From the heavens above to the oceans below.
Wherever the blade of wind passed, nothing could defy it.
The sky was torn asunder, the clouds sliced clean in two.
The ocean was parted, its waters held back for a long moment.
The sword strike seemed to slash the world in two, leaving behind a straight wound, like a painted scroll torn down the middle.
Godwyn's grotesque body was completely obliterated from the world by this single blow.
Godrick, naturally, could not survive such an attack. He had long been annihilated along with Godwyn's body.
The sky and the ocean gradually returned to normal, showing no trace of the terrifying sword strike.
Only the city wall that had stood behind Godrick now bore a vertical gash, its surface as smooth as a mirror.
This was the outermost wall of Stormveil, long weathered and dilapidated.It had already mostly collapsed when Godrick, controlling Godwyn's body, rose from the earth.
After taking Bai Shi's sword strike, it could hardly be called a wall anymore.
But it still stood, and it would stand forever.
It was a testament to this battle, destined to tell the world of what had transpired here.
Bai Shi landed lightly and sheathed his sword.
He was immensely satisfied with the power of that strike.
Although it was difficult to quantify the exact multiplier of Super Damage, the result made the number irrelevant.
After drinking from his flask to restore himself, Bai Shi had also consumed an aromatic to enhance his strength.
Though the boost from the aromatic wasn't dramatic, under the multiplier of Super Damage, any small increase was amplified to its absolute peak.
A body restored to peak condition, a full release of his power, strength bolstered by the aromatic, and, most crucially, Fengling Yueying.
All these elements combined to create that world-altering sword strike.
The two Crucible Knights landed, and Erlisa and Lanslet came forward.
The four of them stood behind Bai Shi, silently gazing at his back, still lost in the shock of the previous moment.
That single sword strike had completely overturned their understanding of power.
Aside from Lanslet, who was the youngest and a descendant of the Stormhawk King, the other three were ancient beings born in a distant age who had survived to this day.
They searched through their long lives, recalling every powerful technique they had ever witnessed, yet they could not find a memory of anything more potent.
At that moment, Bai Shi stood with his arms crossed, gazing through the breach in the wall toward the distant horizon.
Bai Shi wasn't trying to look cool; his attention was focused inward, on his mind.
After obliterating Godwyn's body, a dim, lusterless Great Rune had flown into him.
Looking at the Great Rune, composed of four intersecting rings, a sense of satisfaction welled up within Bai Shi.
It had been a long time since he arrived in this world, and now, he had finally obtained his first Great Rune.
A goal that once seemed unreachable was now achieved.
Bai Shi reached out with his consciousness and touched the ethereal Great Rune.
Nothing happened.
The Great Rune remained quietly within his mind.
No matter how he tried to interact with it, it remained inert, merely guiding his senses in a certain direction.
Bai Shi turned his head to look in the direction the Great Rune indicated.
There stood a stone tower, soaring into the clouds—a Divine Tower.
"Looks like I'll have to make a trip to the Divine Tower, but not right now."
Bai Shi thought to himself.
Before heading to the Divine Tower, he first had to become the king of Limgrave.
Now that he had defeated Godrick, he could begin to set his plan in motion.
"In two days, I will be crowned king in Stormveil."
"Spread the word throughout all of Limgrave."
—
Ever since the Tarnished attack within the city, all of Stormveil had been in a state of panic.
When Godwyn's body emerged from the ground with earth-shattering tremors, that panic turned to terror.
Most people hadn't even caught a glimpse of the figure.
But that didn't matter. As word spread, the entire city was gripped by fear.
The cries of women and children spread, especially after the soldiers retreated from the front lines.
But just as everyone was sinking into despair, a pillar of energy shot up from nowhere, piercing the heavens and the earth.
While most had not seen the monster that had mysteriously appeared, everyone in the city had seen that pillar of energy.
As the pillar collapsed, extinguishing the yellow flames, a sense of peace inexplicably settled over the city's inhabitants. The cloud of terror that had loomed over them was completely dispelled.
The Storm Knights were the first to cheer, and soon Godrick's soldiers joined in.
The residents, though confused, understood the general meaning of their cheers:
Stormveil was about to welcome a new master.
