Lucian held the head of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in his hands, lifting it up before him as he examined it carefully.
The head was enormous, and its craftsmanship was remarkably intricate.
Even now, Lucian couldn't tell whether it had been fashioned from the remains of some kind of lion, or if it was something the horned folk had painstakingly constructed by hand.
Either way, this head had already undergone the descent of a divine spirit. It possessed a kind of sentience now, imbued with a unique power.
Lucian could feel it clearly, the force lingering within it was as if it were directly connected to the heavens and the earth.
He glanced over the surface again. The once-majestic head was now scorched in places, heavily damaged and worn.
After a moment's hesitation, Lucian decided to try putting it on.
The instant he did, an indescribable fluctuation passed through him, establishing a strange connection between himself and the head.
When Lucian opened his eyes again, a glimmer of life appeared within the lion's hollow gaze.
At that moment, the eyes of the Divine Beast's head linked directly to his consciousness, allowing him to see through them as if they were his own.
Lucian raised a hand.
A storm surged into being, spiraling around him with a ferocity far beyond anything before.
If he wished, he could alter the very weather at a moment's notice.
After thinking it over, Lucian removed the head again, deciding not to wear it for now.
…it still felt a bit unsettling.
At the very least, he would wait until he could clean and repair it before putting it on again.
Truth be told, the Divine Beast Head didn't actually look that bad.
Its leonine visage still carried an imposing, awe-inspiring presence.
Besides, Lucian was a soul-wandering player, freedom of appearance was practically part of his identity.
The only reason he wasn't wearing something like the Albinauric Mask was because, in the real world, he still cared about looking handsome.
Thinking back to how it felt while wearing the head, the difference compared to now was obvious.
Once equipped, it seemed to enhance his control over the forces of nature.
Wind, lightning, and frost—all three were amplified to some extent, with storm-based power receiving the most significant boost.
In other words, this was a piece of equipment with a special effect.
And it just so happened to align perfectly with his strengths.
Lucian's affinity for frost was weak, and his dragon lightning was fundamentally different from ordinary lightning, meaning it gained little benefit.
But his command over storms was already powerful, and this head amplified storm abilities the most. The synergy was nearly perfect.
Ever since his Vigor and Strength had broken past their limits, Lucian had also come to understand the ceiling of talismans and similar items.
The power contained within them was no longer enough to support attributes beyond that threshold.
For example, if he were to replace one of his current talismans with the Starscourge Heirloom, the +5 Strength it granted might now only translate to a single point of actual gain, or perhaps none at all.
Beyond the limit was an entirely different realm.
Because of that, Lucian intended to start investing more into his other attributes, pushing more of them past the threshold as well.
The Divine Beast Head, however, didn't directly increase stats. Instead, it strengthened his connection to the natural world.
That worked out perfectly, it avoided the issue of wasted attribute scaling.
Put simply, when using storm-based abilities, Lucian would now be able to draw upon them more easily. Their power would increase, their cost would decrease, and their range would expand.
It was as if he had received the favor of the world itself, or become a part of nature.
Lucian stored the Divine Beast Head away and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'A Divine Beast…'
Just what kind of existence was the source behind that descending spirit the horned folk worshipped?
Judging from the earlier battle, such a being clearly existed.
And yet, for some reason, it seemed unable to act directly, only able to send down its power.
Lucian raised his head, looking toward the sky, now returned to calm.
Had the Divine Beast also died? Like the Ancient King, reduced to a state where it could no longer intervene freely?
He began reassessing his own condition.
Physically, he was completely fine. All that remained was to gather enough runes to push another attribute beyond its limit.
Once three attributes had broken past that threshold, he would be able to advance even further, reaching a level truly worthy of lordship.
But…
The armor he was wearing was starting to fall behind.
It had accompanied him for a long time and endured countless battles.
Even with repeated repairs, it was beginning to struggle to keep up with his current strength.
Lucian ran a hand over the battered plates.
After truly donning it, he had first clashed head-on with General Radahn, followed immediately by battles against two Astels.
It had been repaired once after the events at Redmane Castle, barely holding together.
Since then, he had fought battle after battle, first Mohg, then the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. The damage had only worsened.
Now, the armor was in ruins, no longer capable of properly protecting his body.
Even if it were repaired again after returning to Stormveil Castle, its defensive capabilities would inevitably decline.
Lucian let out a quiet sigh.
After all, it was only made from the scales of Flying Dragon Agheel. At best, it could hold up in battles at the level of Demigods.
It might be time to consider replacing it.
This set could be retired to secondary use, or simply worn for everyday purposes.
From here on, he would need to find stronger materials and forge a new set of armor meant for true combat.
Though when he would find such materials… that would depend entirely on luck.
At that moment, Lucian suddenly noticed something.
On the ground nearby, the remains of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion began to emit a dim, shadowy glow.
In the distance, the Scadutree sent forth a Remembrance, placing it into Lucian's hands.
