When the bloodflame clung to Lucian's body, it burned a hole straight into his flesh. From that point, nothing could stop it. The fire spread, little by little, consuming his blood from within, then devouring his muscle and skin.
Lucian felt it—the agony of being ignited from the inside out. It hurt. Gods, it hurt. And the pain was relentless, never giving him even a heartbeat of reprieve.
Melina… when you set yourself ablaze, did you endure this same torment? Or was the fire of the Frenzied Flame that consumed you even worse than this?
Within mere seconds, the bloodflame surged through Lucian's veins, searing him from head to toe.
At this point, using invincibility would be meaningless. The room was already filled with blood. Once the brief window of immunity ended, the bloodflame would only devour him again.
If that's the case… then it's your turn.
Ding.
[Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, activate.]
Infinite Health (Time Remaining: 300 seconds).
As the Infinite Health skill took hold, everything the bloodflame had destroyed in Lucian's body began regrowing at once. It wasn't that the fire had been extinguished. Rather, the speed at which it burned was outpaced by the furious regeneration of his flesh.
The torment of burning still clung to him, but in the end—it was only pain.
With his health locked and his recovery accelerated beyond reason, Lucian had become, for these few minutes, an immortal. Perhaps something in this world could 'kill' even a body with Infinite Health… but it certainly wasn't Mohg's bloodflame.
Seeing that the fire could no longer truly harm him, Lucian allowed the storm of wind around him to dissipate. He let the flames crawl and gnaw at his flesh freely.
When he looked up, he saw Mohg distracted, his gaze fixed on the door. So, you think I'm dead. Too bad—I won't let you have that satisfaction.
Enduring the agony of burning flesh, Lucian leapt straight at Mohg, bringing both blades down in a heavy strike.
Mohg realized too late. Before his body could vanish into blood, Lucian's swords cleaved into his skull, severing several of his twisted black horns.
—
Time snapped back to the present.
Now, Mohg's expression was dark as shadow. He had realized the truth—Lucian had not lied.
The bloodflame continued to burn, consuming vast quantities of blood, but Lucian's body kept healing, endlessly. No matter how much Mohg poured into the fire, all he achieved was slowing Lucian's regeneration slightly.
Such a grotesque recovery… Mohg had never heard of such a power in all the Lands Between.
But Lucian gave him no time to puzzle it out. Infinite Health was limited. He had to end this doppelgänger before the clock ran out.
With reckless ferocity, Lucian charged, blood and fire gnawing at his body, carving wounds down to the bone. But each wound closed almost instantly, as though it had never been inflicted.
Mohg thrust his Sacred Spear, impaling Lucian's abdomen. Lucian did not flinch. His two swords carved across Mohg's body, tearing through his ornate robes and biting into his flesh.
With his left hand, Mohg unleashed another claw of bloodflame, while twisting the spear with his right, snapping Lucian's spine in several places. Lucian collapsed, legs useless, while the claws ripped open his chest and exposed the pounding heart within.
But even so—he didn't stop. Through gritted teeth, Lucian's swords kept cutting, tearing countless wounds into Mohg's body.
Frustrated, Mohg grabbed Lucian's heart with one clawed hand, wrenched it from his chest, and with a violent twist of the spear, hurled him across the room.
Lucian's body crumpled like a ragdoll, but before he even hit the ground, the gaping wounds closed. His spine reformed, his chest knit shut, and a new heart pulsed within him. He landed steadily on his feet.
He clenched his jaw—the pain had nearly knocked him unconscious.
Before Lucian could rush again, the blood on the walls surged into Mohg's body, knitting shut his wounds. With a sneer, Mohg crushed the still-beating heart in his hand.
What in the Abyss is this thing?
His body of cursed blood could heal rapidly, but a fatal wound would still kill him. Yet this Tarnished—this thing—even without a heart, even with his spine shattered, even with his torso ripped open, still stood. And worse—his regeneration outpaced even Mohg's own.
The bloodflame was lethal, burning through the veins and killing in seconds. But even now, Lucian's regeneration was so fast that the flame could never truly consume him.
When Lucian lunged again, Mohg refused to meet him directly. He flickered from point to point within the chamber, his body dissolving and reforming through the blood. Serrated blood-blades and bursts of flame slashed at Lucian, opening fresh wounds, keeping the fire burning within him.
From the blood, Mohg scattered a swarm of eggs. Under cursed nourishment, they burst open into hideous bloodflies, their gaping mandibles clattering as they swarmed.
Lucian cloaked his face in storm winds. He could endure fire, but he would not risk one of those things crawling into his ear. Disgust welled in him.
The bloodflies tore at his flesh, trying to burrow inside, but each time they swallowed a strip of meat, it grew back before they could finish. One by one, their swollen bellies ruptured, unable to stomach the endless feast.
Meanwhile, Mohg's spear lashed out whenever Lucian grew too close, carving new wounds with its reach.
It doesn't matter, Mohg thought. No power like this is without cost. All I need to do is stall until his strength fails. Then victory will be mine.
But the small chamber worked against him. Lucian, unafraid of wounds, pressed every attack, always landing blows before Mohg could fully dissolve away.
At last, Mohg abandoned direct combat entirely, melting into the blood and letting only his blades and flames assail Lucian. Hidden, he brooded. How do I kill this abomination?
Lucian, seeing him vanish, simply sat down. He let the attacks rain on him, conserving strength as his wounds closed.
Gradually, the rivers of blood that once flooded the chamber began to thin. What had once smothered the walls now dwindled, stretched like a spider's web.
Mohg grew uneasy. His blood was running dry, but Lucian's regeneration never slowed.
Infinite Health (Time Remaining: 151 seconds).