…The falling leaves carried a message: beyond the fog, in the Lands Between, the Erdtree was no more.
The gods' grace had left this land. The long, dark night had come to an end. The surviving people stepped out from the ruins, left the forests behind, and on this soil stripped of the Golden Grace and its guidance, they would begin a new age.
This was… the Age of Stars.
[Fragment Quest: "Elden Ring" — Completed]
[World Fragment Acquired — Lands Between]
[Special Ability Acquired — Law of Death]
[Law of Death (a new law born from the Rune of Death): attacks restore health; increases maximum HP; raises all attributes by 5%; grants the ability to summon spirits wreathed in black flame.]
"Phew… finally done."
Duanmu Huai exhaled as he studied the map before him. Now that he'd obtained the World Fragment: Lands Between, the first headache was figuring out where to place it. After much thought, he decided to set it above the Holy City.
That meant—if one imagined the current map as a planet—then the region of the Holy City sat around the northern tropic, with Manaria and Regnis to the east. The Lands Between would rest above the Holy City, its border touching the Weeping Peninsula, while the Consecrated Snowfield reached toward the polar circle at the top.
Now, the order of the Lands Between had returned to nature. The power of the Rune of Death had erased everything twisted by the Golden Order—including the scarlet rot that had once plagued Caelid. At present, Mistrina and Milfi were leading the forestfolk back home, joining the surviving people of the Lands Between to rebuild their world and homeland.
Meanwhile, Lorena had returned to the Holy City to report to the Archbishop, who promised to send aid to help Mistrina and the others rebuild. From then on, the affairs of the Lands Between would be handled jointly by Mistrina and the Holy Church.
As for Duanmu Huai—though he was nominally the new Elden Lord, he had no interest in ruling. Such professional matters were better left to professionals.
And in any case, it would take decades for the Lands Between to recover its strength.
Having claimed ownership of the fragment, Duanmu Huai could now open a portal back to his battleship. Keeping his promise, he brought Ranni aboard.
When Ranni crossed the portal and stepped onto the warship, the sight before her left her speechless. Duanmu Huai gave her a simple explanation of the concepts of the universe, galaxies, and stars, which shocked her even more.
"…You mean to say," she murmured, wide-eyed, "those shining stars in the night sky—each of them is a world?"
"Not all of them host life," Duanmu Huai replied. "Life needs water, air… Anyway, I'll have Anne dig up a few Galactic Hitchhiker's Guides for you. Just remember to bring a towel."
"???"
"Nothing—just a joke."
Ranni clearly didn't understand his humor, but she was quick to draw her own conclusion.
"If what you say is true… then the Greater Will that ruled the Lands Between—could it be one of those 'cosmic civilizations' you spoke of?"
Though she didn't yet grasp the true scale of the universe, Ranni understood enough to make the connection.
"Ah… not exactly, but close enough," Duanmu Huai said with a sigh. "And yes—I know what that so-called 'Greater Will' actually is."
"Oh? You do?"
"Yeah. I really wish I didn't."
His expression twisted into a pained grimace, as if he'd bitten into an apple only to find half a worm inside.
"In short—it's not something you or I can face. It's far too dangerous. Honestly, I'd rather spend my entire life never dealing with it. If possible, I'd like to stay as far away as I can."
"What is it, then?"
Seeing his serious tone, Ranni's face grew solemn as well. But Duanmu Huai only shook his head.
"Sorry. I can't even tell you its name. Knowing its name alone could make it aware of you. Believe me—that's not something you ever want looking your way. Especially in your current form… you're far too susceptible to influence. For now, ignorance is safety."
"…All right."
Ranni was not a fool. Hearing the weight in his voice, she nodded and obediently went off to stargaze with the twin jellyfish sisters.
"Phew…"
Watching her leave, Duanmu Huai let out a long breath. The expedition to the Lands Between had yielded great rewards—but being noticed by that thing was far worse than being noticed by any Chaos God. Luckily, such a being probably wouldn't take special interest in a tiny insect like him.
As long as he didn't provoke it first… he should be fine. Right?
Forget it. I'll deal with that later.
He shook his head and left the command deck, heading for the Void Barracks, where he found a golden-haired girl buried in blueprints.
"Ah, my lord knight!"
