The Godless Age ARC IV: CHAPTER 3, an elden ring fanfic

ARC IV:

CHAPTER 3:

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH

Illustrated Version available on AO3

CAELID, ISOLATED CAVE

The rain outside of the cave Lordan had sought refuge in clears after a day of endless downpours, hailing down waters of red hue that contained the scarlet rot, afflicting all who touch it.

Even as the region cleared of rain, Lordan was still not ready for travel. His equipment and supplies were fine, but he was still watching over Millicent, who slumbers without showing signs of waking up.

So he performs some preparations to pass the time. Sharpening his weapons, repairing his armor, and preparing a meal for consumption. His eyes dart between the pot that was boiling over the fire and Millicent as he sits across her. In his hand lies his journal, and he was currently sketching a drawing of some of the things he saw within Caelid.

Somehow, a small portrait of Millicent made its way between his sketches.

"Hmmmm... Getting Hungry..." The aroma of the stew he was making reaches his sense, causing his stomach to growl for consumption. On intervals, Lordan would check on its quantity, ensuring it was cooked well and none of the ingredients were burned.

Damn... That looks good. He observes the stew as it boils, it's crimson-red soup colored by the preserved vegetables that were crimson-red used as the soup's base. His attention was shifted as he heard soft groans in Millicent's direction. She was beginning to awaken.

"Ngh... Ah... Huh...?"

Millicent slowly awakens, and Lordan moves a little closer to her. His presence immediately alerts her due to her dazed state. "Wow. Wow. Easy. Easy." He stops just a little far from her spot as Millicent gets her bearings, slowly recognizing Lordan from earlier.

"You...? You are...? Lordan?"

Lordan let out a sigh of relief and laughed happily as Millicent spoke his name, proving that she was fine after all. The needle had worked, and Millicent was on the path of recovery. Much faster than Lordan had anticipated, as the majority of her wounds had healed fully. "Yeah. That's me. Millicent, right?"

"Yes... You... You saved me..."

"Yeah, I do that for others sometimes." He watches as Millicent slowly rises from her lying position. Panic starts to develop as Lordan remembers something about Millicent's current state. "Wa-wait. Millicent, don't get-"

Millicent leans forward, and the fur cloak that acted as her blanket falls to the side, exposing her fully in her naked state.

Fuck... I forgot to dress her.

"What?" The initial feeling of the cold air left Millicent confused, and she looked down at her undressed body, focusing on the stump of her missing arm. She looks back at Lordan again and slowly becomes red from embarrassment, quickly taking the cloak to cover herself.

"Uhhhhh... Sorry. You were soaked by the rain and freezing. I had to... Make sure you were warm." He left out the part about using his own body heat to warm her up and was relieved as Millicent seemed to have no memory of that at all.

"I see..." She couldn't fault Lordan for taking such a measure, especially when she was at death's door. "Could I have my clothes back? If they are dry, of course."

"Sure. Wait here." Lordan rushes to retrieve Millicent's clothing to prevent any more awkward moments. He carefully handed over her clothes and realized her missing arm would cause a problem for her to dress up. "Do you... Need help?"

"Ah... It's alright. I will manage." Millicent takes the bundle of clothes and looks upon her missing arm, sighing in a mix of disappointment and sadness at the loss. "Could you turn away? And give me a moment to cover myself."

Without hesitation, Lordan turns to face the other side of the cave where the entrance lies. He sits in front of the pot of stew while waiting for Millicent to redress, awkwardly trying to ignore the fact that there is a naked woman just right behind him.

Arghhhhh... I always end up in weird situations with women... Why am I so unlucky when it comes to this?

Footsteps can be heard behind him coming closer, and Millicent sits apart to his side, fully dressed with her hair tied up, much to Lordan's surprise.

"Thank you. That was very kind of you. This whole time... You have been a blessing to me."

"It's fine." The pot's lid slightly shook as its contents were ready to be consumed. Lordan takes two bowls from his enchanted bag and fills them with the stew, offering Millicent the first bowl. "Here. Eat. We gonna need it from what I have seen in this shit hole of a place."

He watches as Millicent takes the bowl with her hand that is still intact, afraid that Millicent will not be able to consume the meal due to only being one-handed. She takes a small sip of the stew carefully and starts to consume the meal with a single hand, letting Lordan follow in her lead to do the same.

"This is... Very good. What is it?"

"You like it, huh? From where I come from, we called that an Army Stew."

"Army Stew?"

Millicent's confusion reminds Lordan once again that he was from outside the Lands Between, possibly even from another time period where the things he knows of don't even exist yet. He rubbed his head in embarrassment and explained the dish to her. "An Army Stew is this... Creation by a bunch of soldiers out of improvisation. You see, food was limited on battlefields, and most of the men fighting couldn't cook for shit. So they took all the ingredients and food they could find or have and just dumped them to boil. The idea of making the soup with spiced cabbages came from the east of the known world a little later, and eventually, we ended up with this. Hence the name."

"And this was appealing to eat for soldiers?"

"When you are starving, I'm pretty sure even a carcass would seem nice. Hells, I even ate my leather boots once." Lordan shivers as he recounts that event. Eating leather was the last option to survive when he has once separated from Vargram after a battle almost eight years ago from his point of view.

"I can see the appeal of it. From a certain extent." Millicent soon downs the entire bowl of stew in one gulp, sating her own hunger after days of starvation. She quietly touches her chest as Lordan takes a second helping of the stew, carefully considering her next question.

"Lordan... There is a... Needle in my chest. Did you place it there?"

Her question stops Lordan from eating, and he places his bowl down. "Yeah. I was told by... A sage that it was the only way to save you." He decides to keep Gowry's involvement a secret for now as he still doesn't trust the old sage's relation with her.

"You stabbed me with this needle... To quell the scarlet rot? But...how?"

The mechanics of the needle that Godwyn mentioned being made by Miquella also confused Lordan. Was it some form of magic or just the otherworldly material that allowed for this cure? "I... I don't know. Honest. I just needed a way to save you, so I took a chance. I hope you can understand that."

Silence fills the cave as Lordan waits for Millicent's response. He eyes her expression and body language as she processes his answer, trying to come up with her own understanding of the information. "I'm sorry if I oversteppe-"

"Never mind. I would rather trust you than continue to spoil from within. And you have done too much for me. Thank you again... Lordan."

"Don't mention it. I was in the right place at the right time, I guess." He nods at her thanks and earns a smile from the red-haired woman, a beautiful one now that he sees her without the blood and dirt. "How are you feeling? Anything wrong? Any pain?"

Millicent tests herself by standing on her feet. She walks around a few steps to be surprised by her swiftness and most importantly the lack of pain while doing so. "With the needle, the scarlet rot has ceased to writhe. Even the nightmares have abated... And now, though I can scarcely believe it myself, I can move as I please. It is all thanks to you."

Another sigh of relief comes from Lordan as she reveals her healthy condition, clearly his efforts were not in vain.

"But why did you help me? You had nothing to gain from that."

She throws Lordan a difficult question. Why did he crawl through a swamp of rot and monstrosities to find a single needle? The answer was simple, and he hoped it was enough for her to understand. "I... Wanted to. I made some... Mistakes along the way. It cost some people their lives, all because I was careless. So... That's why I did it." He remembers Irina's death at the hands of an unknown attacker, still haunting him at the back of his head as it could have been avoided had he been more careful and insistent.

Millicent pondered his response and had an understanding of what he meant. She reaches over and takes Lordan's hand, trying to comfort him from some trauma he is feeling. "That's very noble of you. Don't think too hard about your mistakes. You can't save everyone, but at least you are trying. And to me, that is enough."

Lordan looks down and away as he hears her encouragement. It would be a long time before he gets over his failures, but at least he was in the right direction for that. Millicent eventually let go and sat back in her original place, offering Lordan a smile of gratitude which he returned. "Thanks for that. But what are your plans now? I don't think you are fit to travel yet, especially without... Your sword arm."

"I'm considering leaving. On a journey. With the needle buried in my flesh, I've started to recall, but dimly... My destiny..." Some recollection of memories come to Millicent, causing her to rub her head as it aches from the foggy memories. "But I'm... Unsure yet. All I know is my name... And... Something I need to do."

"I hope you figure it out." Deciding to move on, Lordan gets to his feet and finishes his meal. "Well, the rain has stopped, so we should be safe to move on. Is there any place I can take you? Maybe to Limgrave or Redmane Castle?"

He offers a hand to Millicent who takes it to be helped up to her feet. She once again clutched her head lightly as some memories surfaced, telling her where to go or what to do.

"There is... A place. Slightly north of here. Somewhere I... Need to be."

Vague answers were all Lordan could get out of Millicent, and he would have to work with that. "Hmmm... We figure it out on the way. Come on. I will take you there."

Both of them worked together to clear out the makeshift campsite in the cave, with Millicent helping just a little as she only had one arm.

Lordan keeps all of his items back into the enchanted bag and retrieves a weapon that Millicent was holding earlier when they first met. A Curved sword with a thin blade of ample length. Lightweight despite its larger size. "Here. You might not be able to use it well. But just in case."

She takes the weapon in hand and gives it a twirl. She was right-handed but could still work with her left at a certain effectiveness. "It will have to do."

With both of them ready and rested, they set off to leave after Lordan donned his armor. Upon exiting the cave, Lordan summoned Torrent with his whistle, making the steed appear instantly as the usually does.

He helps Millicent up and mounts Torrent once again, urging his steed forward to travel north as Millicent directed. His eyes looked back and forth between the way forward and Millicent, constantly checking her condition without her noticing.

CAELID, SELLIA, TOWN OF SORCERY

The ride upon Torrent's back was smoother than expected. With a lesser amount of Rotten creatures roaming their path. It seems that Lordan's detour to retrieve the needle had bore fruit as the presence of enemies on the road was lessened, almost by more than half based on Lordan's estimation.

"Okay... Anything here, then?"

"I think... Through that Gate."

A large gate that leads to a settlement lies ahead, with an architectural design that is similar to the one in Liurnia. Lordan urges Torrent through the gate.

"Ahead... I think... There." Something clicked in Millicent's head, and she pointed to a shack that was ahead. They moved to the small building's entrance, and Millicent dismounted Torrent immediately, walking into the shack without waiting.

Lordan dismounts as well and signals for Torrent to stay. He looks to the town just ahead of the shack that was abandoned. Its architectural designs once again highlight its origins in Liurnia. Possibly making it a settlement that Radahn had created for his mother's citizens to reside.

He enters the shack as well to find it empty, abandoned for years based on the signs. Millicent stands in the middle of the open-air room, deep in thought as she herself was trying to understand the significance of this shack.

"Did you live here once?" His question gets no response as Millicent is still deep in thought. Lordan then noticed a set of cribs that was in the room, broken down from years of wear. "Millicent? You good?"

She clutched her head again as she attempted to remember anything that led her to this place. Nothing came to Millicent's mind, and she let out a sigh of disappointment. "Something about this place felt familiar to me. But I've only found emptiness. It's like... I feel a connection here, but I can't place it. It's missing..."

"Ok... But... Do you remember anything else? Maybe about your parents? Perhaps... Your father?" Lordan decides to test Millicent on her connection with Gowry. If he really was her adopted father or caretaker, she should have some memories of him.

"I... I think... My father was... A warrior?" She attempted to recall more of her life, but her thoughts had missing pieces that distorted the facts. "I... I can't remember... All I know... Or at least I think I do, is that I share their hair." She touches her hair to highlight it's unique color, a shade of red that was between auburn and crimson.

Lordan ceases his questioning as Millicent appears to be distressed from trying to remember. "I suppose we are done here then. Now, where do you need to go?"

"North... I need to... Go north. Something is calling for me... I can't explain it..."

North huh? That's out of the way...

"Don't worry about it, Lordan. I can make my own way."

"With only one arm? No, that's not a very good idea." While it was clear Millicent would not be helpless in a fight despite her crippled state, the dangers in Caelid would still pose a threat to anyone who was not fully prepared. The best case would be for Millicent to reach Limgrave as soon as possible.

"Here's an idea. You take Torrent to travel. He can get you out of Caelid faster." The idea catches Torrent's attention as it understands what Lordan is planning. It displays signs of disapproval as it isn't keen on abandoning its master, regardless of the reasons.

"But what about you? You can't just-"

"I will walk. Don't worry, and it's not my first time roaming a land that wants to kill me on foot."

"No. It's not right for me to impede on your progress like this. I will be fine."

"Millicent, you have one arm and almost died a day ago."

"And I'm fine now. Just don't worry about me too much an-"

Torrent huffs out in annoyance over their debate and decides to give a solution. It transforms itself into a cloud of blue mist that conceals its action, attracting the attention of Lordan and Millicent. The mist clears, and their solution appears before them.

Two Torrents. One with white fur and one with black.

And Lordan's mouth was left open from the sight.

"You... You can split yourself into two... The whole TIME?!" He immediately recalls all the times such an ability would have been useful. "You... You! ARGH!"

Millicent held back a laugh as the situation was amusing. She walks over to Torrent with the darker coat, petting it with affection as it allows her to mount it. With one swift jump, Millicent sits on its staddle, adjusting her position for comfort. "Well. I think this is our solution. Thank you, Torrent."

"Yeah... Take all the credit, you damned goats..." The two Torrents only moved to gesture something that resembled a shrug, and Lordan could only sigh with annoyance at them. "Ok... I suppose this is goodbye. You gonna be ok, right?"

"Yes. I believe I will." With their own mounts ready, Millicent prepared to leave first as Lordan was to continue his journey to the south, thus, their path would need to separate from here. "Perhaps before my departure, I needed someone to say farewell to. And considering the circumstances, that someone was you, Lordan. And now I must focus on my journey, for which I have you to thank."

