Crimson clouds blanketed the sky, casting a red veil over the earth.
Across the boundless desert, raging sandstorms churned endlessly, making it impossible to distinguish direction.
This desert had once been the battlefield between Radahn and Malenia.
In the past, corpses had littered the land and blood had dyed the ground red.
Now only a single figure wandered across the wasteland.
A creature with no sanity left—one that existed only to devour the dead.
A beast named Radahn.
"Serolina, Ogha—you two stay here as backup in case something unexpected happens."
After stepping through the portal, the Tarnished gave his orders.
Serolina nodded quietly.
The small creature in her arms—Tiamat—let out its familiar cry as if to say it understood.
Ogha, however, hesitated.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward the depths of the desert, where General Radahn roamed.
Seeing Radahn in that beast-like state, Ogha finally nodded.
He truly wanted to join the battle.
More than anything, he wished to personally grant his former commander a warrior's honorable death.
But with his current strength, he simply could not step onto that battlefield.
The thought made him clench his fists.
He knew his own weakness all too well.
Even after so many cycles of rebirth, even though his martial skill had reached its peak, the gap between himself and a demigod remained an unbridgeable chasm.
Except for Godrick, that disgraceful demigod.
Because of this, he hated his own powerlessness.
He hated how weak he was.
He could not even send off the general he once served.
The only thing he could do now was offer his blessing to his current master.
"Master… may you return victorious."
His eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, silently preparing to witness Radahn's final moment.
"Mm."
The Tarnished nodded faintly.
He had seen Ogha's reaction clearly.
Even so, he had no intention of letting Ogha join the fight.
Because what came next would not be a simple clash of blades.
If Ogha entered the battlefield, he would only become a burden.
Still…
The fact that this rugged warrior had such a gentle side was something he had never expected.
Then his gaze turned to the figure who looked exactly like himself.
The Mimic Tear.
"Ashmi. I'll draw Radahn's attention. Stay nearby and support me. When the chance appears, stun him."
"Understood, my master."
With those words, the two figures vanished from their spot and charged toward Radahn.
"ROOOAAARR—!!!"
The moment Radahn noticed the Tarnished approaching, he released a roar that sounded almost like a cry of agony.
Acting purely on instinct, he grabbed his massive black-and-gold bow—the Lion Greatbow—and pulled a long spear from the cluster of spears strapped to his back.
He placed the spear against the bowstring.
Drawing the ancient weapon to its full arc, he aimed directly at the approaching Tarnished.
At the same time, a pale violet glow gathered at the spear's tip.
These spears had once belonged to Cleanrot Knights.
They had been driven into his back by those knights themselves.
And now Radahn used them as arrows.
"Oh? A sniping duel?"
"I like it."
Seeing the faint purple light in the distance, the Tarnished stopped in his tracks and swung his Lusat's Glintstone Staff.
A pale blue sigil appeared.
In his hands formed Loretta's Greatbow, drawn to its full length.
This was his favorite part.
In the entire Lands Between, only Radahn could duel him like this.
"Alright… this should be enough."
Before the magical arrow had even reached full charge—
He released the string.
Whoosh!
The glowing arrow streaked through the sky, trailing a long arc of light.
At the same time, Radahn released his bowstring.
The spear flew forward even faster.
BOOM!
The two projectiles collided in the center of the battlefield.
A brilliant explosion blossomed like a firework, and the shockwave instantly cleared the swirling sand.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Wow! Mr. Tarnished is amazing! That's even cooler than movie special effects!"
Fujiwara Chika, who had been lying on her bed, suddenly sat upright.
What was playing in the livestream was far more exciting than any movie.
It was absolutely spectacular.
But such an incredible show required snacks.
So she quickly climbed out of bed and quietly sneaked out of her room to raid the kitchen.
Aizen:
"Indeed. The battle between them is extremely intense. That demigod the Tarnished mentioned is truly powerful."
NorthernNorthernNorthern:
"This is exactly the kind of bloodbath I wanted to see.jpg"
King of Heroes:
"Hmph. That demigod does possess some skill. Far better than that half-baked fool named Godrick. I am quite pleased."
Gilgamesh still held a deep grudge against that so-called golden king.
A king should be tolerant.
But Godrick had stepped on every one of Gilgamesh's nerves.
A king.
Golden.
A demigod.
And yet he was so weak.
An embarrassment to demigods everywhere.
In contrast, this warrior called Radahn truly carried the bearing of a demigod.
He reminded Gilgamesh of the great hero Heracles from later Greek legend.
Forever Seventeen:
"Though the Tarnished doesn't look that impressive. If he can't even handle this, how does he expect to catch me?"
Reclining lazily within a gap of space, Yukari Yakumo opened her folding fan, hiding the amused smile on her face.
From what she could see on the screen, defeating Radahn wouldn't be particularly difficult for her.
His attacks didn't seem stronger than those of the great yokai Yuuka Kazami.
Of course—
That was only her imagination.
If Yukari actually joined the festival, she would probably spend the entire battle hiding inside her gaps.
After all, the fight between the Tarnished and Radahn had only reached the probing stage so far.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark studied the livestream carefully.
He had already begun conceptualizing the design for an Anti-Tarnished Armor.
"Jarvis, design a system capable of restraining his movements."
"Yes, sir. Three hundred and fifty solutions have been generated. Please review them."
"…Hmm."
Stark slowly rotated his office chair and began drafting the armor.
Meanwhile, the chat continued to scroll rapidly.
