Half-Ruined

A lot of shit has happened with my work and my life in general. I feel like the current republic of my country is falling apart right in front of everyone, and all I hear are people laughing.

Anyway, I managed to write, and here is the chapter.

Interestingly enough, I received a few negative reviews—I'd say around three—that mentioned I keep going back to the whole “Holy shit, this guy is badass/a monster” thing too much, that the story has become repetitive because of it, and that I focus too much on unnecessary details. I agree with some of that, but not all of it. I had noticed that happening myself, but since I end up writing chapters in “chunks”—one part on one day, another part the next—I often forget what I wrote earlier if I don't go back and review it, which ends up causing some repetition.

And I got a couple of reviews saying that Devas is traumatized, which I also agree with to some extent, but not entirely, since his traumas have never stopped him from doing anything.

At the same time, though, I get some really nice reviews that always put a smile on my face when I read them. I get kind of giddy reading them, I'll admit. People saying that I write well and that I'm original, especially praising my descriptions. I think I'm focusing too much on the “bad” reviews, but unfortunately, I've always been like that. I imagine most people are the same way, focusing on the negative things even when there aren't many of them.

But anyway, I'd like to know what you guys think. Leave a comment; it helps me see whether my readers are still following the story. I usually read every comment and reply to quite a few of them. It might not seem like it, but I've already changed quite a few things in the story because of comments that made me stop and think, “Holy shit, this guy's actually right.” So feel free to comment.

That said, so I don't break the habit, if anyone wants to support me (the economy is fucking rough right now), or just read 3/7/13 chapters ahead, this is possible through my (P)(A)(T). For a very limited time, there will actually be more than 13—18, to be exact—due to some circumstances. It should last about a week. If not, I still sincerely appreciate you reading. Seriously, thank you so much!

Oh, right, the next chapter will be released on September 14th at 1 PM Brasília time.

As always, good night, everyone, and I hope you enjoy the read!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori.

[...]---[...]

After my brief encounter with the wolf-man and the moon-reeking witch, the journey toward my arm resumed peacefully.

I spent a few minutes reading the (CHAT), without really talking to anyone. Just killing time by reading what they were sending.

I thought Jinn would make some comment like, "We barely split up and you've already replaced me?" considering Ranni also had blue skin, but I guess my situation was miserable enough—and recent enough—that the mood in the (CHAT) was still pretty bad.

For the most part, Kazuma was still an idiot.

Surprisingly, nothing attacked me while I walked through this boring, windy place. The only "enemies" I ran into were those strange piles of rocks, which, in this case, I attacked out of boredom to collect the runes that dropped from them.

I wasn't entirely sure what they were for, but if my Blasphemous Card wanted them, I'd collect them.

... Not that I wouldn't have anyway, even if the card hadn't wanted them. It was pretty neat magic dust.

I uprooted a few trees and gathered some soil, tossing it into the Voidbag along with a few rocks.

Meanwhile, I used Analyze: Item on Blaidd's weapon and the bell Ranni was carrying.

The first thing I checked was the bell:

-//-

[Spirit Calling Bell]

Type: Weapon / AccessoryRarity: Light PurplePrefix: NoneDurability: 1000000/1000000 (Regenerating)

[..]

Ability — [Summoning]:

Allows spirits to be summoned from ashes.

The power of the summon is based on the spirit's strength and the amount of mana and spiritual energy the user can provide.

Consumes the user's mana and spiritual energy both upon summoning and while maintaining the spirit.

[Note: Functions more effectively near Rebirth Monuments, where the concentration of soul remnants that failed to return to the Erdtree is greater.]

[..]

Description:

A bell capable of summoning various spirits from ashen remains.

It is said to have been given by a four-armed witch to those with the power to call upon spirits.

[..]

~The bell tolls only for the dead. ~

-//-

"I should've taken that from her..." I muttered.

Damn, this thing had so much potential!

I could already think of countless possibilities. Not just for me, but for other people as well. Even for those without mana—or with very little mana—it would be possible to create a Rune or Mystic Symbol array to supplement the summoner's lack of magical power.

Depending on how the ashes and summons actually worked, I could literally create a miniature Chaldea centered within Proto-A.

It wouldn't really be a Heroic Spirit summoning system, but still...

