Sunlight King, Subjugation!

The battlefield was divided into countless small pieces by stiffened spikes, with flames burning within them.

Everyone is forced to confront an Aldrich clone, and although it is a clone, its strength is by no means low.

The rotting flesh covering the entire area came to life, and the flesh where the adventurers stood transformed into arms that reached out to grab them. If they were even slightly slow to dodge, they would be caught and dragged into an abyss of no return.

Adventurers with slightly lower mobility, such as the Giant Gate Ba La, were already pulled into the horde of rotting flesh.

The number of adventurers still supporting the cause has dwindled to single digits.

"Bang--"

Great Carian landed, Leon suddenly realized that attacking Aldrich with magical Weapon Skill was less damaging than a direct physical strike.

Gwyndolin, made of rotting flesh, swung his long-handled sword with considerable force. Just as Leon was about to retaliate, he burrowed underground and reappeared in the corner furthest from the adventurers, switching his sword for the Darkmoon Longbow and beginning to shoot them.

Dodging countless attacks and running for ages, just to manage to scratch the opponent once or twice, Leon's fight was truly agonizing, making him feel like he was back when he fought the Crystallized Old Man.

But besides manipulating Gwyndolin's remains, do you Aldrich have any other tricks up your sleeve?

Aside from manipulating rotting flesh, I've never seen you use any other techniques!

If there weren't so much rotten flesh to manipulate on the field, Leon felt they could have taken down their opponent long ago!

As the battle drags on, people's attention inevitably wanders, especially when you have no way of knowing the situation of your comrades fighting alongside you.

Even Leon couldn't help but make a momentary mistake in the battle, and was immediately hit in the knee by an arrow, falling to the ground while running.

Spikes immediately shot out from the rotting flesh, piercing his chest, and as if to humiliate him, they even carried him high into the air, from where he could overlook the other smaller, separated battlefields.

Seeing that the others were also struggling in the fight, Leon sighed and remarked with emotion:

"Thankfully, I didn't agree to Lu Lu Wo's idea of broadcasting this battle live."

Otherwise, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

The rotting flesh spread along the spikes all over his body, and it looked like it was about to reach Leon's neck and strangle him to death.

Leon was gathering his strength, preparing to deliver a final, brutal blow; his expression had become somewhat ferocious.

At this critical moment—

"Boom!"

A towering pillar of fire burst into flames around him, the raging flames even burning half of his blond hair black!

"Ah!" Leon hadn't been so frightened in a long time. The flames seemed to have a mind of their own, burning away the rotting flesh stuck in his chest. In an instant, he plummeted to the ground.

The rotting flesh on the ground seemed to be stimulated and began to writhe wildly, with countless sharp spikes poised to poke Leon into a hedgehog!

However, the flames immediately broke through the stiffened spikes and instantly spread like wildfire across the rotting flesh. The rotting flesh, which was being scorched, even slowed down its wriggling speed.

Leon fell straight into the burning, rotting flesh. He had been pondering whether being stabbed to death by the rotting flesh or being burned alive was more painful, but upon falling, he discovered...

The newly appeared flame wasn't hot at all?

Not only did it not burn him, the flames even actively blocked the large hole that had been pierced in his chest. As the flames entered his body, he felt his energy being rapidly replenished, and his spirit felt as if he had eaten a lot of Rock Roast. Not only was he energetic, but he also wanted to jump for joy on the spot!

It's short for "getting hyped up".

In his excitement, he did not forget to look for the source of the pillar of fire.

Was that a person encased in jet-black armor?

Matilda?

No, although they look similar, Matilda's armor is bronze, and her helmet is shaped like a bull's head.

But the person in the center of the flames had armor that looked as if it had been blackened by the fire, and her helmet wasn't shaped like a bull's head, but rather more like another wild beast—a wolf? Or a dog?

When the man pulled the giant sword from the rotting flesh with his arm made of flames, the already raging fire intensified and became even more powerful. In the blink of an eye, the enclosed hall became a blazing furnace, mercilessly scorching any enemy!

Being surrounded by flames without being harmed is a truly wondrous experience. Leon recognized the armored man the moment he saw the giant sword.

It's Elsa!

Thin red rays flowed from the gaps in the Hell March, a scarf formed of flames fluttered in the wind, and the beast-shaped helmet split open with a gaping maw, her forward-leaning posture making her look extremely aggressive!

