According to the original plan, Arthur had intended to fill Ranni's body with Enhanced Philosopher's Stones, then use the method of the Albinaurics' creation to reshape her vessel. Finally, through a soul-rebinding ritual, he would complete her resurrection.
But he hadn't expected the power of the Larval Tear to combine with that of the Enhanced Philosopher's Stone, bringing about a special kind of rebirth for her body.
For Arthur, this was a lucky accident.
Because in his original design, he had overlooked a huge problem—the energy supply.
As an heir to the gods, Ranni's body was unimaginably powerful. Reviving such a body couldn't possibly be achieved by just one Demigod-grade Enhanced Philosopher's Stone.
If he had gone through with that plan, the result might have been something like the Albinaurics: crippled from the waist down, with only the upper body able to function.
But this new rebirth had erased all of Ranni's internal flaws and reshaped her vessel anew. Arthur could swear the body before him now was the most perfect among all Empyreans.
…Well, except for the age.
No helping that—her body was simply too strong. Even draining all the power of Radahn's crystal had only been enough to regrow her to about twelve years old.
Now, everything was ready. All that was left… was for Ranni's soul to return.
It took Arthur several grueling days to finally cross the Lake of Rot, pass through the scarlet-drenched temple, and reach the great waterfall at its deepest point.
The hardships? Beyond words.
For reasons unknown, the middle of the lake housed a gigantic Dragonkin Soldier. With no footing in the water, even summoning his Mimic Tear hadn't helped. In the end, Arthur had to mount his flying broom and bombard the thing from the air until it fell.
At the waterfall's edge lay a stone coffin. Once Arthur lay inside, the torrent carried it down the waterfall's base.
When he first saw this design, he'd been in awe. From such a height, how did the coffin not shatter? And it even had a return function. Truly, the game's designers had some wild imaginations.
The moment he stepped into Astel's cavern, a Comet Azur shot toward him.
Arthur rolled aside, cursing under his breath.
Why was it that anyone who knew Comet Azur always used it as a greeting?!
He'd heard the spell could be found in Mt. Gelmir. Once he had time, he'd definitely make a trip to claim it.
But for now—out came the bell.
"Big bro, show it some manners."
The Mimic Tear emerged, while Arthur provided support from afar.
He remembered this horned insect's mastery of gravity sorceries—slicker even than Radahn's. Sure enough, as the Mimic rushed in, Astel opened with a gravity field, suspending everything in range before slamming it all away.
Yes, very Shinra Tensei.
And then came the dreaded Meteorite of Astel. A rain of stones from the void itself—Arthur fumed at the unfairness. His rock spell conjured three measly boulders, but this thing could summon an entire storm. Just because it had more legs?!
And that falling-star impact—wasn't that basically Chibaku Tensei? Was this thing secretly one of the Six Paths of Pain?
This might have been the toughest boss Arthur had ever faced. With its shell of gravity sorceries, Astel was near untouchable.
Well—untouchable for him.
The Mimic was different. When Arthur summoned it, he'd been equipped with the Moonveil Katana in one hand and the Carian Regal Scepter in the other.
The Moonveil—loot from his exploration of Caelid—was a godsend for sorcerers in melee. Its weapon art, Transient Moonlight, scaled with Intelligence, cutting foes down with devastating magic slashes and shredding their poise in two strikes.
Perhaps irritated by Astel's prickly fighting style, the Mimic surged forward, Moonveil in hand, a storm of slashes raining down.
Of course, a Mimic couldn't actually feel anger. It had simply chosen the optimal strategy—break poise first, then pour on the damage.
For this battle-hardened double, it was child's play.
And this was no nerfed Mimic like in his past life. This one retained terrifying combat instincts—Arthur himself often had to learn from its decisions. Plus, it carried his Flask of Wondrous Physick. Meaning it, too, could heal and recover FP.
If Astel could talk, it would've surely screamed:
"Who's the boss here?!"
When Astel finally fell, it yielded a Remembrance.
This could be exchanged for either a flail weapon or a weapon art. The art applied to colossal weapons, unleashing a swirling black starfield that exploded moments later. Pretty to look at, but short-ranged and not all that useful.
The flail carried magic damage, but its skill was underwhelming. Compared to his Moonveil, it was nothing.
Arthur fumed—after all that sweat and blood, this was all he got?
(Mimic Tear: Excuse me? The one doing the sweating and bleeding was me.)
Still, his spirits were high. At last, he could leave the underground.
He'd been trapped below for half a month. Nokstella had at least a dim starlight ceiling, but the Lake of Rot? Just endless crimson suffocation. It had nearly driven him insane.
Before him now was a great gate. Using the Dark Moon Ring, he dispelled the barrier. The lift beyond carried him up—out of Ainsel River at last.
And beyond the exit, the Moonlight Altar awaited.
The moment he stepped outside, a Glintstone Dragon circled above.
Arthur squinted—ah, an old acquaintance. The very same that had fled halfway through their duel before Ranni's tower.
This time, though, he had the Mimic Tear's ashes in hand.
Time for a proper society-style gang beating.
So that the dragon could learn exactly how cruel the world could be.
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