Toward Tomorrow

"Hyaaah!!!"

Godrick roared as he attacked, bringing his axe and greatsword down again and again. Tarnished paid them no heed, advancing swiftly behind his greatshield.

Scholar's Shield softened the impact of each blow, and Tarnished's wealth of experience let him use the shield's curved surface to deflect their force. With spellcraft and technique working together, he weathered the attacks and reached Godrick like an unshakable mountain. He leveled the Great Epee in his right hand and began thrusting without pause.

One! Two! Three! Four!

The Great Epee pierced the demigod's flesh again and again, driving the Blood Loss Curse into him. Godrick desperately tried to stop the assault, alternating vicious slashes with both hands, but the dark shield blocked every last one.

Five! Six! Seven! Eight!

"Why? Why is this happening?!" Godrick shouted in disbelief. "It's just a shield! Why can't I cut through it? Why won't it break?!"

Nine! Ten! Eleven! Twelve!

"Don't you understand yet, Godrick? You betrayed everyone, and everyone abandoned you! Your grafting is nothing but false strength. Everyone's true strength is right here!!!"

Tarnished resolutely drove home the decisive thrust.

Thirteen!

Splat!

Every wound on Godrick's body burst open at once. He spewed a mouthful of blood and fell backward, motionless, the Golden Axe and Grafted Blade Greatsword slipping from his hands.

Was he dead?

Tarnished sank to one knee, unable to help himself, and began gasping for breath.

Six consecutive Blood Loss Curses could only strip away ninety percent of Godrick's life force. But considering how many times he and Nepheli had attacked, perhaps they had already taken the other ten percent.

Of course, that ten percent was largely thanks to Nepheli's Lightning Whirlwind Slash. Though Shield Poking was a supreme martial technique demanding immense skill and precision, it favored defense and fell somewhat short in attack power. Taking ten percent of Godrick's life force with the Great Epee's thrusts alone was nearly impossible.

That was what it meant to gain something and lose something else.

Tarnished drew a deep breath and stood.

He needed to finish him off.

He did not know whether Godrick was alive or dead, but he knew a couple more stabs would make certain he was dead.

Yet just as Tarnished reached Godrick, the latter's eyes snapped open and he threw a punch. Tarnished hurriedly raised his shield, but caught off guard, his defensive stance was imperfect. The punch sent him flying, and he crashed down beside Nepheli, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Are you all right?" Nepheli asked at once.

"I'm fine... like hell I am!" Tarnished retorted between mouthfuls of blood.

After fighting this long, he truly had nothing left. Godrick, on the other hand... could still enter his second phase.

Godrick had already snatched up the Golden Axe again. Instead of attacking, however, he brought it down on his own left wrist.

"Aaaaaaah!!!!!"

Godrick howled like a pig being slaughtered, pressing harder and harder on the axe.

"What is he doing? Why does it look like he's trying to cut off his own hand?" Nepheli asked in shock.

"What else? Grafting."

"Grafting? Grafting what?"

Tarnished looked at the dragon impaled on a giant bolt nearby.

Godrick confirmed his suspicions with a shout: "Mighty dragon, lend me thy strength!!!"

Looks like there's no saving his hand this time.

With that thought, Tarnished stood.

Nepheli was stunned.

His body was practically falling apart, and he still wanted to fight?

She thought Tarnished seemed even more like one of the warrior clan than she did.

By then, Godrick had reached the final stage.

He let out a great cry and was just about to sever his left hand when Rogier's voice suddenly rang out, followed by the footsteps of the others.

"Everyone, loose!"

The soldiers' heavy crossbows, the Kaiden Mercenaries' arrows, the Mushroom People's poison clouds, the Minor Erdtree Guardians' thrown spears, and Gravitas's gravity bombs-the strength and wisdom of mortals united in that moment, offering the great demigod a barrage that blotted out the sky.

"Aah!!!"

Godrick screamed. Arrows and spears bristled all over his body, while gravity bombs and poison clouds blasted his flesh open.

Was he dead?

Everyone waited anxiously.

The smoke and dust raised by the explosions cleared, and a grievously wounded Godrick staggered out, leaving bloody footprints:

"One day... I will lead everyone... back to our home... our home beneath the Erdtree... Great ancestors, great King Godfrey... bear... witness..."

