Everyone thought Radagon's devotion to the Erdtree was perfectly normal. In truth, however, it was not.
Because Radagon was Marika, and Marika was the one true god of the Lands Between. Both the Erdtree and the Golden Order stood beneath Marika; even the Elden Ring was housed within her.
It was no exaggeration to say that, without Marika and Godfrey, the Golden Order would still have been stuck in some remote backwater, waiting to dupe an Empyrean into manifesting it.
From the age of the Dragonlord to the golden age, the Elden Ring had undergone changes as well. That meant the Elden Ring was not immutable. It could be modified.
Things could be added or removed, or it could even be smashed to pieces. The different states of the Elden Ring were intimately tied to the Goddess's will.
What was Radagon playing at, acting like some believer? Didn't being a believer mean placing himself beneath the object of his worship? It was not an equal relationship at all.
Worship was the feeling furthest removed from understanding.
Radagon cast an incantation upon the ground and declared, "This time, I do not want to see anyone injured, bleeding, or even dead. This is an age of peace. I believe everyone should distance themselves from bloodshed and violence and look upon more beautiful things."
"I only hope people will take honor home with them, without leaving any corpses behind." Radagon smiled. "Now, you are all under the protection of the Golden Order. I guarantee that this Combat Festival will have no more casualties. Now, please give us a truly spectacular performance!"
"Does this count as..." Zhao Si thought for a moment, searching for the term. "A distortion of the Combat Festival's original purpose?"
But that was not up to him. What he had