... I could still catch up to her and take the bell. Would it be worth it?... Yes, I could sneak over and leave the dark-blue "strand of hair" with a Nightmare, and she'd never realize I was the one who stole it...

I blinked twice in quick succession and pushed those thoughts away.

I could negotiate for it later and see whether she had a spare bell or some way to build one. I doubted she hadn't studied it and developed a few ideas of her own.

I also had Analyze: Item, which showed me how the item had been created. The problem was that I didn't recognize most of the materials or the forging process.

The other issue was determining whether this item could function outside this world, since it resonated with this planet's "Plane of the Dead," allowing spirits—the so-called Spirit Ashes—to take form.

Those ashes were essentially the remains of souls that had failed to return to the Erdtree and had become trapped in the world.

"Maybe if I combined the way I summon my Nightmares with a person's essence—or something personal to them—I could imitate something similar?..." I let my thoughts wander for a moment.

... And there was also the "plastic chair." If I could understand how that thing worked...

With this bell, I might be able to anchor Ozma's soul into something other than a Nightmare. It wouldn't be a perfect physical body, but it would be much better than possessing a Nightmare.

And there was still Ranni's doll body. I could see whether I could reproduce the same transfer she had performed...

Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the status of Blaidd's sword, which was actually called the Royal Greatsword.

-//-

[Royal Greatsword]

Type: WeaponRarity: PinkPrefix: NoneDurability: 1928040/2500000

Damage: 880 (Sword) / 500 ~ 1300 (Ash of War)Knockback: 8 (Very Strong)Ash of War: Wolf's Assault

[..]

Ability — [Wolf's Assault]:

The user infuses the blade with frost magic, performs a forward leap, and drives the sword into the ground.

The attack deals physical damage on impact, followed by an area-of-effect magical explosion of the frost element.

The explosion rapidly lowers the surrounding temperature, and ambient mana is partially converted into frost-aligned mana.

[..]

Description:

Greatsword decorated in royal magic. Wielded by Blaidd the Half-Wolf. The sword was given to Blaidd by Ranni when he became her shadow. Its freezing magic serves as proof of their bond.

[..]

~The heavy blade of a loyal guardian. ~

-//-

"That's some good damage..." It was comparable to the Relic of Destruction, which already said a lot by itself.

The Relic of Destruction wasn't really a sword designed for physical combat, but rather a magical item shaped like a sword, since its primary purpose was its destructive ability. Even so, it was impressive that the Royal Greatsword dealt similar damage.

And that wasn't even taking the Ash of War into account.

I didn't need much time to figure out what an Ash of War was, since a description of it appeared when I used Analyze: Item on the sword.

-//-

[Ashes of War]

Description: Physical clusters formed from the memories and techniques of great warriors who died in battle.

When a hero perishes, their martial expertise crystallizes into these silver ashes.

By using a Whetstone Knife at a Site of Grace, that memory can be engraved directly into a weapon's metal.

During combat, the wielder channels mana and spiritual energy to synchronize with the stored memory, perfectly reproducing the movement, technique, strike, or spell of the original warrior.

-//-

I needed to get my hands on some of those.

Not just because they seemed incredibly useful and I could try applying them to other items I already possessed, improving them significantly. There was also a much broader field of study involved, along with the possibility that I might be able to partially recreate them.

With the way Foreigner Memory worked, combined with my ability to obtain Hollow Puppets and Hollow Puppet cores, I could potentially recreate something similar to an Ash of War based directly on the physical memory of a person's body and soul rather than a mere "remnant."

I could use Aura Awakening as a catalyst for it as well. Or perhaps something involving my Nightmares and madness, which infiltrated the mind and could allow me to isolate a specific technique or unique experience instead of capturing everything as a whole...

There were plenty of possibilities.

Unfortunately, none that I could actually pursue right now.

Still, I had a cool sword.

Drawing the Royal Greatsword, I detached my black hand from the Bone Helm attached to my wrist and made it grip the sword's hilt, leaving it floating behind my back, just behind the six blood ribs circling my body.

Using one of those ribs, I manipulated blood through the Chalice and recreated a blood hand on my right stump.

A few messages emerged from the "spam box":

[AinzOoalGown]I've met and killed Demon Gods who looked far friendlier than you do right now.

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]That's fucking metal, dude.

