A Second Clash with the Greater Will

Lin Luo had faced the Greater Will before.

In the last cycle, Lin Luo confronted the Greater Will; this was their first clash.

At Stormveil Castle, the Greater Will attempted to control Lin Luo, but he broke free. That was the second time.

And this time, it should be the third.

This encounter was with the Two Fingers, the messenger of the Greater Will.

It didn't possess the true power of the Greater Will, yet the Greater Will used it to control almost the entire Lands Between.

The Greater Will's true body was beyond the stars, and its seal had yet to be broken. For now, it could only control others through these Two Fingers.

There were many Two Fingers, such as those found atop the Divine Towers. Each Two Fingers represented a demigod it controlled.

Ranni first used a portion of Deathroot to kill her own body, freeing herself from the Two Fingers' control. Then, she used a Fingermaiden's Finger to kill the Two Fingers that controlled her, truly breaking free from the Greater Will's influence…

When each demigod died, their corresponding Two Fingers also perished.

Only this one before him, he didn't know what it represented…

Lin Luo slowly approached, holding Melina tightly for safety. Deathroot enveloped Melina.

The Greater Will's methods of controlling minds were truly insidious. In the past, his crystallized mirror necklace could indeed deflect the Greater Will's consciousness.

But facing the Two Fingers directly this time, Lin Luo didn't want any accidents.

As Lin Luo walked towards the Two Fingers, he glanced at Enia the Witch beside him. He knew this witch was likely another contingency left by Marika, someone who would appropriately misinterpret the Fingers' intentions… to guide the Tarnished.

He had to admit, she was quite good to the Tarnished…

But now, Lin Luo didn't have time to pay attention to her…

Seeing that Lin Luo didn't speak to her, Enia said nothing, merely remaining seated, offering a gentle smile. However, this smile looked somewhat bone-chilling.

"Tarnished! How dare you come back!"

At that moment, the Greater Will's voice echoed in Lin Luo's mind.

It turned out Lin Luo had already removed his crystallized mirror necklace, all for the sake of "chatting" with the Greater Will.

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Lin Luo chuckled and spoke to the Two Fingers before him.

Melina, witnessing Lin Luo's seemingly inexplicable actions, understood a little.

She just held Lin Luo tighter, hoping he wouldn't suffer any harm.

"You should just stay where you belong, beyond the stars."

Lin Luo smiled. "Sometimes I think you're so stupid. Calling yourself the Greater Will, some broken deity from some forgotten corner, coming to the Lands Between to play king."

"Don't you think you're stupid?"

"The king you propped up only wants to shatter your Golden Law; the defenses you built for the Elden Ring have become your greatest prison; and the puppet you cultivated has now become your greatest adversary…"

"Don't you agree… you fool?"

Lin Luo burst into unrestrained laughter, his hearty chuckles causing those outside to look over in confusion.

"Foolish human! You will never understand what you face! You deserve to die! You ant, you only deserve to smell my farts!"

"...What's wrong, feeling indignant?"

"Dragonlord Placidusax could only cower in the sky city under your schemes; the God-Slaying Queen vanished after you stole her Deathroot; the servants of the Foul God, the giants, were also hunted to extinction by you…"

"It's a case of 'the blade is in the carving board, and we are the fish,' truly nothing to complain about…"

Lin Luo shrugged. "However, the next time I meet you…"

"I'm afraid our roles will have to be reversed!"

"Arrogant!"

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?"

Lin Luo smiled and put on his crystallized mirror necklace.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

"Heh, I won't listen, I won't listen."

Lin Luo even stuck out his tongue. This time, he had likely disgusted the Greater Will to no end…

Melina, seeing this, also smiled. It seemed… Lin Luo was fine.

But then again, when was Lin Luo someone who would suffer a loss?

Although he could no longer hear what the Greater Will was saying, Lin Luo could imagine it screaming curses and threats at him right now.

In any case, Lin Luo wasn't listening. Out of sight, out of mind.

"Humble Tarnished, you will pay the price for your foolish actions!"

Finally, the Greater Will gave up on invading Lin Luo's consciousness.

"Do you truly think I have no way to deal with you?"

"Foolish Tarnished, you will eventually learn that there is only one outcome when opposing a god—"

"Death!"

These were the Greater Will's mutterings to itself... or so it could be said, because Lin Luo hadn't heard a single word of it.

But it was clear that the Greater Will had other plans.

Lin Luo naturally knew... the Black Knife organization...

Actually, it was hard to say... whether the Black Knife organization was affiliated with Marika or the Greater Will wasn't very clear to Lin Luo at the moment.

But, what did it matter?

Even if they were affiliated with the Greater Will.

If the Greater Will truly wanted to send him this overflowing energy of death Runes, Lin Luo would gladly accept it.

The Black Knife organization had members with Demigod-level strength, but for Lin Luo, they were a bit lacking.

Enia the Witch seemed to have noticed something amiss with the Two Fingers, after all, she was originally the Finger-Discerner Witch.

"Oh?... Tarnished... you actually... make the Two Fingers feel anger..."

Enia looked somewhat angry, but also... it was hard to describe her state. Marika's contingency plan was likely intended to change the Golden Law, rather than making it a tool for the Greater Will to gain power...

Enia didn't know what kind of emotion this was...

After some internal struggle, she still said to Lin Luo, "Alas... Tarnished, no matter... what happens..., become the Elden Lord... I don't know the will of the great fingers..."

Enia was pitiable... she was manipulated by the Two Fingers and controlled by Marika...

"I will,"

Lin Luo said solemnly. He greatly respected Enia.

She was one of only two people in the entire Roundtable Hold who genuinely cared for the Tarnished...

Lin Luo originally intended to directly slay the Two Fingers in the Roundtable Hold.

But Lin Luo always felt that these Two Fingers had an inexplicable connection to the Roundtable Hold.

He didn't do anything he wasn't sure of. Killing them would only be killing an emissary of the Greater Will, which wouldn't harm the Greater Will in the slightest.

And if the Roundtable Hold rejected him after he made a move, the loss would outweigh the gain.

"Leave."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Lin Luo was no longer interested in the Two Fingers.

He now needed to find Sir Gideon Ofnir.

Sir Gideon Ofnir, perhaps the most intelligent man on this continent. After the Finger-Discerner Elder conveyed the will of the Two Fingers, he immediately grasped the situation: the Elden Ring was broken, his true god Marika had vanished, and the Greater Will needed a new Lord to restore order, even resorting to using them, the exiled Tarnished.

Arriving at the Grand Altus, a projection of the real Roundtable Hold, Sir Gideon Ofnir, with his boundless knowledge, had become the leader within the Grand Altus.

Lin Luo felt that Sir Gideon Ofnir was the person most likely to uncover the Greater Will's conspiracy, aside from himself.

However, at this current juncture, Sir Gideon Ofnir had likely not yet discovered the despair-inducing truth.

His only goal now was to become the Elden Lord.