Boreal of the Far North, one of the five great Campaign Knights under Pontiff Sulyvahn, he willingly became a beast devoid of wisdom but full of power for a promise, for a protection.
He was stationed by Pontiff Sulyvahn before the gates of Lothric, preventing those inside from leaving and those outside from entering. He was the watchdog, and also one of Sulyvahn's safeguards.
But today, the watchdog encountered the enemy destined to kill him: the Ashen One.
"Tsk tsk, Mad Dog Boreal is also a pitiful soul," Xia Yu walked towards Boreal, holding his Straight Sword in his right hand and a pistol in his left, looking like a hunter.
Boreal was originally a normal knight, but for the person he wished to protect, he voluntarily donned the Beast Transformation Ring, also known as the Pontiff's Left Eye.
It was a ring made of primordial matter by Pontiff Sulyvahn. After gazing into the black eye at the center of the ring, one would become emotionally charged, generating the desire to fight to the death, and eventually, the knight would go berserk and turn into a beast.
The so-called Campaign Knights were merely bestialized killing weapons.
The beast-transformed Boreal had a terrifying appearance. Beneath the armor was an aberration resembling a wolf or a dog, neither human nor ghost. However, the armor concealed his bestial form. The extremely resilient armor provided ample defense and was adorned with the beast's mane.
"Roar—!"
The roar echoing through Lothric was a ferocious battle cry. Boreal held his massive spiked mace with one hand and walked step by step towards Xia Yu. The chill emanating from him froze the ground, leaving behind a desolate, icy path.
"Tsk, he really has lost his self-awareness. Sulyvahn, you have done too many evil deeds."
Xia Yu pulled the trigger repeatedly, attempting to use a certain hunter's parry, but the magic bullets were all deflected by Boreal's armor, leaving only faint marks.
"Roar—!"
As if provoked by Xia Yu, Boreal roared again. His bulky figure lunged forward violently, his giant mace tearing through the air as it smashed down towards Xia Yu.
Invincible Roll!
Xia Yu timed it perfectly, dodging with a side roll. The frost-covered mace slammed into the ground violently, and a fierce shockwave spread out, scattering rubble like bullets. The ground within several meters collapsed under this attack.
Spiderweb-like cracks and pits appeared on the ground, and the biting cold from the surrounding ice caused the temperature to drop significantly.
"Crack... Crack...!"
Boreal pulled out the mace embedded in the ground, and the frozen surface around it shattered continuously. The next moment, the mace swept horizontally, bringing with it a wave of icy cold that eroded all directions.
Xia Yu tapped the ground with his toe, and with the support of telekinesis, he leaped high into the air. The pistol in his left hand had been replaced with another Straight Sword.
Wielding dual swords, Xia Yu spun in the air as he descended, swinging his swords in a dense, impenetrable flurry, aiming straight for Boreal's back.
"Clang!"
But Boreal blocked the two swords with a reverse swing of his mace. A chilling cold tried to erode Xia Yu's body along the blades. The next moment, Xia Yu unhesitatingly discarded the dual swords, and as he used the momentum to retreat, he casually threw two lightning spell potions.
"Boom—!"
A blinding flash of light erupted, instantly enveloping the entire hall in the roar of thunder. The sudden lightning storm ravaged everywhere, even melting the surface of the ground due to the high temperature.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Boreal was massive, so the power of the lightning fell almost entirely upon him. The armor on his body gradually deformed under the erosion of the lightning, but it was not instantly melted.
Xia Yu on the other side was not faring well either, as the lightning storm's range was too wide, and he was affected. However, within the lightning zone, the closer one was to the center of the spell release, the higher the damage. He managed to endure the damage at the edges.
In less than a moment, the lightning dissipated completely. Xia Yu quickly pulled out his estus flask and took a gulp. His damaged body rapidly healed under the estus, and his paralyzed limbs regained movement.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xia Yu drew two Straight Swords again. In Lothric, there was no shortage of related weapons and armor.
Boreal on the other side, although not directly annihilated by the lightning, looked miserable. The deformed armor not only restricted his movements but also prevented him from even gripping his weapon.
While Boreal was still paralyzed, Xia Yu darted forward and thrust the dual swords fiercely into the gap in Boreal's helmet, then, drawing blood, pulled out another spell potion.
Poison Spell Potion, an orange-red potion emitting skull-shaped poison smoke. This spell could not damage structures, but it was extremely effective against living beings. Once poisoned, the poison spell would continuously drain its health and attack power.
While Boreal was still paralyzed, Xia Yu shoved the Poison Spell Potion fiercely into the wound on the enemy's helmet, then thrust a sword in and immediately retreated.
The blade shattered the glass bottle, and the poison potion inside flowed into Boreal's body through the wound. Instantly, Boreal let out a painful roar, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.
Watching Boreal's miserable state, Xia Yu retreated while quietly circling behind him, switching his dual swords for Lothric Spears. He was going all out.
Soul-Type Game Clearing Mantra: Humanoids weak to spears, beasts weak to fire, heavy armor weak to lightning, large bodies weak to the rear, attack from below the crotch, targeting the nether regions.
"Eat my Thousand Years of Death!!!"
"Stab!"
"Aooo!!!"
The painful scream even made the entire hall tremble. Xia Yu showed no mercy, channeling all his strength into his right foot, twisting his waist and abdomen, and kicking the tail of the spear fiercely.
Under the immense force, the spear pierced deeply into Boreal's body with a 'poof,' and the momentum did not stop, violently breaking through Boreal's helmet, with the tip of the spear emerging from the front of the helmet.
"If only I had the Wolf Ring..."
Xia Yu dodged the blood splatter while thinking regretfully. The Wolf Ring was one of the rings in dark souls iii, an ancient ring engraved with the symbol of a wolf's leg, which could increase the attack power of kicks.
If he had equipped the Wolf Ring, that kick just now could have probably kicked the spear completely out of Boreal's body.
"Aow..."
"Hiss, he's not dead yet? Is his vitality that tenacious?"
Looking at Boreal's body still trembling in pain, Xia Yu slowly approached and stood before him.
At this moment, Boreal was trembling uncontrollably and completely unable to move, only his icy blue eyes stared fixedly at the enemy before him.
Xia Yu looked at Boreal's confused, bestial eyes and said, "Don't worry, I will kill Sulyvahn. I will avenge you and the Dancer's hatred."
"Now, become my strength."
After speaking, Xia Yu picked up the Straight Sword from the ground and stabbed it fiercely into the top of Boreal's head, then twisted it hard, completely destroying the enemy's brain.
The light in Boreal's eyes dimmed unwillingly, and a golden soul emerged from his body, merging into Xia Yu.
This was Boreal's deformed soul. In the game, one could use soul-refining techniques to create boss weapons or equipment, but now Boreal did not turn to ash and dissipate as he did in the game, nor did his equipment disappear.
"Perhaps I can turn Boreal into a soul summon."
Looking at Boreal's massive body, Xia Yu paused to think. In the world of the elden ring, when a soul resides in an ash, one can use the spirit calling bell to summon the soul to help in battle.
Since Boreal's body hadn't disappeared and he now possessed Boreal's soul, could he perhaps create an ash of Soul Boreal?
I should try it. If successful, he could become a Pokémon Master in the Dark Souls World.
It's decided, Boreal!