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]I'm going to copy your appearance for the special villain in my show.╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆*:・ﾟ

"... Then I'll be expecting royalties," I said. "Forty percent. Send me half in SP and keep the other half in an account over there. And if you portray me wrong, expect a lawsuit."

[MagicalGirlSera-Tan](⌬̀⌄⌬́)

Ignoring the messages and calculating how many millions I would probably receive, I kept walking. It didn't take long before I spotted something that stood out from the landscape: a more mountainous area and, there, a gate.

The gate was a massive stone arch embedded into the base of the mountain, marking the entrance to a narrow, steep pass.

The wind, funneled through the rocky walls, howled constantly and even more fiercely than before. It was an obvious choke point. Anyone with even the slightest tactical knowledge would know that charging in there was practically begging to be ambushed.

Of course, even without that knowledge, I could see the red dots on the Minimap. There were twenty creatures in total.

Patrolling the gate entrance and the ruins surrounding it were several ordinary soldiers, walking across the worn stone pavement.

Among them, my attention focused on one in particular, and I noticed that he had spotted me as well, though it wasn't as if I was trying to hide.

He wore much heavier and more elaborate armor, complete with a tabard bearing a coat of arms. His movements were rigid and disciplined.

Clearly a knight or a captain of the guard.

I looked up toward the rocky slopes forming the walls of the pass. Several people were stationed there with what appeared to be crossbows.

Higher up, a gigantic creature lurked near the edge of a cliff. It stood around seven or eight meters tall, humanoid in shape, and reeked of decay. Its arms were disproportionately long, nearly reaching the ground, and its pale skin looked rough, like limestone or some kind of stone.

Its chest contained a hollow cavity devoid of organs. The thing also carried an enormous sword on its back, though it appeared rusted and broken.

"A guard post with an ambush?..." I hummed. "How nice."

Beyond the sound of the wind, faint whispers reached my ears from the stones. Just like with the Ruin Fragments before, the voices came from the rocks themselves.

'Storm... gate... Storm... gate...'

Stormgate, then. Probably the name of this place. Not exactly useful information, but good to know.

Using Glimpse of Light in the Abyss, I noticed a small "strand" leading toward the top of a structure above the gate. What I sensed from it was "opportunity."

As I approached, I didn't even have time to attempt a conversation before crossbow bolts were fired in my direction and, surprisingly, pots filled with burning oil were hurled at me as well.

Not very friendly of them.

I pulled every bolt and flaming pot into the Voidbag the moment they entered its range.

"I only want to pass. I'm not your enemy," I said, carrying my voice on the wind with a small amount of mana.

I could see their hesitation. Seventeen of the twenty were human, two were exceptionally large wolves—or dogs—and then there was the giant one, whom I was almost certain was a troll or some sort of golem.

The apparent leader grabbed a horn-like device and spoke through it, amplifying his voice.

"By the command of Lord Godrick, the way is barred! None may proceed!" He swallowed audibly before raising his voice once more. "Begone, creature, or face thy death!"

Fascinating...

"Just one question, then. Does this Godrick happen to have anything to do with Stormveil Castle?" I asked.

"Aye. Lord Godrick rules Stormveil!"

Yeah, that's what I thought...

Now then, do I kill these guys or not?... I could just slip past using the Slick Cane and conceal myself, but that would interfere with my healing since I'd need to redirect my nightmare energy...

I commanded the Bone Helm's black hand to move the Royal Greatsword into an offensive stance.

"I'm fairly certain your lord has something that belongs to me." I pulled the information directly from his blood. "Choose, then, Tionar: let me pass, or die defending your lord."

[Archetype: The Threat — Synchronization +9%]

I'll give the guy credit. He hesitated only briefly before shouting for everyone to prepare for battle. In fact, he didn't even seem to care that I'd said his name. None of the men turned and ran, either.

... It's never simple, is it?

I looked him straight in the eye.

"Wrong choice."

I didn't even have to try.

I merely released a fraction of my presence through Echo Humanitatis over each of them.

Every human dropped dead.

Of the two wolves, the first exploded when it collided with one of my blood ribs, while the second was cut cleanly in half by the Royal Greatsword wielded by the Bone Helm's black hand.

The troll—or whatever it was—that leaped down from the cliff was the only one who kept charging toward me.

