Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"Ah, this kind of treatment... I haven't felt this way in so long!" Kaguya twisted her fingers slightly, her complex emotions almost showing on her face. "While she is indeed our helper, this attitude, this arrogant demeanor and tone... Couldn't she be a little more courteous, at least put on a show of politeness!"

[We should be considered partners who need to fight side by side, right? I almost mistook her for that stupid old relic from Tsukiyo who tried to use a swarm of people to build up an outsider Titan!]

"I think they've been very polite." Mokou turned her head, looking at the tower she'd noticed earlier. She was slightly intrigued by what was contained within it, and subconsciously took a step forward. "We're Alice's friends, and she's Alice's friend too, but that doesn't mean we're her friends. For strangers who are essentially just one-time collaborators, I think this attitude is very friendly. After all, as you said, Gensokyo's future depends entirely on them. We owe them, and they seem to have suffered significant losses because of their scheme."

"...You wouldn't just pin the blame on the other party because they said the plan was out of control, would you? Changes involving the entire Gensokyo must have been a decision made by all the sages in unison. Besides... Kaguya, don't you think you've become so immersed in the peaceful days of Gensokyo that you've almost lost your will to fight? Not looking for the root cause within yourself first is a cardinal sin for a warrior."

"I am a princess!" Kaguya pouted in annoyance, then quickly deflated. "Alright, alright, I know that. I was just grumbling to myself... just a little grumbling, that's all. I'll still do what I need to do. I can still maintain my composure for now, so you don't need to lecture me, Turkey!"

Mokou made a "do as you please" gesture and quickened her pace toward the tower she was looking at. She had a strange feeling that she could get something there—like the unsettling feeling of getting something good the next second when playing a gacha game—though it might not be reliable, she still quickly walked toward it.

Walking turned into running, and running turned into flying. And just as Zhao Yingkong had said, there were no spatial barriers to hinder her. She arrived at the tower in less than three seconds, and just as Zhao Yingkong had said, there were no samurai with katana guarding the tower's entrance.

This is only natural; how could a mere mortal warrior possibly pass Zheng Zha's trials to reach this place? Even Zheng Zha, whose mind and will were stripped away and who controlled his body solely by biological instincts—in fact, the latter situation poses an even greater threat to beings below the extraordinary level. This resulted in the Fire-Linking Ritual Grounds being completely deserted.

The flame has burned for a thousand years, and the path to the flame has been blocked for a thousand years. Therefore, the flame-lighting ritual site naturally no longer has any reason to exist. Perhaps some mortals in this land still remember the necessity of the flame, but forgetting and the desire for comfort have always been characteristics of mortals.

Mokou stopped in her tracks, the strange premonition vanishing the moment her feet touched the ground. She ignored Kaguya, who was rushing towards her with a bewildered expression. Instead, she headed straight for the sealed door at the base of the tower—she pushed it open with tremendous force, the door shattering naturally with a burst of flames. But when she entered the tower, the expected object was nowhere to be seen.

“I remember in the game, the tower next to Firelink Shrine was filled with the corpses of Fire Keepers,” Mokou said softly. She looked at the empty base of the tower, covered in dust and without a single corpse in sight, and her beautiful brows furrowed slightly. “...And I just clearly sensed that something was hidden here.”

"That might just be your imagination, Turkey." Kaguya's voice rang out behind her. "In the game, the Fire Keepers all died of old age in the tower because they couldn't wait for a hero to link the fire. However, the Firelink Shrine here has never needed a hero from the beginning."

Mokou looked up at the top of the tower. She transformed into a fire phoenix and flew to the top, but found nothing there that she expected—the tower's top contained no important items from the game, only an old, hanging clock. And nothing else.

"...Perhaps it really is just my imagination. I'm probably overthinking it." Mokou rubbed her head and sighed helplessly. Kaguya, who had come up with her, patted her shoulder reassuringly.

[No, I should have discovered something... Something important is here... hidden here! And I've already found it, even gotten my hands on it... Damn it, what is it?!]

Her heart was in turmoil, churning like a raging torrent. Yet, her face showed only simple frustration and disappointment. She gestured to Kaguya that she was alright, then took a deep breath and began exploring the rest of the area around the shrine.

Soon after, the two returned to the main hall of the sacrificial site, having found nothing.

Then, their minds went blank for a moment from the shock of the information—they clearly saw Zhao Yingkong pick up the same blindfold mask worn by the Fire Keeper in Dark Souls III and put it on. Then she gave the two of them a meaningful smile.

"There must be a fire-preserving woman."

She raised her hand and gestured "please" towards the center of the altar where the spiral sword should have been placed. Then, a flame-shaped portal that replaced the campfire suddenly opened!

