The Mushroom People swung their long poles, sending out clouds of deadly poison. The Minor Erdtree guardians held off the heavily armored knights with masterful spearwork, Gravitas used gravity magic to repel arrows, and the Kaiden mercenaries launched another mass charge, tearing through the defensive line like a knife and scattering Stormgate's shield soldiers.
The vast horde of Demi-Humans seized the chance to swarm forward. Their fearless disregard for death became the key to deciding the battle. The ragtag army suppressed Godrick's Soldiers and began gaining the upper hand.
What had begun as a feint to draw the enemy's attention had unwittingly turned into a real war.
Why had this happened?
Kenneth Haight arrived late, drenched in sweat, and supplied the answer.
"To let our king charge into battle alone is a failure on the part of his subjects. Tarnished, you would rather risk your life alone than leave others unsaved. None of us care whether you can become Elden Lord in the future. All we know is that right now, you are our true king!"
Emotion surged through the Tarnished. He opened his mouth to speak, but an explosive greatbolt suddenly fell from the sky and struck the ground, detonating with a thunderous boom and sending several people flying.
A ballista atop Stormgate was being rapidly reloaded.
Edgar's expression tightened, and he immediately shouted a warning. "It's a ballista! Everyone, find cover!"
But it was too late. A fortified gate was, by its very nature, easy to defend and hard to attack. The soldier operating the ballista quickly loaded another bolt and prepared to fire again.
Yet a second before he could pull the trigger, three azure magic projectiles streaked across the sky like shooting stars, struck the ballista dead-on, and blasted it to pieces.
"Glintstone Stars?!"
Everyone was startled. The Tarnished turned and saw Sellen standing on a nearby rise, the lingering glow of her spell still clinging to her staff.
"A foolish apprentice will always be a foolish apprentice. Allow your master to lend you a hand!"
Irina appeared beside Sellen as well. Leading a group of people who could not take part in the fighting directly, she began swiftly treating the wounded.
"Quick, bring the wounded here so we can treat them together."
As her words fell, Irina and a group of young women cast an incantation together.
It was only the simplest "Heal," cast through low-grade catalysts, but their sheer numbers and devout hearts brought forth a miracle created by people rather than dependent on a god.
The Tarnished was still marveling that Irina possessed such an ability when another roar came from inside Stormgate. An enormous Troll jumped down from the cliff above, shaking the earth as he landed, then swung his greatsword viciously at the ragtag army.
If that blow landed, even Irina and the others would not be able to save them. The Tarnished was about to intervene, but someone else beat him to it again.
Black armor, a fur cloak, and an enamel-colored greatsword-Blaidd made a dashing entrance, deflecting the attack and delivering a backhanded strike that brought the enormous Troll crashing down.
"Wolf bro?!"
"Tarnished, you've stirred up quite a commotion. I'll lend a hand too. Consider this my thanks for that meal!"
With another powerful ally joining them, the ragtag army's morale soared.
"Haha! What a gathering of heroes! In that case, this old man can hardly fall behind!" As Edgar spoke, he dropped to one knee. Golden light shone in his hand, then blossomed a moment later, enveloping everyone.
"Golden Vow!"
Everyone immediately felt strength fill their bodies, and together they let out an earthshaking cry.
"Using an Erdtree incantation to attack the Golden Lineage's castle? What kind of NTR is this?!" The Tarnished could not resist commenting.
Still...
With the weak united and heroes lending their aid, the once one-sided battle turned around in an instant.
"Advance, my king!" Kenneth Haight handed the Tarnished something glittering.
"What's this?"
"Mr. Kale's advance payment for next month's goods."
Tarnished: "..."
[Merchant Rune]: A large rune made by binding together numerous rune fragments. Used only among nomadic merchants, though lending one to a valued customer or a trusted friend is not out of the question. This, perhaps, is a merchant's friendship.
The mournful sound of an erhu began to play. It did not fit the blood-pumping battlefield, but the Tarnished heard the encouragement within it, and the corners of his mouth curled upward despite himself.
Faced with this scene, how could he live up to everyone's hopes if he kept hesitating?
"Can we win?" Kenneth Haight knew nothing of military affairs and asked anxiously.
The Tarnished answered with a question. "Kenneth, we only need to rescue Mako, but you wouldn't mind if we conquered Stormveil Castle while we're at it, right?"
Kenneth Haight: !!!
The Tarnished hesitated no longer. He crushed the Merchant Rune, touched the Gatefront Site of Grace, and shouted, "Melu, level me up!"