I threw a rock at it. A fifty-meter rock. I didn't even know why I had the damn thing, but I had several. This wasn't even the biggest one.

Actually, this would've been pretty useful during that fight against the lizard...

I simply pulled it out of the Voidbag and dropped it on top of him. When I removed the rock, he was still moving. So I dropped it a few more times until the golden magic dust flew into my forehead.

A total of 2,188 for killing all of them.

I could have spared them, but...

I let out a sigh.

"What a pain..."

A message emerged from my shadow:

[(MOD)JinnOfTheLamp]You gave them a choice. Don't beat yourself up over their answer.

"I gave them a choice between betraying the person they swore to serve and dying. That doesn't really sound like a choice." I replied as I resumed walking. "But I won't. Don't worry. I'm just feeling reflective."

I'm not a hero, nor am I a saint.

As I approached, I collected the bodies, the armor, and especially the leader's spear; it was a Partisan. A good weapon. Not as good as the ones I already had, but still pretty nice.

After passing through the gate, I took some time to climb up to the outpost above it and see what the golden "strand" was leading toward.

I ended up finding another talisman, similar to the Blessed Dew Talisman.

This one took the form of a small oval medallion. It appeared to be made of bronze, with green oxidation stains along its edges.

On the front was a raised carving depicting three arrows spread in a fan pattern, all pointing upward. Near the top was a small hole threaded with a worn leather cord.

It emitted no magical glow and looked completely ordinary, which I highly doubted it was.

I used Analyze: Item.

-//-

[Arrow's Reach Talisman]

Type: AccessoryRarity: GreenPrefix: NoneDurability: 39023/50000

[..]

Ability — [Ballistic Trajectory]:

Imbues any projectile classified as an "arrow" or "bolt" with magic at the moment it is drawn.

The energy envelops the projectile before launch, reducing aerodynamic drag and partially negating the influence of wind.

This stabilizes the trajectory and extends the projectile's physical range and accuracy while preserving its kinetic force over long distances.

[..]

Description:

A talisman depicting three arrows. Increases bow effective range.

The longer the distance an arrow flies, the less power it carries when it hits the target. This talisman combats that reduction in power by extending the arrow's effective range.

[..]

~Bullseye! ~

-//-

I quickly read the description before tossing the talisman into the Voidbag.

A shame it only worked on arrows. Otherwise, I'd give it to Ruby as a gift. Though Dylan could probably make good use of it. I'll see how this thing works later and try to duplicate it—or create something similar that works with bullets—to give to her.

I spent a few more seconds looting everything I could see, from tables and chairs to candles, before leaving and continuing my walk.

[...]

After passing through the ravine, I made a short detour to the left, where the golden strand pointed toward another Stake of Marika.

It was nearly identical to the previous one, though its right arm was less damaged.

When I approached, I didn't even need to touch it before another golden strand flew into my left hand and wrapped itself around my ring finger alongside the first one.

I poked the statue a few times to see whether it would do anything else, and when it didn't, I tossed it into the Voidbag and resumed my pilgrimage.

I would've flown using Proto-A if I weren't taking the opportunity to heal and explore the landscape. I found some pretty interesting things along the way.

On one of the corpses in the ravine, I found a Lump of Flesh—a rather disgusting chunk of raw meat with exposed muscle and veins.

It was basically a reagent used as the base ingredient for a potion that enhanced physical attributes. Since I had no intention of searching corpse after corpse—or whatever other places this thing might be found—I tossed it into the Chalice.

It wouldn't give me exactly what I wanted, but the blood inside that piece of flesh had retained certain properties that could still be used to create something that enhanced the body.

Nothing that would help me. If it did, I would've already grilled the thing and eaten it. But it might be useful for the people in HOTD, Remnant, and Terraria, depending on the situation.

Another thing I found was a scarab. More specifically, a Crimson Scarab.

It was a large, fat scarab rolling a ball made of vitality around like a dung beetle. After killing it, I collected the ball and tossed both of them into my inventory.

Actually, I tried taming the thing before killing it, but it attempted to leap onto my head and pull a facehugger routine on me, so I ended up splitting it in half.

This time, I managed to capture an animal without killing it first.

I found a few butterflies called Smoldering Butterflies. Their wings looked as though they were eternally smoldering, constantly releasing smoke and glowing orange whenever they flapped.

