53. Radagon's Journey and The Appearance of the Elden Beast
Lemuen smiled as she gazed at the four visitors. One of them was a familiar face, Radagon, a man Xiling had fought before, though at that time his body had been crippled. Now, his body was whole and no longer in the same state.
Seeing them emerge, Lemuen smiled and calmly lifted the elegant porcelain pot beside her. Her voice was clear and soft, "Tea from my hometown, quite good. Would you like to try some?" The lingering aroma of tea drifted with her movements, carrying a tranquil, herbal scent.
Though surrounded, Lemuen's nonchalant gesture made it seem as if she wasn't surrounded, but rather that she was surrounding others.
Just think of it:
The former hero, Radagon.
Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala, master of magic.
Lanni the Witch, Moon Princess, who inherited the Dark Moon.
And Blaidd, the shadow beast who served the demigod.
This group of four even surpassed the trio of Kevin, Radahn, and Morgott, who had previously visited the Volcano Manor.
However,
Facing Lemuen now, they were the challengers.
As the vessel of the Elden Ring, even though the Ring's Great Rune had yet to return to its proper place, the essence of her existence remained the only deity this shattered world could look up to.
Radagon finally stepped forward, his voice clear but somewhat feeble:
"We have no intention of engaging in combat with you..."
Radagun paused, then slowly extended his hand:
"But please, give me the Elden Ring—"
"Return it to me."
The air seemed to freeze; even the fragrant aroma of the tea stagnated.
Lemuen's smile remained unchanged, but a slight frown appeared in his eyes. She gently placed the teapot back on the table, the porcelain clashing against the wooden surface with a crisp yet unusually heavy sound.
When she raised her eyes again, her gaze sweeping across Radagon, Queen of the Full Moon, Moon Princess Ranni, and the Shadow Beast Blaidd, her once gentle face now devoid of a trace of a smile, replaced only by a cold, measured look.
"Return the Elden Ring... to you?" Lemuen took a deep breath, as if gathering strength. When she spoke again, her usually gentle and clear voice suddenly rose, tinged with unconcealed anger:
"What resolve do you have in saying such a thing!"
If anyone familiar with Lemuen were present, they would surely be surprised to see the always-smiling Lemuen now brimming with anger.
Yes, Lemuen was angry.
This anger hadn't come suddenly. From the moment she became the vessel of the Elden Ring, confusion and bewilderment had enveloped her like a fog. Even after Xiling's guidance dispelled the fog and allowed her to see the path ahead clearly, her rage never subsided, and instead intensified.
As the current vessel of the Elden Ring, the supreme controller of the Silver Rule, Lemuen constantly heard the prayers of those who were suffering, the prayers of those trapped in despair, praying to the Silver Rule. She heard it! Every word, every tear, every broken heartbeat! Every surge brought suffocating pain.
So, she responded. She gave her all, transforming the Silver Blessing into tiny glimmers of light, casting them upon the hands struggling in the abyss of despair.
At this moment! Radagon—the embodiment of the Golden Rule, the alter ego of Queen Marika, the former "master" of the Elden Ring—the words, "Elden Ring, return it to me!" were like a spark that lit a fuse, suddenly igniting Lemuen's long-simmering cauldron of rage!
Boom!
An invisible storm erupted with Lemuen at its center! It was no longer a silent rage, but a bursting flood!
Her smooth white hair danced in the windless air, and her eyes, once filled with smiles, now burned with pure fury!
Lemuen cast an angry gaze at Radagon, Queen Rennala, and Princess Ranni. That gaze seemed to penetrate the flesh, seeing directly into the faith and desires deep within their souls.
"Tell me!"
"Now that you have the Elden Ring, what do you plan to do?!"
"Restore your 'great' Golden Rule? Let your cold, partial order, serving only the so-called 'chosen,' once again envelop this devastated land? Let it continue to ruthlessly select, exile, and sacrifice those you deem 'unworthy'?"
"Continue your eternal rule? Forge a dynasty eternally shimmering with golden glory, yet built on countless bones and endless lamentations? Let your bloodline and glory be 'passed down' from above, no matter how many sacrifices are buried beneath your feet!"
"Answer me—Ra! Da! Gon!"
"Life—what is it to you!"
Faced with Lemuen's angry question, Radagon fell into a deathly silence.
This was not his proper reaction.
