Chapter Summaries

Tarnished used the Rune of the People to gain 110 levels, then fought Leda with Ashmi and forty-eight Royal Revenants while Melina joined the battle. After holy magic and the Rune of Death collided within Melina, her sealed power awakened and dusk-colored flames erupted around her.

• Tarnished revealed that his twenty-million-rune Rune of the People came from gathering the power of ordinary people, then used it to raise his level from 100 to 210.
• Ashmi blocked Leda while Tarnished summoned forty-eight Royal Revenants to hold her off and allocated his new stat points.
• Leda defeated the Royal Revenants and Ashmi, but Tarnished used his boosted strength to withstand her attacks behind his shield.
• Melina attacked Leda with the Blade of Calling, but her holy strike did no harm to Miquella, so Vila gave her a black knife.
• Melina wielded the black knife and Blade of Calling together, causing holy energy and the Rune of Death to collide and break a dormant seal within her.
• Melina opened her left eye as dusk-colored flames surged from her body.

Melina awakened gloam-colored power and joined Tarnished to defeat Miquella and sever his union with Leda. Miquella shattered his Great Rune, abandoned his past and body to become a spirit of pure divine power, then departed to establish a new realm and destroy the old age.

• Melina transformed after encountering destined death, and she and Tarnished attacked Miquella and Leda together.
• Tarnished pinned Leda while Melina severed the energy connecting her to Miquella, breaking their union and leaving both badly wounded.
• After hearing that Leda's loyalty was born of bewitchment, Miquella resolved to abandon his bewitching power and shattered his Great Rune, sending its force across the Lands Between.
• Miquella rejected Leda and her loyalty, broke the Golden Sword he had given her, and abandoned his remaining flesh to become a spirit of pure divine power.
• Miquella subdued everyone with his divine pressure and announced he would create a new realm, then departed while Tarnished watched him go.

After recovering at Shadow Keep, the Tarnished gathered the Five-Party Alliance and Messmer to announce the Witch Treatment Plan, promising to save the Witches persecuted by the Hornsent. Ranni returned from the stars to lend the plan her divine power, while the pursuit of Miquella remained on hold.

• The Tarnished and his allies rested at Shadow Keep, where the Five-Party Alliance’s supplies helped unite their soldiers with the keep’s troops.
• Melina told Messmer about the Tarnished’s past, and Messmer encouraged her to pursue him before agreeing to fight alongside him against Miquella.
• While Messmer waited for the Tarnished to pursue Miquella, the Tarnished instead led joint forces against Hornsent settlements and then summoned Messmer to a meeting.
• The Tarnished announced the Witch Treatment Plan after the alliance’s soldiers witnessed the Hornsent’s brutal persecution of Witches.
• Messmer initially objected, but the Tarnished reminded him that he had already cared for the Witches at Shadow Keep, and Messmer reluctantly gave his approval.
• Ranni appeared in the meeting room and pledged her power to help the Tarnished end the Witches’ suffering.

The Witch Treatment Plan rescued and cared for the imprisoned Witches, while Messmer and Morgott discussed Marika’s past and the conditions for godhood. Ranni revealed that she planned to kill the trapped Finger Mother, as Tarnished was leaving Shadow Keep to search for the Frenzied Flame.

• The Five-Party Alliance and Shadow Keep rescued the Witches from underground prisons and treated them at a new Medical Center.
• Messmer watched the Witches receive care and spoke with Morgott about their mother, Marika, and the suffering of the Witches.
• Messmer told Morgott that Marika’s power of fusion had allowed her to ascend, and that she had fused the Gloam-Eyed Queen’s power to create Messmer and Melina.
• Ranni arrived and identified the Finger Mother as the greater will’s intermediary, trapped in the Lands Between alongside Marika.
• Ranni announced that she would kill the Finger Mother with her knight, while Tarnished searched the Land of Shadow for the Frenzied Flame.

