His gaze snapped forward, only to find the red-haired swordswoman had vanished.
H-how is that possible…
A figure that striking should have been impossible to miss. His focus had been razor sharp, yet he had seen no trace of her movement. A towering Cleanrot Knight, gone without a sound.
Bloodhound's Step!
"Waterfowl Dance!"
The golden blade darkened with a crimson sheen. A thick, acrid scent of rot spread instantly through the air, forcing Mohg to falter for half a beat.
It was the most basic application of the Law of Rot. Even if he despised that goddess's power, this was not the time to hold back.
Using it still felt strange. The loathsome Goddess of Rot remained sealed beneath the Lake of Rot, and the one who had done it was the very master of the flowing sword.
Malenia, the goddess of slaughter, closed the distance in an instant. With a twist of her wrist, the technique honed through countless life-and-death battles completed its preparations in a blink.
Hundreds of cold flashes burst forth at once, sweeping toward Mohg like a storm.
Waterfowl Dance · Scarlet Bloom!
Mohg stopped advancing.
Not out of fear, but to show them what the power of a Demigod truly meant.
He would make these overconfident fools despair until they abandoned resistance.
Blades moved so fast they blurred. Pale sword qi filled the air, sharp enough to carve the world apart.
And yet, the moment Malenia's strikes fell, they were met and dissolved.
Huff—
Standing in a pool of blood, the man exhaled.
Those hundreds of furious slashes had left only a single cut across his massive body.
His tattered robes fluttered in the wind. From his back seeped a dark red aura, like flames licking up from the depths of hell.
The agony of rot began gnawing at his flesh, yet his steps did not falter. He advanced steadily toward the red-haired swordswoman.
"Wounds are my delight. Such exquisite pain. Well done, my sister whom I have never met."
Mohg smiled, then let the expression fade.
"But this farce ends here. You cannot halt fate. Now tell me… where is Miquella?"
War spear and long blade collided again and again, sparks bursting with each clash.
Spear-wind and blade-qi tangled together. The impact tore apart the floor beneath their feet, and even the sea and sky seemed to shudder.
Mohg was not striking to kill. Miquella was missing, and he needed answers from this sister.
Malenia only tilted her head slightly, looking past his massive frame.
"Brother? Isn't he right behind you?"
"Behind me?"
Mohg froze for an instant, then twisted around sharply.
His eyes finally found the mysterious Golden Needle Knight more than ten meters away.
The knight's charging form vanished mid-stride, as though swallowed by air itself, then reappeared without warning right before him.
More eye-catching still was the silver-haired child riding on the knight's back.
At some unknown moment, those cascading silver strands had transformed into radiant gold.
That golden glow intertwined with the brilliance of the Erdtree, reflecting one another in a scene both breathtaking and blinding.
Sensing Mohg's burning stare, the girl—no, now a boy—
The boy slowly lifted his head, movements slightly sluggish.
The moment their eyes met, shock flashed across Mohg's face, only to be swallowed by unrestrained ecstasy.
Miquella!
"Is this to your liking? There's an even bigger surprise waiting," Nolan said, narrowing his eyes. He did not slow his charge in the slightest.
At that moment, the petite Ranni on his shoulder raised both hands high.
The unexpected sight made Mohg falter.
He tightened his grip on Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, the symbol of his dynasty's power and authority. A single turn and thrust would be enough to skewer his enemy.
Yet no matter how he tried to control himself, his gaze was drawn back to the golden-haired boy, as if pulled by something unseen.
This boy was the Empyrean he had longed for.
Seeing him in person, he was every bit as radiant as the legends claimed.
If it were him, then surely he could bring about a great love…
His thoughts had only just begun to drift toward that imagined future when a pale, dim moonlight swept down over him.
The moon hanging above was larger even than Mohg's massive frame.
Cold, silvery light poured over the world, cloaking it in a translucent veil. Threads of frigid air spread outward, seeping into everything.
Their eyes met.
Miquella's expression remained calm and distant. The usual softness was gone.
He was an Empyrean who treasured his vows above all else. Had Nolan not shown such clear interest in women, he would have taken Trina's place himself. He would never have given his affection to some brother who appeared out of nowhere.
"My brother," he said evenly, "my vow has already been entrusted to another."
"Ah, Miquella… why not choose me?"
"I'm sorry. I have made my decision."
His tone was gentle and steady, as though he were speaking to an old friend.
For a Demigod, once a will had been set, it was not easily shaken.
In the instant disappointment flickered through Mohg's heart, in the moment Malenia pulled back, in the split second Nolan vanished once more—
The enormous silver moon suspended in the sky suddenly shattered.
Its light was cold and black, like a return to the years before their mother had ever shown him love.
A tide of frigid magic surged outward in all directions.
The earth split open under the force, cracks spreading like the jaws of some colossal beast ready to swallow everything whole.
Nolan retreated with Bloodhound's Step, while the moonlight continued to expand like an unstoppable flood.
The air twisted violently. The once-calm sea froze over in an instant, thick ice sealing its surface.
Even the sturdy harbor began to give way. With dull, rumbling crashes, massive stones and buildings collapsed, dust billowing skyward.
If several more moons like this were to fall, even the walls of Elphael would crumble.
Such was the terror of a Demigod's power.