Just how powerful is Lloyd?
The three brothers of the House of Godfrey had long wondered about this question. They had speculated privately countless times, yet never reached a clear answer.
Morgott was the first to meet Lloyd—and the first to fight him. Though it had only been a clone, with triple-layered power supporting it, that clone's strength had already reached, or perhaps even surpassed, his true form.
Even so, Morgott was defeated. He hadn't even forced Lloyd to use his main body—Lloyd cleared the fight with only a minor account and two support summons.
From that moment, Morgott understood that Lloyd's power was far beyond ordinary measure—at the very least, on par with a mighty demigod.
Later, as they encountered him more often, Morgott noticed more and more about him: the strange Law he wielded, the overwhelming power, and that nature so extreme that anyone in the Lands Between—even the Frenzied Flame—would recoil in fear.
After witnessing Lloyd's strength time and again, Morgott kept raising his estimation of him—from a powerful demigod, to the level of his elder brother, and then to the stature of a First Elden Lord: the same "kingly might" his father once possessed, capable of leading an army to conquer the entire Lands Between alone.
He didn't raise that assessment any higher only because, in Morgott's mind, that was already the peak. Across all the Lands Between, the might of the First Elden Lord stood unmatched. To even place Lloyd in the same tier as his father was the highest praise imaginable.
But...
"Not enough."
After accepting his identity, during one idle conversation, Morgott brought the topic up again—only for Godwyn-in-the-Lamp to shake his head gravely.
"I lived through that era. I know exactly how powerful Father truly was. I can tell you—his real strength exceeded anything you can imagine. But even then... if he were to face Lloyd alone, he wouldn't stand a chance."
The reason?
Indeed, the First Elden Lord, Godfrey, was a fearsome warrior—perhaps the greatest warrior in the history of the Lands Between.
But he was only a warrior.
Godfrey could fight, no question. But if he had truly been unstoppable, then the Golden Order wouldn't have been pushed back so badly during the early stages of the War against the Giants.
So how did the Golden Order, which was on the brink of defeat early in the war, turn things around—driving the Giants back, marching to their homeland, and annihilating them completely?
The answer was the Golden Law.
After Marika became a god, the Golden Order—once crushed beneath the might of the Giants—was reborn through the endless blessings and drops of grace she bestowed. Their combat power surged by several magnitudes almost overnight.
The Law is a terrifying thing. Godwyn knew that better than anyone.
So while Morgott and the others were still wondering how strong Lloyd truly was, Godwyn had already realized the truth: even if Lloyd had no physical power—even if he were weaker than Miquella—the simple fact that he could rewrite The Law at will meant he could destroy anyone who lacked such divine authority.
Ranni might have believed that Lloyd's Law was like her own—the Law of an Empyrean.
But Godwyn, who had personally been with Marika and felt the presence of gods for ages, knew otherwise. What Lloyd wielded was not the Law of an Empyrean... but the Law of a true god.
Perhaps even higher than that.
And when combined with the sheer force he displayed—even using only a minor form, with nothing more than a dragon girl by his side, yet emerging unscathed against both him and Fortissax—
"A single father wouldn't be enough. It would probably take Mother in her prime, fighting alongside him, just to have a chance against Lloyd—alone."
Why emphasize alone?
Because after spending time with him, Godwyn discovered something unsettling: Lloyd could not only command his own Law, but also integrate the Laws of others. He could be a god—and at the same time, the ruler of other Empyreans.
That might sound trivial, like simply having greater tolerance or compatibility, but...
"Morgott, do you remember why the Shattering happened?"
"...Wasn't it for the fragments of the Great Rune?"
"That's just the surface reason. If that were all, someone would've taken Godrick's Great Rune long ago."
The head within the lantern sighed, and a flicker of memory glimmered in his eyes.
The true cause of the Shattering was the inherent incompatibility between different Laws. Within any given realm and under a single system, only one pair of "God and King" could exist, and only one Law could be enforced.
"Peaceful coexistence? Mother once believed that too—until she realized that even if other Laws bore no hostility toward the Golden Order, even if they were friendly, their mere existence disrupted its operation. And the longer they coexisted, the worse the interference became..."
"Gods cannot coexist, and among the strong, only one King can remain. Everything else becomes their sacrifice and nourishment..."
"That is the true reason the Shattering War began."
"It had nothing to do with ambition or loyalty. Even to simply survive, they were forced to fight each other..."
