Redmane Castle was chosen to be located near the Greywater River, east of Minhiriath. If one were to follow the waterway south, it would take less than two days to reach Limgrave Greatbridge.
This way, Limgrave Greatbridge, where the Misbegotten reside, would no longer be isolated and without aid.
If they truly encountered an attack they couldn't handle, Redmane Castle could quickly provide support.
Similarly, if Redmane Castle was attacked, the Misbegotten from Limgrave Greatbridge could quickly come to their aid.
Although Arthur didn't think Redmane Castle would need support if it were attacked...
Unless he later summoned Malenia, the Valkyrie, or Morgott, the Omen King, and they faced off against Radahn again.
However, Arthur would certainly not let such a situation occur.
If there were people near where Arthur decided to summon Redmane Castle, they would see a colossal, war-scarred city abruptly rise with a golden glow.
As the golden light faded, city walls built of dark red sandstone stood upon the earth.
The city walls were covered in lava-like cracks, from which golden-red Shimmer seeped. Broken arrow towers and bronze cannons were frozen throughout the city, as if their time had been paused.
Twelve faded brown battle flags still flapped on the city walls, the lion emblem on their surfaces scorched by flames.
The battlements were filled with broken lances, their shafts wrapped with dried celebratory ribbons, as if one could still hear the warriors' roars and the sounds of battle from the day of the festival.
Redmane Castle, like a sleeping lion, lay dormant here, awaiting the return of its master.
Meanwhile, as Redmane Castle was successfully summoned to the land of Minhiriath, the name of General Radahn the Starscourge also lit up as promised.
Arthur's mind was immersed in it, and he chose to summon Radahn without any hesitation.
Inside the Stormveil courtyard, the moment Arthur confirmed the summoning of Radahn, the twin Erdtrees suddenly burst forth with dazzling brilliance, only to erupt with purple light in the next breath.
Amidst the brilliant golden light, amethyst-colored strange lights shimmered. If one looked closely at the leaping purple glows, spiderweb-like spatial cracks floated at the edge of each ray of light.
It was as if countless transparent fangs were gnawing at the veil of reality, twisting the light into a shattered kaleidoscope, even tearing the tree shadows projected on the ground into fragmented ripples.
But in the end, the golden color overwhelmed the purple, and the intertwined yellow and purple lights condensed into a mountain-like humanoid figure, finally descending before Arthur.
As the light faded, General Radahn the Starscourge appeared in the courtyard of Stormveil Castle, his massive body blocking the light shining on Arthur, casting a shadow over him.
Arthur stood quietly before Radahn, looking up at him, without speaking.
The pressure of shattered stars seeped from the gaps in Radahn's golden heavy armor. Compared to Arthur's body, Radahn's body seemed as tall as a mountain.
His eyes, looking down at Arthur, flowed like molten gold, and in the depths of his pupils burned stars that never fell. His sword-like eyebrows flew diagonally into his temples, and his fiery red long hair, bound by a golden hair ring, and his Red Lion helmet seemed to truly resemble a roaring lion.
Radahn also silently looked at him, his arms crossed.
The two stood in confrontation for a long time, the air seemingly solidified between them.
It was unknown how much time passed, until the sun set and the moon rose, and the Erdtree's light once again shone on them, that Radahn finally asked in a deep voice, "How much longer do you intend to stand here with me? You summoned me..."
Wait, he can talk?
A hint of surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he blurted out, "You can communicate?"
Then he saw a speechless expression in Radahn's eyes, and he sighed heavily, "Did you originally intend to summon a madman who had lost his mind?"
Arthur awkwardly coughed lightly, "Because I summoned you from Redmane Castle, not the one revived by Miquella. So I assumed your sanity would still be in a state of frenzy due to the Scarlet Rot's influence. I originally planned to have a fierce battle with you after summoning you, and then use the Erdtree to suppress the Scarlet Rot within you... but it seems it's not necessary?"
Radahn stretched his body, and as his shoulder armor moved, his golden lion armor made a bright sound, "I don't understand what happened to you or what you've experienced, but my body is now free of that annoying Scarlet Rot, and it's certainly much lighter."
