I want to be a faded person for life

Xiangzi stretched out a foot to stop the shield, rolled a few steps and rushed onto the platform, and slashed heavily on the fully-strung crossbow with a sword.

With a bang, the relaxed bow arm bounced out, breaking all the zombie soldiers on both sides in half.

The outer wall of Stonewell has been captured by Shoko Toyokawa.

-

[Soul Jellyfish Ashes]

The crying girl is looking for her distant hometown and will try her best to spray venom. The jellyfish girl is named Kulala.

Chapter 20 The Terrible King

The order the soldiers received when they were alive was of course to guard the city gate, but after becoming zombies, the little thinking ability they had left was not enough for them to have a deeper understanding of this order.

Therefore, after the enemy really broke into the city gate, the zombies patrolling outside the gate fell into confusion, and soon continued to wander and patrol the area in front of the city gate.

Only a few soldiers closest to the city gate were driven by instinct to attack the living, but they were easily dealt with by Toyokawa Shoko.

Xiangzi took a moss medicine, which was an antidote made from cave moss. It was said to be particularly effective against most toxins present in Nimgfu.

Because there are a large number of enemies in this land that can poison people, Xiangzi bought a sufficient amount of moss medicine from Kale and carried it with him.

The drowsiness caused by inhaling the toxic mist was quickly relieved.

【I’m so sorry, Master.】

The floating jellyfish spirit apologized somewhat eagerly.

"It's okay, Kulala, thank you for that."

【hey-hey...】

The soul jellyfish spun in the air like a dancing girl, its body like a skirt.

"And you too."

The girl bent down and touched the wolf's huge head.

Two of the wild wolf souls were destroyed in the explosion just now. We must wait a day for the soul bodies to fully recover before they can be summoned again.

Xiangzi did not cancel the summons of the spirit, and the golden flames that belonged to Cifu appeared at the corner not far away.

Considering that her current condition was not too bad, the girl chose to move forward without consuming the blessing.

Passing through the city gate, a wide stone bridge built on the cliff leads to the inner city of Stonewell.

Countless spears and broken swords were scattered on the bridge, the magnificent arches and towers were all collapsed and half-destroyed, and countless crows were circling in the sky, making hoarse calls.

In addition, there is another anomaly on the bridge that attracts more attention - it is more like anyone who comes here will notice their existence at first glance.

Azure crystal clusters can be seen everywhere on the surrounding ground and walls, and sharp crystals of all sizes are spread everywhere like broken glass.

Xiangzi subconsciously reached for his waist and took out the pyroxene he carried with him from the bag. At this moment, it seemed to be attracted by something and was flashing bright starlight.

"These...are they all?"

"Yes, these are all pyroxene, but—"

An ethereal and calm voice sounded, and Melina appeared behind Xiangzi again.

The one-eyed girl squatted on the ground and picked up a crystal. With a light squeeze, the crystal shattered completely and turned into an illusory point of light.

"...Unlike the one you have, these pyroxenes are just superficial."

"They are not true pyroxenes formed by starlight condensing over a long period of time, but products born through pyroxene magic."

"Pyroxene...magic?"

Xiangzi also picked up a fist-sized piece of pyroxene and crushed it into pieces with a little force.

Kale seemed to have mentioned some knowledge related to pyroxene magic, which is a magical technique used by mages in the borderland by studying and utilizing pyroxene.

"You've lost your composure, Faded One... otherwise you wouldn't have been able to detect it."

Melina was still squatting on the ground, seemingly observing something.

"A battle took place here. One side was a powerful warrior using heavy weapons, and the other side was also a very powerful magician."

Xiangzi was startled and followed Melina's gaze to look at the ground.

There is an exaggerated depression in the center of the bridge deck. A deep square dent is imprinted on the solid stone bridge deck, and countless cracks spread along the dent for several meters.

It looked like a mark left by a warhammer-like weapon. Xiangzi measured the size of the square dent with his hand and his face turned pale.

If this was a mark left by a warrior's weapon, then the opponent's strength was truly terrifying.

Judging from the size of the dent, the hammer head of this warhammer is at least half a meter wide and weighs roughly three hundred kilograms.

If Xiangzi herself were to bear the hammer's blow head-on, all the bones in her body would be shattered in an instant, and her body behind the shield would turn into mud embedded in the ground.

It's creepy just to think about it.

Not only the war hammer, but also the surrounding ground and walls were covered with sword marks, stick-like weapons and spear cuts.

"It's like an entire army of giants..."

But judging from the traces, the users of these weapons have only one common characteristic, that is, their size and strength are all amazing.

"If they were all left by one person...what kind of terrifying warrior would that be?"

Xiangzi took a few steps back with a pale face, and a guess formed in her mind... He was huge in size and could use multiple weapons at the same time.

"...Could it be that the one who left these marks was Stonewell's master—Greck the Limb-Replacer?"

She increasingly felt that this speculation was very reasonable. Having had experience with nobles who had had their limbs reattached, she roughly understood what kind of monster the so-called "limb reattachment" would create.

The arms of many warriors were spliced ​​onto his body, and he could wield multiple weapons at the same time. His body was huge and bloated - this figure completely overlapped with the terrifying warrior fighting on the bridge.

