Morgott, the Omen King

Leaving Stormhill behind, Lin Luo raced nonstop toward Stormveil Castle.

After about half an hour of travel,

Lin Luo stopped before the main road leading to Stormveil Castle.

The road had been built atop a hill. At its edge, there was nothing but the sea on one side and a bottomless cliff on the other.

The choice was simple: leave, or go to Stormveil Castle and face the Grafted.

This place had clearly endured the ravages of countless wars. Not to mention the crumbling walls ahead,

the innumerable weapons and banners planted in the ground, along with the countless corpses lying about, were enough to prove how horrific it had once been.

Lin Luo swung down from his horse.

"Need my help...?"

Melina gripped the Missionary's Knife beneath her robes. She could feel the enemy's intense malice.

"No need..."

Lin Luo took hold of Melina's right arm, the one gripping her weapon, and shook his head.

"Remember this."

Lin Luo slowly drew the Moonveil Katana from his waist.

"As long as a man is still alive, he will never let the person he loves stand in front of him..."

"..."

Melina looked into Lin Luo's resolute, unyielding eyes and understood. Obediently, she put away her weapon.

"Then..."

Lin Luo smiled in satisfaction and turned toward the city wall ahead.

"Tarnished—"

A deep, weighty voice rang out from atop the city wall...

A streak of golden light slowly emerged. It flickered, gradually taking human form.

It was a tall human? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.

He looked like a decrepit old man, leaning on a long, strange cane and wrapped in tattered robes. Uneven horns protruded from his white hair, making him resemble some monster from ancient legends.

"Toyed with by the flame of ambition, you dare dream of obtaining the Elden Ring?"

The old man spoke with disdain. Planting his cane into the ground, his massive body leaped down from the city wall.

Boom!

The enormous body struck the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust...

Lin Luo raised a hand and brushed aside the dust drifting toward him.

"Then that flame... shall be extinguished along with you! I, Morgott, the Omen King, shall see it done!"

The old man—no, Morgott, the Omen King—raised his cane and pointed it at Lin Luo. There was no emotion in his eyes. His sole mission was to kill every Tarnished who sought the Elden Ring.

Naturally, Lin Luo had no interest in wasting words on a phantom.

He immediately drew his sword and opened with a Moonlight Slash.

The blue-white sword energy struck Morgott, the Omen King, head-on. Damn, weren't ordinary Tarnished supposed to collapse in terror? What was wrong with this guy?

Morgott, the Omen King, felt a stabbing pain in his chest. That strike had probably taken half his life.

"Damn you, lowly Tarnished!"

Morgott, the Omen King, roared and charged forward, swinging his cane at Lin Luo at nearly the speed of sound.

Of course, Lin Luo would not sit still and wait for death. He rushed straight at Morgott, the Omen King, and the instant the cane swung down, Lin Luo rolled beneath it, brushing past his leg.

Slash!

He raised his katana and, in the instant he evaded, carved another cut across Morgott, the Omen King's thigh.

"Die!"

A golden dagger instantly appeared in Morgott, the Omen King's left hand. He turned and slashed at Lin Luo.

Lin Luo lightly tapped the ground and borrowed the force to leap backward.

How could Morgott, the Omen King, let such an opportunity slip away? He raised his cane and swung it upward, intending to blow Lin Luo's head apart with its tremendous force.

"You're pretty ruthless!"

Lin Luo said as he drew Moonveil Katana across his chest to block.

The cane that had been aimed at Lin Luo's head struck the Moonveil Katana instead.

Lin Luo's blood surged slightly as he borrowed the impact to flip through the air.

In barely half a second, Lin Luo pulled out the Glintstone Staff of Azur from his waist.

"Let me give you something brutal!"

Lin Luo chuckled as a massive blue bow materialized in the air.

"Loretta's Slash!" Lin Luo's Intelligence and Dexterity had surpassed their limits, making his casting speed absurdly fast. Using magic in midair after borrowing force was no longer some impossible fantasy.

Morgott, the Omen King, had not even reacted yet. In his rigid understanding, any Tarnished who took that blow head-on should have been nearly crippled.

What does it mean that he can still hit me from the air after being sent flying?

Morgott, the Omen King, froze for a moment. Four enormous blue arrows arrived in the blink of an eye.

He only had time to raise his cane across his body.

Boom!

The explosion erupted. The giant arrows struck squarely, and blue-white magical mist rose around Morgott, the Omen King.

"Tarnished!"

Morgott, the Omen King, let out a furious roar. That spell had nearly sent him straight to the Erdtree. What the hell was with this Tarnished's strength? Why did it feel like he was facing Malenia and Starscourage Radahn at the same time?

"Hmph! As expected of a descendant of warriors! I admit that this body is no match for you!"

Morgott, the Omen King, snorted. The golden dagger in his right hand transformed into a massive golden hammer.

"But I will also show you my strongest strength!"

"I'm waiting..."

Lin Luo's tone turned more serious. When facing an opponent worthy of respect, he would give them his all.

He spun the sword in his right hand, then gripped the hilt with both hands.

"Very good!"

Morgott, the Omen King, praised him for once. His massive body leaped straight at Lin Luo, and the great hammer came crashing down with unstoppable force.

This hammer strike was unlike the previous swing. It was not something he could evade by rolling into position.

So Lin Luo chose the simpler method—Bloodhound Step.

The instant the massive hammer descended, Lin Luo's body trembled slightly. When one looked again, he had already appeared behind it.

But this time, he clearly could not get greedy with his attacks.

Morgott, the Omen King's attacks had noticeably quickened. Perhaps it was because of his anger, or perhaps because he had encountered a powerful opponent.

The instant the massive hammer crashed down, Morgott, the Omen King, planted himself atop it and leaped up, continuing to swing his cane at Lin Luo.

Lin Luo did not hesitate either. He shifted slightly to the side, and the cane brushed past his clothes on the left.

However, the attack did not end so simply.

It was the same attack pattern again, except this time he pushed off the cane while the massive hammer came smashing down...

"You little bastard, are you ever going to stop?"

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow and lifted the Moonveil Katana directly, blocking against the hammer's handle beneath the massive head.

Only because Lin Luo's physique was extraordinary did he manage to withstand it. The hammer was less than half a foot from the crown of his head, and the gale from its swing made his hair flutter wildly.

Seeing this, Melina nervously clutched the corner of her clothes. In that instant just now, she had truly thought Lin Luo was finished.

Lin Luo chuckled, a triumphant expression appearing on his face.

He slammed his right foot into the ground, bent his left leg halfway, and pushed the katana with both hands. The sharp blade scraped across the long handle, throwing off brilliant sparks.

Morgott, the Omen King, had not yet understood Lin Luo's intent and was still astonished by his incredible strength.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the hand gripping the hammer. Four fingers were severed cleanly at the root by Lin Luo.

The fingers fell to the ground and dissolved into specks of starlight.

Lin Luo understood the principle of beating a drowning dog. He drove a powerful kick straight into Morgott, the Omen King's chest.

The immense force sent Morgott, the Omen King's massive body crashing to the ground.

Morgott, the Omen King, instantly felt his mind go blank. By the time he regained consciousness, Lin Luo's sword was already held across his throat. "You have lost!"