Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Chapter 198 The aftermath

"Ahahahaha - just now, I really thought I was going to die!" Beside the flickering glow of blessing, Alexander folded his arms and said happily to his dusty brothers.

After giving everyone a "Healing Flame" shot, I shook off the remaining flames in my palm and sighed, "I knew that with the current attributes, it would be too presumptuous to deal with Eggkiss."

——That’s right, even with the combined strength of the four of us, we were still nearly wiped out by the dragon’s breath.

Fortunately, after Aegis fell into corruption, his movements became slow. Laya and Torrett actually carried the three of us who were trapped in corruption and kicked the chubby Hu Ge until we found the blessing on the south bank of the Ionian Swamp, and only then were we able to escape.

"We have chosen the wrong target. We should go for the dragon's wings first." Ishtopia said, holding the jerky in his hand, gesturing, "Otherwise, the dragon's mobility is too high. Even if Aegis's wings are rotten, it can still fly up to the cliff easily, leaving us unable to fight back."

"Uh... I don't think attacking the wings will be effective." I retorted. "When the wound was caused by the slash, I seemed to see the golden glow of Rune flying out from Aegis's body."

"Sure enough, Zero, did you notice that too?" Wolf Brother Blaze interrupted, "If Aegis is also a monster that has completed rune transformation, we won't be able to break its wings with just our slashes."

"Uh... Runeization? What is this?" I asked about the new term with some confusion.

"Ah? Don't you know?" Brother Wolf was quite surprised, and then explained, "Among all things in the borderland, runes are the source of power, just like blood flowing in our bodies. In addition, Zero, you should also know that under the influence of the blessing, some creatures can use runes to revive, and some, like us, will transform runes into power."

I nodded. This was the basic knowledge in Meimei's class.

"In pursuit of ultimate power, some people will transform everything in their bodies into something shaped only by runes, and this is called Runeization... When you were in the fortress, you fought with Loretta there, right? Runeization feels similar to her."

——Oh, now that I think about it, the Markit and the Tree Guardian that I met before were actually already rune-transformed.

but--

"Why do I feel that the Rune has been weakened? With every attack from the opponent, the Rune will dissipate and its power will decrease. Won't it become weaker as the battle goes on?" I asked in confusion.

"Hahaha, that is indeed a major flaw of Runeization, so there are many people who sneer at this practice." Blaze responded with a smile, "But one of the biggest advantages of Runeization is that the battle will not be affected by any condition of the body. To give a simple example, after we were infected with the scarlet corruption just now, our bodies would instantly lose strength and we could hardly breathe, right... But if it is a Runeized body, even if it is corrupted, it can still fight normally. Even if it is hit in the vitals, as long as the runes in the body can continue to be maintained, it can still fight like usual for a short time."

"Ah? Is it so powerful?" I was a little surprised, and a guess suddenly popped up in my mind, "If I recover immediately after receiving a fatal injury, wouldn't it be possible to remain immortal?"

"Sure." Blaze actually confirmed my thoughts. "However, after inflicting a fatal injury, the runes in the body will dissipate very quickly. In less than three or four seconds, it should be completely powerless."

"Tsk~ Isn't that almost the same as under normal circumstances?" I pouted. After all, even if someone is beheaded, I remember a survey saying that a person will retain consciousness for four or five seconds.

Ishutopia suddenly said, "I remember that after Rune transformation, can one still change his form?"

"Hmm?" Blaze rolled his eyes. "It seems that there are indeed such rumors, but I have never seen it... After all, there is magic that can directly change a person's appearance."

"You are talking about this~"

Suddenly, everyone was startled by a talking stone pillar that appeared next to them, and I happily put away my mimicry veil, revealing my true form.

"Wow, what an interesting magic. It can even transform non-human things?" Laya's eyes sparkled.

——But, why do your flattering words sound like insults to me?

Alexander also curiously stretched out his hand to me: "Brother Ling, can you lend it to me for a try?"

"please."

Alexander's hands seemed to be shaking with excitement. He carefully placed the mimicry veil in the center of the top of the pot, and then asked excitedly: "How is it, brothers? What have I become?"

Blaze and Ishtopia looked at each other in silence.

And I laughed and joked: "Alexander, how come you just turned into a small fighting pot?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Brother Ling is just talking nonsense, don't really believe it, Brother Hu." Ishutopia sighed.

And Blaze hit me lightly.

I also smiled and explained: "Sorry, sorry, Alexander, if the mimicry was successful, the veil would tell you what you have become. Unfortunately, it looks like you can't even wear the veil."

“…Ah, that’s a pity.” Alexander shook his body helplessly and returned the veil to me. “It seems that we, the Battle Pot, can’t use magic, and we can’t use the same cool moves as you.”

——What are you talking about, Brother Hu? Your Flame Rising Dragon Fist in the later stage is so cool, okay?

But the opponent didn't stay depressed for long. He cheered up after raising his fist: "In this case, I can only continue to use the 'Iron Fist' to show my determination and fight!"

"Well said!" Ishutopia was always very excited about other people's passionate ideas. He smiled and bumped fists with Alexander.

Blaze looked up at the sky and stood up: "It's almost dawn, let's keep going. Collect the Holy Bloodwood Buds as soon as possible and return to Red Lion City as soon as possible... Zero, what's your plan next?"

I stood up as well and looked around: "Um... Brother Wolf, which direction is the magic town of Selia?"

——After all, I haven't been able to unlock any of Gaileed's maps yet.

——There is always thick dust here, making it difficult to tell the direction.

Blaze pointed to the north and said, "Ceria should be over there. However, the magicians inside are not easy to deal with."

"I know, you can become invisible, right? But I can only ask you, Brother Wolf, and Senior Ishutopia for help... The back door of the town is sealed by magic. You need to find three tall towers and light the bonfires inside to unlock it." I told them the secret of the magic town. "Oh, and if you run into a sage named Gwei, please spare his life for now."

“...Then he won’t attack us for no reason, right?” Ixutopon asked cautiously.

"Hmm? That's not the case, but..." I was about to say that the guy was nothing, but suddenly I remembered something else, so I changed my words and said, "The guy seems to have raised a wild bully dog."

When Blaze heard this, he trembled slightly: "Ba, Ba Wangou? They are those wild dogs that have been corrupted, right? There are actually people raising them?!"

"So, I'm afraid that if you get excited, you might wipe out the old man as well."

“Hahaha, so that’s how it is.” Ishtopia patted Blaze with a smile, “Don’t worry, brother Wolf, let me deal with that monster.”

"Many, thank you."

Alexander couldn't wait any longer and asked, "Brother Ling, what about me?"

"Brother Hu, you have a high resistance to the erosion of scarlet corruption, right?"

Alexander folded his arms confidently and nodded.

"I'll go unlock the map stele I just passed by. I'll ask you to follow me to the Ionian Swamp."

"You, you guys are going to that swamp?" Ishtopia turned around in surprise. "That damn place is the source of the scarlet corruption that has stained the entire Galid! It is said that as long as you get close to the lake, you will be infected with decay and turn into dry bones."

"There's no other way. There's a prop I need to get from inside." I sighed, turned my head and looked at Laya.

Before I could say anything, she said, "I'll follow you, Zero."

——······Sure enough, at that time, it would not be too dangerous to let Laya climb the trees in the center of the lake.

"Well, Brother Hu and I will try to resolve the matter today. Then, we will meet at the sage's house." I blew the whistle and summoned Torret. "Let's go, everyone. Wish us good luck in martial arts!"