Nidhogg, Azan, and Serpico walked through the thick hill fog. Their vision was limited; they could only see each other.
But soon, they were the first to see the tall city wall that suddenly rose from the mist.
Both Azan and Serpico sighed inwardly. This city wall was much taller than Castle Morne's. Even in the real world, few walls could compare to it.
And all these cities were military strongholds, without exception.
Then they heard footsteps from within the mist. All three exchanged glances and hid behind the nearest trees.
A group of Godrick's soldiers, clad in cylindrical armor bearing the crest of the tree and beast, armed with longswords and shields, were patrolling loosely in the early morning.
The few listened to each other; no one was commanding them.
"Did you hear? The commotion yesterday? The battle was very intense."
"What? What happened? Did the wyvern come again, or are the Crucible Knights causing trouble? Or is it some overconfident group planning to invade the city, only for Lord Godrick to turn them into puppets?"
"Not at all! You slept so soundly last night. Word last night was that three assassins infiltrated Stormveil City, and we suspect the patrol that went missing last night was killed by them."
"Huh? How can that be? So these three assassins, were they caught?"
"Two of them are probably hiding, impossible to find. Stormveil City is so big, and we're short on staff right now. Even Castle Morne has surrendered, left to crumble. The third one was intercepted."
"Intercepted by whom?"
"The Omen... Hehe, the assassin thought he could hide his tracks, but he didn't expect to be seen through by the Omen that Lord Godrick brought out. He caught his true form and forced him to retreat."
"I see. This assassin knew nothing about the situation in the city and dared to break through the main gate. No wonder he was intercepted by the Omen."
"Yeah, too bad we couldn't catch him. Otherwise, we could have dedicated him to Lord Godrick... Lately, there have been few 'grafts.' If there aren't more additions, I'm afraid Lord Godrick will get angry again..."
Their words faded into the mist.
Nidhogg pondered. Three assassins who broke into Stormveil City before us? Which three?
Soon, he thought of two of them, but he was a bit uncertain about the third option.
Who could it be?
Nidhogg didn't dwell on it further. He said to Azan and Serpico, "Let's go. Move forward, using the fog. There's no point wasting energy on these minions."
Azan and Serpico agreed, but they just looked at each other, thinking:
These minions are a waste for you, but for us, they're just right. If you think they're the enemy, we're no match at all.
The three used the fog to gradually approach the gates of Stormveil. After skirting around several dead horses on the ground and avoiding Godrick's soldiers carrying torches, they finally reached the city gates.
Only a few Godrick's soldiers were guarding there. It was almost impossible to enter the city without alerting them. And if they were alerted, the guards on the nearby tower would also notice.
It seemed they needed to deal with the guards first so they wouldn't sound the horn and cause trouble, and then deal with the group of soldiers at the city gates without being discovered...
Before Nidhogg could finish thinking, he suddenly heard the sound of a horn in the air:
TOOT—!
This was clearly a signal for an enemy attack.
The three looked at each other, puzzled and surprised. They hadn't been discovered—why had the guard sounded the horn?
Soon, they understood what was happening.
FWOOSH—!
The heavy sound of flapping wings came from the air.
Immediately, a huge, terrifying, and ugly dragon's head peered out from the clouds and mist, followed by its massive wings and body, flying through the air!
ROAR—!
The dragon's roar was deafening!
Flying Dragon Agheel!
Nidhogg identified it with his Spectral Sight. It certainly matched his own hypothesis. The flying dragon that was supposed to burn the undead with its flames by the lakeside had also come here due to the intersection between the Junction and the real world!
Agheel roared, unleashing a cloud of flame towards the tower, instantly engulfing the guards. The horn abruptly ceased.
After that, it swooped down again, its bloody maw spewing flames onto the terrified Godrick's soldiers below. It burned all the way, a fiery serpent wreaking havoc everywhere at the city gates!
The Godrick's soldiers at the gates couldn't dodge in time and were scorched instantly. They fell to the ground, their bodies still burning like fire-men.
After Agheel's breath had burned the city gates, it soared back up and flew along the high city wall towards the sky. Then it swooped again, trying to fly over the wall and enter the city.
From within the clouds and mist, the city wall fired several "shots." Thick ballista bolts shot at Agheel. But the alert Agheel spread its wings and soared, dodging them all.
Azan and Serpico were stunned by this scene and momentarily lost for words.
Nidhogg pulled them and said, "Let's go. Enter the city now. It will be safe to enter, but outside will be affected by the flying dragon's fiery breath."
Azan and Serpico immediately came to their senses and followed Nidhogg through the raging fire, stepping over burning corpses and into the dark tunnel behind the city gates.
They turned back, looking at the orange and red mingled with the scorched black outside, and listening to the flying dragon's roar intertwined with the terrified screams of soldiers. Lingering fear remained in everyone.
Nidhogg also looked back.
Suddenly, he had a strong premonition, like a needle prick. His instinct made his hand move faster than his thoughts. Bloodhound's Fang suddenly shot out, and with a CLANG!, it blocked a thorn that had shot out from behind him!
The fang in his hand strained and suddenly pushed the opponent back.
Azan and Serpico were startled by the noise. They turned and noticed that Nidhogg had blocked a sudden attack and was confronting an enemy hidden in the shadows.
The enemy, clad in an utterly black cloak, seemed as soft and inconspicuous as flowing water. His patterned mask was stained with a great deal of blood. A pair of eyes stared directly at Nidhogg.
"I see. You can actually react? No wonder they let me see precognitive dreams, hinting that I should kill you... This way, I have two targets I want to kill. It's very awkward."
Nidhogg looked the other up and down and quickly understood that this guy was one of the few elite Apostle generals under the future "Holy Eagle"—the "Daredevil" Rakshas.
He finally knew who the third assassin was.
But why have I been running into people I shouldn't be meeting lately? Why is the Night Devil here?
In fact, last night, the Night Devil had followed Nidhogg and the three into this strange space. But he hadn't taken the lead in hunting Nidhogg. First, he was drawn to the huge city on the cliff.
He had a premonition that in this city, he would find valuable prey!
Therefore, the Night Devil, who was more inclined to follow his desires, used the night to touch Stormveil City. But he didn't expect to accidentally run into the muzzle of the "Omen" and was intercepted halfway.
The Night Devil was no match for the Omen in a frontal battle and was quickly defeated.
But he hadn't completely given up. He only temporarily retreated, silently licking his wounds in the darkness and seeking ways to hunt and kill.
Then, half-asleep, he was awakened by the flying dragon's roar and saw Nidhogg suddenly appear before his eyes.
Like the story of the frog carrying the scorpion across the river, the target was right before him. If he didn't sting, it wouldn't be in his nature.
So the Daredevil took action against Nidhogg!
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