"Please go and collect firewood."

"...Lord Ashes"

Transformation, Chapter Fifteen: Crossing Through Painting

The world of painting.

Alice scrutinized the girl before her—golden hair, scarlet eyes—and as she stared at Alice, a low growl involuntarily escaped her throat. A familiar feeling surfaced in Alice's mind as the girl raised her sword in a roar, and this quickly materialized into a tangible concept within her.

【abyss.】

She was corrupted by the abyss, yet she tried to resist it. Therefore, she lost her sanity.

A whooshing sound came from in front of her, and in the brief moment of her thought, the woman before her lunged forward like a wolf, sword raised. She instinctively stepped back, raised her scythe, and swung it. Sword and scythe collided in mid-air, and the attacker was forced back with a clear clang.

Fran's sword is the sword of the wolf pack.

A lone wolf cannot become a pack, yet it is more ferocious than a pack of wolves.

A burst of ice crystals exploded, and the repelled girl silently lunged forward once more. Faint wisps of crimson smoke floated around her, and flames ignited at the edges of the blood, raising plumes of smoke.

The Farron Immortals are called so not because they are mostly immortal, but because they all share the blood of the ancient Farron wolf. And when a member of the Immortals is fighting alone and forced to exert all their strength, they can choose to extinguish their wolf blood!

'Howl—!' The blood and smoke floating on the girl's body transformed into a gigantic wolf. The wolf swung its sharp claws, tearing a huge rift in the spot where the nun had narrowly avoided falling! The wolf roared and spewed flames, pursuing the path the nun had taken, intending to devour her!

A very hot fire, a very fierce fire.

The moment the fire touched the ground, the ice crystals throughout the cemetery melted instantly. The melted water rapidly evaporated, forming a white, steaming miasma that covered the entire cemetery. Meanwhile, the wolf's massive jaws, spewing flames, continued their charge forward, guided by Fran's sword, giving the nun no time to breathe!

But nuns don't actually need much of a 'breathing' time.

With a light touch of her toes on the ground, her figure glided through the ice-crystal-strewn cemetery, tracing an arc hundreds of meters long. The arc stretched from where she had clashed with the swordsman to the edge of the cemetery, then abruptly stopped, transforming her momentum into a powerful scythe strike aimed at the wolf's head amidst the steamy miasma! With this second clash of scythe and sword, the cemetery, once again covered in steam, was blanketed in frost!

The French girl wielding the sword was once again slashed backward, this time her body was frozen in mid-air by the extreme cold. With a dull thud, she landed on the ground, her entire body encased in large chunks of ice crystals. The nun then appeared before the ice crystals like a ghost, channeling power through her hand that touched the ice crystals, causing the transparent ice to solidify further.

The battle is over.

Alice defeated the sword-wielding girl in two strikes. The first strike was used to assess the threat posed by her opponent, and the second was used to suppress any possible resistance. The girl's resistance did not cause her any harm; she did not shed a drop of blood, a drop of sweat, or lose a single hair, and yet it was all over.

But she still had doubts.

The Farron Undead Legion is a group of Lords of Cinder; individual members aren't particularly powerful. But why... do I have this unsettling feeling that I could control her with a mere flick of my finger, without even needing to wield a weapon? It's like... I can manipulate the Abyss within her?

"How could that be?" The nun shook her head slightly. "I'm not that strong."

The Black Church serves the Abyss, worships the Abyss, and receives its blessings through worship. Even if the Black Church achieves its ultimate goal since its founding, and cultivates a King of the Souls who steals the flame—this so-called king is merely an agent of the Abyss, not the Abyss itself, and is incapable of manipulating its power.

Therefore, this must be an illusion.

She blinked gently, and the strange feeling from before vanished completely, as if it were a genuine illusion. She then breathed a sigh of relief, and with a slight pressure on the ice, she jolted the contents unconscious. She then removed the ice and took the frozen girl from its confinement.

Shinki's voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

"Luckily you acted quickly, otherwise, once she burned away all her wolf blood, it would have been useless even if we had defeated her." Shen Qi left the initial spectator position and came to Alice's side. "Although some has been burned, there is still enough left to open the portal for several people to pass through with some extra."

"Wolf blood is royal blood?" Alice asked instinctively.

"It's just the blood of a king in concept, because the Farron Undead Legion became kings after sharing wolf blood. The wolf blood in her body is the proof that she is a member of the Undead Legion. If this proof is removed, then she may still be a member of the Farron Undead Legion, but she will no longer be a member of the 'Undead Legion that became Lords of Cinder'. Even if it is used as dye, it can only serve an ordinary purpose."

