After summoning the army Radahn needed, Arthur ordered him, "You've seen the portal in the courtyard; the other side is Lone Mountain. I'll give you ten days for a round trip. You are to lead the soldiers to Redmane Castle, then return to Stormveil Castle, and finally reach your destination through the portal."
Radahn pondered for a moment and replied, "Ten days isn't necessary. The Red Lion Legion also knows how to build portals. Redmane Castle also has the stone materials for building portals... No, to prevent the materials from becoming ineffective over time, I'll bring some from here."
Arthur indicated that he would have the materials Radahn needed prepared, but then remembered something and frowned, "But while the soldiers can quickly arrive through the portal, war machines cannot. Even starting from Redmane Castle now, it would take several months to reach Lone Mountain. Can you solve this problem, Radahn?"
Radahn replied, "Of course, since I requested the use of these war machines, I naturally have a way to solve it. Do you remember my gravity magic?"
Arthur first nodded, then suddenly realized, "You plan to directly lift those things with gravity magic and fly them over?"
Radahn said, "Something like that. I'll reach the destination within a month."
Arthur asked considerately, "Is your magic sufficient to sustain the use of gravity magic for such a long time? Do you need me to give you some magic recovery items?"
Radahn mused for a moment, and finally nodded in acceptance, "To ensure that I can immediately join the war as a combatant upon reaching the destination, please provide me with some magic supply items."
As Arthur took out some Star Fragments shimmering with faint starlight from his spatial backpack, he said, "It's a pity there are no artisans in the territory capable of crafting Flask of Wondrous Physick yet, otherwise I would definitely give you one."
Star Fragments were precious materials used in potion making in the ancient Eternal City. Arthur had heard from Melina that they were fragments produced by fleeting starlight.
After use, they could slowly restore magic, but the speed was very, very slow, so they couldn't be used as emergency recovery items.
However, in the absence of any other magic recovery methods, having Star Fragments was better than having none.
Radahn showed some surprise when he saw these familiar Star Fragments. After thanking Arthur, he carefully took them from his hand, afraid that he might accidentally crush these blue-glowing illusory fragments with too much force.
He put these fragments away, remained silent for a few seconds, and then still asked, "You can get so many Star Fragments, which also means you've met Lani—my sister, right? In my memory, she really likes these little trinkets related to stars."
Arthur inexplicably tensed up and quickly changed the subject to divert Radahn's attention: "Since I've become the Elden Lord in The Lands Between, how could I not have met Lani, the Lunar Princess? Let's not talk about that. You still have something left with me; it's time to return it to you."
Radahn's attention was indeed drawn by Arthur's words, or more accurately, by the two greatswords that suddenly appeared in his hand.
Each greatsword was as tall as an adult man, and even with Arthur's strength, he found it somewhat strenuous. The blade was forged entirely from dark meteorite, and its three-palm-wide surface was covered with crack patterns like exploding stars, resembling a lion's mane.
Radahn couldn't hide the smile on his lips, his golden eyes looking at it as if it were an old friend.
That was indeed his old friend, the weapon with which he had fought his entire life: the Starscourge Greatsword.
In his youth, Radahn was known for the legend of "Starscourge." The patterns on the sword were actually gravity emblems, which Radahn had carved onto it in his youth.
"This is exactly what I desire." General Radahn rarely showed a hint of a smile, his gaze like a torch, fixed on the Starscourge Greatsword in Arthur's hand, as he slowly opened his broad and powerful palm.
The Starscourge Greatsword seemed to sense its master's call. Its broad blade trembled slightly, and the patterns on the hilt seemed to come alive, shimmering with a faint purple light, like a child who had been away from home for a long time finally seeing his father's embrace, too excited to control himself.
Arthur understood and lightly released his control over the Starscourge Greatsword.
In an instant, the greatsword seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, floating in mid-air, drawing a graceful arc, and steadily flying into Radahn's hand.
The moment the hilt met his palm, it was as if the two were one, perfectly matched.
A powerful aura instantly emanated from Radahn, announcing that the Starscourge Greatsword had finally returned to its rightful owner.
