The God-Devouring Serpent entered his second phase. Perhaps he was no longer the God-Devouring Serpent at this point; what little remained of Rykard's consciousness had finally resurfaced amid overwhelming grief.
He raised the Blasphemous Sacred Sword high and brought it down in a simple, unadorned strike. The blasphemous fire born of resentment and hatred roared like a maddened beast, crashing fiercely toward the god towering above them.
Boom!!
Crimson flames exploded inside the Erdtree, the fire that had devoured countless lives furiously scorching the god's body. Radagon was engulfed. His perpetually upright figure finally staggered for the first time since the battle began-half a step backward.
Only half a step.
But that half step was enough to shock everyone.
The Elden Ring within Radagon gave off a piercing hum under the scorching impact. The order composed of countless golden lines actually wavered. Golden fragments burst from the cracks in his chest and drifted through the air like shattered butterfly wings.
"It's working!" Radahn's eyes lit up, and gravity magic surged over his twin blades again.
Seeing his strike land, Rykard raised the Blasphemous Sacred Sword once more.
This time, however, he did not swing. Instead, he held the blade upright in midair and shook it repeatedly. The tormented souls entwined around it grew restless. The souls of the devoured let out piercing wails, like cries rising from the depths of hell-
"Ooooooh!!"
The tormented souls poured out, thousands upon thousands, packed together. They gathered, spun, and churned in midair, forming an enormous cloud of souls. An ominous crimson glow stained the entire interior of the Erdtree blood-red, redder than magma and more vivid than blood.
Everyone present felt a terrifying power gathering.
This was not the cry of a single soul. Thousands of souls abandoned by the golden order, devoured