"Illusion explained," Kamiki said, then looked at Alice.

"Alright, now you should give me the paint, your blood and her blood—if you squeeze all the blood out of her body, the excess paint can help you a lot outside."

Alice lowered her gaze, her eyes sweeping over the sleeping blonde girl—the girl before her was clearly barely out of the ranks of toddlers, short in stature, pale in complexion, and as she slept, she seemed to be trapped in a terrible nightmare, her slender eyebrows furrowed, and the fangs peeking out from her slightly open mouth like the last vestige of a weak young beast in the face of its natural enemy.

Her name is Fran, a member of the Undead Legion, and one of Friede's mortal enemies. The nun was reduced to ashes after being burned by the First Flame because of the Undead Legion she belonged to, and Fran and her ghosts forced Friede, who was disguised as the nun, to sit in solitude in the church of the Painted World for a thousand years—the ghosts were not strong, but if they were killed and their presence was revealed, they would be discovered by the White Cult members outside the Painted World.

She was her mortal enemy, but Alice didn't really want to hurt her.

Even though she had just launched a fierce and all-out attack on Alice, Alice did not want to cut off her head and then drain her of blood.

It was a strange idea, without any reason to form it or any stance to carry it out, but Alice just didn't really want to do it—she hesitated for a long time, and finally just used a knife to cut open the girl's wrist, and then collected a small cup of dark red, pale blood that wasn't really immortal.

"Aren't you going to cut off her head? She's the first undead to be resurrected right now, so we can easily destroy her completely." Shenqi tilted her head slightly, avoiding looking at the sight of Alice cutting her own wrist.

"...a steady, continuous flow."

“The amount of wolf blood is limited and won’t regenerate. Besides, she’s already immortal, so she doesn’t have the ability to produce blood.” Shen Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. “And from what you’re saying… you’re planning to take her outside the painting? Taking this person who’s lost her mind, and even if she regains consciousness, she’ll only raise her sword at you the moment she does, is a potential threat?”

“I have some ideas I want to test.” Alice blew on her arm, and a layer of frost immediately formed on her and Fran’s severed wrists to stop the bleeding. She could clearly feel the wounds on her body healing slowly, just like a normal human. Then, her blood-producing heart seemed to tremble slightly.

“I’ll keep an eye on this one and make sure she doesn’t get in my way.” Alice glanced at the wound on her wrist, which was gradually turning into a white line of healing. She raised an eyebrow slightly. “If you need more blood to wield your power, then I think I can provide it to you. After all, as you said—I am also a king.”

“The king should take good care of his body, instead of carelessly creating openings and ruptures.” There seemed to be a subtle displeasure in Shenqi’s tone, but it vanished as quickly as Alice’s illusion that she could directly control the abyss, as if it had never existed in the first place. “However, it is your freedom to do what you want. After all, I am just an artist, and an artist’s duty is not to provide advice.”

She took the two cups of blood Alice handed her, mixed them, blended them, added some strange ingredients, and created a dark-colored paint. Then, she picked up a brush.

"Are you ready to leave the world of painting?" Shinki asked. "The world you'll be entering next won't be as safe and simple as the world of painting."

Alice made a 'go ahead' gesture.

Then, the world changed.

..........................................

Alice opened her eyes.

She felt the world turn gray in an instant, then regain its color. The icy cemetery where she had stood transformed in a flash into fragrant walnut floors and soft wool carpets. A delicate little window opened with a gentle breeze. Her gaze followed, and she saw a clean and tidy blue sky with white clouds.

A blue sky, white clouds, and a golden ring of sun hanging in the air, showering the vast earth with selfless and equal light and heat. Clear rivers and streams dotted the endless plains, their banks lined with farms and woodlands—countless tiny figures could be seen working diligently in the fields, smoke rising from chimneys, and large herds of cattle and sheep grazing slowly across the pastures. Then she heard a cacophony of noise coming from outside the window; her extraordinary senses told her she was now in a bustling town.

This is a prosperous era, a peaceful era, an era in which the flames have not yet been extinguished. People live and work in peace and contentment, and tranquility and well-being prevail everywhere. These peaceful days have continued for a thousand years along with the blazing flames, and perhaps they can continue for just as long.

"And can you really be so heartless as to push all of this into the abyss, destroying everything innocent for the sake of a few friends you care about?"

Alice jerked her head around, only to be met with a familiar painting. The scene depicted in the painting was the icy graveyard she had just been in. And Shenqi and the unconscious Fran were below the painting—Shenqi looked at the painting, still damp with moisture, while Fran lay sprawled on the woolen rug at her feet.

