Aftermath

Lin Luo was startled. This was not something he could take head-on, and even Force Field of Topos was not something he should try lightly.

Logically speaking, as one of the "legendary sorceries," Comet Azur was best avoided whenever possible.

Other than its slow casting speed and high FP cost, every one of its other attributes stood at the very peak.

So...

Lin Luo chose to meet it head-on!

A grin spread across Lin Luo's lips as he raised his staff as well.

The exact same channeling method, releasing the same sorcery.

"Comet Azur!"

Rennala's spell arrived first, followed closely by Lin Luo's.

Two enormous green beams collided in an instant.

If this had been Rennala at her peak, Lin Luo might not have foolishly chosen to clash beams with her.

Although Lin Luo's sorcery was already extremely formidable, he was surely still inferior to Rennala, who had spent her entire life studying the magic of the Stars.

But sorcery was not what Lin Luo excelled at most.

The Rennala before him was merely being controlled by Ranni. It was just a frontal beam clash—who was afraid of whom?

The sorceries crashed violently together, azure-green laser beams blasting against one another as the point of contact let out a sizzling sound.

For a moment, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Sweat had already appeared on Rennala's lovely face. The spell was clearly consuming a great deal of her power.

Lin Luo looked somewhat tired as well, but the expression in his eyes showed that he still had strength to spare.

"Then..."

"Let's finish this quickly!"

Feeling the pressure ahead lessen, Lin Luo understood that his chance to break the deadlock had come.

Lin Luo no longer held back his magic, pouring it all directly into his staff.

Rennala's staff-holding hand suddenly bent as she felt the pressure ahead surge sharply.

The beam before her actually overwhelmed her Comet in an instant!

Rennala frowned slightly, wanting to retaliate, but the Comet had already reached her...

"Boom!"

This was an explosion between Comets...

This was a clash between legendary sorceries, something that had happened only a handful of times throughout history—yet it had occurred within the academy.

The magical aura instantly shredded everything around it. The tranquil lake vanished, the pure white moon gradually shattered, and the magical barrier dissolved into nothingness.

The immense magical shockwave instantly spread across half the academy.

And the conscious sorcerers outside were naturally extremely sensitive to fluctuations in magic.

Sensing the disturbance here, they thought the queen had regained her awareness, that this magical disturbance came from Rennala's fury!

They fell to their knees in terror, continuously kowtowing—both out of guilt for imprisoning the queen and to welcome her return...

Yet all of this was merely their imagination...

At Ranni's Rise not far from the academy, Ranni suddenly opened her eye. Though she had only one, the surprise in it was unmistakable.

"The seal around Mother... has someone activated it...?"

Ranni murmured. Her perception of magic was nearly unmatched, so this immense aura naturally could not escape her notice.

"Was it those demigods? That shouldn't be possible..."

Ranni was somewhat puzzled. Morgott was in the Royal Capital and could not possibly have the time to visit the academy, while Mohg had long since vanished without a trace.

Malenia had also been severely wounded ever since her battle with her brother, unable to recover...

Who could it be...

Godrick? Forget it. He might not even be able to defeat a lobster. Mother could pin him down and beat him without needing Comet Azur.

Ranni lowered her head, propping her chin on her four little hands as she pondered it all.

Yet Ranni could never have imagined that the one responsible for all this was merely a small, insignificant Tarnished.

Lin Luo stood in the center of the library, holding the Rune of the Unborn in his hand.

Having suffered such a heavy blow, Rennala finally could not bear it any longer. She collapsed to the ground, a trace of sorrow in her eyes.

"Ah... Ranni... my dear daughter..."

"Walk toward the night that belongs to you..."

Rennala hugged the amber in her arms and slowly fell asleep...

It had to be said that Rennala's constitution was incredibly strong—or perhaps her magic resistance was simply too high. An ordinary demigod, after taking a full-force Comet Azur, would have been burned until covered in blood before dying with resentment.

But Rennala was different. She had merely fallen unconscious from exhaustion.

It had to be said that anyone capable of standing against Marika in her time was no simple person. If Rennala had not been reduced to less than a tenth of her former strength, Lin Luo truly would not have been certain he could win.

At most... he would have had a ninety percent chance. But with a ninety percent chance, wasn't death all but certain?

Lin Luo smacked his lips, feeling somewhat emotional.

Putting away his staff and storing his sword in his bag as well, Lin Luo gave Rennala a light bow. It was his gesture of respect for the Full Moon Queen.

"Forgive my offense, Your Majesty..."

Lin Luo said softly as he slowly left the library.

Rennala sat in the center of the library, tightly embracing the amber that had already lost its Rune. A faint smile remained on her face. Perhaps she was having a beautiful dream.

Lin Luo sighed. She was his future mother-in-law, after all. Once he dealt with the Greater Will someday, he would drag that scumbag Radagon over to kowtow before the Full Moon Queen a few times. That bastard had cheated her of both wealth and love—he deserved to die horribly.

Lin Luo went around Rennala and arrived at the rear entrance of the academy. He first activated the Site of Grace, since he would need to return here later.

Lin Luo could not go to the Royal Capital yet. He first had to obtain the left and right halves of the Dectus Lift medallion.

If he remembered correctly, the two medallion halves were located at Castle Morne in Limgrave and Fort Faroth in Caelid.

But Lin Luo did not intend to face the Thorn of Oblivion so soon.

His current goal was clear: find Ranni first.

He would first help her complete the mission to hunt the Fingers.

And the first step was to go with Ranni's subordinates to Redmane Castle in Caelid and grant General Radahn release.

Only then would the seal of the Eternal City open once more.

Lin Luo had tried using Miquella's Needle, hoping to suppress the Scarlet Rot within Starscourage Radahn.

But every attempt had failed, because Starscourage Radahn's body had almost been completely consumed by Scarlet Rot. The fact that he was still alive was already a miracle. If the needle were used, Radahn would likely die from the violent rejection between the two powers.

And the process of death would certainly be too horrible to witness...

Starscourage Radahn was a hero. He should not meet such an end.

Lin Luo sat beside the Site of Grace as the Erdtree's gentle radiance fell over him. He could feel the fatigue within his body beginning to fade...

At that moment, Lin Luo took out Godrick's Great Rune and the Great Rune of the Unborn.

These Great Runes were all part of the Elden Ring. What Lin Luo intended to do was fuse these Runes together.

Obtaining the Elden Ring would only mean allowing the Ring to control him;

But Lin Luo intended to control the Elden Ring!

The Runes within Lin Luo's body began to spill out, slowly enveloping the two Great Runes. The powers of the two did not repel each other. If one's strength was insufficient, the Great Runes would absorb every last bit of power within the body.

Conversely, if one was strong enough, one could absorb the power of the Great Runes.

Three strands of golden light began to intertwine... slowly merging into a thin golden thread that gradually entered Lin Luo's body...

Melina quietly stood guard beside Lin Luo. She knew he was doing something extremely important. What she needed to do... was protect Lin Luo well and ensure he was not disturbed...