Kill!

Gideon Ofnir led Tarnished deeper into Roundtable Hold. As the candlesticks along the walls grew fewer, the light grew dimmer. In a space almost entirely swallowed by shadows, Gideon Ofnir stopped and pointed his scepter at a dark brown door.

"Nepheli is inside."

Tarnished pushed open the door, and the stench of blood hit him.

It was a room of contradictions. Bookshelves representing civilization and wisdom lined both sides, yet corpses symbolizing savagery and cruelty lay piled in the corners. Books and bodies were mixed indiscriminately together, desecrating precious knowledge and life alike, reducing them all to worthless trash.

Nepheli hung in midair from an iron chain, her hands bound. Her eyes were shut, her head drooped, and wounds covered her body. She had clearly been tortured. Beside her stood a figure clad in golden armor made of human bones, holding a barbed iron whip. Blood and scraps of flesh still dripped from its tip.

Ensha of the Royal Remains.

Without a doubt, he was the cruel torturer-and the man who had injured Rogier.

A fire burned inside Tarnished, but he forced down his anger. Saving her came first.

"Nepheli!"

Tarnished called out and stepped forward, but Ensha moved to block his path.

Gideon Ofnir said, "Let him through."

Ensha froze and looked at Gideon Ofnir. Gideon Ofnir glanced at Tarnished and nodded.

"Heh."

Ensha sneered again. Understanding his master's intent, he stepped aside, bowed, and gestured for Tarnished to proceed.

Saving her was all that mattered. Tarnished hurried over to Nepheli, slung the Manor Towershield onto his back, and severed the chain with a sweeping slash of the Great Epee. As Nepheli fell, he immediately thrust the Great Epee into the floor and reached out to catch her, holding her securely in his arms.

"Nepheli."

"Tarnished?" Nepheli struggled to open her eyes. "Why... are you... here?" she asked weakly.

Tarnished smiled. "Silly girl. To take you home, of course."

Warmth filled Nepheli's heart. She could not remember the last time she had cried, but now her vision blurred against her will.

"You..."

Before she could finish, a withered skeletal hand suddenly pierced Tarnished's chest from behind. Scalding blood sprayed out, splashing across Nepheli's face.

The valiant warrior woman was stunned, then panicked. "Tarnished!!!"

She tried to examine his wound, but Tarnished was brutally dragged away.

Ensha of the Royal Remains had launched a cowardly attack from behind. After landing his first blow, he immediately unleashed a frenzied assault on Tarnished. The Clinging Bone was both the sharpest dagger and the hardest fist, raining down on Tarnished and opening wound after wound. Amid the constant spray of blood, Ensha let out a sickening laugh, then drove both Clinging Bones deep beneath Tarnished's ribs from either side.

"Urgh!"

Tarnished gave a muffled groan.

With a vicious expression, Ensha twisted his wrists, shredding his internal organs.

"Blurg!"

Blood burst from Tarnished's mouth and nose.

Satisfied, Ensha withdrew the skeletal hands and licked the blood from them. Tarnished collapsed limply and lay motionless, a pool of blood spreading rapidly beneath him.

"Tarnished!" Nepheli desperately tried to crawl toward him, but Ensha planted a foot on her back, making her spit blood.

Gideon Ofnir stepped into the pool of blood.

Looking down at her, he said, "I expected the man who had bewitched you to be some silver-tongued schemer. Instead, he turned out to be a fool. Willing to trade the precious Center of the Elden Ring for your freedom? Did he think I would believe such a pathetic lie? Stormveil's new master probably hoped those words would make me lower my guard so he could rescue you-a scheme so full of self-importance that it amounts to an insult to me, Gideon Ofnir!"

"Tarnished isn't a fool! If he says he'll do something, he will!" Nepheli glared at Gideon Ofnir with bloodshot eyes. "Father, you're the one full of self-importance!"