Tarnished explained that he would use the Frenzied Flame to cure the Witches and fulfill his promise to Morgott to rescue Marika, despite Messmer’s objections. After revealing his control of the flame and his safeguards, Tarnished won their support and prepared to leave with Melina to confront Midra.

• Messmer and Morgott confronted Tarnished about seeking the Frenzied Flame, and Tarnished explained that he was honoring his promise to help Morgott rescue Marika.
• Tarnished revealed that Marika was imprisoned inside the Erdtree and said he would stop her from restoring the Golden Dynasty if she threatened the new order.
• Messmer accepted Tarnished’s plan after learning that Tarnished was the true Lord of Frenzied Flame and had Miquella’s Needle as a safeguard.
• Tarnished told Morgott and Messmer that he planned to use the Frenzied Flame to remove Millicent’s scarlet rot, then potentially cure Caelid and the Lands Between.
• Tarnished asked Messmer and Morgott to guard Shadow Keep and the Witches while he and Melina went to face Midra.

The Tarnished and Melina crossed the pacified Darklight Catacombs into the Frenzied Flame valley, where they learned how Midra became trapped in years of suffering. After identifying him as the last good Hornsent, the Tarnished entered Midra’s manor and promised to end his life and torment.

• Professor Sellen used Unit Zero’s Glintstone Cannon to blast through the Darklight Catacombs, and the Five-Party Alliance exterminated the Hornsent there before turning the passage into a guarded route.
• The Tarnished and Melina passed the soldiers’ checkpoint and entered the valley, where Torrent fled from the Frenzied Flame.
• The Tarnished explained how to make Untouchable Elders vulnerable, and Melina used Vila’s black knife to kill the ones surrounding them.
• The Tarnished told Melina that Hornsent priests had executed Midra’s household, provoking Midra’s Frenzied Flame, while Nanaya soothed him and left him to suffer for years.
• The Tarnished entered Midra’s manor, declared that he would end Midra’s suffering, and drew a surge of Frenzied Flame from within.

Tarnished and Melina defeated Midra, and Tarnished absorbed the Frenzied Flame before comforting the dying lord with a lie about Nanaya and the Hornsent. After Midra’s death, Tarnished promised to travel back in time with Melina, while Ranni prepared to confront the Finger Mother.

• Tarnished and Melina fought Midra as he became the Lord of Frenzied Flame, with Tarnished holding off his attacks behind the Fingerprint Stone Shield.
• Midra’s black sun devastated the manor, but Melina summoned a Minor Erdtree that healed Tarnished and later struck Midra with a blade of Destined Death.
• Tarnished impaled Midra and absorbed the Frenzied Flame until Midra returned to his frail form and died in peace.
• Tarnished falsely assured Midra that Nanaya and the Hornsent were safe, and Midra died smiling before his body dissolved into sparks.
• Tarnished told Melina he would ask Placidusax to send him into the past, and Melina agreed to stay with him before they kissed.
• Ranni shattered the magical image of Tarnished and Melina, then set out toward the church to face the Finger Mother.

Ranni and Blaidd defeated Ymir, Jolán, and the Finger Mother beneath Manus Metyr Great Church, and Ranni recruited Jolán to serve Tarnished. Jolán asked Ranni to arrange for her younger sister Anna to marry Tarnished too, and Ranni granted her request.

• Ranni killed High Priest Ymir, while Blaidd defeated Jolán and Ranni won Jolán's devotion by revealing her power as Stars and Night.
• Ranni and Blaidd found the Finger Mother beneath Manus Metyr Great Church and fought her together.
• Ranni destroyed the Finger Mother with Ranni's Dark Moon, and she emerged carrying the Fingerslayer Blade.
• Ranni told Jolán to come meet Tarnished, and Jolán accepted the marriage arrangement as an honor.
• Jolán asked Ranni to decree that her younger sister Anna marry Tarnished alongside her, and Ranni agreed.
• Tarnished sneezed in the Ravine Forest as a chill spread through his lower back.