The armor seemed to be in a very unstable state. In its throbbing motion, a second pair of arms covered with sharp spikes even grew from under the armpits. Countless red humanoid phantoms appeared behind Elsa, filling the hall in the blink of an eye. The faces of each of the constantly flickering phantoms were indistinct, yet each one evoked a sense of sorrow.

In the blink of an eye, the phantom seemed to transform into flickering candlelight, countless flames scattering across the area, making it appear as if...

A memorial hall for the deceased!

Because the flames suppressed the activity of the rotting flesh, the adventurers who had been dragged down earlier, as long as they still had the strength, struggled to crawl out.

Matilda's head burst from the ground, and when she saw Elsa's frantic figure, her expression was extremely complex.

It's like seeing your significant other having a lot of fun with someone you've only known for a few days.

Fingel appeared beside her at that moment, and when he saw the sky full of phantom images, he was stunned and muttered to himself:

"How come she has more dead relatives and friends than I do?"

"Roar--"

With a roar from Elsa, both the phantom and the second pair of arms vanished instantly, and her figure disappeared from the spot.

When she reappeared, Leon only saw her back.

The crimson fire blade cleaved Aldrich's clone in two!

Outside the Zane Dungeon, in the Bede City, at the Bede Family mansion.

Si Tan, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up with a "whoosh," panting heavily. The commotion attracted the attention of Earl Ka Rong, who was passing by.

"What's wrong? Another nightmare?" Ka Rong asked, frowning. "Was that little girl really that scary? You've been like this ever since you came back that day."

"No, you don't understand, you haven't seen that scene."

Si Tan's forehead was covered in sweat, and he could no longer maintain his human form, revealing his true form, which was a combination of Minotaur and various monstrous features. Seeing this, Ka Rong quickly closed the doors and windows and asked, "Then tell me, what is so scary about the Brave?"

"Ten years ago, when I first infiltrated this land, I had the honor of traveling with Lord Luo Bo Ya Di, one of the Four Heavenly Kings."

"Then, he died."

Ka Rong raised an eyebrow. "I have never heard of any of the Four Heavenly Kings falling in recent decades."

"But Lord Robbiedi died quietly, like a roadside weed, and nobody knew about it!"

Si Tan wiped away his cold sweat and shouted:

"The murderer is a little girl dragging a giant sword!"

How did Elsa live before she met Sally and came to Bede City?

"Boom!"

Several slashes severed the giant fist formed from rotting flesh, and dozens of afterimages flashed past Elsa's eyes.

She originally had a happy and fulfilling family. The family members were as kind and friendly as people in a fairy tale. She was pampered and loved, and her whole being seemed to be filled with happiness.

Her armor was pierced by arrows, and a chunk of flesh was torn from her shoulder by an arrow. She lunged forward and used the gaping hole in her helmet to tear at Aldrich, the greatsword sinking deep into her clone.

When she was seven, the demons arrived, destroying her happy family. It was then that she became Brave, channeling all the emotions she had accumulated over seven years into power that helped her Execute the demons. The demon seemed to be muttering something about the "Four Heavenly Kings" or the "Demon King" before he died, but she paid no attention.

A grotesque monster formed from rotting flesh, with a hundred hands and feet, charged forward. Elsa blocked it with her sword, and the force of the impact caused blood to spurt from the corner of her mouth. But with a roar, she leaped into the air and spun around. When she landed with a thud, the monster's head was split in two.

After that, she embarked on a journey of wandering. In the rest of her life, she never again unleashed the power she had at the age of seven. The happiness she had cultivated for seven years seemed not so difficult to replicate, but in the years that followed, she encountered many things and experienced many battles. The emotions she had accumulated were burned away in each and every battle.

In the blink of an eye, the monster's head, split in two, transformed into two gigantic arms that reached out to grab Elsa from both sides. At the same time, Aldrich manipulated Gwyndolin's remains to shoot countless arrows made of rotting flesh from above, while endless tentacles stretched out from the ground and wrapped around her.

In other words, she is still in a state of complete burnout and has not yet recovered from the events of ten years ago. Compared to other Brave, she can only rely on the strong physique that Brave possess when fighting. Her Divine Artifact is really a pain.