"Speaking so harshly to your father for an outsider?" Gideon Ofnir sighed. "A barbarian remains a barbarian. Even after my instruction, you still cannot learn respect or propriety. But never mind. You are my daughter, after all. I adopted you, and it is only right that I shoulder the duty of teaching you. Ensha, take her to another room. I shall teach her how to become a proper ruler. Stormveil's new master is dead, which makes it convenient for her to take over the city."

Ensha nodded and hoisted Nepheli onto his shoulder. She struggled desperately, but prolonged torture had left her terribly weak. A punch to her stomach robbed her of all her strength in an instant.

Why did it turn out like this?

Why would the father I respected most treat me this way?

Does my father really love me?

Nepheli began to sink into despair. Her weakened body left her spirit just as vulnerable. This was not cowardice, but human nature.

Ensha carried Nepheli toward the door, but a voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Wait."

"Let that girl go!"

Ensha looked back in surprise and saw Tarnished slowly rising from the pool of blood.

Gideon Ofnir was equally astonished. "How are you standing?"

"Because, obviously..." Tarnished drank a bottle of Crimson Tears, and most of his wounds instantly healed. "I've got the Goddess's blessing and red flasks, you fucking idiot!"

Gideon Ofnir's face twitched. He ordered coldly, "Kill him. This time, pierce his head!"

Ensha immediately dropped Nepheli, flicked his Clinging Bones, and rushed at Tarnished.

Despite his heavy golden armor of human bones, Ensha moved with remarkable agility. He sprinted forward, then leaped high, tracing an arc through the air as he launched a jumping attack at Tarnished. It had both speed and power. Someone who had just been covered in wounds and lost so much blood could never dodge it.

Ensha was brimming with confidence. Victory was assured.

His judgment was correct. Tarnished could not dodge-and no longer wanted to.

Facing Ensha's leaping attack, he raised his shield and slammed it forward. With a thunderous bang, the sturdy metal face of the Manor Towershield smashed into Ensha's face. Even with his helmet, blood gushed from his nose. Like a black fly swatted out of the air, he hurtled backward, crashing through a pile of corpses and books.

Gideon Ofnir was somewhat surprised. He knew what Ensha was capable of.

So did Tarnished. After all, he had personally killed Ensha last time.

Just a despicable little bastard. He deserved to die!

Ensha rose from the corpses and books, visibly seething.

Tarnished, meanwhile, began attacking his spirit as well.

"You know what? Taking that beating from you actually put my mind at ease."

Ensha froze.

"Because those weak punches of yours can't kill anyone. Not Rogier, not Nepheli!" Tarnished cursed mercilessly. "You little piece of trash who can only attack from behind! Come on, face me head-on! I'll shove that Clinging Bone straight up your ass and tear your asshole apart!!!"

"Roar!" Ensha bellowed and charged at Tarnished.

As Gideon Ofnir's attendant, he was respected within Roundtable Hold. Never before had anyone subjected him to such filthy abuse.

Ensha had made up his mind. He would kill this man called Tarnished. He absolutely would kill this man called Tarnished!!!

[Lifetaking Punch!]

[Shield Bash!]

They struck simultaneously, their weapon and shield slamming together.

The powerful impact sent Tarnished flipping backward. Ensha pressed his advantage, but as Tarnished rose, a cold glint suddenly flashed in his hand. A simple, perfectly honed thrust struck Ensha squarely in the chest, showering sparks from his armor and forcing him back.

Ensha looked at the weapon in Tarnished's hand, then at the place where the Great Epee had been stuck. Sure enough, it was empty.

"Idiot. I let you knock me back on purpose." Tarnished tucked himself behind the Manor Towershield and held the Great Epee level in his right hand. "Come again, you little piece of trash!"

