Elden Ring: The Shattering!

The so-called art of assassination is to achieve one's goal by any means necessary, using the mouth of artillery to confuse, the thick skin to carry out self-destructive attacks, all leading to a final strike.

The mouth of artillery distracts the enemy, the exquisite swordsmanship brings forth thoughts of strategy, and the sharp, calm mind accurately catches what others intend to do, waiting for all conditions to align, setting up a deadly opportunity that has been proactively brought to the door——

Magic Downpour!

"Celestial Dew" is a sword that kills, but also a ritual for communication; in an instant, no one can regain their senses. Kaelith felt his chest muscles vanish in the blink of an eye, a dark shadow leaping from the "Blaidd" inside his body. Perhaps Kaelith had anticipated this, intentionally releasing a magic-encompassing aura.

Burn, burn, burn...

The sound of magic striking the flesh merged together, the blood blooming in the air. Kaelith looked briefly at the body, recognizing the opponent's face.

The figure was tall and slender, dressed in silver armor, with a black headpiece obscuring the face, but based on the mouth and nose, it was likely a woman.

A Black Knives assassin?

Kaelith's eye twitched. This was the legendary assassin group from The Lands Between, where all its members were rare women—executed by the "Night of Black Knives," the ones who caused Demigod Godwyn's death with their blades.

"Why are they here? Oh, right, I remember they were involved in the assassination of Iji, and there's a Black Knives leader imprisoned in a dungeon in Liurnia. So, there's a grudge with Ranni, huh."

His thoughts sped through, quickly realizing how indifferent the difference in time was.

A few similar-looking figures in attire jumped from the cliffside, holding small, strangely curved daggers...

As they appeared in the blink of an eye, Kaelith felt his heart tighten as if a powerful, invisible hand had squeezed it, his blood freezing.

An oppressive, cold, and ruthless aura hit him. Kaelith instinctively stopped his advance, ignoring the bleeding Blaidd assassin, and even though other Black Knives were still more than a hundred steps away, he was certain those peculiar daggers would reach his throat first.

"When did you figure out my disguise?"

A deep female voice rang out, clearly taller than the others in the Black Knives, almost two meters high.

Kaelith gripped his dagger tightly, his fingers turning white from the pressure, trying to keep his tone steady: "I've known from the very beginning. Was my performance not convincing?"

The atmosphere grew tense. Kaelith hadn't only destroyed his opponent's subordinates, but had also managed to slap a hand across his face in an instant.

"You're not strong, but those tactics are quite interesting. It's a shame you're just a weak human." The tall woman shook her head, slowly lifting her leg. "I forgot to tell you, the one you're trying to awaken can't have her soul tied to a puppet. She needs to use sleep to withstand the passage of time."

Kaelith didn't know this, but at this moment, it no longer mattered… Because several Black Knives had already stepped forward, their bodies vanishing without a trace.

Invisible?

The feeling of pressure vanished without a trace, leaving only the footprints in the dust behind. Soon, even the footprints disappeared, and only his instincts screamed with urgency.

Kaelith stood firm in his original position, his mind actually not processing any thoughts because his limbs had already reacted.

He needed nothing, asked nothing, only raising both hands with the sword over his head, tilting his waist, bending his body, and charging forward——

Attack!

The sound of boots splintering the grass, Celestial Dew shining with a cold gleam, the swordsman cutting through the wind, feeling himself merge with the darkness of the night.

Where the enemy was, he could not see, nor could he know where the killing intent came from… All that was clear were his blurry, bloodshot eyes, filled with ruthless and crazed fury.

Even if you kill me, I'll still chop you down with a single strike!

His gaze darted around, suddenly shifting to the side, and a strange dagger materialized from the air.

Trying to stab my kidney?!

The dagger was too fast, there was no way to block it with a swing of the sword, so Kaelith decisively abandoned his defense. He turned his body to avoid the lethal strike, feeling a sharp pain in his side as he quickly slashed sideways.

Oh——

The sound of the ice-cold longsword cutting through the air was followed by a burst of flame, as a Black Knives assassin appeared mid-air, their dagger clashing with the longsword... At the same time, even more daggers materialized in the air.

Breaking kidneys, stealing eyes, Severing the Trace.

Each Black Knives assassin was positioned in a different direction, as precise as a surgeon. There was a famous saying from The Lands Between's history:

A single Black Knives may not be a threat to a warrior, but countless Black Knives are enough to make a hero swallow his regret.

Kaelith remained unfazed, the tip of his sword flashing Carian script… Even if he could only open a wound on his enemies, it was fine. At that moment, the sky suddenly brightened, and the full moon's light seemed to multiply tenfold!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

It was as if a heavy rainstorm had begun, tearing Kaelith's cloak into tatters. He stood firm in place, turning his head to look around. The grass had already vanished, and countless one-meter-long Glintstone crystals pierced the ground in a ten-square-meter area, with only a peaceful patch of earth beneath his feet.

This control of magic power.

Kaelith quickly turned his head and saw a small, delicate figure seemingly emerging from the full moon. Four arms and fingers together moved, her white dress flowing in the wind, as if taking a leisurely walk after a meal.

"Good evening, Lady Alecto." She gracefully nodded in greeting, her gaze lingering on Kaelith for a moment.

Kaelith immediately understood the implication, lifting his sword and retreating. This time, no one pursued him for the kill.

The atmosphere twisted for a moment as the tall assassin revealed herself. Her heart filled with killing intent as she stared intently at Kaelith, thinking to herself that this small fry had wasted too much time—how could Ranni possibly wake up in this situation?

