This massive human face was the face of the Prince of Death.
In the past, he had a resounding title—Godwyn the Golden.
Godwyn was the firstborn son of Elden Lord Godfrey and the Eternal Queen Marika, possessing a noble lineage.
Not only was his lineage noble, but Godwyn was also immensely powerful.
He once fought heroically in the Ancient Dragon War, turning the tide of battle.
He even left behind the celebrated tale of befriending the ancient dragon Fortissax.
But such a figure died on the Night of the Black Knives, becoming the first of the demigods to perish.
This face of Godwyn should not have been here.
After the Night of the Black Knives, Siluria, chief of the Crucible Knights, took Godwyn's corpse away with two of her knights.
They went to the deeproots of the Erdtree, attempting to allow Godwyn to return to the tree, but they never came back.However, after that, the blood Godwyn had left behind in the capital suddenly began to grow, gradually becoming a mass of flesh.
By the time the First Defense of Leyndell ended, that mass of flesh had already grown into a face the size of a table.
And when Godrick was granted Stormveil, he, under Morgott's command, brought it from the capital to Stormveil Castle.
Ultimately, this face was buried underground in Stormveil, next to the roots of the Erdtree.
—
The Godrick of now had no combat strength left. He could not even break the hardened skin of the face.
However, Godrick's hand had been severed, and the exposed, ghastly white bone was something he could use.
Godrick slowly pressed his severed arm onto the skin of Godwyn's face.
As he applied more force, the bone pierced the seemingly lifeless, hardened skin of the face.
A foul-smelling pus seeped out first, followed by jet-black blood.
As the bone made contact with the pulpy flesh beneath the skin, a terrifying power invaded Godrick’s body.
"Hngh—aaaaah..."
Godrick experienced it—that which he, as a demigod, should never have been able to experience: 'death'.
Godrick felt as if everything was slowly slipping away from him.
His limbs, his consciousness, his soul—everything drifted into nothingness.
Fortunately, this was just an illusion.
It was only because Godrick, as a demigod, was so weak that the sensation was this intense.
Jet-black death-thorns climbed up Godrick's limbs, winding around his body.
Godrick forced himself to calm down.
Confirming that his flesh had made contact with Godwyn's, Godrick began his final act of grafting.
This was his last attempt.
If he failed, it would just be a different way to die, and at least he could be buried with his ancestor.
If he succeeded, then perhaps he would possess great power, and only then would he die.
Regardless, Godrick was doomed, a fact he was well aware of.
Though he didn't know why Godwyn's corpse was still growing, he knew how Godwyn had died.
The only thing that could kill a demigod before the Elden Ring was shattered was Destined Death.
It was because Destined Death had been excluded from the Golden Order that all life in the Lands Between had once been spared from death.
As Godrick performed the grafting ritual, he came into direct contact with the remnant of Destined Death within Godwyn.
Even though most of Destined Death's power had been used to kill Godwyn, the residual power was more than Godrick could bear.
The limbs he had acquired through grafting began to wither, sprouting jet-black thorns and dark spots from within.
Then, the withered limbs transformed into roots, and the black spots bulged, growing into the shape of eyes.
As they continued to grow, the eyes slowly opened, revealing the black gaze of the dead, with pupils like an eclipse.
When these eyes opened, Godrick's connection to these limbs was completely severed.
These limbs were merely the corpses of trolls and soldiers; brief contact was enough for them to be contaminated and assimilated.
Godrick desperately activated his Great Rune, hoping to complete this final act of grafting.
The Great Rune Godrick possessed was the very anchor of the Elden Ring.
It was the cornerstone of all things, the nascent form of the Golden Order's fundamentalism.
This Great Rune not only strengthened Godrick's body but also served a more crucial purpose for him.
As the all-encompassing cornerstone, its effect on grafting was that Godrick could also use the powers of others along with their limbs.
Under the influence of the Great Rune, Godwyn's flesh gradually fused with Godrick.
Perhaps because they shared the same bloodline, the fusion with Godwyn was not painful.
On the contrary, a current of life force flowed over from Godwyn's flesh.
Godrick's own withered, emaciated demigod body began to swell.
But this was no gift.
Soon, Godrick's body burst like a balloon, and excruciating pain assaulted him.
After his body ruptured, new flesh constantly grew back over the wounds.
In the process of grafting, Godrick's body gradually turned into a grotesque pile of sludge.
