Perhaps it was because she exerted too much force, a red handprint appeared on her face, and her small head tilted to the side. Her peripheral vision caught the doorway they had come through.

And over there, a layer of colorful smoke slowly climbed up the doorway, completely blocking the path they had taken.

"!"

Uffie’s eyelid twitched.

At the same time, Fanen and Isha also halted their steps, because a Fog Gate appeared ahead.

The smoke perfectly isolated them from the blessing, representing hope, beyond reach.

Fanen shouted out the classic Starcraft line:

"It’s a trap!"

"Faded—"

Just as everyone became alert, Stoneveil’s storm carried an intoning voice into their ears.

The voice held many emotions, but the most prominent was disgust towards the Faded, or rather the adventurer invading this place.

Fanen looked up towards the source of the voice, only to see a towering figure appear on one of Stoneveil’s lookout towers, with a golden light resembling the Golden Tree.

Zooming in for a closer look, this figure perhaps shouldn’t be called human, but rather some other unknown species.

"Manipulated by the fire of foolish ambition, dreaming of obtaining the Elden Ring."

As the light faded, the true form was revealed.

His body was covered in twisted horns, protruding from his head, shoulders, arms, and other parts, intertwined and twisted together, resembling a curse to anyone who looked.

Rather than looking like a human, he looked more beastly, with only tattered fur as a cloak, revealing dark-toned skin beneath. Though his limbs were thin like an old man’s, they were filled with power beneath the skin.

The only weapon he held was the wooden staff, adding a "Wise Man" aura to him.

Uffie instinctively thought of a Beastman Shaman, but felt this figure before her was far wiser than a shaman.

Moreover, those twisted horns seemed familiar... Oh, right, there was an unknown Omen guarding the Royal City in the opening image!

No way, could it be he came here, so quickly matching up with the figure in the image?

Uffie’s rationality told her it was unlikely, but in the Sain Dungeon, unusual occurrences didn’t seem strange.

The Omen leapt from the lookout tower and landed heavily on the bridge. The gust stirred by his landing instantaneously escalated into a storm, their clothing fluttered audibly in the wind.

"Then, along with that flame, it should all be extinguished."

A dense murderous intent emanated from the Omen, far surpassing any clergy beast Fanen had seen, a terrifying aura honed over countless years of endless strife.

"I, the Omen Demon Markeit, will execute immediately."

Markeit raised his hand holding the wooden staff, mimicking a Knight’s salute?

The elegant Knight’s salute clashed with his rough appearance, yet somehow, it perfectly matched his inner aura, leaving one puzzled. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

But there was no time to ponder deeply, as the words drifted in the wind, signifying the battle had begun!

"I’m Uffie, pleased to meet you!" Uffie imitated, stating her name, while Fanen was about to speak.

But the Omen Demon didn’t seem to care about their names, bending his knees!

Anyone with a keen eye could see he was about to jump, combining it with his hand movement, it seemed he planned to attack with the wooden staff during his descent.

Uffie immediately assessed and calculated a safe distance, swiftly retreating. The trained Fanen and Isha mirrored her actions, this tactic had proven effective in battle time and again.

However, something puzzling occurred.

Bending the knees, jumping, and descending were supposed to be three connected actions with no pause between.

But the Omen Demon bizarrely paused for an extra second gathering power before jumping, just as Uffie and the others completed their retreat.

"So it’s in slow motion!" Fanen calculated the safe distance for a dodge in advance once again, but...

An unseen force momentarily held the Omen Demon in the air, violating everyone’s natural instincts!

Fanen’s eyes widened, wanting to dodge again but before he could move, the Omen Demon descended.

"Boom—"

Dust scattered as Fanen was sent flying, hitting a flagpole before stopping.

He didn’t care about his injuries, only staring at the Omen Demon.

Following that, he instinctively uttered a puzzled "Ah?"

Witnessing it all, Uffie’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the Omen Demon used slow motion twice in that move?

The jumping part was fairly normal, using slow motion to numb the enemy in actual combat was reasonable.

But pausing mid-air was peculiar!

He didn’t seem to use any casting action or Levitation Skill, how did he stay still at that moment?

Uffie herself skillfully used the Fast and Slow Blade technique in battles, but she couldn’t replicate the Omen Demon’s fully counter-intuitive maneuvers.

A tricky opponent!

In a split second, she labeled him.

The Omen Demon’s offensive didn’t cease, light gathered into an oversized hammer in his hand, swinging violently, even transforming into a windmill.

If touched, she might be minced on the spot. Uffie stepped lightly, circling around searching for opportunities, while sending Isha to tend to her brother.

The hammer vanished, light gathered into a spear in the Omen Demon’s hand, again with delayed moves towards Uffie, unable to adjust to the rhythm, she was sent flying.

Upon landing steadily, Uffie thought:

Seems like a power-type fighter, using forceful attacks, hence the slower moves.

Those slow motions are strange, but if I can adjust to the rhythm, I’ll be able to fight.

She saw the Omen Demon charging with the hammer, dodging at extreme range to his rear, opening a very far distance, Fighting Qi charging at the spear tip, preparing an attack powerful enough to wound.

"At this distance, you’re helpless." Confident to release the attack and dodge before the Omen Demon approached again.

Then, suddenly, the Omen Demon flicked his empty hand twice, a flash of light.

"Squish! Squish!"

The sound of flesh pierced entered her ears.

Uffie’s hand paused, her expression turned bizarre, looking down.

Two daggers formed by light were embedded in her chest, blood flowing incessantly.

"You..."

Aren’t you supposed to have big eyebrows and a bold look and not use hidden weapons?

Her body wobbled, Fighting Qi on the spear instantly dissipated without a trace, nearly collapsing exhausted, ending up kneeling trying to gulp down Holy Grail Bottle.

But as her hand reached towards the Holy Grail Bottle, the Omen Demon reacted sensitively, launching another Flying Knife, charging with the hammer.

In the critical moment of life and death, she couldn’t help commenting.

"Why are you like a Molten Furnace Knight!"