Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 457 'Dragon Warrior' Egon!
Led by the ancient dragons, Bai Shi and his group traversed the rugged and complex terrain of the Spiky Mountain.

The dragon soldiers no longer concealed themselves, but they also stopped their ostentatious flight and began walking on the ground alongside them.

If they continue flying, they will attract attacks from countless dragons.

Although these dragons were not a problem for Bai Shi and his group, as the dragon soldiers could handle them all.

But if it's just about finding someone, then there's absolutely no need to waste this effort.

After all, even a mosquito is quite annoying.

Without spending too much time, given the Ancient Dragonkin's familiarity with the Spiked Mountain terrain, the group quickly arrived at a place where Egon might be heading.

They had barely gotten close when the sounds of battle reached their ears.

Bai Shi gestured for the massive Sif and the dragon soldiers to stop where they were, while he flew forward with Celine Sands and the ancient dragons.

After bypassing the obstruction of the boulder, two enormous and powerful dragons were engaged in a fierce battle on the open hillside ahead.

Despite being of the same race living in the same region, they were now unleashing all sorts of fierce and ruthless killing moves on each other without any mercy.

Bai Shi glanced casually at the battlefield, somewhat disappointed, and immediately looked away, beginning to search for Egon in the vicinity.

A battle between two powerful dragons is rare, and given the time, it could be considered a worthwhile spectacle.
Enjoy watching electronic cricket fights, and feel like a cyber prince.

But right now, Bai Shi only wanted to see the warrior named Egon, so he didn't care about their fighting.

As Bai Shi's gaze swept over a patch of rocks, it suddenly stopped.

Among the rubble, he spotted a strangely shaped creature.

He huddled among the rocks, trembling as if from fear, muttering something under his breath.

"...Woo, ooh ooh ooh!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much!"

"...Please, stop. It's my fault, it's my fault."

"...This is terrible...Don't continue."

"My hands! My feet! The destroyed place!"
"Aaaaaah! I can't take it anymore..."

Bai Shi followed his voice and looked at his body.

His legs appeared to have been damaged in the previous challenge, with only a small part of his thighs remaining intact, and his entire body was covered in a tangled web of wounds.

He seemed to still be in a daze, filled with immense panic.

Curled up, pain gnawed at my body, while fear slowly eroded my heart.

It roars and howls from time to time, and even brandishes its bow at the air.

The warrior was covered in tattered armor, several different styles of broken armor strung together haphazardly to form a bizarre set of protective gear.

Even amidst a pile of rocks, he looked remarkably natural.

Bai Shi couldn't help but doubt the defensive capabilities of this seemingly casual armor.

However, Bai Shi looked at the tattered man huddled among the rocks and trembling, but did not look down on him because of his clothes and appearance.

Judging by appearances is a very bad habit, especially in a place where warriors fight for their beliefs.

From the haphazardly pieced-together armor, Bai Shi's exceptional senses allowed him to detect a peculiar power.

Those fragments of armor salvaged from the battlefield seem to inherit the will and unwillingness of those warriors, embodying their beliefs.

The same resentment towards death and the desire to continue hunting and feasting with dragons that so many warriors felt were all carried on in him.

These unwavering wills ultimately transformed into a special power, allowing the armor to survive even Baylor's attacks.

Recalling what the ancient dragon had told him about Egon, Bai Shi realized that the guy in front of him was probably the real deal.

Once a lowly battlefield scavenger, he eventually became the 'achievement' of the Dragon Offering Ritual—the 'Dragon Warrior' Egon.

It is no shame to be born in a humble family.

Even though Egon's heart was completely consumed by fear and destroyed, Bai Shi couldn't help but look forward to other beliefs and his persistence.

When facing fear, it doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down.

Most importantly, whether they can eventually get back on their feet.

The best way to overcome fear is to face it!

'Human will'—this is the most vivid heroic epic on the borderlands, and it's what Bai Shi hopes Michaela can understand.

However, Baylor was not an opponent that could be defeated by willpower alone.

Even if someone charges in with themes of friendship, bonds, and the future, it's nothing more than a sliding tackle that ends up being a mere scrape in Baylor's teeth.

The most important thing for challenging Baylor is strength.

Egon's strength was indeed not weak, and even surprised Bai Shi.

In terms of the total amount of that power, it was an incredibly high level for a Dragon Warrior.

Relying on the Dragon's Bread to continuously accumulate power, Egon's body has amassed astonishing strength, which explains why he was able to escape from the jaws of the Baelor twice.

At this moment, Bai Shi even began to wonder why Egon hadn't turned into a lava dragon.
That immense power even surpassed the limits of the human body; what kind of unwavering determination could sustain such power?
Just as Bai Shi was pondering, Egon in the crevice of the rock suddenly moved.

