Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 493 The Death of the Dead Prince

After saying goodbye to Platon Sanx, Bai Shi and Celine Sanx flew to a certain place in Fam Yazra.

Originally, he intended to meet the Dragon King and then head directly to the deepest levels of the Roots.

But since the Dragon King has entrusted the entire Fam Azra to him, there's no reason not to take stock of the supplies first.

Since he's here now, he can get a feel for the situation, saving him the trouble of making another trip in the future.

So, following the location given by the Dragon King, Bai Shi quickly inventoried the treasures in Fam Azra.

It must be said that the ancient dragons, as the original ruling race of the border region, were incredibly wealthy.

Anything you pick up is an ancient item that is almost extinct in the border area now, and it is very valuable.

Not to mention those treasured items, which they also considered precious treasures.

What surprised Bai Shi the most was the mountain of ancient dragon rock forging stones piled up in a treasure vault.

In the great battle between the Dragon King and Beile in the past, he was seriously injured, and a great many scales fell off and blood was spilled.

Ancient dragon scales are a rare and precious material with great power; ordinary people can only pick up pebbles from the ground.

As the Dragon King, Platonssons possesses immense power, and his scales have been tempered and refined by the power of time and space, making them even more extraordinary.

Therefore, the forging stones formed from these scales exhibit a slight distortion of spacetime, making them suitable for forging god-killing weapons.

After the war, a small number of these scales ended up in the border area and became rare treasures.

However, the vast majority of the scales were collected by the ancient dragons when they cleaned up the battlefield, waiting for future needs.

Therefore, there are a great many ancient dragon rock forging stones and discolored forging stones in this treasure vault.

—So many that Bai Shi had never seen such a massive number even in the game.

Bai Shi casually estimated the number of ancient dragon rock forging stones piled up here and finally came to a terrifying conclusion.

The forging stones here are probably enough to upgrade all the weapons he has collected since arriving at the border into god-slaying weapons.

However, considering the Dragon King's enormous body, the sheer number of scales in front of him doesn't seem so outrageous.

For him, the few scales that fell off weren't enough to make him bald.

Of course, because of the Dragon King, the best forging stones are plentiful, but other forging stones are still a problem.

Even the ancient dragons, with their vast wealth, would find it difficult to gather the forging stones needed for the earlier enhancements.

Otherwise, they would have made use of these ancient dragon rock forging stones long ago.

The ancient dragons of today have long since declined; they are no longer the rulers of the borderlands and have gradually faded from the stage.

Ultimately, they could only possess such a limited quantity of ancient dragonstone forging stones, unable to fully convert them into the race's military strength.

For Bai Shi, this is not a problem.

Before long, the entire border area will be his, not to mention a few mere forging stones.
-
After briefly learning about Fam Azra's inventory, Bai Shi did not linger and returned to the border area with Celine Sands.

Meanwhile, Maricus had already returned to the border with his knights under Bai Shi's orders.

Just then, Fam Yazra also drifted and floated near Nymgford.

So after Bai Shi and Maricus reunited, the knights who had returned home with him were also well taken care of.

Bai Shi sent Celine Sands to lead the Storm Knights to Stoneville, while he himself took Maricus and prepared to go to the deep roots.

Along the way, Maricus once again donned the disguise of a beast priest and followed closely behind Bai Shi.

Thanks to Maricus's strength, Bai Shi didn't need to wait for him, so the journey didn't take too long.

At this moment, the battlefield where the previous battle took place had been cleared by D, Roger, and the others.

The two of them had already escorted Fia's heroes back to Stoneville.

Before this enormous throne of the dead prince, only that twisted body, radiating deathly aura, lay silently submerged in the water.

Without the support of his followers, the dead prince now appears even more pathetic.

Bai Shi stood before the throne of the Death Prince, deep within the roots of the kingdom, gazing up at his enormous, monstrous body.

At the brow of Godwin's physical body, Torina's purple mist still shrouded him, while Koyatl's soul remained peacefully asleep.

Maricus stood silently behind Bai Shi, his beastly eyes fixed on the enormous alien body, his gaze filled with a mixture of self-reproach and pain.

He only knew of the appearance of the Dead Root and the Deadborn, but he had never come here to see this body blocking the roots of the Golden Tree.

