Yigeli Mountains, Valley of Dirge.
Just hearing the name, it didn't bode well.
Intercepting the rebel army in the valley, the entire terrain was complex and intricate, with not only ups and downs, but also winding paths, caves, and so on…
It was quite different from the Ice Wolf Fortress before.
Many of the landforms and terrains here were designed based on the undulations of the mountains.
However, Yamada Masaharu was already quite experienced now.
Yamada Masaharu, with practiced ease, found the entrance to the BOSS and entered the BOSS battle.
The rebel leader Cryste was a handsome blonde man.
The rebel leader Cryste was a handsome blonde man, his eyes like deep lake water, shimmering with a cunning light.
His skin was as fair as snow, forming a sharp contrast with his golden hair.
His figure was tall and robust, every movement filled with strength and elegance.
The first time Yamada Masaharu saw Cryste, he couldn't connect him with the words 'rebel army' at all; he was simply too good-looking.
Like a prince.
In reality, the model of Cryste wasn't that good-looking, because the PS hardware had limited support, so it couldn't create high-precision models. The reason he had such a misconception was entirely due to Pokeni's excellent character art.
During character dialogues, the character's portrait would appear at the bottom, and at certain times, his character art would be prominently displayed to give players a deeper understanding of the character.
When model precision wasn't very high, using character art to represent characters was a very clever approach.
Pokeni's character art was truly beautiful, making people instinctively overlook the somewhat rough character models.
It was like LOL in his previous life; the in-game models were actually relatively rough, but their character art was beautiful, with all sorts of long legs, manga faces, and first-love faces that instantly captivated players.
Naturally, it filled them with all sorts of beautiful imaginations, thus making them overlook what the in-game models actually looked like.
Cryste, the Royal Guard Captain, was very handsome and had an elegant physique.
The only flaw was that he was missing a leg, so one of his legs was a slender iron prosthetic.
In a previous fierce battle, Cryste was unfortunately wounded and lost a leg.
…
Cryste wore knight's armor, with his golden hair cascading behind his head.
He held a longsword in his hand, leaning it diagonally beside him, standing with his feet in a T-shape. Although he appeared to be about the same height as the male protagonist, his movements were extremely graceful.
A blue cloak fluttered in the wind.
His entire being sparkled under the sun.
Before the battle, a transition animation played, which was also a very important part of the game's story.
"Erwin!"
Cryste called out in a stern tone.
"What exactly are you fighting for?"
"For the Stars, of course!" Erwin replied without hesitation, gripping the greatsword in his hand, "You traitor! Hand over the princess!"
"Do you know about the Demons Egg?"
Cryste said, "Humans parasitized by the Demons Egg have long lost their last dignity in death, because once they die, all their desires and unfulfilled grievances will transform into the power of the Demons Egg, thereby nurturing it.
The demon's power will occupy our final corpse, leaving not even a shred of dignity.
Is this the future you desire?"
This meant that Cryste had actually been parasitized by the Demons Egg.
"No, I will use this body to fight for the Stars." Erwin said righteously.
"No, how foolish! Your body doesn't belong to you at all." Cryste said.
"What fighting for the Stars? We poor people are merely pawns used by those high-and-mighty power-holders for their games."
Cryste said, "It's not that I don't want to fight for the Stars; it's just that I have a more important mission."
"Have you ever thought that as long as the princess is there, we can build a brand new Star?"
"This land, in fact, has long been filled with filth and disgrace. It is not our destination, but our tomb."
"Do you understand this feeling, Erwin?"
"As people parasitized by the Demons Egg, our journey this time is merely to seek a resting place for our death.
That's all."
Erwin shook his head and angrily retorted, "Ridiculous! If we leave here, will we not turn into demons after death?" Erwin roared, "Stop making excuses for your betrayal.
A bunch of cowards!"
"No. You can call us cowards."
"But…" Cryste looked back, and in the distance, countless stars appeared, "We have our own mission."
After speaking, he turned his head, gently swung his longsword, and his eyes, which had been filled with pity and tenderness, now transformed into firmness and determination.
"Come on, I'm glad it's you standing before me now, Erwin, and not Her Majesty the Queen."
"If I turn into a demon, please kill me and grant me my last dignity. I don't want to be a puppet controlled by others, nor do I want to be a tool of slaughter." Cryste's eyes were filled with sorrow.
For some reason, Erwin's heart fluttered, and his eyes became uneasy.
At this moment, Yamada Masaharu, sitting in front of the TV, felt the same way.
This feeling…
How to put it, it was still Gen Urobuchi's style, directly maximizing the suspense and unease, stirring up the players' emotions.
Every time at such moments, players could feel that intense unease.
…
Cryste's swordsmanship was superb, his movements exceptionally agile, and very graceful. He was the most impressive BOSS Yamada Masaharu had encountered in Pokeni so far.
Because he was simply too elegant, too magnificent.
Throughout the entire battle, although Cryste was missing a leg, he advanced and retreated with grace, and his swordsmanship conjured up a fiery aura.
Making it impossible to guard against.
It was the first time he had seen a game where the movements were so well-designed.
As expected of Pokeni!
In the first phase, after defeating Cryste in his human form, he fell into a state of death.
Red and black light surged from his body, coiling around him.
A blinding flash of light occurred.
He transformed into his complete demon form.
Cryste's demon body was different from the giant transformation of Rex from the Ice Wolf Fortress that Yamada Masaharu had seen before. His body only swelled by more than double, making him as tall as two male protagonists.
Moreover, his upper body maintained Cryste's original human appearance, except for a sharp horn growing on his forehead. At the same time, his lower body transformed into a horse's body, but it was only a skeletal horse's body, with flames burning on its bony hooves.
