The moment he saw that figure appear, hope ignited once more in Mohg's eyes.
Though the man's outward appearance had changed, the feeling about him had not.
Through the subtle bond of blood between them, Mohg instantly recognized the stranger standing before him; his own elder brother, Morgott.
Of course. Within Stormveil Castle, aside from his brother, who else possessed such strength? Who else would choose to step forward and block an attack for him at such a moment?!
Mohg immediately launched a fierce counterattack. Fighting in tandem with Morgott, the two of them exerted their strength together, forcing back the incoming strikes before withdrawing from danger.
The instant he pulled away from the lethal pressure, Mohg once again suppressed Leda's Unalloyed Gold power and regained control over the surrounding blood.
However, the gaping hole that had been torn open in the sky above the domain was still being relentlessly worn down by Selinsax. It proved difficult to restore.
With her massive body and overwhelming destructive output, Selinsax was almost perfectly suited to dismantling Mohg's blood domain. Each of her attacks inflicted vast area damage, constantly dispersing and evaporating the blood Mohg relied upon to sustain the field.
Mohg stepped beside Morgott. Neither of them spoke, careful not to reveal Morgott's identity.
Morgott likewise remained silent, simply fighting at Mohg's side.
At present, neither of them had revealed their true forms.
Still, Mohg understood clearly: his own abilities were far too distinctive. If Lucian were to arrive, he would easily identify Mohg as the one responsible for the chaos within Stormveil.
Morgott, however, was different.
As long as Morgott avoided using techniques that were too recognizable, anything that would clearly expose his identity, and relied solely on his martial skill, he could still withdraw from the battlefield afterward and change his identity again to continue hiding.
After all, in Mohg's mind, Lucian had only once fought against one of Morgott's avatars. He did not know that Morgott possessed the ability to change form.
Even if Lucian eventually learned Mohg's identity, he would never associate the two of them as brothers.
So long as Morgott withdrew in time, this disguise would not immediately be exposed.
Thinking this through, a faint smile curled across Mohg's lips.
Who would ever imagine that the two of them were brothers?
And who would suspect that an apparently ordinary Living Corpse was actually the most dangerous enemy hidden within Stormveil Castle?
Faced with this suddenly appearing opponent, everyone present grew wary.
Asimi and Selinsax, having been the ones who launched the earlier attack, understood more clearly than anyone just how formidable the newcomer was.
If their previous strike had landed cleanly, Mohg would already have been defeated.
Yet this mysterious figure had appeared out of nowhere and, together with Mohg, blocked the attack.
His strength was unquestionably on the same level as Asimi and Selinsax.
Just how many powerful figures were secretly hiding inside Stormveil?
Without hesitation, Morgott immediately set his sights on Asimi and shot toward her like an arrow.
Asimi had already fought Mohg within the blood domain for quite some time, yet she still looked in excellent condition. That was unusual.
Morgott did not possess a perfectly precise understanding of his younger brother's true strength, but he knew enough.
Since Mohg had fought for so long without finishing the battle, it was likely a matter of unfavorable compatibility.
If Morgott tied down Asimi and the others, Mohg could focus on dealing with the remaining opponents.
Mohg clearly understood his brother's intent as well. He grinned widely and charged toward the group where Leda stood.
In truth, Morgott had actually arrived earlier than anyone else.
However, after arriving at the battlefield, he had made no move whatsoever. Instead, he concealed himself in the darkness outside the battlefield and observed everything in silence.
Only after everyone had already appeared, and Mohg was on the verge of being overwhelmed, did Morgott finally intervene.
Originally, he had no intention of acting.
After all, the Mohg here was merely a clone. Even if it were destroyed, it would not cause any real damage.
But while watching the battle, Morgott suddenly noticed something.
Based on his understanding of Lucian, if such an incident occurred within Stormveil, Lucian would absolutely appear immediately.
Which meant Lucian was not currently inside Stormveil, or he was temporarily unable to intervene.
If that were the case, then this moment was the perfect opportunity for the two brothers to act together and force Stormveil to reveal all of its hidden cards.
In any case, Morgott himself was only using a clone as well.
If he gambled on this chance and succeeded, their objective would be achieved.
Seeing Morgott charging straight toward Asimi, Selinsax once again gathered red lightning in her claws and slammed it down along his path.
Dragon thunder roared.
Scarlet lightning spread outward from the dragon's claw, crashing down across the battlefield.
The Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike, unleashed by a true ancient dragon, was a terrifying spectacle—vast in range and devastating in power.
The surrounding blood evaporated continuously, shrinking Mohg's domain in an instant.
At the center of the lightning storm, Morgott, standing directly in its path had nowhere to evade.
Yet he did not slow down in the slightest.
A faint radiance appeared around his body as he charged straight through the curtain of lightning.
