The king who had accepted all of the Frenzied Flame finally vanished. As his corpse crumbled into ash and scattered, a needle made by Miquella emerged from within it.
This was one of the needles Miquella had created through his research.
Why did this guy have it?
I did not know. He must have had his own story, but once someone accepted the Frenzied Flame, that was the end. It was ruin—a thing no one should touch, one that took others down with it.
Seeing this needle reminded me of Malenia.
She and her brother had gotten along well.
Miquella was so small that he fit perfectly in my arms whenever I held him. Malenia, on the other hand, had always stung because of the [Scarlet Rot].
Back then, Malenia had been small too. There were times when I took both of them for walks, one tucked under each arm. It did not last long, though. Before long, she had marched off to war.
I wonder if she is doing well now.
When she fought Radahn last time, she pulled out her needle and used the power of rot.
Miquella would make her another one, so perhaps it did not matter.
After that brief recollection, I tried to travel using the grace Marika had made, only to find every one of them deactivated because of the [Destined Death].
Ah. Because of that damn dog, I would have to walk there myself.
He had been growling at me from the moment we first met, and he was still getting in my way to the bitter end.
Leyndell, which I had returned to after so long, had collapsed. The city had become a city of ash, as if to announce that the golden age—when everything had shone with golden splendor and seemed destined to last forever—had finally come to an end.
It was still nice to be back after so long, but that filthy oversized lizard caught my eye.
That corpse was so damn huge that cleaning it up was a chore.
In the end, Marika had said she would use that as decoration too.
An ancient dragon's corpse would not rot, after all.
Walking on with my memories as kindling, I eventually reached the Elden Throne, just before the entrance to the Erdtree.
That little brat Ofnir.
Goldmask. No, the guy wearing the mask.
And...
Hoarah Loux.
On the way here, I had confirmed the deaths of the chatty kid, Godfrey, and the pervert wearing a gold mask who insisted that gods should have no emotions.
It looked as though the other two had formed an alliance, only for Godfrey—no, Hoarah Loux—to tear them apart.
His chest was split open. Literally.
Could I finally look forward to this one?
Godfrey—no, Hoarah Loux—lay there with a satisfied expression, as though he had fought a battle worthy of him. There was not the slightest trace of displeasure on his face.
You have worked hard all this time.
My friend.
I passed Hoarah Loux and climbed the stairs. The thorns of rejection that had barred everything from entering had already been burned away by death. Yet the Erdtree, that Beast, still pushed me back. Apparently, it had not yet revealed its true feelings.
Then that meant...
The Beast's slave, Radagon, was still fighting.
When I closed my eyes, my vision shifted, and a neck appeared before me. Perhaps because Marika had branded me with the [Elden Ring] that commanded, "Remember my memories," we were connected.
Even if Radagon held control over Marika's body, Marika was still the original body. That was why I could see through her eyes.
Radagon probably never knew that.
After their bloody battle, the view tilted toward the ground. Serves him right. That slippery bastard copied me and made one, yet this was all he could do. What was the point of making a puppet because he was afraid? It lacked that decisive nothingness. Hoarah Loux was better, if anything.
As I sneered at that damned Beast, the force repelling me from the Erdtree finally weakened.
Ha.
Had it finally acknowledged its opponent?
Even so, it had not entirely shut me out just to keep watch on me from outside.
Not that it would matter.
I forced my body inside despite the repelling force, and the pressure dispersed uselessly.
But then—
Damn it, my eyes!
*
At first, I started up a game called [Elden Ring], lost consciousness, and woke up in a new world. Like in the game, I chose a class and began as a sorcerer I liked, traveling and adventuring from place to place.
At first, everything was new. The enemies were easy for someone like me, who had mastered every FromSoftware game up to then. While adventuring, I encountered a monster wearing [Farnam's Armor] and was baffled—then my view suddenly dropped to the ground. That was my first death. Death had frightened me at first, but it was all right. Ranni was beside me. Melina had been with me too, but at the Forge of the Giants, she knocked me unconscious and burned the Erdtree by offering herself as kindling. I was devastated at first, but I had made a promise to Ranni. I could not fall apart there.
"I am sorry, Marika. The [Golden Order]... will never return. Damn knight, what were you doing at Marika's side?!"
After waking, I went to Farum Azula and slew Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman and Black Blade Maliketh, who had sealed away the [Destined Death]. I released the Rune of Death and removed the Erdtree's thorns of rejection. As he died, he lamented and left behind a deep resentment.
My vision went dark. When I opened my eyes, I was in ash-covered Leyndell. On the way to the Elden Throne, where Morgott had been, I encountered Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing, and we faced each other.