Otherwise, despite strained relations, they were still family. Before the war, their ties were complex, marked by exchanges and goodwill. If a conversation could have solved the problem, they would never have come to blows.
But now, a god capable of harmonizing the Laws had appeared.
What did that mean?
Godwyn didn't know.
This had already surpassed the limits of his understanding. He could even swear that not even his mother had ever seen such a thing.
After all, knowing that peasant woman's temperament—if there had been any way to save her children—she would have fallen to her knees without hesitation, saying, "I'll do anything."
But the truth was that after exhausting every possible method, that peasant woman still couldn't find a way to make the Laws coexist—to stop her children from killing one another. In the end, she even discovered that her own Law had begun to malfunction, trapped by a previously sealed one.
What followed was a tale everyone knew.
The broken goddess became a peasant once more. She lifted her hammer and went to war with the Golden Order itself.
If someone like Lloyd had existed back then—or even a whisper of rumor about such a being—it might have given that despairing peasant woman a flicker of hope.
But there had been none.
Not even rumors. The concept of unifying all Laws simply did not exist in the Lands Between. It was beyond imagination, beyond even dreams.
Yet now, he stood there—someone who could not only merge with other Laws but also possessed the right to rule as a King.
This was something Godwyn had never dared to imagine.
Even after silently processing all this, forcing himself to accept this impossible truth, and raising his estimation of Lloyd beyond the realm of "God and King," he still thought he'd reached the limit of what was conceivable.
But Lloyd's actions proved him wrong.
With a single punch.
No sorcery. No incantation. It didn't even look like he had put in any effort.
Just one casual punch—and he shattered the Shadow Seal, breaking apart the time and space within it.
What kind of power was that?
Godwyn didn't know.
He had never witnessed anything like it. When the strike landed, his mind went blank.
"What in the world was that..."
"Hmm. About the same as stretching after waking up?"
That was Lloyd's explanation, though no one else understood it.
In truth, the analogy wasn't accurate. He hadn't "woken up" at all. It was thanks to Alice's continued efforts and young Eldon's growth that his Law had been reinforced enough to let him use a fraction of his true power—without risking the complete destruction of the Lands Between.
Admittedly, compared to his full strength, this was barely a fragment.
But for now, it was more than enough.
After obliterating the Shadow Seal with a single blow, Lloyd spoke briefly with the three, giving them time to recover. Then, he reached out and touched the portal before him, stepping into the interior of the Spiral Tower sealed by the Shadow.
Because it was a seal, not annihilation, the tower's interior wasn't empty. Ancient Hornsent warriors still lived there—the elite who had remained trapped within since the Shadow Seal was cast.
Horned warriors, torturer elders, even divine beast warriors...
And on top of that, due to the influence of Miquella and the Fragment, the creatures here had been universally strengthened. They could teleport with invincibility frames, boasted high stats and mobility, and fought in intricate combinations—a warrior-mage-cleric trio, chaining aggro and supporting one another with terrifying synergy.
It was a perfectly preserved remnant of power—the final, blazing remnant of Hornsent civilization. Now colored with the hues of Lothric, it resembled a dying beast in its final frenzy, lashing out with unmatched ferocity. The sight alone was enough to chill any soul, warning them not to test its fangs.
And yet...
Crack—
Lloyd caught a Horned Warrior that had blinked to his side, flung him forward like a bowling ball, and sent him crashing into a cluster of torturer elders.
Before they could rise, the corpse Lloyd had crushed began to swell. After a brief pulse of energy, it erupted in a vast wave of darkness, engulfing everything around it in an instant.
And when someone was consumed by that darkness and fell, their corpse became its new breeding ground. Moments later, it would swell and detonate again.
Then, several birdlike monsters descended from the sky. But before they could even strike, countless insects erupted into the air, swarming into their bodies. The creatures screeched as the swarm tore through flesh and sinew, riddling them with gaping holes until they collapsed, shrieking in agony.
Hearing the commotion, a Divine Beast Warrior appeared in the distance. Upon spotting the intruder, he rose into the air, calling upon the power of the Divine Beast. A storm enveloped his body, a golden lotus blooming from his back as crimson light filled his eyes.
He raised his great curved sword, gathering the storm's fury around its blade. The air howled violently, buildings shuddered under the weight of the tempest, and the ground itself trembled.
Then, with all his might, he brought the sword down.
A massive blade of storm descended from the heavens, carrying a force capable of sundering the world itself, crashing straight toward the figure before him.
Only to be caught by a single hand.