A sense of unease rose in her heart, and she immediately realized it was a trap!

Oh——

The howling wind roared, and a massive Glintstone Dragon soared up the cliffside, with a Troll standing on its back, raising a heavy spiked mace and bringing it down.

Boom!

The mountaintop shook in an instant as Iji's voice screamed: "Alecto, it's been only a few days! Why are you here seeking death!"

The sound of hooves rushed toward them, a phantom knight urging his steed forward, the horse raising its front hooves, and in his hands, he formed a large radiant bow.

"You were already prepared?" Kaelith turned his head in surprise at this scene.

"A little prepared, but I didn't expect they'd come so quickly and even disguised themselves as Blaidd," Ranni said with a sophisticated, emotionless expression on her face, not quite sure whether this was good or bad.

If the battle had erupted inside the Magic Tower, it would've been like catching turtles in a jar... But fighting so close with the Black Knives before had many risks, and she knew she would be injured.

"However, thank you for buying us some time."

Ranni took a light step forward, and when her toes touched the ground, the earth rapidly solidified. A pure white cold air spread outward, turning buildings and flowers into frozen statues.

"Be careful!" The leader of the Black Knives growled. This type of wide-area, controlling magic naturally countered assassins, not to mention——

Whoosh.

Four long, spear-like beams shot toward them, with frozen ground below and giant arrows above. One assassin, unable to dodge in time, was instantly blasted into pieces, the one previously hit by Kaelith's deadly tone, while the others vanished into the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Troll raised his massive mace, shattering the ice and sending shards flying. The old, neglected buildings also collapsed in succession. But it didn't stop there—he thrust the mace into the muddy ground and suddenly flipped the earth over.

The mountain tilted!

The mountaintop seemed to blow up in a sandstorm. Kaelith saw several blurry figures appear in the air just as the Glintstone Dragon swiftly passed by, its mouth open as it continuously screamed out the assassin's final cries, slightly tilting its head and devouring the assailant whole.

The battle situation had completely flipped in an instant. The assassins, who normally wouldn't engage on flat ground against such heavily armored monsters, now found themselves up against a Demigod as well.

Alecto moved through the dust, each time she landed, she jumped several meters into the air. Despite trying to minimize contact, a thin layer of ice formed on her short boots. She turned her head to look behind her, and her pupils suddenly constricted.

Ranni seemed to defy the pull of gravity, lightly and nimbly soaring into the air. She spun in midair, transforming into a cold, moonlit ring, with the moon speeding toward them.

"Get out of here!"

She didn't need to explain; wherever the assassins were, they were all rushing toward the cliff... The moonlight was so fast, anyone who entered within ten paces would freeze and then be devoured.

Failure.

Alecto's fastest step was a desperate leap, jumping off the cliff. In front of her was a steep drop of several hundred feet, behind her a broken crescent moon, and the violent magical energy sweeping toward her, freezing half her body.

She struggled, turning her head back to see her subordinates swallowed up by the magic... She saw the elegant puppet-like girl, and also the young girl beside the swordsman.

"I swear here, the Black Knives will take your life!"

Her scream echoed through the night sky, then all was swallowed by the radiance of the dark moon's glow.

The cliff collapsed, and the howling cold winds directly flattened all the buildings around, except for the three Magic Towers. Kaelith shielded his face, feeling his entire body lift into the air.

When immortals fought, any technique appeared pale and powerless. Fortunately, a chilling hand grabbed his cloak, pushing him down to the ground.

The sharp, cold wind finally dissipated, and moonlight once again poured down. Kaelith, covered in ice shards, stared wide-eyed, feeling as though his thoughts were frozen.

"She seems to hate you," Ranni said suddenly, looking at the slightly trembling Kaelith, "Are you very cold?"

"Yes, a little," Kaelith replied, his mouth twitching. He felt his face was surely turning purple, but he forced himself to suppress it with sheer willpower.

"Did the assassins retreat?"

"Hmm, the Black Knives are skilled in disguise, poisoning, and setting up traps. Direct combat isn't their strong suit... But you were too reckless earlier, there was clearly a better way." Ranni's eyes were filled with curiosity.

By logic, Kaelith shouldn't have fought at all if he'd noticed the problem. Wounding a Black Knives assassin was already a miracle. How could one, with such a large power gap, possibly launch a counterattack?

But I didn't know you had woken up, and I didn't know those were Black Knives.

Kaelith shook his head. Now that he was clear-headed, he realized he didn't need to be involved in such bad deeds, there were a hundred reasons to protect himself.

Perhaps he wasn't regretful, and didn't try to win favor with righteousness; he simply answered in a deep voice, "A real swordsman's skill is in the hands, not the brain."

Ranni's gaze deepened. She hadn't expected this answer. The impetuous person was now afraid, but the intelligent person would still argue their duties with their lord. The answer seemed unrelated, yet it aligned perfectly with the way of being.

"I don't understand much about your way of life, but please accept my respect. From now on, let's consider it even."

"You mean you're sparing my life?" Kaelith blurted out.

"You are my knight. Protecting you is my duty." Ranni paused, then suddenly lowered her voice, "If you make Ranni the Witch feel embarrassed, just leave it at that."

At first, Kaelith didn't react in time. By the time Ranni had turned to survey the battlefield, his eyes were wide open with shock.

Wait a minute... did she just hear me say something about the assassin's mouth breaking?