Kurala looked up and saluted as Duanmu Huai entered.
"No need for formalities," he said. "I'm just here to ask… did you finish it?"
"It's done. In theory, there shouldn't be any problems, though we haven't run any precision tests yet…"
"No need for precision. It just needs to work."
"It will."
"Good."
After that, Duanmu Huai once again stepped through a portal back into the Lands Between. Following his map, he arrived at a graveyard near the royal capital, opened a door… and stepped inside.
Squelch.
A rat scurried out and was crushed under his boot. Duanmu Huai looked up. The graveyard had collapsed into a vast hollow filled with decay and ruin. Pale-green torches flickered along the walls.
At the center stood a massive statue of a horned, hideous creature. Duanmu Huai gave it a brief glance, then turned away.
"All right. Let's get started."
He began humming softly as he unstrapped a massive iron crate from his back—nearly as tall as he was. He set it on the ground, released the locks, deployed the stabilizers, and started adjusting the machinery while humming a jaunty tune.
"The sun is shining bright, the flowers smile at me,
Little birds say, early, early—why're you carrying TNT…"
The echoes of clanging metal filled the empty cavern.
From the shadows, dark shapes emerged silently, eyes glowing crimson as they fixed on the man tinkering before the idol.
"Ssshhh…"
But Duanmu Huai paid them no mind, humming as he tightened bolts and checked dials.
"Intruder! Bad! Intruder bad! Kill bad intruder!"
Whispers filled the air, and a poisoned arrow whistled out of the darkness—clang!—bouncing harmlessly off his helmet. The unseen watchers flinched back, but Duanmu Huai merely brushed his head, not even looking up.
"Bold! Bold! Bold!!"
The shadowy figures grew enraged. With shrill screeches, hundreds—no, thousands—of ratmen surged from the tunnels, swarming toward him.
At that moment, Duanmu Huai finished his song.
"…Pull the string, I run away—boom, everything's blown away!"
With a grin, he slapped a button on the iron crate. A portal opened behind him, and he stepped backward into it—vanishing from sight.
The next instant, blinding white light filled the cavern.
"——————————!!!!"
No one ever knew exactly what happened.
Those who survived only told one story—of the day the infamous cursed stronghold of the ratmen, Skavenblight, erupted in cataclysm. The ground heaved upward as explosions tore through the city. Everything atop it was shattered to dust, flung skyward, then plunged into the abyss below.
The thunderous roar could be heard across half the world—even in the distant imperial capital of Altdorf, where the earth trembled and buildings collapsed. In mere moments, the legendary City of Rats was gone from the surface, leaving behind only a vast, blackened crater.
"Hate intruder! Hate intruder!!"
A lone ratman clawed its way out of the rubble, half-dead, dragging itself toward the great idol that somehow still stood untouched amid the ruin.
"Save me! Save me!"
It reached out, crying in desperation—but failed to notice the growing rumble beneath the ground. The temperature rose. Its fur began to singe. It shrieked in agony, rolling madly as the floor beneath it glowed red-hot.
"Hot! Hot! So hot! I'm cooking! I'm cooking!!"
The rat's mind broke. It flailed wildly—and suddenly, the heat vanished. For a fleeting instant, it felt weightless. Then gravity seized it again, and it fell, screaming, into the dark below—where a surge of molten lava swallowed it whole.
"BOOM————!!"
Like a volcanic eruption, magma spewed upward, flooding the tunnels and spreading in every direction. In moments, the entire Skaven undercity was a sea of fire.
The ratmen screamed and fled, but there was nowhere to run. The molten tide flowed relentlessly through every corridor, consuming everything in its path. Some collapsed mid-run as flames burst from beneath them, devouring their bodies whole.
There would be no escape for them in the depths.
Their howls of pain and pleas for mercy filled the burning dark—and their god heard them.
"ROOOOAR——!!"
The colossal idol cracked apart. From within stepped an enormous ratman, its blood-red eyes blazing as it glared at the rising magma, roaring in fury.
But before it could act—
Black fire fell from above.
"Die, Horned Rat!"
Duanmu Huai descended like a meteor, wreathed in black flame, his warhammer raised high as he crashed down toward the monstrous god of vermin!
(End of Chapter)