"It's been so long since I used this account—I'm almost out of practice," Lloyd said with a yawn.
Tightening his grip, he crushed the storm-forged blade into fragments that scattered with the wind.
In the next instant, a pale tailbone spear materialized in his hand. He thrust it forward.
A spiraling tempest burst forth, ripping the Divine Beast Warrior apart in an instant, leaving behind not even a trace of ash.
Having neglected his main body for quite some time—and now that The Law had stabilized—Lloyd decided it was pointless to keep advancing with his lesser form. It was time to stretch his legs.
Otherwise, if he kept holding back, he might as well start growing mushrooms.
And then...
There was nothing left.
Admittedly, the Hornsent were strong. With Miquella's blessing and the Fragment's influence, their stats, attack patterns, and mechanics were formidable—viciously so.
But all of that only mattered if Lloyd chose to restrain himself and play along.
Without that restraint, even the mightiest Divine Beast Warrior was no different to him than an ant crawling in the dust.
Watching his display of power, the expressions of the three brothers behind him grew increasingly uneasy.
"This kind of power... does it have any real limitations?" one of them asked.
"You're wondering why I never used it before, right?"
With a flick of his finger, Lloyd sent the Divine Beast Warrior's head flying. Then he continued.
"Limitations? Not exactly. But you should've noticed—my strength exists only for destruction. It holds no power of creation at all."
He paused briefly, his tone calm.
"And even this much destruction... is already me holding back as much as I can, relying on others to help stabilize it. Otherwise..."
The embers flickered across Lloyd's body.
In that instant, the entire Land of Shadow—and even the Lands Between themselves—fell silent. Every being with consciousness could feel it: the breath of death.
"It would be like this."
Silence followed.
When they finally came to their senses, the three brothers of the House of Godfrey exchanged glances. The same realization was written in each of their eyes, and none spoke further.
Then, since Lloyd had decided to bring out his main form, the climb proved effortless. Despite the Spiral Tower's formidable defenses, he reached its summit—the realm of the Gate of Divinity—within moments.
Before him shimmered a golden Fog Gate.
"It's just ahead," came the voice from the lantern.
At the same time, something within Lloyd's inventory began to vibrate, its direction pointing squarely toward the gate.
He reached out, placed his hand upon it, and pushed forward.
A vast, barren expanse unfolded before him—like a desert of death, littered with countless mummified corpses.
And at the desert's far edge stood the greatest creation of the Hornsent civilization—and Marika's deepest secret behind her ascension to godhood.
The Gate of Divinity.
Or rather, the Gate of Sacrifice.
Two mountain-like altars shaped like gates, constructed from countless piled corpses.
That was the Gate of Divinity.
Though called divine, it was grotesque and twisted—both the pinnacle of the Hornsent's civilization and the height of their sin.
And as for Lloyd's opinion of it...
"I thought it'd be something grand, but it's not even as impressive as that pile of undead I stacked together out of boredom."
At least that pile had been made of living creatures—they'd twist and writhe even after being stacked. Way more fun than this.
And really, compared to the other absurd things he'd done in the past, this one didn't even make the list. If he hadn't seen it again, Lloyd probably wouldn't have remembered doing it at all.
Then, as his gaze drifted away from the Gate of Divinity and lowered, Lloyd saw a figure.
A small figure in a white robe, long golden hair spilling across the ground. Kneeling there, clutching a fragment of a Great Rune in his arms.
"Brother... brother, where are you..."
Lloyd didn't even need to get closer. Just standing there, he could feel the wave of intoxicating charm radiating from the figure.
There were four Empyreans in the Lands Between—Marika, Ranni, Malenia, and Miquella.
That statement wasn't wrong, but the way people counted them was.
Strictly speaking, the Laws of Rot and Abundance only formed a complete Law when combined. That meant Malenia could only be considered half an Empyrean.
Miquella, however, was one and a half.
Because beyond Abundance, he possessed a complete Law of Gentleness.
Until recently, even Miquella himself had believed that Abundance defined him entirely—that his Charm and Gentleness were merely compensations for an innate flaw, at best secondary traits rather than true essence.
But reality had proven otherwise.
Even stripped of Abundance, he could still ascend to godhood through that Gentleness—or rather, through the essence of Love itself.
Or perhaps the real question was this: who truly became divine in the end—Miquella, who had abandoned everything? Or the essence of Love that remained?
For now, though, Lloyd didn't need to ponder that.