He was Radagon! One of the founders of the Golden Rule, the alter ego of Queen Marika, the former ruler of the Elden Ring! He should, as he had countless times before, proclaim the inevitability and greatness of the Golden Order, refuting the "ignorant nonsense" of "Lemuen" with his logically rigorous and brilliant legal precepts.
He understood the Golden Rule, discerning every cog in its operation, every link in its chain of cause and effect. He could easily list a hundred, a thousand, of the blessings and order it brought: it ended the chaotic Giant Wars, it established the magnificent Lands Between Dynasty, it blessed believers with the healthy Erdtree, and it established the principles by which the world operated—birth, aging, sickness, and death, the cycle of fate, all had their place and their order.
Stable, eternal, glorious… these words nearly flew off his tongue, becoming the sharp sword he used to defend his faith.
But as he instinctively tried to defend himself, his voice caught in his throat.
He was no longer able to refute it.
When Radagon was sent flying by Xiling and landed in a desolate and unfamiliar forest in the Lands Between, the gears of fate had already quietly shifted.
Dragging his broken body, Radagon embarked on a journey he had never imagined in his long life—a journey in which he would be alone, stripped of his divine aura, observing the land he had helped shape from a nearly mortal perspective.
His first stop, ironically, was the Academy of Raya Lucaria—the magic academy ruled by his former wife, Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala.
He walked across a land once illuminated by the golden tree's light, now ravaged by the Shattered War and the long years without a king. The scene he witnessed was a living hell, a scene woven together by despair, suffering, and tragedy.
But in this hell, there was only one thing—no death.
Or rather, no true rest.
Life was not extinct, but it was more suffocating than extinction.
Radagon saw the town, once blessed by gold, now reduced to shattered ruins. The remaining people—if they could even be called "people"—were like soulless shells, dragging themselves through the ruins and filth. Their eyes were hollow, devoid of hope, fear, and even numb to pain.
Souls utterly decayed in endless torment, slowly sinking into the mire of time alongside their equally decaying bodies.
The spark that once was called "reason" had long since extinguished. Even those who could still occasionally murmur and react had their inner cores gnawed away by madness, leaving only twisted instincts driving them.
The walking corpse. This cruel word hammered at Radagon's heart repeatedly.
No, he felt that even that description was too kind. The beings before him were the pitiful remnants of a soul annihilated, a cursed fate forcibly bound to a rotting body, a living sacrifice in an eternal cycle of torment.
Radagon watched all this in silence. His golden eyes swept over every face, bare or distorted, the deformed, and the creeping creatures gnawing futilely in the shadows. He swung the mighty hammer in his hand, a symbol of power, crushing the enemies who had completely lost their true selves and become mere "obstacles" standing in his way to the academy.
He did not waver at this point.
Radagon entered the Academy of Raya Lucaria and met his former wife, Queen the Full Moon, Rennala. Rennala, previously dazed, lost her expression the moment she saw Radagon, her fury overflowing with words.
Rennala shouted at Radagon, roared at him, and unleashed her Full Moon magic upon him.
Radagon silently accepted everything Rennala hurled at him, the terrifying Full Moon magic pouring through his broken body until tears welled up in her eyes. The attack ceased, and Radagon spoke. He didn't explain his past betrayals—they seemed pale and powerless in that moment.
He told Rennala the truth that had shattered her world—about Marika, about the source of the Elden Ring's shattering.
He also calmly explained his purpose for returning—not to reminisce or confess, but to the need for the Great Rune in her hand to rebuild his body.
After Radagon told the Queen of the Full Moon everything, Rennala expressed her desire to join him. She didn't want to be separated from Radagon again.
She didn't want to be alone.
As for Radagon being the former half of the Eternal Queen, Rennala didn't care.
But there was one problem they had to resolve.
After the Elden Ring was retrieved, who would serve as its vessel?
If the Elden Ring were once again integrated into Radagon's body, would the silent Eternal Queen Marika awaken again?
Radagon thought it was likely. Once Radagon, her half, reaccepted the Ring and became a complete "god," Marika's will would inevitably awaken within the crucible of divinity, once again controlling this divine body.
Will "him" then still be the Radagon that Rennala knew?
Will that "will" then see Rennala as an ally, or... another "obstacle" to be abandoned?
The answer is obvious.
So he chose another path.
His children, Lanni, Miquella, and Malenia, were all once gods, worthy heirs of the Elden Ring.