Ranni returned with Jolán and Anna, while Tarnished and the council debated whether to rescue Marika and learned that the Greater Will had long since left the Lands Between. Ranni revealed that Marika had arranged Godwyn’s death to prevent the Golden Order from growing stronger, and Tarnished called her the kindest witch.

• Ranni declared Jolán and Anna belonged to Tarnished and teleported them to the conference room in Shadow Keep.
• Tarnished showed the council the frenzied flame and explained that he planned to use Millicent’s Gold Needle to control it and enter the Erdtree.
• Morgott urged Tarnished not to rescue Marika, but Tarnished insisted he would lead the Lands Between and save her to recover the Elden Ring and repay her kindness.
• Ranni arrived and revealed that the Greater Will had left long ago, while the Finger Mother had issued false decrees in its name.
• Ranni explained that Marika had orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives and killed Godwyn to prevent the Golden Order from oppressing other races, and Tarnished called her the kindest witch.

Ranni revealed that the Finger Mother had falsely claimed the Greater Will’s authority, and admitted that she had secretly taken part of Destined Death to free herself from the Two Fingers. Tarnished secured the alliance’s support for rescuing Marika, then proposed practicing with the Frenzied Flame and healing Rennala before Messmer asked how they would handle Miquella.

• Ranni revealed that the Finger Mother had manipulated the Lands Between while the Greater Will had never interfered, and Messmer nearly attacked Tanith after she mocked him.
• Jerren questioned why Marika had left Godwyn half-dead, and Ranni explained that she had secretly withheld part of Destined Death to kill her Empyrean body and escape the Two Fingers.
• Tarnished defended Ranni, blamed the Finger Mother, and won agreement to make rescuing Marika the Five-Party Alliance’s main task.
• Tarnished said they needed to practice using the Frenzied Flame on witches and proposed collecting their souls in Carian Spirit Orbs if they died.
• Tarnished proposed finding Trina to heal Rennala through dreams, and Messmer asked how they would deal with Miquella.

Tarnished halted the hunt for Miquella while his allies solved their internal problems, then secretly followed Leda after freeing her from the labor camp. At Jagged Peak, Miquella rejected Leda and tried to kill her, but Tarnished and his hidden party intervened.

• Tarnished convinced the conference that Miquella had lost his bewitching power and that the alliance should strengthen itself before pursuing him.
• Tarnished released Leda from the labor camp, but she chose to seek Miquella and ask why he had abandoned her.
• Tarnished and his allies secretly followed Leda to the Seat of the Frenzied Dragon atop Jagged Peak, where Miquella was negotiating with Bayle to become his lord.
• Bayle accused Miquella of keeping Leda as another option and demanded that Miquella kill her; Miquella declared, "Here, I abandon my love!" and cast away his humanity.
• Miquella attacked Leda, but Tarnished blocked the strike with a concrete slab and revealed his hidden party and an enormous Golem.

The Tarnished’s party rescued Trina and defeated Miquella and Bayle after Sellen’s Unit Zero repeatedly battered the dragons and god. They returned to Shadow Keep with Miquella as a prisoner, and Ranni prepared to go with the Tarnished to treat the Queen of the Full Moon.

• Bayle attacked Rellana and Trina, but Sellen piloted Unit Zero and struck him into the mountainside.
• After realizing Bayle was vulnerable, the Tarnished rallied the party, who buffed themselves and assaulted Miquella until Unit Zero knocked him into a cliff.
• Miquella tried to join with Bayle, but Ranni interrupted the ritual, countered Miquella’s Triple Rings of Light, and sealed the area.
• Bayle tried to flee but Sellen knocked him down again, and Miquella surrendered when he was left facing the party alone.
• The Tarnished brought Miquella and Trina back to Shadow Keep, where Tanith comforted the despairing Leda and Ranni agreed to accompany the Tarnished to treat the Queen of the Full Moon.