The Miquella before him hadn't yet become a god, and there was no sign of any protective power surrounding him.
"I want to take a look."
The voice came from the lantern.
Lloyd nodded. He wasn't surprised by Godwyn-in-the-Lamp's request.
Though he'd joked about worrying for his "pitfall," Lloyd had known from the start that was just a cover.
Never mind that the eternally childlike Miquella didn't have the ability anyway—even if he did, Godwyn's concern for his brother would always outweigh concern for his own purity.
To put it bluntly, he was worried about Miquella.
Even his own so-called purity came second.
Lloyd nodded again, then took the lantern and, step by step, walked through the overwhelming tide of tenderness and love until he stood before the small, golden-haired figure.
But even as he approached, Miquella didn't react.
He seemed completely unconscious—head bowed, arms wrapped around the Great Rune fragment, murmuring softly the names of Godwyn and Radahn.
"How... is he?"
The head in the lantern gazed at Miquella with worry.
"Not good."
After a quick examination, Lloyd shook his head.
"You know about Malenia's condition, right? He's worse than she ever was. He carved his own body apart and scattered it—he even severed his emotions. The only reason he's lasted this long... must be because of that."
Lloyd's eyes fell to Miquella's collarbone.
There, a golden fragment was quietly embedded.
Even without a stable consciousness, even with his soul shattered and on the verge of collapse—even reduced to a hollow remnant—when Miquella's awareness began to sink, about to be consumed by his own tenderness and love, something in him still stirred. His brotherly instinct rose up, becoming the final guardian of his fading self.
"No wonder you and Furl get along so well. You two think exactly alike."
With a muttered quip, Lloyd lifted his hand and pressed a finger against the golden fragment.
A wave of dizzying light washed over him—and in the next instant, he stood in a boundless golden field.
Everywhere he looked, golden flowers swayed in the wind, glimmering like waves of sunlight.
At his feet, three golden summoning signs shimmered softly.
[Summon Ally: 'Starscourge General' Radahn?]
[Summon Ally: 'The Golden' Godwyn?]
[Summon Ally: 'Valkyrie' Malenia?]
After selecting "Yes" for all three, their golden silhouettes began to form.
Then...
"Big brother?" Radahn froze, staring at the blond man beside him.
Godwyn lifted a hand. "We'll catch up later. There's business to handle first."
Lloyd turned his gaze to Malenia, looking her over.
"And you are...?"
"This is... the echo of my final obsession," she said quietly, exhaling a soft sigh. "I owe you for your help—and for my brother's sake, as repayment, and to save him, I will fight beside you."
After confirming the situation, Lloyd took the lead, and the four of them began walking forward.
There were no monsters, no ambushes, no treacherous terrain—just a simple path stretching ahead.
Yet along the way, faint, hazy figures would flicker at the edges of their vision, accompanied by Miquella's voice.
"My dear sister, accept my Abundance—my final Tear. Whether beautiful or grotesque, may all things grow strong in their true form..."
"Brother, I will become a god. So when our promise is fulfilled, please... become my king. I wish to build a gentle world..."
"Brother... oh brother... I hope you die properly..."
Guided by that soft voice, Lloyd and his companions stepped onto a circular platform.
But unlike an ordinary lift, it wasn't pulled upward by ropes or magic. Instead, a small sapling sprouted from its center, growing rapidly until it became a great tree—its strength carrying the platform higher as it flourished.
Buzz—
Standing atop it, the four watched the entire birth and growth of the Haligtree unfold before their eyes, sped up as though time itself had been accelerated.
When the Haligtree's growth reached its peak, the platform came to a halt, delivering them to a vast, upper terrace.
[The Sacred Tree Within]
It was an enormous circular platform. Across the way, upon the steps, lay a small sleeping figure—Miquella's final fragment of consciousness.
But before they could approach, there was still one obstacle to face.
As they ascended on the Haligtree's lift, three golden phantoms had appeared beside them.
['Pure Gold' Malenia]
Her hand-blade slid free, her face blank, not a trace of rot left upon her flawless golden body.
['Oathsworn King' Radahn]
Purple gravitational magic swirled around him—his full power restored, even amplified beyond his prime.
And...
['Heart of Gold' Godwyn]
Clang—
A greatsword struck the ground. The golden man stood firm, his body wreathed in radiant light.
Behind him crouched a small golden figure, eyes shut tight, sorrow written across its face.
A single golden tear slid down its cheek.
Drop.
It hit the ground.
And then—golden light burst forth.
Boom!