The Shardbearer recited a wish that would never come true. His Golden Axe struck heavily against the ground, and then... he died.

The ragtag army erupted in jubilant cheers.

"Phew. We weren't too late after all." Rogier breathed a long sigh of relief, then quickly took out a Flask of Crimson Tears and handed it to Tarnished. "Mr. Tarnished, we've won. Heal yourself first."

But Tarnished dropped to his knees in despair. "Yes, we won, but Mako is still dead. In the end, I couldn't do anything!"

"Mako?" A hoarse voice spoke in extremely halting human speech. "To think someone else has the same name as me. How strange."

Tarnished looked up in surprise and saw Mako approaching with Edgar, Blaidd, and the others.

Seeing Tarnished covered in wounds, she even demanded indignantly, "Who beat you up like this? Tell me, and I'll avenge you!"

Tarnished gaped.

Blaidd shrugged. "It's all thanks to Gostoc here. With his guidance, we found the Demi-Human Queen in a cell in the Rampart Tower."

A gaunt man smiled ingratiatingly. "Well, I know Lord Edgar, after all. It was only right that I lend a hand."

"Yes, Gostoc can be trusted." Edgar was covered in wounds too, though nowhere near as badly as Tarnished. He introduced Gostoc to him. "Gostoc was once one of Godrick's close attendants, but Godrick cut off one of his hands over some trivial matter."

Everyone looked at Gostoc's empty left sleeve, thinking that he really had lent a hand.

Tarnished looked at Gostoc, then Mako, and finally Godrick. Somewhat uncertainly, he asked, "So Godrick wasn't going to graft Mako at all, and I never needed to risk my life fighting him?"

Edgar and Blaidd both laughed without the slightest sympathy. Only Rogier, ever the gentleman, kindly offered some comfort. "Well, at least you defeated a Shardbearer and put an end to his vile grafting."

"But I never even wanted to..." Tarnished felt like crying, but no tears came. "Forget it. As long as Mako is safe, that's all that matters."

He was just about to accept it when another serious problem suddenly came back to him. He scrambled to his feet and wailed at the shield's remains nearby. "Brass Shield! My fourth wife! Why did you leave me?! I'm sorry! I really was too weak after all!!!"

Everyone: "..."

Nepheli turned stiffly toward Edgar and asked, "He treats a shield as his wife. Is he an idiot?"

Utterly ashamed, Edgar silently nodded.

"Dong-dong-dong-dong-"

A sonorous bell rang from Stormveil Castle's tallest tower. Rusted gears turned once more, carrying that long-absent sound throughout Limgrave.

From Stormgate to Stormhill, from Stormgate Tunnel to Stormveil's main gate, people lined the newly repaired roads. There were ordinary humans, Minor Erdtree Guardians and members of Gravitas in their unusual attire, and even Demi-Humans and Mushroom People.

People of different races and faiths stood together beneath the same banner. Together, they craned their necks in anticipation, waiting for one man's arrival.

A little later, the sound of Iron Greaves striking stone slabs approached from afar. The crowd grew excited, shouting and cheering, yet when the procession actually appeared, they fell miraculously silent.

An honor guard of nine approached at a measured pace, each member spirited and clad in gleaming armor, four on the left and four on the right. Tarnished rode Torrent in the center, with Edgar, lord of Castle Morne, personally leading his mount. Wherever he went, the Demi-Humans prostrated themselves and the humans knelt together, offering their hero the deepest reverence and respect.

The bells kept ringing, and the honor guard kept marching. They passed through Stormgate, crossed Stormhill, entered Stormgate Tunnel, and finally reached Stormveil Castle's solemn, unadorned main gate.

Young women on the battlements held flower baskets, scattering freshly picked petals below. At this solemn moment, even Stormhill's relentless winds grew gentle, like an invisible hand swirling the petals into patterns of epic grandeur.

Tarnished dismounted. Edgar knowingly fell half a step behind, and the honor guard halted before the gate. Tarnished looked up at the drifting petals, caught one in his hand, and gently rubbed it between his fingers.

At first, he had felt somewhat lost and hesitant. But when he cast the petal aside, all that uncertainty turned to resolve and determination.

Kenneth Haight appeared atop the battlements. Dressed in splendid robes, he began reciting an ancient tribute in a singsong cadence.

