Passing through the final gate, Duanmu Huai finally stepped into the throne plaza. The first thing that greeted his eyes was an endless field of gravestones—and the corpse of a massive dragon, pierced through and lying motionless upon the ground.
Before the dragon knelt a man, muttering softly to himself.
"…O fellow descendant of dragons… your power is beyond doubt… you shall carry me to a higher plane…"
As he spoke, the man reached out, gently stroking the dragon's lowered head. Then, as if sensing Duanmu Huai and the female warrior's arrival, he slowly rose to his feet. His tattered cloak fell away—and what Duanmu Huai saw next was something beyond imagination.
The man stood nearly as tall as Duanmu Huai, broad-shouldered, his skin deathly pale, dry white hair crowning a head beneath a golden circlet. But the most grotesque part was his body—from his shoulders down to his arms, dozens of mismatched limbs protruded, each a different size. Even on his legs, two or three additional legs were grafted on at bizarre angles.
So this was "grafting"? Gods, how hideous.
His physique rivaled Duanmu Huai's armored frame in height and bulk, and his limbs were unnaturally thick. But the extra limbs attached to him were all ordinary in size, creating a deformed, patchwork figure, as though his other limbs had withered and twisted out of shape.
And what was even the point of all this? The arms were uneven, mismatched—what use could this possibly serve? Just to disgust people? Maybe he wanted to cheat at rock-paper-scissors?
Wait a second…
As Duanmu Huai studied the grotesque figure, a thought struck him. He remembered what Rogier had told him earlier—during the Shattering War, this coward had supposedly disguised himself among women to escape the capital…
Hold up—with that body?!
Looking at the towering Godrick—easily two and a half meters tall—Duanmu Huai's expression froze. Back when Rogier told the story, he hadn't thought too much about it. But now, seeing the man himself, he couldn't help but mentally scream: just how did you hide among women and escape unnoticed?
Were the women here all that tall?
Apparently not…
He silently glanced at the female warrior beside him and sighed inwardly.
Were the soldiers all blind back then?!
"Godrick!!"
The woman drew her twin battleaxes and leveled them at the man, shouting furiously.
"You've fallen beyond redemption! You're no longer worthy of being called a king! You've defiled the wind and committed unforgivable sins! Prepare to die!"
"Hmph…"
At her words, Godrick snorted disdainfully and slowly stood upright.
"Mere Tarnished dares speak so arrogantly…!"
He gripped his golden greataxe, slamming it into the ground with a thunderous crash before turning toward them.
"Kneel before me! I am the Golden King! You—"
But the moment his eyes fell upon Duanmu Huai, his voice abruptly cracked—rising several octaves in a distorted shriek.
"W-What in the hell are you!?"
Godrick's face twisted in horror. He stumbled backward, terror flooding his features as he pointed shakily at Duanmu Huai.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer! That's an order! Don't—come—closer!!"
Good grief… what a coward.
Duanmu Huai couldn't help but be taken aback. It was obvious what had happened—the wretch had failed his [Fear Aura] resistance check and fallen straight into panic!
Seriously? You call this a boss fight?!
Every other boss Duanmu Huai had faced before at least managed to endure his [Fear Aura], trembling but still fighting back. But this was the first time a so-called "boss" had failed instantly and gone straight into a panic state!
No wonder he'd once knelt and begged the Valkyrie for mercy—his Willpower stat was probably a single digit.
Even the female warrior beside Duanmu Huai looked confused, unsure what Godrick was doing. But then, suddenly, Godrick performed a move that stunned them both—he raised his massive golden greataxe high and swung it down on his own left arm!
"???"
What the hell—did he go mad and start self-harming? Is that even allowed?!
THUNK!!
The golden axe fell hard, severing his left arm completely. Godrick trembled violently, then raised his bleeding stump toward the dragon's corpse.
"Great dragon! Lend me your power…!"
But before he could finish, Duanmu Huai's [Thunder Warhammer] came whistling through the air and smashed into his face, sending him flying.
"Stop watching and help me already!"
After knocking Godrick across the plaza, Duanmu Huai barked at the warrior, then charged forward. She snapped out of her daze, gripped her twin axes, and rushed after him toward the fallen "Golden King."
"You—you dare mock me?!"
Godrick roared, staggering back to his feet. Against a normal foe, that hammer blow would've reduced their skull to pulp—but clearly, as a boss, his HP was still above passing grade.
"No! I will not lose again! I will not suffer that humiliation once more!!"
His eyes went bloodshot, his face contorting into a bestial snarl. Like a cornered animal, he howled and charged at them, raising his weapon high.
CLANG!!!
Golden greataxe met thunder hammer, the impact echoing like thunder. Duanmu Huai stood unmoved as a mountain, while Godrick staggered back several steps. But he roared again, swinging wildly as he lunged forward.
Yeah, definitely entered Berserk Mode.
Duanmu Huai sighed inwardly.
[Fear Aura] worked by assaulting the opponent's will. Fail the check, and they entered [Panic State], losing control and trying to flee. But if they failed another check while panicking, the condition escalated to [Frenzy State]—wherein, as game mechanics put it, Attack +10%, Defense –100%.
And from the look of this real-life Godrick, he was clearly in that latter state—completely lost to fear, attacking mindlessly.
This kind of rabid-dog flailing was, of course, utterly meaningless to Duanmu Huai.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
As Godrick lunged again, Duanmu Huai swung his hammer casually. The blow struck Godrick's greataxe, knocking it off course. Then, as Godrick stumbled from the deflection, Duanmu Huai drew back his right fist and smashed it square into his face.
"OOOHHHH!!!"
Godrick howled in agony. The female warrior seized the moment, darting forward and bringing both her axes down in a brutal cross strike.
CRACK!!
With a wail, Godrick fell to his knees. Before he could rise again, Duanmu Huai's [Thunder Warhammer] came crashing down on the back of his skull.
BOOM!!!
The strike landed like a meteor. Godrick's head burst apart like a crushed melon, and his body collapsed lifeless to the ground.
"…Phew…"
Seeing him fall, the warrior exhaled in relief and sheathed her axes.
"I can't believe it ended so easily… But why did he chop off his own arm just now?"
To her, Godrick was supposed to be a formidable foe—yet the "mad king" of legend had died like a pathetic clown. First, he'd cut off his own hand for no reason, then rushed at them like a maniac. She couldn't begin to understand it.
"He probably meant to do something with that dragon," Duanmu Huai muttered, glancing at the massive corpse nearby.
If this were a game, that whole scene probably would've been a cutscene.
Too bad real life didn't do cutscenes.
Just then, a golden light shimmered from Godrick's disintegrating body, floating toward Duanmu Huai before merging into him. A burning sensation flared across the back of his left hand; looking down, he saw an emblem of three interlocking crescents glowing faintly through his gauntlet.
A system prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Acquired "Godrick's Great Rune" (Uncharged)]
[Great Rune: A Great Rune obtained from a Shardbearer. Its blessing has faded, but it can be restored at the Divine Tower.]
So that's how it worked.
Now it made sense. He remembered Mistrina calling those two giant fingers "the Mother of the Earth"—likely avatars of the gods themselves. The tower they'd found before must've been one of those Divine Towers. Which meant… only those who possessed a Great Rune could open the gate and enter.
No wonder they'd told him, "You are unworthy… you have no right."
But now—
He looked down at his hand, the glowing symbol pulsing faintly beneath his armor.
Now, he was worthy.
(End of Chapter)