Ensha attacked at once, consumed by hatred. But with sword and shield in hand, Tarnished was invincible. He blocked with his shield while unleashing an unbroken stream of thrusts with the Great Epee. The moment this masterful Shield Poking technique went into action, Ensha fell behind. Every attack he made was blocked, while the Great Epee quickly covered him in wounds. Worse still, Tarnished's Great Epee carried the Blood Loss Curse. After seven consecutive hits, Ensha's blood boiled and violently burst, tearing his wounds open. He screamed and dropped to his knees.

"Die!"

Tarnished thrust at Ensha's throat, but a shot of Glintstone Sorcery suddenly flew in from the side and struck Tarnished's right arm, instantly breaking the bone. The Great Epee flew from his hand and embedded itself in the ceiling with a bang.

A faint magical glow still lingered on Gideon Ofnir's scepter.

"Enough, Tarnished. Otherwise, the next Comet will be aimed at your head."

Tarnished looked at Gideon Ofnir, who stood with scepter in hand, radiating an invisible pressure.

Many had crumbled under that pressure and chosen submission. Gideon Ofnir believed this time would be no different.

But predictably, the unpredictable happened.

Tarnished was no mere man. He was a lord-the Elden Lord, an Elden Lord who had slain even gods!

Gideon Ofnir?

He wasn't worth shit!!

Tarnished gave a savage grin. The ferocity of his previous life had been fully awakened.

He had suppressed his anger because he wanted to, not because he needed to. Now that he no longer wanted to, there was no need to hold it back!

"Fuck you!" Tarnished stamped on Ensha's face, driving him hard into the floor, and shouted at Gideon Ofnir, "I'm killing this piece of trash!"

"Insolence!"

Gideon Ofnir immediately fired a Comet, and Tarnished raised his shield to block.

But the spell's impact was too powerful. It instantly knocked Tarnished's shield aside, and before he could recover his stance, Gideon Ofnir's second Comet struck him head-on. He flew backward and shattered a bookshelf with a crash.

"Tarnished!" Nepheli shouted.

"Don't worry, I'm alive!" Tarnished drank his second Flask of Crimson Tears and sprang out, full of vigor. A Shield Bash knocked the fleeing Ensha to the floor.

Gideon Ofnir immediately attacked, and Tarnished rolled rapidly to evade him. His wealth of combat experience allowed him to read Gideon Ofnir's every movement. Often, the instant Gideon Ofnir raised his staff, Tarnished had already determined the spell's trajectory, causing the powerful Comets to miss again and again.

No matter how powerful an attack was, it was useless if it could not hit. That applied to magic just as much as physical attacks.

Five consecutive Comets failed to touch so much as a hair on Tarnished. Instead, Gideon Ofnir depleted his focus and had to pause his assault.

"Sorry. Input reading." Tarnished taunted him. "Why don't you try invisible night sorcery? Oh, I forgot-you don't know any, Gideon... Ofnir..."

Gideon Ofnir's pupils contracted. He tightened his grip on his scepter and attacked again.

This time, Tarnished did not dodge. Dodging meant he could not attack, and that bastard Ensha was about to escape.

In that case, he would not dodge.

As he rolled, Tarnished pulled something glittering from his pocket.

Gideon Ofnir immediately said, "The Center of the Elden Ring!"

"Wrong. A Rune Arc!"

[Rune Arc]: Grants the blessing of an equipped Great Rune upon use. The lower part of the Elden Ring contains an arc at its base, symbolizing a basin that receives the ring's blessings. Rune Arcs are said to be fragments of that part.

"Lord Godrick, lend me your strength!"

As he spoke, Tarnished crushed the Rune Arc. With a ringing chime, light blazed, and a phantom image of the Center of the Elden Ring appeared behind him. It shattered an instant later, turning into motes of light that flowed into his body.

Boom!

Power almost tangible in substance erupted from Tarnished as a torrent of air, forcing even Gideon Ofnir half a step back.

