The Chessboard of the Chess Player

Torrent galloped across vast Limgrave. Once a demigod's mount, he left the Godrick soldiers chasing Lin Luo far behind.

"Please slow down, Lin Luo."

Melina gently tugged at Lin Luo's sleeve. "Though spirits don't feel nauseous..."

"If I fall off, I'll be embarrassed..."

"Huh?"

Lin Luo lightly pulled Torrent's reins, and the pace began to slow.

"It's getting late. Let's try to reach Castle Morne before nightfall."

Lin Luo stopped the horse and jumped down.

"Tarnished... Lin Luo... I can reside within the Site of Grace..."

"Shh..."

Lin Luo smiled, then sat directly behind Melina, wrapping an arm around her waist to take Torrent's reins.

Melina's body was soft, but as a spirit... she had not the slightest warmth. Not merely body heat.

Calling Melina Wood would be unfair. Even a stone would grow warm if held long enough, but Melina never did. Only when she burned the Erdtree did she release her own warmth.

But things were different now. She had lost most of her emotions because of the Greater Will's interference. After putting on the Crystal Tear Necklace, Melina gradually began recovering her emotions.

"Tarnished, please let me get down..."

A flush briefly crossed Melina's pale face before quickly fading. Her seemingly annoyed behavior looked exactly like a young girl acting spoiled.

"Haha... Go, Torrent!"

Lin Luo's eyes narrowed into slits, and the corners of his mouth kept curling upward.

He sharply tugged the reins, and Torrent started running again.

Limgrave was not far from the Weeping Peninsula. Following the north side of Lake Agheel would lead to a massive current of spiritual energy, something like a jump pad. Lin Luo ignored the guards and had Torrent nimbly double-jump over the soldiers' heads.

"Damned Tarnished!"

The soldier let out an unwilling roar and hurriedly blew the horn in his hand.

The shrill horn blast spread through the area as a large group of Godrick soldiers charged toward Lin Luo.

"Perfect!"

Lin Luo laughed, gripped the reins in one hand and yanked them hard, pulled Maliketh's Black Sword from his inventory bag, and turned Torrent around.

Understanding his intent, Torrent stepped onto a raised stone nearby and leaped with its momentum. The Black Sword cleaved straight toward the soldier blowing the horn.

The soldier's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised his straight sword to block.

"Riiip..."

There was no clash of metal. Like a sheet of thin paper, the soldier's straight sword was effortlessly torn apart by the Black Sword, along with the soldier's head.

"A... familiar... feeling."

Melina looked at the Black Sword and suddenly said, "It is... Destined Death!"

Melina's delicate brows furrowed, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Lin Luo, you..."

"Shh..."

Lin Luo raised his index finger slightly and placed it before his lips.

"Let's deal with this trouble first..."

"Kill!"

The Godrick soldiers erupted with the fury of lonely bachelors. This damned Tarnished had not taken any of them seriously at all!

Two Kaiden riders took the lead, their massive curved blades scraping sparks from the ground. Under the force of their charge, the power behind their slashes was far more than simple addition.

More than a dozen Godrick soldiers wielding straight swords followed close behind. The moment Lin Luo fell from his horse, they would surely chop him into mincemeat.

"Feel the power of the dark moon..."

Lin Luo murmured as he slowly raised the Staff of the Death Prince. Vast energy gradually gathered around the staff.

"Adula's Moonblade..."

A brilliant azure sword of light immediately appeared before Lin Luo, radiating bone-piercing cold.

"Whoosh..."

The Moonblade swung fiercely. Just as the Godrick soldiers were about to reach him, the blue-white blade unleashed a vast wave of sword energy, and freezing mist instantly engulfed every soldier.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. They had encountered Tarnished before, but a Tarnished this monstrous...

"Is that the power of the Moon Princess?"

Those were their final thoughts before death.

With one strike, every soldier was wiped out.

"The power of a demigod..."

Melina opened her mouth and let out a startled sound.

Good grief, how could I possibly be worthy of helping you obtain the power of runes?

Torrent whinnied. He had just sensed his former master's aura. Yep, definitely a scumbag horse.

"Tarnished, who exactly are you...?"

Melina's expression turned solemn. She vanished from the horse's back and appeared before Torrent, staring intently at Lin Luo as though trying to discern something.

"Heh..."

Lin Luo smiled helplessly and dismounted.

"My power also comes from the Erdtree. Of course, it doesn't only come from the Erdtree."

Melina denied it. "The Tarnished do not receive the Erdtree's blessing. Without a maiden's guidance, they cannot transform runes into power. You are the first Tarnished I have guided."

"The power I possess comes from another version of you."

Lin Luo's words were astonishing.

"You..."

Melina's expression shifted. The Greater Will tried to take control of Melina once more, only to be repelled again by the Crystal Tear Necklace.

"Can you tell me... who you are?"

"The chess player holds the pieces. No matter how the pieces change, no matter how important they are, all it takes is overturning the board and starting over."

Lin Luo spoke slowly. "But this chess piece leaped off the board, and the chess player lost everything."

Listening to Lin Luo's riddle, Melina fell silent. Wise as she was, she understood what he meant.

"So... your choice is...?"

Lin Luo looked at Melina expectantly.

"Although... I do not know whether what you say is true..."

"But no matter what, assisting you in becoming king was originally my duty..."

"I hope it isn't merely a duty."

Lin Luo interrupted Melina.

"Tarnished... you..."

Melina's face immediately flushed crimson, and she stammered.

"Hahaha..."

Lin Luo laughed happily. This was not the Melina from the cycle. A person's genuine nature could not be created through power alone.

"Then, Melina... get on the horse."

Lin Luo patted Torrent and extended his right hand toward Melina.

"...You..."

Melina's face turned even redder. She glared fiercely at Lin Luo before vanishing.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Lin Luo withdrew his hand with a smile. Sure enough, without the Greater Will's interference, Melina was finally no longer Wood. Then... as the mighty Elden Lord, it shouldn't be too much for me to marry a few queens, right?

Thinking of that, Lin Luo foolishly laughed aloud again, already imagining embarrassing scenes in his mind.

"Hehe... Melina, my Ranni..."

"Ding!"

Suddenly, a blue Glintstone Pebble struck Lin Luo, directly shattering his beautiful dream.

"Damn it! Who was that?"

Lin Luo angrily turned around. Hmm... it was an aristocrat sorcerer, a low-level undead enemy without consciousness.

Lin Luo was naturally not the petty sort. Thus, after receiving a tiny Comet Azur, the aristocrat sorcerer happily returned to the Erdtree's embrace.

Aristocrat Sorcerer: "I never imagined I'd be fortunate enough to be killed by Comet Azur in this lifetime."