The Merchant Rune provided forty thousand runes. Added to the ten thousand or so the Tarnished had accumulated recently, he had fifty thousand runes in total.
"You can gain eleven levels," Melina promptly replied with precision.
"All into strength!"
And so the Tarnished's attributes became:
Level: 20 → 31 HP: 529 FP: 78 Stamina: 96 Perception: 110 Memory slots: 2 Vigor: 15 Focus: 10 Endurance: 10 Strength: 16 → 27 Dexterity: 16 Intelligence: 12 Faith: 10 Arcane: 10
"Storm Stormveil and rescue the Demi-Human queen!" The Tarnished left the Site of Grace and shouted, "Everyone, charge with me!"
"Ooooooh!!!!!"
The ragtag army of humans and nonhumans unleashed an earthshaking War Cry. United shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, the weak had earned the right to rebel against a demigod!
Stormgate fell in an instant!
The ragtag army was unstoppable!
The Tarnished led the charge, Blaidd on his left and Edgar on his right. Though the three had never fought together before, their warriors' instincts allowed them to coordinate seamlessly, tearing through Stormveil Castle's defensive lines one after another like a knife.
At Stormhill Shack, the girl in the red hood was startled by the cries of battle. When she saw Tarny, she realized he was the Tarnished to whom she had given the Spirit Jellyfish ashes. He had once been alone, without even clothing to cover himself, but now he wore well-fitted scale armor, rode a handsome spectral steed, and had countless people following behind him.
"What on earth happened in the meantime?" Little Red Hood could not help asking.
The answer was a great many things.
But the Tarnished had no time to explain them all. He merely told Little Red Hood, "Don't worry. After today, you won't have to fear becoming a chrysalis, and no one else in Limgrave will become one either!"
Without waiting for her reply, Tarny turned and shouted, "Irina, look after her! Everyone else, keep moving!"
"Yes!"
The mighty response echoed across all of Stormhill, its overwhelming force enough to make even nearby Stormveil tremble.
"At the end of this road is Stormgate Tunnel, the only entrance to Stormveil Castle!" Edgar had gone to Stormveil to report on his duties more than once and knew the terrain well.
But such an important location was naturally guarded by a large force.
The moment the Tarnished and the others came into view, the battle-ready Godrick's Soldiers launched their attack.
They had placed barricades along the road and hidden archers in the woods beside it. The two sides collided fiercely, steel against steel and will against will, immediately unleashing a storm of bloodshed.
Godrick's Soldiers held the advantage of terrain, while the ragtag army held the advantage of unity. Whoever fortune favored would claim victory, and at this moment, heaven clearly sided with the weak. The two heroes, Blaidd and Edgar, shone brilliantly, while the other soldiers fought valiantly to be first. Godrick's Soldiers soon fell behind, their lines retreating step by step. Just then, something whistled through the air-another explosive greatbolt.
"Get out of the way!"
The greatbolt was aimed at the thickest cluster of fighters. Godrick's Soldiers had gone so mad that they would not even spare their own men.
Edgar's eyes nearly burst with fury as he shouted at the top of his lungs, but he could only watch helplessly as the explosive greatbolt sailed toward the crowd.
Shouts could not stop a tragedy, but a Brass Shield could!
The Tarnished leaped into its path, raising his shield to meet the bolt. With a thunderous boom, the explosive greatbolt was intercepted midflight. The Tarnished flew backward like a kite with its string cut, scattering blood along the way.
Everyone was stunned. Everyone stopped.
Godrick's Soldiers wanted to see whether the rebel had been slain, while the ragtag army wanted to make sure their leader was safe.
A moment later, the Tarnished emerged from the smoke covered in ash. He tipped his head back and drank a Flask of Crimson Tears, tightened the Brass Shield's straps once more, and shouted, "Until we win, I will never fall! Advance! Storm Stormveil and rescue the Demi-Human queen!"
So powerful, so magnificent, so steadfast, so righteous. This was their leader!
"Storm Stormveil and rescue the Demi-Human queen!!!"
The ragtag army once again unleashed an earthshaking battle cry. Their spirit and resolve became the purest fighting will, reaching its peak!
Overwhelmed by their momentum, Godrick's Soldiers began drawing back into a defensive formation. They had intended to hold out using the ballista positioned at the entrance to Stormgate Tunnel, but three azure crystals shot forth once again. From the rise behind them, Sellen cast Glintstone Stars and blasted the military engine to pieces.
