Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 488 'Black Sword' Maricus

After easily dealing with the Apostles of Godskin, Bai Shi and Celine Sanks continued their journey deeper into Fam Azra.

After traversing a path made of floating rubble, the core area of ​​Fam Azra began to unfold before Bai Shi.

Those enormous, towering buildings floated in the sky, their forms beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

If the architecture of the Horned Peoples is said to be almost heaven-reaching, touching the fingertips of the gods, then Fam Yazra fully deserves the title of miracle.

This is no longer a city that could be built by human power; it is a genuine display of divine power.

It must also have a close relationship with the Dragon King, who has long since passed away.

Having arrived in this vicinity, Bai Shi gradually began to connect this place with the memories in his mind.

Although the actual scale was much larger than I remembered, I still have a strong impression of the main buildings.

In the game, the entire Sky City is just a small area, with complex and dense roads, but it is not very large in size.

But in fact, the true extent of Fam Yazra is the largest city that Bai Shi has ever seen.

Even the royal city of Rodel or the Shadow City cannot compare to it.

This is, after all, the city where the ancient dragons lived, the royal city of the ancient dragon era.

Just to fit the size of the ancient dragons, Fam Azra was destined to be a gigantic city.

However, despite some similarities, Bai Shi did not see the figure of the Furnace Knight.

Not only here, but the Forge Knights near the underground water-conducting bridge have also disappeared.

As for the two Forge Knights under Bai Shi's command, and the Forge Knight from Galid's Red Lion Legion, they were both still on standby and did not report anything unusual.

After a moment's thought, Bai Shi could only conclude that they had been summoned in some way, which was why they left Fam Yazra.

As for how he did it, Bai Shi didn't know, nor did he care.

He had more important things to do at the moment, and these trivial matters were not worth his attention.
-
Following the location from his memory, Bai Shi spent some time before finally managing to find the treasure chest hidden in the room.

Bai Shi opened the carefully preserved box and took out a powerful talisman.

The amulet was made in the image of the Dragon King Platonsangs and is called the Ancient King Amulet. It is one of the 'legendary amulets' of the borderlands.

Wearing this amulet can prolong the effectiveness of magic and prayer.

Although this amulet is also named Ancient King, it has no relation to the Stormhawk Ancient King in Stoneville.

This amulet is a tribute to the original King of Elden, also known as the Dragon King. The meaning of "Ancient King" is literally "ancient king".

Because of its special location, he was the one who had to collect this amulet.

Bai Shi accepted the talisman and placed it directly into the talisman pouch, thus updating the talisman.

Although these minor enhancements were no longer enough for Bai Shi, organizing battle preparations was still a pleasure.

Having accomplished yet another goal in Fam Azra, Bai Shi followed Celine Sands back to the Broken Road leading to the Temple of the Beasts.

At the end of the road, a dragon-clad tree guard stood watch at the temple entrance without any slackening.

As a symbol of the Golden Tree Dynasty's transformation from enemies to friends with the Ancient Dragons, a group of warriors were dispatched to the vast Sky City.

In order to protect the Golden Tree, the Tree Guardians, who voluntarily transformed into dragons, were also among them, intending to personally experience the power of the ancient dragons.

Upon seeing Bai Shi and Celine Sangs arrive from afar, the dragon-armored tree guards immediately pulled on their reins.

His orders were: anyone who came near, regardless of who they were, must be stopped.

As he moved, the giant horse beneath him neighed and then suddenly spat out a ball of blazing fire.

Before the fireball could reach its midpoint, a silvery-white blade of light shattered the void, instantly slicing it apart with a whooshing sound.

At the same time, the remaining edge of the blade struck the body of the dragon-armored tree guardian precisely.

The immense force struck, slamming him away and instantly shattering the chains binding his body to his warhorse.

The man and his horse instantly fell backward to the ground, unable to fight any longer.

Bai Shi silently walked along the main road and glanced at the situation of the dragon-clad tree guarding it.

It must be said that this dragon-armored tree guardian is indeed quite powerful; it survived a casual blow from him without dying.

Bai Shi didn't continue to deliver the final blow. After confirming that the injury wouldn't cause him to die slowly, he ignored him.

Passing by the tree guardian, Bai Shi and Celine Sangs entered the massive Beast Temple together.

In the past, countless priests in this temple of beasts offered sacrifices to the ancient dragons day and night, constantly singing praises and worshipping them.

But at this moment, the place is completely empty, and the former prosperity can no longer be seen.

However, this enormous temple of beasts was not empty; a figure draped in a gray robe was still guarding the place.

When she saw that figure, Celine Sanx's eyes widened slightly, feeling a sense of disbelief at his presence.

The figure that appeared before her, though also dressed in standard priestly attire, was completely different in build from the priests she remembered.

The priests varied greatly in strength and were selected primarily based on their faith.

But no matter what, that's all the priests can do.

Even though the high-ranking priests are the strongest and most devout among the beasts, they can only hold out against ordinary ancient dragons for a short time.

Because not all of the more powerful beasts necessarily believe in or follow the ancient dragons; it's quite normal for them to establish their own factions.