"And I guess I need to do the same. Take care, Millicent." Both of them exchange a farewell with a handshake, and Millicent departs, riding off towards the gate again to leave while Lordan looks on at her departure.

With Millicent gone, Lordan could continue his journey without any more hindrance. He still worried about Millicent's injury but needed to trust her to keep herself safe on a journey of her own.

Hmmm... I need to relax... Got bigger things coming.

Without any more purpose here, Lordan mounts up on Torrent's other half. "Alright. Anymore hidden abilities I need to know about? Anything that can save me from dying a horrible painful death? Anything at all?" All he got as a response was a simple huff from his steed.

"Sometimes I wish you could talk." Further consideration made Lordan rethink his thoughts. Did he really need two voices speaking to him on his journey? "On second thought, please don't..."

He urges Torrent forward and rides off in the same direction Millicent went to leave the shack. At a slightly slower speed, as Torrent had split, it's efficiency to be at two places at once. His journey continues south where Redmane Castle lies.

CAELID, REDMANE CASTLE

His journey had been rather smooth due to the decrease in Rotten Creatures, all thanks partly to Lordan retrieving the needle from the swamp that had somehow reduced their presence.

He reaches the frontlines of the castle's defenses, mostly abandoned as the men had retreated into the castle from the overwhelming amounts of attacks.

The route to the castle was filled was destroyed siege equipment, scattered weapons, and armor, corpses in piles that were burning in landfills, and bodies of other dead Rotting monsters that were killed in the defense of the castle.

But now, it was all quiet on the western front of the castle. For the battles had reached their endpoint, effectively forcing most of the Redmane forces back to the castle itself.

Lordan crosses the lines and reaches the bridge of the castle. He crosses it at stable speed on Torrent, eying the other side of the bridge for a possible attack. Upon reaching the endpoint, Lordan finds a similar state of things at the last of defense, abandoned as well with no signs of life.

Damn. I hope I'm not too late.

The castle lies ahead of the hill of this island. Its untouched high walls were the last signs of a defense that held. Lordan reaches the closed gate and dismounts, sending Torrent away into blue mist again as he looks around.

He tries to spot movement in the battlements above but cannot see from his angle below. Without a means to check if anyone was home, Lordan decided to try his luck and make his presence known to anyone else who was left in the castle.

"Hello! Is there anyone left in there?!"

"NOCK!"

His answer triggers an instant response as archers from all sides of the battlements show up to train their arrows on him. All ready to lose upon him with their bows and crossbows.

"Wow! Wait! Wait! I come in peace! I'm here for the festival!"

The archers held their arrows when they saw Lordan. All of them were operating based on an instinct to count anything outside the castle as a threat. They lowered their bows and sighed in relief, all of them exhausted by the near-endless watches of the castle's defense.

"Are you here alone?!" One of the senior soldiers shouted out to Lordan while the rest lowered their arms to return to positions or for rest.

"Yes! It's just me!"

"Very well. OPEN THE GATE!"

A command was given and the gates to the castle were lifted by a chain. As the gate lifted up, Lordan could see a welcome party there to greet him, with a man wearing a hood with a bearded helmet in front of a host of knights.

"Ah. You must be the Lord Wolf. Lordan, I presume?" The man steps forward, offering a hand for Lordan to shake. "I am Jerren. Foolish old warrior, and witness. Though I have taken duties as the caretaker to the castle's defense these days."

Lordan took the handshake and returned the greeting, surprised that his name was recognized "You know me?"

"Yes. Ijji sent word of your arrival. Anyone in the service of General Radahn's sister is welcome here." Jerren gestures for the knights to carry on and signals Lordan to follow. "Tell me, how did you manage to reach the castle? And quell the number of rot creatures? The men haven't had attacks for the past five days."

"I uhhhh... Killed something in the swamp. Something big and rotten." Lordan makes up a lie about how he managed to quell the rot's presence. The encounter with Vyke and the needle was information he intended to keep to himself. "And I rode here, very carefully off the roads."

"Something big, hmmm? Well, If you can fell one of those things in that hellhole, you're a champion in my book. Which is why you have come at the perfect time."

"The perfect time?"

"Yes. Have you seen the night sky lately?" The question was unknown to Lordan as he didn't notice it in his travels. "The stars. They have begun to move. Just a little based on the word of some astrologers. By the signs are clear, it is coming. The alignment."

"And with it, a war festival honoring the last battle and death of General Radahn, the mightiest demigod of the Shattering and bearer of a Great Rune."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. When do we start?"

Jerren lets out a hearty laugh, gaining amusement from Lordan's eagerness. "Patience, young man. Don't be so eager to throw yourself towards Radahn's wrath. For now, we must wait. The festival will begin soon. And your fellow Tarnished brothers and sisters are sure to join you."

"Well... Looks like I'm too early then..." The festival for Radahn would not begin so soon, much to Lordan's disappointment. He removes his helmet and takes in a breath of fresh air, the air he had been deprived of for a few weeks in Caelid's rotting lands. "Don't suppose you have a place for me to stay? It has been a while since I got some rest." He cracks his stiff neck and shoulders from the soreness that developed over the weeks. Fatigue was within his bones at this point.

"Yes. We have been expecting you and prepared a room for your stay. Come on, it's this way, lad."

Lad? I'm 26, damn it. And eight more months to 27. Even after years of experiences, Lordan was still being called a "Lad" much to his displeasure. Without much left to do, Lordan follows Jerren's lead.

"Rest to the best you can. You will need it on the day to come."

Lordan nods in thanks as he was led to his assigned quarters for the stay at Redmane Castle. Jerren leaves to continue his duties for the day, and Lordan would be alone to rest.

"Finally..." He starts removing his equipment to the side of the room, placing a spare weapon out while keeping the rest back into the enchanted bag. His armor was removed, and Lordan stripped down to his casual clothes worn underneath the armor, breathing out loudly in relief as a large amount of weight was lifted off his body.

"Fucking... Hells... " He stretched his body upon removal of his equipment, cracking his neck and shoulders. All of the combined fatigue now surfaces, and he was tired both physically and mentally from all of his perils.

Lordan looks around the quarters he was given, a small private officer's room with a single bed and desk. A rather plain luxury that most men in service to a castle did not have.

All of that didn't matter to Lordan, as a piece of heaven taking shape in the form of a bed was awaiting him. A joyful sight after a large amount of time spent sleeping on cold hard ground with a bedroll or any surface available.

"Nghhhhh... Hello there..." He sluggishly walked to the bed and collapsed onto the mattress in an instant. The softer feeling of sheets provided instant relief like no other at the moment. "Hmmm... Much better..."

Lordan adjusted himself on the bed and prepared to slumber. It was only halfway into the day, but that did not matter. He was going to sleep to his heart's content. His mind and body practically demanded it.

" Lordan? Lordan? Are you awake? "

"Go. Away." He could hear Godwyn's voice beside him but did not care. He wasn't up to dealing with the Demi-god's antics now.

" As much as I would love to leave you to the rest you deserve. You need to talk about what happened at the swamp. When you used the Great Rune. "

That topic immediately catches Lordan's attention. Up to this point, the Great Rune he absorbed was supposed to be his biggest advantage. But a week ago, it was a crippling disadvantage that almost cost him a battle with Vyke. "Yeah... We never had a problem like that before. Why now?"

" That's because most of your fights using the Great Rune ended rather quickly. In less than a few minutes. But the fight with Vyke? It was longer. "

"So we are working with an unknown time limit? Damn. That's too much to think about." Fatigue kicks in once again, and Lordan forces himself to stay awake for just a little more. This topic was more important, and sleep could wait for a bit. "But when I touched grace, the effects of the Great Rune that hurt me were gone. Instantly."

" And that was the only way to recover from that state... This may become a problem in the long run. "

"You don't say..." A groan of frustration was released, and Lordan lay back in his bed. "So, General Radahn. Anything thing more I need to know about him?"

" He's a bigger cunt than his father, that's for sure. As for fighting him? I never had the pleasure. "

"What about the whole thing between him and Malenia? You... Know anything about that?"

" I don't want to talk about that... The two of them... Sometimes they keep me and my brother up at night... "

"Hmmmmm... Fine. Forget about it for now. I gotta get some shut eye..."

" Of course, Lordan. I won't disturb you until you awake. " Godwyn fades away, and Lordan is finally left alone peacefully.

His thoughts linger on the events that transpired in Caelid, bothering his attempt at rest, unsure of what to do if such a thing were to happen again.

That might come back to bite me. Maybe I can ask Gideon? Sellen? Or even the fingers of what happened.

The suggestions were forced back into his head as exhaustion was overtaking his senses. The lack of rest and the comfort of a bed overwhelmed any thoughts Lordan had of doing anything else. Sleep comes to Lordan within moments, and his vision begins to darken.

His eyes closed, and Lordan finally rests.

Days in the castle passed, and it was now filled with activity. Tarnished from all over the lands came to witness the alignment of stars, where a festival dedicated to General Radahn was upon them.

The sun was setting as the castle was preparing the final works for the festival. The alignment was to be tonight.

Lordan roamed the crowded areas of the castle, moving between the hundreds of people that gathered for the festival. A final feast was thrown to celebrate the coming night, and all of the festival's participants were engaged in revelry. Most of the Tarnished here were enjoying their last possible night in the lands, as many had lost their sight of grace and longed for their final deaths to have meaning.

What a crowd. Radahn is pretty popular, eh?

He moved to the section of the castle where merchants had set up shop to sell supplies for the coming battle. Like the Tarnished, the merchants who roamed the lands came here for the festival as it was a chance to increase their profits tenfolds due to many buying up last-minute supplies.

"Sorry. Cuse me. Coming through." Many of the merchants customers fill the area, and Lordan was trying to reach one of the merchants to buy some supplies of his own. He had been planning his fight with Radahn over the last few days, using information Godwyn had advised him with to stand a better chance.

Most people would stay a distance to fight Radahn as they believe themselves safe far away. This is a mistake. You need to fight him head-on and up close to last long enough to beat him.

A close-up fight required Lordan to look for a way to survive an encounter with Radahn when he was up close. Some of the Tarnished he spoke to there had advised him to seek consumables to increase his pain tolerance and strength for a temporary period. "Excuse me... Come on, let me through..."

He reached one of the merchant's front stores and was greeted to buy his wares. "Greetings. Have a look at my- Lordan?"

"Kale?!" They both recognized each other upon sight. It has been a while since Lordan met the merchant he befriended at the start of his journey. "Damn. Didn't expect to you here."

"As I said before, we are kindred spirits, us merchants and the Tarnished." A handshake was happily exchanged between the two. "Nonetheless, it is good to see a familiar face."

"Same. I'm gonna some supplies for the coming fight. Something that will... Make it not hurt as much?"

Kale instantly understood the items Lordan wanted and retrieved them from his enchanted bag, items in the form of some preserved meat. "Here. These are useful and also of good taste. Might I also recommend some lifegems?"

"Lifegems? What do they do?" Kale retrieved the items he recommended while Lordan watched on, seeing his merchant friend take out a few translucent yellow rocks.

"A bit of a rare element from Drangleic. Crush it and breathe in its dust. It has healing properties similar to that of the flasks you Tarnished use to recover your health fully. It may save your life."

"Wow. Sounds useful." His eagerness to purchase his items and the new lifegems comes to a halt upon remembering his amount of runes, having used them to empower himself earlier. "Uhhhhh... How much does this all cost?"

"For the items you wanted, half price. For the lifegems? 10000 Runes. Each."

"Oof... That's pretty steep."

"Very few lifegems still exist in the world. And thousands of years of burial have made these gems more valuable due to their high quality. But for you, Lordan, a quarter off. What do you say?"

A discount was a kind from Kale, even if the price was still high. "You're killing me here, Kale. But you got a deal, two lifegems, and the items I wanted." They exchange runes with a handshake, and Lordan keeps all his purchases in his enchanted bag, even getting some additional bolts for his crossbow as a freebie. "You always come through, Kale. How did you get all this stuff anyway?"

"As I said before, Lordan. My people are nomadic in nature. We travel all over the world, even outside these lands. Our goods are from any lands that are willing to trade, increasing our variety of selection. It's good for profits, you see?"

"Outside the lands, eh?" Being told that the Merchants in the lands between have a have to travel out of it was information Lordan had been trying to find. An exit plan was better than no plan. He would need to ask Kale about that in detail next time. That mention of that also made Lordan remember something that he promised. "Don't suppose I can make a request? An item I want if you can find it."

"I can't promise anything, but I will try my best. What is this item you are looking for?"

"Don't suppose you know what cookies are?"

A brow was raised by Kale over the particular request. "I have... Heard of such a delicatessen. Hmmmmm... I will ask around my other fellows. Perhaps they could help."

"Thanks, Kale. Really, that means a lot." Another came to his mind as he remembered his Lordship's council was still missing positions, and as a merchant, Kale may have knowledge in the field of trade. "Kale. Don't suppose you want a job?"

"A job?" The merchant was interested in his offer as news of his appointment as Lord. "I'm listening..."

" Champions, welcome! The stars have aligned! The festival is nigh!"

The courtyard of the castle erupts into a cheer, and warriors from all across the land shout in celebration of the festival's start. A long time coming, with many of the Tarnished here waiting for years for the moment to come.

" General Radahn, mightiest demigod of the Shattering, awaits you!"

Some of their weapons bang on the ground, creating a symphony of noises. They could not contain their excitement.

"A celebration of war! The Radahn Festival! "

Wow. Now, this is a party. Lordan was within the crowd as they shouted in celebration of the festival's start. He did not join in their cheer as he focused only on his next step, not following in joining the celebration. Feels like we are marching to our deaths here.

A hand pats his back to snap him out of his thoughts, prompting him to turn around to see the taller figure that greeted him. "Blaidd?"

