't wake up for the time being." Sally examined him and said with a grim expression, "We need to take him out to see Priest as soon as possible."

Get out? Rely on those few to fight their way through the four Silver Knights and Duo Er Bo outside?

Only then did people realize that someone was missing. Right, where did Elsa, the strongest fighter, go?

Someone found footprints, proving that Elsa had left the kitchen and gone inside the building. So people dared to peek out and found that the Silver Knight inside the house were gone. Thank goodness!

Several mercenaries carried Iliphis along the road, with their captains providing escort and following Elsa's footprints.

They didn't kill Duo Er Bo and the Silver Knight when they came in, but when they came out, they found that both of these enemies had disappeared. Was Elsa responsible?

Something's not right. There are no signs of a battle around, not even Duo Er Bo's footprints. It's as if the other party vanished into thin air.

Standing on the streets of Irithyll, Sally felt a little lost. He found that he understood Thane less and less, or rather, he had never understood him at all.

How come the Elite Monsters just disappeared like that?

He looked up at the sky, where heavy snowflakes were falling, a scene that always had a cold, ethereal quality in Irithyll.

A shooting star streaked across the sky.

"Meteor?"

Sally stared as the star disappeared on the horizon, wondering if Irithyll had ever seen shooting stars before. She didn't remember ever seeing them.

But this wasn't the only meteor. A dozen seconds later, two more meteors streaked across the sky, followed by more meteors, maintaining a pattern of once every dozen seconds, with varying numbers each time.

Sally keenly sensed that something had changed in the Zane Dungeon, but was it for better or worse?

The next second, a meteor hurtled towards her!

The mercenaries quickly dodged, but Sally only took a few steps back because he saw that the so-called meteor did not hit him, but hovered in mid-air. Moreover, it was not an ordinary inorganic object, but a living one!

[Small Falling Star]

Meteor Pokémon.

"This monster looks like it comes from the Gourmet Area, so why is it here?"

Before he could think it through, a flash of white light appeared, and the Small Falling Star in front of him disappeared, replaced by the laughter of a young girl.

"Finally caught it! Yay!"

Sally turned her head in disbelief, never expecting that the one who made such an energetic and cheerful voice was Elsa.

At the alley entrance, Elsa picked up the Poké Ball and saw the mercenaries. She paused for a moment, her smile vanished, and she reverted to her usual indifferent expression.

"Is it our imagination? How could Captain Gers be so cheerful?" The mercenaries were dumbfounded.

"Gers, what are you doing?"

Elsa pointed to the sky and said succinctly:

"Anomaly."

At the same time, the number of meteors in the sky increased dramatically. Colorful stars streaked across the horizon, leaving long tails, making it look even more beautiful than Meteor Shower outside.

Along with the Meteor Shower that fell on Irithyll, there were also many Small Falling Star!

[A large number of Small Falling Star have appeared!]

"What, what's going on?"

Sally stared at the overwhelming number of Small Falling Star, momentarily speechless. Elsa also shook her head, not understanding why meteors were appearing.

"Was it only in Irithyll that meteors appeared, but what about elsewhere?"

Sally frowned. The Small Falling Star didn't seem threatening at all. What was the Zane Dungeon up to now?

People walked briskly, Small Falling Star would occasionally fall past them, but they rarely hit anyone and looked rather cute, which made people even more puzzled.

Generally speaking, wouldn't the mutation of Sein result in the appearance of even more powerful monsters to torment adventurers? Why airdrop these little cuties?

Sally was eager to go out and see the world, and just then Elsa returned, which gave everyone more confidence.

Small Falling Star kept falling around us, running away whenever they saw people and never coming near. At first, people were a little nervous, but gradually they relaxed and even began to appreciate the beautiful scenery, healing their fatigue.

Just as they were about to reach the Irithyll Bridge, an even larger meteor hurtled down on them.

What is this? Is it a super-sized Small Falling Star?

Some of the bolder ones even went over.

"Boom--"

The entire Irithyll trembled, and a deep crater appeared in front of the bridge, crushing anyone who approached it to the point of obliteration, with purple magical lightning flashing around it.

The gravity inside the pit seemed to have changed; the broken stones floated up due to the anti-gravity force, and the eerie scene immediately put people on alert.

Elsa, ever the astute one, sensed something amiss and stealthily moved to the edge of the group, seemingly about to get some rest.

There are only two kinds of times when you slack off: zero times or countless times.

"What is it this time?"

The Assault Captain cautiously walked over, but he didn't need to go over to look; the thing in the deep pit walked out with heavy steps.

"Ox?"

What fell with the meteor might have been a cow, but it's unlikely to be a cow.

Its robust, quadrupedal body, two beetle-like hard tentacles, and the spiky rocks attached to its body prove that it is not a creature that should exist in this world.

Its name is—

[Falling Star Beast]

"What is this now?!"

People felt a sense of oppression from the Falling Star Beast, no less than that of the Sulyvahn Phantom!

Having just defeated the Sulyvahn Phantom, they're now facing the Falling Star Beast. How is this any different from encountering the Mist Dragon after defeating Overlord Wolnir?

Is the Zane Dungeon targeting us?

Sally muttered to himself, Iliphis behind him slowly opened his eyes in pain, completely unaware of what had happened.

It's really not targeting them.

This scene is happening in all areas of the Zane Dungeon; wherever the sky is visible, it has turned into night, and shooting stars streak across the night sky.

Similar Meteor Shower also occur simultaneously in many dungeons, the only difference being that the monsters in the Zane Dungeon are Small Falling Star and Falling Star Beast, while the monsters in other dungeons are different.

This is an event organized by Red Fang Dungeon, with the participation of many other dungeons!