The moment he grasped the Starscourge Greatsword, Radahn noticed something unusual, as the feel was completely different from what he remembered.
He lightly swung it, and the blade cut through the air, creating gusts of fierce and unparalleled sword wind that whistled past.
However, Radahn let out a soft "Oh?" at this moment, his eyebrows slightly raised, full of surprise.
His gaze turned to Arthur, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, then he slowly inverted the Starscourge Greatsword and presented it back to Arthur.
"Arthur, I must thank you. Thanks to your meticulous care for this sword," Radahn's voice was deep and powerful, "I can feel that it is now sharper than when it was in my hands, and magic flows through it more smoothly. Although I am its former master, I can also sense that it seems to favor you greatly. You must have spent a lot of effort and money to forge it to this state... Are you truly sure you want to return it to me?"
For a special weapon like the Starscourge Greatsword, Arthur had naturally used smithing stones and runes to reinforce it to its maximum.
Arthur waved his hand indifferently, "I have plenty of weapons I'm accustomed to using. This sword, in my possession, is merely a display piece with an empty name. Its true stage should be in your hands, only then can it unleash its original brilliance."
As soon as he finished speaking, Arthur suddenly sized Radahn up from head to toe.
A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, then he seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead, "Hmm... I always feel like you're missing something. Ah, that's right! Your beloved steed, I forgot to summon it. Jerian and Freya I also haven't summoned yet; I'll call them all out together later."
Radahn was never one to be coy. Seeing that Arthur had no attachment to the Starscourge Greatsword, he no longer declined. He withdrew his hand and securely hung the sword at his waist, the hilt lightly tapping his belt, producing a clear metallic clang.
After hearing Arthur's words, Radahn solemnly expressed his gratitude to him again, "In that case, thank you very much."
Arthur's gaze swept over the eager eyes on the training ground. The Red Lion Knights and the soldiers of the Royal Army were intently watching him and Radahn, their eyes filled with anticipation and respect.
He chuckled, teasing, "Alright, this place is all yours, Red Lion Legion. Look at your soldiers; their eyes are full of things they want to say to you. I, an outsider, won't interfere. I'll have Nepheli Loux arrange for the things you requested to be sent over. Now I need to head back to Lonely Mountain to update our dwarf allies on our plans."
As General Radahn bid farewell, Arthur turned and departed, returning to the Erdtree courtyard.
Before summoning Jerian and Freya, Arthur did not forget his earlier promise to Radahn. He decided to first attempt to summon the deceased Red Lion Knight, Ogha.
However, could he truly succeed in summoning him?
After all, Ogha was different from other beings in The Lands Between; he had already been confirmed dead, now existing only as a wisp of a soul.
Arthur truly lacked confidence in this, as summoning and resurrecting the souls of the departed was inherently a somewhat fantastical notion.
But even so, he had to try.
If he could indeed summon such a unique ash spirit as Ogha, then he had many more powerful ash spirits waiting to be summoned in his backpack.
Arthur retrieved an item from his spatial backpack: a hazy, palm-sized bell covered in intricate inscriptions. It was these mysterious inscriptions that granted Arthur the ability to command ash spirits in combat.
The summoning of ash spirits was highly restricted; they could only be awakened from their slumber when a Rebirth Monument was nearby.
However, there were no Rebirth Monuments—mysterious creations whose principles Arthur didn't understand—in Middle-earth. Therefore, the Soul Bell in Arthur's hand had never found a use, and naturally, he had gradually forgotten it in a corner of his memory.
At this moment, his fingers gently traced the inscriptions on the metal surface of the Soul Bell, the uneven patterns gliding across his fingertips.
Arthur recalled Melina also saying something about him being Elden Lord's bell-ringing servant.
Although Arthur would use the Soul Bell whenever he discovered he could summon ash spirits, he felt he wasn't as useless as Melina claimed, as he had defeated most enemies himself.
Arthur pulled himself from his memories, gently suppressing the smile that had unconsciously bloomed on his lips at the thought of a certain maiden.
