The midnight bells tolled, signaling the end of the old day and the beginning of a new one.
The Redmane Knights and the Haligtree forces, who had fought each other to the death on the battlefield, were resurrected at the Sites of Grace near the battlefield.
"Redmane Knights, for Lord Radahn, charge!"
The Redmane Knights brandished their weapons, preparing to re-enter the fray.
However, what they didn't know was that reddish-brown pollen had already spread around the two great armies, obscuring everyone's vision.
Faintly, everyone seemed to see a red lotus blooming at the center of the battlefield.
"The Scarlet Aeonia..."
Someone cried out in horror, recognizing the true identity of the giant red lotus.
"Ignite the Redmane Flame!"
The Redmane Knights tried to ignite flames to dispel the rot, but when they raised their hands, they were surprised to find reddish-brown mist seeping out from every part of their bodies.
They had been completely infected; the Scarlet Rot was pulsating within their organs, celebrating its victory.
The intense Scarlet Rot corroded the bodies of everyone present. Whether soldier or general, none could escape this terrifying fate.
Even the Cleanrot Knights, who had long worshipped the Valkyrie and were accustomed to the rot's erosion, found it difficult to resist.
They groaned in agony, their bodies gradually twisting and deforming, until they finally collapsed to the ground, becoming putrid corpses overgrown with fungi.
On the entire battlefield, the only mortal still alive was Finlay, the Knight Commander of the Cleanrot Knights.
Finlay possessed a naturally high resistance to Scarlet Rot, allowing her to barely withstand this terrifying power.
But even so, she felt her life constantly draining away.
The battlefield was permeated with the aura of death, utterly silent.
The Scarlet Rot's erosion had plunged everyone into despair, and Finlay became the last hope of this battlefield.
She went alone to the vicinity of the red lotus, and when she personally witnessed Radahn, who had been completely consumed by Scarlet Rot, her heart was filled with fear and shock.
Radahn exuded a beastly, chilling aura; his madness and brutality sent shivers down one's spine.
However, Finlay did not flinch. She gritted her teeth tightly, bravely facing the terrifying sight before her.
And found Malenia, deep in slumber, at the center of the red lotus.
She carefully picked up Malenia, feeling her faint breath and heavy body.
Although her heart was filled with worry, Finlay knew she had to quickly take Malenia away from this dangerous place.
So, she took Malenia's prosthetic arm blade and resolutely embarked on the journey back to the Haligtree.
Malenia's condition was not good. The Scarlet Rot within her body, without the suppression of the Unalloyed Gold Needle, became increasingly restless.
According to Lord Miquella's calculations, the Scarlet Aeonia could bloom at most three times.
The previous bloom had already caused the Valkyrie to lose her right arm and both legs, and this current outbreak caused the Valkyrie to lose even more, with almost half of her body showing signs of rot.
If the Scarlet Aeonia were to bloom one more time, the Valkyrie would completely perish, transforming into the Goddess of Rot and descending upon the world once more.
Finlay knew time was short. She had to return to the Haligtree as quickly as possible, as only the Haligtree could suppress the Scarlet Rot within the Valkyrie's body.
Despite the arduous journey, Finlay steadfastly carried the sleeping Malenia, the Valkyrie, on her way home.
With her courage and wisdom, she repelled enemies time and again, protected Malenia's safety, and completed the long journey.
She successfully traveled all the way from southernmost Caelid back to the northernmost Haligtree, and she herself was completely exhausted. After all, she had directly endured a wave of Scarlet Rot from the Scarlet Aeonia.
However, by virtue of this great achievement, Finlay gained the qualification to return to the Erdtree, and under the witness of the awakened Valkyrie, she became a glorious Spirit Ash.
Her name would be forever etched in the annals of history, becoming a hero admired and celebrated by all.
After Radahn was completely consumed by the Scarlet Rot, his body gradually decayed, and his consciousness became increasingly blurred.
His humanity slowly vanished, leaving only beastly instincts, and he began to uncontrollably gnaw on the surrounding corpses.
However, before completely losing his sanity, Radahn realized that he might become a disaster for the world.
Thus, he resolutely severed his own feet, trapping himself on the battlefield of Aeonia, forever unable to leave.
Then, with his last ounce of will, he unleashed his ultimate Gravity Magic with all his might.
This powerful magical force fixed the starry sky of the entirety of The Lands Between, stopping the flow of fate,
preventing anyone from becoming a god. He had to prevent Miquella from opening the Land of Shadow, which was a taboo of The Lands Between and must never be opened.
Since then, the Battle of Aeonia, this battle between demigods in which both sides suffered heavy losses, finally drew to a close.
In this war, there were no victors.
The leaves conveyed a message:
In the First Defense of Leyndell,
Starscourge General Radahn, Praetor Rykard, and Godrick the Golden were defeated and retreated.
Battle of Aeonia.
Starscourge General Radahn and Malenia, Blade of Miquella, fought to a draw, and the Scarlet Aeonia bloomed.
Lunar Princess Ranni lost her physical body.
The Gloam-Eyed Queen lost her law.
The Lord of Blood was not blessed by the Golden Order.
Miquella vanished into seclusion~
Morgott willingly gave up!
The Lands Between, without a king,
The entirety of The Lands Between plunged into an era of chaotic self-governance.
The Golden Dynasty that once ruled this land had now fragmented and become ruins.
Those who had once attempted to claim the throne were scarred and unable to continue fighting.
They could only hide in the dark corners, silently licking their wounds, powerless to contend for that noble throne.
On that night, many leaves of the Erdtree fell, carried by the wind to fly far away, passing through the dense fog that isolated The Lands Between.
People across The Lands Between put down their weapons; they heard the message from within the fallen leaves.
"The fallen leaves convey a message:
Beyond the fog, our homeland, The Lands Between,
The great Elden Ring has been shattered—
The Eternal Queen Marika has vanished without a trace,
On the Night of the Black Knives, Godwyn the Golden was the first to lose his life.
Marika's children—the Demigods—obtained fragments of the Elden Ring,
but because of that power, they went astray, fell into madness, and sparked the Shattering War...
At the end of that kingless war—
The Greater Will banished them.
Oh, so, Tarnished—
You who cannot yet rest in eternal sleep.
The grace we lost long ago is calling out.
That lost grace, once again,
Returns to the nameless Tarnished.
Advance beyond the fog, reach The Lands Between,
and become Elden Lord."
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