Passing through the mist was easy, but the sight that unfolded before Zhao Si left him gaping in shock.
The Erdtree was burning fiercely, Leyndell was buried in ash, and death hung over the Lands Between.
The Roundtable Hold was completely buried.
Mountains of corpses lay everywhere, including people Zhao Si knew well, such as Blaidd?, Alberich, and Helena.
"No, no, no, no, no..."
Zhao Si stared blankly, then sprinted over and looked at the corpses that had already begun to rot.
Helena's head had fallen off. Helplessly, Zhao Si picked it up and tried to press it back onto her neck, but his efforts were futile.
He knew it was futile, yet he could not stop repeating the meaningless motion.
He thought he would not cry, unaware that tears were already spilling from his eyes and falling onto the mountain of corpses.
The stench of blood and decay and the slippery sensation tormented Zhao Si's senses without respite.
"No, this can't be."
Holding Helena's body, he looked toward the burning Erdtree. There was a streak of red upon it-Scarlet Rot.
The flower's orange-red hue was not particularly conspicuous amid the flames.
He could see it clearly because the flower was falling.
Boom!
The Flower of Scarlet Rot landed on the mountain of corpses. Scarlet Rot instantly infected the pile, spreading everywhere and even crawling wildly along the buildings.
In the blink of an eye, Scarlet Rot had swallowed half of Ashen Leyndell.
"Senior sister?"
Zhao Si called out in terror.
"Junior brother..."
Malenia's pained voice came from within the Flower of Scarlet Rot, which looked like a cross between a lotus and a spider lily.
"Save me..."
"I can't!" Zhao Si shouted. "I can't even get close."
"Use fire."
Malenia's will seemed to be fading more and more.
"You'll