A powerful and benevolent king.
Hakan and the group of young Tarnished listened to the cheers around them, a sense of unreality washing over them.
They had long known that Bai Shi's ultimate goal was to become Elden Lord and that the throne of Stormveil was just a small step on his path.
But now that it was actually happening right before his eyes, Hakan still felt lost.
He was genuinely happy for Bai Shi.
But he didn't even know how he should address him from now on.
Should he call him Lord, King, or just by his name?
Although he considered Bai Shi a friend, the disparity in their statuses would not change.
A sad, thick barrier now stood between them.
If it was already like this now, what would it be like when Bai Shi became Elden Lord?
At that time, even if Bai Shi invited him for a drink as promised, would he still be able to enjoy it?
As for Nepheli, her thoughts were much simpler and purer.
Missing the chance to witness that sword strike with her own eyes was a profound regret in her life as a warrior.
Also, Bai Shi becoming the Lord of Stormveil was just incredible.
—
Two days later, Bai Shi's coronation ceremony began.
A vast army advanced in a grand procession from outside Stormveil.
Leading the procession were more than twenty Storm Knights.
With Bai Shi's conquest of Godrick and the liberation of Stormveil, they were now the rightful Storm Knights.
Behind the Storm Knights were countless Exiled Soldiers.
The Exiled Soldiers removed the hoods they had always worn.
Under their past sentence, they could never show their faces, forever bearing their guilt.
When the hoods came off, their faces were revealed to be withered and shriveled, like those of the living dead.
But fortunately, though their bodies had decayed and their minds had faded, their long wait had finally been answered.
They had finally returned to their homeland, to their king.
The derogatory name "Exiled Soldiers" was also abolished by Bai Shi.
They were now soldiers of Stormveil, soldiers of the storm.
Bai Shi, the center of the ceremony, was positioned in the middle of the entire procession.
The two Crucible Knights cleared the path before him, one on his left and one on his right.
Torrent was draped in magnificent adornments, his coat groomed spotless, and he strode proudly down the road.
Bai Shi had also removed his armor, changing into a lavish, dark red attire and sitting upon a new leather saddle.
His hair and appearance had been meticulously styled, exuding a kingly aura that belied his youthful face.
His two greatswords had been set aside.
In their place, he wore the Ceremonial Straight Sword, which had not made an appearance in a long time.
For a new king's coronation, the ornate sword used in Erdtree rituals was most fitting.
Behind Bai Shi, Erlisa followed closely. The crystalline ice flowers that continuously bloomed and then slowly melted along both sides of the procession were her creation.
The roads of Stormveil were too plain, utterly lacking in beauty—or so she thought.
The ice flowers spread and grew with Bai Shi's advance, ensuring his path was wreathed in blossoms.
Following them were Nepheli, Hakan, Lanslet, and the others.
Godrick's knights and soldiers followed at the very rear of the procession.
As a defeated army, they had been permitted to continue their service by Bai Shi.
Henceforth, they would continue to patrol and guard the region of Limgrave.
The procession passed through the gates of Stormveil, where the residents had long been waiting.
They stood on both sides of the road, respectfully awaiting their new king.
Surrounded by his soldiers, Bai Shi passed before the people, who all gazed up at him on his steed.
Every resident committed the noble visage of their king to memory.
Lanslet shouted:
"Rejoice, people of Stormveil!"
"Acclaim your new king, the Storm King, Bai Shi!"
The soldiers in the procession struck their shields with their swords, creating a tremendous clangor.
The watching residents erupted in cheers, shouting Bai Shi's name.
After the battle, Lanslet had approached Bai Shi and proposed that he preside over the ceremony.
Lanslet, of course, wasn't just trying to be in the spotlight.
It was because of his special status as a descendant of the Stormhawk King.
Lanslet first made it clear that he had no intention of using his heritage to influence Stormveil.
Stormveil was entirely Bai Shi's domain, and there was no need to consider him, a mere descendant of the Stormhawk King.
He had infiltrated Stormveil previously only because he could not bear to see the sins of the Grafted continue to defile the castle.
He was far more interested in studying sorcery and skills and had no desire for power.
After that, Lanslet had proposed presiding over the ceremony.
