Too fast, too sharp. He barely saw the blade slice through the shield. Godrick's arm tumbled away. Thorne looked down. A bottomless slash in the earth. His breath hitched. The strongest swordsman in The Lands Between? The Blade of Miquella? Magic gone. The blade of light vanished. Godrick rolled back. Agile. Malenia lifted a foot.
Bang!
A violent gale slammed into Thorne. He flew back. Stumbled. His back hit something hard. Ivan. Covered in blood.
"Are you alright?" The Cleanrot Knight sounded surprised. Ten seconds ago, Thorne had looked ready to charge. Ivan hadn't expected such recklessness. Knocking Godrick back was one thing. But to kill him? A demigod. Even a madman wouldn't try that. The madness left Thorne's face. No lingering fear. No fantasy novel cliché. He savored the sword strike. A secret technique. Ashina skills. The power of The Lands Between.
"A pity. My strength wasn't enough. Otherwise, that strike would have ended Godrick's life!" Thorne stayed in that space. Impossible to force. Not until his shoulder received a hard pat. "Wake up! Did you hit your head?" Ivan was worried. Thorne was covered in blood. Wounds everywhere, carved by the storm. "I'm fine. I won't die yet." Thorne felt the pain. Everywhere.
His chainmail was rags. He pushed the knight away. Galloping hooves approached. "You still have to fight. Don't worry about me."
"Fine. Drink this first." Ivan wasted no words. He drank from a bottle. Crimson liquid. The gruesome wounds stopped bleeding. He pulled another bottle. Tossed it to Thorne, then left. No looking back.
Eh, isn't this the Flask of Crimson Tears? Thorne held the object.
First time seeing a 'health potion' in The Lands Between. Equivalent to Ashina's Healing Gourd. Top-tier restorative medicine. The Erdtree weakened. Dew became scarce. He hadn't seen any in Liurnia. As expected of the Erdtree's regular army.
Thorne thought about it and stuffed the flask into his spirit-calling ring. His injuries weren't fatal. Such divine medicine should be kept for the most critical moment.
He didn't drink the medicine to help; he just wanted to carefully watch how powerful the legendary Valkyrie truly was. A storm rose, and the churned-up soil was shredded by blade light. Malenia was fast, possessing a unique elegance. Conversely, Godrick had lost his previous ferocity and was now in a wretched state. He rolled several times to finally escape the attack range. Looking up, he saw Malenia walking toward him unhurriedly. Her back was straight, the tip of her blade scraped the ground, and her tall figure gave off an illusion.
It was like a mountain, slowly and irresistibly pressing down on him. "I've already yielded Stormveil to you. Do you have to be so ruthless?" Veins bulged on Godrick's forehead as he raised his great axe with both hands. Seeing the Valkyrie remain silent, he swung down with all his might. "Then die!!" Boom— Rumble—
The ground shook and the mountains swayed. Even Thorne, several hundred meters away, wobbled. He watched as the ground was torn apart, and a spiral storm blasted several cracks into the walls of Stormveil, kicking up a sandstorm wherever it passed.
Hiss, it's a good thing I stayed in close quarters earlier. Thorne gasped. This wasn't a level a human could reach, but he wasn't worried at all. If Godrick was this fierce, Malenia would only be stronger! In fact, the moment the golden great axe slammed down, Malenia stopped, jumped lightly, and suddenly vanished. Flash Step. Before Godrick could pull his axe out, she was already in front of him. A vacuum zone formed in the center of the sandstorm. Fortunately, he was prepared and immediately thrust his spear down. Bang!
A shallow pit was smashed into the ground, but Godrick's expression changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost. Malenia completely ignored the laws of physics, going from extreme speed to a dead stop in a split second. She then stepped on the spear and leaped lightly, flying over Godrick's head. Blade light lingered in the air, and the limb holding the spear was severed at the root. The strike was so fast that Godrick didn't even feel the pain. "Get away!" With a roar, he stomped his right foot, and a rising tornado enveloped him.
As he turned his head, he saw Malenia had already leaped lightly into the distance. With a gentle tap of her toes, she bounced back like a meteor. Die!! Storm Blade! Holding the axe with both hands, he swung horizontally while twisting his waist. His eyes were locked onto the woman charging straight at him, and then—
The already extremely fast Valkyrie accelerated again, ducking low and stopping right beneath Godrick. The golden battle axe swept over her head, scattering a few strands of red hair in the air. Time froze.
Godrick watched. Helpless.
The prosthetic blade twisted. A flash. Blade light, brilliant, swallowed him whole.
Flying Bird Flurry.
"It's over." Thorne applauded, despite himself. Too fast. He hadn't seen the moves clearly. Just dozens of dimension-slash-like blade lights. Then Godrick, drenched in blood, his massive frame losing its strength, knelt. Before Malenia. When gods fought, even clear sight wouldn't help the body react. But frustration? Gone. Joy bloomed within him.
