Castleward Tunnel

Click, click.

A knight clad in silver armor paced slowly, his lonely footsteps echoing through the deep, empty passageway.

Torches burned on the walls, illuminating the bloodstains covering his armor.

This was Castleward Tunnel, the final checkpoint leading to Stormveil, the city built upon Storm Plateau.

As a buffer zone for defending the castle, towering outer walls sealed off Stormveil's entrance completely, leaving only a single road to the inner city.

The Storm here had lingered for years, and Godrick's forces guarded it heavily.

Invaders first had to deal with the sentry standing on the slope to the left. Once he sounded his horn, the four soldiers patrolling the main road would gather.

And before they could chop the enemy into mincemeat, the archers on both sides would not hesitate to loose their arrows, turning the enemy into a pincushion first.

Should an invader try to charge through on horseback, the chevaux de frise on both sides would firmly confine him to the central road. Ahead of the gateway, a massive ballista stood ready to fire.

Then why not sneak through?

If the invader silently assassinated the sentry on the slope, he would discover that the dense grass concealed another two soldiers wielding war picks and two wielding swords, waiting for the enemy.

Such an arrangement was practically impregnable.

Any Tarnished who reached this place would understand that although the old, ugly demigod had lost all reputation and was cowardly beyond measure, the army under his command was like a giant beast with its bloody maw open wide, waiting to devour them.

However, at this moment—

The soldier before the gateway lay sprawled over the ballista, frozen in the posture of operating it, while the blood beneath him had pooled into a puddle.

The heads of the spear- and sword-wielding guards on either side had vanished without a trace. The soldiers on the main road were charred black, giving off the scent of roasted flesh.

The guards hidden on the slope had savage wounds through their chests. They lay in pools of blood, their eyes forever closed before they had even managed to raise their weapons.

Not one had survived.

This heavily guarded gate, Godrick's most important and final military stronghold on the outskirts, had been crushed by the invader before it could even organize a proper counterattack.

Lu Mingfei flicked the blood from his blade, set it beside him, and reached toward the illusory golden sigil.

As the light of the Site of Grace appeared once more, the Site of Grace known as "Castleward Tunnel" was kindled.

He removed his bloodstained helmet, revealing a delicate, weary face.

Thud!

The helmet was tossed onto the ground.

The tunnel was still thick with the mingled stench of charred flesh and blood, yet Lu Mingfei did not care in the slightest.

He slowly let out a foul breath, leaned against the wall, and slid down to the ground, his armor clanking loudly.

"I'm exhausted..."

With a bitter smile, he pulled the last Sacred Tear from his waist and tipped it back. The warm liquid slid down his throat, and his wounds slowly began to heal. Then he placed the red and blue Flasks into the Site of Grace and filled them again.

After breaking through Stormgate, Lu Mingfei had finally set foot upon the ancient Stormhill.

Unexpectedly, the defenses beyond the gate were practically nonexistent. Apart from a few wild wolves, Lu Mingfei encountered almost no enemies as he fought his way to Castleward Tunnel. Along the way, he had also picked up a Golden Seed and, with the help of the silent girl named Melina, strengthened his Flask.

The battle before Castleward Tunnel had held no suspense either.

Armed with Storm Skills, the full set of Storm Knight armor, and Dragon Communion Incantations, Lu Mingfei was now far stronger than before.

There had once been a time when he worried over groups of Demi-Humans because of their overwhelming numbers. Now, after two fully charged blasts of Dragonfire, the entrance to Castleward Tunnel was filled with the aroma of grilled meat!

The days of wielding power left him feeling somewhat dazed.

He seemed to have grown used to the rules of the Lands Between, used to days filled with killing. His heart had quietly changed.

After a long while.

Lu Mingfei rose to his feet and picked up the greatsword from the ground. The blood on its blade had already congealed, reflecting a dark red sheen in the firelight.

He looked toward the heavy castle gate at the end of the tunnel. Beyond it lay Stormveil's inner city, as well as the throne of Godrick the Grafted.

It had once been a beautiful land surrounded by Storms, and once the capital of the Storm Knights.

However, to reach that city, now reduced to enemy territory, he still had to pass one final hurdle.

The gatekeeper whose name shook the land, stained with the blood of countless invaders—Margit, the Fell Omen.

As long as he killed him, Lu Mingfei would gain the authority to travel freely between Earth and this place. He could return to soft mattresses, toilets that represented civilization, delicious food, computers, esports, and all the rest.

He missed that civilized world more than ever. He missed the weirdos at Cassel College, and he missed the German-style sauerkraut stewed pork knuckle from the cafeteria.

Even if that narrow-minded, short-tempered housewife he feared stood before him and cursed him out, he would give her a huge hug, then turn around, spit on the ground, and never look back.

"It's time to settle this."

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his armor clanking with every stride.

"Margit, the Fell Omen, right? Today, no one is stopping me from going home! Even if the Four Sovereigns, the Black King, and the White King all stood before me, I'd still...

Forget it. That might be a little too difficult."

As Lu Mingfei emerged from Castleward Tunnel beneath the outer wall, a majestic structure standing alone atop a cliff appeared before his eyes.

Gothic walls and towers rose high into the clouds, dense and imposing, displaying their former splendor. The sky was somewhat overcast, and the remnants of the Storm still circled above the complex.

It was like a castle from a heroic epic or mythic legend—Stormveil. Its name was said to carry the meaning of a "Stormveil," so it was no wonder some called it the "Wind Veil Castle."

Golden plating gleamed at its highest points, while two entirely different banners fluttered from the castle walls.

One bore the Stormhawk of Stormveil's former masters; the other represented the glory of the Golden Family, depicting Serosh, the Beast Regent.

"Old man, you didn't lie to me."

Staring at the magnificent structure, Lu Mingfei muttered:

"Our hometown really is beautiful... How about we figure out a way to take it back..."

He suddenly understood his teacher's resentment toward Godrick. If such a beautiful city, one that embodied Storms and glory, were held by a hero or a strong warrior, then that would be fair enough.

But how could an ugly, cowardly demigod who needed Grafting to strengthen himself possibly deserve it?

"How arrogant."

A deep, commanding voice suddenly rang out.

"O Tarnished—"

"Toyed with by the Flame of Ambition born of ignorance, you dream of obtaining the Elden Ring?"

"Then you, along with that flame, must be extinguished."

"I, Margit, the Fell Omen, shall see it done."