Then he looked up at the moon in the night, which still retained its color under the Erdtree's light, and said, "Speaking of which, although my memory is a bit blurry, during the process of being summoned by you, besides the Erdtree, I seemed to have first encountered someone. It seems it was that person who removed the Scarlet Rot from within me, and then my consciousness appeared within the Erdtree's grace to form a physical body."
"Then you just looked at me with hostility, said nothing, and we just stared at each other for several hours."
Arthur waved his hand, "The last sentence was completely unnecessary."
Radahn turned in the courtyard, his back to Arthur, and looked at the Erdtree. Then he turned back and asked in a deep voice, "This Erdtree... I didn't expect you to acknowledge the existence of the Shadow Tree. Just this alone is different from The Lands Between. Nameless tarnished, who defeated me several times and never feared or submitted to my might, why have you now become Elden Lord and accepted this mess?"
Arthur answered without hesitation, his voice firm, "It is for the people of The Lands Between that I have become Elden Lord."
Radahn's expression did not change upon hearing this, "That's what Mohg, that Chief Blood Knight, said to you before he died, isn't it? You don't need to refute anything; I'm not denying your meaning. The path you walk, as long as you yourself continue to believe in it and follow it, is all that matters. You don't need to say anything more to others."
Arthur shrugged, "You don't need to tell me; I already know."
Then he looked at Radahn hesitantly and asked, "So, do you still want to fight me?"
Radahn shook his head directly, "My memories have already told me that your skill needs no further words, nor does it need to be proven to me again."
To summarize: you've beaten me so many times, and I'm not stupid.
Only then did Arthur say, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the City Lord Hall. By the way, since you don't want to fight me again, why didn't you just tell me directly when you were first summoned?"
Radahn was silent for a moment, "At that time, a lot of memories suddenly flooded into my brain, and I didn't have time to speak."
Arthur: "Alright... follow me."
So Radahn followed behind Arthur, his massive body causing the ground to tremble slightly with each step.
"This is Stormveil Castle, isn't it? Has that cowardly Godrick already been summoned before me?" Radahn recognized the location by looking at the buildings within the castle and asked Arthur.
However, when he spoke Godrick's name, Arthur could hear the disdain in Radahn's voice.
Then, Arthur suddenly remembered that he had seemingly forgotten about Godrick the Grafted, the other master of Stormveil Castle.
Despite being a Demigod, Godrick was unconsciously overlooked by Arthur, which was quite tragic for him.
After summoning Radahn's army, if there was still enough Grace remaining, Godrick should be summoned as well.
No matter what, Godrick was still a Demigod in The Lands Between, so he should be capable of leading a support force, right?
Arthur thought to himself while replying, "No, the current master of Stormveil Castle is Nepheli Loux, a descendant of the Storm King's lineage, and also the acting lord of the Erdtree."
A look of confusion appeared on Radahn's face; he clearly had not heard that name before.
Arthur introduced her concisely, "She has always fought alongside me, directly facing the axe of Godfrey, First Elden Lord."
Radahn immediately understood her strength and couldn't help but praise, "Then she must be an exceptionally brave warrior."
Along the way, many Storm Knights and maidservants noticed the situation with Arthur, and they began discussing it after the two left.
It was hard not to notice, after all, Radahn's massive physique was like a moving hillock.
"If I'm not mistaken, is that little giant next to Lord Arthur General Radahn, known as the strongest Demigod in The Lands Between?"
"Red hair, Golden Lion armor, and that enormous body—you're not wrong, it must be General Radahn."
"Oh, then this will be difficult."
"What's difficult? Why do you look so disappointed?"
"Since Lord Arthur has summoned General Radahn, the army for this expedition will definitely be those Red Lion fellows."
Radahn watched the patrolling soldiers and cleaning maidservants salute them along the way and said, "You certainly hold a very important place in their hearts."
Of course, in their eyes, I am the walking, talking incarnation of the Erdtree.
Arthur exchanged a few pleasantries, then entered the City Lord Hall.
By then, everyone else had left the City Lord Hall and returned to their posts.
