The Kindred of Rot stood like a spear amidst the murky current. Countless pale, spindly threads radiated from its body, sweeping toward Raven from all directions, yet they only succeeded in shattering the afterimages he left behind.
Raven suddenly appeared behind the creature, his deep blue greatsword swinging down in a vertical arc. The air split apart, and the resulting turbulence of magic tore a jagged rent through the center of the ceiling. Without even turning its head, the Kindred thrust the butt of its halberd backward. A deafening boom echoed as the polearm and the greatsword were simultaneously knocked aside.
The blue greatsword dimmed for a fraction of a second before erupting with a brilliant light, as if Raven had poured even more mana into it. He took a sharp step forward, his boots digging into the churning water. The greatsword in his hands shed a cascade of starlight. Eschewing all feints or tricks, he unleashed three consecutive slashes with a whistling roar. The Kindred's halberd moved like lightning, parrying all three strikes in succession before thrusting straight through the center toward Raven's heart.
Raven let out a soft sound of surprise, parrying the thrust with the crossguard of his sword. His injuries had not yet fully healed, so he hadn't exerted his full strength just then, but for this Kindred of Rot to handle such a fierce assault with such ease meant its strength was far beyond that of an average warrior.
Ochre flames ignited along the blade. Just as Raven pointed his sword toward the heavens, preparing to strike, his movements suddenly hitched. It seemed the exertion had aggravated the wound left by his battle with Godwyn. He stepped back into a defensive stance, but the Kindred also swayed, looking unsteady on its feet, yet Raven could find no opening to counter-attack.
With a thunderous crash, half of the ceiling collapsed entirely. The murky flood, carrying debris and stone, swept through the corridor.
Ignoring the combat for a moment, Raven once again adopted the Bloodhound's Step. With a single stride, he was at Xingmei's side, scooping her up just before she could be swept away by the torrential surge.
"Can you transform into something with better self-defense?" Raven shouted over the din. "Like a Troll, perhaps?"
Xingmei shook her head frantically. Helpless, Raven hoisted her onto his shoulder, intending to retreat and place her somewhere safe before returning to deal with the Kindred.
"Stop fighting!" someone shouted loudly.
The rushing water suddenly calmed, as if held in place by some powerful force. Raven looked over in surprise to see a girl in a blue dress emerging from the current. A hazy glimmer radiated from her, and her eyes were like tranquil green pools; her temperament was clearly distinct from that of a mortal.
Her bare feet actually walked upon the surface of the water as she tucked up her skirt and ran to the side of the Kindred of Rot. The Kindred leaned its glaive against the ground, its tall frame held ramrod straight. However, after a brief exchange with the girl, its dozen or so hands slowly let go of the polearm, and it "sat" down with the girl's support.
Though it was difficult to describe the act of "sitting" for a centipede-like insect, Raven could tell this was a posture of truce.
Only then did he notice that the creature's body was riddled with pits and scars. Many unhealed wounds were covered by only a thin layer of newly grown skin, which had split open during the brief skirmish and was now oozing ichor. It seemed this Kindred of Rot had been severely wounded even before encountering Raven.
"That Kindred of Rot... stay back! You'll catch the rot!" Raven couldn't help but warn her. Seeing the girl and the disgusting insect-man huddled together created a visual contrast that was quite jarring.
"The rot on his body has been washed clean by the flowing water. Mere contact like this will not cause infection," the girl in the blue dress replied, her voice as clear as a winter spring. "Could you please put away your weapon? 404 is not a bad person."
Raven wasn't about to relax just because of a single sentence. He studied the girl, finding her image strangely familiar. Suddenly, he remembered little Rya's Blue Dancer charm and his face filled with astonishment.
"Wait... could you be the legendary Blue Fairy? The one who taught the blind swordsman the Flowing Curved Sword technique, the blue-clad dancer who sealed away the rot?"
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(266 Chapter - Ongoing)
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