Just as Godrick was about to succumb, believing the grafting would fail, the Great Rune acted on its own.
The Great Rune flew out from Godrick's body and settled into Godwyn's flesh.
The bizarre transformation of Godrick's body stopped.
The grafting was complete.
"Thank you for my ancestor's mercy..."
—
On the surface of Stormveil, the war was over.
The majority of Godrick's soldiers and knights were annihilated on the spot, and the survivors were all tied up.
The other Crucible Knight, having been grievously wounded by Red while blocking Bai Shi's strike, was also quickly defeated.
The lone remaining Tree Sentinel refused to yield, resisting to the death.
But one tree cannot make a forest. Under the siege of many, he was continuously wounded.
Ultimately, a sword from Bai Shi pierced his armor, killing him.
After the Tree Sentinel died, the great steed beneath him seemed unwilling to live alone and charged relentlessly.
In the end, it too died at Bai Shi's hand.
The Storm Knights were cleaning the battlefield.
The bodies on the ground had to be disposed of to prevent any strange diseases from breaking out in the castle.
Bai Shi returned to the edge of the abyss where he had struck down Godrick.
The chasm below was bottomless, and there appeared to be no way down.
Because the castle's layout was different from the game, Bai Shi had no idea where this chasm led.
Although Godrick was likely not dead, Bai Shi had no intention of jumping down.
He had already sent the Storm Knights to find ropes, ladders, and other such items.
"Well, to think I could witness the reclaiming of Stormveil, I'm truly fortunate."
"I was stunned when I heard from the soldiers that the person chosen by the Ancient King had arrived at Stormveil."
"My name is Lanslet. Thanks to your conquest of Godrick, I was released from the dungeons."
"Oh, right, I don't believe I've had the honor of your name yet, my lord."
The young man who had summoned the Storm Knights for aid walked over to Bai Shi and struck up a conversation.
"Just call me Bai Shi."
Seeing as he had nothing to do for the moment, Bai Shi decided to chat with him.
He was also curious about this fellow who had suddenly appeared with the Storm Knights.
His curiosity grew even more after the Ancient King told him that this person was a descendant of the Stormhawk King.
Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short by a scream from the abyss below.
A tragic shriek echoed from the depths of the chasm.
The sound was strange and prolonged, accompanied by the noise of something striking against rock. After a minute or two, the screaming gradually subsided.
Just as everyone was bewildered, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently.
"Quick, fall back! Get away from the cliffs!"
Bai Shi hurriedly beckoned for everyone to move away.
Although he didn't know what was happening down below, the commotion felt like an earthquake.
The group retreated with the prisoners, moving back to prevent any accidents.
As for Hakan, Roderika, and the others, Bai Shi had already told them to hurry to the residential area.
The tremors grew stronger, and even the buildings began to sway.
Finally, as everyone watched, a section of Stormveil collapsed, completely swallowed by the abyss.
Then, a monster composed of roots emerged from the chasm.
Its thick body was covered in countless festering wounds, corroded by some unknown power, from which a gelatinous red blood oozed.
"An Ulcerated Tree Spirit? Why would one come out from down there?"
As the monster appeared, Bai Shi recognized it.
There was indeed an Ulcerated Tree Spirit in the depths of Stormveil, but was it the cause of the earlier commotion?
To Bai Shi's surprise, after this Ulcerated Tree Spirit emerged from the abyss, it fell flat on the ground.
Then, a giant, bone-like hand reached out from the abyss and propped itself up on the other side of the Tree Spirit.
A very bad feeling suddenly arose in Bai Shi's heart, and a preposterous idea popped into his head.
As if to confirm Bai Shi's thoughts, a bizarre, twisted body emerged from the abyss and onto the ground.
Its massive, jet-black body was like withered bone, and its face was upside-down relative to its body—eyes below, nose above.
Hanging on that face was a tiny, sludge-like body.
Godrick had grafted himself onto the body of the Prince of Death below!
Not only that, but he had also grafted the nearby Ulcerated Tree Spirit onto one of his hands.
The screams they had heard earlier were the struggles of the Ulcerated Tree Spirit.
As for the earthquake-like scene, it must have been caused by this body, which had become one with roots and rock, crawling its way out.
Seeing such a twisted and grotesque body, everyone was plunged into deep terror. It was a sight far beyond their comprehension.
Godrick did not speak, for his mind was now so far gone that he could no longer form words, leaving only his final obsession.
He directly lifted the arm to which he had grafted the Ulcerated Tree Spirit.
