Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2050 2022. Taking a shortcut to pay the fare.
What you're saying seems to be common sense.

Lann neither confirmed nor denied this.

But Melina's next words caused his pupils to contract involuntarily.

"But what if I told you: these common sense facts... are wrong in terms of causality?"

Melina ignored Lan En's reaction and continued her story.

"It's not that 'Queen Marika defeated all her enemies and eventually became a god.' Rather, it's that 'she first became a god, and only then could she defeat all her enemies and establish the Golden Dynasty.'"

Seemingly to give Lan En time to process the information, Melina remained silent for a while before continuing.

"From the very beginning of the Golden Law, it was already at odds with everyone."

She uttered a line that was well-known in the Golden Dynasty.

"However, the seemingly smooth conquest is not so simple. After all, being recognized as an enemy by the Golden Dynasty already indicates that those forces possess the power to harm or even destroy the dynasty."

"Before Queen Marika became a god, the abundant and eternal Golden Law could not cover the world, but it was enough for her, as a god, to bless the legions under her command."

"Thus, before the Golden Age of Law arrived, the warriors who were loyal to Rodel had already achieved immortality on a small scale and were able to reincarnate stably. Those were the first batch of Rodel knights."

"But as enemies of the Gold Tree, the Giants also possess the [Ash Flame], which is powerful enough to harm the Gold Tree itself. The Night-Eyed Queen shares the [Black Flame] of death with her legions. The lunar magic of the Kalia royal family is powerful and aloof. The Kalia knights are few in number but each one is strong. No force that can stand for a long time in the border region is weak."

"In fact, until a certain point in time, the Golden Dynasty and these forces were in a back-and-forth battle, with no clear winner."

"Nobody thinks the Golden Law is anything special or different."

Melina's one eye looked over.

"At least at that time, no one thought that the border area could be unified by a single power. Even if it could, no one thought that Queen Marika would be that exceptionally special person."

"Gods and demigods bear the weight of laws, and therefore are generally stronger than ordinary strongmen. But they are not destined to be stronger than others. For example, right now, the strongest golden demigod is not any of the three gods and demigods, but Rataen."

"But if you go from being a 'human god' to becoming a 'god'... then everything will be different!"

Lan En, who had been listening attentively against the stone pillar, suddenly interjected, "To become a [god], isn't it only possible to bring the law to the Elden Ring and then let the ring's phantom reside in one's body? According to you, this is a process that can be bypassed?"

“Yes, she ran away.” Melina spoke candidly about Queen Marika’s less-than-glorious past, who was theoretically her 'mother,’ “and that’s a very apt description.”

"Queen Marika did indeed become a [god] in an unconventional way first, and then used the power of the god to sweep away all enemies and embark on the proper path to ascend to godhood."

"And this unconventional method is... the Horned People."

Melina pondered as she spoke, seemingly trying to find clues in those distant memories that were not her own.

"The Horned People are a highly cultured and technologically advanced people who evolved from the Shadowlands. They revere the characteristics that represent the life furnace of the Ancient Golden Tree, which are various atavistic traits. Among them, the most treasured is the horn, which can gather spiritual energy."

"Because of their emphasis on spirituality, their civilization developed a unique and powerful type of magic: [Spirit Summoning]."

"Originally, this kind of magic was nothing more than summoning a soul with powerful spirituality into oneself, allowing the caster to use the power of those souls. But the Horned People have continuously developed this magic to an unparalleled level."

"They built a spiral tower, and at the very top of the tower, they constructed a Gate of God. If one could successfully pass through that gate, the divine being would be able to elevate their soul to a higher level, reaching the realm of [God] ahead of time. Then, under the King's guidance, the soul would return to the body through the gate."

"Queen Marika used this method. She was the first and only user of the Gate of God."

"In the Shadowlands, she became a god-like being with the soul of a deity, ahead of her contemporaries. Then, she led her legions, wiped out all enemies, and paid homage to the Elden Ring, becoming a true god."

Melina explained it in a simple and easy-to-understand way, so there was no way Lan En couldn't understand it.

Queen Marika's actions amounted to taking a shortcut: first, she boarded the train and used her already divine soul to defeat the other gods. Later, she paid the price to visit the Dharma Ring in the Golden Tree and complete the proper process of becoming a god.

So, was it because of this 'dishonorable behavior' that she sealed away the entire Shadowlands?