Thus began his second journey.
The goal—the Haligtree. This was a much longer journey, not unlike his first, but when he arrived at the foot of the Haligtree, he saw corruption and impurity.
The Scarlet Rot had tainted the Haligtree. Unholy beings, unrecognized by the Golden Rule, roamed beneath it. Yet, these very beings, unrecognized by the Golden Rule, retained their own will. Even though their lives were short and easily slain, they were truly alive.
What...was this?
Witnessing this scene, Radagon began to experience a shift within him.
It was a crack in his faith in the Golden Rule.
At that moment, the once-glorious Golden Erdtree in the distance began to undergo a drastic transformation, its gold giving way to silver.
Rage welled within Radagon, hastening his movements.
But this journey was destined to be futile.
For the people he sought had already left the Haligtree.
The abducted Miquella.
Malenia, who had recovered and departed the Haligtree. Perhaps someone knew the whereabouts of these two divine beings, but Radagon would never encounter them.
And so the third journey began.
Destination—the Royal Capital.
Maliketh was dead, killed by the one who had taken the Elden Ring.
Radagon, who had not yet reached the Royal Capital, witnessed this scene.
The Rune of Death had also fallen into the hands of the enemy, but Radagon was no longer able to think, for a light appeared in his eyes...
Hope, holiness, order—a silvery light that could illuminate the hearts of the people.
The cracks spread madly.
No!
Resentment surged within Radagon's heart, and he wanted to go to the Leyndell Royal Capital to personally confirm certain things.
However, when he arrived in the Leyndell Royal Capital...
"My name—"
A clear voice filled Radagon's ears. "Xiling! The Silver King!"
As if their souls, cries of this life, returned to that decayed body. People cheered and shouted, "The great Silver King!"
Radagon fled.
He and Rennala left the Lyndell Royal Capital.
At that moment, he encountered a man, or rather a werewolf.
Blaidd.
Ranni's shadow.
Led by him, they found their supposedly deceased daughter, the Moon Princess—Ranni.
Facing her parents,
Ranni revealed her plan: to accept the Elden Ring and become a new god.
Ranni was clearly hiding other secrets, but she said nothing.
And Radagon asked nothing.
The final journey began.
But the heart that had been there had changed...
Faced with Lemuen's roar,
Radagon slowly lowered his hand.
"Yes."
The low whisper, more like a sigh from the depths of his soul
What right did he have to say such things?
Just as Radagon lowered his hand—
Breaking through the air! Tearing! A gust of wind, like a furious wolf's howl, shattered the brief silence! Blaidd's greatsword slashed down on Lemuen in the wheelchair!
Cold! Freezing! Immediately following, two completely different yet equally deadly bursts of moonlight erupted! From Ranni's direction, countless cold, sharp, soul-slicing miniature dark purple crescents emerged. Silent yet ghostly, they blocked all escape routes around Lemuen.
Vast! Overwhelming! From the Queen of the Full Moon, Rennala, came a massive, pure, and destructive full moon sphere of light. It emanated unquestionable majesty and chill, like a miniature moon falling from the sky!
Three attacks arrived almost simultaneously before Lemuen.
Lemuen sat frozen in place, seemingly unable to react...
But in the next second—
Shadow! The deepest, most unnoticed shadow cast by her wheelchair suddenly sprang to life! An indescribable "thing"—immensely massive, covered in a surface as deep as the starry sky, yet radiating the sheen of liquid silver—shot forth from the seething shadow!
It wasn't an arm, but more like a massive limb condensed from some cosmic will, composed of pure energy and incomprehensible matter.
"BOOM!!!" "BUZZ!!!" "SHISH!!!"
The deafening roar of metal clashing, the piercing shriek of annihilated magic, and the eerie tearing sound of stellar energy colliding with moonlight instantly reverberated from the throne!
Blaidd's greatsword struck the strange limb, stirring only a circle of silvery ripples on its surface! Ranni's countless dark moons sliced through it, like hailstones crashing into the deep sea, silently melting away!
Rennala's full moon ball, powerful enough to collapse a mountain, erupted in blinding light upon impact, but like a wave crashing against an invisible barrier, it collapsed with a bang!
Smoke, dust, and fragments of magical energy flew everywhere, but the "hand" remained motionless, steadily taking the blow that could have destroyed half the royal capital!
