In the span of a breath, the gap between the Blade of Miquella and Trina's Lord had already become clear.
Malenia had joined hands with the Goddess of Rot she hated most, yet she still could not subdue this powerful Lord.
Before the Goddess of Rot could even voice her astonishment at that power, she watched Malenia fly backward.
More precisely, Malenia had been violently forced back by an overwhelming burst of power.
She staggered, trying to regain her balance, while the long blade in her hand trembled nonstop, as if it might fly from her grip at any moment.
This was undoubtedly the strongest chain of Waterfowl Dance slashes Malenia had ever unleashed, yet it had been broken head-on just like that.
And in the gap between those slashes, Nolan suddenly rushed forward and drove the tip of his sword against Malenia's blade.
Every move of the Waterfowl Dance Sword Style had been seen through by Nolan. No matter how fast the slash, in his eyes it was full of openings. If she could not overwhelm him at the root, he would counter her in an instant.
But Malenia's jade-white legs shifted across the ice, stepping out the Water Lotus Dance within the Waterfowl Dance Sword Style.
Usually, her "dance" was like a surging tide of attacks, but this time, the reef she struck was one capable of rolling up waves of its own.
The Promised Claymore in Nolan's hand erupted with a thunderous crash. The impact of metal against metal rang out like sudden thunder, deafening and fierce.
Malenia could not withstand it at all. She did not even have the chance to counterattack and could only retreat in disarray.
This man was the same as before, yet completely different. Nolan's technique, as if tempered through countless years of battle, had not dulled in the slightest, while his body had grown terrifyingly powerful.
The last trace of luck in Malenia's heart scattered like smoke in that instant.
She suddenly realized that her only reliance might be that hateful Goddess, and her first instinct was to kick her away.
The Valkyrie's armor was badly damaged, and the cold wind poured through the gaps, keeping her calm.
And yet sweat burst from every pore of her body like a broken dam, soaking her through from the inside out.
So this was what it looked like when that man grew strong. Even Malenia, a Demigod renowned for her martial might, could barely see any hope of victory after playing her trump card.
Malenia's nerves were stretched to the limit, like a steel wire pulled taut enough to snap with the slightest mistake.
She knew any moment of carelessness could bring a disastrous result, and that was not the ending she wanted.
On the other side, Nolan seemed much more relaxed.
He moved his arm, feeling his muscles stretch and his bones loosen, producing a pleasant series of cracks.
Aside from his white armor, cloak, and that massive Claymore, he carried nothing unnecessary.
At this moment, Nolan could be said to be fighting two against one, yet he was in far better condition than both Malenia and the Goddess of Rot.
The Promised Claymore hung naturally at his side, as if it were taking a brief rest after an intense battle.
Although Nolan's strength had already far surpassed that of an ordinary hero, Malenia had gone so far as to cooperate with the Goddess of Rot she despised most in order to defeat him.
In a certain sense, Malenia and the Goddess of Rot might have slightly higher "stats" than Nolan.
But the actual combat power they displayed was far from comparable to Nolan at this moment.
This was the nature of the Lord of Another World. Nolan could draw out every last trace of his power to its absolute limit.
From the moment he was born into this world, he had been measured against Demigods and Lords.
Malenia silently adjusted the progress of her fusion.
As time passed, more and more red butterflies fell into her body like rain, as if there were no end to them.
This was her first attempt at such a fusion, and she had only one goal. To grasp the future that belonged to her and her sister.
Whether she should abandon everything to turn this man completely into something of her own, or allow him to become the Lord who ruled the Lands Between, Malenia had to make her decision at this very moment.
Suddenly, a blaze ignited on the Promised Claymore, instantly lighting both their faces.
The firelight flickered, reflecting Malenia's beautiful, cold face and Nolan's faintly teasing smile.
"You've improved a lot, but it still isn't enough." Nolan's voice rang through the silence, carrying a faint note of praise. "Honestly, if you wanted to learn swordsmanship, you could have just told me. I would have taught you."
Malenia stared straight ahead without speaking. A true swordsman could recognize their own sword, of course. Even if it was the same sword style, she was not afraid, and that was why she could cut out a stronger blade.
"True, lowering your head to me back then really would have been difficult, especially for you. A Demigod's pride, after all." Nolan seemed to see straight through Malenia's thoughts. He smiled and shrugged.
"It has nothing to do with pride. Who would bow their head to their own prey?" Malenia slowly lifted her helmet, her red hair dancing in the wind. "It simply isn't something worth standing tall over."
"Isn't it just like a hunter hunting prey? Understanding your prey before setting a trap is only natural. That's part of the hunt too, nothing shameful about it." Nolan nodded.
"You're very fond of finding excuses for your opponents," Malenia said with a frown, enunciating each word. This blade, which should have existed only to cut down enemies, seemed to feel shame for once.
"It's not an excuse. That's just how fighting is." Nolan shouldered the Promised Claymore and walked toward Malenia.
The conversation, which had still been relatively calm, collapsed after only a few words, like a flower battered apart by a sudden storm.
