167. Elden Ring Xiling: Everyone—Long Time No See
"Uh…cough cough…So what's going on?"
Outside the royal city on the Elden Ring world, Xiling lay on his back on the ground, dust billowing around him, completely bewildered.
"Didn't you just tell me to find some people to help?" The Tarnished, who had arrived using the chat group's transportation system, stood to the side, shrugging helplessly.
"Well, I told them you needed manpower for help, and then this happened."
"I told you to just find some people! Just anyone, understand?!"
"How did it turn into World War?!"
...
Rewinding to a few hours earlier, while enjoying hot pot and singing karaoke, with Jing Yuan paying for everything, a message from the Tarnished appeared in the chat group.
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Hey, Xiling, come quick, these guys are about to fight!
Seeing this message, Xiling looked confused, but immediately replied.
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: What's going on? Who's fighting?
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Too many to count, it's impossible to count.
[Great Magician Tarnished]: Radahn and Malenia are fighting, and Placidusax even boasted they'd take on ten of them.
[Great Magician Tarnished]: You'd better come over and mediate.
Xiling didn't even have time to put down his chopsticks. Upon arriving in the Elden Ring World, in the wilderness outside the royal city, the scene before him instantly petrified him.
Radahn and Malenia were fiercely clashing.
Around them, a vast number of knights, mages, and prayer masters fought individually or formed small groups to fight. Magical missiles, prayer beams, and flashing swords filled the air.
"This... what is this..." Xiling stared dumbfounded at the scene before him, his mind blank.
Just as he tried to comprehend the chaos before him, a sudden change occurred!
At the edge of the sky, a dazzling silver-white streak of light flashed by with the speed of tearing through space! Almost the instant he sensed it, the light had already traversed several kilometers, carrying unparalleled kinetic energy and with an indescribable… passion, crashing into his arms with perfect precision!
Even a dragon swooping down to slam the earth couldn't have done this much. Xiling was struck head-on by a battering ram and knocked to the ground. The solid ground instantly cracked and caved in, sending dust billowing into the sky. This was the opening scene of the story…
"…Placidusax," Xiling said helplessly, "could you please get up for a moment?"
The silver-haired ancient dragon took a deep breath, as if calming some intense emotion, before rising with an elegance completely opposite to its previous violent charge. She even carefully brushed the dust off her skirt, her cool voice rang out:
"Excuse me. The speed... was slightly out of control."
"Ha..."
The Tarnished's lips twitched uncontrollably, inwardly cursing: "This is definitely the coldest joke I've heard all year! Believing she can't stop? I'd rather believe I can ascend the throne as Elden King on the spot!"
Placidusax's silver eyes glanced at the Tarnished seemingly casually, her previously cool silver pupils instantly contracting, transforming into cold, majestic vertical dragon eyes, as if issuing a silent warning.
"..."
The Tarnished immediately lowered his gaze, silently thinking: "Fine, I'll shut up, I wasn't thinking anything."
"So..."
Xiling sat up, looking at the Tarnished, "Can someone explain to me what's going on here?"
He pointed to the still-rumbling battlefield in the distance.
Before the Tarnished could form a word, Placidusax turned around, her voice calm and even, yet carrying a strange rhythm, like an ancient hymn:
"For a long time, in the hearts of people, there has been a respect, a reverence, a...deep love." She spoke slowly, her gaze falling on Xiling, a glint of light seeming to flash deep within her silver eyes.
"That is the sincerity offered to the Silver King. They yearn to dedicate themselves, to serve their king, to offer all their strength."
"Yet...on the throne, there is no sign of the king. Only legends linger."
"This yearning has not dissipated. It has settled, it has burned, it has transformed into the driving force behind their day and night, honing their swords, refining their magic, and practicing arduous prayers. They temper themselves, waiting, believing that the day will eventually come—the day they can stand beside the Silver King, clearing thorns for him."
"And today," Placidusax's lips twitched slightly upwards. A smile appeared on her face as she gazed at Xiling.
"The long-silent king has finally issued his summons."
"And so, joy descended, ecstasy surged, and anticipation materialized into a tangible flame." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield in the distance.
"Therefore,"
"to vie for the precious right to stand by the king's side, they...fought."
Xiling: "..."