He ignored the Remembrance for now, focusing instead on the corpse undergoing change.
The Scadutree's blessing upon it began to peel away, gathering and condensing beside the remains.
In the end, it coalesced into four fragments of the Scadutree.
Lucian bent down and picked them up, storing them away without a word.
So defeating powerful enemies blessed by the Scadutree allowed one to seize their blessing.
That would certainly save him the trouble of gathering them manually, cutting down on a lot of time.
That said, the earlier horned warriors and curseblade fighters had been no pushovers, yet none of them had yielded fragments.
It seemed this method wasn't so reliable after all.
Counting the two fragments he had collected earlier, Lucian now had six in total.
If he used them all, he would likely receive a similar blessing within the Land of Shadow, further enhancing his strength.
Lucian hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to use them just yet.
Without the blessing, those empowered by the Scadutree could barely keep up with him.
He still wanted a few more good fights, so he held off.
If he ran into a truly powerful opponent, he could always use them then.
And if things became genuinely troublesome… compared to the blessing, the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow would be far more straightforward.
—
Only after the battle had fully ended did Leda and Freyja dare return to the Divine Beast's stage.
During the fight, the two of them had retreated elsewhere.
The earlier clash had been overwhelming, every inch of the battlefield saturated with terrifying power. There had been nowhere that could be called safe.
Approaching recklessly would have meant being caught in the crossfire of either side.
Though they had been deeply concerned about the outcome, they had no choice but to keep their distance.
Using an elevator, the two had ascended to an even higher level of the stage, the true summit of the Tower Settlement.
Now, under their guidance, Lucian followed them there as well.
After climbing the long, sky-piercing staircase, he finally reached the end and lifted his gaze.
What appeared before him was a magnificent city, suspended in the air.
Its grand gates were entwined with pitch-black roots of shadow, sealing off entry to all outsiders.
Judging by its scale, it was no smaller than the settlement below.
Looking down, Lucian noticed that the upper and lower sections were still physically connected by massive supporting pillars.
Just how had the horned folk ever built something like this?
At that moment, ghostly white phantoms along the staircase repeated their murmured words:
"O tower of ours, hidden in shadow. O lofty spiral piercing the heavens."
"Lead him safely unto greater Godhood. And in divinity grant our salvation."
Hearing their voices, Lucian's heart jolted.
'Miquella… was trying to ascend to godhood here?!'
Godhood was something Lucian currently understood almost nothing about.
In the game, the player ultimately becomes Elden Lord.
But the role of the god, the consort of the lord, was left largely unexplained.
Originally, Lucian had assumed that only Empyreans who became consorts to a lord and served as vessels for the Elden Ring could truly become gods.
But from the looks of it, one could ascend to godhood even before that?
Just what was going on?
In most endings, the player becomes consort to Queen Marika's broken body, restoring the Elden Ring and continuing the age.
In the Age of Stars, however, one journeys with Ranni, removing the Elden Ring from the Lands Between entirely.
That ending was different, Ranni did not act as a vessel for the Ring in the traditional sense.
If so… it was hard to say whether she had truly become a god at that point.
It seemed all his previous assumptions about godhood would have to be overturned.
So Miquella abandoning his body… was also for the sake of becoming a god?
But if he discarded his flesh, then everything tied to his nature as an Empyrean—his fate, his principles, would be cast aside as well.
Two beads of cold sweat slid down Lucian's temple.
The aspects Miquella possessed were clear:
Unalloyed gold.
The abundance of the Haligtree.
And… his innate power of charm.
As the purest golden Demigod born of Marika and Radagon, Miquella had been able to create the concept of unalloyed gold.
The Haligtree's vitality, too, had been nurtured from his own flesh and blood.
If he cast away everything gained after birth, his body, his accumulated power, then what would remain would be only that inborn charm.
If Miquella intended to ascend to godhood using that…
Then it really did resemble something like an "Infinite Tsukuyomi", erasing all conflict entirely.
Lucian looked at the pitch-black roots before him and felt that he could burn them away.
That gave him some measure of reassurance.
He could already perceive the phantom traces of flame.
As long as he found the true core of the seal, he would be able to break it.
For now, the situation was still unclear. Lucian had no idea what the requirements for godhood were, nor how far Miquella had progressed.
But from the murmurs of the ghostly figures, one thing was certain, the seal upon the tower was indeed hindering Miquella.
Because of that, Lucian had no intention of acting rashly.
If he were to break the seal without understanding the situation, he might end up helping Miquella instead.
…Perhaps he should return and ask Ranni.
As an Empyrean herself, she ought to have some understanding of what it meant to become a god.
Just as Lucian was lost in thought, Leda's voice came from behind him.
"It seems we cannot enter…"
"Lord Lucian, we've decided to withdraw for now and return to the Haligtree."
"We will take our leave."
Lucian looked at her and gave a slight nod.
