62. [Part 2] Return to Gold
Xiling, who had arrived at Lemuen's side through the chat group travel system, felt a little weak in his knees.
Though he wobbled a bit, he managed to stay standing.
"Xiling! How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Houraiji Kyuushou exclaimed almost simultaneously. She was about to rush forward to support him, but Xiling held her back.
Xiling took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, though his steps were still unsteady.
"Hmm...nothing serious," Xiling forced a somewhat forced smile.
"It's similar to last time, just...the mana drain was a bit severe."
"That's good, that's good." Houraiji Kyuushou's heart finally relaxed slightly. She patted her heaving chest, and the worry on her face faded.
At that moment, Lemuen approached. She still wore a smile.
"This time... you really made quite a commotion."
Xiling rubbed his head and smiled helplessly.
"It was quite a commotion indeed."
That's right. The entire city fell from the sky and landed in the sea, sending up a torrential wave and shockwaves that could probably be felt throughout the Lands Between.
Lemuen seemed long accustomed to Xiling's surprises. She simply smiled and then turned her eyes to the towering walls of the Leyndell Royal Capital—there became a terrifying battlefield.
"BOOM!!!!"
The heart-stopping thunder seemed to explode right beside her ears, each roar carrying the might to rend the sky.
The two devastating forces collided and ripped apart like ancient beasts, each clash causing the earth beneath their feet to groan and tremble violently under the weight.
A blinding flash of light tore through the dark sky, illuminating the swirling smoke and the shattered earth. Lemuen whispered, "You've brought back a formidable being!"
This sentence instantly awakened Houraiji Kyuushou, who was still immersed in Xiling's situation.
That fleeting glimpse of that breathtakingly ancient, majestic figure that towered over the heavens! Her eyes instantly shone brightly, and she turned sharply to Xiling, her tone filled with uncontrollable excitement:
"That! Is that the King of the Ancient Dragons? Oh my god! It's so... so handsome! Just looking at it makes it look incredibly powerful!"
Dragonlord Placidusax perfectly fulfilled Houraiji Kyuushou's fantasy of dragons.
Faced with Kyuushou's almost-jumping-in-excitement question, Xiling's gaze fell on the massive dragon figure looming in the center of the storm:
"Yes, that's it! Dragonlord Placidusax."
"I knew it!"
Houraiji Kyuushou excitedly pumped her fist, but then a more realistic and daunting question emerged in her mind. What kind of being could have caused a Dragon King to fight with all its might? Confusion crossed her face.
"Then... who is battling the Dragon King now?" Houraiji Kyuushou gazed at the terrifying battle scene in the distance, her voice unconsciously lowered.
Xiling was silent for a moment, the air filled only with the distant roar of thunder and the dull trembling of the earth as background sound.
"...Godfrey, First Elden King of Golden Rule."
"Perhaps, he is our final enemy on this journey..."
To withstand the aftermath of this horrific battle, Lemuen had already mobilized the power of the Elden Ring to construct a silver-white barrier around the Leyndell Royal Capital.
Beyond the barrier lay a scene of apocalypse: the sky was ripped apart by raging thunderclouds and turbulent energy currents, thick bolts lashed the charred earth, and the roar, filled with pure power and fighting spirit, could have killed anyone directly if it hadn't been weakened by the barrier.
"The final enemy on this journey?" Houraiji Kyuushou glanced outside.
"Xiling... are you planning on having him... join the Silver Rule?"
Faced with this question, Xiling shook his head; his eyes showed a complex expression.
"He can't possibly join us."
Xiling's voice was low and firm, "Or rather... he simply has no intention of escaping this battle alive."
As Xiling slept on the dragon's back, just as he was about to return to the Leyndell Royal Capital, a soul-shaking roar awoke him from his brief dream.
Xiling heard everything that followed.
In his words, Xiling clearly heard his inner voice—
The Last Glory of the Golden Rule.
This wasn't a boast of his own greatness.
As the Erdtree gave way to the Silver, and as the Golden People on the other side headed towards Silver, he was the last bearer of the Golden Rule's remaining will!
He was telling everyone: The Golden Age had ended.
But even this end required a grand and heroic finale!
So, he chose to become the final door—the [Gatekeeper]! Gamble all the glory and power of the First King of the Golden Rule to guard the fallen Golden Rule's tomb! Anyone who wishes to push open this door and enter a new era must possess enough power to slay him! They must step over his corpse! The last shred of "gold" brilliance, a symbol of past glory, must be completely buried beneath the dust of history!