However, at this moment, the priests in this Beast Temple are far more powerful than Celine Sangs had ever known about the Beast Priests.

Just by looking at its back, you can tell that it's incredibly strong.

With such a massive size, it could have been called the 'King of Beasts' even among the wild beasts of the past.

While the Beast Kings are incredibly powerful, they also possess the pride of kings and naturally would not become priests.

Therefore, in Celine Sangs's memory, there had never been a beast with such power who became a priest.

Bai Shi took in Celine Sangs's surprise, which was not surprising.

Although one of his public identities is that of a beast priest, his true identity beneath the priest's robes is far from simple.

This is Maricus, Queen Marika's sworn brother and also her shadow beast.

Before everything had settled down, Marika's greatest enemy was the Night-Eyed Queen, who was also chosen by the Finger as a god.

Controlling the god-slaying black flames and wielding the greatsword for hunting gods, Queen Twilight Eyes leads her divine apostles on a grand hunt for gods.

Maricus defeated Queen Night-Eyed and her noble and apostle servants.

—Before his destined death was conceived in his sword.

From then on, at Queen Marika's instruction, he sealed his destined death within his black sword.

As a beast that sealed away its destined death, its name was synonymous with the death of demigods, inspiring their fear.

And it is precisely because they understand what fear is that they are heroes.

Maricus's strength is undeniably formidable in the border region.
-
Sensing the arrival of a visitor, Maricus in the Temple of the Beasts stopped praying to the emblem of the First Golden Tree.

He turned around and looked at Bai Shi and Celine Sangs.

Beneath his grey, coarse cloth robe lay a patch of darkness, shrouded by some mysterious force, obscuring his true appearance.

Upon seeing Bai Shi, a hoarse voice came from the shadowy figure beneath the robes:

"It was you... I really didn't expect that..."

"You... too, have you come here destined to die?"

Maricus still remembers Bai Shi.

Rather, even in his chaotic mind, Bai Shi's existence was quite clear.

During their last meeting, D introduced him to White Knowledge—the faded one most likely to become the King of Elden in this border region.

Maricus recognized Bai Shi's talent and secretly decided to keep an eye on him.

However, as he continued to reclaim the dead roots, his consciousness became chaotic again, and he completely forgot about the matter.

Even a death that separates from a predetermined death becomes completely different after the process of spreading.

Moreover, the power of Predestined Death is not actually Maricus's power; it is only sealed within his black sword that allows him to reclaim death.

Like spoiled food, swallowing the dead root only made him feel nauseous.

Even if his physical body remains unharmed after collecting all the dead roots from the border area, his mind will still be somewhat eroded.

Maricus looked at Bai Shi, never expecting that he would be turned into an enemy before he had even helped Bai Shi on his path to becoming king.

Bai Shi stepped forward, answering as he spoke:

"Yes, naturally I am dying as I am destined."

“Only by bringing death back can this borderland become better.” Bai Shi’s reasoning did not sway Maricus.

Maricus did not know why the borderlands would become better after the return of the dead.

The golden law he followed and offered everything to was the law that banished death.

"how so……?"

Maricus shook his head, and before Bai Shi could answer, he spoke again:

"No, none of that matters anymore."

"He who longs to approach his destined death... the mistakes of the past must not be repeated."

"I will not allow the destined death to be stolen again."

Maricus galloped forward like a howling wind, instantly traversing the long distance within the temple.

His right hand gripped a short sword, the blade of which was made in the shape of the five fingers of a beast, a symbol of wisdom.

The five-finger sword grazed the ground, scattering a string of sparks, and pierced heavily towards Bai Shi.

Bai Shi remained calm and drew his Dragon-Slaying Greatsword. The heavy blade immediately blocked the trajectory of the Five-Finger Sword.

The moment they made contact, the power emanating from the sword made Bai Shi realize that Maricus was extraordinary.

It must be said that, as expected of a powerful figure who defeated the Night-Colored Eye Queen, Maricus is definitely a formidable opponent at the king level.

Compared to Bai Shi, Maricus was utterly shocked.

The last time I saw Bai Shi, he was merely a faded being with the potential to become a king.

But now, Bai Shi truly possesses the power to be called a king.

Even in Maricus's perception, it was no weaker than his own power.

Maricus quickly overcame his shock and launched another attack.

He slammed his left hand down on the ground, the giant claw embedding itself deeply. With a powerful grip, countless illusory beast claws spread out from the ground.

Centered on Maricus, the beast's claws rapidly tore through the ground, relentlessly attacking Bai Shi without leaving any blind spots.

Not only that, when Maricus's claws were pulled from the ground, they also brought with them a huge beast stone formed by magical energy.

Maricus used all his strength to smash the beast stone, which contained immense power, towards Bai Shi.

With almost no interval between casting spells, the two attacks surged toward Bai Shi in parallel.

Bai Shi gripped the 'Dragon Slayer' tightly with both hands, and the blade of the giant sword rose from the ground, soaring upwards.