A sword's edge came from grinding. He'd witnessed the Valkyrie's blade. This trip had been worth it. The only regret: he hadn't taken Godrick's head. "Sigh. A pity. The Haligtree Army, off chasing Miquella, wouldn't care for Limgrave. They wouldn't take Godrick's life." Thorne sighed. Then, the scene. History in the making. The Valkyrie, standing, in a pool of blood, looking down at the trembling Godrick.
His spine seemed removed. Gone, the arrogance. Replaced, the humility of a shivering animal.
Clang.
The prosthetic blade rose.
Quickly, Godrick lunged. Grabbed Malenia's leg.
"Invincible Valkyrie, Miquella's peerless blade, I, Godrick, submit! I will be your hound. By my blood and honor, every inch of land under my rule pledges loyalty!" His tone, desperate. He stuck out his tongue, licking Malenia's prosthetic limb, not missing a speck of dust.
Malenia watched, cold. Silent. Letting Godrick lick, again and again. He didn't lift his head. The prosthetic blade stayed raised. Unmoving.
"Grafting is a sin." "Yes. I will cut off all limbs, as soon as I return!" "The nobles of Limgrave will be an obstacle to me." "I will issue an order. Anyone who opposes the Haligtree, their titles are stripped!" "What about your army?" "Of course. I will gather them all and disarm them."
The questions ceased. Godrick still shivered.
Now that he was the fish on the chopping block, he had to do everything to prove his value. He was, after all, the Lord of Limgrave. If Malenia had no interest in incorporating it, he had a hope. Without a lord, Limgrave would descend into chaos. Some nobles would surrender. Some would isolate. Some might even turn to Radahn. True, no fragmented noble could stop the Haligtree's advance, but crushing them one by one would waste time. If ignored, the logistics line would be affected.
A long silence. Godrick teetered on the edge of despair.
Then, a gentle tug. The leg in his arms slid away.
"Open the city gates."
The voice, proud and cold, carried on the wind. Godrick stopped shaking. He didn't dare lift his head. Maybe he feared Malenia seeing his resentment. Maybe he couldn't bear the gazes of the soldiers on the walls. Fleeing in secret, a monarch. Tangled by weaklings. Defeated by the Valkyrie without a fight. Reduced to licking her leg to survive.
This scene would be sung for ages, even after the Erdtree crumbled.
"Wow, what a level of social death." Thorne felt the sting of embarrassment for Godrick. He looked at the garrison, dumbfounded on the walls. Thorne raised his hands, framing the scene. A 'camera' gesture. The humble Godrick, the proud Valkyrie, the stunned onlookers. Thorne had witnessed history. Malenia, the center of attention, passed him. She offered an approving remark. "Fusing several types of power to create a swordsmanship… you are quite good."
An extremely high evaluation. But could she at least look at me while praising me? Thorne wasn't satisfied. He glanced at Godrick. Mimicking a certain honest and kind Imperial Uncle, he spoke.
"Your Highness, Godrick can bend and stretch. He could be considered a hero." Blatant praise-killing. Malenia paused, but she didn't turn to chop off Godrick's head. "I know. It won't be too late to kill him once I've achieved my goal." Her tone dripped arrogance. She slaughtered demigods like pigs or dogs.
Territory, victory — they meant nothing compared to a single hair of her brother's. Pacifying Limgrave for months? Out of the question. Killing Godrick meant dealing with nobles, with revenge. Thorne's lips moved, but he held back. Malenia wasn't Ranni. She owed him nothing.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves. A river of iron surged from the bridge. Flags, blades, spears. Stormveil Castle fell silent.
The knights outside the city had already surrendered. Ivan and the few survivors, supporting each other, roared with all their might:
"Haligtree Army, victory!!" The roar spread into the distance, merging with the sound of hooves and clashing armor, erupting into a mountain-shaking cheer. "Your Highness is invincible!" Under the gaze of the entire army, Malenia stood atop the hill and accepted it calmly, lightly raising her prosthetic blade. "All troops, enter the city!" Where the blade pointed, the army immediately changed direction.
Stormveil Castle held its breath. No arrows flew.
The gates swung wide. Soldiers knelt, a silent, humble offering. Dawn painted the scene. The blood-slick swordsman took it in. The broken fortress. The river of iron, still flowing. Godrick, head bowed low. Then, his eyes found the Valkyrie. Red hair danced in the wind, a beacon. Her back was rigid. Sunlight kissed the slender blade she held. A hero, no matter what came next.
The storm raged on. Thorne inhaled deeply.
He had been lucky enough to witness an epic...
He had also participated in creating this epic!