This way, Bai Shi's claim to Stormveil would not be based on conquest alone.
He would also be a rightful king, acknowledged by the ancient king's descendant.
Though it was unlikely anyone in the Lands Between cared about such things anymore, Bai Shi had agreed.
After all, there was no downside.
As the procession moved deeper into Stormveil, the number of residents along the road dwindled.
The figures of nobles began to appear.
They were all lords and their descendants who had been enfeoffed by Godrick, and they had all come to pledge their loyalty following the announcement.
The figures of Edgar and Irena were also among them.
Seeing Bai Shi unharmed, Edgar breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him.
Then he leaned down and quietly described the scene to Irena.
Seeing the heartwarming sight of the father and daughter, a faint smile touched Bai Shi's lips.
His efforts had not been in vain; he was already beginning to change the course of tragedy.
And under his rule, there would be fewer and fewer tragedies to come.
The procession soon reached the open plaza before the Stormveil throne, an area inaccessible to the common residents.
The army in the front and rear parted down the middle, lining the sides of the road to clear a path for Bai Shi.
Then, the knights and soldiers knelt on one knee, planting their weapons beside them.
The Crucible Knights also turned to the side, waiting for Bai Shi to pass.
Bai Shi dismounted gracefully from Torrent's back and, leading him by the reins, slowly walked toward the throne.
Erlisa followed directly behind him.
The two Crucible Knights waited for Bai Shi to pass before falling in step with Erlisa, following him.
Lanslet followed behind them, mentally reviewing the coronation procedure.
The ceremony wasn't overly complex, but memorizing it felt harder than learning the most difficult sorceries.
It was mainly the pressure; he didn't dare make a single mistake.
Hakan and Nepheli stopped there, waiting with the lords behind them.
Bai Shi walked to the throne, where a special guest had been waiting for some time.
Finger Reader Enia sat on a chair, beaming as she watched Bai Shi.
"Oh, you've finally arrived, new king of Stormveil."
Indeed, Enia, as the reader for the Two Fingers, had come to witness Bai Shi's coronation on their behalf.
This had, of course, been arranged in advance.
Bai Shi smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for coming."
Enia waved her hand and said no more.
The coronation ceremony officially began.
Bai Shi stood before the throne, facing the crowd below.
Erlisa and the Crucible Knights, serving as his guard, stood shoulder to shoulder behind the throne.
Lanslet took the tray bearing the crown from a handmaiden.
He solemnly carried the tray to Enia.
Enia leaned her staff against her chair and lifted the supreme crown with both hands.
Bai Shi stepped forward and bowed his head slightly so Enia could place the crown upon it.
The crown settled steadily on Bai Shi's head.
Lanslet presented the golden symbols of kingship one by one: a ring, a necklace, a scepter...
Finally, Enia anointed Bai Shi's face with a sacred ointment, a special blessing from the Two Fingers.
This ointment had no special effect, but it symbolized the Two Fingers' acknowledgment of Bai Shi as the 'Storm King' of Stormveil.
It was a true symbol of legitimacy.
When all was done, Bai Shi drew the golden Ceremonial Straight Sword and raised it to the sky.
Erlisa, the Crucible Knights, and all the soldiers below followed suit, raising their weapons high.
Bai Shi looked out at the crowd before the throne, his heart swelling with heroic pride.
This would be the first step on his journey to becoming Elden Lord.
Bai Shi raised the Ceremonial Straight Sword and delivered his coronation declaration:
"All that is good in this world, I shall enact."
"All that is evil in this world, I shall bear."
"Soldiers, you entrust your lives to me."
"And I shall lead you to victory and glory!"
"I, Bai Shi, am hereby crowned King!"
His voice, carried on the winds, swirled above Stormveil, reaching every person in the city with perfect clarity.
As his declaration ended, the blade of the sword began to shine with the radiant sigil of the ancient Erdtree.
Under this ancient witness, Bai Shi truly became the monarch of Stormveil.
The soldiers cheered, the sound echoing throughout Stormveil.
Bai Shi sat upon the throne.
And so, the ceaseless storm that surrounded Stormveil began to blow with renewed ferocity.
The storm roared, proclaiming:
From this day forward, the Lands Between had another king.