"Heya, mate. It's been a while, eh?" The half-wolf shadow appears by Lordan's side again, one of his best friends in these lands. "Heard you were coming. Glad to have you in the service of mistress Ranni."

"Don't really have a choice in the matter now that I think of it. Your sister was a little pissed at me for the whole thing at the academy."

"Water under the bridge. Don't worry about it." The crowd around them ignited in a bigger cheer as one of the senior Tarnished took the stage to give his war speech. "Good news is the way ahead is pleasingly simple. We fight, sword and fang. And once victory is achieved, Ranni's fate will be resumed."

"Yep. The bad news is its Radahn we are talking about. We might soil our drawers if what they said about him is true." The sight of the Tarnished warrior giving the speech confused Lordan as his outfit was rather weird for a warrior. "Is that man... Going to wear nothing but a pot on his head into battle?"

"Of course he is. He's the strongest of the Tarnished in these lands. Heard he took on Malenia single-handedly in a thousand timelines on the behalf of others." Blaidd narrowed his eyes on the Tarnished as he noticed something amiss. "But now that you mentioned it... Yeah... I'm pretty sure he's not the real one."

"How can you tell?"

"That pot he's wearing. It's not big as-"

"Ah! My friends! you came, how delightful! Indeed, I thought I might find you both here." Giant footsteps walked towards the pair of wolves as the crowd cleared the way for the living jar that was in participation.

"Alexander?! You are here too?" The appearance of both fighters that assisted him once made Lordan smile a little. It was nice to have friends he could trust for battle.

"Of course! Do you know for whom this festival is being held? Well, it is none other than General Radahn himself!" The jar warrior lets out a hearty laugh, excited by the prospect of a great battle. "To think, I could face a great champion of the Shattering, a demigod in the flesh... In truth, I quiver at the thought, such is his frightful repute. But! The fear simply assures me the ordeal is worth undertaking!"

"Yeah. It is a pretty sick way to fight, eh?" They formed a trio as a small team, following the others who were forming groups of their own for the battle. "Well. Aren't we three a rare sight?"

"A Tarnished. A half-wolf. And a walking and taking giant Jar... Now I have seen it all." Never in his lifetime would Lordan consider himself a part of such a team, but weirder things have happened before.

"Yes! A formidable trio! The best the lands have to offer!"

"And the worst... Look who it is..." Lordan points in another direction for his two friends to look at. Their mood sours as they spot Patches in the crowd, the most undesirable man Lordan had met so far.

"Seriously? The fuck is baldy doing here?"

"No doubt to steal from the dead after the battle. Hmph! To think he would try such a heinous act on the honored dead." Both Blaidd and Alexander were unhappy with his appearance, and both wanted to teach that man a lesson.

"He's probably up to no good... Stay here a moment, would you?" Lordan moves his way over to Patches in the crowd, unaware of the new scheme that the bandit was planning.

His approach was noticed by Patches, who instantly lights up a sly smile as if Lordan was a friend. "Oi! Is that you, kid? Ha! It's been some time sin-"

Lordan grabs onto his collar in a threatening manner. He was very eager to throw Patches out of this festival. "I kick your arse and tear it a new one? Yeah... It's been a while..."

"Awww... Come on. It's been some time since those incidents. Let's just take it as water under the bridge." His hands were raised as a way of showing his sincerity, a common tactic Lordan had seen him employ to gain a little trust, only to backstab the person later.

"Is that right? And why is it out of everything that's happened, you chose now to fight?"

"We Tarnished all gotta stick together, eh? Nothing better than this get-together to do so."

Without a valid reason to actually fault Patches for anything, Lordan begrudgingly lets Patches go. "Fine. Just say the fuck away from me." He turned and returned to his companions.

"Alright. Everyone in agreement to make sure he dies during the festival by accident?"

"Aye. That's sounds like a plan."

"Given his record, I agree with that statement."

Both Blaidd and Alexander agreed at the same time on the topic of Patches's demise. "Speaking of plans, what is the plan? Radahn seems like a pretty big deal based on what I heard so far."

"That's saying something. Strongest Demi-god of the Shattering is not a fake title." A horn was blown, and the first group of combatants was off toward Radahn's location. "Tell you what, we wait. Till we're the last batch, it might give us some time to think up some strategies. I know a little about Radahn during his day."

"Hmmm... True. Might be useful to let them tire him out first." They watched as the last of the first groups of Tarnished departed. Lordan walks towards the site of grace in the middle and touches it to activate it while his companions follow, all of them sitting around it. Even if two of his friends could not actually see it from his point of view. "Alright. Lay it on us, Blaidd. What are we getting into?"

Blaidd sighs and leans back to look up at the night sky, pondering how to deliver his take on Radahn. "Well... I fought him many times in sparring. I always lose, obviously. And I think his biggest advantage is not his size. It's his speed. The man moves pretty quick for a chunky man."

"That might also be of our advantage. A larger target will have trouble hitting a smaller one." Alexander pitches in on his experience as a bigger combatant.

"Aye. So we get up close and personal. Overwhelm the big guy with numbers and force him to move slowly. He's gonna need to if we all attack at once."

"Sounds good." Lordan eyes around the courtyard and sees Patches squatting at the side, probably waiting to be the last group like them. He also observed the next batch to move off, with warriors from the lands of Reeds and several other notable Tarnished with different armors, one wearing a black armor resembling a large-belly man catching the most attention.

"But here's the important part Lordan. Until Radahn is actually felled, and you touch the next grace. You can't die in battle. Because if you do-"

"I reset and end up here." Touching grace in the courtyard had effectively made a checkpoint for Lordan if he died. The loop of dying provided Lordan the biggest advantage, the foresight of failed attempts.

Even if it was a harrowing experience.

"Ok. Then in case I die, at least we end up here. With the time to discuss the last battle."

"Aye. Then it's settled. We got ourselves the plan."

"Indeed, my friends! We have a good strategy and formidable might on our side. We may yet succeed."

"Maybe... Now we just need to take into accou-" a faint noise was heard by Lordan, and he looked up at its source, coming from the sky above them. "Wait... You all hear that?"

"Hear what, mate?"

"It sounds like... Screaming?"

The source of the scream eventually lands behind them, slamming hard to the ground, which attracts the entire courtyard's attention as the impact kicks up dirt and debris. The dust cleared, and the first known victim of Radahn was seen.

The first Tarnished warrior who gave a war speech. And the lower half of his body was missing.

"Fucking hells! Is he... Is he dead?" The courtyard settles into a deathly silence at the sight. The possibility of their strongest warrior being killed was demoralizing.

Blaidd approaches the corpse and removes the pot from the dead warrior's head. Upon seeing the man underneath the helmet, Blaidd released a sigh of relief. "Yup. He's a fake. False alarm, everyone! Our legend isn't here today."

The crowd around the courtyard all breathed out in relief as well. A horn was soon blown again as the first batch of Tarnished warriors were done with the battle. And the sound of the horn signals their defeat for the next group to proceed.

"The first ones are gone?" Lordan speaks to himself as Alexander stands beside him. "Just like that?"

"It would seem soon, my friend."

Barely ten minutes into the festival's main event and Radahn had already killed off the first batch of Tarnished.

"Fuck me... This is gonna suck..."

The festival continues, and the sun completely fades, leaving the region red with misty crimson skies.

Lordan sits on one of the benches as the waiting continues. As of this very moment, only he, Blaidd, Alexander, and Patches were left as the only outsiders in the castle as the last of the Tarnished when off with the previous batch.

The horn sounds again, for the last possible time, as Lordan's group was the only ones left.

Twenty-four rounds of Tarnished warriors all went into battle, and none came back from their fight with Radahn.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Thoughts about how the battle would take place ran through Lordan's mind. If hundreds of Tarnished warriors could not beat Radahn, then his chances would also be slim, even with Blaidd and Alexander on his side.

A half-wolf, a warrior jar, and one dumb cunt of a bandit against Radahn by my side. Fucking hells, this is bad...

Thoughts of his fights with Margit resurface, and the deaths he experienced at the Omen's hands still bother him to this day. The longer he waits for battle, the more dread builds up within him.

"Lordan? You good, mate?" Blaidd had been watching Lordan for some time, observing him in a slightly distressed state. "Come on. It's just us now."

"Yeah... Yeah... Just give me a moment..." Lordan stands to his feet with himself slightly bent over. He controls his breathing to calm himself down. He wasn't going to face this alone with Blaidd and Alexander by his side.

"Alright... Alright... Let's go." With a final deep breath, Lordan recovers from his panic and proceeds with his companions behind him, even Patches, who was displaying signs of fear.

They walk towards the church that leads to the castle's exit, where Jerren awaits them. Behind them soon followed a large group of Radahn's army volunteers who were participating in the last round of the festival for the last chance to put down their general.

"Champions! You are the last of our guests today! The path to Radahn lies ahead. And within the red sands of the battlefield, General Radahn awaits his end."

The army of Redmanes cheered as their time was now. The last run of the festival was upon them, and Lordan's party were the only outsiders left.

"Now go forth! The battle awaits!"

By the sound of the horn, the last group was allowed to pass. Lordan follows along with the army with Blaidd and Alexander by his side, moving as a united group for the battle ahead.

They march onto the shores of the Castle, where a portal awaits to bring them across the water to the dunes where Radahn resides. The front group managed to cross first, and Lordan's party was not far behind.

Here we go... Here we... Fucking go!

They reached the portal and reached out their hands, turning them into blue mist and transporting them forward to the field of battle.

And the final fight with Radahn was to begin.

CAELID, WAILING DUNES

Lordan reopened his eyes and saw himself on the island of dunes. The rest of Redmanes charged forward and shouted out their war cries on foot, without care nor plan for battle. This was purely a fight to the end.

He looks back to Blaidd and Alexander as they reappear from the blue portal. "We all here?!"

"Yeah! And look who it is! Far ahead!"

Blaidd points to the distance for the trio to look forward. And what Lordan saw was once again defiling logic and reason.

Starscourge Radahn

Radahn himself. A giant warrior riding upon a regular-sized horse. A threatening presence even at this distance with his dual colossal swords.

"Fucking hells... He's huge..."

"A lot bigger than the last time I saw him, of course." Blaidd draws his weapon, and Lordan does the same. He settles for a greatsword, a shield, dual longswords, his repeating crossbow, and a seal for his kit.

With the Redmanes leading the charge, the trio decides to follow along with the charge as well.

Lordan prepares to summon Torrent to cross the field and close the distance, knowing that the most effective way to beat Radahn is up close. "Alright! I will get his attention! I will charge forward and cir- "

A large projectile hits Lordan dead in the chest and stabs through his heart, knocking him down from the force of impact. He weakly looks at the impaled spear in his chest as his life fades away.

"What...? What the...?"

His body goes limp, and he dies from the spear in his heart. Fired from Radahn using his greatbow.

"Oh dear!"

"Lordan! Bloody hells!"

This was his first fight against Radahn.

DEATH

"ARGHHHHHH!"

Lordan screams awake as he returns to the site of grace, back to the point in time before the festival's main event begins, where all the Tarnished warriors were still alive.

"Lordan?" His state of panic was first noticed by Blaidd, who assumed that Lordan had just returned. "You reset, right? You just came back, didn't you?"

"Yes..."

"Ah! Then we have a foresight of the fight ahead. Tell us of the battle, Lordan." Even Alexander's cheery attitude was not enough to ease Lordan's experience.

He slowly turns to Blaidd and Alexander as he was about to deliver bad news.

"We... We didn't even fucking reach him!"

Great arrows fly past Lordan as he rides through the charge upon Torrent's back, the majority of the men joining him behind.

His current attempt sees more success as he times Torrent to perform dodges as the great arrows were fired, zipping sideways to avoid being hit. The distance between him and Radahn was closing as he saw the Demi-god becoming closer, his massive size coming into view as he towered over Lordan even with the distance apart.

Fucking hells... He has gotten bigger...

Radahn screamed out a warcry as Lordan makes his approach, charging alone on horseback as the rest of the army and his companions were far behind. Gravity magic forms from Radahn's bow, and he fires off a single great arrow upwards.

"The fuck?" It was a move that confused Lordan that soon turned into horror as a rain of the same arrow rapidly advanced on him. Magic had somehow multiplied the great arrow into a volley. "Shit! Torrent, move!"

He urges Torrent's reins to the left, hoping to avoid the arrows altogether by distance.

He did not account for the fact that the arrows were tracking his movements.

"What?! Are you fucking kidding me!" The stream of arrows from come ever closer as it follows Lordan's tracks. He maneuvered Torrent to try and throw its track, to no avail, as the stream constantly followed his every turn.

He decides to take a different approach and charges straight to Radahn, hoping to use the arrows behind him to his advantage.

A move that Radahn had somehow seen coming, responding with a single boulder that he sent towards Lordan with gravity magic.

"TORRENT! MOVE NO-" The boulder lands a direct hit on Torrent and instantly dismounts Lordan, causing him to fly forward and land hard on the dunes as Torrent disappears into a blue mist.

Lordan gets his bearings but is too late as the stream of arrows comes closer, making his demise inevitable. "Arghhhh! FUC-"

A dozen great arrows soon impaled him from above. Final twitches came from Lordan's body as his life fades away, falling limp eventually.

This was his 11th fight with Radahn.

DEATH

He manages to clear off from the last stream of arrows and gets a clear path to Radahn after a dozen attempts even to reach his opponent. He looks back at the incoming army behind him and decides to engage first, hoping to get Radahn's attention for the rest to catch up.

"Come on, then!" Lordan draws his greatsword while mounted, and Radahn does the same with his dual colossal weapons. He charged Radahn and waited for the general to strike first, which he did with a combined slam, and Lordan immediately jumped to dismount Torrent to avoid the attack.

Now on foot, Lordan dashes in for the attack. Using his smaller size to effectively duck and dodge Radahn's greatswords while he tries to buy his companions and the war party some time.