This is his fate, the end he has chosen for himself.
Godfrey, the First Elden King, has long since bound the meaning of his life to the Golden Rule. His path ends only with death on the battlefield—a glorious end to the old era, paving the first blood-stained steps for the new rule.
...
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Godfrey looked up at the massive figure hovering in the air—Dragonlord Placidusax. Its massive form was like a mountain obscuring the sky, and every breath stirred a storm, casting a shadow powerful enough to engulf a town.
Powerful.
Extremely powerful!
Even the former Storm King couldn't compare to it.
However, facing such a terrifying being, Godfrey wiped the blood from his mouth and let out a furious smile.
This is how it should be!
No! It should be—it has to be this way!
The new King of the Silver Rule is truly formidable!
Not only has he united so many forces, but he's even convinced the Ancient Dragon King, long lost in the dust of history and the symbol of the previous era's glory, to willingly join the Silver Order!
This is truly...
Exciting!!
The Beast King, Serosh, had already left Godfrey's back. This is a war between old kings.
No one shall interfere!
Placidusax gazed at the king laughing wildly below, and the dragon blood in his immortal body began to stir with a frenzy!
Good!
Excellent!
This will be his first battle free from his bonds! It will also be one of the most difficult, yet most exhilarating, battles of his long life! The power erupting from that tiny human body, so pure and furious, could rival his immortal dragon form! How could this not make his dragon blood boil? How could it not recall the rebellious war?
Back then, the gods had abandoned it, and it had fallen into confusion. Its strength waned in hesitation, leading to its head being torn apart by the rebels, nearly destroying its spirit and pride as a Dragon King...
But now, the confusion had long since burned away!
Its spirit, accompanied by the roar of the ferocious challenger below, surged back like a volcano!
It would not hesitate any longer! There will be no more confusion!
Terrifying thunder swirled around the dragon's body, and flames began to build in its chest.
"Boom!"
Without a word, between sky and earth, two figures, symbolizing the pinnacle of power in their respective eras, moved simultaneously!
Speed!
Unimaginable speed!
It was pure physical strength exploding to its limit. The ground beneath Godfrey's feet cracked like a fragile eggshell as he soared into the sky, wrapped in pure brute force capable of shattering mountains!
And Placidusax's incredibly massive body erupted with a terrifying explosive force that matched it. With a slight flap of its massive wings, the air roared as if compressed and exploding. A massive shadow instantly pressed forward, its claws wrapped in destructive thunder, tearing through the air, and swung down with a force that annihilated everything!
The two trajectories intersected with a bang at a single point in space!
Boom! !!! !!! !!!
At that moment, a terrifying roar, enough to rip any eardrum apart, erupted like a giant, expanding ball, exploding from the point of collision!
The backlash of this collision of pure force was terrifying! With nowhere to lean in the air, Godfrey was flung backward at a speed even faster than when he came!
However, before Godfrey could even adjust his stance and fall to the ground, Placidusax in the sky had already gathered its strength!
The dragon's fire accumulating within its chest had already reached a boiling point, scorching the surrounding space and distorting it!
Burning the heavens and boiling the seas!
With a soul-shattering roar, a dragon fire over a hundred meters in diameter, like a river pouring down from the sky, violently poured down towards Godfrey's falling form!
Before the flames even touched the ground, the extremely high temperature radiation contained within them had instantly evaporated all the moisture from the land within dozens of miles below!
Like wax in a furnace, the rock softened, flowed, and then directly vaporized! In the blink of an eye, the earth turned red, dry, and cracked, like the interior of a ten-thousand-year-old volcano. It even melted into a vast, bubbling crater! The air ignited, a piercing scream erupting!
The pouring dragon's breath precisely and mercilessly engulfed the backward-throwing Godfrey!
But the next second!
"ROAR AAAAAAH ..."
Godfrey's iron fist, brimming with raging fighting spirit, slammed firmly into the jaw of one of Placidusax's massive dragon heads, which was still spewing flames!
Pure physical force exploded to its limit! The dragon king's scales, strong enough to withstand a meteorite impact, uttered a teeth-grinding groan. Its massive head was jerked back by the unimaginable force! Its breath abruptly ceased! Placidusax's mountainous form, as if knocked off balance by the blow, was sent careening backwards!
However
"Buzz!"
Three destructive beams of light suddenly lit up in the air, instantly blocking all possible escape routes for Godfrey!
