I, Superman, the Supreme Commander

The golden light shone, and a tall figure emerged in the golden light and quickly solidified.

Zhang Hong's figure reappeared in front of a campfire in the deep church.

When he returned to the prayer hall, what he saw was a scene after a fierce battle, with all the seats destroyed and an unknown sworn knight sitting on the ground to rest.

"grown ups!"

Seeing Zhang Hong appear, the sworn knights quickly stood up, somewhat happy.

“What about that old man?

"I'm sorry, sir. We couldn't stop him and he got away..."

Sirius said apologetically.

Shortly after Zhang Hong entered the painting world, the crazy old man suddenly jumped out of the encirclement of five people, showing agility and strength that was inconsistent with his hunched and thin body.

Everyone was caught off guard and he broke out of the siege.

Then the old man decisively crushed a magic bone fragment and escaped using legendary magic.

Whereabouts unknown.

Everyone felt very guilty and had to wait for Zhang Hong there.

Fortunately, Zhang Hong returned to the church from the painting world through the campfire soon after.

"You don't have to blame yourself. This is not your fault."

Zhang Hong comforted him, "Next, I need you to explore a dangerous place together. If you don't want to go, you can stay."

"I am willing to go through fire and water with you, sir!"

"Me too!"

……

Zhang Hong brought the Oathed Knights back to the Firelink Shrine.

"The Ringed City... I have indeed heard of this place. Legend has it that it is the place where the gods sealed the darkness, and it is located in the gathering place of the end..."

Rudolph is indeed an old monster who has lived for a long time. Zhang Hong got clues from him.

"So how do we get to that place?"

"There is only one way, to light the Fire Throne and activate the campfire to the end of time and space..."

After going around in circles, we finally return to the plot of passing on the fire.

According to Rudolf, the place where the original furnace is located is the end of time and space, and it is also the place where all things in the world collapse and gather. The Ringed City is sealed there by the gods.

Zhang Hong knew that the next action would be extremely dangerous, so he gave up the plan of letting others take risks and said to the oath knights: "You stay to guard the sacrificial site. I must embark on the journey alone from now on."

"My Lord, let me go with you!"

"Yes, sir!"

"No. You all stay. If needed, I will summon you through the white talisman."

"Then please take care of yourself, sir!"

Rudolf looked at Zhang Hong who was ready to step into the gathering place, and said with emotion, "Then my mission is over."

Under the auspices of the Fire Lady, the five Fire Thrones ignited with golden flames. The nameless king Rudolf sat in the flames with a smile of relief, and turned into a pile of ash.

The remains of the other four Fire Kings were also burned to ashes.

Finally, only a few faint golden flames remained.

These flames gathered in the hands of the Fire Girl, forming a ball less than the size of a fist, which seemed to have life and was constantly shaking in motion.

As the Fire Keeper placed this special soul fire into Zhang Hong's body, he also understood that this was the flame inherited by the kings from the primordial fire, the precious thing called [Remnant Fire].

With it, Zhang Hong can travel through time and reach the end of the world in different time and space.

The gathering place where the original furnace and the ring-marked city existed.

"My Lord, please touch the darkness within me once again and let me transform that ownerless soul into your power."

The Fire Keeper stepped forward and spoke gently.

The last time she used her abilities, she strengthened Zhang Hong's power.

Zhang Hong nodded to everyone at the fire scene, and under everyone's gaze, he lit the campfire and activated the campfire coordinates following the guidance of the remaining fire in his body.

Then his tall figure turned into golden light and disappeared into the campfire.

……

"Is this the gathering place? It's really weird."

What appeared before Zhang Hong was a fragmented world.

A black sun hung high in the sky, very conspicuous. It was the first abnormality that Zhang Hong noticed after he was teleported here.

The black sun was surrounded by dim golden flames, and at its bottom, fluid flames cascaded down from the sky, pouring into the chaotic sea of ​​clouds.

The earth was covered with thick clouds and fog, and beneath the clouds and fog, it seemed as if there was an abyss with no bottom in sight. It also seemed as if the broken earth was floating above the sea of ​​clouds.

Countless ruins floated in the sea of ​​clouds. The remains of buildings from different eras piled up like mountains. They collapsed and twisted due to some supernatural force, piled up like corpses. They tilted left and right, even upside down. Gravity seemed to have lost its meaning here.

Some suspicious huge tree roots were interspersed among the debris, like an octopus with bared fangs and claws, grabbing many prey, breaking them into pieces and forcing them together again.

Zhang Hong probably knew why this place was called a gathering place.

Zhang Hong saw the remains of buildings from different eras here, even including the familiar Royal City of Lothric and Royal City of Anor Londo. He could be sure that many things here belonged to different eras and came from different places.

But under the influence of some force, they all collapsed and gathered together.

Zhang Hong could vaguely see that it was a tree bigger than the mountain, perhaps the legendary world tree. Its branches and roots grabbed the fragments and gathered them together.

A large number of mountain-sized fragments form a complex three-dimensional maze.

The Ringed City he was looking for must be somewhere among them.

"Ah, a stranger I've never seen before. How strange! After so many years, someone finally comes here again..."

On the edge of the cliff, Zhang Hong met an old pilgrim who was sitting on the edge of the cliff looking at the scenery and the gathering place under the dark sun.

Seeing a character who looked like an NPC, Zhang Hong took the initiative to approach her and communicate with her.

"Ah, you are looking for the Ringed City. That place is not easy to reach, but since you are Yu Hui, maybe you can find it... There is a huge tree hole at the bottom of here, go there, you can find what you want there..."

"As for me, don't worry about me. I'm fine here, just watching the world fall apart."

"Lord Lorian is right. Everything will fall into the abyss..."

Zhang Hong felt her voice sounded familiar and asked uncertainly, "Are you... the old woman from the Firelink Shrine? Old woman, do you still remember me? I am Zhang Hong."

"Ah, young man, have you seen me, an old woman? I don't remember anything about the past... I have been here for so long that I have even forgotten my own name..."

"…Old woman, do you know where the others went?"

"No, all gone. I'm the only one left here, an old woman. Oh, and there's this half-crazy iron kid..."

Seeing that the old woman was not even fully conscious, Zhang Hong knew that he could not get anything out of her, so he said take care and left quietly.

wrong.

This shouldn't be the old woman he knew.

Logically speaking, the end of the world would not come unless the fire transmission failed, and it is impossible for the old woman to wait here alone until the end of the world.

This might be an old woman from a parallel world...

With doubts and worries, Zhang Hong explored down along the wreckage.

Roar!

Some monsters stained by the darkness and covered in black appeared in the wreckage of the buildings and attacked Zhang Hong irrationally.

Looking at these monsters that resembled human pus and had the remaining features of human bones, Zhang Hong guessed that they were deformed creatures that had been trapped here for too long and then eroded by the abyss.

With the help of the hook rope, Zhang Hong carefully went down and finally saw the so-called [big tree hole].

It was an incredibly large tree stump, with a hollow center that formed a huge deep hole and broken edges, like undulating mountains surrounding a sinkhole-like basin.