He grabbed at the rocks around him haphazardly, picking up sharp fragments—the broken scales of the ancient dragons.

Unlike the rubble elsewhere, these are ancient dragon scales, soaked in dragon blood, making them even sharper.

Ignoring the sharp scales that cut his hands, Egon stuck pieces of stone into the arrows he carried.

Egon growled in agony, yet remained motionless as if insane.

Soon, a large arrow made of numerous sharp stones gradually took shape in his hands.

It didn't look like a large arrow; rather, it resembled a harpoon he had made during his wandering life to make a living.

The ravaged dragon warrior, in his agony, crafted one crooked arrow after another—

All of this was to instill fear deep within the heart of "Mad Dragon" Baylor.

At that moment, as the great bows were completed, a glint of light flashed clearly in Egon's turbid eyes.

The fear that had been weighing on my heart subsided somewhat, and I regained a brief moment of clarity.

Egon took a deep breath, as if searching for proof that he was still alive.

Looking at the two enormous dragons fighting and battling in the distance, Egon laughed loudly.

"Egon, think of the old you!"

"Remember! Think of it!"

"You're fearless, so what do you know about fear!"

'Dragon Warrior' is back.

With his crippled legs supporting his body, Egon slightly turned his upper body and steadily raised his bow and nocked an arrow.

The homemade bow, its surface marked with countless claw marks and its two dragon bones bound tightly with straw rope, was slowly drawn open, and the large arrows, covered with pebbles, continuously accumulated power.

As Egon twists the bowstring to maximize his power, his body trembles slightly as he controls this force.

Even as his body trembled, Egon's hands remained steady, locking onto the enemy without a trace of distraction.

The glint in his eyes was like a real blade, so sharp that just one glance would cause pain.

As Egon drew his bow to its fullest extent, Bai Shi's eyes sharpened, realizing that a tremendous change had occurred within him.

Upon closer inspection of Egon, Bai Shi's first impression was of his arrogant and untamed fighting spirit.

If Bai Shi were to describe it...

That's probably the feeling Don Quixote had when he faced windmills and charged forward without hesitation.

As he gathered all his strength in the bow, Egon roared with an indomitable howl:

"Baelor! You can't kill me!"

"I—! Will become your fear!"

"Beile!!!"

Egon's twisted bowstring was suddenly released amidst the extreme tension and trembling.

The moment the arrow left the bowstring, it pierced the sky, transforming into a black shadow that could not be locked onto by sight.

Piercing through the howling winds and thunder that filled with Baylor's rage, the great arrow seemed to tear a dark rift in the air.

The moment the arrow was released, the world fell silent.

The arrow, carrying fragments of stone, pierced the air with a sound like the sharp cry of an ancient dragon, or like the dying screams of the hundreds of dragons he had hunted, all condensed into a single line.

Wherever the giant arrow passed, the airflow collapsed into a vortex, the cracked rock crust on the ground was lifted by the wind pressure, and the rubble rolled upwards like a swarm of locusts.

"--boom!"

The moment the arrow pierced the dragon's head, what exploded was not a mist of blood, but a visible, pale shockwave. The dragon's massive body was thrown backward by the impact, its scales and flesh peeling off like charcoal under the erosion of the rubble.

With the power of the dragon warriors amplified, the ancient dragon's fragmented stone scales unleashed a ferocious and savage power upon the tiny dragon descendants.

With just one arrow, the enormous dragon's head shattered, and it died without any chance to struggle.

—Like the fish that Egon used to scaveng with a harpoon.

Even after the arrow pierced the dragon's body, its remaining force continued to rage backward.

After piercing through several mountain walls with unstoppable force, the giant arrow finally embedded itself deeply into the rock, blasting spiderweb-like cracks into the thick rock face.

The entire cliff trembled and shattered like an avalanche, scattering countless boulders. The thunderous roar echoed for a long time in the ravines of Spike Mountain.

Egon's roar and the whistling of arrows echoed through Spikes, as if he were releasing all the obsessions of his life.

Egon's battered body seemed to stand tall once more, tearing apart the clouds of fear that shrouded Spike Mountain in that instant.

After the arrow was fired, the flying dragons, which were still fighting fiercely, were immediately filled with terror.

The dragon that fought it just now was almost as strong as it, or even slightly stronger.

However, it was unable to even react to the sudden attack.

Realizing that it was an enemy it could not defeat, the dragon disregarded everything else and flapped its wings to take off.

At this moment, its mind was filled only with the primal desire to survive, and it tried to escape this terrifying place at top speed.

However, how could Egon let it go?

Once again drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, Egon pointed it at the moving target in the air.

Another powerful arrow pierced through the body of the dragon that had just taken to the sky.

The slender neck connecting the head and body seemed to have vanished into thin air, and the head and body fell to the ground separately.
-
Egon put down his great bow, his strong arms, which seemed capable of capturing dragons, twitched and throbbed with muscle.