Seeing this, Godfrey, with nowhere to gain support, swung his arms violently, as if beating an invisible drum!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The violent wind from his fist compressed the air, emitting a dull boom! Each swing of his hand struck the air, generating a tremendous recoil, sending him swerving, stopping, and turning mid-air in a bizarre, counterintuitive sequence! He narrowly avoided the edges of three deadly beams of light!
But just as he dodged the third beam, the dragon head he'd initially struck had fully recovered from its brief shock! Its dragon eyes locked onto Godfrey, helpless in midair, and the fourth head, raised high, suddenly opened its maw!
A fourth! A pale beam of light instantly slanted out!
This time, there was no escape!
"BOOM!!!!!!!"
The pale beam of light precisely engulfed Godfrey! With irresistible destructive force, it pierced the already shattered earth, plowing a bottomless chasm of lava! The remaining force of the beam slammed into a towering mountain in the distance!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the sky! Under the annihilating force of the pale light column, it completely collapsed like a mountain, shattered, and vaporized! Smoke and debris filled the sky, mixing with the surging energy, forming a massive, slowly rising mushroom cloud!
Godfrey's figure completely disappeared at the center of the explosion, and along with the mountain, it was reduced to dust!
Is he dead? Placidusax hovered high in the sky, his dragon eyes fixed on the devastating smoke:
No!
Absolutely not!
As if to confirm the Dragon King's judgment!
"Whoosh!!!"
A huge rock, the size of a small fortress, slammed down into Placidusax in mid-air with the force of thunder!
"Crack!"
A massive golden bolt, tearing through the sky, descended from the sky, striking the rock with incredible precision! Without even a chance to explode, the rock was reduced to the finest dust, scattering in a whirlwind of dust! However, just as the boulder was shattered by the thunder—
"Bang!!!"
A tiny figure, imbued with boundless power, burst forth from the swirling boulder dust like a deadly bullet hidden within a cannonball!
Placidusax's dragon pupils suddenly constricted! Its massive body attempted to transform into a thundercloud, soaring higher into the sky—that was its domain!
But Godfrey was faster!
With his incredible physical explosive power, just as the Dragon King's body was about to completely transform into a thundercloud—"Bang!!!"
With a heavy, muffled thud, Godfrey, like an unyielding nail, landed heavily and firmly on Placidusax's broad, ancient-scaled back!
The Dragon King's body sank suddenly!
The next second—
"Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora—!!!!!!"
A terrifying barrage of punches, so dense that the shadows could no longer be distinguished, descended like a violent storm! Each of Godfrey's blows contained earth-shaking force! His ferocious punches, like countless invisible battering rams, bombarded Placidusax's indestructible dragon form relentlessly and relentlessly!
A terrifying shockwave ripped wildly across the dragon's back! The tough dragon scales groaned, shattered, and dented under the sheer force!
Under this unimaginable, violent blow, Placidusax's massive form plummeted toward the shattered, scorched earth below!
Boom! !!!
The earth groaned in agony once more! Where the Dragon King had fallen, a massive circular impact crater suddenly formed, and smoke and dust rose into the sky like a tsunami!
However, as the king descended...
"Ziz-z-z-z!"
The thunderclouds above seemed summoned! Countless bolts of thunder, like raging thunder dragons, converged frantically upon the falling Dragon King! The Dragon King's body seemed to transform into a massive energy storage core! Its surface was instantly covered in a layer of viscous, terrifying lightning, like liquid gold! It no longer swirled, but exploded!
BOOM! !!!
A pure, golden sphere of destructive lightning, centered on the point where Placidusax had crashed, exploded without warning and with no blind spots! An absolute release of energy!
Godfrey, standing on the dragon's back, bore the brunt of the impact! A terrifying electric current instantly swept through his body! His frantic punches froze, as if locked in invisible shackles. His muscles twitched, his hair stood on end! His terrifying body, numb and sluggish under the thunder!
In that moment of delay—
"Whoosh!!!!!"
The Dragon King's wings suddenly spread to their limit. A devastating storm, powerful enough to blow away mountains and rend the earth, erupted suddenly from Placidusax at its center!
Godfrey's body, paralyzed by the thunder and frozen in place, could no longer maintain its steady position on the dragon's back! Like a leaf in a gust of wind, he was instantly blown away by the overwhelming force of the storm!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…!"