An incantation; Lightning Fortification.
This was an incantation Morgott had learned long ago, back when the demigods had not yet been abandoned by the Greater Will, and the Two Fingers and the Roundtable Hold still resided within the Royal Capital, Leyndell.
Even with Lightning Fortification protecting him, Morgott emerged from the lightning scorched black from head to toe.
Yet he showed no reaction at all, deftly dodging the dragon claw that Selinsax swung toward him.
After evading the attack, Morgott didn't even bother trying to fight the enormous dragon.
Ancient dragons were simply too troublesome to deal with.
Their thick, stone-like scales were nearly impossible to pierce. Even opponents of equal strength had to expend enormous effort just to damage them.
That fact alone was enough to kill any desire Morgott had to fight an ancient dragon directly.
Although she had once again been chosen as his opponent, Asimi showed no fear whatsoever.
SElinsax had intercepted Morgott earlier, giving Asimi a brief moment to recover. After catching her breath, she had already regained some of her stamina.
Now she charged forward to meet him head-on.
As Morgott closed the distance, he suddenly flicked his wrist and hurled two daggers.
These daggers were actually constructs formed from Golden power, but Morgott had deliberately disguised them so they looked no different from ordinary weapons.
Before he could throw another set, Asimi had already cleared the obstacles between them and swung her blade.
Her Sword of Night and Flame slashed toward Morgott.
Morgott raised the greatsword in his hand and blocked the strike.
Because he did not want to reveal too many techniques that could expose his identity, Morgott relied purely on swordsmanship, using his combat skill to contend with Asimi while avoiding distinctive abilities.
Yet these seemingly simple techniques created an entirely different pressure for Asimi compared to fighting Mohg.
There were no flashy tricks.
With nothing but sword skill, Morgott was already suppressing her in battle.
Even though this was merely a clone and therefore possessed lower overall attributes, Morgott's combat skill remained formidable.
Unlike Mohg, Morgott's real combat experience was almost absurdly extensive.
Mohg had long operated in the shadows. Even after founding the Mohgwyn Dynasty, he had rarely fought openly.
Morgott, on the other hand, had been forced during the Shattering War to assume the identity of the Omen King and constantly rush across battlefields putting out fires. He had even taken part in assassination attempts targeting other demigods.
One could say that Morgott had crossed blades with nearly every demigod who fought in the Shattering.
Asimi clenched her teeth.
Her experience was still somewhat lacking, preventing her from fully displaying her theoretical maximum strength.
If that was the case…
Then she would simply stack more buffs.
Asimi quickly made up her mind. Once Selinsax and Lancelot managed to restrain Morgott for a moment, she would immediately cast several incantations on herself.
Seeing Morgott entangled with Asimi, Selinsax hesitated to intervene directly, worried she might accidentally injure her ally.
However, she could already see Asimi beginning to lose the advantage.
Immediately, Selinsax raised her head and let out a thunderous roar. Violent crimson lightning surged across the stone-like scales covering her body.
In an instant, everyone present except Mohg and Morgott, felt a tingling sensation spread across their bodies.
Scarlet lightning wrapped itself around them, granting a unique effect.
For a brief moment, Selinsax had bestowed lightning damage and enhanced attack power upon all of them.
She did not transform into human form to join the battle directly.
Unless an ancient dragon fully transformed itself into a true human body, what they called "human form" was merely a mimicry.
Such forms offered no real combat advantage.
It was far better to simply continue fighting in dragon form.
Meanwhile, Lancelot watched the two figures clashing below and waved his staff, unleashing various storm sorceries toward the battlefield.
Because Asimi possessed a natural affinity with storms, these attacks would barely harm her at all.
This allowed him to bombard the battlefield without restraint.
Suddenly, from the shadows behind him, a silent blood blade shot out diagonally.
Lancelot drew the longsword at his waist and barely managed to block the strike.
Turning around, he saw a Sanguine Noble appear behind him. His brow furrowed.
"What's going on here? Has Stormveil really been infiltrated this badly?"
He sighed.
Stormveil lacked any reliable method for detecting disguises. It was truly inconvenient.
Otherwise, they could simply install a detection measure at the gates and solve most of these problems.
He wondered when Lord Lucian might be able to bring back something like that.
The Sanguine Noble advanced step by step, thrusting his heavy rapier, Blood Helice, toward Lancelot again and again.
At the same time, another Ravenmount Assassin appeared at his side, launching a sneak attack.
Lancelot smiled faintly and used his straight sword to deflect the incoming thrusts one after another.
He might spend most of his time inside the castle handling administrative matters and rarely appear in battle, and he did carry a staff, but he was actually proficient in both magic and swordsmanship.
Anyone who underestimated him because of that would pay dearly for it.
Lancelot raised his sword and moved to engage the Ravenmount Assassin.