Only Nepheli Loux and Kenneth Haight remained inside, as they needed to discuss matters related to provisions.
"Ge-General Radahn... greetings. I truly did not expect you to arrive here safely. Lord Arthur truly accomplished this; it is truly a blessing from the Erdtree."
Upon seeing the massive figure behind Arthur, Kenneth Haight, after a brief moment of surprise, immediately regained his noble demeanor, gracefully and politely greeting Radahn.
Radahn's golden eyes looked over and he nodded slightly to Kenneth Haight, "Ah, Sir Kenneth Haight, it's good to meet you again here. Are you still dedicated to having demi-humans work for you?"
Kenneth Haight nodded proudly, "Of course! General Radahn! Some demi-humans have also been summoned by Lord Arthur, and it has proven that they can indeed do many things. Our previous views on demi-humans were clearly very mistaken."
Nepheli Loux interrupted Kenneth Haight's excited words, "Alright, let's discuss these matters later. Arthur bringing General Radahn here clearly indicates something more important needs to be explained."
Arthur introduced, "She is Nepheli Loux, whom I mentioned earlier."
Radahn nodded, and after seeing that there was no seat in the City Lord Hall that matched his size, he simply stood, "So why has Arthur summoned me here? Is there a formidable enemy that he also finds difficult to handle, or is he simply playing a game of 'Lands Between Reunion'?"
Nepheli Loux shook her head, "Neither. Let Arthur explain it to you himself."
As Radahn's gaze fell upon him, Arthur pointed to the unfolded map of Middle-earth on the long council table, "For certain reasons, our allies are about to face a war. Besides us, they are isolated and helpless. Therefore, we must also face a support operation. I have summoned you precisely because of your military command abilities. I hope you can lead your Red Lion Legion to support our allies and accept this war."
When Radahn saw the map on the long council table, his eyes gleamed. He stepped forward to the edge of the table and leaned down, ravenously memorizing the patterns on the map.
Before he was a Demigod, he was a General.
Radahn could not refuse the opportunity to establish himself and make a name for himself in a new world.
So, he asked Arthur a series of questions: "Who are the enemies? What is the source of their power?"
Arthur pointed to the location of Lonely Mountain on the map and replied, "The enemies are creatures called 'orcs'. Their individual combat ability is very weak, similar to our auxiliary soldiers. However, their numbers are very, very large. In addition, there is a giant dragon that can fly around in the sky and breathe fire. I believe this dragon is the main problem we need to deal with."
Radahn sneered, "A giant dragon? Is it a Wyrm or an Ancient Dragon? But it doesn't matter, whether it's a Wyrm or an Ancient Dragon, they'll have to lie down obediently in front of me."
Arthur cautioned, "Neither. It's a giant dragon of this world. As far as I know, it's about 140 meters long, and its dragonfire can easily melt steel."
Radahn nodded. Even if he spoke of the giant dragon with contempt, he was actually taking it very seriously in his heart.
After all, that was a giant dragon, not some random cat or dog to be slaughtered at will.
He said, "I've noted that. What else? What are the numbers and distribution of those orcs? What are their weaknesses? What is the terrain of the battlefield? Are there any positions that would allow us to leverage our combat advantages?"
"What is the condition of our soldiers? Do we have enough supplies and support?"
"What are the weather and environmental factors at Lonely Mountain like? Will they affect the operation?"
"What are our strategic objectives? Is it to help our allies eliminate the enemy, or to capture a key stronghold? If it's the former, do we eliminate the enemy's main force first, or cut off their supply lines first?"
"Oh, and are there any other forces that might intervene? Are they friend or foe? How will they affect the operation?"
"Of course, more importantly, if the operation fails, what is our retreat plan? Soldiers who follow orders may not need to consider the consequences of failure, but we, as generals, must think about this. I will not blindly assume that we will definitely achieve victory; thinking about the worst-case scenario can prevent many soldiers from sacrificing themselves in vain."
Radahn's barrage of questions made Arthur feel his head swell by several sizes, and he quickly said, "Stop, stop, stop. Wait a moment. Let's take one question at a time, and I'll explain it to you slowly."