As the very center of the Elden Ring, the Center of the Elden Ring bestowed the simplest, most direct blessing. With Godrick's help, all of Tarnished's attributes increased dramatically, becoming:

Level: 31

HP: 529 ↗ 652

FP: 78 ↗ 95

Stamina: 96 ↗ 105

Observation: 110

Memory slots: 2

Vigor: 15 ↗ 20

Focus: 10 ↗ 15

Endurance: 10 ↗ 15

Strength: 27 ↗ 32

Dexterity: 16 ↗ 21

Intelligence: 12 ↗ 17

Faith: 10 ↗ 15

Arcane: 10 ↗ 15

Simply put, his level remained unchanged, but every attribute rose by five points.

There were eight attributes in total, adding up to forty attribute points. Each level granted only one attribute point, meaning Tarnished had gained the equivalent of forty levels at once. His true level now should have been-an astonishing seventy-one!

This was Godrick's power!

In fact, Tarnished was even stronger, because he also wore [Radagon's Soreseal], which raised his vigor, endurance, strength, and dexterity by another three points each. That amounted to another twelve levels, meaning Tarnished now possessed the combat power of level eighty-three!

Skill was important, but strength was indispensable too.

Only the combination of both made a true Elden Lord!

While Gideon Ofnir was still reeling in surprise, Tarnished had already attacked Ensha.

Without a weapon, he would use only his shield.

Who said a shield could not kill? How could a shield be such an inconvenient thing?

Gripping his shield with both hands, Tarnished poured his strength into it and drove a vicious Shield Bash at Ensha. Rather than obediently accepting death, Ensha actually tried to resist. He counterattacked with his Clinging Bones, only for the Manor Towershield to snap them on impact. Amid the flying bone fragments, the Manor Towershield slammed into Ensha like an actual fortress. Its terrifying force passed through his armor, shattering his bones and crushing his flesh. Blood gushed from his mouth as he crashed hard into the wall.

"Comet!"

Gideon Ofnir attacked from behind.

Tarnished neither dodged nor evaded. He took it head-on!

Splurt!

The powerful spell struck Tarnished squarely in the spine, instantly tearing apart his leather armor and exposing his sturdy body.

Tarnished spat out a mouthful of blood. Gideon Ofnir had thought this would stop his attack, but Tarnished laughed aloud amid the streaming blood.

Just pain. Trade blood for blood. Everything was for victory, then and now!

Tarnished took a Comet and, at the same time, swung his arms, smashing a brutal Shield Bash into Ensha.

Gideon Ofnir fired three Comets in succession, and Tarnished delivered three consecutive Shield Bashes.

Each strike was heavier and fiercer than the last, each impact louder.

At first, Ensha could still scream, but after the second and third Shield Bashes, he made no sound at all.

A bead of cold sweat ran down Gideon Ofnir's temple. He did not dare fire a fourth Comet, because that would mean Tarnished would deliver a fourth Shield Bash.

Ensha still had his uses. It was not yet time to abandon him. As a wise man, Gideon Ofnir quickly weighed the gains and losses and made the most correct choice.

"Spare Ensha, and I'll let you both leave!"

But Tarnished was no wise man. He did not weigh gains and losses. He only considered whether something should be done.

Ensha injured Roger, tortured Lou, and ambushed me. Should such a despicable bastard be killed?

Yes!

Then kill him!

And so, even without a fourth Comet, Tarnished delivered a fourth Shield Bash.

Bang!

The immense force flattened Ensha outright. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere with a wet burst, and the entire Roundtable Hold shuddered.

Gideon Ofnir's mouth fell open.

Tarnished slowly moved his shield away, revealing Ensha embedded completely in the wall. His body was twisted and deformed, and pulped flesh mixed with blood slowly leaked through the gaps in his armor.

Without a doubt, Ensha was dead. Because he had behaved like a filthy bug hiding from the light, he had been crushed like one too.

"I killed your man on your own turf. That's right-I'm slapping you in the face!" Tarnished drank his third Flask of Crimson Tears to refill his health, then asked with a savage grin, "Aren't you going to avenge your underling, you fucking idiot? Let's see who dies next!"