Tower Town · Belurat.
After traveling for some time, they found another Site of Grace. Once it was activated, Lloyd rested briefly while Leda sat nearby, her expression complex, a quiet sigh rising in her chest.
She truly hadn't expected this. Known throughout the Haligtree for her extremity—one of the most ruthless even among the Borderlands—she now found herself thinking that someone else was too extreme.
And it wasn't just a little extreme. It was so far beyond reason that even she, a self-admitted madwoman, found it difficult to comprehend.
Leda had seen killers before. Sadists who delighted in torment, maniacs who butchered indiscriminately, armies that slaughtered entire races for victory, destroying nations and erasing bloodlines… She'd seen them all, and often enough that she had long since grown used to it.
But Lloyd was different.
Those other killers, for all their madness, at least had reasons. Some sought pleasure, some vented their rage, some wished to eliminate threats completely. Their methods were cruel, yes—but their motives were understandable.
Lloyd's weren't. She couldn't see any reason in his killing. It was as if slaughter itself was the goal. A kind of violence that existed only for its own sake—utterly incomprehensible to her.
Worse still, his efficiency was terrifying. Forget the madmen and psychopaths—those freaks might kill a few dozen, maybe a hundred in a year. Even the legions that wiped out entire peoples couldn't completely cleanse a region. They claimed to annihilate races, but complete extinction was almost impossible. Otherwise, the Albinaurics wouldn't still exist, and the Hornsent would have disappeared long ago.
Yet Lloyd did it.
Alone, before Leda's eyes, he accomplished in moments what armies struggled to do. He erased every Hornsent along his path, body and soul alike.
He even hunted down the small scorpions hiding underground, dragging them out and cutting them down one by one, until not a trace of life remained.
When Leda realized this, she finally lost her composure.
"Brother, we came here to find Lord Miquella—but judging by your pace, it looks more like you came to exterminate the Hornsent!"
At the same time, she began to understand why she'd never seen this man before.
—There was no way Miquella would ever let someone like him near the Haligtree!
Even she alone was enough for Miquella to avoid direct contact. If this man were let inside, Miquella might wake one morning to find himself the only one left—the Haligtree turned into the Lone Tree.
Still, after following Lloyd for a while and witnessing the Hornsent's total annihilation, though her expression and heart strained to stay steady, Leda's regard for him actually deepened.
Not because she admired his killing. She wasn't a pure lunatic—especially now, with Miquella's enchantment still steadying her mind.
Her growing favor toward Lloyd came from calculation.
She knew the stories others told about her—the tales of her madness and extremes—and she never denied them. But that didn't mean she was a mindless killer or some jealous fool.
To put it bluntly, much of her extremity came from choice—but much of it also existed to balance Miquella's "gentleness."
In any organized power, there are always two faces—one kind, one harsh. That balance keeps order.
At the Haligtree, Leda was the one by Miquella's side, playing the cruel role—the sword and blood that shadowed his light. She was the bad face, the villain, supporting his compassion with violence.
It wasn't something Miquella asked for. In fact, he had tried to stop her. But…
"I know everyone thinks I'm extreme. But doesn't anyone think… Lord Miquella is a little extreme too?"
To be honest, Leda knew her role as the villain went too far.
But Miquella's kindness went even farther.
Yes—she admitted it. Gentleness and tolerance are virtues. They're what make Lord Miquella admired across the Lands Between, the reason so many follow him.
But being gentle and tolerant toward everything? That was a problem.
Pity the Those Who Live in Death? Fine. Showing compassion to those unwillingly born into this world—understandable.
The Albinaurics? Reasonable too. Though their very existence was harmful, they were pitiable and loyal in their gratitude.
But how could you, Marika, tolerate someone who not only preys on young boys but once lured them in deceit? And then you let that man join the Golden Needle Knights?
He was about to lure you into his own room, and you still chose to "understand"? When his deception was exposed, you even stopped them from killing him?
And beyond that—traitors of the Haligtree, infiltrators, all those creeping with hidden motives...
Miquella's gentleness and tolerance were never an act. But for that very reason, he truly could accept anything—and dared to accept everything.
That didn't mean Miquella was a fool. If he were, he could never have created the "Triple Rings of Light" incantations to gift his father—the Golden Fundamentalist Law. That spell was something the red-haired monster developed after returning from the academy, blending sorcery and incantation. No one lacking intellect could have achieved such a feat.
So while he wasn't foolish—indeed, remarkably intelligent—whether due to some natural flaw or the influence of a power within him, Miquella genuinely believed, from the depths of his heart, that gentleness could solve everything. That if he showed others kindness and tolerance, they would inevitably return it in kind.