The beast claws that were flying along the ground were instantly dispersed, and the beast stone was precisely cleaved in two.

But amidst the shattering debris in mid-air, Maricus had already rushed over again and thrust out his five-finger sword once more.

Bai Shi chuckled lightly, then casually raised the 'Dragon Slayer' he had just been wielding above his head, before bringing it down heavily from above.

Faced with a powerful sword strike, Maricus lightly sidestepped and dodged the attack in an instant.

At the same time, he instantly unleashed a barrage of pebbles, which rained down on Bai Shi like a storm.

A storm barrier emerged around Bai Shi, catching all the rubble and obliterating it in mid-air.

Upon seeing how powerful Maricus was, Bai Shi couldn't help but smile.

Even without using the power of death, Maricus has already demonstrated unparalleled combat strength. Just how powerful would he be in his complete form, wielding the Black Sword?
Bai Shi raised his greatsword and took the initiative to meet Maricus, engaging him in battle once again.
-
It was less a battle between humans and wild beasts and more a fight between two wild beasts.

In the close-quarters combat, the already dilapidated temple was completely shattered during the battle.

In the end, Maricus was slammed heavily to the ground by Bai Shi's sword, and his bones made a crisp cracking sound.

Maricus spat out a mouthful of blood, and cracks gradually appeared on the Five-Finger Sword, which could no longer hold up.

Bai Shi walked up to him, carrying the giant sword, and asked calmly:
"Why not use the power of death?"

"But such power is completely incapable of contending with me."

"I don't want to fight an opponent who isn't using their full strength; that would be disrespectful to me."

Hearing Bai Shi's words, Maricus propped himself up and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth.

When suppressed and defeated by Bai Shi, in this perilous moment, Maricus felt neither panic nor anger.

The confusion that had been lingering in his heart was now fully revealed.

The beasts are symbols of civilization, but he is not as intelligent as Seros, who is also a beast.

Maricus couldn't understand why Marika would smash the Elden Ring.
Marika betrayed him, betrayed the vow of the past to make the Golden Tree era last forever.

This is a betrayal of them—all those who, together, shed blood and sweat in hopes of the glory of the golden tree.

Godwin's death was indeed a tragedy, but it was not unacceptable under the Golden Law.

The demigods were numerous and had countless descendants. Maricus even personally executed some of their unworthy offspring on Marika's orders.

Godwin is indeed special, but he is not indispensable.

As long as Marika is here, as long as God is here, the Golden Tree will live on forever, even without an heir.

I can't figure it out; I have absolutely no way of understanding it.

Ultimately, Maricus could only blame himself for everything.

He allowed the theft of the Predestined Death, which led to Godwin's death, and that's what made Marika choose to smash the Ring of Law...

To atone for his past mistakes, Maricus searches for the root of death on the broken borderlands.

By collecting the dead roots born from the escape of death, Maricus swallowed the evil consequences of his mistakes.

He suppressed the distorted 'death' again, even causing him to revert to his beast form.

Now that Marika has vanished without a trace, to whom should the vow to protect the 'destined death' be fulfilled?
Because he wasn't smart enough, he couldn't get the answer.

However, because he was not smart enough, he never forgot his mistakes.

Maricus's breathing grew heavier, as if a thousand wild beasts were tearing at his heart.

And at this moment, what is he wielding his sword for?

From the moment I was born, I have been constantly swinging my sword, swinging my sword, swinging my sword...

What exactly is a sword to him?

Perhaps he had thought about this question before, but never delved into it.

Only now did an answer inexplicably emerge in his desolate heart.

—If I had to name it, it would be the backbone.

For Maricus, the sword was like a second spine.

No matter how painful or confusing it may be...

As soon as he gripped the sword hilt, a strange surge of blood energy would seep out from the cracks in his bones, giving him the courage to continue running wildly until he rotted away.

The scratches left on the sword as it swung and smashed through the bones beneath the iron armor...

The slit left by the sword as it cleaved through the skull beneath the steel helmet...

As long as you hold the sword, it's as if nothing is a problem in front of him.

There is no need to worry about what happens after death.

All his great achievements and despicable deeds were engraved on the sword, saving the need for a tombstone and prayers.

For him, the sword was something of paramount importance.

As the answer to this question gradually became clear in his heart, Maricus's mind, tormented by death and guilt, finally regained its former clarity.

In any case, he is 'Marika's Black Sword'!
In any case, now that he still holds the sword, it is time to fight!

Maricus raised the five-fingered sword, symbolizing the wisdom of wild beasts, high in his right hand and thrust it heavily into his left hand, which was supporting him on the ground.

On the back of his paws, which were wrapped in strips of cloth, was a metal ornament inlaid with a red gemstone, tied with a thick rope.

With a powerful thrust of the five-finger sword, the ornament instantly disintegrated, its fragments scattering due to the immense force.

He hasn't found the answers to any of these things yet, but that doesn't matter.

"Death..."

"Destined death! Become my sword once more!"

A dark red power suddenly erupted from Maricus's body, and the beast that controlled death gripped the sword hilt once more.

(End of this chapter)