Some wolves were trying to eat them. There were five butterflies in total. After killing the wolves, I captured the butterflies and placed them inside a large glass jar. Then I used the Chalice to manipulate blood and carry the jar behind me, since the Voidbag still couldn't store living creatures, with a few exceptions such as Lucy, Goldie, and plants.

Unfortunately, these butterflies didn't fall into any of those categories.

For some reason, Shadowflame seemed to want to eat them, but I didn't feed it any for the time being, since I didn't know whether they could reproduce. If they couldn't, I'd probably just keep them as pets somewhere.

They were glowing ember-orange butterflies.

There was no way that wasn't cool as hell.

The second-to-last thing I found was a pair of Golden Runes, which looked somewhat like broken branches and were essentially an amalgamation of the runes the Blasphemous Card had been consuming.

Since I didn't have many immediate uses for them, I stored them in the Voidbag instead of breaking them apart, planning to figure out what they actually did later.

Finally, I found a tiny glowing golden tree, similar to that enormous thing on the horizon that kept giving me chills.

It was like a sapling of the larger one, except it seemed incapable of growing beyond that stage.

From it, I collected a Golden Seed—a completely golden seed shaped like the symbol engraved on the Blessed Dew Talisman.

It possessed healing and vitality-related properties, and the only reason I didn't immediately eat it was because I had no idea whether I'd be able to find more. And this thing was a seed.

I wanted to plant it.

But I wasn't an idiot either, and I knew it had come from that glowing monstrosity on the horizon. So I'd wait until Alalia had a chance to inspect it and determine whether it was safe.

If everything checked out, I'd plant it in Proto-A or maybe Terraria.

There was always the option of planting it inside my Spiritual Realm, assuming I could even get it in there.

Analyze: Item informed me that it could be added to either a Flask of Tears—red or blue—to increase the amount of vitality or mana restored.

Which was unfortunate, because I didn't have one.

So into the inventory it went.

After nearly two hours of walking, I arrived at the entrance to Stormveil Castle.

It was filled with guards and soldiers, though these ones looked far more worn down than the men I'd encountered at Stormgate. Their eyes held a faint madness, and their expressions were hollow.

In fact, they barely spoke at all, aside from muttering incoherent phrases to themselves.

After pressuring them with Echo Humanitatis and watching them die within moments, I approached the entrance.

The road beyond climbed a paved slope that had definitely seen better days.

Which basically meant the place was falling apart and half-ruined.

I could relate, to be honest.

Stormveil Castle itself was a colossal structure of pale stone, its towers crumbling and its enormous walls looking as though they had recently survived a bombardment.

Giant wooden stakes had been driven into the ground everywhere.

They had probably once served as defensive measures against cavalry charges or larger creatures storming the slope. Now they were little more than decorations.

I claimed every single one as I passed.

Walking through the abandoned barricades and stepping around holes in the ground, I followed Glimpse of Light in the Abyss until I found a wide, dark tunnel carved directly into the mountainside.

I left the butterflies hidden beside the entrance, camouflaged and guarded by three Nightmares.

Inside, the tunnel was damp and smelled of mold, but it was wide enough for three or four people to walk through side by side.

I took a quick look around for chests or anything useful, but there was nothing except debris and broken barrels.

After tossing the debris and barrels into the Voidbag, I continued onward, my right eye illuminating the tunnel.

When I emerged, the landscape opened up once more.

The path narrowed into a paved stone corridor, almost like a broad bridge suspended above a chasm on both sides, with a reasonably lethal drop of around one or two hundred meters.

The wind howled even more fiercely here, funneled between the towering canyon walls.

At the far end of the corridor, completely blocking access to a locked arched gate leading deeper into whoever's domain this was, sat a...

I wasn't entirely sure what he was.

He sat casually on the stone steps, looking relaxed and imposing at the same time.

The humanoid was massive, significantly larger than me, wrapped in a tattered, filthy brown cloak. Thick hands rested atop an enormous wooden staff that resembled a dead, twisted root.

But what truly caught my attention was the creature's face and body.

Half of his head and neck had been overtaken by grayish horns.

They grew at bizarre, asymmetrical angles, piercing through his skin like some uncontrolled form of bone cancer.

His face was aged, framed by a white beard and white hair. A thick tail rested on the ground beside him, extending from his back.

