At that moment, Godrick felt like his lungs were about to burst from sheer rage, the fire in his chest on the verge of erupting.
How could those damned Crucible Knights ever obey him?
They weren't his subordinates.
Trying to command those arrogant warriors was impossible.
As for grafting them onto himself, that was even more out of the question.
He still remembered when they escorted him back to Stormveil. Even the one ranked third among them had been someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
By then, Nolan had already closed the distance, raising his greatsword and striking down.
With another heavy clang of armor hitting the ground, two arms holding magic staves lifted from beneath Godrick's arms.
As the battle went on, the space around them grew emptier and emptier.
The ordinary soldiers and knights clearly understood the gap in strength and wisely kept their distance.
Even if anyone remained nearby, Godrick wouldn't have cared.
He raised a staff without hesitation. A brilliant magic sigil flared to life at its tip.
Star Shower!
Crystal Barrage!
Crystals fired in a rapid, relentless stream, pouring down like a storm and forming a suffocating barrage right in front of him.
Blue meteors trailed long tails as they arced in from all directions, tearing through the air as if they might rip space itself apart.
Magic surged like a flood bursting through a dam, swallowing everything in its path.
Even an entire army would have been wiped out under such overwhelming power.
"Real fights really aren't as stiff as they are in the game."
Nolan's eyes reflected the dazzling light, sharp and clear.
He thought back to Godrick in the game. Covered in arms, yet most of them were nothing more than decoration.
Nothing like now.
Those two crayfish heads alone could give countless Tarnished a hard time.
And on his back, an entire arsenal was strapped in place. Crossbows, shields, jar cannons, gleaming spears and halberds.
Close combat, ranged attacks, defense, raw power. He had everything.
Far more practical than grafting a dragon head.
Nolan flipped his hand, and a staff glowing with a faint blue light appeared in his grasp.
Ripples of blue energy spread outward from it like waves.
Where they passed, the air itself seemed tinted with a faint blue glow, dreamlike and unreal.
Thops's Barrier!
Godrick's eyes widened as he watched the raging torrent of magic crash down like a ferocious beast upon the seemingly defenseless Tarnished.
Boom!
The magic engulfed him instantly.
The ground shook violently as dust exploded upward like a rising cloud, surging more than ten meters into the air.
"You wretched Tarnished, how dare you speak so boldly before me!"
Seeing this, Godrick was overjoyed, laughter bursting from him without restraint.
But just as he reveled in it, a brilliant golden streak tore through the sky, rushing straight toward him at terrifying speed.
"Not good!"
Godrick's heart lurched. In a panic, he raised a greatshield in front of himself.
In the next instant, a golden spear, wrapped in a fierce gale, slammed into the shield.
With a harsh screech, sparks burst out in dazzling showers, bright as fireworks against the night sky.
Lightning crackled with a thunderous roar. The force behind the strike was overwhelming, blasting away Godrick's shield-bearing arm and splattering blood across the Golden Descendant's face.
"How is this possible… I blocked it with everything I had…"
Godrick stared at his severed arm in disbelief, fear and confusion flooding his expression.
Before he could recover, a figure burst out of the swirling dust.
The silver-haired knight.
Nolan raised his greatsword, his entire body radiating a relentless, all-or-nothing momentum as he charged straight at Godrick.
Clang!
Godrick had no chance to counter. The greatsword slammed into the golden greataxe, the recoil running up Nolan's arm.
Godrick managed to block it, but the impact still forced him back several meters, his feet carving deep grooves into the ground.
Even so, as a Demigod seasoned by war, he steadied himself the moment he stopped, and the crayfish heads on his shoulders opened their jaws again.
Two streams of water shot out in succession.
Nolan charged straight through, vanishing at the instant before they struck.
The next moment, he reappeared right in front of Godrick.
But Godrick was ready this time. Power surged into his arms.
"Die!"
The heavy blade drove downward, crushing the ground beneath Godrick's feet.
At the same time, the arms on his back lashed out wildly, two greatswords sweeping across with immense force.
The air itself seemed to split under the cutting wind. Cold flashes of steel reflected in Nolan's eyes.
Nolan moved just as fast.
Without a word, he kicked off the ground and leapt backward in quick succession.
Two sharp swishes rang out as the blades passed just inches from his face.
Each step carried him several meters back.
At that moment, the staff in Nolan's hand flared with brilliant light once more.
Adula's Moonlight Sword!
A freezing wave of magical blade energy burst forth, frosting the ground wherever it passed.
Godrick reacted instantly. He swung his greataxe, stirring up a violent storm, while raising both staff and shield.
Stormcaller!
Scholar's Shield!
Parry!
Three layers of defense wrapped tightly around him like a fortress.
The storm roared like a mad beast, but it was torn apart in moments by the overwhelming force.
The icy magic slammed into the shield with a thunderous crash.
With all three defenses in place, he barely managed to hold it back.
Even so, Godrick felt a chill run through him.
Compared to three years ago, this knight had changed completely. His strength had risen to an unbelievable level.
Back then, Nolan could only struggle to survive against him.
Now, he was suppressing him.
Godrick knew nothing of Nolan's soul fire. In his mind, there was only one explanation.
It had to be the Two Fingers.
That damned Finger Maiden must have helped the Tarnished. That was the only reason this insignificant knight had grown so strong.