"Shinki, did you just speak to me?" Alice asked, frowning slightly.

"No, I just finished the painting. You must be imagining things." Shen Qi tilted her head, looking at her face with a sidelong glance. "The door opened smoothly. This is a small town outside the territory of the Cold Valley. It's far from the Cold Valley and also far from the White Cult's Holy See. The reason you asked me to open the door for you was because you didn't want to come out through the original painting kept in the White Cult's Holy See. So now you've achieved your goal. Is there anything else you're dissatisfied with?"

The nun remained silent.

She shook her head slightly and said apologetically, "No, thank you for your hard work. I'm very satisfied. Let's find a safer place, and then I will keep my promise and take you with me while I search for Julia and Lilian."

“No need, this is a very safe place.” Shenqi shook her head vigorously, a strand of hair tied with beads swaying from side to side. “The name of this town is Qingquan, and the place you are standing on is the private residence of a well-known miller. But that miller appears to be a law-abiding commoner, but in reality, he is a smuggler who deals in salt and iron. To cover up his shady dealings, he has made many disguises, and the most recent one was to lie and claim that the wagon carrying the goods contained his sickly nieces who had come from afar to seek refuge here, and he even prepared the corresponding identification documents.”

"...What a coincidence?" Alice raised her eyebrows.

“There’s an even bigger coincidence.” Shinki took out what looked like genuine documentation from a drawer and gently kicked the sleeping Fran. “That poor smuggler went to complete the transaction with all his men early this morning, but unfortunately, he and his goods were eaten by the other party. So no one will come to verify our identities, and everyone around here knows that the famous miller has a sick relative living here!”

"...You arranged this?"

"Oh, I just happened to see it." Shenqi pouted mischievously. "I'm just an ordinary painter. Without paint, I can't do anything. I've been locked in the library by you for so long, so I had to find a way to pass the time."

"I thought you drew this whole town." Alice looked doubtful.

"How could that be?" Shen Qi pouted, then suddenly changed the subject: "Oh, let me ask you something, why did you look for Julia and Liliane? You've been in the painting world for so many years, why didn't you go to them before?"

The nun pondered for a long while.

"...They are my important younger sisters, and I owe them a lot. As for why I didn't go before...it was for other reasons."

"What if someone gets in your way of finding them?" Shinki asked casually.

She immediately received an unwavering reply from the nun.

"Kill them all."

Transformation, Chapter Sixteen: The King of High Walls (laughs)

On the high walls of Lothric, a diamond-shaped spatial rift opened and closed, and two newly created 'Ashen Lords' were kicked out of the teleportation rift like two sacks, crashing heavily to the ground with a 'thud' and a 'thud,' kicking up a cloud of dust.

"I hate this feeling..." Mokou rubbed her head, carefully brushing away the shoe print from her pants. She hadn't been able to retaliate at all when someone who looked like the Fire Keeper kicked her. "The Fire Keeper I envisioned should be a gentle, kind, and generous young lady, not this..."

“…Monsters that look like humans.” Kaguya tugged at her slightly wrinkled long dress, flicked her finger, and an invisible barrier immediately unfolded, enveloping the two Hourai maidens. Then a group of patrolling guards who had heard the noise rushed over, but regretfully ignored the two ladies within the barrier.

This is the high wall of Lothric, the starting village in Dark Souls III, and the first stop after completing the tutorial. It is the outer wall of the border of a great nation called Lothric. This nation tames dragons and powerful knights, and while occupying a dominant position on the continent, it also bears the important responsibility of linking the First Flame. New players are often warmly welcomed by the knights of Lothric upon arrival, and usually have to die at least twenty or thirty times before they can navigate this place with ease.

Clearly, the two girls have no chance of reliving their early days in the game here. Not to mention the knights here wouldn't be able to see through their invisible barrier. Even if they could… these mere knights wielding swords and shields, fighting with miracles and faith, wouldn't be a match for them.

The two exchanged a glance, then leaped from the wall where they had been standing to a distant tower. Their movements were so light that they left no trace of air as they passed, and not a speck of dust was stirred up at either their take-off or landing point. Upon reaching the tower, several patrolling knights, possessing exceptional experience and intuition, drew their swords and began clearing the area where the two had stood. Others brought hunting dogs and used a healing spell to scan the area. The knights only stopped after the stone pavement had been thoroughly cleaned; some continued patrolling, while others remained to observe and keep watch.

“A very vigilant soldier; it seems the soldiers in this country are of high quality,” Mokou said softly, her voice muffled by the barrier surrounding them, leaving only faint echoes. “I suspect this country is currently at war, but I haven’t smelled enough fresh blood.”