Seeing this twisted and blasphemous figure now tore at his heart even more.

Anyone who has ever met Godwin in the past would recognize him as a reliable demigod, radiating golden light.

Anyone who came would surely sigh at his current state.

For Maricus, this was an absolute sin.

Bai Shi turned his head and spoke softly to Maricus:

"Now, you will witness it for yourself."

"The death that plagued the Golden Tree era will return to its original form."

Bai Shi's body slowly floated up until it reached the front of that terrifying face, and then he stretched out his hand.

As he unleashed his power, the eternal slumber mist that had enveloped Koyater's soul gradually dissipated.

Koyater slowly awoke from his deep sleep, his consciousness returning to normal.

He opened his eyes and saw Bai Shi, still somewhat incredulous.

In his eternal sleep, it seemed as if he had only lived for a moment.

Even looking at Bai Shi, Koyater began to doubt whether he had ever fallen asleep.

Bai Shi looked at Koyater and relaxed a little, then smiled at him.

"Looks like you slept well."

Koyater grinned and replied to Bai Shi:

"Ha... It's only natural that I would react this way without having to face this inhuman body."

"It feels like only a moment has passed, but I didn't expect you to have already found a solution and come back."

"I'm starting to wonder if I'm still dreaming..."

However, when Koyatl's gaze swept down to Maricus, he realized that some time had passed.

Bai Shichong nodded to Koyater, the smile on his face gradually fading, leaving only seriousness and earnestness.

"Well, it's time to end it."

Bai Shi raised his arm, with the black and red 'Destined Death' floating in his palm.

The rune pulsed silently, like a dark rift devouring light, radiating terrifying power.

As the power of destined death began to be released, even the roots of the surrounding golden trees twitched slightly in instinctive fear.

Bai Shi lightly touched the core of the Fated Death with his fingertips, then condensed the Death Rune into a jet-black, ethereal blade. With a flick of his arm, Bai Shi sent the illusory blade of death plunging deep into the body of the Death Prince.

The black flames that had slain the god instantly blazed up, regaining their former majesty.

The black flames spread like a living thing, seeping into every vein of the dead prince's body.

Godwin's body unconsciously opened its terrifying maw, stretching to a point of distortion as if it had no bones, emitting a silent roar of pain.

Koyatl's expression also began to turn somewhat ferocious. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and endured the pain of physical death.

Bai Shi realized this, but was powerless to do anything about it. He could only try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to alleviate Bai Shi's pain.

This physical body has already become part of his soul, and its destruction will inevitably cause him pain.

Only by completely destroying this body can his soul be freed from its shackles and reshaped into a new body.

However, Koyatl displayed remarkable resilience, enduring unspeakable pain without uttering a sound.

It was incredibly fortunate that Bai Shi helped him solve the fundamental problem.

Change is a painful process, like being stripped bare, and this pain can only be borne by him alone.

Maricus, beneath the dead prince, looked up at Bai Shi's back, witnessing all these changes.

As the power of destined death began to invade the massive body of the Death Prince, Maricus suddenly felt some of the pent-up emotions in his heart begin to dissipate.

He couldn't help but look forward to it, wondering if killing this physical body would, as Bai Shi had said, change the current situation on the border.
-
The body of the Death Prince alien began to crumble under the power of its destined death, its swollen flesh collapsing like deflated air.

The foreign flesh wrapped around the bones was peeled away inch by inch, revealing the already decayed pale skeleton beneath.

Those organizations that had been constantly regenerating due to the power of the Golden Tree now completely lost their vitality in the face of 'destined death,' like mud exposed to the scorching sun, cracking, peeling off, and eventually turning into dust.

A hollow cracking sound echoed from the deepest roots, as if countless glass vessels were shattering one after another in the void.

Under the power of the Death Rune, the body of the Death Prince finally met the rightful death that should have come thousands of years ago.

Koyatl looked listless, covering his face with a vacant look in his eyes.

Fortunately, having lost his physical body, his pain began to lessen somewhat.

Next, all that's needed is to kill those dead trees that spread to various parts of the borderland along with the golden tree because they blocked the tree roots, and the story of the dead prince will come to a complete end.