"Ding-a-ling—"
Then, he slowly raised his hand and gently shook the bell.
The sound of the bell echoed through the Erdtree's courtyard, sending a summoning signal to Ogha's soul.
However, fate did not seem to favor Arthur's attempt. He observed intently, only to see Ogha's soul still slumbering within the Soul Bell, showing no signs of awakening.
At the same time, the Erdtree was unresponsive to the bell's sound, merely radiating a soft and sacred golden light.
"Indeed, without a Rebirth Monument, these souls cannot be awakened..."
Arthur murmured to himself, his tone filled with helplessness and regret.
He sighed softly, shook his head, and prepared to immerse his mind in the elden ring within the Erdtree.
However, Arthur's peripheral vision suddenly caught a glint of something unusual, and his attention was instantly drawn to it.
"Shadow Tree?"
Arthur's surprise and astonishment escaped his lips. The Erdtree remained unresponsive, quietly emitting its golden light, as if oblivious to everything around it.
But the Shadow Tree, which coexisted with it, had been gently flickering with black-gold light ever since Arthur shook the bell.
Had Arthur not caught it in his peripheral vision, he might have missed this anomaly.
Oh, right, the Shadow Tree is responsible for guiding souls back to the tree; it should be the one to react to the souls in the Soul Bell.
Arthur suddenly realized, immediately aimed the Soul Bell at the Shadow Tree, and rang the bell again.
"Ding-a-ling—"
The crisp sound of the bell echoed in the air.
This time, the Shadow Tree's trunk became even darker, as if steeped in night, and black-gold Grace slowly flowed down from its branches, like flowing streams.
At the same time, Ogha's soul awakened from its slumber, silently drifting out of the silver-gray Soul Bell, his tall and imposing figure appearing before Arthur.
The black-gold Phantom Grace immediately enveloped Ogha's soul, and Arthur's heart tightened.
Wait, it's not going to return this soul to the tree, is it?
He was about to quickly cancel Ogha's summoning, but he found that the Phantom Grace had already completely flowed into Ogha's soul, and the silver-gray spirit body gradually turned the same black-gold color.
Arthur suddenly realized that the connection between Ogha's soul and the Soul Bell had been severed.
It's over!
Arthur wailed inwardly, but he soon realized that after the Phantom Grace dyed Ogha's soul the same color, there was no further action.
The Shadow Tree's branches and leaves gently swayed, as if soothing Arthur's anxiety, and also as if silently communicating with the Erdtree.
A moment later, the Erdtree, as if with some reluctance, finally responded.
It sent down a bright Grace, immersing Ogha's soul within it. That Grace, like a warm light, slowly flowed over Ogha's soul, and the black-gold was gradually replaced by golden.
Finally, when this soul gently landed before Arthur, it was no longer an ethereal spirit, but a living person with a physical body, his body shining with the luster of the living in the golden light of the Grace.
However, it was slightly awkward that Ogha was not wearing any armor or clothing at this time.
Although he was fully armed as a spirit, when he was re-endowed with a physical body, he was not endowed with clothing as well.
Arthur's eyes widened. He never expected that an ash spirit could truly be resurrected, and what surprised him even more was that all of this was due to the Shadow Tree.
Before Ogha could open his eyes, Arthur quickly retrieved a set of Red Lion Knight armor, complete with inner lining, from his spatial backpack and unhesitatingly threw it onto the golden grass at Ogha's feet.
"For General Radahn—! Follow me and charge at those damned Cleanrot Knights!!! Stop that woman Finlay at all costs!! She must not take Malenia back to the Haligtree!!! Avenge the General!!"
Ogha seemed to be startled awake by the sound of the armor hitting the ground. The first thing the burly man did upon opening his eyes was to roar General Radahn's name, with the roar of his last battle, and punch at Arthur.
Arthur, of course, didn't indulge him. He easily caught Ogha's punch, then threw him back next to the armor.
"Put on your armor, Ogha," Arthur said irritably. "I'm not your enemy, and Radahn is waiting for you to rejoin."