He was breathing heavily, and gradually became so excited that his whole body was trembling.

Finally, Egon threw his head back and laughed, a very unrestrained and arrogant laugh.

"Hahahaha!"

"This is a warrior! This is what a dragon warrior is all about!"

With a hearty laugh, Egon suddenly fell straight backward.

Egon lay on the ground, looking up at the blood-red sky that never seemed to fade, where Baylor's furious roars still seemed to echo in the wind and clouds.

He overcame his fear once again, but the physical defects were something he could no longer overcome.

Dragging this body that can't even walk, even if he could shoot a few arrows, he could still instill fear in the prince.

Some peculiar force was constantly burning Egon's wound, hindering the original healing process.

Egon knew perfectly well that it was Bellor's inextinguishable rage.

Even though it was just as broken and battered, Baylor was still a tyrannical dragon.

For those insignificant opponents who dare to challenge them despite their own inadequacy, destruction is their only fate.

Egon possesses an indomitable will, but he is not a fool who cannot recognize the difference in strength.

It seems... he has no chance of defeating Baylor.

How unwilling I am...

He wanted to draw his bow again, to turn the harpoon into an indelible wound on the mad dragon's body.

Is this where his journey ends?
Couldn't even the last arrow be fired?
Egon slammed his fist into the ground, the sharp pain of being cut by shards of gravel shooting through his palm.

Accompanied by the pain he experienced throughout his life, he eventually rediscovered his will to live.

Egon's eyes widened in fury, veins bulging on his forehead and neck, as he roared in resentment:

"No! Even with missing limbs, my heart was still ravaged by fear twice..."

"I am still a Dragon Warrior!"

"Baelor! The embodiment of my fear!"

"I'm telling you, I'm still alive! My soul is still on this mountain!"

"I'm going to harpoon you and pierce you through, you bastard!"

Egon roared, as if to unleash all the obsession of his life and the humiliation that had previously haunted him with fear, his body arching with the force of his roar.

A round of applause brought Egon's confused mind to the fact that there were other people nearby.

Egon turned his head and looked blankly at the source of the sound.

The appearance of the familiar Elder Dragon made Egon realize that he was not in danger.

But the two people clapping behind him were people Egon had never seen before.

However, that woman was clearly a pure and noble ancient dragon.

Bai Shi walked to Egon's side and said with a smile:

"What an admirable warrior."

"Faced with an opponent he couldn't defeat, he overcame his fear twice and rekindled his fighting spirit..."

"No matter where it is, this is a remarkable feat."

"This unwavering will will not be tarnished by past fears; on the contrary, it will shine even brighter in overcoming those fears..."

Egon remained completely unconcerned about Bai Shi's praise.

He didn't think he had anything to be praised for, nor did he consider himself a hero.

In the past, it was only for survival that I embarked on the path of the Dragon's Feast, and eventually I went further and further astray.

Instead of these pointless praises, let him shoot a few more arrows at the prince.

Bai Shi saw through Egon's thoughts, smiled slightly, and said:

"Do you still want to challenge Baylor?"

Egon turned his head and spat viciously at the ground beside him.

"Of course...of course!"

"No matter how many times they come, I'll fight them to the bitter end!"

"Even though my body cannot move freely, even if only my soul remains, I will etch fear upon Baylor!"

Egon looked at the ancient dragon and said:
"You've come at just the right time."

"Please help me! Take me up there, take me to Prince!"

“I’m going there, to challenge Baylor.”

"Even if I die, I will die at that guy's hands!"

The ancient dragon did not grant Egon's request, but instead turned to Bai Shi, awaiting his instructions.

Bai Shi smiled, quite satisfied with Egon's persistence.

"now it's right."

"I have sensed your will."

"So, you'll have to walk the rest of the road by yourself."

Bai Shi calmly extended his hand, and the sunlight enveloped Egon's entire body.

The rage that hindered healing and inflicted constant pain gradually melted away like snow.

The sunlight healed Egon's body; his severed legs grew back, and his injuries recovered rapidly.

Feeling the gentle force spreading through his limbs and wounds, Egon's eyes widened.

Moving his newly grown body, Egon immediately imitated the etiquette he had seen in the past, awkwardly kneeling on one knee before Bai Shi.

Egon's throat bobbed, and he spoke excitedly:
"With such power, you must be an unparalleled strongman!"

"I wonder... if you also have thoughts of challenging Baylor?"

"I swear I will follow you closely and assist you in slaying that mad dragon!"

Hearing Egon's words, Bai Shi chuckled softly.

"Me? Challenge Bellor?"

Bai Shi shook his head and said calmly:
"It is I who want to give Baylor a chance."

"An opportunity to unleash its fury before me."

(End of this chapter)