But just as they were about to clash, he suddenly leapt backward, jumping straight off the rooftop.
The Sanguine Noble and Ravenmount Assassin were both stunned.
Why had this man suddenly jumped off the building?
The next moment—
A pale hand, suddenly reached out from behind and seized the Ravenmount Assassin's shoulder.
A tall, slender figure stepped lightly onto his back.
When did that happen?!
An assassin?!
And one far more skilled than he was!
A curving Black Knife stabbed downward into his body.
The Ravenmount Assassin's instincts reacted instantly, twisting his body with desperate speed to avoid the fatal strike by the narrowest margin.
Unfortunately, it made no difference.
Destined Death erupted from the Black Knife.
The power of death instantly claimed his life.
The Sanguine Noble immediately turned to retaliate against Selyra, but she had already leapt backward several times and vanished completely.
Now the Sanguine Noble stood there, sword drawn, looking around in utter confusion.
He had no idea who he was supposed to stab anymore.
A massive claw suddenly swept across and seized him with perfect precision.
The Sanguine Noble looked up, and met the eyes of Selinsax.
His heart skipped a beat.
Selinsax tightened her grip.
With a crushing squeeze, the Sanguine Noble burst apart like a mosquito caught in a dragon's grasp, exploding into a cloud of blood mist.
Landing safely on the ground below, Lancelot sheathed his sword. Though he was proficient in both martial combat and sorcery, this kind of battle was clearly better observed from a safe distance.
"Honestly," he muttered, "don't underestimate the bonds between us."
"Stormveil fights as a team."
But before he could relax, another streak of blood slashed toward him.
A Sanguine Noble wielding a barbed rapier stepped out of the blood itself, revealing his true form.
"…Wait—there's another one?!"
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Morgott thrust his sword into Asimi's waist.
At the same moment, the sword in Asimi's hand suddenly dissolved into a flowing, liquid-like form that wrapped itself around Morgott.
Faced with this sudden transformation, Morgott paused for an instant, puzzled. The attack seemed too weak to pose any real threat.
But experience told him otherwise.
Strange techniques were rarely as simple as they appeared.
Sure enough...
A sudden sense of danger surged through his instincts.
Trusting his intuition, Morgott tore free without hesitation, allowing the blade in Asimi's other hand to carve a deep wound across his chest.
His choice proved correct.
A streak of red-black blade light, infused with Destined Death, swept through the space where he had been standing moments earlier.
Morgott had narrowly avoided it.
Had he remained where he was, he would have been struck directly by Destined Death.
Feeling the terrifying power of death lingering in the air, Morgott's expression darkened with both shock and fury.
Destined Death!
He immediately turned toward the edge of the battlefield.
There, he quickly locked onto Selyra.
Only the Black Knife Assassins, those who had participated in the Night of the Black Knives and murdered Godwyn the Golden, possessed weapons imbued with the power of Destined Death.
Stormveil actually harbored one of them?
Unforgivable.
Rage surged through Morgott. Without hesitation, he lunged toward Selyra, intent on killing one of the culprits responsible for the collapse of the Golden Order.
But surrounded by enemies on all sides, this was clearly not a wise decision.
Seeing her ambush fail, Selyra immediately disengaged and slipped away from the battlefield.
Selinsax seized the opportunity.
Dragon lightning surged along her claw as she swung it toward Morgott.
Realizing he had acted too impulsively, Morgott leapt upward, the massive claw sweeping beneath him.
Asimi smiled faintly.
She raised her right hand and made a grasping motion toward Morgott in the air.
Dark gravity spheres appeared around her, forming one after another before shooting toward him.
Previously, after Lucian defeated General Radahn, he had obtained a Remembrance of the battle. Recently, Lucian had studied it and secretly learned Radahn's signature technique.
And if Lucian had learned it…
Then Asimi could use it as well.
The gravity attack struck Morgott midair.
Instantly, he was dragged down from the sky and slammed onto the ground, forced into a prone position.
Seeing such a perfect opportunity, Selinsax immediately condensed a violently crackling Ancient Dragon lightning spear in her claw and thrust it toward the immobilized Morgott.
At the same time, a gigantic dragon's head manifested before Asimi and lunged forward, jaws snapping toward him.
Morgott's heart sank.
Even if he managed to break free now, he would not escape in time.
But at that critical moment—
The blood covering the ground suddenly began to writhe.
It surged forward and swept Morgott away.
Both attacks slammed into the spot where he had been moments earlier.
The resulting shockwave blasted Morgott backward through the air before he crashed to the ground some distance away.
Still, he had managed to escape the worst of it.
Rising to his feet, Morgott prepared himself once more, far more cautious than before.
Now he was waiting.
Waiting for Mohg to finish dealing with the weaker group led by Leda, and then come to support him.