Elsa was about to charge into the Arrow Rain, risking injury for injury, when suddenly, a flash of light appeared. Da Er and Leon each blocked two of her arms, while Ba La stood in front of her, using his half-damaged Greatshield to block the Arrow Rain. Fingel and Ai Li worked together to sever the tentacles!

"I don't know how you became so strong, but go for it!" Fingel shouted, his body covered in bite marks and blood. "We'll clear the way for you!"

Elsa responded with a low growl, and the Hell March flashed with light, with phantoms appearing around each of them to help fight.

Matilda's eyes widened even more. "How can she control the appearance and number of the phantoms!?"

Ba La leaped up, hurling his Greatshield into the Arrow Rain, forcing Aldrich to switch to his longsword for an attack.

But as the Greatshield was severed, an eye glowing red appeared in the gap.

Elsa broke through the Arrow Rain, stepped on the Greatshield and used the momentum to jump to a higher point. Flames spiraled around the greatsword like snakes, reaching ten meters, twenty meters in an instant, and a hundred-meter-long fiery blade slashed down at Aldrich!

Hell March will forcibly awaken the pain in the user's heart; the more miserable the past, the stronger the Hell March.

Attached to Elsa, it not only allowed her to relive the emotions she felt at the age of seven, but also unleashed the full range of emotions she felt at the age of seventeen!

At this moment, she is not a burnt-out ashes, but a raging wildfire!

He is a Brave qualified to challenge the Demon King!

"Go!" the people watching shouted.

A flash of fire streaked past, and Aldrich let out his furiest roar since the start of the battle.

Gwyndolin's remains were separated from Aldrich by the fire blade, and the flames scorched the rotting flesh, making it impossible for him to quickly retrieve them.

Elsa grabbed Gwyndolin's mangled body and threw it into Lu Lu Wo's arms, who was closest to her.

"Hey, hey, for me?" Lu Lu Wo was stunned, and then she started to run for her life. She had no choice but to run, as the rotting flesh was chasing her like madmen.

In that brief moment, Aldrich conjured a hundred arms and furiously attacked the Hell March, causing extensive damage to its sturdy armor. Elsa, caught in the middle, naturally suffered severe injuries as well.

But as long as the emotions remain, even if she only has a head left, the flames will become her body and continue the fight!

She suddenly plunged the greatsword into Aldrich's bloated body, flames instantly engulfing him along the blade, and even as he burrowed into the ground, Elsa clung on tightly.

Other adventurers spared some time to help Lu Lu Wo, while others risked their lives to help Elsa share the burden.

Ba La was struck by a giant fist, shattering all the bones in his body.

Fingel was pierced by several tentacles, leaving behind large patches of rotting flesh.

Leon was hit hard on the head and was now disoriented.

But with their help, Elsa was able to focus all her energy on burning Aldrich, and now it was time to reduce the heat!

"Help me!"

She screamed and yanked the greatsword out. From the endless rotting flesh emerged a skull, half-broken and resembling that of a giant, which opened its bloody maw toward her.

Those who could still move mustered all their strength to attack the skull!

Elsa, recalling her past memories, unleashed the strongest attack of her life at Aldrich in a fleeting moment of change in her eyes—

The entire venue fell into complete silence in that instant.

No, it wasn't true silence, but rather the loud noise of the battle that temporarily deafened people.

Amidst the tranquility, flames like Red Lotus bloom atop the turbulent, dark, decaying flesh.

The blast wave sent everyone flying, pinning them firmly against the wall; even the flying pebbles could slice off a piece of flesh.

All of this was done in silence.

Severely injured, Fingel closed his eyes in a daze, but his eyelids were stung by the intense light.

When he opened his eyes, the dark clouds had dissipated, and golden sunlight streamed through the glass windows, bathing the hall in its glow.

There was no rotting flesh, no Aldrich; this place was even more vibrant than Anor Londo in the Painting World, as if one had traveled back in time.

He even saw Smough, the executioner who seemed kinder in the light, and in the center of the hall, Gwyndolin slowly opened his arms, following everyone's gaze.

"You have succeeded."

Smough and Gwyndolin's figures suddenly twisted and disappeared, replaced by a battered Elsa.

Her gaze was somewhat vacant, but in her hands she held a vast and mysterious soul.