His body slammed into the devastated earth like a cannonball, each impact leaving a deep crater. The immense force of the impact plowed several shocking, enormous cracks through the already shattered earth! Blood dripped from Godfrey's ruptured wounds and the corners of his mouth, burning tiny pinpricks of light on the charred ground.
Blood flowed from the cracks in Placidusax's shattered dragon scales, seeping into the cracked earth with a sizzling sound.
Blood flowed. Life seethed.
Pain?
On this transcendent battlefield, pain had long been overshadowed by a higher sense of existence.
The majesty of the superior.
A warrior's thirst for battle.
Godfrey stood at the edge of the massive chasm, his sturdy frame covered in scorch marks, lacerations, and the scars of lightning.
Godfrey coughed twice, his chest vibrating as a large mouthful of blood was violently coughed out, splashing onto the scorching rock and instantly dissolving into a wisp of green smoke. But he raised his head, gazing at Placidusax, who was also dripping with dragon blood and surrounded by thunder, in the deep pit. Godfrey spoke, his first words since the battle began, aside from a roar:
"You are truly powerful, worthy of being the Ancient Dragon King."
A dull voice emanated from Placidusax.
"You too... exceeded my expectations, Godfrey, the 'First King' of the Golden Rule..."
"Your tenacity, your strength... deserve my recognition."
"Hehe..." Godfrey chuckled softly. His wounds caused him to frown slightly, but his smile deepened.
"To be recognized by a being like you... I am truly, deeply honored."
Changing the subject, Godfrey's tone was tinged with regret.
"By the way... that Silver King, I've never met him. What a shame. Just how powerful is he... do you know?"
No one knew whether the regret of the former Elden King was due to not having faced a stronger foe or not having witnessed the founder of a new era.
Placidusax fell silent. The dragon's gaze drifted to memories—the figure that had appeared before it when it slumbered in the cracks of time and space, its strength waning and its will lost.
It wasn't the overwhelming pressure of overwhelming force... but a kind of...
"His power..."
"...is beyond words."
In Placidusax's perception, Xiling's will itself was like the purest light, piercing the eternal darkness.
That light wasn't blinding, but it was enough to illuminate the deepest despair and guide lost souls to find their way.
This was the shock Xiling brought it, a shock that transcended power.
Godfrey stared at Placidusax. He couldn't decipher what the dragon was saying, but he had the feeling that the dragon was lost in a memory, which made him chuckle.
"I didn't expect... You would hold the Silver King in such high esteem?"
Placidusax, without the slightest hesitation, raised its dragon head slightly, as if stating a truth as undeniable as the rotation of the sun and moon:
"Because he's worthy."
Such a simple statement.
"Heh..."
"Haha..."
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
"Hearing you say that... I'm really eager to meet the legendary 'Silver King'!"
What kind of person was that king who single-handedly unified the shattered Lands Between, forged new rules, and even brought this ancient dragon king to its knees?
Is he a hidden, ambitious individual, strategizing with caution?
Or is he a benevolent ruler, filled with compassion and benevolence?
Or perhaps... a being that combines the tyranny of power with the purity of will, some kind of... even more transcendent being?
Placidusax's thunder-covered body slowly tensed, its voice resonating across the battlefield like the pronouncement of final judgment:
"After I... utterly defeat you..."
Lightning began to gather upon the dragon's claws.
"...I will inform him."
The terrifying energy fluctuations made the surroundings hum!
"If he also harbors an interest in meeting you..."
The terrifying thunder that had been affecting the surroundings instantly coalesced into a lightning spear.
"...Then, you will meet him!"
Golden ripples echoed beneath Godfrey's feet.
"Isn't there another choice?"
Godfrey's voice was no longer a roar, but a deep, resolute one, as if he were making a vow!
The golden blessing radiated from him with an unprecedented intensity!
"I'll defeat you, and then I'll personally take the first steps to confirm the true nature of the man who brings new hope to the Lands Between!"
"If you can do it, then give it a try!" Placidusax said.
"Then give it a try!" Godfrey's lips curled into a nearly ferocious grin.
Roar!!
Two roars rang out simultaneously!
Placidusax's massive dragon wings, coated in liquid lightning, suddenly flapped! It abandoned all tactics, opting for the most direct, primal, and precisely what suited its opponent's needs at the moment—close combat!
The lightning in its claws pierced that tiny, stubborn body!