I stopped walking, keeping a tactical distance between us. The six blood ribs circling my body began rotating slightly faster.

My teeth itched.

Another Lesser God or Demigod, just like Ranni. He didn't immediately stand, nor did my arrival seem to surprise him.

He simply remained seated, staring at me.

"I knew thou wouldst come... Welcome. Thou mayst call me Margit."

His voice was rough and old, carrying a weariness that somehow sounded genuine.

I blinked.

I hadn't expected that, especially considering divinity practically leaked from him, which should have made my presence distinctly unpleasant to him.

It wasn't difficult to figure out how he knew I was coming.

"Devas," I introduced myself. "You saw my arm fall here."

It was more a statement than a question.

Margit nodded slowly.

"Aye."

"Are you going to try to stop me from getting it back?" I asked.

"Aye, once again, I fear I must."

He sounded as though he genuinely regretted it. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

The guy was at least three meters tall, broad as a wall.

"The one who found thy arm bears something that must not be taken, for the sake of all. I cannot permit thee passage. Nor any other."

So it wasn't because I was me. He was simply preventing something.

Interesting...

And, oddly enough, that answer pleased me.

My smile widened without my permission.

I ran my tongue along the back of my teeth.

"And why exactly do you think you can stop me?"

"Because I am stronger, and wield greater power than thee. It is as simple as that."

He struck the staff against the ground.

I let out a closed-mouth laugh.

Then I looked away from him, toward the direction where, through Glimpse of Light in the Abyss, I could see a "path" extending all the way to him.

"So thou hast perceived it, then..."

"You're not even here."

I turned my gaze back to him.

"Strong? I have no doubt that you are—in your real body. Powerful? Absolutely. But stronger than me?..." I mocked him.

Raising my blood-crafted right hand, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the Royal Greatsword, merging the Bone Helm's black hand with the blood construct.

I stopped suppressing the madness.

"... That, you are not. And on top of that, you're just a puppet."

The Moon Shield appeared on my left arm, and in the next instant, it bit into space as I stepped forward.

I didn't even need to think before activating Ash of War: Wolf's Assault.

The technique came almost instinctively, consuming only a tiny amount of spiritual energy.

The distance of roughly fifty or sixty meters vanished in less than a fraction of a second.

And the blade of the Royal Greatsword was buried halfway into Margit's right shoulder.

"Good reflexes. I was aiming to skewer your head."

I tilted my head, planting my feet against his chest and grinning.

He swung the staff toward my body. I used four of my six blood ribs to block the strike, causing three of them to explode and drench both of us in blood, while the last one absorbed the impact.

I wrapped my legs with the remaining two blood ribs and kicked him in the chest, driving him backward while pulling the Royal Greatsword free.

A burst of freezing energy erupted from his wound, icing over the surrounding air.

Driven back by my kick, Margit stumbled and grunted, clutching at the frozen injury.

With his right hand, he reached behind himself and pulled something directly out of empty air.

It was a long, curved blade materialized from solid golden light.

The knife shone with a holy, divine energy that was undoubtedly the same power used by the Erdtree. It also felt somewhat similar to my Anima.

Faith, divinity, and magic?...

He didn't hesitate.

Ignoring the hole in his right shoulder—which bled a luminous liquid that began evaporating into golden mist before it even touched the ground, proving that he was merely a projection—Margit charged at me.

His speed was absurd for someone his size.

Not that it mattered.

The curved blade descended in a vicious arc aimed at my head.

I moved the Royal Greatsword to intercept it.

To avoid putting further strain on my already ruined body, I quickly repositioned the three blood ribs I still had.

One spiraled into my right arm, reinforcing the muscles and protecting the bones. The second attached itself to my back, serving as a shock absorber while anchoring my posture and spine. The third whipped around my legs, locking me firmly against the stone beneath my feet.

The clash of weapons cracked the ground under my bare feet, the impact echoing loudly throughout the ravine.

While keeping our blades locked together, I didn't allow the blood from the exploded ribs to remain idle.

Using the Chalice, I immediately gathered the blood from the three ribs that had detonated during our first exchange. I condensed it in the air behind Margit, shaping it into three thick, sharpened drills of hardened blood.

I set them spinning at high speed and launched all three toward the back of his neck.