He dodges and rolls vigorously as Radahn unleashes a wild flurry of attacks to hit him. Each blow was delivered with great force and fury that resulted in several near misses as Radahn was fast despite his giant size.

Damn! I can't get a hit in! All attempts to attack Radahn were stalled as Lordan focused only on dodging his attacks. Help soon comes in the way of Blaidd, who leaps and swings his greatsword at Radahn, managing to land the first blow in this loop.

"Finally!" The sight of Blaidd's arrival gives Lordan relief as more join the battle against Radahn. The Redmanes charge with warcries and attack their general to their best efforts, in vain, as Radahn attacks and kills them by the numbers as they come, making them literal cannon fodder in the fight.

"General Radahn! It is an honor to meet you in combat!" Alexander reaches the fight and readies his attack, preparing for a spin. "Have at you!" Alexander charges into a spinning attack at Radahn. It was enough to actually stagger Radahn for the first time as it landed.

"Yes! Well done, Alexander!" Radahn was forced to his knees from the attack, his horse lowering itself to compensate for his fall. Lordan and Blaidd charge towards him for a combined attack, both of them aiming for his head to stab through his helmet's exposed part.

"Let's end this, Lordan!"

"Yeah! We got him-"

Their attack fails as Radahn charges back and punches Lordan square in the chest.

Hard.

It was like a battering ram just rammed him with full force, breaking bones in his body.

"GAH!" He was sent flying from the punch and landed far away while Blaidd was thrown aside by a swipe.

Lordan weakly leans up as he feels himself badly hurt. His internals bled from the hit, and his bones were shattered, incapacitating him.

"Argh... Fuck..." Lordan retrieved his yellow flask and drank it to heal. His health recovers as it heals his body, allowing him to stand on his feet.

Come on... Can't be sloppy... Got to time ou-

He was interrupted his Radahn charged him to knock him down once again. He was loomed over by the general as Radahn lifted his feet to stomp on Lordan repeatedly.

His attack ends and leaves Lordan completely broken as he slowly bleeds out from internal bleeding. Dying once again in battle.

This was his 27th fight with Radahn.

DEATH

His dodges were precise and calculated as Lordan used the Bloodhound's step to phase in between Radahn's attacks. He was having more success as compared to previous attempts as his speed, combined with the United attacks from all who were participating in the festival, was enough to overwhelm Radahn in some capacity.

Another group of Redmanes was taken out as Radahn set his sights on Lordan, angered by his constant attacks.

"Shit! He looks pissed, mate!"

"I know! That's good!" Lordan performed another dodge and dashed in for an attack with his curved greatsword. He lands a hit on Radahn's neck but cannot cut it through, resulting in his sword getting stuck.

Shit! Not now! His luck runs out as Radahn grabs Lordan and holds him up. He attempted to break free from Radahn's grip but could not even as his allies tried to help him to no avail as they were knocked away by Radahn's gravity magic.

"ARGH! Let go, damn you!" Lordan's demand falls on deaf ears as Radahn starts slamming him around in his grip, slowly breaking Lordan again from the constant pounding.

He finishes Lordan off by tearing him in half from his torso, making Lordan scream in agony as his companions watch in horror.

"By the Gods! Lordan!"

"Shit! Lordan!"

His remains are thrown aside as Lordan begins to die, watching his lower half missing as he fades to darkness.

"Fuuuuucccckkkk... Again...?" Memories of Margit doing the same damage to him resurface as Lordan dies of blood loss.

This was his 40th fight against Radahn.

DEATH

"AHHHHHH! HGRHHHHHH! GAHHHHHHH!"

He awakens with a violent scream while clutching his stomach, the memory of being ripped in half still fresh in his mind.

"Lordan?! Lordan! Calm down! You're back! You're back! Calm down!"

"Easy! Friend! Easy!"

Both Blaidd and Alexander held Lordan by his arms to calm his panicked state. He slowly gets his sense and controls his breathing, taking deep breaths to lower his heart rate.

Lordan was eventually let go once he had calmed himself down, breathing hard as his adrenaline started to ease itself.

"Damn... How bad was it, mate?"

No words came from Lordan for a while as other Tarnished gathered around him to hear of the coming battle from his perspective. All were curious as Lordan was the only one among them that still saw grace.

"Fuck me... That... Hurt..." His vague answer gave no one an idea of what he truly went through. Morale was the last thing Lordan wanted to damage, and telling everyone that Radahn almost seemed unbeatable was sure to demoralize everyone. "We... Are halfway there... Halfway there..."

"Hmmmmm..." Both Blaidd and Alexander share a knowing look at Lordan's white lie, knowing not to expose it as well. "Good to hear, my friend! We will get through this together! For honor and glory!" A small speech from Alexander lifts the mood of the crowd as they remain unaware of Lordan's constant struggle to fight Radahn.

His mind scrambles for new plans and strategies to face Radahn, everything that they seem to throw at him so far was literally brute forced to defeat.

Godwyn's unseen form appears beside Lordan as he lowers himself to Lordan's laying position. A small smirk formed on his mouth as he saw an opportunity to request what he wanted. Again.

" Lordan. It's time. "

A mix of frustration and annoyance was displayed on Lordan's face as he faced Godwyn, not caring if the others around him were looking at him funny. For the Demi-god had a solution in mind, and Lordan had sworn that he would never take that option again.

"Just. This. ONCE." He practically forced out his approval with an angry tone. And it only made Godwyn's smile wider.

" Finally. "

"Finally!"

The battle rages as Radahn attempts to land a hit on Lordan, unaware that it was actually Godwyn in control. His attacks were almost useless as Godwyn timed to dodge all his attacks effortlessly, even with Lordan's more rigid body that differs from his original one.

Godwyn wielded only a seal and was using hand-to-hand combat with incantations, mixing his attacks with physical and holy elements. His increased speed allowed him to land hits in between Radahn's pauses after an attack.

"Do you have any idea how long I waited to do this?!" What would inspire fear in most men was a glee for Godwyn, as combat with Radahn was an event that he never got the chance to try, aside from a few close encounters due to political discourse between their kingdoms. "Come on, you red-haired bastard! Hit me!"

His taunts make Radahn's attacks more furious as the general is capable of understanding some of his words even in his deranged and mindless state. Radahn tries all means to get a hit on Godwyn, using brute force and gravity magic to no avail, as the Demi-god within Lordan was simply the faster fighter.

Godwyn delivered a few more punches to Radahn's face as it was lowered and finished with a swift kick to his horse, forcing the general back as he mounted his horse via magic.

Interesting... Radahn's attachment to his horse was a detail Godwyn had noticed. He takes a step back from the fighting as more Redmanes charge in the fight, joining Blaidd and Alexander, who were taking a breather.

"Bloody hells, mate! What's gotten into you?!"

"Yes, Lordan! We are supposed to stick together!"

Both Blaidd and Alexander threw their questions to Lordan, unaware that it was actually Godwyn in control. "Nothing. Just enjoying the taste of battle. It has been some time since I fought this much." The duration of this battle was the longest Godwyn had experienced since his death.

And an important detail he realized was the fact that the previous state of crippling that Lordan experienced was not present, despite him actively using his Great Rune now. Perhaps that weakness only applies to Lordan? It might be worth a test once I'm done here.

"Alright, here he comes, my friends! Radahn approaches!" Alexander points to the general who was now charging the trio now after he was done with a group of Redmanes, his target set on Godwyn, who had done the most damage to him thus far.

"Fall to me! Radahn!" Godwyn charges as well without waiting for Lordan's companions, too eager to engage Radahn in their first battle against one another.

"Lordan! Wait!" Blaidd calls out to the overly eager Godwyn, who does not hear his warning, for Radahn was about to spring a counterattack. "Fuck! Watch out!"

Radahn then summons a few purple orbs above him with his gravity magics and launches them straight at Godwyn. The attack catches him off guard and pulls Godwyn up towards Radahn. "What the?!"

Radahn then grips Godwyn with his giant hand and pulls the Demi-god close to him to deliver a stare. And by some unexplained reason.

Radahn recognizes Godwyn, even in the form of Lordan.

"gGODDdd...WWWyyyYYYnnNn...?!"

"That's right... Feels like shit, doesn't it!"

Radahn screams out in fury upon realizing that his stepbrother was here, resentment between them still fresh after a few thousand years.

" YyyyyooOUuuuuRRRRRR... FFFFFFFAUUUUULLLLLTTTTT!"

Radahn's free hand glows in purple as he charges it with gravity magic. He lets out a scream of fury and swings his fist upwards to deliver an uppercut so strong it sends Godwyn into uncontrolled ascend.

"GAH! FUCK!" Lordan's body spins in all directions as Godwyn shouts in frustration from the ascend. He soon breaks through the clouds and continues upwards into the sky.

The world below soon became further as he continued flying up from the hit. Radahn had practically punched him so hard he sent Godwyn above the very known world itself.

His spinning stops, and he floats above the world in an endless void of darkness. Godwyn soon started to struggle as Lordan's chest became tight and his breathing started to become harder.

For there was no air above the world, and Lordan was suffocating to death while Godwyn was in control.

He clutches his throat as the lack of air was killing him, kicking and moving in a frenzy as if drowning in midair. Godwyn soon ceases movements as the body he possesses shuts down and proceeds to become lifeless, making this the second time Godwyn had experienced death.

DEATH

"Huh?"

Lordan reawakens beside the grace, once again back to the point in time before the festival's main event within the courtyard when the first wave was about to leave.

Godwyn... Actually lost? Wow. Radahn is probably worst than Margit...

His eyes soon moved over to Godwyn's unseen form, who was currently in a bend-over position while kneeling down. Feeling the aftermath of his demise, one that Lordan was not aware of when Godwyn was in control.

A small and satisfied smirk forms on Lordan's face. For once, Godwyn managed to experience the harrowing feeling of a violent death.

" Not a word, Lordan. Not. One. Word. "

"Nope. You seem to be doing pretty well." He mocks Godwyn by giving him the same answer as he did when Lordan died multiple times from the duo of Radagon and Rennala. I waited long to say that.

" Enough of this waiting! I will try again. And this time I wil- "

"Just that once. Remember?" He refused Godwyn's request, for the ability for Godwyn to take full control of Lordan's body only came from Lordan himself. He could not make out some of Godwyn's curses as he spoke in an ancient foreign language out of anger and frustration. "Deal with it. I will take things from here."

" Fine... Then I hope luck is on your side. Call me if you change your mind... " Godwyn faded away once more and returned to his mind. Lordan's awakening was noticed by Blaidd and Alexander, who moved to join him, aware that he had just returned from another loop.

"Ah! There you are, Lordan! Well? How did it go?"

"Yeah. Spill it, mate. Are we winning?"

He wanted to laugh at the last question but was getting too frustrated with the current losses. Any progress made was ultimately reset upon his death. So no. They were far from winning.

"Good news and bad news. Which one first?"

"Good news."

"Good news!"

Both of his companions chose the same answer. Lordan sighed as his good news would only be overshadowed by the bad.

"Good news is... We're making process."

"And the... Bad news?"

"We aren't even halfway there... Dammit..."

The battle rages once again as Lordan casts his spells from Torrent's back. Progress had been made since his last death, and he, with Blaidd and Alexander, was pushing the offensive, effectively forcing Radahn to defend on all sides.

Radahn was backed into a corner as he was overwhelmed by the constant attacks from multiple attacks. The trio, combined with the Redmane,s was effectively overwhelming him despite his larger size. He was left attacking frantically in any direction that had something close to him, like a dog backed into a corner.

Alexander charges up a spinning attack and violently hits Radahn with all his might, once again managing to stagger the general to knock him down briefly. "Ha! Feel my strength, honored general!"

"He's bucking! Push!" Blaidd joins the attack and slams his sword to the ground to create a wave of ice that hits Radahn, forcing him to slow down. The attack also hits his horse which leaps back to dodge more of the ice that came from Blaidd's attack.

Lordan seizes the opportunity and draws his Greataxe from Godrick. He runs and charges with all his might. Enhanced by Godwyn's Great Rune, he leaps into the air to deliver a great downwards strike.

"HRAHHHHH!"

" HRAHHHHH! "

His combined voices screamed out in fury, and the attack landed on Radahn's shoulder, breaking through his armor and carving into his shoulder blade. Radahn screams in pain from the damage from the Greataxe massively hurt him, and it was a blow that was to be quite fatal.

"Fall! Damn you!"

"Fall! DAMM YOU!"

Lordan pulls out the Greataxe with a swift kick to Radahn's head, and he prepares for another strong attack with a combination of Blaidd and Alexander. They were close to defeating Radahn. He knew it and was ready for one last push.

All of the combatants on the field charged the general one last time,

"TAKE HIM DOWN!"

" TAKE HIM DOWN! "

They prepared to attack together but were deterred as Radahn charged up his gravity magic once again. This time, it forms all around him and lifts debris beneath his feet. Radahn released its power, and it created a shockwave that knocked back everyone from their charge, pushing Lordan back as he was the closest after the last attack.

Oh no, you don't! He rushed back to his feet and prepared to charge again. Only to be stopped upon seeing what was in front of him.

What?

Radahn was gone. And what was in front of Lordan was a small crater. The colossal-sized Demi-god was nowhere to be seen. The sight cause Lordan to deactivate his Great Rune, timing himself not to become crippled by the unknown state of weakness again.

"Did he... Just bail?"

He was soon joined by Blaidd and Alexander, as well as the rest of the Redmane army followed, all confused and bewildered by the outcome of the battle.

"He... He ran away?" Even Blaidd, who was an acquaintance of Radahn in the past, was surprised.

"That's... A bit out of his character, isn't it?"

"You are right, Alexander. It is out of his character." Lordan had been reading the stories of Radahn and knew that the general was not one to flee from battle. "Something is wrong... Something is really wrong..."