"We even have a sorcerer with the army! In all my years, I've never fought with such lavish support!" Edgar laughed heartily.
Blaidd was equally impressed. "As expected of the academy's renowned prodigy. There isn't a weak sorcerer among the Primeval Current. No wonder they had to..."
Sellen glanced at Blaidd, and Blaidd glanced back at her. They nodded in tacit understanding, but neither intended to reminisce.
The academy, the Carian Royal Family, and the persecuted sorcerers of the Primeval Current—the relationship between the three was an intractable tangle. Their grudges went back a long way, with victories and losses on all sides. But right now, these two were merely temporary comrades brought together by the Tarnished.
The rights and wrongs between them could wait until later. For now, all they had to do was help the Tarnished achieve his great undertaking!
"Stormgate Tunnel has been taken!"
"Set up a defensive line here to keep Godrick's Soldiers outside from sending reinforcements."
"Report! We've found a spy!"
"Spare me! I'm not a spy. I only wanted to enter Stormveil Castle to investigate something."
A man wearing a swordsman's outfit, holding a staff in his left hand and carrying an Estoc at his waist, was brought before the Tarnished. He had handsome features and an open expression. Rather than a spy, he looked more like a gracious gentleman.
He bowed to Tarny. "My name is Rogier. I'm a spellsword. Though I'm also Tarnished, I lost sight of grace long ago. If I've interfered with your business, I can leave immediately."
Of course the Tarnished knew Rogier. He was another friend who had provided crucial help early on, and after his death, he had left all his equipment and possessions to the Tarnished. Calling him another good big brother would be no exaggeration.
The old Tarnished had been unable to prevent Rogier's tragedy, but this time he would not stand by and watch Roger wander around and get cursed to death.
So the Tarnished rejected Rogier's request to leave without hesitation and ordered him rather imperiously, "A spellsword? Good. You're conscripted. Once we've taken Stormveil Castle, I'll personally accompany you to look for whatever you want!"
Rogier: "..."
Wait, he had only come to investigate something. How had he been dragged into a conflict between Stormveil and a rebel army? And he had never even heard of rebels in Limgrave. What was going on?
Before he could figure it out, the Tarnished was already walking toward the far end of Stormgate Tunnel, with Blaidd and Edgar immediately following. Sellen strolled up to Rogier, sized up his peculiar combination of Estoc and staff, and gave a disdainful snort.
"A spellsword? What a joke!"
The corners of Rogier's mouth twitched. Though he knew that properly trained academy sorcerers looked down on self-taught practitioners like him, such blatant contempt still stirred a trace of resentment.
"A flower in a greenhouse would hardly understand how a roadside weed survives."
"Is that so?" Sellen remained haughty. "Then show me."
"I intend to."
Only after Rogier followed Sellen and caught up with the Tarnished did he realize he had probably fallen for her provocation.
But the reason provocation never went out of fashion was that it always worked.
Rogier gave a bitter smile. He really was still too immature.
Oh well. Stormveil Castle had taken up the evil practice of "grafting." Defeating its lord would be a good deed, and he was willing to do his part.
With that thought, Rogier adjusted his attitude and began making serious preparations for the battle.
He quickened his pace to ask the Tarnished about his battle plan, but a low voice suddenly rang out from above. Immediately afterward, the gates of Stormgate Tunnel were sealed by a secret art.
"Tarnished-"
"Driven by the flame of foolish ambition, you dare lead an army into Stormveil and dream of claiming the Elden Ring?"
"Then I, Margit the Fell Omen, shall extinguish that flame, along with your life!"
With a thunderous crash, a figure descended from the sky.
He was tall and thin, his body covered in grotesquely twisted horns. He wore nothing but a ragged, filthy sackcloth robe and held an equally misshapen, gnarled branch as a weapon.
Margit's presence was oppressive, his entrance imposing. But when he slowly straightened and looked up to see the Tarnished, Blaidd, Edgar, Sellen, and Rogier standing before him, things became rather awkward.
To ease that awkwardness, the Tarnished took out the Spirit Calling Bell and gave it a gentle shake. With a crisp "Ding-ding-ding!" Klara the Spirit Jellyfish made her dazzling entrance.
"Sorry, but we don't have much time to waste," the Tarnished declared righteously. "Outnumbering the enemy is precisely why one becomes king. Wife number three, use poison spray!"
Klara: "Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!"
Before you continue