"I believe everyone is born good. I believe all souls can be redeemed. And I believe that with love, even sin itself can be undone..."
That was what Miquella once said—earnestly, with complete conviction.
But now, after arriving in the Land of Shadow, he had even extended that gentleness to the Hornsent...
No wonder Leda's madness wasn't without reason.
Because in truth, Miquella was just as much a madman—his madness simply took a more benevolent form. With others willing to follow his lead, it merely appeared normal.
That was also why the others beneath the Haligtree tolerated Leda's insanity.
Otherwise, no matter how strong she was—even as one of the most powerful among the Golden Needle Knights—if everyone truly turned against her, she wouldn't have survived.
The fact that she still lived meant that while the others disapproved of her behavior, they at least recognized her necessity.
Even so, Leda had begun to feel stretched thin.
Somewhere along the way, Miquella's "gentleness" had deepened—so much so that it became frightening.
He tolerated more and more, his faith in gentleness growing ever firmer, even driving him to take strange and unsettling actions in its name...
Leda herself didn't mind Miquella's changes. But since her role was to serve as his counterbalance, every time his ideals grew stronger, she had to match him in equal measure.
The problem was, no matter how she tried to heighten her own extremes, she couldn't keep pace with how quickly Miquella's had evolved. It left her discouraged, as if she had failed Lord Miquella's trust.
But now, before her stood someone even more extreme than she had ever been—and apparently, a chosen one guided by Lord Miquella's own will...
It was impossible for Leda not to feel a spark of interest.
After all, her role as the "harsh one" had long made her unwelcome among those of the Haligtree. And once Lord Miquella began to avoid her, she had been completely alone.
Serving Miquella loyally was her duty, of course—but beyond that, she had also longed for a companion.
Still, even as she found Lloyd increasingly pleasing to the eye, Leda didn't rush to any conclusion.
After all, while Lloyd's actions were indeed extreme, they bordered on excess. And though he had been chosen by Lord Miquella, his loyalty was still unproven. Whether he was truly worthy to serve as Miquella's beloved follower remained to be seen.
And then...
"This place… doesn't feel right."
Leda raised her head, her gaze fixing on the Tower Town before them, her expression turning grave.
Though she'd never been here before, having a Hornsent among their group had given her some basic understanding of the area.
Even someone from the Lands Between with no knowledge of Hornsent culture would notice something wrong here almost immediately.
The writhing rot of corrupted humanity, the shriveled walking corpses, and the knights clad in ornate armor—armor clearly not crafted in the Lands Between...
None of it fit. There were no horns, no traces of Hornsent craft. It was obvious these things didn't belong to their civilization—perhaps not even to this world at all.
And yet, while the scene left her wary and uneasy, Lloyd showed not the slightest trace of confusion. In fact, his expression almost looked… nostalgic.
Human pus, undead husks, and the Lands Between's version of the Lothric Knights…
With a setup this familiar, how could he not feel a pang of nostalgia?
And not just nostalgia—Lloyd had already expected this before stepping inside. He had a strong hunch that something from Lothric would appear here.
The reason was simple.
From his experience collecting shards, Lloyd had noticed a pattern. Though the fragments were scattered seemingly at random, each one always ended up possessing something that shared a certain common trait with it.
Stormveil's grafted limbs, Caelid's rot, the Academy's magic crystallization, and most recently, the Haligtree's corruption—all of it followed that rule.
During his previous exchange with Ansbach, who had once confronted and even attempted to slay Miquella, Lloyd learned that Ansbach had seen one of the fragments firsthand and shared the information with him.
Combining that pattern with what he knew of Miquella's nature...
A frail, sickly prince. A brother-obsessed, androgynous soul.
There was no need for Lloyd to guess which shard that pointed to.
"The twin princes of Lothric… I wonder if it's just one, or both of them this time."
Muttering to himself, Lloyd rose from the Site of Grace and pressed onward. After some time, he came across a special elite foe.
A Horned Warrior.
But unlike the ordinary kind, this one's armor was thicker, his great curved sword was larger than most, and twin red lights burned in his eyes.
Before Lloyd or Leda could even close the distance, the warrior vanished on the spot. A white pillar of light flashed—and in an instant, he appeared before them, slamming his massive blade down with crushing force.
Boom—
The sword struck the ground, missing its mark, but the attack wasn't over.
From the point of impact, a circular pillar of light descended from above, expanding outward in a wide ring. Then, with another swing, a crescent wave of light erupted and spread farther still.
"This... is Lord Miquella's power?"
Leda's eyes narrowed, but before she could think further, the warrior vanished again, reappearing mid-strike as his sword came crashing toward her.