"Wrong or not, we gotta find him! Ranni's fate can't be altered unless we beat him to resume the stars movement." Blaidd was more panicked than the rest of them, and he was fearful of the potential of his mission failing if Radahn had disappeared. "Lordan. Your wolves, can they track him?"

The mention of spirit ashes came to Lordan's mind, and he remembered that he had not used them for quite some time. "Oh... Right. I forgot about that. Let me just-"

His ears picked up a sound above them, very faint, and yet it was getting closer to where he stood.

"Wait... What's that sound?"

"I hear it too... What the hells?"

"It's... Right above us?"

The trio all hear the incoming noise that mimics the sound of a large object slowly falling toward them. A source of light soon lits the area around them, and the entire war party collectively looks up at the source.

"Is... That...?"

Radahn. Hurling towards them like a comet. Bringing fire from the sky behind him.

"Oh dear..."

"Bloody hells..."

"Ah...! FUCK!"

Radahn crushes into the earth, and the impact ignites the entire desert into an explosion, killing off the entire party instantly. Radahn roars in victory as the fires clear, and what was left of Lordan, Blaidd, Alexander, and the Redmane war bands were simply pieces or ashes.

That was Lordan's 104th fight against Radahn.

DEATH

Lordan reawakens at grace again. But this time, his mind was blank. His last death was also the furthest they had progressed from the fight. And it was all effectively for nothing as Radahn revealed his most powerful attack yet.

What. The. Fuck.

All their efforts, all their planning, once again reduced to nothing.

"Lordan? You came back?" Blaidd once again asks the same question for the past 100 loops. The same exact type of question that Lordan had heard so many times that it was practically drilled into his head at this point.

"Ah. You have returned from a future battle! How was it then?" The same cheery attitude Alexander asks with after Blaidd. Both of them unaware of the hell Lordan was going through.

"Lordan?"

"Lordan? Are you unwell?"

Both of them observed Lordan as he didn't answer. And Blaidd immediately knows the truth of the previous battles from Lordan's perspective was.

"How bad was it?"

A single thousand-yard stare was all Lordan could give Blaidd at his question.

"That bad, huh?"

Lordan finally broke out of his despaired state and returned to his feet. Intending to take the time before their turn to replan everything with the appearance of Radahn's new attack.

"Fuck me... This is going to take a lot of loops..."

DEATH

227 Deaths.

227 times Radahn had killed Lordan in the most violent of ways. Tearing him apart, crushing him with boulders, breaking him with a single punch, burning him alive with his avoidable attack from above.

Every single pain, down to the tiniest of detail of his demise, Lordan remembers.

Fuck... Fuck... What the fuck... Fuck...

And here he was, in the current loop before the festival began. Where the majority of the Tarnished had gathered to discuss the battle after hearing of Lordan's experiences. The majority were without grace and were relying on his ability to prepare for the battle.

But morale had taken a big hit from this. The majority of the Tarnished opted to leave upon hearing the number of times Lordan had died by Radahn's hand. Their numbers were thinning, and nothing helped to boost them.

"Siege equipment! We hurl fireballs at him!"

"A cavalry charge! One fell swoop to run him down."

"It's hopeless! Radahn can't be beaten!"

Ideas and suggestions were thrown around at the discussions that went nowhere. All who remained to fight Radahn had their own ideas to win the battle. Which soon turned into arguments about who had the better idea.

But Lordan, who had not said a single word, knows it was all useless. Considering that he had seen them try their ideas and fail during his several loops.

"This is a right proper mess."

"Indeed. There is nothing more infuriating than discourse among warriors."

"Lordan... Maybe you should sit this round out?" Blaidd worries about his mental health as Lordan is silent throughout. They decided to simply sit aside and wait to be the last batch for the battle as usual.

"No... No... I... Can't... Can't give up now... Too close... Too close..."

"Hey. Come on. Calm yourself, mate. Deep breaths."

Blaidd's advice comes through, and Lordan is able to calm himself, reverting back to his normal attitude after some time.

"Ok... Ok. We need a plan. A really good one. Something we haven't tried yet."

"Well, speak up, kids. I'm all ears." The trio turned to see Patches, who was eavesdropping on them. All of them displayed a sour look in his presence. "What? We gotta stick together. And I like our chances better than those lots."

"No one asked for your opinion, vandal. Begone! Or I will stuff you in me." Alexander was the first to threaten Patches, disliking the bandit for his rotten ways.

"Aye. And I will personally open the lid to shove you in." Blaidd joins in as he, too, dislikes the man.

"Hey! Hey now! There's no need to be upset! I'm just trying to make friends. We are all in this shit show together, aren't we?"

"No. We are not." Lordan sighed as he knew they couldn't do anything to Patches at this time, considering that he hadn't done anything yet. He did observe Patches in the previous loops fleeing from the battle with the help of an item, teleporting away before even closing in on the fight. "Do whatever you want... We got no use for you."

"Heh! You always underestimate me, kid. Trust me. I will be the ace in the hole."

I would rather trust my horse... Another sigh comes from Lordan as he starts the discussion of fighting Radahn again. "Alright. I have already told both of you everything that has happened so far. What are our options?"

Both of his companions were deep in thought of a plan. Both were veteran fighters but could not formulate a sure strategy for Radahn. Everything they had tried, Lordan had revealed that Radahn had simply brute force or outmaneuvered it.

"Hmmm. I don't understand this. Does the General not have a weakness? Something that we can target?"

"Not that I know of. He always hands me my arse during sparing. And the worst part about that? Pretty sure he was holding back."

"Is the general truly without a flaw?"

Blaidd and Alexander discussed with each other as Lordan remained silent, having nothing to add to the conversation. He thinks of the battles he witnessed, the ones he died in. The ones when victory seemed within reach, only to be dashed away at the very last minute.

What is it that we need? More speed? More men? Better spells?

Frustration kicks in as he begins an internal thought process that seems to go nowhere. Everything he had thought of was exhausted at this point.

And all he could do was be terrorized by the thought of facing Radahn endlessly. The sight of the giant general riding upon his weakly steed was all he could think about.

Wait.

Something new came to Lordan's mind, and the conversation between his friends became background noise. Something that he had not considered before when it was right in front of him sometimes.

His horse... Several times Radahn's horse had been protected by the general with great effort. Could it be important?

"What about his horse?" His sudden talk stops the conversation between Blaidd and Alexander, both of them also stopping their thoughts on what Lordan had mentioned.

"The horse? You mean Leonard?"

"Yeah. His horse. Radahn protected it like a treasure during all the battles. Why?"

"Perhaps the steed is precious to the general? Or perhaps it is a weakness?"

His horse as a weakness? But how? A detail came to Lordan's mind again as he remembered the words of Gideon, on how gravity magic required a conduit to channel. "Gravity magic... His horse uses it as well. Just like him."

"Really? Wow. That explains a LOT." Blaidd remembers the times Radahn was able to ride his tiny steed, even though he was smaller back then. "So his horse is the one that lifts him or at least helps. Allowing Radahn to ride it at full speed."

"And if we take away the horse..."

"We can cut the general's speed in half!" They all came to the same conclusion. Reducing Radahn's mobility was an advantage that they could not ignore. All the battles with Radahn had been a struggle due to the general being too fast for his size, effectively making him a moving battering ram that runs over all in his path.

Patches, who was listening in on their discussion, let out a relieved laugh at the conclusion. "Well, sounds easy enough! We kill the horse and call it a day."

"No."

"No!"

"No..."

All three immediately disagree. Killing a defenseless animal was not on their cards.

"Seriously? All three of you want to make things harder than it is already? Killing that horse is the best way to solve our crisis!"

"And I said NO. Get it into that bald-arse head of yours. We are not killing that horse." The mention by Patches angers Blaidd, causing the half-wolf to snarl while he looms over the bandit. "Lordan. Under no circumstances can we kill that horse. If it dies... IF. It dies..."

"If it dies?"

"We might as well soil our drawers on the spot because we would be completely fucked."

Lordan could tell the seriousness of that scenario based on Blaidd's tone alone. Perhaps killing Radahn's horse might anger the general into doing something more, and Lordan did not need any more surprises. "Ok. We dismount him only. Nothing more."

"Aw! Come on! What the hells is the wrong with the three of you?! It's just a damned horse!"

"We are not killing that animal for the sake of an easier time, and that will be the end of it! Now be quiet, or I will ensure you are within me in pieces!" Another threat was issued by Alexander as Patches started to back off. "Blaidd. You have our full support. We dismount the general, nothing more."

"Fine! Fine! If you three are that eager to die, do it yourselves!" The bandit decides to leave as he overstayed and overstepped his bounds, angering the trio, with Blaidd on the verge of tearing him limp to limp. He leaves and eventually disappears into the crowd, leaving the trio to themselves again.

"Don't suppose you still offer your services as a merc, eh Lordan? How much to kill that man?"

"I would do it for free..." They shared a short laugh with one another on the joke. With a plan in place, the three of them work to plot a method of execution. Dismounting a giant off a small horse was practically unheard of, but here they are.

"Alright, mates. We are going to need a lot of hands. Tons, in fact. Also, rope by the bunches."

"And don't forget about hooks and weights. Something to anchor him down to one side while the rest give him a hard tug!"

"Yeah... And I know just where to find them." Lordan's eyes look towards the Redmane war party, the same group that had been joining their turn of the battle since the first loop. "Come on, let's make some friends." The trio made their way toward the war party and soon started to share their knowledge to win the battle.

"Everything set?"

"Yes, my lord. The men are ready." The Redmanes had the required equipment ready. All the planning was in place to execute their plan to take down Radahn. "We will surround the general and pull him down hard."

"Good. I want to make this one last shot. So let's do this perfectly." The Redmanes and Lordan's party all prone behind a tall dune on the field, taking cover to avoid detection by Radahn. The general was roaming the sands of the battlefield in the aftermath the last fight, standing victorious against the waves of Tarnished that went to fight him before.

Radahn roars with fury among the dead, occasionally picking up a corpse to feast on like a dog without its senses. Lordan cringed while observing the general consuming a body. Memories of a past death where he was eaten alive by the general also came up. Fuck... That's nasty.

"Oi. You good now, mate?" Blaidd, who had been by Lordan's side the whole time, was once again checking in on him. He was aware of the build-up stress Lordan carried. Experiencing death hundreds of times was taking its toll, even if Lordan was hiding it.

It was made worst by the fact that Lordan had seen Blaidd's and Alexander's deaths in his loops too. Sometimes, he would make use of the resurrection of grace to save them, resetting the battle by the way of suicide.

"Fine... I just need this to be over."

"It will be. Trust us, alright. We are with you all the way." It was agreed to everyone that Lordan was the most vital to the battle. He needs to survive and win before touching grace in order to continue the timeline. Therefore, an effort would be made by everyone to preserve Lordan's life in battle.

"Alexander? What do you see?"

Alexander, who had been using his appearance as a Giant Jar for camouflage, had been observing Radahn the whole time without him realizing by peeking over the dune. "The general moves. Almost aimlessly. I reckon he might be in position now."

Lordan takes a short peek to confirm this as they would be able to execute their plan. It was all or nothing for their plot. "Ok... He's in range. Are we ready? One more time?"

"Yes, my lord. On your signal."

"Right..." Doubt still lingers in his mind as Lordan takes a signal flare from his pouch, given to him by the castle as a means to start off their plan. Turning to his companions and fellow troops for one last confirmation in the form of nods, Lordan points the item to the sky and holds the string beneath it, and prepares to pull. "Any more last words before we kick this off? Again?"

"Yeah. Don't die this time, eh?"

Like I haven't been trying that... Blaidd shows a smirk as his remark makes Lordan's eyes roll. With the final approval, Lordan braced himself to the ground and aimed at an angle.

His breathing quickens as his hand begins to pull the string fully. It reaches a point for him to tug, and he prepares for the incoming battle that will be triggered once he fires.

Ahhh... Fuck it.

Lordan pulls hard, and the flare fires off a luminous red ball into the sky, filling the area with a red hue below it. The flare attracts Radahn as he roars out in fury, hurling out chunks of rock and debris toward it without restraint. The men kept their heads down as Radahn attacked at nothing, waiting for their signal to take effect.

Come on... Where is it? Where is it?!

Lordan's answer came in the form of a barrage of fireballs descending from the sky, fired by Redmane castle siege equipment. He had the support of the Redmane to fire a bombardment from their catapults. Projectiles ranging from the numbers of tens to hundreds were brought down on Radahn, for he was within range of their attacks.

Yes!

The barrage reaches Radahn's position and lit the area ablaze, many striking the area around him randomly. A few of the projectiles lands on Radahn, which has little to no effect as he shrugs off any in his way. The bombardment lasted for a few minutes as it landed all over the sands, kicking up dust and debris.

The dust settles, and Radahn remains standing. And the ground around him was messy and uneven, meaning their plan had actually worked.

"On my mark!" Lordan raises his hand to bring all to attention to where he lay. The dust cleared once more, and the path to engage Radahn was exposed.

"NOW!"

The battle begins anew as they all charge Radahn at the same time, rising from their position.

"SPREAD OUT AND SCATTER! SURROUND HIM!"

Lordan calls upon Torrent, and it appears from a blue mist. He rides forth with Blaidd and Alexander beside him, leading the charge with hundreds of soldiers behind him.

Radahn retaliates with a barrage of rocks summoned by gravity magic. He launches it their way and takes out some of the war party in the process.

Lordan rides hard as the attack flies past him. He did not look back as he urged Torrent into a mad dash at the fastest his steed could move. He managed to get past the last of Radahn's gravity attacks and was inbound to engage. He took out his greatsword and prepared to fight on horseback as part of his plan.

Radahn ceases his gravity attacks and draws his swords as Lordan approaches. He charges at a slower speed due to the debris around him, as his horse is not as agile as Lordan's.