Otto Apocalypse:
"No, Miss Yukari's conclusion is too hasty. From my perspective, this battle has only just begun."
Among everyone present, only Otto had glimpsed a fragment of the Tarnished's true power.
After the operation in Singapore ended, he had visited the ruins of the destroyed Queen Hotel.
The strike that destroyed it had carved a crater hundreds of meters deep.
Even the residual energy was terrifying.
Enough to easily annihilate a Honkai Emperor.
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"Hehe, the battle is very exciting, but I'm more interested in Sister Serolina."
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"She doesn't talk much, but she seems like a very gentle big sister."
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"And what's the fluffy thing she's holding? It looks really cute."
As expected of Hu Tao, someone who worked with the dead.
After meeting Serolina only once, she had already become friendly with her.
The Tarnished noticed the chat messages but did not reply.
He remained focused on Radahn.
Leaping and spinning through the air, he fired magical arrows continuously, engaging Radahn in an elaborate sniping duel.
Fujiwara Chika:
"That's Tiamat! The primordial mother who once tried to destroy Uncle Gil's kingdom of Uruk… but she's really cute."
Fujiwara Chika:
"That long blue hair looks so smooth. She must be really soft to hug."
While replying, Chika opened the refrigerator and grabbed snacks.
But as she watched the livestream again, her movements slowed.
After thinking carefully, she typed another message.
Fujiwara Chika:
"But… that General Radahn looks really pitiful."
King of Heroes:
"Pitiful? Hahaha! As foolish as ever, Fujiwara girl!"
Forever Seventeen:
"My my, Chika-chan is still so naïve. One must never pity an enemy in battle."
Otto Apocalypse:
"Indeed. Mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward oneself."
NorthernNorthernNorthern:
"Agreed.jpg"
Aizen:
"They are correct. If you pity your opponent in battle, the next moment they may retaliate in ways you cannot imagine."
Fujiwara Chika:
"I know that… but General Radahn really does look pitiful."
"Look. He doesn't even have legs. And that tiny horse he's riding looks so weak…"
Her message drew everyone's attention back to the livestream.
Indeed—
Radahn's legs were missing below the knees.
And the small horse beneath him looked absurdly disproportionate.
Like a pony carrying an elephant.
But even so—
That was no reason for pity.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"@Fujiwara Chika"
"Miss Chika, your words may sound like sympathy to others… but to General Radahn, they are an insult."
After firing his final magic arrow, the Tarnished typed this reply.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Eh?"
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"General Radahn is a great and honorable warrior."
Watching the explosions blooming across the battlefield, feeling the shockwaves rush toward him, he replied calmly.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"Radahn cut off his own legs."
"Only to imprison himself on this battlefield after being infected by Scarlet Rot… waiting for a hero to grant him a warrior's death."
Fujiwara Chika:
"He cut them off himself?!"
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"Yes."
"This land once witnessed a war called the Shattering."
"During that war, the plague known as Scarlet Rot spread across the land."
"Even after becoming infected himself, Radahn ordered his soldiers to build flaming barricades to stop the spread of the rot."
"Then he confined himself here."
"Cut off his own legs."
"And slowly lost his sanity."
Chika stared at the screen.
Though the explanation was only a few lines long—
To her, it was deeply shocking.
She could hardly imagine someone cutting off their own legs.
Her fragile heart was shaken.
And she was not the only one.
Everyone in the chat fell silent.
After a long pause, the messages began again.
Aizen:
"That is indeed a noble hero worthy of respect."
King of Heroes:
"In that case, Fujiwara girl's pity truly is an insult. Such a hero deserves respect."
King of Heroes:
"Tarnished. I hope you grant General Radahn a glorious battle."
"If there is anything I can do, say the word. I shall grant it."
Even though he did not know what this Scarlet Rot truly was—
If the Tarnished said Radahn was a hero, then the title was deserved.
If possible, Gilgamesh would personally appear and grant the warrior a heroic death with Ea.
The Tarnished Who Wants to Save His Wife:
"Of course."
The Tarnished smiled faintly and closed the chat window.
Then—
In his left hand he drew two swords.
One a brilliant golden blade.
The other an invisible blade.
Step by step, he approached Radahn—who had already used up all his spears.
The golden sword was the Golden Order Greatsword.
Its shape resembled the Moonlight Greatsword, yet its body was composed entirely of glowing runes.
It was a blade forged by Radagon, the second Elden Lord, as a symbol of the Golden Order.
"ROOOAAARR—!!!"
Radahn roared once again.
This time, his roar carried anger.
Perhaps he was furious that his attacks had failed.
He drew his twin Starscourge Greatswords from the ground and charged forward atop his tiny horse.
These were the same swords with which he had shattered meteors.
With them he had earned the title Starscourge.
Now—
He would use them to display the name of War God.
CLANG!
A piercing metallic sound echoed across the entire plain.
Violent winds whipped the Tarnished's cloak.
Radahn's two massive black blades were halted by the seemingly fragile Golden Order Greatsword.
They could not advance even an inch.
"This sight…"
"Brings back memories."
The Tarnished spoke quietly while blocking Radahn's attack.
The first time he had challenged Starscourge Radahn, it had looked exactly like this.
Back then, Serolina had stood behind him, healing and supporting him while occasionally throwing holy water pots.
But the Serolina who had never met the Tarnished in that timeline had become ashes.
And now—
He was no longer the inexperienced warrior of those days.
Now he could easily block the attack of the strongest demigod.
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