Clang—
This time, Leda was ready. Her blade met the curved sword, not to block blindly, but to absorb the force and leap backward, escaping the attack's reach.
At the same moment, Lloyd raised his Golden Dragon Thunder Claymore. With a charged swing, he unleashed a surge of dragon lightning that roared toward the Horned Warrior.
The strike hit dead on—but the warrior's health bar barely dipped. Unflinching, he retaliated instantly, his blade flashing through white light as he appeared before Lloyd, knocking him flying.
"These stats are absurd..."
High mobility. High toughness. High aggression. Massive range. And now absurdly high numbers on top of that...
"What kind of broken enemy is this…"
While Lloyd cursed at the red-eyed Horned Warrior's ridiculousness, Leda was already locked in a brutal struggle.
True, her strength was considerable—but every Horned Warrior that had survived to this point was an elite among elites. And this one had been enhanced.
Worse still, empowered by a fragment of Miquella's blessing, the warrior had developed a specific resistance to Leda's attacks. She was being completely overpowered.
Just as she struggled to decide whether to push through or retreat, a massive greatsword made from twisted Crucible Horns pierced through the warrior's chest, lifting him off the ground.
[Throw Technique: Judgment of Sin]
"This is getting ridiculous..."
Lloyd twisted the blade, conjuring a storm that tore through the warrior's body before flinging him aside with a heavy swing.
Then, grasping the great curved sword forged from the souls of the hornsent—Messmer's gift—Lloyd turned toward the warrior who was already trying to rise again.
"You like teleporting, huh?"
Boom—
The instant the foe stood, Lloyd blinked forward, sending him flying again with a frost-charged strike.
"Like showing off that toughness, do you?"
Boom—
The Sinner's Great Curved Sword swung again, this time wreathed in fire, engulfing the Horned Warrior completely.
Before he could recover, a bolt of lightning flashed before him.
The thunder-charged blade sliced through the air, forcing the warrior to block desperately. He barely managed to parry, readying a counterattack—
But Lloyd was already raising his sword high.
This time, it was the final form of the Sinner's Great Curved Sword's battle art.
The power it carried—
Was Deathblight.
Boom!
The blade came down. Death's curse erupted, devouring all that remained.
The little health remaining on the enemy's bar vanished instantly, the Death Blight gauge filling to its limit. Black thorns burst from his body, impaling him completely.
[Death Blight!]
"Normally, I might play around with you a bit—but right now, I don't have that kind of time."
Dispelling his boss form, Lloyd turned toward Leda, who was still frozen in place.
"You alright?"
"I… I'm fine."
Leda blinked, finally regaining her senses. She looked at Lloyd, uncertainty in her voice.
"What was that just now?"
"Oh, that?"
Lloyd thought for a moment.
"Felt like the fight was gonna drag on forever, so I switched templates. Got it over faster that way."
"…What do you mean, 'switched templates'?"
"Just what I said. I switched templates."
Seeing Leda still staring at him in confusion, Lloyd helpfully started explaining what he meant.
And then...
"Please, stop. I don't want to know."
At first, Leda could vaguely piece together the meaning from context. But after Lloyd's "explanation," everything she thought she understood turned into gibberish. Worse, he'd wandered off on tangents, dropping one absurd claim after another until her mind had been completely battered.
Now she just felt numb.
To save herself from further mental damage, she hurriedly changed the subject.
"That form of yours… does it take much out of you? Some kind of price to pay?"
In her experience, techniques that suddenly amplified strength usually came with drawbacks. She didn't intend to dig too deeply into its mechanics, but since Lloyd was her comrade—and admittedly rather pleasant to look at—understanding his limits might be useful, whether for cooperation… or judgment.
However—
"Oh, none at all. I can switch to that template anytime."
Lloyd answered honestly.
"No cost, no downside. I can turn into that form whenever I want."
Since his battle with Malenia, Lloyd had unlocked the ability to enter his boss form freely, without any extra conditions or restrictions.
Leda froze.
"Then why didn't you use it earlier?"
Lloyd paused in thought.
"Because… it's more fun this way?"
Leda: "......?"
In truth, his larger form came with many inconveniences. Though it granted overwhelming power in close combat, the massive frame and reduced mobility made prolonged fights inefficient. He also preferred clearing areas in his usual form, so he'd simply chosen not to bother.
With that, the conversation ended, and the two pressed onward.
Both Lloyd and Leda were formidable, and with Lloyd's boss form for short bursts of destructive power, even the toughest elite monsters fell one after another. After some time, they reached the heart of the city, where a golden fog gate stood before them.
Passing through it, a name and health bar appeared.