A weakness that Lordan had predicted. With the uneven ground and debris in their paths, he would be able to run circles around Radahn while the others prepare their attempt to dismount him on foot.

Lordan dashes from the side and lands a few hits on Radahn as he rides, going in and out between dashes for short swings with his weapon. His constant attacks angered Radahn as he wildly swung in any direction Lordan attacked from, giving chase the best he could without much success as his horse could not keep up.

The Redmanes surround the area Radahn is in while Blaidd and Alexander join the fray, catching the general's attention while they work to execute the plan. The trio combined their tactics, with Lordan attacking in-between closeup and at range with his crossbow, Blaidd wildly swinging his greatsword with precision, and Alexander tanking Radahn's blows to retaliate with great strength.

Alexander goes into a spinning attack and staggers Radahn, forcing him to a knee with his horse beneath him. Blaidd follows up with a strike aimed at Radahn's right arm, using the flat part of his blade like a hammer. These attacks disabled Radahn, and Lordan saw the window for their attack to commence.

"NOW! DO IT NOW!"

With Lordan's command, the Redmanes deployed their mobile siege equipment in the form of miniature ballistas with great bolts attached to thick ropes. They took aim at all parts of Radahn and fired. Dozens of bolts impaled into the general in all directions, with bolts from the sides shot into his arms, causing him to scream in pain and fury.

"HOLD! HOLD!" The Redmanes scramble to grab onto the ropes, now attached to Radahn, in an effort to pull him down and off his horse.

Lordan dismounts, and Torrent disappears. He immediately joins the nearest group in the pull, with Blaidd and Alexander joining in on their groups. They pulled with all their in one direction, downwards as Radahn struggled in pain. It was a giant tug of war between hundreds of men against Radahn, and he wasn't losing easily.

"Pull! PULL!"

"TAKE HIM DOWN! TAKE HIM DOWN!"

"Don't let up! Just PULL!"

All of them mustered every bit of strength they had and pulled Radahn by the lines, causing the Demi-god to slowly get dragged down to his knees. Radahn doesn't let up as well and focuses on pulling back and channeling gravity magic to maintain his mount, with his horse assisting him.

The effort starts to lose its effectiveness as several lines start to snap or several groups lose their grip and balance. By some unfortunate outcomes, the effort to dismount Radahn was starting to fail. He was just too strong for them to simply dismount by force.

Fuck! Fuck! This has to work! This has to-

"Oh! Forget this!" Lordan hears the voice of Patches and finally sees the bald head bandit on the field. He exits his line and draws his spear, holding it with two hands. "I'm ending this shit show! Just watch!"

"Patches?! What the fuck are you doing?!" Patches ignored Lordan completely and charged toward Radahn. Panic arises from Lordan as he sees Patches aiming toward Radahn's horse, strictly what Blaidd had warned them not to do. "NO- STOP! STOP! YOU FOOL!"

"What?! NO! SOMEBODY STOP THAT BLOODLY FU-" Blaidd was thrown back by the whiplash as his group's line snapped. He watches in horror as Patches runs with his spear pointed forward and closed in on Radahn. "NO!"

But it was too late. Patches's charge successfully and drives his spear through Radahn's horse in the neck. It nighs in pain and immediately loses control of its gravity magic. The sudden shift in gravity lifting Radahn causes him to lose balance.

And without pulling off their plan successfully, Radahn was dismounted as he stumbled down. The impact of his fall creates a shockwave by his gravity magic, and all ropes are immediately snapped while violently knocking everyone off their feet.

Lordan flew a few meters away and landed hard on the sand. He takes a few sips from his flask and recovers while looking around. The majority of the group is still alive but was thrown down as well. Dust from the landing of Radahn covers his appearance, leaving everyone unable to visual him.

Alexander managed to get up without assistance and immediately went to Lordan's side to assess the situation. "By the gods! What was that?!"

"A great play, my big potted friend!" Patches emerged from behind as he was thrown back at well. "You're welcome, everyone! Now we can get him easily!"

"You-YOU?! YOU KILLED THE HORSE?!" Blaidd joins in with an enraged and panicked state. "YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING MUPPET! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"I gave us a fight chance! Quit ya whining, doggie!"

"YOU! YOU...! FUCCCCCKKKK!"

"Everyone? Look..." Their attention was back to where Radahn, as Lordan pointed out his reappearance. The general was kneeling over his horse in its broken state. It was too weak to get up and on the verge of death.

"LLLlllleeeEEooooONaaaaaRRRRDDDdd...?"

The horse breaths its last and finally dies after countless years of service to its master. Radahn gained some sense from this event as he realized what had just happened.

Because of his horse deactivating it's part in lifting Radahn on its back, the general's entire weight had effectively been brought down on the small steed, crushing it instantly.

Meaning that Patches's attack to dismount Radahn had actually made Radahn himself kill his beloved horse by accident.

And Radahn understood this fact.

"NnnnnnnOOOoooOO...AhhhhhhhhhHHHHAAHHhhhaaaaHHH..! RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH...HHHHHHHAAAA...! AAAAAAAANNNNGGG!"

The giant Demi-god cries in distress, some sense allowing him to grieve and despair from the death of his mount. The general slowly returns to his feet as his grief was slowly transforming into rage.

Ungodly Rage.

The entire Warband stood in silence as the general stood up. His colossal size casted a shadow with red moonlight. Lordan quickly snapped back to attention and prepared to attack, urging everyone else to follow. "He's getting up... He's getting up! We got to attack now!"

"Agreed! Everyone! Follow Lordan's lead! We can still win thi-"

Alexander was interrupted as Radahn roared out throughout the battlefield. His scream of fury echoes like a war horn that shakes the sands with its very noise. Gravity magic emits from Radahn's hand again, and he lifts his hand up to the sky.

"What the? Blaidd? What-what the hells is he doing?" Lordan asks his companion while looking in between him, Alexander, Patches, and everyone else as they look in awe and despair at the sight of Radahn. "What the fuck is going on? Blaidd?"

"Shite... Oh... Fuck..." Blaidd could only despair as he suspected what Radahn was about to do, something worst than coming down from orbit.

The sky behind Radahn starts to clear due to his usage of gravity magic as Radahn seems to be pulling something with it. His hand shakes as he uses everything he has to pull an object by magic alone. Something heavy, very heavy.

"What's tha-" Lordan looks in the direction of Radahn as the sky clears completely to reveal the object Radahn was pulling from the sky.

A dwarf moon. One of many above the Lands Between. Cracks on its surface can be seen as it breaks apart.

And it was quite clear what was about to happen, just as Gideon said.

Radahn was about to throw a moon at them.

"Oh... FUCK..."

Radahn roars a final time, and the dwarf moon completely shatters. He slams his hand forward to the ground and unleashes his most powerful attack yet.

A meteor shower worth a thousand pieces. Fire from above the sky.

An attack to kill them all at once.

Without thinking, Lordan shouts out the only thing he can think of as the meteor shower comes their way.

" RUN! "

The sight of thousands of comets comes hurling towards them, and the entire force is scattered, with Lordan and his two companions going together.

"SPREAD OUT! GO!"

The first impact hits and kills a few soldiers. Followed by the next, and the next, and the next, beginning a cycle of each meteor strike.

An impact hits near Lordan and knocks him off balance. He sees Patches beside him in a distressed state, cowering in fear from being in the situation they were in. "Gods damn it! Damn it! I didn't sign up for this! I'm outta here!" He retrieved a glass container with a miniature grace within it, and Patches began to disappear into gold mist, fleeing the fight.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lordan's words fall on deaf ears as Patches was gone, making him shout in frustration as the endless barrage of comets continues.

"Lordan! You must move! Keep moving!" Alexander shouts out from the side as the barrage remains unending. An attempt by Lordan to rejoin them which was unsuccessful as a wave of comets came between them.

"Blaidd! Alexander! STAY ALIVE!" With no choice but to scatter, Lordan runs away from them as the barrage forces him to move. He, along with everyone else, ran for their lives, trying to avoid the barrage the best they could.

The field was in chaos as people fled in all directions. Everywhere Lordan looked, he could see death, people dying before him. He could not avoid the sight and sounds of the meteor shower as impacts occurred all around him as he moved.

Shit! Shit! Gonna get ou-

A comet lands close to him in the midst of his run, causing Lordan to be sent flying. His body flips uncontrollably as he lands on his head, protected by his helmet but still causing blunt trauma.

His vision blurs, and his ears rings as more impacts happen around him. Lordan slowly starts to faint as he suffers a concussion from the landing. His last action was to sip on his yellow flask as a means to preserve himself with a protective ward.

A stray comet comes his way, and Lordan braces for the end once again.

Gods damn it...

The comet lands and his vision fades into black.

DEATH

Protect him, Vargram.

Make him better than us.

Better than we ever could.

What about the girl?

RESURRECT

"Hnnnn... Huh?"

Lordan slowly reawakens while lying on the ground. His entire body burns as his muscles are sore from the long fight. He weakly shifts around as he regains his senses.

"I'm... Alive?" The passive ability of Godwyn's Great Rune revived him for today. It was the only time he could use to come back, as all his other previous loops saw him being torn to pieces.

Himself still being alive in this loop was a relief and dread as Radahn seemed to be almost impossible to defeat. All their efforts had been for nothing again as Radahn decimated the war party completely.

He slowly gets to his feet and observes the area around him. The battlefield was dark and ruined. Bodies and parts scattered the field with the remains of the Redmanes and all the Tarnished that participated in battle.

As far as Lordan was concerned, he was the only one left.

He looks around in a panic as he looks for survivors. Radahn was not in sight, and it allowed him to roam freely.

"Hey...! Hello! Anyone?! Can anyone hear me?!"

No response came as he echos through the empty battlefield.

"ANYONE?! IS ANYONE STILL ALIVE?!"

The silence was all that Lordan received as he started to believe that he was alone.

"COME ON! IS ANYONE STILL ALIVE?! ANYONE?!"

No response again, and hope for the fight was becoming very bleak. Once again, it was signaling the end of this loop.

"Lor... Lordan..."

A faint sound came from behind that Lordan instantly recognized as the warrior jar's. He runs through the dust and smoke to find both Blaidd and Alexander still alive.

"Guys! You're alive!" He reaches them and immediately observes their injuries, with Blaidd suffering a large open wound on his waist and Alexander having a large visible crack on his body. "Shit... Are you... Are you both alright?!"

"My shell... One good hit got me... With this crack..."

"Alexander... Saved me... But I got nicked... Fuck... Shit..." Blaidd's wound was healing but not fast enough, as he had spent almost all his energy on the fight. Both of his companions were effectively left unable to fight at this point.

"Damn... Is there anyone else left?"

"Didn't see anyone... Give me... A second... I can..." Blaidd attempts to stand from his knees but is immediately forced down by the pain, further opening his wound. "Oooofff... FUCCCCKKKKK! ARGHHHH!"

Lordan immediately takes his red flask for Blaidd to drink, which the half-wolf accepts desperately to ease the pain, finishing the entire flask. "Just hang on a moment. I'm gonna patch you both up."

"My friends... Look."

Lordan turns to the direction Alexander pointed and once again spots Radahn in the distance, who was currently roaming the fields in search of enemies to kill.

Lordan watched as the Demi-god was still standing, and everything he and everyone had done to this point was still not enough. He let out a muffled groan of frustration and collapsed to the ground on his knees.

"You're kidding me... After all that... He's still standing as if it was nothing..."

"Yeah... Radahn's pretty tough, eh?" Blaidd once again worries for Lordan as he could observe he is on the verge of a breakdown. "Hey... We tried... It was good... But not enough... Let's just reset and try again..."

The idea of resetting the loop to return to grace was ideal at this point. With the newfound knowledge of Radahn's new abilities, Lordan would have an advantage in the next battle.

But something in Lordan snapped. He couldn't do another loop without trying to end this now. Against his better judgment, Lordan makes a choice, a risky one.

"I'm going for it."

The decision alerts his companions, who immediately protest the choice, knowing that he isn't in the right state of mind or shape to carry out a final battle.

"No! Lordan, you cannot! Not alone!"

"Are you screwed in the head, mate?! You can't take Radahn solo!"

"I HAVE TO! DAMM IT! FUCK!" He lashes out and immediately regrets it. Taking out his frustration on others was something Lordan didn't like to do. "I just... Shit... I need this to end. We can't continue like this... I have to end this. NOW."

Knowing that nothing they say would convince Lordan to back down, the duo instead offers a piece of themselves to help.

"Here... My friend... A piece of me to strengthen yourself..." Alexander passes Lordan a shard of his own body by pulling out a stray piece. "Take down the general, in my name..."

Lordan takes the shard and feels its magical aura, feeling an increase in power for his weapon skills. Blaidd joins in and drags himself to Lordan, with his sword acting like a clutch.

"Use this..." Blaidd offers his greatsword to Lordan, holding out the grip for Lordan to take. "Should even the playing field... Giant fucking sword against two... Giant fucking swords..."

"Thanks... Both of you." Lordan takes hold of the greatsword and tests its usage. His enhanced strength from the imbuing runes for power allows him to lift the colossal Greatsword with some ease and he gives it a few swings to measure himself for a fight.

He checks on his equipment again and finds that most of his current ones equipped just now are broken, requiring a smith to repair them. He settles for a staff, a seal, and his repeating crossbow to compliment the Greatsword of Blaidd.

With no more healing charges from his flask, Lordan takes out a lifegem brought from Kale earlier and crushes it to use its healing effect. He breathes in the dust from the stone, and it heals his wounds fully, also giving him a boost of energy to carry on.

Woah... That was good... He makes a mental note to purchase more lifegems from kale with runes that he would save.

"Hang tight... I got this..." With one last look at his friends, Lordan rests Blaidd's sword upon his shoulder and moves off.