Sharing off all restraints, Godfrey's stance reverted to its most savage, most fundamental fighting instincts! No flashy martial arts, no exquisite footwork. Instead, he squeezed every ounce of strength from every cell in his body, channeling it into his legs, and then—
The ground beneath his feet shattered! With the most brutal and resolute stance, he charged forward with all his might! Clenching his fists, muscles tensed to the limit, he intended to confront the thunder with his flesh and blood!
Boom—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The moment of collision!
A visible, liquid-thick wave of destruction, a mixture of extreme thunder and violent physical impact, spread madly in all directions!
Everywhere it passed, the earth was flattened as if by an invisible giant hand! Every protruding terrain, every scattered rock, was reduced to dust!
And this was just the beginning!
The destructive wave did not cease, continuing to expand, sweeping mercilessly towards the distant Leyndell Royal Capital!
High above Leyndell Royal Capital.
From her throne in the Elden Throne, Lemuen watched all this.
As if seeing a predetermined future, Lemuen spoke softly.
"It's over."
As if it were the final confirmation of her words—
"Buzz!"
The massive barrier she had constructed, surrounding the Leyndell Royal Capital, suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant light!
The next second!
Boom!
The terrifying impact, like a tsunami, swept the rock and earth, crashing relentlessly and unstoppably into the silver barrier!
The violent tremors caused by the shockwave crashing against the barrier lasted for almost a full minute.
The capital's residents prostrated themselves on the ground in terror, praying that the barrier would not shatter.
When the impact finally subsided, the world fell into an eerie, heavy silence.
The light... vanished.
It wasn't nightfall, but the Leyndell Royal Capital itself, submerged beneath a thick sea of sand!
...
Godfrey gazed at the silvery light, and his once frantic heart had calmed down. Godfrey lay supine at the bottom of a bottomless pit. His right arm had almost completely vanished from the shoulder down, leaving only tattered flesh and charred bone. Lightning hissed around the wound's edge, each faint pulse bringing piercing pain.
He was no longer on the ground in the Lands Between, but in a bottomless pit.
All around him was darkness, illuminated only by the glow of the silver tree above.
Had he lost?
Yes.
But he also hadn't lost.
He had broken an arm and punched the other being in the chest, drawing them even, neither having the strength to stand.
The lightning spear pierced him, carrying him down into the abyss.
Placidusax, blasted skyward by his concentrated punch, the result was even.
The two were even.
The winner was decided, yet the outcome hadn't yet been truly determined. Because they had all fallen, each having exhausted the last vestiges of strength left to stand.
Just then, footsteps echoed from within the underground cavern.
The footsteps were gentle, neither deliberately soft nor heavy, like a normal walk.
But Godfrey could hear the weakness of these footsteps.
A figure, swaying against the silver tree's radiance pouring down from the cavern above, slowly approached the edge of Godfrey's vision.
The light outlined the figure, not tall, even a bit thin.
He stopped just before Godfrey's sight, bowed slightly, and extended a hand toward the person lying on the ground, greeting them naturally as if he had met an acquaintance on the street:
"Hello, my name is Xiling, and I'm also the current Silver King."
The Silver King... Xiling.
Gazing at the man who called himself the Silver King, the corners of Godfrey's mouth curled up. "Hehe..." A deep laugh rolled from Godfrey's throat, carrying with it a sense of relief that things had finally settled.
"Indeed... we'll meet only when I'm defeated and lying on the ground, unable to even lift a finger."
"Placidusax said that?" Xiling tilted his head slightly.
"Who else could it be?"
"That's right."
After Xiling finished speaking, the vast hole fell into silence.
Godfrey lay on the ground, watching the light cast by the silver tree slowly drift down from the hole. Finally, he spoke, breaking the silence.
"Silver King... Xiling..."
"What... do you want?"
"When you reunite the shattered Lands Between, when you completely repair the crumbling Elden Ring... what path will you choose... to lead the creatures of this land...?"
"Want to hear my initial thoughts?" Xiling smiled.
"I'm all ears..." Godfrey's gaze locked with him.
"As for what I want," Xiling raised his head, gazing at the light overhead.
"Initially... I just wanted to save people."
These words were spoken so calmly, so matter-of-factly, yet like a stone dropped into stagnant water, they stirred unprecedented waves in Godfrey's heart.
"I want to save them."
"It may sound... arrogant... but I want to save them. Those souls struggling, suffering, lost, and hopeless amidst the shattered wars and declining rules."
"But saving people... there are many ways to do it."
"I chose... a method that might be more difficult."
"I just want to... light a lamp for them, to illuminate the path beneath their feet that might lead to hope."
"This is the origin of the Silver Rule."