His senses were sharp.

With a grunt, Margit violently swung his massive staff with his left hand, sweeping the space behind him and shattering all three blood drills before they could pierce him.

The instant he defended himself, he broke our blade lock.

Deflecting my sword slightly aside with the glowing dagger, he drove the base of his staff straight toward my chest.

I slid my left foot and narrowly stepped out of the attack's path, allowing the wood to brush past my Nightmare cloak. Then I planted both feet firmly and retaliated with a horizontal slash aimed at his stomach.

'Sun Breathing (Devas Style) — Second Form: Static Rotation'

Margit leaped backward just far enough that the Royal Greatsword sliced only wind and cloth before he immediately spun back in, delivering a reverse slash with the sword of light.

I laughed and didn't retreat.

Raising the heavy sword, I slammed its flat into the middle of Margit's golden blade, knocking the attack upward and forcing his guard open from the recoil.

Using the kinetic force of the deflection, I spun with the momentum.

'Sun Breathing (Devas Style) — Third Form: Binary Stellar System'

I locked my wrist firmly through the first strike, the blade grazing across his chest as he took a long step backward.

I followed with a step of my own.

Using the remaining force from the weapon's weight and the continuous rotation of my body, I sharply twisted my wrist. The second strike surged upward in a rapid arc from below.

The Royal Greatsword met Margit's face.

Steel sank into flesh and tore through it, ripping one of the asymmetrical gray horns from his skull with a sickening crack of breaking bone.

Golden, artificial blood sprayed from the wound, already vanishing into the air.

Without breaking my rhythm, I pulled the three blood ribs reinforcing my body and poured them all into my right leg. Rotating my hips, I unleashed an enhanced kick directly into his lower abdomen.

I felt my foot sink into muscle and flesh.

Something tore from the impact.

Through the Transparent World, I could see it was an organ.

He was considerably tougher than Blaidd, but that didn't mean much.

Margit staggered backward, completely off balance.

The bastard was heavy.

I took another step forward, gripping the Royal Greatsword with both hands and bringing the blade down in an attempt to decapitate him, but the old divine creature was experienced.

Before I could reach his throat, he made a long backward leap, retreating and putting a good fifteen meters between us.

I didn't pursue him, even though I could have kept up the pressure.

Instead, I lowered the tip of the sword to the stone floor and laughed.

A short, dry laugh. A deeply unhinged one.

This was fun!

I ran my tongue along the back of my teeth, feeling the madness tingle through my mind, and stared directly into his eyes as I crouched down.

Without looking away from Margit's irritated expression, I wrapped my fingers around the thick horn I had just torn off.

It was a projection, but the piece still possessed physical weight and pulsed with a divine energy faintly similar to Ranni's.

Not exactly the same.

It was like comparing two species of cats. Both were felines, but they weren't identical.

There was something else mixed into it as well. It felt like several different energies and substances stirred together.

Like a blended soup.

I raised the bloody base of the horn to my mouth and activated Mystery Devourer alongside Divine Anathema, biting down hard.

My jaws shattered the dense cartilage. I chewed the magical bone. The energy inside the horn hissed and screamed before dying as I swallowed it.

Then I took another bite.

And another.

I crushed and devoured the entire horn until nothing remained before licking my lips.

The most incredible part was that I could actually feel my injuries healing from the energy contained within that "blended soup."

"Thou art mad, foul human."

He stated it flatly, staring at me with open disgust.

"I won't deny that..." I grinned madly, pointing the Royal Greatsword at him.

"... And you've just been promoted to snack status, divine spawn."

[...]---[...]

Devas has finally fallen. Let's see where this goes.

To answer a few questions that might come up, I'll say this: I might get some item locations wrong here and there, and I may adjust certain descriptions so they fit the story better.

If there's any specific item you'd like Devas to pick up, preferably one that's not in the middle of nowhere, feel free to leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Keep in mind that I'm not going to do something like "the Elden Beast's sword" either—that would be a bit much.

The Tarnished will appear in the next chapter.

As always, have a great night and enjoy the chapter!

Edit: I kind of made a continuity mistake in the next chapter. Continuity in the story? No, in where something was located in Elden Ring. It's been a while since I last played, and I ended up remembering something incorrectly. It'll be pretty obvious what it is. I admit my mistake—sorry!