"Another way?"
Liana turned her head slightly, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Yes, another way. I said I would do my best to save you, but after this method, you might die, or you might live. Regardless of the outcome, you will undergo a massive transformation."
Mohg nodded, then picked Liana up in his arms and unfurled the wings on his back.
"However, I have one condition."
"What is it?" Liana asked, looking up at him from his embrace.
"If you survive, you shall no longer believe in the Erdtree. You shall belong to me."
Mohg's gaze and tone were flat. During this blessing process, he intended to leave his own mark and blood within her to ensure he could maintain control over the situation. It was true that he had a certain degree of pity for this girl, but compared to that small shred of affection, his own life was far more important. This was also an experiment; if it succeeded, he could begin developing his own faction.
The Mohgwyn Dynasty!
"If you truly can save me, I am willing. In these sunless sewers, both the Two Fingers and Queen Marika have abandoned us... I see no other hope."
"So... if you can truly give me light, you will be my only one."
Looking into Liana's eyes, Mohg said nothing more. He beat his wings and flew directly toward the opening above.
Before long, Mohg brought Liana to a wooden platform high up. Looking out from there, one could catch a glimpse of a single corner of the Erdtree. He noticed Liana's eyes gradually grow misty as she stared at it, but soon, her expression turned dark and hollow.
Seeing that Liana had stopped speaking and was no longer looking at the Erdtree, Mohg beat his wings again and slowly descended.
"What are you doing?"
Morgott looked at the returning Mohg with a look of suspicion—especially when he saw Liana in Mohg's arms, his expression shifted into one of alarm.
"...I don't know what's going through your head, but it's not what you think. Liana just asked me to let her see the Erdtree one last time."
"Oh. That's exactly what I thought," Morgott replied flatly, nodding.
That's a lie. No matter how you look at it, your face didn't mean that just now... Mohg thought to himself, squinting at his brother.
"Anyway, I'll leave things here to you, Brother. I plan to take Liana to a more secluded spot in the Leyndell Catacombs..."
"...I understand."
Morgott fell silent for a moment and then nodded. He had some memory of the girl; he felt a tinge of regret for her situation, but there was nothing he could do except pray that her soul would return to the Erdtree.
"Master Mohg, what is it actually like to 'return to the Erdtree'?" Liana suddenly asked from Mohg's arms.
"Master Mohg? Fine, whatever. As for returning to the Erdtree... it's probably just going back inside the tree to wait for the next rebirth. But true rebirth is likely something only heroes who have left their names in history can actually achieve."
"True heroes?"
"Yeah. Heroes recognized by the Erdtree, allowed to return to the tree in soul form."
"Is that so... So, the things we've faced have been lies all along?" Liana's eyes dimmed even further.
"You can't really call it a lie. It's just a common word game," Mohg said, shaking his head. While the Golden Order's rule had many problems, one thing was true: the citizens blessed by gold did indeed have advantages that people elsewhere did not.
After leaving the area where the Omens gathered, Mohg took Liana directly into the pipes, heading straight for the prison they had been in before. There was plenty of blood there, and it was situated deeper down. With the sewers currently sealed off, it was perhaps one of the safest locations available.
Returning to this place, Mohg frowned again. Even Liana couldn't help but show a look of slight disgust.
"Master Mohg, why are we here?" Liana turned to him, puzzled.
"To receive a blessing from an Outer God. Your illness is rooted deep within your blood. To fully cure it, you would need a Great Bishop of the Golden Order to exert their power, or you'd have to be reborn through the power of the Erdtree. Otherwise, your only choice for survival is to accept the power of an Outer God."
"And I... am the spokesperson for this deity walking this world."
As he spoke, a small slit opened on Mohg's hand, and crimson blood began to flow slowly from it.
"She wields the power of blood. Under my guidance, She should be able to cure the affliction in your body. However, this means you will completely forsake the Erdtree and your former faith. So... what is your final choice?"
"I accept, Master Mohg."
Liana closed her eyes for a long moment. No one knew what internal struggle she went through, but in the end, she looked at Mohg with determined eyes and gave her affirmation.
"Good."
Mohg nodded. Without further hesitation, he moved to some prisoners who weren't quite dead yet and used them as "materials" to outline a massive blood sigil on the ground. He placed Liana in the center. At the final moment before the blessing began, Mohg sliced his own wrist, letting out a significant amount of his own blood.
"O Great Mother of Truth, Your agent in this world, Mohg, blessed of the Crucible, prays to You for the blessing of blood..."
Hum—
As the words fell, a faint red glow began to emanate from the drawn sigil, followed by a thickening mist of blood. Mohg felt his entire body shudder; he could feel the gaze of the Mother of Truth upon him.
Without hesitation, Mohg reached out and made a sudden swiping motion toward the void.
Splash!
A sound like rushing water echoed from the emptiness. A blood emblem ignited in the air, and countless streams of fresh, vibrant blood surged from the void, firmly wrapping around Liana's silhouette.
After an unknown amount of time, the blood gradually lost its color, turning a dark, dull red before flowing away. Liana's figure was revealed once more.
The bandages she had been wearing had fallen away, revealing a beautiful face, blood-red pupils, and... two small horns on her head.
Wait? Small horns?!
Mohg was stunned and checked again, only to find he hadn't seen wrong. There really were two horns on her head!
And for some reason, Mohg felt that the Mother of Truth seemed quite pleased, which left him utterly baffled.
Little did he know that in a certain place outside, a man with an extremely ugly expression was crushing a wine glass in his hand.
Just moments ago, he had felt someone he had selected being snatched away by an unknown entity...
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (227 Chapters – Ongoing)
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