The deaths that spread outwards were also an extension of the dead prince, considered part of his physical body.

Only by completely annihilating them can Koyatar be reborn, and the border region will no longer be plagued by death.

Bai Shichong looked at Koyater, observed his condition, and considered whether to wait for him to rest.

However, seemingly sensing Bai Shi's thoughts, Koyater raised his head and met his gaze.

Although weak, Koyater's eyes shone brightly as he looked resolutely at Bai Shi and said:

"Please continue, I can still manage."

"The most difficult and painful original body has been destroyed, and those that have extended outwards will not be more painful."

"As long as I can return to human form..."

Bai Shi nodded, no longer hesitant, and urged the power of his destined death to extend into the roots of the Golden Tree.

The dead maggots that had clogged the roots of the golden tree were the first to collapse, turning into ashes that scattered in the wind.

The death thorns that covered the border trembled, writhing wildly like burning parasites, before silently turning into dust.

Outside the royal city, the deformed creatures bearing the faces of the dead prince suddenly froze, their pustules drying up and falling off, revealing their original carapaces.

They are no longer vessels tainted by 'death', but have returned to being ordinary wild beasts.

In various parts of the border region, whether deep in the miasma-shrouded forests or in the deep and cold underground cemeteries, the ever-growing number of the Deadborn also sensed the changes.

The deathly power that emanated from the roots of the golden tree began to dissipate, like water without roots, no longer able to sustain its activity.

They are about to return to the peaceful slumber known as 'death'.

Watching his companions, who had just been spiraling through the air or rolling on the ground like wheels, fall apart one by one, a skeleton, following his habit from life, raised his hand and scratched his smooth skull.

As it scratched halfway through, the force connecting its body began to dissipate, and it lay back on the ground, motionless.

They were long ago, dead from an unknown era, their original souls no longer existing within them; all their actions were simply based on their habits and desire for life.

For these reborn beings who rose again from the dead because of their mistakes, death is the best destination.

Maricus sensed the filth he had been unable to purify despite devouring countless dead roots, which was now swept away by his destined death, and a hoarse sob escaped his throat.

He suddenly knelt down, his sharp claws digging deep into the soil:

"So... this is what a proper death is like..."
-
The 'death' spreading across the border was gradually dispelled, and the Shadowlands were not left behind either.

Only after all traces of these deaths were completely erased did Koyater's soul suddenly tremble.

The final connection between his soul and body was severed by the black flames, like a thread stretched to its limit finally snapping.

Bai Shi was prepared. He raised his hand and used the sunlight to create a brand new physical body for him, and then guided his soul into it.

With this, Koyatl was completely free.

Having broken free from the identity of Godwin's divided soul and escaped the imprisonment of the dead prince's body, he was now simply himself.

He's just an ordinary human being, free to live according to his own desires.

The pure human body slowly opened its eyes, and the first ray of light that its fingertips touched came from the sunlight in Bai Shi's palm.

—There is no putrid death, only warm life.

He examined the body that perfectly matched his soul, only to find two warm currents suddenly flowing down his cheeks.

A short distance away, Maricas watched Koyatl's figure and finally felt relieved.

The beast priest's disguise was ripped off in shock, and Maricus witnessed the manifestation of the miracle, instinctively raising his beast claws as if to touch the light of salvation.

Just then, the roots of the golden tree suddenly glowed faintly.

The Returning Tree Passage, which had been blocked for thousands of years, was completely cleared by the Death Rune, and the accumulated, indigestible 'death' receded like a tide.

Golden sap seeped from the crevices of the tree roots, like blood seeping from a scab forming on a wound.

This is the first time the Golden Tree has truly healed since the night of the Black Knife.

The tree-returning system is gradually recovering.
-
At the border, the power of the Golden Tree finally began to recover due to the effect of this clearing.

Without God's guidance, even if there is a recovery, it will no longer be meaningful.

Devout followers of the Golden Tree gathered in the royal city and knelt before the still majestic and imposing tree.

The golden tree was radiating light and exuding vitality like never before...

But for some reason, they felt an overwhelming sense of fear.

The light at that moment... was like a dying person's final burst of energy before death.

Even though they prayed in their hearts again and again, they still received no response.

(End of this chapter)