Radagon rekindled the Primordial Crucible and became Elden Lord, containing its flames to save the world while remaining apart from Rennala. In the Grand Library, Trina’s dream brought Rennala through a story written by Tarnished, and she began to wake with a tear in her eye.

• A Great Serpent told Radagon that the world could be saved by rekindling the Primordial Crucible inside the Erdtree, and he set out for Leyndell.
• Rennala turned the runes Radagon brought home into weapons and equipment, helping him defeat powerful enemies on his way to the capital.
• At the crucible, Radagon foresaw its flames consuming the world, then defeated the Finger Mother after it revealed its plan to create a new world.
• Radagon became Elden Lord, rekindled the crucible, and confined the frenzied flame beneath Leyndell to protect the world.
• Rennala dreamed of Radagon explaining his choice, while Ranni and Tarnished watched Trina’s dream bring her toward waking.
• Rennala stirred in the Grand Library as a tear slid from her eye.

Rennala recovered her health and reunited with Ranni, then met Tarnished and arranged for Caria to be incorporated into Stormveil. After a magical fight with Ranni damaged the Academy, Rennala agreed to complete Tarnished’s Rebirth Secret Art in exchange for his paying for the repairs.

• Rennala woke hungry, ate a huge meal, and Ranni teleported her away when she urgently needed a washroom.
• Tarnished reaffirmed his promise to give Trina a healthy body, and three days later he met Rennala at the Academy.
• Rennala welcomed Tarnished, then formally dissolved the Caria Kingdom and entrusted its territory, people, wealth, and knowledge to Stormveil.
• Ranni interrupted Rennala’s embarrassing stories, and mother and daughter fought with magic until Sellen’s Unit Zero separated them.
• Sellen threatened to fire Unit Zero’s Glintstone Railgun over the classroom damage, so Rennala surrendered and made Tarnished responsible for the repairs.
• Rennala offered to complete the Rebirth Secret Art in three days, and Tarnished accepted the bargain.

As the Lands Between's powers joined Stormveil, Rennala, Sellen, and Jerren discussed court politics and accidentally revealed that Radagon was Marika. Tarnished then arrived with news from Leyndell: Old Meng was gravely ill and dying.

• Tanith abandoned her plan to resist and announced that Volcano Manor would join Stormveil, prompting other powers to submit as well.
• Jerren brought oranges to Sellen, and Rennala joined them for tea and discussed their future roles in Tarnished's court.
• Rennala offered to give Sellen a human body if she allied with Ranni to gain influence in Tarnished's future household.
• Jerren and Sellen worried that Leyndell might reject the merger, but Rennala said Radagon had told her Morgott would not oppose it.
• Rennala revealed that Radagon was Marika, and Ranni and Tarnished entered before she could keep the secret from spreading.
• Tarnished told everyone that Old Meng was gravely ill and dying, not that Leyndell had rebelled.

Morgott’s terminal illness brought his friends to Leyndell, where Rennala prepared to give him a new body through the Reincarnation Secret Art. After Morgott entrusted Tarnished with creating a happier era, Tanith killed him so Rennala could begin the ritual, and Morgott faced his death surrounded by friends.

• Tarnished explained that Morgott’s tumors had spread throughout his body and that healing magic would strengthen the tumors, while Rennala offered to use the Reincarnation Secret Art to give him a new body.
• Tarnished, Jerren, and Sellen headed to Leyndell, where Tanith joined them after learning Morgott was dying and went to visit him.
• Miquella gave Morgott a Golden Epitaph and upset him by urging him to die a proper death, so Morgott had the Crucible Knights confine Miquella to his room.
• Morgott asked Tarnished to create a new era where everyone could be happy, and Tarnished promised before refusing to let Morgott die alone.
• Rennala arrived with the completed Reincarnation Secret Art and told them to kill Morgott so she could extract his soul; Tanith stabbed him after telling him not to face hardship alone again.

