"Because there are countless subjects of the Dynasty. They panic. They're afraid. They want me to do this."
Morgott slowly closed his eyes. After a brief pause, he opened them again. His voice had calmed, and even his slightly hunched back straightened.
"Hard to understand," Malenia said.
"That's only natural. Even I don't fully understand how things came to this."
"Leave. You are still Empyreans. Remain loyal to the Golden Order, and the Two Fingers may yet forgive your sins."
"The Two Fingers? Why would you think I care about them? Neither my brother nor I regret what we've done. So no, I won't just walk away."
"What you sought has already been sent to the roots. Your brother is no longer the man you remember."
"Then I'll dig him out and bring him back."
"Have you truly thought this through?" Morgott seemed to sense something. He drew in a deep breath without meaning to.
"Yes. In my life, only one person matters most… strictly speaking, two. For them, I would give up everything."
Malenia's voice was steady. Her brother and sister were one and the same in her heart. And there was also the Promised Lord, who helped suppress her corruption. That was reason enough.
The moment Morgott lifted his curved sword, the instant her words fell silent, her prosthetic hand drove straight into her own body without hesitation.
Thud.
A dull sound echoed. The cold metal palm tore through tough muscle with ease and seized the golden needle hidden at the very center of her chest.
Malenia stopped restraining it. She even guided it forward.
In the blink of an eye, an incomparably brilliant crimson flower blossomed before her.
Its petals burned like living flame, radiating a blinding, intoxicating light.
Dust was swept away in an instant, as if struck by an overwhelming force.
Even the surrounding air began to warp violently, unable to withstand the power surging outward.
An indescribable force rolled across the battlefield, like a vast crimson curtain descending, enveloping everyone present.
This woman has truly lost her mind. Does she have any idea how many people are in Leyndell? This power could even spread across the entire Altus Plateau.
Fury flooded Morgott's mind. He could not comprehend these siblings at all.
"Hey, hey! I never thought it would come to this! Why didn't you discuss it with us first?!"
Radahn's eyes went wide. Not from fear, but from disbelief. He had come to pursue his dream, to walk the path of the Lord, not to bring ruin upon the world.
Rykard was just as stunned. The world called him cold and merciless.
Yet even he had not expected his sister to be so decisive at the moment of blooming, without the slightest hesitation.
It was not only the two of them. Everyone present stood frozen, at a loss.
Was claiming the Lordship truly worth this?
The thunder of collapsing buildings echoed all around. Steel armor was being visibly corroded.
Every body endured unbearable agony, as if their very souls were being torn apart. Consciousness began to blur.
Darkness seemed to descend. Yet at the far end of that black abyss, a faint glimmer of light could be seen.
"So you finally did it."
A voice heavy with countless emotions drifted into Malenia's ears.
She snapped her head toward the voice, her eyes landing squarely on that infuriating face. For a moment, she froze.
"Why are you here?"
"As you can see, I'm here to stop you."
Nolan spoke calmly. In that instant, he seemed solemn and untouchable, his entire being bathed in brilliant golden light.
His body was formed from countless tiny particles shimmering with radiant gold, half transparent, half real, like something between a dream and reality.
Soldiers lowered their weapons. Knights halted mid-step. Even the Demigods stood stunned.
Bright flames streamed from Nolan's body like flowing water.
At a glance, it seemed like nothing. And yet it seemed like everything. Life and death, light and darkness, soul, space, and all things in between appeared to exist within it.
It was like a sun fallen to the mortal world, growing brighter and larger, wrapping even the Crimson Flower within its glow.
The power of a god was halted.
From behind, Nolan wrapped his arms around the kneeling Valkyrie. The gesture looked almost like repentance.
But the young yet ancient Lord understood that Malenia felt no regret.
Given the chance, she would do it again without hesitation.
The Crimson Flower never fully bloomed. Its petals began to close instead.
"No, no. You're insane. You can't do this!"
Malenia's thoughts dissolved into chaos. She could not even feel the searing agony of the Scarlet Rot devouring her own body.
"Malenia, do you really think that body is what matters?"
She went still.
"I'm telling you. To me, to Trina, even to Miquella, that corpse means nothing compared to you. Do you hear me?"
Nolan spoke as one for three. As for himself and Trina, there was nothing more to say.
Miquella might once have weighed it differently. But now that Godwyn's body was no longer perfect, its importance had naturally diminished.
It was not something to cast aside lightly, but it could never compare to Malenia.
"But…" The Valkyrie forced the word out through clenched teeth. The corruption had thrown her mind into disarray, leaving her unable to form a complete thought.
"Just trust me."
The Crimson Flower finally faded. The scattered sparks intertwined with the remaining Scarlet Rot and burned it away.
"Who… who are you?"
The Omen-born son, his thoughts tangled beyond reason, struggled to force the words out.
What he had just witnessed was like a god descending upon the mortal world. The image carved itself deep into his mind.
The Crimson Flower's bloom had been stopped, saving not only him, but the entire Altus Plateau.
And yet that golden flame, which by all rights he should have despised, felt so warm. As if even a defiled Omen like him could find a place within it.
Nolan said nothing. He simply raised his hand and rested it atop the powerless Demigod's head.
Twisted horns. A bewildered Demigod. Before losing consciousness, he seemed to see a trace of gentleness in Nolan's eyes.
Nolan felt that, given his age and station, the gesture was not overstepping.
Children need love.
"Isn't that right, Marika?"
He looked up toward the distant Erdtree. There was no answer.
Soldiers. Heroes. Demigods. All of them watched as that radiant figure dissolved into golden dust.
No one could speak.
They could only bear witness, before their own eyes closed, to a story destined to become legend.