Inside the Goliath, a bloody battlefield had been transformed.
In the narrow passage, the soldiers pressed their backs against the brass bulkheads and pipes, putting up a futile resistance.
The light machine gun spewed fire, and rifle bullets flew in rapid succession, striking the golden beast with a crisp, dense thud.
However, against these Aspects of the Crucible: Beast, which even naval guns could not destroy, small arms bullets could only scatter a few fragments and could not hinder them in the slightest.
"A monster!"
"Demons! You demons! Don't come any closer!"
"Fire!!!"
Screams and cries mingled with the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the tearing of metal Aspects of the Crucible: Beast displayed a chilling attack. A giant griffin opened its beak, and a fan of flames instantly incinerated a section of the passageway and the soldiers inside.
The Werewolf beast shook its body, and the bone spurs on its back suddenly swelled up, piercing through several layers of bulkhead and pinning the soldiers behind it to the wall.
The beast-like creature with hooves raised its forehooves and stomped heavily on the metal floor. The shockwave caused nearby soldiers to cough up blood and die from ruptured internal organs.
At this moment, those bizarre and primitive life forms, long since lost to the history of the Lands Between, reappeared inside this warship.
This golden beast tide, composed of chaotic wildness, is a terrifying manifestation of one aspect of the life-giving power held by the Erdtree.
Bridge.
Compared to the hellish scene outside, this place remains quiet for the time being.
The heavily armored hatch was tightly closed, and the soundproofing material swallowed up most of the noise, with only the vibrations and muffled explosions faintly audible.
But it is precisely this relative "quiet" that makes it all the more terrifying and suffocating.
Mouro slumped in his command chair, his uniform collar soaked with sweat, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The arrogance and smugness that had previously filled his face had completely vanished.
--
He panicked; he was terrified.
Like a defeated wild dog, he abruptly turned his head to look at Muska, whose face was equally ashen, as if grasping at the last straw.
" Muska, aren't you the expert? Don't you spend all your time studying those ancient ruins? What... what are these monsters? How do we deal with them? Tell me!!!"
Muska remained "calm," but a closer look revealed that his fingers were also trembling slightly.
He didn't want to lose his composure in front of that fool Mouro, so he took a deep breath and suppressed his fear.
"General, there's no point in asking these questions now. The most urgent task is to preserve our manpower and key intelligence."
He spoke in Diadem, but his intentions were all too clear: the Goliath was finished, and it was time to retreat.
As soon as he finished speaking, Muska gave a wink to the two black-clad agents behind him, and the three of them turned and strode quickly toward the escape pod.
Mouro froze for a moment, then reacted, his fat face contorting with rage. " Muska! You dare desert your post?! I, in the name of the Commander-in-Chief, order you to stay! Guard the Bridge!"
Muska didn't even turn his head; his hand was already on the hatch handle.
However, the moment he turned the valve, something unexpected happened.
"The monster is coming!"
"Fire!"
"Ah--!"
Suddenly, shouts of alarm and gunshots rang out from outside the cabin door, but silence returned after a few moments.
Muska's hand froze on the handle, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his pale cheek.
laugh!
Suddenly, the golden wingtip pierced through the alloy bulkhead, tracing a perfect circle.
The circular bulkhead, along with the hatch, collapsed inwards, crashing onto the floor with a deafening roar.
Inside the channel, crimson emergency lights flickered intermittently as a figure slowly stepped onto the Bridge.
It was a humanoid creature with such handsome features that it seemed otherworldly.
The upper body presents a perfect human male physique, while the lower body is a strong and graceful horse body, and the whole body is also composed of dark golden energy.
What is most striking are the pair of spiral horns on its head and the broad wings on its back made of golden feathers.
This " Aspects of the Crucible: Beast," which combines features of humans, horses, horns, and wings, or rather, a centaur angel, does not exhibit the grotesque and twisted chaotic feel of the forge creations in the Elden Ring world.
On the contrary, the vast majority of the Crucible Beast summoned by Mu En possess an image that combines holiness, wildness, majesty, and eerie beauty.
This is largely related to Mu En's personal (tree) aesthetic.
"What are you standing there for?! Kill it! Kill this monster!!!"
Muska, who was nearly hit by the hatch, fell to the ground in terror, no longer caring about his composure, and scrambled backward on all fours.
His scream woke the others.
Bang bang bang!
The officers and guards closest to the hatch almost instinctively drew their pistols and submachine guns and pulled the triggers.
The bullets splattered across the dark gold body, creating large golden specks, but the wounds were instantly healed by the surging energy.
The centaur angel showed no emotion; it simply spread its wings, and countless golden feathers poured out.
Screams and the muffled thud of feathers piercing flesh filled the air.
Dozens of bloody holes burst open on the bodies of the officers and soldiers who fired the shots, and blood gushed out from both front and back like fountains.
The lifeless body slumped to the ground, its weapon clattering to the floor.
The blood splattered on the centaur angel's flawless face only added to its eerie beauty.
The entire Bridge was deathly silent, except for the uncontrollable chattering of teeth.
Just as it raised its front hooves, preparing to continue this one-sided slaughter, its movements suddenly stopped.
Not only it, but all the Aspects of the Crucible: Beast were raging inside or outside the Goliath simultaneously ceased their movements.
Mu En's will descended once more. "Lay down your weapons and kneel before me."
"Therefore, you may be given the chance to live."
This time, there were no more doubts.
Clang!
The young soldier immediately threw his rifle onto the metal floor, knelt down, and cried out, "I surrender! Please spare my life!"
Once one domino fell, a second and a third followed, and the sound of dominoes falling to their knees and begging for mercy rose and fell.
"I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"
"Gods above! Please forgive my sins!"
"I... I'm willing to believe in you!!"
All the survivors lay prostrate on the ground, their bodies trembling violently with fear.
Faced with absolute violence, they finally understood what kind of being they were fighting against.
The only one still standing was General Muoro.
His authority, dignity, everything was shattered at this moment, and finally, the string called reason snapped completely.
"You—you cowards! Traitors! Trash!!!"
Mouro suddenly drew his sidearm from his waist, not pointing it at the intruder, but pressing it hard against the back of the chief of staff's head.
Just as the thick finger was about to pull the trigger, golden wings flashed.
Mouro had no idea what was happening; he only saw the golden centaur appear beside him and stroll past.
The next moment, a line of blood appeared at the very center of his head, extending straight down, across his brow, neck, chest, and abdomen.
"You----cough----me----"
These were the last words of this hot-tempered general.
Splash--!
The obese body was smoothly divided into two symmetrical halves from the middle, and fell to the ground one after the other.
Blood and entrails gushed out like a burst dam, covering every inch of the dashboard floor, and the stench of blood filled the entire space.
This incredibly impactful scene struck the hearts of every survivor, shattering Muska, a descendant of the ancient royal family, of his last psychological defenses.
He was afraid of dying.
Muska himself knows this better than anyone else.
His contempt for Mouro's stupidity and his disgust for the soldiers' rudeness stemmed from his firm belief that the "value" of his own life far exceeded that of these ants.
He was born to accomplish a great cause, to revive the glory of Laputa, and even to rule the world!
How could he die here, so utterly devoid of dignity and worth?
Muska sprang up from his slumped position and scrambled to his knees beside the centaur angel's forelegs.
He knelt so tightly, so devoutly, as if trying to embed his entire body into the ground, incoherently expressing his submission. "Great God! Supreme Being! I am willing to offer everything I have!"
"My knowledge, my loyalty, my—the secret of Laputa!"
I am willing to serve you as my Lord!