Leda watched Gawain, who was currently radiating an overwhelming brilliance, her lip twitching involuntarily. The image of him bathed in flames during the Festival had left a deep impression on her, but that had been during the white-hot climax of a battle.
Now, even in his "base" state, he projected a similar level of pressure. She couldn't help but wonder: just how much stronger had he become in such a short time?
On one hand, she felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of finally defeating Mohg. On the other, she felt a faint, lingering worry about such a powerful and uncontrollable variable. If only Lord Miquella's enchantment could be placed upon him, she thought, then everything would be perfect.
She stood before the gateway to the Mohgwyn Palace and channeled her magic to activate it. Following a brief moment of disorientation, the four of them were instantly transported into the heart of the Blood Dynasty.
They materialized within a stone grotto, looking down upon a path that wound its way downward. This was the cliffside road leading toward the Dynasty's center.
Gawain shook off the brief teleportation haze and led the way out of the short cavern. Before them, the scene opened up into a vast, cavernous expanse. His gaze swept forward, taking in the familiar sights: rows of Albinaurics slumped along the road, the monstrous blood-crows, the "Blood Bank"—he had finally arrived.
By now, the Albinaurics below had noticed them and were scrambling to their feet. Those individuals who had absorbed excessive amounts of Accursed Blood reacted instantly, blood-red spikes erupting from their bodies as they glared at the intruders, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
Gawain, however, paid no mind to the fact that they had been discovered. He intended to announce his arrival in the most conspicuous manner possible. Ignoring the worthless rabble, he locked his sights on the mausoleum situated at the very heart of the Dynasty.
His body erupted with a blinding light. Using a sacred seal as his medium, he condensed an incredibly dazzling, searing Sunlight Spear in his hand.
After witnessing Gwyn himself demonstrate the technique, Gawain's execution of this legendary move was flawless.
He hoisted the spear high and hurled it with all his might. A streak of blinding solar brilliance lanced across the false subterranean sky, like a dawn breaking through an eternal night.
The Sunlight Spear crossed the vast distance in an instant. Several crows bloated with Accursed Blood tried to intercept it, but they were simply vaporized, failing to even slightly impede the progress of that sun-like radiance.
The devastating projectile pierced through several more obstacles before striking the temple atop the distant mountain with pinpoint accuracy, erupting in a fountain of brilliant light.
Deep within the mausoleum, Mohg was still using the blood summoned from the Formless Mother to taint Miquella within the cocoon. He suddenly felt something rapidly approaching his Dynasty.
He was forced to interrupt the ritual and emerge from the cocoon. For a moment, he was blinded by the glare of the approaching Sunlight Spear. Without hesitation, he reached into the void and drew forth the genuine Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear.
Here, in the place closest to the Formless Mother, his power was on an entirely different level compared to the phantoms he projected to the surface. With a simple sweep of his spear, he condensed torrents of Accursed Blood into several barriers, intercepting the Sunlight Spear.
A violent explosion rocked the entire temple. Though his barriers were shattered, the residual force was not enough to reach the cocoon behind him.
Mohg cast a glance back at Miquella. Relieved that his consort's slumber remained undisturbed, he gripped his spear so hard the veins on his hand bulged. His eyes shone with a dangerous, ecstatic light.
"So, you have finally come. Shall I call you confident, or merely arrogant? Had you stayed on the surface, I would have had no way to touch you. But since you have walked into my home, you shall become the nourishment for my Dynasty."
Ever since the attack on the Academy, Mohg had anticipated that Gawain would come looking for him. He had prepared accordingly. Though the opening strike had caught him slightly off guard, it was nothing more than a nuisance.
Having clashed several times already, Mohg felt he had a handle on Gawain's combat style. Whether it was his array of strange abilities or his habit of summoning powerful spirits, Mohg knew what to watch out for.
But his own attacks weren't without effect. If the man could be wounded and made to bleed, he could be defeated. And this was Mohg's home turf. The true authority granted to him by the Formless Mother was something the rest of the Lands Between had yet to witness. This arrogant interloper would be a fitting first recipient of its full glory.
Yet, Mohg was genuinely surprised that Gawain had dared to waltz in with only three companions. It was a bit beyond his expectations—though, in the Mohgwyn Palace, numerical advantage was meaningless anyway.
"Mohg! Get out here!"
Following the "opening gift," a provocative roar echoed throughout the Blood Dynasty. Every creature tainted by the Accursed Blood and every Sanguine Noble stirred in response.
The Palace-Approach Ledge-Road was swarming with Albinaurics in various states of mutation. Seeing the intruder and hearing such a blasphemous challenge to their Lord's dignity, they erupted with blood-spikes and began rolling forward, intent on draining the intruder's blood to add it to the great lake at the center of the Dynasty.
"Stay back and protect yourselves. I'll handle the rest."
With those words, Gawain walked alone toward the dense throng of Albinaurics, his body wreathed in the power of miracles.
Freyja watched the sea of enemies below and immediately wanted to shoulder her blade and join the fray, but Leda held her back. That Sunlight Spear from earlier had left her stunned; there wasn't a demigod alive who would dare take such a hit head-on.
"This is not a battle we can intervene in," Leda said. "Stay on the periphery and watch. Treasure your life; do not forget it is a gift from Lord Miquella."
After restraining the battle-hungry Redmane, Leda turned to Melina and asked in a softened tone, "Miss Melina, do you consider those below to be a threat? Do we need to assist him?"