After hearing this explanation, which sounded like an epic narration, Xiling felt his lips twitch uncontrollably. It took him a while to manage a single sentence:
"I...I see? So...it was my fault!"
Xiling sighed helplessly.
"Anyway, we still have to stop them first, in case something unexpected happens..."
"Actually, regarding this..." The Tarnished was about to explain when a voice interrupted him.
"You can rest assured."
Radagon descended step by step from the sky, finally landing steadily in front of Xiling.
"Long time no see, Xiling." Radagon nodded in greeting.
"It has indeed been a long time, Radagon," Xiling nodded in return.
After the brief greeting, Radagon's gaze swept across the distant battlefield of flashing swords and roaring magic. He explained, "In that specific area—this training ground you see here—the concept of death has been temporarily stripped away."
"Since the end of the Golden Tree Age and the birth of the Silver Age, the Land Betweens have entered a period of peace, but the value of power itself has not diminished. Combat remains the most direct way to temper power."
His calm tone was like stating a given fact.
"Under Ranni's guidance, and in conjunction with many wise men from the Academy of Raya Lucaria, they conducted in-depth research and analysis of the remaining death runes."
He pointed to the chaotic core of the battlefield:
"Ultimately, the result is this domain that isolates death. Within this range, no matter how fierce the battles are, the participants will not truly perish."
Xiling gasped in surprise:
"…This even works?" He hadn't expected these people to have come up with something like this.
"Hehe, of course! I played a part in it too!" The Tarnished immediately puffed out his chest, beaming with pride.
Xiling gave him a thumbs up, then composed herself:
"Regardless, it's good that no one died. But this fight itself is meaningless. It's time to stop."
Leaving these words, Xiling took a step forward. He soared through the air, and as he rose, silvery-white magical ripples began to spread silently but rapidly in all directions from him.
Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, the ripples of magic seemed to silence the clamor wherever they touched.
The towering silver tree seemed to sense the king's will and return; its massive canopy swayed slightly, scattering countless silver shards of light that drifted towards the figure, as if silently announcing the king's presence.
Radahn, locked in fierce combat, ceased wielding his greatsword; Malenia sheathed her waterfowl-like blade; the movements of the unknown knights, mages, and priests in the melee froze; even within the royal city, countless Silver Citizens stopped their work, involuntarily raising their heads, holding their breath, their gazes fixed on the figure enveloped in silver light high in the sky.
Under the gazes of countless eyes filled with awe, expectation, and fervor, Xiling, suspended high in the heavens, revealed a gentle, resigned smile.
His voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly in the hearts of every living being:
"Everyone—please cease your fighting for now."
.....
Shortly afterward.
In the central square of the royal city, a colossal statue gleamed in the sunlight.
Standing before the statue's pedestal, Xiling looked at his own reflection, dozens of times taller than himself, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.
"...I shouldn't have...asked for this to be built, right?"
"To commemorate the Silver King's grace in quelling chaos," Placidusax said beside him, her long silver hair gently swaying in the breeze. She looked up at the statue, her voice still cool, yet carrying a hint of matter-of-factness, "The people spontaneously decided to cast this statue as a sign of their reverence."
Xiling gazed at the statue's face, meticulously sculpted by the artisans to be lifelike, even possessing a touch of divine radiance. He remained silent for a few seconds, finally managing to squeeze out a dry, "...Thank you. Hmm, it's quite lifelike."
Never mind, these formalities...don't matter.
He took a deep breath, turned away, and no longer looked at the magnificent yet somewhat awkward statue. His gaze fell upon the people gathering in the square and further afield on the streets.
The crowd surged, utterly silent.
They shared a striking common feature: silver-white hair and silver-white eyes—a symbol of the harmonious convergence of different life forms under the radiant light of the Silver Rule, a manifestation of Xiling's promise of "unity of faith, regardless of race."
The former giants, demi-humans, hybrids, and dragons had all transformed into human form.
Of course, this was merely a choice of form; with the power of magic, returning to their original forms was not difficult for them—after all, magic was the tool used to weave miracles and create new life.
Faced with countless eyes filled with pure reverence, trust, and fervor, the last trace of helplessness on Xiling's face vanished, replaced by a warm smile, like reuniting with old friends. His clear voice rang out in the silent square, reaching everyone's ears:
"Everyone—it's been a long time."