And Leda's group was waiting as well.
Waiting for Asimi and the others to defeat Morgott so they could all converge and kill Mohg together.
Meanwhile, Mohg faced the combined assault of Dane and Freyja.
He moved gracefully between the two of them, weaving through their wide, powerful attacks with ease.
Their sweeping strikes barely even brushed the edge of his sleeves.
A dark smile spread across Mohg's face.
This was the kind of battle he was familiar with.
Elegant. Controlled.
With himself firmly dictating the rhythm of the battlefield.
With a sweep of the Sacred Spear in his hand, Mohg scattered waves of bloodflame, forcing both opponents to retreat.
Then he transformed into a surge of blood and rushed directly toward Leda.
Dane and Freyja managed to evade in time and were unharmed.
Freyja, eager to pursue immediately, leapt across the bloodflame without hesitation.
But under Mohg's control, the bloodflame surged upward in an instant.
She was caught in it.
Freyja felt an agonizing pain unlike anything she had ever experienced before and was forced to halt.
Quickly, she invoked 'Flame, Protect Me', an incantation of fire.
An ancient flame ignited within her body, burning through her flesh and barely suppressing Mohg's bloodflame.
Though suppressed, the bloodflame continued to burn within her blood.
At best, she could barely continue fighting.
Freyja lifted her head, glaring fiercely at Mohg before charging forward again with her greatsword.
By this time, Mohg had already reached Leda.
She stood completely still.
Only when Mohg closed the distance did she suddenly pull the slender, needle-like sword from the ground.
To Mohg's surprise, the Unalloyed Gold power she had previously used to suppress the cursed blood surged upward with the blade.
A dazzling pillar of golden light erupted from the ground and shot upward toward Mohg.
Mohg had no choice but to shift from offense to defense, raising his Sacred Spear to block.
Unalloyed Gold suppressed all other forces, refusing to coexist with them.
It was an incredibly domineering power.
The shocked expression on Mohg's face said everything.
Under the suppression of Unalloyed Gold, the Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear he had formed from cursed blood began to destabilize, its shape starting to disperse.
With his left hand, Mohg slashed out a claw-shaped arc of bloodflame, sending it flying toward Leda and interrupting the golden blast.
Leda immediately leapt backward several times.
The moment she regained balance, she counterattacked with a thrust of her sword.
But the bloodflame claw had not dissipated in the air.
Instead, it detonated violently.
Caught off guard, Leda was blasted backward, bloodflame igniting across her body.
Without the suppression of Unalloyed Gold, cursed blood surged once more, attacking her from all directions.
Leda abandoned any concern for the cleanliness of her pristine white cloak and armor.
Rolling across the ground, she used every method she could to evade the incoming attacks.
At last, Dane arrived.
He blocked the blood blades threatening Leda, while Freyja unleashed a ferocious Lion's Claw, helping relieve the pressure.
Finally, Leda gained a brief moment to breathe.
She summoned her unique technique, Piercing Needles.
But instead of targeting Mohg, she aimed them at herself and her two companions.
Phantom golden needles pierced their bodies.
The effect immediately suppressed Mohg's bloodflame and cursed blood within them, ensuring they would not be affected again for a time.
However, the moment the golden needles were inserted, the lightning enhancement Selinsax had granted them earlier also disappeared.
Now protected by the golden needles, the three of them attacked together.
Their coordination was seamless, it was clear they had fought side by side many times before.
Mohg watched as his cursed blood and bloodflame could no longer invade their bodies.
Irritation flickered across his face.
He rarely appeared in public battles. Logically speaking, there should be little information about his abilities.
So why did it seem like everyone already had some method of countering him?
The truth was simpler.
If someone had no way to resist Mohg's powers—
They would never have been qualified to fight him in the first place.
Facing the trio's attacks, Mohg stood firm and unleashed several lethal techniques, trying to eliminate one of them.
But Leda's group never gave him the chance.
They focused solely on stalling for time.
They would rather do nothing than make a mistake.
They knew their limits.
Defeating Mohg was impossible for them.
All they could do was hold him in place and wait for the others to finish their battle.
Over there, two fighters of equal strength were already besieging Morgott, with others assisting.
Surely that battle would end first.
But before either side could achieve victory.
An unprecedented phenomenon appeared in the skies above Stormveil Castle.
Before everyone's eyes, a brilliant sphere of blazing fire rose above the center of the castle.
Its heat was scorching.
Its radiance was impossible to look at directly.
Or rather—
It should be called a sun.
Beneath that blazing sun, Lucian floated in the air, overlooking the entirety of Stormveil.
Under the light of the sun, every scheme and shadow was laid bare.
In an instant, Lucian understood everything happening within the castle.
The situation was perfectly clear to him.
Mohg is already on the path to death.
In the next moment—
Divine punishment descended.