Sir Ofnir wielded every kind of sorcery as a matter of course—rot, black flame, bloodflame, and even incantations I did not know. True to his title of All-Knowing, he used sorceries and incantations unfamiliar even to me, and our exchange continued with an intensity that filled me with awe as a fellow sorcerer.
Both of us sensed the end approaching. Sir Gideon used a feint to fire five [Glintstone Stars], then began preparing [Comet Azur].
Sir Gideon must have assumed I would dodge to the side. But I had a hidden move: [Thops's Barrier], developed by a friend of mine. I cast it with the [Carian Regal Scepter] and deflected all five Glintstone Stars.
"What?"
Maintaining [Thops's Barrier] as I charged forward, I slashed diagonally upward with the [Dark Moon Greatsword] Ranni had given me. A blade of moonlight shot forth. Gideon canceled Azur and rolled away, but was driven against the wall. As he staggered in panic, I rushed him and plunged the Dark Moon Greatsword into his chest.
"My victory, Sir Gideon."
"...I know. A Tarnished cannot become a lord.
Even you. A man... a [Knight of Eternity]... cannot kill a god."
In the end, it was my victory. Sir Ofnir left those last words behind as he turned to ash and died.
A [Knight of Eternity]... Did he mean that Knight of Farnam who had killed me in a single blow before? Come to think of it, Ranni had told me not to fight a Knight of Eternity either. As I was thinking that—
"Hey, how about forming an alliance with me?"
I turned around and found the fellow who had helped me defeat the Fire Giant before. He had not been wearing a gold mask back then.
"So, what do you say? An alliance? I'll support you from the rear, like last time. The enemy's health will increase, but so what? Wouldn't having two people be more reassuring?"
"Fine."
He seemed laid-back, but I knew he was skilled, so I nodded and accepted. When we ascended to the Elden Throne, a white-haired old man stood there, holding Morgott's corpse.
"You finally showed up."
"...You have fought well, Tarnished. Warriors who did not receive the golden blessing. The great [Elden Ring] is surely here."
"..."
"But I have returned, to face it once more. And, if I may hope for it..."
"..."
"To meet that one again... My introduction has gone on too long."
For a moment, he was lost in recollection. Then he quickly emerged from it, drew his axe, and assumed a fighting stance. In response, the lion spirit behind him let out a roar.
"My name is Godfrey, the first... Elden Lord!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the gold mask stepped back and cast buffs on me one by one. He scattered perfume, creating a barrier around me. Finally, he cast the incantation [Golden Vow], and I faced Godfrey head-on.
Godfrey was powerful, as befitted the first Elden Lord. Like his axe, honed through countless battles, it was not merely that he knew how to wield a weapon, but...
What...? This strength!
As though revealing his true nature, his strength was overwhelming. Even that enormous Fire Giant would probably have seemed like a child before him. Every time he stomped his foot, the entire Elden Throne shook, and each time I escaped it by jumping.
The instant Goldmask and I jumped, Godfrey threw his axe. I thought it was aimed at me, but I quickly realized that the massive axe was flying toward Goldmask, who threw himself aside to evade it.
Just as I relaxed, Godfrey appeared before me in that brief lapse. He grabbed me, hurled me at Goldmask, and Goldmask caught me as he jumped. Godfrey leaped, stamped the ground again and sent another tremor through it, retrieved his axe, and faced us once more.
"The first Elden Lord is no joke. His strength is one thing, but these chained attacks are not easy to endure."
"Agreed."
We exchanged blows again, and I barely managed to cut Godfrey's side. Frost spread outward from the wound.
Finally, a critical hit...!
As Godfrey briefly lost his balance, I rushed toward him. Then the lion spirit behind him took physical form and swiped its forepaw, forcing us back. Just as the lion was about to land—
"Enough. You have been a burden for far too long, Serosh."
With those words, he seized the lion called Serosh, tore it apart, and killed it. Both of us were thrown into confusion by the sudden development. Godfrey completely absorbed the lion he had torn apart, discarded all his clothes and weapons, and roared.
"The time for pretending to be civilized is over."
"Now the real battle begins."
"From this moment on, I am Hoarah Loux! WARRIOR!"
At first, I had been careless. Yes... I had looked down on them. But the Tarnished who had made it this far truly were different. Then there was no need to hold back. It had been so long since I wanted to show this to him, for the first and last time...
No! It does not matter! It would have been better if I had done this from the start!
After so long, he had found opponents who matched the warrior he had once been. Against foes like these, how could he remain civilized? His competitive spirit—the warrior's soul that had burned within him long ago—was finally ignited again.
"Kuhahaha! Here I come, you who would overthrow a god!"
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