Elden Ring: The Shattering!

Silently meeting with Ranni, Kaelith quietly left again, following the knight Alain who brought him to the military depot to carefully choose a weapon. From rows of swords and spears, a droplet-shaped great sword was chosen.

There was no other way, unless the blacksmith custom made it. At least in this part of Liurnia, it was difficult to find a pure Katana. Of course, he had also asked Alain, who had encountered weapons from the frontier, but the Carian side did not have any.

The great sword was a normal Sword. At least it was more practical than a regular straight sword... Moreover, this great sword was not an ordinary weapon, but one borrowed from the Carian allied hunting knights.

Its name was Bloodhounds Fang, definitely a knight-level elite weapon, very suitable for the situation under their eyes.

Bloodhounds Finesse, those who used it would understand its capabilities.

Ranni's reward was not yet finished. After choosing the weapon, she also provided a set of Ronin armor, seemingly to help Kaelith out of his poor outfit... As for whether he was still a soldier or studying Magic, only the heavens knew.

Next, Alain arranged for him to join a small combat team, tasked with defending the manor near the shallow waters, and the five members of the team were familiar faces.

"Ah, haven't seen you in two days. You've switched from a rifle to a cannon?" Carine, the archer, gave Kaelith a playful punch in the chest, smiling broadly.

She was the one who had joined the ambush supply team to provide surprise support, and had seen Kaelith's impressive skills firsthand, with great enthusiasm.

"You're doing well, Captain Carine." Kaelith nodded, trying to suppress his smile.

She was a woman who stood nearly two meters tall, with messy blonde hair, a tiger's back and a bear's shoulders, muscular and tough—clearly not the usual female archer... If she grew a little beard, she could easily pass for a strong man, which made Kaelith recall a famous saying.

"I beg you, let the child keep the milk."

"Haha, you've just realized I'm a woman? Don't worry, I won't reject someone like you, little white-faced boy."

Carine laughed heartily, pulled Kaelith by the neck, and brought him to the others, pointing at them. "Duke, Laila, they should be resting at the hospital from their injuries after that night, but I dragged them back."

That night, Kaelith had been a little troubled, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was the same ambush supply team members.

Duke seemed a bit embarrassed, holding his shield, laughing awkwardly as if trying to make small talk.

Laila, holding her Moon Fang Spear, was tall with long arms, wearing only half of her Cuckoo Knight armor, nodding silently as she went to fetch her carved wooden statue.

As for the last person, Kaelith didn't need Carine to introduce him; his eyes lit up as he quickly approached: "Arnold, you got assigned here too?"

This person was his younger brother, and though they had fought together for many years, he still felt somewhat nervous around the others. He scratched his head and said, "Uh, I think I'm caught in your light."

Here, they were only a few hundred meters from the front line, no longer fearing being struck by the Stone Throwers.

"Don't underestimate yourself, you're a battle-hardened veteran too." Kaelith patted his shoulder, looking over at the lake where the waves were rising. "Besides, this place isn't safe either."

"Well said. It's because the army is understaffed that they've assigned us to guard the shore. Those Cuckoo soldiers aren't fools; they wouldn't make a move unless they had to. It would be better if they just died," Carine laughed loudly while smacking Kaelith's back, producing a loud thud.

"So, brothers, we must hold the line!"

The sun was setting in the west, and the light of Erdtree gradually faded, signaling the end of the day. The Stone Throwers had been pounding down boulders from dawn until now without stopping, occasionally injuring soldiers who would be carried off to the camp for medical treatment. New reinforcements kept entering the manor, strengthening the walls with their lives.

By twilight, no reinforcements were in sight, and everyone knew that the remaining troops had been used up. A full-scale assault was certain tonight.

The guards on the shore were used to life and death. Except for Arnold, who was still a bit nervous, the others continued with their tasks.

Carine snored loudly, her muttering almost as if trying to bring the boulders down with the sound.

Laila was focused on carving a wooden statue, completely immersed in her artistic work.

Duke, with his sword and shield, ran to the lake without anyone knowing what he was up to. It wasn't until a while later that he returned, refreshed and full of energy.

As for Kaelith, he found an open space and continued practicing his Combat Skills.

"Bloodhounds Finesse!"

The Great Sword thrust forward, leaving a trail of blade light in the air. A wooden stake in the center snapped in half. Kaelith used the power from his waist to step back a few meters, and with a step forward, his body vanished in an instant. He reappeared at the wooden stake and slashed again, the blade light cutting through the air and splitting the stake into two halves.

Phew...

Kaelith wiped the sweat from his forehead. After using the technique three times in a row, his stamina had reached its limit. He twisted his wrist, staring thoughtfully at the Great Sword in his hand.

This was the power of Ashes of War. In short, it was like applying a skill to a weapon, much like writing a program to let the sword user wield it directly.

The advantage was that it was accessible with minimal requirements. As long as your limbs were intact, you could use it without needing to go through a long learning process. You could use it immediately, as if it flowed naturally.

The downside was that this "program" was created by someone else, not from your own power.

"This Bloodhounds Step is amazing. I need to figure out how to learn it." Kaelith was very intrigued by this strange technique. He closed his eyes, and in his mind, an image began to form.