The next second—
The silver-white veins on the strange limb suddenly glowed brightly!
"Ugh—!!!"
Blaidd only had time to let out a short, horrified cry of pain before his massive werewolf body, like a stone launched from a giant catapult, instantly vanished into a blurry afterimage and flew backward! It pierced the throne room floor and, like a flaming meteorite, crashed down into the distant neighborhood, stirring up a cloud of dust that obscured the sky!
At that moment—
Time seemed to freeze. Amidst the thick smoke and dust, the figure in the wheelchair moved.
Lemuen slowly stood up.
As she rose, a pure, unadulterated silver-white light rose from her slender form, coating the dust with a layer of cold silver. Her white hair moved silently in this light, and her eyes held a chilling calm. Her voice wasn't loud, but it resounded clearly in every assassin's ears:
"You... have taken your action."
"Then... It's my turn."
The moment the words fell—
Boom—!!!
It wasn't thunder, but a terrifying groan from the earth, even space itself, straining under its weight! The seething shadow beneath Lemuen's feet instantly expanded and swelled! An unimaginable, soul-shattering behemoth tore through reality, rising from the abyssal shadows!
A gust of wind! A gale so violent it could overturn houses and snap giant trees appeared out of thin air! It wasn't a natural wind, but a spatial storm caused by the giant's breach through the dimensional barrier! Lemuen stood in the storm's center, her pure white hair and dress whipping wildly like flaming white flames.
Her tiny form formed a stark contrast to the terrifying presence emerging behind her! On Ranni's icy face, in Rennala's eyes, blinded by extreme shock, under Radagon's gaze, and before the horrified eyes of countless residents throughout Leyndell Royal Capital—the shadowy being finally revealed its true form!
It was a colossus, well over a hundred meters tall! Its form defied common sense: neither beast nor human, but rather the ultimate creation condensed from the vast galaxy and the Supreme Rule!
The Elden Beast (Silver Rule Version)!
Gazing directly at the three approaching assassins, Lemuen's feet lifted off the shattered ground, as if lifted by an invisible force, hovering inches above the ground.
Hovering within the beast's tangible silver-white shadow, her tiny form emanated an unparalleled aura of dominance.
Those silver-white pupils swept over the solemn-looking Ranni, the terrified Rennala, and Radagon.
"I will issue a final notice."
"If you wish to continue your dynasty—"
"Then, without a doubt..."
"We are enemies."
"—Make your choice."
These brief words carried the heaviest sentence.
Ranni stared at the silver behemoth emanating a terrifying aura in the sky, a single thought forming in her mind—there was no way she could win!
The sheer disparity forced her to forgo this opportunity to obtain what she desired from the enemy. She must retreat now! At any cost!
With this thought in mind, she attempted to cast a spell to transport herself and her parents away.
Lemuen, suspended in midair, her silver eyes flickered ever so slightly.
No spell, no hand gesture, simply the flow of a single thought!
Buzz!
With Lemuen at its center, an invisible domain instantly expanded!
Space... was dissolving!
On the scene beneath Ranni, Rennala, the remnants of Radagon, and the entire shattered throne room suddenly shifted!
Everything melted and dissipated like ink dropped into water, replaced by a deep, tranquil "water surface" reflecting a strange vision.
Beneath this boundless expanse, a terrifying sight unfolded—countless massive trees, radiating a warm golden glow, took root and grew! Their twisted, tangled branches and leaves emanated a powerful vitality and ancient majesty... They were projections of the Golden Erdtree! The very foundation of the Golden Rule, manifested in its very essence!
However, within this resplendent sea of golden trees, stood a vastly different tree, woven from countless flowing, dazzling silver veins!
It was cold, pure, and perfectly ordered, emanating absolute, unquestionable authority!
It was the embodiment of silver—the Silver Ruke. Ranni paused; the teleportation magic she was about to use ruthlessly stripped away in this space, completely controlled by the Silver Rule!
Lemuen's gaze fixed on Ranni.
Her voice was slower and clearer than before, carrying an undeniable finality:
"I said..."
"This is the final announcement."
"Choose."
"Or..."
"I'll choose."
"You... have no chance of winning."
The silver beast lowered its head slightly, as if silently confirming its master's words.
——
——
A/N [Author Notes]:
It's burning out. Truly burning.
By the way, how many words do you like to read per chapter?