If the monster before was the [Limb-Removing Noble], then the one who left traces here was undoubtedly the [Limb-Removing King].

Melina fell silent, and Xiangzi took this as a tacit agreement.

"As expected... you think so too. Then who is the magician fighting Greg?"

Xiangzi used the broken pyroxene to piece together several complete daggers. This was probably the magician's method of shaping pyroxene for battle... She suddenly thought of another name mentioned by Little Red Riding Hood Roderica.

Malkit, the evil omen demon.

"Melina...Who is Malkit, the evil omen?"

The one-eyed girl thought for a moment.

"A powerful figure who suddenly appeared during the Shattering War and slew countless heroes and knights... It is said that he assisted the Royal City of Rodel in repelling the coalition of demigods."

Right now.

A powerful magician who rivaled a demigod perfectly fit Melina's description, but there was something strange about it.

Before becoming the King of Limb Reattachment, Greg should have been the Golden Crown Prince. Why would the evil omen demon standing on the side of the royal city fight against the legitimate heir he supported?

I can't care less...

Xiangzi was completely confused about the so-called Broken War and the forces in the border areas. Even if there was any hidden secret, it was not something she needed to know at the moment.

According to Roderica, Deng chose to stay behind to cover the retreat when the ominous demon appeared on the outer city wall.

When she thought that Deng might be involved in the battle between the demigod and the legendary magician, Toyokawa Shoko felt as if her heart was being tightened.

Thinking of this, the girl immediately planned to enter the inner city of Stonewell.

"Don't worry, Kale has something to tell you."

Melina grabbed Xiangzi's shawl to stop her from going any further.

"Since you've already recorded the blessed light here, your current condition is very poor... It's not too late to return to the church to resupply and then teleport here."

Chapter 21: Kale's Intelligence

"...Because you're in terrible shape right now, Fader. You'll die if you continue like this."

Xiangzi struggled a few times, but Melina showed no intention of letting go.

"You are so high and mighty, you have no idea——"

Xiangzi lowered his head and felt more and more irritated.

What? It's obviously just a deal where both parties get what they want. You actually want me to follow your instructions and reach the foot of the golden tree as early as possible, right?

So...don't say the same thing as Harmony even at a time like this.

Xiangzi felt that he was almost confused.

But even so, she still couldn't hate Melina.

The surface of the large blue crystal reflected her current appearance, as if she had rolled through mud and blood, and her gray-white robe was completely dyed black and red.

His face was expressionless, his eyes were bloodshot, and his long-unkempt blue hair was stuck with dust and blood.

She couldn't even remember the last time she washed her face.

The first impression he left on others was that of a wanted criminal on TV - if it was the previous Shoko Toyokawa, if she met her current self in an alley, she would probably be scared and run away.

But - with her current appearance, which looks a little intimidating at first glance, can she really save Deng?

Xiangzi asked himself, if he were to face the limb-jointed nobleman on the cliff of the chapel again, he might have the strength to fight.

He used every possible means to awaken the ashes, risking serious damage, and was even confident that he could kill the opponent on the spot.

Is this enough power?

The answer is that it is far from enough - whether it is the warrior or the magician who left traces on the bridge, she is no match for any of them.

The gap is the gap, and it is not something that can be overcome with so-called courage or awareness.

Xiangzi closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

With this sigh, the powder keg-like atmosphere around the girl faded a little.

"Okay... I'm going to see Kale now. I won't die—I can't die yet."

Melina finally let go of her hand and followed Toyokawa Shoko silently.

The girl suddenly stopped and spoke hesitantly.

"Melina...Um, will you stay by my side and help me continue to grow stronger?"

The corners of Melina's mouth rose slightly.

"Of course, that's my responsibility—that's what we agreed on."

-

"Kalie, I heard you were looking for me."

With the blessing, his body was completely restored, and the blood stains on the mail shirt disappeared.

Xiangzi also took the time to tie up her loose long hair again. She now looked much better than before.

"You're a regular customer. Seeing you're still healthy is better than anything else. I also hope that important guests can live longer."

Xiangzi frowned and said nothing more.

Sensing her urging, the businessman stopped chatting.

"...I won't go into too much gossip. I recently got some information."

Kalie lowered his voice and glanced in the direction of the broken wall. Ever since he heard what happened that night, he was afraid that the doll that made him fall asleep would suddenly come back.

"Remember you asked me about pyroxene and pyroxene magic?"

"of course I remember."

So Kale nodded and took out a wooden box from his package.

The merchant opened the box, and inside, wrapped in red cloth, was something similar to what Xiangzi had seen on the Stonewell Bridge: crystal fragments sparkling with the colors of the starry sky.

"I found this in the ruins of Post Street. I got information that a witch is imprisoned in the basement of the ruins."

"The remains of Post Street?"

Xiangzi took out Ningmufu's map and spread it on the ground, and Jiale pointed to an area on the map with his finger.

"It's right here in Nimgfu. Head east from the barracks in front of the pass and it's not far from the lake."

"I couldn't get into the basement—that ruin is home to giant carnivorous plants that attack humans. But with your abilities, I think it shouldn't be difficult to deal with them if you prepare in advance."

"In Nimgefu, there aren't many people who possess pyroxene and can use magic... I thought you might be interested."