In the next moment, Leda and Freyja vanished, carried away by the power of grace.
Lucian rubbed his chin.
Leda was still extremely cautious. Even now, she remained wary of him.
She might be the only one among Miquella's followers who knew the truth, but clearly, there was no hope of her speaking openly.
After a brief moment of thought, Lucian turned and made his way back into the Tower Settlement.
The voice that had previously summoned the Divine Beast Dancing Lion still lingered in his mind.
He had already explored most of the settlement and had a general understanding of its layout.
Now, there was only one possible lead left, the silent horned crone in the warehouse.
Perhaps after they had left for the Divine Beast stage, she had awakened.
Lucian decided to try speaking with her. Maybe he could extract some useful information.
—
Inside the warehouse of the Tower Settlement, the horned crone felt the presence of the Divine Beast fade away, and her heart sank into despair.
Had the Divine Beast abandoned them again? Had they failed once more?
…
Footsteps echoed before her.
The crone sensed the aura of the approaching figure.
The moment she detected the golden blessing upon Lucian, fury surged within her.
Everything had already been destroyed…
If that was the case, what did she have left to fear?
Before Lucian could even come to a stop, the crone spoke first:
"A-Ah! Who art thou, stranger…?"
"by the look of thee, another of Messmer's peons, methinks."
"Tell me, dost thy kind never weary grow? "
"How do these old bones fascinate thee yet?"
"Our lands were by thy kind set aflame, our tower by thy kind veiled in shadow."
"Thou cam'st, robbing us of all, spoiling all. Have ye not basked in these deeds long enough?"
Lucian's mouth twitched.
This old woman… was not exactly friendly.
The crone took a breath, then continued in a furious tone:
"Listen, progeny of the wanton strumpet."
"For thy sins thou shalt have thy recompense — the sacred beast shall unleash its ire."
"Till then, with this old hag do what thou wilt, for all the good it'll do thee in the end!"
"…Go on, do it."
"Enact thy sordid work with fullest pride."
"Else tuck away thy tail and leave for good,"
"Loathsome issue of the rotten strumpet"
"Be gone!"
Lucian held his head, feeling a headache coming on.
He hadn't even done anything, yet he was being scolded from head to toe.
For a moment, he genuinely didn't know how to respond.
He opened his mouth, but no words came. In the end, he could only shake his head helplessly.
Meanwhile, the crone continued her tirade.
"These lands were ours since times of old. "
"Well! 'Tis no surprise. Thou hast thy choice made!"
"Act as thou wilt, but still must I ask... Is killing me truly within thy pow'r?"
"Didst thou imagine I would beg thee cease? Nay, nay, do what thou wilt to this poor soul!"
"Go on! Do it! Keep going!"
"Heaven shall judge thee all for thy deeds!"
Hearing her urge him to act, Lucian instead let out a small, relieved laugh.
He didn't care about an enemy's identity or age.
But this old woman could only rage with words, he had no reason to strike her down.
Her home had been destroyed. If she remained calm, that would be far stranger.
After a moment's thought, Lucian suddenly turned and walked out of the room.
This horned crone didn't seem capable of seeing. She could only judge others by their presence.
The Divine Beast's head carried the aura of the dancers, the "braves" who performed the ritual.
And up until now, Lucian hadn't spoken a single word. His form could also be altered.
If he used that properly… he might be able to fool her.
Besides, the crone didn't seem entirely stable. She looked as though she were only one step away from madness.
"A curse upon thee, rotten miscreant."
"A curse upon the strumpet's progeny, upon Marika's children each and all."
"The curse of the omen shall strike thee down... In the form of the sacred beast's ire."
"May the curse strike thee... To the very last..."
Ignoring the crone's muttered curses, Lucian stepped outside.
He took out the Divine Beast Dancing Lion's head, enlarging his body to match the stature of the ritual dancers.
Then, he suppressed the golden blessing that lingered around his eyes and picked up the Horned Warrior's great curved sword.
—
The horned crone had vented all the hatred in her heart in one breath and was now panting heavily.
When she came back to her senses, the "strumpet's progeny" who had stood before her earlier was nowhere to be found.
"…?"
"Where did he go?"
Just as confusion set in, she suddenly sensed a presence, one that filled her with overwhelming joy.
"...O-Oh?"
'Look at that brilliant form, There can be no doubt, This is the true power, complete in all its majesty, This is…'
The crone's expression relaxed, her face breaking into a delighted smile.
"Ah, such a joy to smell this scent again..."
"Does a sculpted keeper stand before me? Ohhh! As I felt the sacred beast's essence fade, a great anxiety welled up within."
"Forgive this old woman her foolish fears!"
"Tis such a relief, I cannot express."
"After an eternity of the mind, our voices have at least reached the heavens."
"As evidenced by thy gracious arrival. Ohh! Ohhh! A-A-Ah, Ohhh!"
Lucian stood before the horned crone, smiling, but saying nothing.