Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 505 Chase
By the end of May, most areas in the border region had entered the height of summer, but the Huasheng Mountain Range, stretching from east to west, seemed like a clear dividing line, blocking all the summer heat to the south. Perhaps because the moisture was more abundant than in spring, the snowfall on the 30,000-mile-long far northern ice plain was even denser.

From morning onwards, snowflakes, as fine as willow catkins, drifted incessantly. As night fell, a cold wind swept across the endless snowfield, and the snowflakes, which had been drifting aimlessly not long ago, instantly transformed into a violently trembling white curtain, sweeping from the northwest to the southeast. The few birds and beasts that were caught in the wind hurriedly fled to their nests, shivering in the darkness.

North of the frozen lake, on the road leading to Sol, a thunderous hoofbeat echoed faintly from the dilapidated ancient road. A silver-armored knight, draped in a moon-white cloak, streaked through the night like a meteor, speeding westward. The swirling snow seemed to be sliced ​​apart by his sharp edge, then slowly receded behind him, leaving a trail of ethereal clouds.

This ancient road beneath our feet was first built during the time of Odis. After the Storm Expedition allied with Politics, they constructed this road in the far north, far from the giants' territory, to deliver urgent military intelligence and important supplies. Later, as the Storm Dynasty withdrew from the north and the giants' court was wiped out by the Golden Army, this desolate and harsh road lost its original strategic value and gradually fell into disrepair.

Lucia chose this westward route to avoid the giants active near the central line of the ice field, lest Chareleus detect his movements and launch an attack from the north. His decision not to manifest his dragon form and instead fly there himself was for the same reason. Now, in his dragon form, his size is far greater than it was four years ago, and even his sixth-tier Boundless Tail cannot change shape at will. Acting rashly in his true form would create too much of a stir, making concealing his tracks pointless.

Looking up at the sky, Lucia slowly slowed his horse down, found a sheltered rock in the woods by the roadside to dismount, took off his luggage, stroked the horse's mane, and let it go to find food and rest nearby. He then gathered a pile of dry branches and lit a campfire behind the rock.

Judging by the time, it will take three more days to reach Ottina, just in time to cooperate with Katpela in the Sacred Tree Forest and also to investigate the mysterious force that killed the two first Titans.

Although Caterpillar had made a fierce statement before leaving last time, saying he would kill him if he dared to come, Lucia didn't take it seriously. He was afraid that if he didn't go, he would be killed by the Queen of Death. Besides, given Caterpillar's current state, it would be extremely dangerous for him to face Charlegios once his true identity was exposed. Charlegios had saved him more than once, so he couldn't possibly abandon him.

As wisps of smoke rose, the duffel bag beside her rustled twice, and a sleepy-eyed Shirley poked her head out. She first yawned widely, then jumped out, stretched like a cat by the campfire, and then shook her fur before hopping down next to Lucia.

"Awoo~" The little fox raised its face to look at its master and rubbed its head against his palm.

"Hungry again?" Lucia glanced at the bag of dry food. He hadn't eaten anything the whole way, and the bag was already half empty. He said irritably, "I've let you sleep with food all the way, and you still haven't eaten enough?"

Shirley whimpered twice, indicating that she had been strict with herself and had not stolen any food.

Lucia: "."

Forget it, those shadow beasts that only know how to loaf around and wait to die were something he begged for when he was conferred the title of god, so he has to accept it even if he has to grit his teeth.

He looked up at a silent, dense forest in the wind and snow, flicked his finger and shot out a blazing red lightning bolt that pierced through the air and disappeared in a flash. Hundreds of meters away, the branches twitched, and two pheasants fell down one after the other.

Shirley's eyes widened instantly, and she looked at her master with adoration. With a whoosh, she disappeared into the night and returned with the pheasant in a few moments. She tossed it by the fire and happily wagged her big tail.

Well, bringing back prey isn't enough. His own shadow beasts don't eat raw food, so he, as the master, has to help cook them.

Lucia sighed, quickly cleaned the pheasant, built a makeshift grill with branches, and skewered it into two pieces to roast. Shirley, meanwhile, ran around nearby, her little nose twitching, humming as if complaining about the slow cooking time of the campfire.
The sound of wind and snow grew increasingly mournful. Lucia raised her hand and beckoned. Sherry turned her head to look at the still-cooked roast chicken, licked her lips reluctantly, and then jumped into her owner's arms.

Not to mention Lucia, even Sherry's constitution wouldn't be afraid of this cold. However, in this howling wind and snow, the two of them huddled together for warmth. Even with only two blankets and a campfire around them, they could still feel a bit like home.

Since the Northern Expedition, Lucia has fought countless bloody battles and faced life and death several times. Most of the time, he was either fighting on the front lines or planning in the rear. Now, after a long time, he was able to come out and relax without having to think about anything.

After resting for a while on the boulder, Lucia was about to get up and turn the pheasant over when Shirley suddenly raised her head, looked warily into the darkness, and the soft fur on her back stood up.

Lucia was taken aback when she saw this, and the next second, a rapid warning suddenly came from her mental vision!

A thousand paces away, a sword's cry suddenly rang out from the dense forest, and a beam of cold light pierced the night, shooting towards his throat!
Lucia shoved Sherry aside, her agile figure springing up like a cannonball. Instead of dodging or avoiding, she charged forward to meet the sword's edge head-on!

His right arm was covered with dragon scales like flowing water. He met the sword light with one claw, and with his left hand he pulled out the sword of night and fire. The sword light instantly pierced the darkness. With a force more powerful than the incoming sword, he hurled the sword back at the enemy!
Keng——

The dragon claws gripped the slender sword that flew past its neck, the blade rubbing against the dragon scales and sparking a shower of sparks. At the other end, the magic and flowing fire that entwined the surface of the Night and Fire Sword also flashed away in the distance.

Lucia looked down at the rapier's celadon-colored blade and its unique design, and sighed helplessly. Looking into the dark forest, he said, "Your Majesty has come to visit overnight. Can't you at least show some of the demeanor and courtesy of a god in the past? What's the meaning of starting with fighting and killing?"

A few breaths after he finished speaking, a series of light footsteps gradually echoed through the woods.

Katpera tossed the Sword of Night and Fire up and down, her voice alluring as she said, "Didn't you see that my sword only pierced the air at the side of your neck? I was just testing your alertness. But your sword went straight for my heart, almost causing my clone to perish. It seems you're not as sensible as your little fox."

Lucia's heart stirred slightly as she glanced at the little fox beside her, who was already wagging its tail excitedly in welcome. Sherry had indeed noticed the anomaly a moment earlier than she had, and before the two lightning-fast sword strikes were even over, she had already lowered her guard and run to the fire to check the amount of pheasant, seemingly worried that there wasn't enough chicken for the three of them.

Last time, Katpera had already given a general overview of Sherry's background, and there was no way to get more information from her by asking further. Lucia didn't dwell on the matter any longer.

On the contrary, the unpredictable Queen of Death before him, who had previously threatened to hunt him down to Fam Azra if he dared to come, seemed to have automatically forgotten about it, which made him secretly relieved.

Lucia gestured to the soft blanket spread out beside the campfire and said, "I went to the Sacred Tree Forest to help Your Majesty. It's better to meet you here beforehand. The night is chilly, Your Majesty, why don't you sit down and rest?"

(End of this chapter)