His movements were tactical and careful as Lordan wanted to avoid detection before reaching Radahn, aware of the general's ranged attacks that could devastate him. He moves from point to point between the dunes, crouching and crawling between as he inches ever closer.

Lordan reaches the final cover as Radahn prowls around the field. He lays down for a moment as he prepares to fight up close, knowing that death may be quite possible at this time.

"Fucking hells... This is gonna suck..." Panic and anxiety build up once again as dread fills his mind. A single man against a giant Demi-god that was currently more angry than usual was bound to be a difficult task, even with a few advantages by his side.

Calm down... Calm... Down...

Several deep breaths were taken as he slowed his heart rate. With a final breath of air, Lordan takes his weapon and begins to crawl up the dune. He peeks over to see the final run to Radahn, he was within range of engagement.

"Ok... Ok... Fuck it!"

He leaps from the dune and slides to the bottom. Upon reaching stable ground, he starts his mad rush, like a man with a death wish.

"OVER HERE!"

He shouts out a taunt and catches Radahn's attention. The general roars and turns in Lordan's direction. His legs were dragging through the sand as he had amputated both his feet to help his horse mount him easily. With a target in sight, Radahn reinvigorated his killing instinct.

"TTTTtttarrrrrrnIIIIIiiissssSSSsshhhhheeeeEEEEeEEdddddd...!"

"Just you and me! COME ON!"

Lordan charges straight to close the distance to avoid Radahn's ranged attack. Radahn accepts the challenge and moves wildly into a charge of his own.

The both of them scream in fury and raise their swords toward one another.

And three swords of Caria clashed on the wastes of the festival.

The first time Lordan clashed the Greatsword against two of Radahn's he was staggered violently from the sheer force Radahn had delivered behind them. He barely managed to stay standing as Radahn swung another sideways slash at him at full force.

"Shit!" Lordan brings up the sword to block it in time but loses balance from the hit, and the attack sends him flying backwards, flipping him a few times in the process.

He narrowly rolls to the side as Radahn leaps to try and crush him. Lordan goes on the offensive and starts swinging Blaidd's Greatsword with all his strength, engaging in an exchange of blows with Radahn.

Radahn's movements were slow but unimaginably strong. With each attack from either one of Radahn's swords, Lordan had to perform a heavy attack to even compensate for deflecting it.

A change of strategy was made by Radahn as he used gravity magic once again, summoning a new set of large rocks to hurl at Lordan. The attacks came, and Lordan avoided them by the way of dodges or rolls, slipping in his own ranged attacks with his crossbow, which was relatively ineffective but enough to bother Radahn.

Fatigue was building up in Lordan as he was dodging non-stop to avoid the attacks. He focused on damage avoidance and frantically rolled between Radahn's attacks from his swords and magics, also avoiding the general's huge frame that seemed to hinder him at every turn.

Dammit! I can't keep this up! Exhaustion from the fight kicks in hard, prompting Lordan to sip the last of his blue flask to refocus his senses. As Lordan was recovering, an attack came his way in the form of a knee, striking him square in the chest.

He slams violently on the ground and feels a few of his bones breaking from the impact. Some blood was coughed from his mouth as he rolled out of the way to safety, creating some distance between Radahn as the attacks continued.

He retrieved his last lifegem and crushed it to breathe in the essence, feeling himself becoming fully restored. Lordan employed a change of tactics as he drew his staff, opting for a staff and greatsword combination.

Radahn takes the lead and charges Lordan once again, prompting him to use his smaller size to outrun Radahn as he chases. Lordan gets into a rhythm of casting Glintstone spells and striking with his sword as Radahn charges, and he retreats. The process gets Lordan some progress as Radahn is getting hurt from the combined attacks, with the spells chipping away his armor and the greatsword making actual damage to Radahn's weak spots.

He gets to a point where Radahn actually feels tired and stops for a moment, creating a window of opportunity for his next attack. Lordan then takes a distance from Radahn and brings his staff back to charge about to cast a spell from a scroll he found the academy.

"Gotcha!" He thrusts his staff forward and fires off an energy beam like Rennala's. The beam hits Radahn head-on, causing the Demi-god to roar in pain. The energy explodes on Radahn, causing a puff of smoke and dust.

He uses up the last of his focus as the spell stops, making Lordan drop to his knees with heavy breathing. The dust clears, and Lordan can see Radahn's current state.

He was still standing. The damage from his most powerful attack so far only managed to cause minimum damage.

"Are you... FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" He could not let out his frustration as Lordan was pulled toward's Radahn by the general's gravity magic. He helplessly struggles as he is forced into the air and is flying face-first into Radahn's level.

"Oh shi-"

As Lordan was thrusted into Radahn's reach, the general delivered a punch with his giant fist. The force from his punch, combined with the momentum created as Lordan was pulled in, instantly shatters his entire body and sends Lordan flying away. He lands a few dozen meters from where Radahn stood, crashing on the ground hard.

More blood was coughed out as the majority of Lordan's body was broken, bones shattered, and internal bleeding was hurting him. Lordan feels a slow death coming as he bleeds out from within.

Is this it? I'm dying... Again?

Radahn growls as he makes his way to Lordan's position slowly, aware that his opponent may be done. Lordan could only look helplessly with dread at his approach while lying down, knowing that he could not survive this.

He thinks of whatever way he can to get up or continue to fight. He tries to lift Blaidd's sword, but felt it too heavy in his current weakened to even move it. He thinks of a spell to cast against Radahn, but finds out his staff is broken and missing its top, which renders it unusable. He even tried to reach his enchanted bag for more weapons but realized that it was missing, probably dropped from all his movements and fighting.

All of his options were now exhausted, citing the possibility that Lordan was going to lose again.

But Lordan had one last ace in the hole, something he had been saving for this moment. His Great Rune from Godwyn remained unused for this cycle and was the key to healing him and giving him level ground to Radahn.

Now he just has to activate it successfully in his weakened state.

"Come... On... Work... Come on..." He focused his mind on the Great Rune within him as Radahn came ever closer. It was his last chance in this cycle to beat Radahn.

Lordan could feel the great rune coming into the surface as it started to become active. It was, however, stuck within him as Lordan's body was currently too weak and injured to start its effect.

Panic rises again as Radahn gets even closer, his colossal swords in hand finish him off.

"Shit...! Shit...! Fuck! Just... Get out...!"

Frustration for his inability to activate the Great Rune makes Lordan panic more as Radahn is nearly upon him. He starts to crawl a little bit back as the giant Demi-god approaches.

"What the...! Fuck...! COME ON...!" He feels the power just scratching the surface, unable to be fully unleashed. His time was running out. It was either use the Great Rune successfully or die and restart this cycle again.

"COME ON!"

But that was not an option he wanted.

"GET OUT!"

That was not an option he died over 200 times for.

"JUST GET OUT!"

That was not how he wanted this cycle to end.

"GODWYN! FUCKING... DO IT!"

And in his time of most desperate need for power, it fails him.

All Lordan felt now was anger. Anger at his weakness, anger at this world, anger for the very gods that cause the current state of the Lands Between.

"COME ON!"

The Great Rune surfaces and his body begins to emit smoke and red particles. For it was not Godwyn's Great Rune that came to him.

" GET...! OUT! OUT...! "

It was the other one. His own.

" GET...! OUTTTTTTTTTT! "

The Raging Rune.

ᚱᚨᚱᚷᛟᚾ×ᛊ

ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᚷ

ᚱᚢᚾᛖ

Red flames erupt from his body as before in his second fight with Vyke. A sight that catches Radahn off guard, stopping him dead in his tracks as a new power appears before.

"WWWWWwwwwWwwwhhhhhhhhhHHHHHhhhhaaaaaaaAAAaaatttt...?"

Lordan rapidly gets to his feet and lifts the greatsword with ease. His wounds heal almost instantly, and the Great Rune empowers his strength. He was now a challenge for Radahn.

" COME ON! YOU FUCK! "

Radahn roars in anger, and Lordan returns the gesture with a war Cary as well, both shouting inhuman shrieks of rage. Radahn charges fully, and Lordan braces for the first clash of their blades.

CLANG!

Radahn strikes Lordan as he blocks it with Blaidd's sword. The hit connects as Lordan deflects it effortlessly. Radahn continues his attacks and rapidly uses a combination of strikes.

CLANG!

Their weapons clashed and created miniature shockwaves in between. Radahn increases the fury and frequency of his attacks, swinging his dual swords in sync.

CLANG!

But Lordan, with his increased strength and speed, keeps up, deflecting each blow with ease. Radahn was now getting frustrated with the progress of the fight as Lordan was managing to fend him off. They clashed once more and got into a lock with their weapons, with Lordan actually holding on to Radahn's push.

"DDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!"

" LIKE HELLS! "

Lordan then performs a move that Radahn does not see coming by pushing him off hard enough for Radahn to be forced back. Lordan slings the sword behind him and leaps into the air like a fox, unweighted by the giant sword he carries. He lands on Radahn's shoulder and begins hitting the general in the exposed part of his face with nothing more than his fists.

" DIE! YOU FUCK! DIE! "

Radahn struggles in Lordan's assault and begins trashing around the area in an attempt to throw Lordan off, becoming genuinely hurt by Lordan's unrelentless attacks. But Lordan refuses to let go and only increases his frenzy, becoming more animalistic in his actions, a complete savage out for blood with only punches and kicks to Radahn's face.

Radahn then grabs hold of him successfully and throws Lordan away with great force. He lands and shattered his body again from the impact.

Upon landing however, Lordan manages to bite through the pain with adrenaline from the fight. He stands and looks to the side of his left arm, seeing it completely twisted and broken. The ability of his Great Rune kicks in and repairs all damage to his body almost instantly, twisting his arm back into shape.

He collapses from the healing process as it made him relive the pain it caused. A drawback of the Great Rune's healing process. Lordan recovers and snaps out of his rest quickly as Radahn approaches once again, vengeful for the attack Lordan inflicted on him.

Radahn attacks once again, sending debris and rocks Lordan's way as he charges. Lordan manages to dodge and power through most of the projectiles to re-engage, once again meeting the general's blades with his own.

CLANG!

Deflects hinder Radahn's attacks and dodges with rolls and jumps, allowing Lordan to avoid the colossal swords. He jumps high into the distance as he feels the weakness kicking in. He was using the Great Rune for too long.

NO. NO! NOT YET! NOT UNTIL HE FUCKING DIES!

His enraged mind throws logic and reason out of the window, ignoring the unknown time limit his body allowed. Lordan makes a charge and dashes in for an attack. His dashes mimic that of a Bloodhound's with slightly lesser speed but still fast enough to avoid Radahn's attacks in between.

His movements become more frantic, and his dashes increase in number. With each dash, Lordan swings Blaidd's sword sideways, slashing away at Radahn's lower body with each pass. The attack manages to injure Radahn's legs further, slowing his movement to a halt. A final dash and slash manage to force Radahn to his knees due to sustained damage.

Lordan takes a breather as the feeling of weakness once again arises from his usage of the Great Rune. He coughs and breaths hard as his time limit is almost reached, making Lordan keep a mental clock of the duration.

Every logical part of his thoughts was telling Lordan to stop using the Great Rune, considering that he had already taken down Radahn to his current incapacitated state.

But something in Lordan snapped. He refused to back down. His usage of the Great Rune was not to be ended until Radahn dies.

NO! I CAN'T STOP! I WILL! NEVER! STOP!

He ignores the incoming illness and charges Radahn with Blaidd's sword raised. Radahn prepared for an attack, and Lordan leaps with all his remaining strength, entering a high jumping attack downwards.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRR!"

CLANNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!

The sword of Blaidd strikes the dual blades of Radahn down and breaks it from the sheer strength of the strike alone. A strength that surpasses Radahn for this once. The sword cuts through and carves into Radahn's shoulder, gushing out a flow of blood.

"ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRR!"

Radahn screams to the sky as Lordan cuts into his shoulder. Lordan falls to the ground with Blaidd's sword still stuck in Radahn's shoulder. The Demi-god takes a few steps back as the sword in his shoulder was pulled to be removed, making him throw it away after removal.

Lordan lies on the ground in a tired and weakened state. He removes his helmet to breathe better as the effects of his Great Rune starts to wear off. Replacing it with the effects of his curse. His face becomes pale, and his vein underneath can be seen clearly.

Lordan had once again overused his Great Rune and was now suffering the effects from that.

CURSED

ᚨ ᛗᛟᚱᛏᚨᛚ ᛒᛟᛞᛁ ᚲᚨᚾᚾᛟᛏ ᚲᚺᚨᚾᚾᛖᛚ ᛁᛗᛗᛟᚱᛏᚨᛚ ᛈᛟᚹᛖᚱ

ᚨᛚᛚ ᚨᛏᛏᚱᛁᛒᚢᛏᛖᛊ ᚨᚱᛖ ᚱᛖᛞᚢᚲᛖᛞ ᛏᛟ ᚺᚨᛚᚠ

ᛊᛖᛖᚲ ᚷᚱᚨᚲᛖ ᛟᚱ ᛞᛖᚨᛏᚺ ᛏᛟ ᚱᛖᚲᛟᚢᛖᚱ

"No... No... Fuck... shit..." His weakness from the effects of the curse was in full force now. The combined fatigue from fighting and moving had taken it's toll, and Lordan was in no proper condition to continue the fight.

But it did not matter as Radahn approached once again. He observed as Radahn simply walked or crawled slowly towards him, still wanting to carry on their battle despite his injuries.

The current state of Radahn was to closest Lordan had ever reached to defeat Radahn. And he was about to possibly lose it once again.

"No... Not like... This... No..."

Despair was all he had left as Radahn reached him, standing in front like a giant statue that overshadowed him. Lordan tried all means to move anywhere but could not as he was too weak to continue.