Mentos had just conceived this idea when Lan En immediately slammed it back down.

'Dishonorable behavior'? This is a battle for the throne of a god! And she has already won without a doubt!

The Golden Law has covered the world, and the entire world is enveloped in the blessings of abundance and permanence. All have been blessed by the Queen, and the defeated are powerless to resist again. The divine positions are already firmly established; in this situation, what is the point of worrying about such trivial matters? Is it worth sealing off and isolating the entire Shadowlands?
So, was it to prevent others from replicating her path to success, using the Gate of God to ascend to godhood, and posing a threat to her, that this path was directly blocked?
This conjecture was also rejected the very next moment after it was proposed.

The world where the border is located has unique rules; it is something that has been clearly interfered with and shaped by an supreme will.

There is only one true God in the world at any given time; all others who possess the power of law are merely divine beings or external deities.

Even if a god were to replicate Queen Marika's path, with the soul entering the Gate of God and returning to the body, it would only elevate the soul to the level of a deity.

Queen Marika, who not only took the shortcut but also paid the fine, not only achieved a divine status in her soul.

Having become deeply integrated with the Elden Ring, she is a completely orthodox deity.

It possesses power that perfectly matches its title.

Even her path to godhood may have been guided by the two fingers of the Round Table at that time.

With a proper deity occupying the only divine position in this world, what can the other gods and humans do if they want to take a shortcut, when they are already sitting at the finish line?
“This doesn’t make sense.” Lan En understood the underlying meaning in Melina’s words, so he directly questioned her. “Marika has no reason to do such a thing.”

“As I’ve already said, I didn’t inherit much of my memories of the Shadowlands from her,” Melina said matter-of-factly. “So I’m just stating the facts, without mixing in any personal opinions or speculations.”

Lan En nodded: "So you think... Michaela is now looking for an opportunity to enter the Shadowlands in order to replicate Marika's path? To become a god at the Gate of God ahead of time?"

“He is also a god.” Melina did not answer directly, but said in a low voice, “and his goal is right here.”

“Becoming a god…” Lan En scratched his head and gave a wry smile. “I was just helping someone find their kidnapped brother, and in the blink of an eye, it’s gotten into this kind of thing.”

However, given Lan En's current level of knowledge, he wasn't too shocked into losing his composure. He quickly regained his composure and asked Melina one last question: "How long has Shadowland been sealed away by Marika? Is there anything noteworthy?"

“That was back when the War of the Giants was in its middle stages,” Melina said solemnly. “And the only thing we need to be careful about here is that we have to be careful about everything!”

"This is the central area of ​​the original boundary, where the golden meteor that brought the origin of life from the universe fell directly."

"When Queen Marika divided and sealed it away, this land was teeming with legendary powerful beings and creatures. Because, both symbolically and practically, the Shadowlands are completely different from other regions!"

"These creatures and powerful beings gathered here, either voluntarily or instinctively. Queen Marika made no announcement before taking action, so they may still be active in this land. And..."

"And?" Lan En asked, rubbing his temples.

Just listening to Melina talk about it briefly made him feel a little uneasy.

The border region itself was already part of the Divine Dynasty. When Rataen attacked Rodel, it was as if they were about to lift the entire Yatan Plateau up in a single encounter.

Rataen, the "strongest demigod," only rose to fame towards the end of the Titan War.

Although age and the order in which one becomes famous cannot be used as direct evidence of ability.

However, regardless of the intensity and scale of the War of Titans, those who were still considered 'legendary' in the middle of the war must have been incredibly powerful, almost like monsters.

At the very least, they should be at a level where they can hold their own against Rataen.

In Lann's mind now, Rataen is the benchmark of a golden dynasty's strength, after all, the commotion he can cause is truly awe-inspiring.

And now that there are already so many 'gods' in Shadowlands, why is Melina still telling him 'moreover'?
“And…” Melina continued, her expression complex, as if bewildered or finding it hard to accept, “If I remember correctly, I should also have another… ‘brother’, who is also in the Shadowlands.”

Melina seemed to have difficulty saying "brother".

But Lan En still understood.

Melina is a consciousness and life form that split directly from Queen Marika, and considers herself to be the Queen's daughter.

Therefore, she should indeed address Marika's other children as her older brother and sister.

But because of her unique birth, she herself doesn't really know whether she should be called that.

(End of this chapter)