"As for the path ahead..."
Xiling looked at Godfrey.
"Let the people explore, choose, and forge ahead on their own. I can do... that's probably all I can do."
"..."
Godfrey was silent for a long moment, a complex and unspeakable emotion swirling in his eyes.
"Is that so..."
"Just... a simple desire to save people?"
Xiling scratched his cheek.
"After all, I'm a hero. When I see someone in need, I'll definitely do my best to lend a helping hand."
Godfrey somewhat understood what Placidusax meant by "more than words can express."
When he expressed his desire to save people, even though his words were calm and even a little embarrassed,... that determination was no joke.
I guessed wrong.
How wrong it was.
He was not an ambitious man.
And also not some benevolent ruler.
Just a simple, kind, powerful man, willing to lend a hand to those in need.
Just then, a figure descended into the hole.
Godfrey didn't even need to look.
That deep connection, that familiar aura etched into his soul... It was Morgott!
Morgott had clearly spotted his father lying on the ground. He didn't approach immediately, but paused a few steps away from Godfrey.
He seemed a little uneasy.
Like a child afraid of his father's anger. At that moment, Godfrey, lying on the ground, spoke in a voice softer than ever before:
"Come here..."
The words echoed clearly in Monget's ears:
"...Morgott."
Morgott shuddered at the call, but still took a step forward and approached Godfrey.
Godfrey observed the uneasy expression on Morgott's face and smiled.
"My child, you have grown up and become very powerful. I am proud of you."
However, as Morgott approached Godfrey, he was horrified to discover that his father's body was glowing!
It was not the blazing glow of the Golden Blessing, but a soft, pure golden light, peeling and rising from his majestic frame.
Godfrey was a Tarnished, a warrior unblessed, a man long dead.
Yet he looked like a soul that had once died and returned to the Erdtree.
"No..."
Morgott panicked upon seeing this scene, instinctively reaching for Xiling beside him. However, just as he was about to reach out to Xiling, a heavy, broad, yet strangely ethereal hand gently and firmly rested on the back of his massive, scab-covered hand.
Morgott's body instantly stiffened as stone.
He turned his head stiffly and extremely slowly.
Godfrey looked at him, his eyes speaking it all, needing no words: Don't stop me, this is my destiny.
The Tarnished originally possessed no blessings, but the moment he set foot on the Lands Between, Marika's distant yet clear voice seemed to echo in his ears again:
[That is the last blessing I have left for you...]
[Go... go and see the current Lands Between.]
He saw it.
And he was also satisfied.
Godfrey's body dissipated even faster, a dazzling golden particle surrounding him. Just as Morgott was completely consumed by overwhelming grief and powerlessness, helpless to watch his father "die"—
Godfrey's fading phantom arm suddenly rose with remarkable naturalness. It didn't avoid the hideous horns, symbols of a curse, that adorned Morgott's head. Instead, it passed right through them.
The giant hand of the first Elden King, the one that once wielded a massive axe to split the earth, now, with an indescribable tenderness, gently, yet truly, touched Morgott's head.
The movement was clumsy, even awkward.
Godfrey's face broke into a smile.
That smile contained neither the majesty of a king nor the wildness of a warrior, but only the instinctive pride and satisfaction of a father looking upon his child.
"I'm proud of you..."
Godfrey's voice had grown faint, like a candle in the wind, yet it remained unmistakably etched in the depths of Morgott's soul.
"My child."
The moment his words fell, Godfrey's figure completely transformed into a dazzling mass of golden light.
They did not soar into the sky. Instead, like dandelions scattered by a gentle breeze, they gently and lingeringly circled Morgott, who stood frozen in place, for a moment before finally, reluctantly, slowly dissipating into the air at the bottom of the pit.
No trace remained.
As if they had never existed.
Only a faint golden scent lingered in the air, proving that what had just happened was no dream.
"Father...?"
Morgott's enormous hand remained frozen in mid-air, poised as if grasping something. The spot on his head where his father had touched him seemed to still linger with that ethereal yet real touch—warm, heavy, and carrying a paternal approval he had never experienced before...
Then, boundless silence, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed the entire pit.
And then
"Woo... uh..."
A deeply suppressed whimper, like the dying of a wounded beast, escaped Morgott's lips.
Hearing the mournful voice behind him, Xiling sighed as he left the pit.
If someone sincerely wants to leave, who can stop them?
Perhaps Godfrey had already decided his path the moment he set foot on the border.