Yellow flames erupted from the spirit's mouth, enormous in scope, engulfing everyone.
Bai Shi and the Storm Knights collectively summoned a storm, holding the flames at bay.
But the other giant hand slammed down, ignoring the storm and flames, crushing two Storm Knights into paste.
The storm and flames inflicted countless fine wounds on the giant hand, but what flowed out was not just blood.
Foul-smelling pus gushed out, splattering everywhere as it was swept up by the storm.
One of Godrick's soldiers, unable to dodge because he was tied up, was touched by a drop of the pus.
With a scream, thick death-thorns grew from within his body, killing him instantly.
Everyone was deeply shaken by this scene. The pus that merely flowed out could cause such an inexplicable death.
Bai Shi's brow furrowed.
This pus, imbued with the power of instant death, was far too terrifying. Even infinite life might not be able to withstand it.
The Tree Spirit's breath was relentless, a sky-blotting torrent of fire that obscured their vision.
The searing heat permeated the storm, enough to cook a person alive. Fortunately, Erlisa was using an ice storm to lower the temperature.
This flame, in both its scale and power, far surpassed the dragonfire from before.
The Prince of Death's giant hands continued to slam down. The Storm Knights, now prepared, were no longer being hit.
But every time a hand fell, they were unable to counterattack, as the splattering pus from its wounds had already claimed the lives of two more knights.
More and more pus flowed from the wounds, gradually pooling on the ground and seeping toward them.
Bai Shi made a swift decision, ordering everyone to leave.
"I'll maintain the storm."
"You untie the prisoners and get them out of here immediately."
The Storm Knights did not move.
Though they had not yet sworn fealty, they already recognized Bai Shi as the new master of Stormveil.
They could not leave their lord to face this terrifying enemy alone.
Seeing their hesitation, Bai Shi urged them again.
"Go, now! I have my own way of dealing with him. Take the prisoners and evacuate the residents."
"I have no desire to rule over an empty city later on."
The Storm Knights still hesitated, but when the first among them obeyed Bai Shi's order and began to untie the prisoners, the rest followed suit.
As they unbound all the prisoners, Bai Shi expanded the scope of the storm, allowing them to escape from beneath the flames.
Godrick's soldiers and knights did not resist, obediently following the Storm Knights as they fled.
The Godrick before them was not the Godrick they knew.
After seeing this monstrous form, who would still pledge allegiance to him?
Godrick only continued to slam his hands down on Bai Shi, making no effort to stop his soldiers from escaping.
Once all non-essential personnel had left, only a few people remained by Bai Shi's side.
Erlisa, Lanslet, Red, and the other Crucible Knight.
"You three maintain the storm. It will only be for a moment."
Erlisa and Lanslet nodded and took control of the storm.
Bai Shi took out an aromatic and both types of flasks from his pouch and drank them all down in one go.
He even drank the Corrupting Aromatic that he had never intended to use.
His power began to swell. Bai Shi felt an unprecedented strength.
He looked at the two Crucible Knights and asked:
"Can you get me through the flames?"
"No problem."
"Then I'm counting on you. Just drop me when we're in the air."
Their wings unfurled, their hands went under Bai Shi's arms, and their greatshields were held up in front of him.
Protected by the storm and the greatshields, the three of them broke through the barrier of fire unscathed.
As they burst through the flames, their vision instantly opened up.
At the same time, Godrick spotted them. The flames changed direction, and a giant hand swiped toward them.
Bai Shi had the knights release him and fell from the sky.
Facing the oncoming assault, Bai Shi raised his greatsword, concentrating all of his magic into it.
'Ping!'
Super Damage, activate!
The blade of air on his sword instantly surged, a massive pillar of energy piercing straight through heaven and earth.
Across nearly all of the Lands Between, people noticed the pillar of energy that had appeared out of nowhere.
Bai Shi swung his sword, and the blade of air descended with it.
The flames spewed by the Tree Spirit and the outstretched giant hand were instantly annihilated by the airy blade.
Godwyn's body disintegrated under this single strike. Both pus and blood were ground into nothingness, not a single trace remaining.
There was nothing in this world that could withstand this strike!
This single sword blow made the very world tremble.
The dawn that pierces the dark clouds of the Lands Between? No, he was a blazing sun that had suddenly burst into the world!
Scream at the blazing sun that has suddenly burst forth!
Offer up thunderous applause for the birth of a new king!