The reason for this battle had long been decided. Both sides knew it well, and neither would choose to stop now.
Nolan gripped his wrist tightly. The Promised Claymore in his hand seemed unable to withstand his strength and began to crack slightly, red light surging out from the fissures.
Beneath the cracked metal skin of the Claymore, endless flame seemed to burn, while Nolan's figure became indistinct in that instant.
This was the first time he had used a technique beyond the Waterfowl Dance Sword Style. No one knew exactly how powerful this move would be.
But one thing was certain. The outcome of this battle would likely be decided in the next instant.
Disappear, reappear. It was that simple. Nolan stood upright before Malenia.
The blade of the Promised Claymore seemed to tremble faintly, giving off a clear whistle as it quivered... did that sound not resemble a sleeping giant god?
Malenia even had the illusion that she was being watched by a Lord. Nolan's Claymore had not yet fallen, but the force on the blade seemed capable of piercing straight through her body.
"Run!" the Goddess of Rot suddenly roared, her voice filled with fear and despair.
A powerful aura gradually radiated from Nolan's body, spreading outward without end.
Under the pressure of that aura, even a troublesome deity like the Goddess of Rot found her fighting spirit being destroyed without her realizing it.
Though she stood high above and did not understand those battle techniques and moves, she had felt that flame many times before. She could vaguely smell the threat hidden in each flicker of fire.
If the Valkyrie's body, after receiving the man's kiss, was like a meat grinder that crushed flesh and bone inch by inch, then the sword in Nolan's hand was like a vast hell, filled with endless terror and killing intent.
That roar not only awakened Malenia's and Nolan's bodies, but also showed that the Goddess of Rot's fighting spirit had utterly collapsed.
This was undoubtedly the perfect chance to attack.
Remnant Flame!
Nolan took a deep breath and gathered every breath in his body into one. His entire figure became a flickering phantom of firelight, and the Promised Claymore cleaved down vertically from the front, a simple attack conveyed through the clearest possible motion.
And the so-called Promised Claymore had already been set alight. The ultimate flame hidden beneath the blade erupted in the instant it was swung, dazzling beyond words.
This was a sword only a Lord could swing. A slash that could only be cut out by the Incarnation Claymores wielded by the Lords of Cinder, inheritors of the First Flame, beings like gods.
That sword could ignite a flame that drove away darkness.
Malenia could not help losing herself for a moment. Yet the instincts of a warrior did not let the movement of her hands slow by even half a beat. Her long blade turned, and she seized the first chance to counterattack.
But a counterattack at this moment seemed far too weak. Still, when trapped in a dead end with nowhere to dodge, not raising her blade would mean waiting to be cut down by her opponent.
Just as Malenia prepared to attack again, her world suddenly blurred.
The scene before her grew hazy, replaced by familiar faces and places.
She saw her brother, her sister, and the smiling face of that man. Those memories surged up in her heart, making her feel both warm and pained.
Malenia had heard it said that before people died, they recalled the memories of their lives.
But she had not expected those memories to be so brief. In less than a second, she had already come back to herself.
When Malenia saw the scene before her clearly again, she found that she had fallen to the ground. Her body trembled slightly, and the long blade in her hand had snapped in two.
Unsurprisingly, Malenia was being held in a certain man's arms. Looking at the broken blade in her hand, she could not help feeling a little lost. It was obvious that more than the blade had been cut apart. The sky and sea had also split open like torn wounds.
"I'm not dead?" Malenia murmured. "But I clearly felt that sword cut through my body."
"Yes. Don't blame me for not being tender with you. I really did cut down," Nolan said, his face still wearing that familiar smile. "But if I let you die, a lot of people would be upset."
"So I told 'Death' to keep its distance from you, and when your body was severed, I told 'Life' not to leave even a single trace."
Malenia looked up at the torn sky and felt the man gently stroke her long hair, as if comforting a disappointed child. She sighed.
"No matter how you look at it, that was basically going through life and death once. Do you want to rest for a while?" Nolan asked slowly after a moment.
His gaze fell on the dim Erdtree.
Night had already descended. The moon had finally struggled free from the light and shadow of that tree, giving off a faint glow as it competed with the great tree's radiance.
Malenia's mind felt as if it had suddenly been emptied. All her thoughts were cut off in an instant, unable to connect again.
She felt somewhat dazed, and the worries originally buried in her heart surged up at that moment.
Just as she was lost in thought, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she felt relieved, as if all her troubles had vanished in that instant.
She raised her head, her eyes meeting Nolan's face just inches away. That familiar smile still hung on it.
Malenia opened her mouth, just about to take one last bite of the thing she had always wanted to claim but had never had the chance to, when she was suddenly stopped by that touch of warmth.
Her body trembled sharply. The hand supporting her back involuntarily lifted slightly, making her body arch upward in a daze.
Her body was still a little hot and weak. Whether from anger or because they were too close, she did not know, but a warm flush unlike rot rose across her skin.