"O Tarnished, on the day you arrived, all of Limgrave called your name. Everyone watched you with pride, watching you grow day by day into the embodiment of justice."

"I ask you: will you rule Limgrave with wisdom and strength, and wield your might with care?"

Tarnished answered, "I will!"

"Will you always remember your people, fight for them, and lead them to final victory?"

"I will!"

"Then let everyone present bear witness to this oath alongside the Goddess Marika! One day, our lives shall reach their end, and you shall be crowned king!"

"Lower the drawbridge! Open the gates! Let the hero who liberated Stormveil Castle enter! The entrance ceremony is complete!"

The crowd's cheers roared like crashing waves, loud enough to be heard even on the Weeping Peninsula. Everyone sang and danced, offering their hero blessings through celebration and heartfelt smiles.

With the entrance ceremony successfully concluded, Tarnished finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After they entered the inner castle, Kenneth Haight came over and asked with a cheerful smile, "How did it feel?"

Tarnished thought about the lines from earlier and answered honestly, "I felt like calling you Father, then running you through with a sword."

Kenneth Haight: "???"

"Haha, Tarnished must be exhausted. Never mind him-even I can barely stand it," Edgar said with a laugh. "The armor in Godrick's collection is splendid, yes, but it's far too heavy. Walking all that way was more tiring than fighting a battle."

"I'm terribly sorry to have put you both through such trouble," Gostoc said, looking rather apprehensive. "This armor was made specifically for ceremonial use. Only its appearance mattered. It really can't compare to the armor you've worn through countless battles."

Tarnished smiled faintly. "Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault. On the contrary, today's entrance ceremony went so smoothly thanks to your preparations. Thank you for all your hard work."

Gostoc had not cried when his left hand was cut off, leaving him disabled. Nor had he cried while struggling to survive among piles of corpses. Yet hearing that single expression of thanks now moved him so deeply that he could not hold back his tears.

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying on such a happy day?"

"Forgive me. I'm just so happy. It's wonderful, truly wonderful, that you've come to Stormveil Castle, Lord Tarnished!"

Gostoc's words were muddled, but everyone understood.

Tarnished patted Gostoc on the shoulder and promised, "I'll keep doing my best. Please stay by my side."

"Yes. I will follow you forever."

With that little interlude over, everyone began to laugh.

Nepheli called from a dining table in the distance, "Hey, Tarnished! Come have a drink! You too, old man!"

Rogier, seated at the same table, also extended an invitation to Kenneth Haight. "Lord Haight, come relax with us. I admire your extensive learning, and there is much more I'd like to ask you."

It was a joyous day, and naturally, such invitations could not be refused.

Kenneth Haight sat down opposite Rogier, and the two soon began discussing obscure ancient texts. Edgar was equally impatient and hurriedly said, "I'll be right there once I get this heavy armor off. Damn it, I can't reach. Irina, darling, come help your father take off..."

Before he could finish, Irina had already walked over to Tarnished and shyly offered, "Lord Tarnished, let me help you remove your armor."

"Sorry for the trouble." Tarnished took Irina's small hand. "Let's use the room over there."

"All right."

Edgar stood rooted to the spot.

Wait, where's my daughter? The daughter I worked so hard to raise? Just like that, she's gone?

Delighted by the spectacle, Nepheli burst into hearty laughter. In the end, the perceptive Gostoc stepped forward to rescue him. "Lord Edgar, let me help you remove your armor."

Looking at Gostoc's ugly face, then thinking of his beautiful daughter, Edgar wept inwardly.

That night, cups passed back and forth amid laughter and merriment. There was not much wine, but everyone was drunk.

People drank freely and feasted heartily, reveling in the satisfaction and joy of delicious food. They did not have to fear going hungry tomorrow, nor dying an untimely death, because they knew that under Tarnished's leadership, tomorrow would only grow better. As long as everyone stood united and worked together, they would build a new age in which everyone could survive and everyone could be happy, and achieve true, final victory!

This toast was not to gods, nor to demigods, but to the soldiers who fought bravely to protect others, to the diligent, humble workers who labored to produce what they needed, and above all, to the Tarnished who had brought hope and order back to the Lands Between-to Lord Tarnished!