"Your power is truly immense!"
Radahn was inwardly shocked. He had always been renowned for his strength, yet he never expected the petite woman before him to be capable of matching him head-on.
"Red-haired brat, are you stronger than Radagon?"
Xiao's tone was relaxed and casual, as though mocking Radahn for overestimating himself. His expression practically said: I'm a god from your father's generation.
But in truth, Xiao's recent exchanges had not relied entirely on his own strength. Instead, he had skillfully used his superpower to redirect the opponent's force against them.
By absorbing Radahn's strength and turning it back upon him, combined with his ability to absorb kinetic energy, Xiao was able to deal with Radahn's direct attacks effortlessly and even gain a slight advantage.
Radahn was somewhat speechless. Although history had repeatedly proven that demigods often appeared insignificant before true gods,
the gap between demigods and gods was enormous—far greater than the gap between humans and dogs.
However, Radahn was unwilling to admit weakness, so he immediately retorted indignantly:
"Hmph! Old fossil of the old order, you're only taking advantage of being born tens of thousands of years earlier!"
But in reality, if the Elden Ring had not shattered and he had not obtained a Great Rune, he might not even have been qualified to stand before Xiao.
At this moment, Radahn was fully focused on how to defeat Xiao. Meanwhile, on the other side, Rykard had successfully used the Golden Tree's dew to heal the Valkyrie and had begun preparing to besiege Xiao.
Rykard tightly gripped a massive Crucible Greatsword and slashed toward Xiao's back.
"Holy shit, a sneak attack!"
Xiao's Observation Haki sensed the danger before he consciously reacted, immediately forcing him to use Bloodhound's Step and complete a phased displacement at the very instant the Crucible Greatsword struck.
However, Rykard's attack was far more than a simple greatsword slash.
The moment the heavy Crucible Greatsword smashed into the ground, vast amounts of molten rock erupted like a volcanic fountain, forming wave after wave of scorching flame shockwaves that surged directly toward Xiao.
Like his elder brother Radahn, who specialized in gravity magic, Rykard, though outwardly a brave warrior, also possessed the heart of a great sorcerer.
By leveraging the unique environment of Volcano Manor, he had not only transformed Carian glintstone sorcery into numerous powerful flame spells, but had also skillfully integrated martial combat into them, forming a dual magic-and-martial fighting style similar to Radahn's.
This fusion made his attacks more powerful and versatile, while also making them far more difficult for enemies to defend against.
It was simply that Starscourge General Radahn's brilliance had always been too dazzling, causing many people to subconsciously overlook this younger brother who constantly stood beside him.
Violent magical flames and sword slashes bombarded the battlefield. The earth tore apart, the sky wailed, yet under such relentless assaults, Xiao remained calm and composed, always achieving the greatest effect with the least effort.
"Brother, as the Gloam-Eyed Queen—the true mastermind behind Godwyn the Golden's assassination and the one who caused the shattering of the Elden Ring—we should avenge our brother together!"
Rykard pressured Xiao with flame sorcery and martial attacks while reminding Radahn that the enemy's strength and skill were both terrifyingly powerful.
At the moment, he was only relying on the explosive force of his flame sorcery to barely restrain Xiao. Once his stamina and magic reserves were exhausted, a fatal opening would immediately appear.
Therefore, Rykard had no choice but to call for help. Otherwise, if he were dragged into close combat by Destined Death, he would either die or suffer severe injuries.
"No, my brother. Strength is the reason for being King. Step back for now. I must defeat her alone to prove myself worthy of becoming Elden Lord, just like the First King!"
However, Radahn rejected Rykard's proposal without hesitation, stubbornly insisting on facing the Gloam-Eyed Queen alone.
This was his pride as a warrior, and also his understanding of the path to kingship: the King must be the strongest, and only the strongest deserves to be King.
Therefore, Radahn would never resort to surrounding an enemy. His pride would never permit such a thing.
"Brother~~~"
When Rykard saw Radahn's persistence, he immediately called out again in dissatisfaction, seemingly asking what madness had possessed him.
He truly could not understand what had gotten into his elder brother.
But as brothers who had spent thousands of years together, he also knew that no amount of persuasion would work.
Once the stubborn Radahn made a decision, nothing could change his mind. Thus, Rykard stopped trying to convince him, silently sheathed his Crucible Greatsword, and quickly withdrew from the battlefield.
"I'm starting to appreciate you a little now."
Xiao steadied his recently exhausted stamina, twirled the Godslayer's Greatsword in his hand, and praised Radahn. He had not expected Radahn to possess such a righteous warrior spirit.
His magnanimity truly was extraordinary. If he genuinely became Elden Lord, it would not necessarily be a bad thing. Unfortunately, he would ultimately fall victim to conspiracy and become a mad beast.
"I also didn't expect you to remain so powerful with only a quarter of your strength remaining. You truly live up to being a mighty god who once required both the Golden Lineage and the Hornsent to unite against you."
Radahn also returned a polite compliment, but the information within his words left Xiao momentarily stunned.
What in the world were the Hornsent?
He had never heard of them in the original game, yet from Radahn's words, this race was clearly powerful enough to possess gods of its own.
Xiao's brief moment of confusion was instantly noticed by Radahn, who could not help but ask:
"You don't possess memories of the past? Then who exactly are you?"
"The Gloam-Eyed Queen is indeed dead. I am her other half, and I left the Lands Between long ago. I am her, but she is not me.
"It can be said that Marika erased her very thoroughly. Even though I retrieved the Law of Death, I still did not obtain her memories."
Xiao replied calmly, attempting to ease the tension between them.
"So that's how it is."
Radahn finally understood the nature of the Gloam-Eyed Queen standing before him.
But immediately afterward, Radahn violently swung the greatsword in his hand.
A crimson sword wave shot directly toward Xiao. The slash tore through the atmosphere itself, creating deafening roars and violent shockwaves.
Seeing this, Xiao instantly used Bloodhound's Step, only to discover that the sword wave seemed to possess tracking capabilities, relentlessly pursuing his movements.
Realizing he was about to be struck, Xiao swiftly raised the Godslayer's Greatsword in his hand, drove it into the earth, and used it as a shield before himself.
Then, with a deafening boom, Xiao was blasted flying and crashed heavily onto the ground. A faint golden glow flickered across his body before fading away instantly.
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