"yyyyyyyyYYYYYYyyyooooOOooOOOOoooUUUUUuuuuuUuu..."

"Yeah... Me..." It was at this point Lordan decided that he was going to try once more. One more push for this loop to end. He looks up in defiance with his seal. One last incantation was all he could spare. "I'm not... Out... Yet...!"

He hurls a lightning spear at Radahn's shoulder wound. The pain creates more fury, and Radahn grabs Lordan by the torso, lifting him up to his eye level.

He could feel the tightness of his waist as Radahn started to crush him in his palm. Lordan struggles to release himself from the grip as Radahn starts using more strength.

"Arghh... Nrgh... Ahhhhh...!"

His armor starts being dented as it bends to Radahn's strength. Lordan's struggle becomes more erratic as he starts to feel the crushing sensation.

"HrghhhhhHhhhhhhHHHH...! AHHHHHHHHH!"

Screams of pain were all Lordan could muster as Radahn crushed him in his palm. It was inevitable for Lordan to be defeated by Radahn's hand once again.

And all his progress was rendered useless by this point.

No... No... I... I can't... I...

" Lor- LORDAN! "

A shout comes from behind them as Lordan spots Blaidd with his sword in hand, finding it after Radahn had thrown it aside. Blaidd was still injured as well and couldn't join the fight. He raised the sword with both hands and prepared to throw it to Lordan. A last attempt to catch a narrow win.

"CATCH... THE...! SWORDDDDDD!"

Blaidd throws his colossal Greatsword and collapses after using the last bit of strength. Time slowed as Lordan eyed to throw Greatsword. He now has to catch the blade in midair while in Radahn's grip.

It's one or nothing.

He reached out and managed to grip the Greatsword with one hand. And without a delay, Lordan swings the Greatsword down with all his might.

The sword strikes true and carves into Radahn's head, splitting it in half.

Lordan screams out from the attack and finally sees the general still for the first time. Blood leaks from Radahn's head as his mind starts to be destroyed.

Leaving Radahn to utter his final words free from the Rot affecting his mind.

"Ma... Le... Nia...?"

In his last thoughts, before his mind starts to fade into nothingness, Radahn thinks of red hair.

Radahn falls forward with Lordan still in his grip, slamming down forward. His limp body lets Lordan go, and both of them lay together on the ground. One alive and the other dying.

"So... Sor... Ryy..."

The last of Radahn's movements ceased as his life faded away. After countless years of struggles, fog, and mindless dreams while being trapped in his own mind.

Radahn was free.

DEMI-GOD FELLED

ᛏᚺᛖ ᛊᛏᚱᛟᚾᚷᛖᛊᛏ ᚷᛟᛞ

Runes of uncountable amounts emerged from Radahn's corpse and made their way into Lordan's body. The surge of power from the unspent runes sends a chill down Lordan's body. Never before has he experienced this level of power from a single opponent. Radahn was in all intended purposes, his greatest fight yet.

And he won.

In an ironic twist of fate. The strongest Demigod of the Shattering was defeated by the weakest of the Dread Wolves.

The last of the runes are absorbed into Lordan as he feels his injuries starting to become deathly. He spots the trail of grace that forms to lead him to his true victory. Touching grace was the only way he could save his current progress.

"Get up... Lordan... Get up... Come on... Get..."

Lordan forces himself to move and turns over to his front. He spots the grace ahead of the field. He stood to his feet and walked a few steps before falling straight down. He could not get up again and began to crawl, ignoring the numbness and the pain from his injuries.

"Please... Come on... Just a little... More..."

Lordan crawls slowly towards the grace. He could feel himself starting to slip away. Death could come at any time. It just couldn't be now.

Lordan's crawling came to a halt as he reached within the range of grace, but he couldn't move anymore. He reached out his hand and hoped it would be enough to feel it's effects.

"Please... Please..."

The site of grace touches his longest finger, and immediately Lordan is healed. His cursed state was lifted, and his body was fully restored.

At long last, after hundreds of death loops.

Lordan breaks the cycle.

"Ahhhh... Haaa... Ha...!" The same feeling of victory overwhelmed Lordan once again as he finally won. All his and everyone's efforts were not in vain.

"Yes... Yes...! YESSSSSSS!" He screams out a tired victory shout with his remaining energy. Fatigue that was physical and mental kicked in hard, and Lordan began to lose his vision. Blacking out as he was exhausted.

"We did it... We... Won... Vargram... I won..."

He lies on his back and looks up at the night sky. Now blue as the red mists clear. It provides Lordan some peace with the beautiful sight of the stars.

"Huh...?"

Stars that were starting to move out of place. The movement of the star rapidly starts to become more obvious as it creates a visual spectacle unlike any Lordan had ever seen. And he could not help but stare.

"Pretty..."

The stars moved faster in a single direction. A star much closer to the world flies past the sky like a white energy beam and is aimed at the other region of the lands between.

"What...?"

A white flash with a deafening noise was all Lordan could process. His last sight was the white light from a large impact.

And Lordan's vision fades to black.

FARUM AZULA, THE BLACK WASTES

1994 YEARS BEFORE THE SHATTERING

"GAH! Huh?!"

Rags jolts awake from the dream he just experienced. Breathing loudly as his mind calms down from the adrenaline it created from the dream.

What was that? He tries to piece together what he has seen. Confused by the vision of a battle within a desert, between a giant and warrior, both wielding colossal swords in their clash. A battle that ended in the warrior's victory after great efforts. He couldn't make out the fine details, but only one was vivid enough to remember, a name that was called out many times.

Who... Who the fuck is Lordan?

"Rags?" Renna stirred awake beside him. Both were still undressed from their intimate night. "What troubles you? A nightmare?"

"Yeah... Something like that..." Rags give himself time to adjust from waking up, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He didn't want Renna to worry but knew she wasn't about to let an incident like this go unchecked. "It was... Different this time."

"How so?"

"I dreamt about... A fight? I couldn't tell."

"Something that you are not a part of, I assume?" He nods as Renna makes an accurate guess. She thinks of some theories regarding the experience of dreams, a subject familiar to her due to her field of studies. "Dreams are often recollections of events, most of the time scenarios of our best hopes and worst fears. But sometimes they are a vision of events yet to be."

"The future huh?" Despite all Rags had seen so far, not believing in certain aspects of the world was still a habit for him. "It's probably nothing..." Rags get to his feet to check on the weather outside, picking the Godslayer along the way. Moments passed before Rags returned with a slightly good mood.

"The storm has cleared. We can move."

"I see..." Renna acknowledges his announcement with a hint of disappointment in her tone, knowing that this may be the only time Rags and her share a bed. Rags could see her uncomfortable body language as he moved to dress up, both of them doing the same to leave the cave. Rags then clears the campsite for them to move on, carefully looking at Renna in between his actions.

He didn't know what to say at this point, afraid that things might get awkward between them. Knowing this could not carry on. Rags tried to speak as Renna walked towards the cave's exit. "Renna... I-"

"Rags. Don't." She silenced him with a stern tone, turning around to face him. She strolled towards him and stopped in front, using both her hands to cup his cheeks, making him face her. "Don't apologize. Don't regret this. You must focus on your task at hand. Finding Marika is all that matters at the moment. Do you understand?"

He could understand and agreed with her fully.

But he somehow... Learned to care. Perhaps Marika had rubbed off on him in some way.

"But what about you?"

She offered a weak smile at his concern, reaching up to plant a kiss on his forehead. Renna let's go and takes a step backward, creating a distance between her and Rags.

"I will be fine. I always have been. Your fate lies elsewhere, Rags. And it will not be by my side. It... Cannot be."

Rags looks down upon her words, and disappointment and frustration appear in his mind. He was confused by the way he felt about this situation but chooses not to pursue the matter further. Knowing that Renna would be insistent on this.

"I... Understand."

"You must. Nothing can stop you now." Renna gestures for him to follow, and they both walk to exit the cave. They reached the opening and were once again greeted by the humid climate of Farum Azula, both looking out to the cleared lands ahead of endless ashes and black sands.

"Well. It looks like we are in the clear. We mount up and-"

"You must carry on without me, Rags."

He turns immediately at her declaration, triggered by the meaning behind it. "What?"

"This is as far as I can go... There are... Measures in place to ensure Numens cannot reach the inner sanctum without a special ward or way." She looks away as she doesn't want to see Rags upset as her hiding this fact. "I am... Sorry. I did not mean to keep this in confidence."

Rags sighs at her admission. He wasn't angry and moved to Renna's side. He places both hands on her shoulders and rubs them in comfort. "You're going to be ok, right?"

"Yes. I can leave the region instantly. But you must go by land."

"Of course, I must..." His display of annoyance with her words makes Renna smile, as she finds it cute coming from him. They stood silent for a moment before Renna rushes forward to hug him tightly. Rags eventually hugs back and returns the embace, feeling Renna's coldness against his warmth.

"Do not die. Please..."

"I can't. And I won't."

"Good." They let go of each other, and Renna steps back as blue mist begins to form around her. "Go forth, Dread wolf. It is the only path open to you now."

He nods at her word words as acknowledgment before Renna disappears, fading away into a blue mist once again. He was left alone once again with only the two Qilins as mounts.

Seeing the need for two mounts as unnecessary, Rags decides to let them both go and instead summons Torrent to mount despite Renna's recommendation.

"Been a while, huh?" He gives his steed a friendly pat but was deterred as Torrent moves it's head away, a little unhappy about his decision to take another mount. "Renna suggested it. Take it up with her."

Torrent motions in a gesture of disapproval and signals Rags to get on. With his final checks done, Rags mounts up and urges Torrent forward further into the ashen wastelands.

He looks forward on the terrains ahead as Torrent rides on, faster than the Qilins. His mind only focuses on the task at hand, putting all other thoughts aside.

HAD FUN?

DIDN'T YOU?

The beast speaks in his mind again, a feeling he still could not get used to. A part of him wonders if it had been watching from his point of view during his intimate moments with Renna.

Jealous?

QUITE THE OPPOSITE.

FUCKING THE WITCH WAS...

AN ENJOYABLE SIGHT.

Keep out of my head for that.

WHO YOU SLEEP WITH IS NONE OF MY CONCERN.

THE DRAGON GOD AWAITS IN THE CENTER.

AS WELL AS SOMETHING ELSE.

His curiosity overtakes his caution, and Rags decides to ask for more.

What else?

A VERY POWERFUL OBJECT.

A GREAT RUNE.

OR AT LEAST.

A COLLECTION OF GREAT RUNES COMBINED TOGETHER.

AN ELDEN RING.

Travel to the center of the Farum Azula took many more weeks. And as Rags ventured further into the wastes, the lands there became more dead and lifeless.

All he could find was heat, lava, flames, and ash upon the lands. Completely unstainable for life.

Rags continues the struggle as he moves through the wastes. He was currently traveling through the ashen field of bodies left in the aftermath of a large battle. The ground was soaked with dried blood and bodies of forces from the Golden Order and Dragon Order. Both sides clashed upon these fields in the tens of thousands before he arrived.

Damn... All dead. He could not find any signs of life in the fields. Everything in sight seems dead. Rags ignore all of the sights of death around him and moves on. His focus wasn't on looking around here.

How much further?

YOU ARE NEARLY THERE.

JUST PASS THAT RIDGE.

The beast provided Rags the directions he required in lieu of Renna. It had been using its senses to track the power of Runes.

Rags followed its path and trekked on. He passes more bodies by the hundreds along his way and makes it to the ridges ahead. He begins to make the climb up to its top, using all manner of movements to hasten his trek.

"If only Torrent were here..." He thinks of how much of an easier time he would have if Torrent were around to make this climb. The spectral steed had been forced to disappear as Rags passed by a ward that deterred his entrance to the center of the region, the same ward that was keeping Renna out.

He makes good progress and reaches the top. With one last pull, Rags stands up the top to cross the other side. What awaited him was an unnerving sight.

"What the fuck...?"

FARUM AZULA, THE FIELDS OF SACRIFICE

Stakes. People placed upon stakes. Scattered across a hellish landscape of cracks in the black ground that emitted a crimson glow.

Stakes that numbered in the thousands. People upon them are long dead or on the verge of death.

What... What is this?

NUMENS CHOSEN AS EMPYREANS.

VESSELS TO POWER THE RING.

THEIR DIVINE BLOOD USED AS A CONDUIT.

"Numens... Like Marika..." The thought of finding her on one of these stakes sends him into a panic. He feared that he would find Marika on a stake and long dead. Once again turning his efforts into nothing. "Fuck... I need to find her... Fuck..."

Rags slides down the Ridge to land on the other side. He begins walking at a hurried pace while looking around in a frenzy. Each turn he took with hope and fear.

Where is she? Where!

His search bears no luck on the first few hundred stakes. He presses on to the field of thousands.

Everywhere he looked, he only found bodies atop stakes.

Fuck... Fuck!

RAGS.

WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

THE DRAGON GOD.

I couldn't care a single fuck about that God! I'm looking for-

THE DRAGON GOD IS NOT HERE.

What? The beast's words stop his search. For the beast's intent for him was actually not present. What do you mean, not here?

ITS AURA IS UNIQUE.

AND MISSING.

BUT I SENSE ANOTHER.

Another?

He answer came as a large impact landed near him to kick up smoke and debris. Rags turns immediately to its direction and draws his greatsword into a battle stance, ready to engage with the Godslayer in hand.

The dust and ash slowly cleared as the shadow of a being could be seen. The being that had wings behind his back, artificial ones made of gold.

"Is that...?" Some form of familiarity comes to Rags as he remembers an explanation from Renna of a being that resembles the one that stands in his way right now.

The area cleared eventually, and it finally revealed the being that had arrived. A being clad in his black and gold armor to encase his uncontrollable power.

One of the strongest beings currently in existence in the known world.

Elden Lord Solras.

FIN.