[Divine Beast Lion Dance]
It was a lion dance—two performers, one carrying the head and one supporting the body.
Though only an act in form, the hornsent performers used their unique "Spirit Descent" technique through the lion's horns and ritual movements to invoke the true power of the divine beast. At the cost of their sanity, they could even transform into the beast itself—a terrifyingly powerful ritual...
"Wind!" "Ice!" "Thunder!" "Fire!"
"Death Blight!"
BOOM!
The massive blade came down, slicing the lion in half. The two performers within collapsed instantly.
[Equipment Acquired: 'Divine Beast Head']
[Acquired: 'Remembrance of the Divine Beast']
"You're weaker than that horned warrior," Lloyd muttered after felling the boss in a single combo.
Then, together with Leda, he walked to the elevator the beast had been guarding.
They rode it up. Before them loomed a massive door.
Pushing it open, they climbed a long staircase and arrived at a door overgrown with twisting tree roots.
"This is…"
Leda frowned deeply.
"I remember now. Lord Miquella once mentioned that within a tower sealed by shadow lies a door capable of turning an 'Empyrean' into a 'God'..."
She paused, closing her eyes to sense the area, then slowly opened them again.
"I can feel it. Lord Miquella is ahead—not a trace or mark, but himself. He's gone inside."
"Then how do we get in?" Lloyd asked.
"We can't."
Leda shook her head, brows furrowing.
"No wonder Lord Miquella abandoned his body. Even an Empyrean must shed their physical form to cross this seal, entering only as pure spirit. For us, unless we break the seal itself, there's absolutely no way through..."
Break the seal, huh?
Lloyd nodded, studying the barrier closely.
The longer he looked at it, the more his expression shifted.
This thing… looked strangely familiar.
"The Impenetrable Thorns... so that's what the Shadow Tree looks like, huh?!"
Realizing this, and recalling what Melina and Alice had told him earlier, Lloyd immediately understood how to deal with it.
So the sister burns the Erdtree, and the brother burns the Shadow Tree, right?
He couldn't help but smirk. "You two really are siblings..."
As Lloyd thought that, Leda suddenly remembered a piece of intelligence she had once obtained—a possible way to break the seal.
"Messmer's fire seed."
Her tone grew solemn. "Messmer is someone capable of perceiving the illusion of flame. With his fire seed, we can burn away this seal."
"Then we'll be able to enter."
Lloyd paused to think.
"What about the Frenzied Flame?"
"The Frenzied Flame is certainly... Wait—what flame did you just say?!"
Leda's reaction was instant. Even she startled herself, eyes widening as she quickly scanned Lloyd with suspicion.
Lloyd raised both hands lightly. "Relax, it was just a joke."
"That's not funny in the slightest."
After confirming that there was no abnormal glow in his eyes, Leda let out a slow breath, though her tone carried frustration.
"The Frenzied Flame isn't something to joke about. Say that outside and people won't even wait for you to explain—they'll just run you through on the spot."
Lloyd only chuckled, saying nothing more.
Turning back to the seal, he reached out and brushed his hand along the twisted branches entwined before them.
"But anyway—you're sure Miquella's inside, right?"
"I'm certain."
Leda nodded firmly. "The presence of the Divine Gate, and the aura of Lord Miquella... If I'm right, he's already begun the ritual to ascend as a god. He's likely in the middle of it right now..."
"I see."
Lloyd nodded, then glanced toward her.
"In that case, I've got a shortcut to the Shadow City. Want to come along?"
"What shortcut?" Leda asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out once you try it."
He extended his hand toward her.
Leda hesitated for a moment, but trusting him, she eventually raised her own hand and clasped his.
"By the way, Lloyd... do you have any plans for after this?"
"After this?"
"I mean after Lord Miquella returns."
Still holding his hand, she continued, "I can guess why you've been absent, but things are complicated on his end too. If possible, I'd like to invite you to work with me afterward... Would you consider it?"
Lloyd smiled faintly. "Well... we'll see."
Keeping her hand in his, he opened his map.
A strange dizziness washed over them—and when Leda's senses returned, she realized she was standing in the depths of the Shadow City itself.
"Ah, seems you really do have your methods."
Glancing around at their surroundings, Leda slowly turned toward Lloyd.
"So next, we can start looking for—"
She froze mid-sentence.
Because as she turned, something familiar came into view.
A small purple flower.
Leda blinked in confusion. "Lloyd, you—"
"Get some rest, Miss Leda."
Before she could react, purple smoke burst forth, engulfing her face completely.
Her mind went blank as her consciousness fell into darkness.
"Lloyd, you..."
"You lied to me..."