Stone! Shatter! Heaven! (Astonishing!)

The girl's figure and the sword traversed a vast distance and suddenly appeared above the knight wielding a bow that mimicked lightning!

--cut!

The sword light surged like a torrent, and Mount Yan collapsed in its wake.

However, the sensation of the collapsing torrent of sword fire shattering the knight's form was like smashing a piece of glass!

—A phantom? So realistic?

—A miracle of light?

—But so what!?

The power erupted a second time, and the next moment, the suddenly detonated sword energy pierced the ground and spread and collapsed in all directions, plunging the earth into molten fire and lifting the boiling lava mountains into the air!

The ground within a radius of dozens of miles trembled violently.

An artificially created volcano was thus completed.

At the heart of the volcano, within the boiling lava, Miss Surtr, enveloped in fire and fiery fluids, watched as the knight's form, hidden in the near air, was forced back by the surging lava. Her lightning spear, fully charged and poised to decide the outcome with a single, misplaced strike, also halted before the cascading barrier of lava. The damage was immense, but it accomplished nothing.

Miss Surtr looked up at her opponent, who was separated from her by the fiery currents. She could clearly sense that his fighting spirit had waned. And since she hadn't suffered any losses, she naturally didn't mind having a friendly chat with him.

"Can you answer my question now?" she asked.

"You did not use your full strength," the knight replied—his voice had a feminine quality, yet it contained both heroism and sharpness.

—A woman, indeed, she really is Hila from the Oolacile Township?

"This isn't a fight to the death." Miss Surtr tilted her head slightly. "It's just a normal exchange of swords, or are you planning to fight me to the death right here and now?"

Her response was met with several seconds of silence.

Then, answer.

"Knight Goff has been pardoned and allowed to return to the Divine Court to reclaim the honor and military merit that is rightfully his—he will become the leader of the giants in the Divine Court. Let this powerful race take its rightful place and honor."

The knight in black armor removed his helmet.

A beautiful and spirited face was accompanied by long, flowing golden hair.

—Not Hila, or even a god of Gwyn lineage. Because the hair of the sun gods is all Platinum, it shouldn't be blonde in any way.

"And you may call me Lotus." The knight girl's hair swayed slightly. "I come from Oolacile Township."

She looked at the Flame-haired maiden, her expression serious and earnest.

"Nice to meet you, Surtr."

I came for you.

Chapter 200: Stone! Shattered! Heaven! Shocked!

—For me? What the hell?

Miss Surtr looked puzzled.

"Could you elaborate a bit more?" she couldn't help but ask.

She saw the blonde knight girl reveal a gentle yet imposing smile, like a blooming rose, beautiful and charming yet sharp and thorny.

"Two reasons."

"First, now that the First and Last Lords of Cinder have descended, I, representing the Oolacile Township, have a duty to witness it all. For the Oolacile Township is also the end, the end of the world. As the flames wane, the Oolacile Township will move ever closer to the center of the world. And I must observe long enough before that happens, so that I may make a decision at the appropriate time."

—From this angle... Ah, indeed. The Dark Souls is hidden within the Oolacile Township. If my plan fails, then in order to prolong the First Flame, choosing a Lord of Cinder to carry the Dark Souls into the First Flame could indeed extend its lifespan by at least another thousand years... perhaps even allowing the four Lords' souls to form a cycle, eliminating the need for linking the First Flame again. But this is a conjecture that cannot be verified; it should be a last resort.

Miss Surtr carefully examined the knight girl before her—her first impression was one of radiance; beautiful, dazzling, and possessing a powerful inner strength that even she had to be wary of. And in those bright eyes, an alluring light of wisdom shone.

—So that's how it is. If I cannot bring about the final end as I promised when I left fourteen thousand years ago, then she will enter the First Flame as a bearer of the Dark Souls. Indeed, her strength is more than enough to be a Lord of Cinder. I even suspect that she doesn't need to make a pilgrimage; she can directly become the finest kindling.

—The secret reserves of the Oolacile Township ... But there's no such person in the game. Hmm... wait, she said she could make the decisions. That means she holds a high position. Plus, she didn't say her name. She just told me I could call her 'Lotus'... Filianore, huh?

—But Filianore shouldn't be guarding the Dark Soul... Ah, indeed, the gods never break their missions and promises. So, bringing the Dark Souls to the First Flame to guard it is also a form of guarding. And as a deity, she certainly has the right to possess such a vast accumulation of souls.

The thought process has formed a loop, but the questions that need to be asked should still be asked.

"Filianore... what is your relationship with Filianore? Can you tell me?"

"Yes, we have a very close relationship." Lian tilted her head and winked playfully. "I can act as her representative. Even if you consider me and her as the same person, it's perfectly fine."

—Isn't this completely undisguised?

—Wait, this isn't right. Filianore should be guarding the Dark Souls in the Oolacile Township. That's her duty, unless she carries the Dark Souls with her, but I didn't sense the King's Soul at all just now... I see, the art of soul splitting. Or is it simply spirit projection? Filianore is still guarding the Dark Souls. Therefore, the one appearing on the continent of Lordran can only be [Lotus]!

—So you gods can be flexible after all...

"I understand." Miss Surtr breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded, revealing a smile that conveyed the unspoken understanding between them—now that she understood Filianore's identity and motives, their interactions would naturally become easier.

—However... is it only a portion of Filianore? Can she really hold her own against me, even with only a portion of her strength and while holding back? I don't know exactly how much power Ferrenor used, but I feel that even if I went all out, in my current state, I wouldn't be absolutely certain of defeating her. And if I were to face her true form right now, would I probably lose?

—Ah, my blood is pumping! Even though she's a beautiful, cute girl, it's always been my regret that I couldn't finally fight this last Goddess in the game. I really want to know just how strong Filianore at her peak really is... After all, even among the many gods I defeated 14,000 years ago... even the best-preserved Tomb Divine Might Nit was weakened by the rampant Undead Curse. And I've never truly witnessed a god at their full power.

—What a pity, what a pity. But even if she's an ally, when I arrive in Oolacile Township, I can still seek her guidance. Although I can't fight the noble Goddess on the battlefield, a battle is a battle... at least it can ease the regrets left from back then?

As she thought about it, she found Lian more pleasing to the eye—since she was going to make an abrupt request in the future, she should at least maintain a good relationship for now.

"And the second one?" The Flame-haired maiden smiled gently. She casually concealed the Coiled Sword she always carried. With a flick of her finger, a surge of wind blew away the surrounding ruins and dust, widening the area where they were talking.

"Could you reveal the second reason?"

"So you don't mind if I travel with you from now on?" However, Lian did not reply directly. Instead, she also put away her armor, and her Black Knight armor changed shape under the glow, transforming into an exquisite, beautiful, decorative, and practical white skirt armor with gold trim.

She said "you," not "you all."

Miss Surtr, however, was clearly unaware of the usefulness of this rhetoric—her attention was elsewhere.

—Disguised as the Black Knight, you fought me to test my abilities and principles? Ah...it seems my benevolent approach is still somewhat effective.

"I don't mind," she said. "I plan to visit Farran next, and I intend to go deep underground. I'll visit the ruins of Izalith to see someone who may still exist there. And from there, I'll seek a way to explore the Abyss. A friend of mine told me that there are unusual things happening in the Abyss. And I happen to need manpower."

She corrected herself. "A powerful helper, Miss Lian."

"Well, as compensation for inviting me to help, can you just call me Lian?" Lian circled around her with light steps, like a cheerful little bird. "I'll just call you Surtr too."

—Ah...the warrior's side has disappeared, is it now the Princess's side?