Bai Shi was somewhat relieved; he was glad he had brought the Crystal Darts before leaving.
He could use the Crystal Darts to control the Golem and have it deal with these lesser soldiers.
However, he first needed to eliminate the remaining Godrick Knights.
The three remaining Godrick Knights charged at the very front of the line, two abreast with one behind them.
Bai Shi charged forward to meet them, rushing toward the entire army all by himself.
Soon, Bai Shi's blades clashed with those of the Godrick Knights.
Even though the Godrick Knights gripped their swords with both hands, they couldn't withstand Bai Shi's immense strength from a single hand and were suppressed, unable to move.
Two knights each blocked one of Bai Shi's greatswords, while the third thrusted a greatspear from between them, aiming straight for Bai Shi's brow.
Of course, Bai Shi wouldn't let him succeed. Kicking his feet from the stirrups, he leaped from Torrent's back.
Torrent automatically vanished, waiting in another dimension for Bai Shi's summons.Bai Shi had calculated the distance perfectly; the greatspear scraped past his thigh, leaving him completely unharmed.
The Godrick Knight with the greatspear immediately changed his attack, switching from a thrust to an upward swing in an attempt to catch Bai Shi's body.
But Bai Shi was faster.
As he leaped, Bai Shi used the knights' swords as a pivot, retracting his own blades and performing a full roll in mid-air.
Under the radiance of the Erdtree, his swords flashed with a dangerous, cold glint.
Dual Lion's Claw!
The twin swords crashed down heavily on the Godrick Knight's shoulders, instantly breaking through the defense of his armor.
Bai Shi's blades crossed in an 'X' shape as they sliced through the Godrick Knight, entering at his shoulders and exiting at his waist.
By the time Bai Shi landed, the Godrick Knight's body had already shattered into four pieces.
The Godrick Knight's greatspear never managed to reach him.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The two knights with greatswords had only just regained their footing when they turned to see that their comrade-in-arms had been torn to shreds.
The last two Godrick Knights glanced at each other, then charged fearlessly toward Bai Shi.
Even if it meant fighting to the last man, they would defend the pass.
"Instead of running, you're charging right at me?"
"Very well. In return, I'll honor you by defeating you with all my strength."
Bai Shi's twin swords clashed repeatedly with the Godrick Knights' greatswords.
In the exchange, the two knights struggled just to defend themselves as Bai Shi relentlessly inflicted wounds upon them.
Soon, Bai Shi beheaded one of the Godrick Knights with a single slash.
His other sword pierced the heart of the last knight.
The battle had reached its conclusion.
In the end, the five Godrick Knights hadn't managed to leave even a single scratch on Bai Shi.
It was a disparity in power that numbers simply could not overcome.
Bai Shi thought back to the past.
Back then, facing a single Godrick Knight required him to be cautious, using strategy and wits just to secure a victory.
Now, an insurmountable chasm of power separated them.
Bai Shi blew his whistle, and Torrent materialized once more.
Mounting Torrent, Bai Shi looked toward Godrick's army.
Their charge had been brought to a halt by Erlisa.
Every swing of her Zamor Curved Sword claimed the life of a Godrick soldier.
Bai Shi paid no more mind to the slaughter.
Riding Torrent, he charged into the soldiers' formation, his twin blades crisscrossing as he carved a bloody path forward.
Emerging from the ranks of soldiers, Bai Shi, drenched in blood, continued at full speed, heading straight for the Golem at the rear.
The Golem raised its giant halberd, preparing to smash it down on Bai Shi. But as Bai Shi threw all the Crystal Darts in his hand into the Golem's body, it convulsed a few times.
Then, it continued to bring its giant halberd down.
Only now, its target was no longer Bai Shi, but the grunts and soldiers.
As the halberd fell, several soldiers were instantly crushed into a pulp.
When the halberd lifted, it was caked with chunks of flesh and limbs.
It was then that the soldiers and grunts suddenly realized: the golem had been controlled by the enemy through some unknown means.
Bai Shi called to Erlisa, and they bypassed the soldiers.
Though the golem was powerful, it was bound to fall against so many soldiers.
But Bai Shi didn't need the golem to kill them all; he just needed it to keep them occupied so they wouldn't block his path.
Wasting energy to clean up such small fry was unnecessary.
Bai Shi and Erlisa continued onward, toward the magnificent Stormveil Castle perched on the cliff.
Dark clouds loomed over Stormveil, as if warning off insolent intruders.
Unfortunately, the warning was futile.
——
As the most direct descendant of the golden royal line in the Lands Between, Godrick the Grafted had not inherited the great power of his ancestors. Instead, he was frail and utterly cowardly.
During the first defense of Leyndell, Godrick had commanded the capital's soldiers to fight valiantly against the allied armies of the other lords.
Unfortunately, he was no great strategist and was beaten back repeatedly until the Royal Capital of Leyndell was on the verge of being breached.
Left with no choice, Godrick fled the capital for safety with some of the Golden Lineage's treasures, hidden among a group of women.
Outside the capital, he regrouped with the soldiers of the Golden Lineage and traveled all the way to Limgrave.
Godrick lived in constant fear, afraid that after breaking through Leyndell, the allied armies would come to settle scores with him.
After all, when the Elden Ring shattered, he had been granted the anchor rune, which lay at the very heart of the Elden Ring.
But amidst his terror, reports of victory suddenly started pouring in from the Royal Capital.
First, the "Grace-Given King" emerged out of nowhere and led his army against the allied forces.
Then, the allied army inexplicably fractured from within, and Godrick Gofuah was captured alive by a Draconic Tree Sentinel.
The Royal Capital's forces advanced irresistibly, even counter-attacking all the way to the volcano.
Godrick had no idea what had happened; it was all too incomprehensible.
It wasn't until he was summoned for an audience with the "Grace-Given King" that Godrick learned the truth of the matter.
Subsequently, the "Grace-Given King" bestowed upon Godrick the former territory of Godrick Gofuah—Stormveil Castle.
Along with it, within the castle where Gofuah had once resided, Godrick found the terrifying art of grafting.
Startled from his reverie, Godrick shook his head.
His lineage was diluted, and his talents were dull.
Even using grafting, an art considered trivial for a demigod, was a struggle for him.
As he continued to graft more and more parts onto his body, he had to constantly remind himself of who he truly was.
Sitting on his throne, Godrick began to consider which part of the dragon to graft onto himself.
Just two days ago, his soldiers had hunted down a dying young dragon.
When he saw the dragon's corpse, Godrick was deeply captivated by its power.
Perhaps it wasn't just the power that attracted him, but also a tragic sense of kinship.
A dragon, also a descendant, and a weak fledgling among them at that—it was somewhat similar to himself.
However, Godrick firmly believed he would not follow in this young dragon's footsteps.
Instead, he would turn its power into his own, propelling himself to greater heights.
One day, he would lead his soldiers back to their home, back to their homeland at the foot of the Erdtree.