Nolan asked flatly, "What, are you just going to watch again this time?"
Silence answered him.
"Dolores can do as she likes, but Melina, you're helping," Nolan said, clearly annoyed.
Melina paused, caught off guard. A trace of hesitation crossed her face.
After a brief moment of thought, she finally nodded.
"…Alright."
"Oh? The blockhead finally figured things out?" Nolan hadn't expected her to agree so easily.
He didn't have many troops, but numbers alone didn't decide a battle.
He had already chosen his position. Once most of Godrick's reinforcements had moved past, he would lead his cavalry around the rear and strike.
The night was thick as ink, draping the land in darkness.
The fighting at the front was intense. Inside his tent, Godrick couldn't rest at all.
He had recruited many Tarnished and spent days studying grafting. His strength had grown compared to before.
An Ancient Dragon was an irresistible temptation to a Golden Descendant, but he knew the risks.
"Something isn't right…"
Godrick muttered under his breath, unease stirring in his chest.
The battle had dragged on for quite some time, yet Nolan Bethel had not appeared once.
A single champion could change the course of a war, and his army clearly outmatched the defenders of Miro Fortress.
By all logic, Nolan should have joined the battle already.
Could it be… he fears my reputation?
The thought surfaced in Godrick's mind.
At that moment, a soldier rushed in, panic written all over his face.
"Your Highness! A large force of cavalry has appeared behind our camp. They're charging straight at us!"
"What!?"
Godrick's expression changed instantly.
As if answering him, another sound rose from the distance.
Familiar, yet strange.
It shifted between high and stirring, and low and resonant, weaving through the night sky.
Woooo—
The blare of horns echoed across the darkened lands of Limgrave, rising and falling in waves.
The sound seemed to carry across time itself, rolling endlessly over the vast plains.
From the north, the horns rang out with overwhelming force, crashing against the ears and hearts of all who heard them.
The Grafted Lord's enemy had arrived.
The old Lord of Cinder led his warriors in a full charge, their horses racing through the darkness no matter how far the distance.
Melina held tightly to Nolan from behind, one arm around his waist, the other gripping the Blade of Calling.
It wasn't a weapon suited for a battlefield like this, but her strength allowed her that freedom.
"Focus on protecting yourself," Nolan said.
Melina hesitated. She wanted to say she could turn intangible, that no one could harm her.
But the words never left her lips. She simply nodded.
At that moment, the Erdtree in the distance began to glow, like a beacon lighting the entire world.
Everyone looked toward the north.
The clouds on the horizon churned violently, no longer faint and indistinct.
The first light of dawn flickered at the edge of the sky.
A new day was about to break.
"Kill! Look, the light is right behind us. It's chasing us!"
"For glory, for the Lands Between, for the people!"
Nolan raised his Claymore high and roared:
"Charge!"
Torrent surged forward at once, hooves pounding across the earth.
The banner behind Nolan snapped wildly in the wind. The black steed with white mane raced across the green plains, yet even that banner could not keep up with his speed.
Hundreds of knights followed behind the white-clad Lord. The Lord of Cinder remained at the very front, charging straight into the enemy.
Dolores kept close, golden hair streaming beneath her helmet.
Why charge so fast? The faster you ride, the closer you get to death.
She didn't understand. She only knew that heroes were like this.
The cavalry looked like fearless madmen, the will of "gold" burning in their blood.
That ordinary men could create something like this… she had never imagined it.
And today, they would take the Demigod's head and let their Lord's light shine across the world.
Dawn finally broke, tearing through the darkness of the night.
A cool wind from the north swept across the land.
The sudden assault threw the Demigod into confusion, and fear spread through his army.
Soldiers fled in panic, crashing into the oncoming cavalry. Some fell to spears, others were trampled beneath iron hooves.
The battlefield roared as steel clashed, forming a fierce, rising war song.
The knights fought without fear. With every strike, enemies fell. This was their most glorious battle.
Their battle cries carried on the wind, reaching both Godrick's camp and Miro Fortress.
The Lord of Cinder, bearing his vow, had already cut his way onto the road leading from the outer camp to the main encampment.
His knights followed close behind. Dolores was among them, swept along in the charge.
In just over ten minutes, more than half the camp had fallen.
Flames spread rapidly, devouring tents and turning the camp into a sea of fire.
The soldiers, thrown into chaos by the sudden attack, scattered in all directions, trying to flee back across the bridge to safety.
Nolan's cavalry tore through the enemy ranks, but the army had not yet completely collapsed.
At the rear of the camp, a group of soldiers wearing red hoods emerged. These exile soldiers were the last core force.
With a furious roar, their commander led the elite forward, charging straight at the silver-haired Lord.
Nolan reacted immediately, ordering his cavalry to meet them head-on.
The two forces collided with brutal force.
The warriors of the Lord of Cinder burned with stronger conviction, and their mounted advantage was clear.
Though outnumbered, the cavalry surged through the enemy ranks like a relentless tide, breaking and reforming again and again.
Near the center, the knights cut down everything in their path, driving off those who had already lost the will to fight.
Even Melina and Dolores were swept along in the tide of battle.
Only Nolan gradually slowed.
Ahead, a figure swung a massive golden greataxe. A raging storm followed each strike, sending soldiers and knights flying.
Godrick roared, trying to rally his army.
"Do not panic! Do not run! Regroup. All of you, fall back to me!"
But it made no difference.
The storm unleashed by his fury did not steady his forces. It knocked his own men down instead.
Compared to the mortal cavalry, the soldiers feared this terrifying Demigod far more.
Nolan looked at Godrick.
And Godrick looked back at him.