Melina said nothing, but a slight smile played on her lips. She gathered the light of an Incantation in her hand, using her spiritual link to send support to the front line.
"Before the true battle begins," Melina said, "let him have his warm-up."
"I see. That is indeed Lord Gawain's style."
Leda found a good vantage point to observe. Her role was the same as it was during the Festival: provide long-range support if possible, and use her eyes to confirm just how powerful Gawain had truly become.
Slowly drawing the Sword of Night and Flame, Gawain watched the tide of enemies rushing toward him. He felt his blade vibrate slightly. He wondered just how many runes he could farm from this wave of Albinaurics. The "Blood Bank" truly lived up to its name.
He didn't hold back. Channeling a torrent of glintstone through the sword, he utilized the power of Ranni's Great Rune to massively amplify the beam. He swept the Night Comet across the ledge, obliterating the first wave of Albinaurics in a single stroke.
The overwhelming force didn't stop there; it tore through the cliffs and ancient structures along the path, effectively turning the winding ledge-road into a straight line.
In a place where he didn't have to worry about collateral damage, Gawain discarded all restraint. He had no need for hesitation here—only slaughter. In his mind, not a single soul in this Dynasty of madmen was innocent.
Watching from the rear, Melina knew Gawain had entered that extreme combat state again. She had seen it when he dealt with the Kindred of Rot, and before that, when he purged the Misbegotten in Castle Morne. Generally, when he entered this state, it meant his enemies were in for a gruesome end.
With a path carved directly toward the blood lake by the glintstone torrent, countless Sanguine Nobles emerged from the shadows. Sensing the fury of the Lord of Blood from the mausoleum, they charged desperately at the intruder, hoping to win their Lord's favor with a show of bravery.
Against an ordinary Tarnished, these nobles might have been a threat, but here they were mere cannonballs for the grinder. As Melina had said, this was merely a warm-up.
Whether it was the mutated beasts or the nobles wielding Dynasty sword-skills, nothing could halt Gawain's charge. It could hardly be called a battle; it was a unilateral massacre.
Standing at the entrance of the mausoleum, Mohg looked down at the blood-soaked engine of death below. The Sanguine Nobles he had hand-picked for their potential were popping like fragile bubbles in a boiling pot of blood.
The moment they were struck, their bodies were pulverized, their remains flowing down the newly carved path to rejoin the central lake. In a sense, it was a recycling of power.
Mohg knew he had to act. He couldn't let the man slaughter his way all the way to the temple. The massive lake below, containing nearly infinite amounts of Accursed Blood, was his prepared battlefield.
He raised his sacred spear. Miquella's cocoon was instantly sealed behind layers of blood; no one but Mohg could approach it. With the seal in place, he looked down to see that the majority of his nobles had already been wiped out.
The scene filled Mohg with a white-hot fury. For a moment, it felt as though the curse of his own blood was about to erupt.
While he didn't care deeply for the nobles who followed him only for power, seeing them treated like this was an intolerable blow to his dignity. His new Dynasty had not yet been born, yet the ritual had been interrupted by such an insolent wretch.
No matter. The blood of the fallen nobles had returned to the central pool, becoming part of his own strength.
After one last look at Miquella, Mohg dissolved into a pool of blood and manifested in the center of the lake—a body of water so vast it was practically an ocean of blood. He turned his back to the path, waiting for his foe.
By now, only a handful of Sanguine Nobles remained. Seeing their Lord appear, their morale surged, even if he made no move to help them.
But it was too late. Had they scattered and fled, hunting them down might have been a chore. Now, they had simply gathered to be finished off.
As the final noble was reduced to a spray of gore, Gawain shook the blood from his weapon and rested the Sword of Night and Flame on his shoulder. He stepped into the blood pool, the liquid reaching his ankles. The deeper he walked toward the center, the deeper the lake became.
He looked at Mohg's back and let out a contemptuous laugh. He didn't attack immediately; instead, he swaggered forward and extended a hand.
"Hey, Mohg. The days of you sending phantoms and lackeys to hunt and ambush are over. Hand over Miquella."
Hearing his greatest taboo mentioned so casually, Mohg was so enraged he actually laughed. He gripped his spear and turned around.
"Miquella is mine. If you want him, come and take him. You know the rules."
"I knew you'd say that."
Gawain's empty left hand summoned a greatsword of dark, shimmering blue. Instantly, the air was chilled by the aura of the Dark Moon.
Mohg's eyes flickered with surprise at the sight of the blade, but he took a step forward, his spear held ready.
"Do you even remember how many battles we have fought?"
Gawain shrugged. "I've lost count. Ever since I arrived in the Lands Between, you and your nobles have been crawling all over me. So, it's time to end this, Mohg! Once and for all!"
The utter disdain in Gawain's eyes reminded Mohg of his time locked in the sewers of the capital. Back then, the Golden People had looked at him with similar expressions—no, this was worse. Those people had feared him as an Omen; this man looked at him with genuine contempt, as if he were looking at trash.
As the Lord of Blood, he could not tolerate such an insult. He hoisted Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear high.
"Then let it be as you wish. Today, we end everything. I admit you are more powerful than I imagined, but unfortunately for you, you have stepped into my Dynasty. Don't worry. After you die, I will offer your flesh to the Mother. Then, you shall have the honor of witnessing the birth of the magnificent Dynasty of Mohg and Miquella!"
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (272 chapter - Ongoing)
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