Rennala reincarnated Morgott into a healthy, ordinary woman after he asked to live free of the Golden Order, and he left the palace to begin a modest life in Leyndell. Tarnished and their companions followed him home to celebrate, bringing Mohg along as his transformed sibling.

• Rennala and Ranni completed Morgott’s reincarnation, and Rennala served Glintstone Tea while announcing plans to open a tea house.
• Tarnished and the others discovered that Morgott had returned as a woman, and Rennala explained that she had deliberately honored his request for an ordinary life beyond the Golden Order.
• Morgott declined wealth and authority, told Tarnished to build a better age, and left the palace for a small home in Leyndell’s commoners’ district.
• Siluria and the assembled soldiers saluted Morgott and thanked him for his service before he settled into his new home.
• Tarnished, Tanith, Jerren, and Messmer arrived to celebrate Morgott’s new home, and Tarnished introduced the basket-laden Mohg as Morgott’s transformed sibling.

Tarnished learned why Rennala had deliberately reborn Mohg as a woman, while Radahn returned and recruited Mohg to help him attack Miquella. Rennala’s rebirth rite then began restoring people across the Lands Between, though Tarnished realized its use might need restrictions.

• Rennala explained that she had given Mohg a completely different body to sever his connection to the Crucible, while Morgott’s new body had resulted from her being out of practice.
• Mohg raged about wanting to rebuild his dynasty, but Morgott calmed him with food and promised to keep an eye on him.
• Radahn arrived in his prime, reunited with Jerren, and confronted him for mistaking his survival struggle for a wish to die honorably.
• Radahn invited Mohg to help beat up Miquella, and Mohg eagerly set off with him after grabbing a broom.
• Tarnished considered restricting the rebirth rite after Tanith suggested it could let everyone live forever, while Morgott worried that Mohg might miss dinner.
• Rennala’s rite restored bodies and health to Blaidd, the Albinaurics, Trolls, Demi-Humans, and others across the Lands Between, before Tarnished came to seek her out.

Tarnished persuaded Rennala to rebirth Ranni and several others, then learned more about Rennala and Radagon’s past. As they prepared to enter the Interior of the Erdtree, Rennala agreed to confront Radagon and fight the man who betrayed her.

• Tarnished convinced Rennala to make Ranni a new body by appealing to her desire for a grandchild, then gave her a list of others to rebirth; Rennala agreed to transform the people on it except Brass Shield.
• Tarnished’s joke about Rennala loving a scumbag like he did led Rennala to explain that Radagon had loved the world more than her and that their marriage began as a political alliance.
• Rennala revealed that she and Radagon had worked together on the Reincarnation Secret Art to heal races harmed by the Erdtree and unite them, but Marika recalled Radagon to Leyndell before they finished.
• Rennala warned Tarnished that rulers were flawed mortals and urged him to govern by drawing on others’ wisdom; Tarnished said his new dynasty would belong to the people.
• Tarnished told Rennala they would enter the Interior of the Erdtree and asked if she was ready to fight Radagon; Rennala said she had waited a long time for that day.

Leyndell joined Stormveil after its people backed Tarnished’s reforms, and Tarnished led his companions and armies to the Erdtree for a final battle against the gods. After burning through the Thorns of Rejection, the group entered the Erdtree and saw Marika transform into Radagon, whom Rennala prepared to confront with her family.

• Leyndell formally joined Stormveil’s government after its citizens petitioned to support Tarnished’s rule.
• Tarnished gathered his companions, Radahn, Sellen, Tanith, and Stormveil’s forces at the Erdtree, then declared the final battle to reclaim the world from the gods.
• Tarnished used the frenzied flame to burn through the Thorns of Rejection and open the Erdtree’s entrance, then collapsed from exhaustion as the group was transported inside.
• The Rune Arc shattered, Marika fell and transformed into Radagon, revealing that Marika and Radagon were the same person.
• Rennala summoned Radahn, Ranni, and Tanith to join her in confronting Radagon, while Tarnished rested and Radagon faced his former wife.