"Great Formless Mother... Sovereign of Honor and Blood... I crave your gaze... I pray you descend with your blessing to deliver me from this broken shell..."
A prayer suddenly echoed in Mohg's mind as he was practicing magic. Unlike the usual prayers he received, this voice bypassed his mental filters entirely, delivering its words with crystalline clarity.
As a result, Mohg momentarily lost track of the glintstone sorcery he was charging. And then...
BOOM!
"Cough, cough, cough... Dammit!"
"What's this? It seems you've spaced out."
Renna watched Mohg's disheveled state, unable to suppress a look of pure schadenfreude. A pale blue barrier shimmered around her, shielding her from the soot and shockwave of the explosion.
"Something like that. I just thought of something else for a moment," Mohg said, wiping the dust from his face and smoothing out his robes. "I'm going to take a break so I don't accidentally cause another 'incident' later."
Without waiting for Renna to respond, Mohg hurried away. Renna stared at the spot where the spell had failed, a puzzled expression crossing her face. She couldn't fathom what could possibly distract him so thoroughly that he would forget to control his own mana mid-cast.
"Something feels... off," Renna murmured, narrowing her eyes as she watched his retreating back.
The moment Mohg was alone, he initiated a response.
For a voice to bypass his filters and reach both him and the Formless Mother, the supplicant must have prepared a significant sacrifice—either in quality or quantity. This was a high-value client.
As his consciousness submerged into the Sea of Blood, Mohg soon saw the person conducting the ritual.
A completely unfamiliar face appeared before him. Just as he was wondering who it was, a knight—seemingly a subordinate—stepped forward and handed a dagger to the man.
"Lord Nebra, everything is prepared. We only await your blood."
Nebra nodded. He sliced open his wrist, letting his blood flow into the pool before him as he resumed the prayer. Only then did Mohg realize where he was: his consciousness was manifesting within a statue Nebra had commissioned in his image!
He also recognized the man's identity. This was Nebra, the Count he had intended to find an opportunity to bless!
Mohg surveyed the surroundings and was genuinely staggered by the sacrifices Nebra had gathered.
A Runebear, Stormhawks, various knights of unknown origin, giant crabs, and a massive wild boar that bore the distinct traits of the Aspects of the Crucible. There were even limbs from a Flying Dragon.
He's really emptied out his entire treasury for this...
Mohg narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze from the offerings to Nebra himself. Suddenly, Nebra's body shuddered as if sensing something; his eyes widened, and he stared fixedly at the statue.
A Blood Warrior standing not far behind Nebra dropped to one knee.
"Great Formless Mother! Sovereign of Honor and Blood!"
As for how this Blood Warrior ended up here without Horulf reporting it... he had been caught by Nebra while out gathering intelligence and forced to assist with the ritual. Lacking any means to contact Horulf or Mohg, he had no choice but to stay and play along.
Seeing the warrior's reaction, Nebra cast aside his pride and knelt. He threw his hands high, reciting the prayers with feverish intensity.
Soon, a thick blood-mist billowed out, completely enveloping the pool. Mohg threw his full awareness into the statue. Sensing the weight of a divine gaze emanating from the stone, Nebra's hands began to tremble as he crawled closer.
"Lift your head, my warrior."
Mohg adopted his original body's voice—deep, raspy, and saturated with the raw ambition of the Lord of Blood. Though Nebra couldn't see his face, the image of a Blood Sovereign began to take shape in the Count's mind.
"I feel your thirst for honor, your craving for battle. You refuse to fade into silence. I can grant you my blessing, but in exchange, I require your absolute loyalty."
Nebra fell silent for a fleeting moment before bowing his head to the earth.
"As you command... my new King."
Splaaash—!
The moment the words left Nebra's lips, the blood in the pool began to churn and boil. Mohg reached out to the Formless Mother, offering all the sacrifices in the room through his own hands. In return, he funneled the power of the blessing directly into Nebra.
He was effectively acting as the middleman taking a cut—but there was a benefit to this. By passing the power through Mohg first, Nebra wouldn't be as severely overwhelmed by the more volatile aspects of the Cursed Blood.
As the crimson tides and mist receded, only a massive Blood Cocoon remained on the floor, its red light pulsing rhythmically as if it were a living heart.
Lange watched with deep concern. As Nebra's most loyal confidant, he had been vehemently opposed to the idea of sacrificing to an Outer God for a blessing. But seeing Nebra's resolve, he had ultimately chosen to stand by his side.
Even so, he was terrified. In his memory, the Lands Between were home to many twisted deities—like the God of Rot, who spread the Scarlet Rot to turn the world into a festering wasteland.
(Truth be told, the God of Rot gave Mohg a feeling very similar to a certain one of the "Four Little Ones" from his old world... though there were distinct differences.)
Now that the ritual was complete and Nebra had entered a deep slumber within the cocoon, Lange felt a bit lost. However, he didn't hesitate. He immediately ordered the elite guards loyal only to Nebra to secure the perimeter. No one was to enter this area until Nebra woke—especially anyone from Stormveil!
The Blood Warrior remained by Lange's side. Lange felt the warrior was likely more familiar with these situations than he was. Moreover, now that Lord Nebra had embraced this deity and drawn the gaze of that Great Being, this Blood Warrior was now one of their own. They shared a common interest, making the warrior more trustworthy than almost anyone else.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (415 Chapters – Full)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────