He looked more like a centaur.
Demon Cryste was extremely fast, and after running, he would leave a circle of flames on the ground, causing high burning damage if one stood on it.
Due to the existence of the flame paths, the size of the entire field was directly reduced by about half, and it was also dynamically changing.
The space available for maneuvering was significantly reduced.
Although Cryste's demon form was smaller than Rex's, the sense of tension and oppression he gave off did not diminish at all; it even became more intense.
That feeling of being constantly pressured and forced into a desperate situation was truly despair-inducing.
Yamada Masaharu played the entire battle about three times, familiarizing himself with Cryste's skills, moves, and rhythm changes, before finally defeating him.
Boom!!!
Erwin delivered a heavy blow, his longsword directly piercing Cryste's chest.
After transforming into a demon, Cryste did not lose all his sanity.
"Don't let the princess return. She is innocent and pure. Preserve this spark, and humanity still has hope." Cryste finished speaking, and his head slumped down.
This… what does this mean?
Erwin became even more confused.
Not only was Erwin confused, but Yamada Masaharu, sitting in front of the TV, was even more confused.
…
When Erwin walked towards the princess's tent in victory, her soft voice came from within.
"Cryste?"
She asked softly.
After two seconds, hearing no response, the princess let out a faint sigh, "So Cryste has been defeated?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Erwin replied respectfully.
"Oh." The princess's voice was weak, with a hint of sadness.
There was no trace of joy from being rescued.
After two seconds, she lifted the tent flap and walked out of the military tent.
"I am Elvira Arboleda."
Princess Elvira had long silver hair that cascaded like a waterfall over her slender shoulders, shimmering with a moonlight-like luster.
Her eyes were like deep lake water, so blue that they were intoxicating, as if they could see into people's hearts. Her skin was as fair as snow, her lips as red as cherries, and a mysterious smile always hung at the corner of her mouth.
The princess's character art possessed a distinctly noble temperament, as cool and serene as the moonlight in the sky.
Compared to her, even Eve, whom Yamada Masaharu had liked so much before, seemed a bit overshadowed.
So beautiful.
Pokeni's character art was truly amazing.
"What is your name?" Princess Elvira asked.
"Erwin Aaron."
"Erwin," the princess gazed into his eyes, asking expectantly, "Did Cryste die with dignity?"
"Cryste, the Royal Guard Captain, was the most elegant and simultaneously the most chilling enemy—no, opponent—I have ever faced.
Even after transforming into a demon, he still retained his last bit of sanity."
"Oh," the princess smiled slightly, "That's good."
"Erwin," Her Highness the princess clasped her hands over her chest and said to him in a solemn tone, "Cryste was not a rebel. I asked them to take me away from here."
Hmm?
Erwin's pupils dilated; he couldn't believe what Princess Elvira had said.
"You are also a Demon Warrior."
At this moment, the noble princess suddenly reached out a hand and gently stroked Erwin's cheek.
He trembled violently.
"The Demons Egg was originally something that should not exist in this world."
"The Stars, the Haoyue Empire, and the Eris Federation all made a mistake by using the Demons Egg to create demons with immense destructive power, releasing these things that should not exist in the world.
The entire world was polluted.
Seeds born of hatred will only blossom into evil flowers.
No one can achieve true happiness."
The princess said, "I asked Cryste to take me away to build a peaceful home in a new, unknown place, where there would be no Demons Egg, no slaughter, and not so much hatred."
Erwin trembled all over.
"But… the Stars are our homeland. Is this something Your Highness should be saying?"
"Erwin, do you also think I am a rebel? Betraying the Stars, betraying my mother and country?" Princess Elvira asked patiently, her eyes shining brightly.
Erwin couldn't read any information from them; instead, he felt a surge of panic and quickly lowered his head.
"Then let your own eyes witness this world, and witness me.
Erwin, I believe you will understand what I mean."
…
Carrying the princess back to the front lines, the army led by Her Majesty the Queen was rushing over.
The final battle between the Haoyue Empire and the Stars was about to begin, and everyone was too excited to sleep.
Especially Erwin.
In the evening, sitting on a stone, looking up at the moon in the sky and the tall, majestic city wall in the distance, many thoughts surged in his heart.
As if he remembered that day 20 years ago.
The day the Demon Warriors dispatched by the Haoyue Empire broke through the city wall, and his mother died tragically under the claws of the spider woman.
"The ancient, unchanging forest, the eternal moon, Haoyue, the Stars, all represent eternity. They are so wonderful and moving, aren't they?"
Just then, Princess Elvira's voice came from beside him.
Erwin was overwhelmed with deference and was about to stand up, but the princess showed no hesitation or restraint, sitting directly beside him and taking out a bone flute to hand to him.
"Can you play? This is Cryste's. He plays it every night, and I can only sleep when I hear his flute."
Erwin hesitated for a moment, took the bone flute, put it to his lips, and slowly began to play.
At the same time, the corresponding music also sounded from the television.
Yoko Shimomura's music was truly beautiful and melodious, yet also vast and desolate.
The sounds of the bone flute were moving.
And this scene, too, was incredibly beautiful.
That night, Erwin and Princess Elvira had a heart-to-heart conversation, talking about many childhood memories and peaceful times of the past, and they both grew much closer.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Erwin. I hope I can often hear your flute playing in the future."
Elvira smiled, stood up, and said goodbye to him, "Well then, see you tomorrow."
"This bone flute."
The male protagonist hesitated, raising the bone flute in his hand.
But the princess didn't look back, "It's for you. It chose you. You are suitable."
After the princess left, Erwin looked down at the bone flute in his hand, blinking his eyes repeatedly.
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