With a sudden burst of speed, he would close the distance to the enemy, then follow up with a Cross Slash, using sharp spikes, or even the Carian Slicer to pull off a deadly slash, and he could even use a staff to crush his enemies like a watermelon.

This kind of feeling is not easy to learn; it requires a special kind of skill.

Kaelith didn't stand still, his feet stomped until his shirt was soaked with sweat before he stopped. Swordsmanship can't be rushed; it requires long-term understanding and inspiration, just like studying the flashes of lightning. But if someone created the technique, then it must be possible to learn it.

He put the Bloodhounds Fang back in his sword bag, wiping his face as he returned. The camp by the river had already lit a fire, and the small team gathered around to eat.

"Kaelith, I brought your food back."

Arnold handed over the plate, and Kaelith thanked him, taking it with a serious look.

There was wild goat meat and a bowl of clear liquid. He sniffed, confirming that it was wine.

"Uh, aren't you going to eat?"

"You fool, can't you see? Kaelith's so clever—meat and wine, it's clearly a sign they intend to start a fight." Carine leaned her hand on her head, snorting in frustration.

Arnold opened his eyes wide, as if realizing something, and his face immediately turned dark with a hint of fear.

The Stone Throwers had been pounding all day, and Cuckoo clearly intended to attack. Just then, a slight tremor was felt beneath their feet. Looking up, they saw a massive figure—ten meters tall—accompanied by a Carian Knight and a giant Troll in heavy armor passing by.

Another siege battle was about to begin, but this time, the Cuckoo Knight regiment was definitely coming.

"Eat your meal, we might not even get to fight here." Kaelith's expression remained calm, and he added, "Not just the Stone Throwers, I've endured bombardments from artillery as well. Why worry about it? Just deal with what comes."

No one spoke. Only the quiet sounds of chewing and the crackling of the fire could be heard. After a while, a loud roar, almost like the sound of a screaming person, echoed in the distance.

Arnold couldn't resist looking south. Due to the stone tower blocking their view, they couldn't see anything, but they could see the glowing light of Glintstone Magic lighting up the horizon. Then, the sounds of weapons clashing reached them, followed by the occasional crash of walls crumbling.

What was even more terrifying were the sounds mixed with "rumbling" as if something—either the Troll or the Stone Throwers—was causing the destruction.

Meanwhile, a Sorcerer on the tower raised his staff and began casting spells wildly, only to be hit by an ambush from a crossbow. His body flew down, as if it were a kite, falling from hundreds of meters high, crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

"This... this... this..." The young man holding the spoon had pale fingers, swallowing hard. "Are we just going to watch this?"

"There's nothing we can do. Soldiers must fulfill their duties," Carine slapped his shoulder and said with a loud laugh. "Relax. The scene back during the battle at King's City was even worse. The ten-meter thick fortified walls there were all pierced by Radahn's gravity magic."

Sitting silently eating, Kaelith's ears perked up, and he looked up to ask, "Captain, did you come from Leyndell?"

"Don't you know? It's a book thing. If you read it, you might learn something about the brutal battles there," Carine scowled, her mind filled with terrifying images.

Demigods fighting, soldiers flying like pages torn from a book, meteors falling, and entire buildings being destroyed.

Kaelith, curious, decided to interrupt Carine's recollections. "The Demigod coalition attacked Leyndell. Why did they lose?"

"Because of human greed. But there were also heroes on the royal side."

"Who?"

"The Omen King Morgott!"

Looking at Carine's reverence for Morgott, Kaelith fell silent. Morgott was indeed one of the Demigods, though his fate had been full of ups and downs... Because of his special Omen curse, he was cast out and raised in a sewer.

But he rose from the filth and didn't conquer or betray his Golden Lineage... Instead, he protected it and repelled the other Demigods. Now, he was the lord of King's City.

This kind of "revenge with gratitude" mentality was enough to make him a hero.

"So how did you end up in Liurnia?"

"Leyndell couldn't hold out anymore, but unfortunately, for the people of my clan, no place is ever peaceful." The tough woman gave a bitter laugh.

"Do you accept your fate?" Kaelith asked with a light smile.

"Accept my fate? As long as I still have a breath, I will fight to the death!" Carine said this with a fierce gaze, staring at the lake beside them. Under the moonlight, they could see a small boat approaching.

"Brothers, help is finally here!"

Without needing to say anything more, Kaelith and the others set their plates down and looked toward the lake with serious expressions.

"Arnold, go with Lord Alain to report. Hey, don't rush!" Carine pulled the young man back, then grabbed a nearby wine cup.

"Here, let's drink to Erdtree."

She wasn't a devout follower of Erdtree, but the group of them looked at her in surprise. Kaelith raised his cup.

"With death comes glory, with life comes disgrace, we will meet again in the tomb."

The wine went down his throat. Kaelith, who loved alcohol, didn't expect the first time drinking in The Lands Between would be on a battlefield. Listening to the screams around him, he felt a strange sense of comfort as he closed his eyes.

Crash.

The wine cup shattered. He drew the Great Sword, feeling warmth in his limbs as the battle spirit surged within him.

Let the slaughter begin!