"Sigh… I never thought the Scarlet Rot would twist a man into sothing like this. Looks like I'll have to be careful too."
Arthur checked his own 100% Scarlet Rot immunity and sighed again as he studied Radahn below.
The general's body was completely encased in golden lion armor—no way for Arthur to implant an Enhanced Philosopher's Stone directly.
After so thought, an idea struck him.
"Luckily, I found this down in the Siofra River."
He pulled a small vial from his pack: Preserving Boluses.
The recipe he'd dug up in the river's depths. It slowed Rot buildup, even cured it outright.
When Arthur first read the description, he had nearly laughed aloud.
If this stuff actually worked on demigods, he'd have force-fed Malenia until she choked.
Why not Radahn, then?
Well—he simply didn't have enough of the dicine to spare.
Still, it had so value: at least enough to clear Radahn's head for a short while.
That was Arthur's goal now.
He hefted a heavy crossbow, floated into position above Radahn—
and aid… on the horse.
The tiny warhorse blinked up at him: Excuse ?! Thanks a lot, pal!
Thanks!
The bolt punched straight through the animal's skull.
Even through the Rot's haze, Radahn loved that horse deeply.
Grief ripped through him. He tilted back his massive head and roared:
"WHO KILLED MY HORSE?!"
Arthur seized the mont, whipping the vial from his robe and tossing it down toward Radahn's open mouth.
"Bottoms up! …Huh? Why does that feel too heavy?"
He squinted just in ti to see—not the dicine, but a crystal stone tracing a golden arc through the air before plopping neatly into Radahn's gaping maw.
Radahn swallowed.
"Crap! That was the Enhanced Philosopher's Stone! The boluses are still in my hand!"
Arthur froze, then slowly realized—
Wait… doesn't this technically count as implanting it inside a living body?
Which ant… he'd already succeeded.
His original plan had been to feed Radahn dicine first, restore his reason, then negotiate.
But sohow, he'd skipped a few steps and gone straight to the finish line.
Still raging, Radahn bellowed, "You damn Tarnished, you killed my horse!"
Arthur stared at the boluses still in his hand.
"…Eh, may as well throw this in too."
Another toss, another clean swallow. He activated the crystal stone's absorption as it settled.
Monts later, Radahn's eyes cleared.
"Where… am I?"
"The Wailing Dunes, behind Redmane Castle."
"…And you are?"
"Arthur. Your sister Ranni's follower."
At her na, Radahn's expression twisted.
"That witch Malenia… she did this to ."
After a brief silence, mory returned to him in a flood.
"So—you ca to kill ?"
"Not quite. Ranni's law is of the stars and the moon. Your gravity magic has sealed the stars, frozen fate itself."
"I see. Then co—face in battle, and grant a warrior's death."
Arthur shook his head.
"Sorry to disappoint. What I need is your life and soul to help Ranni regain her body."
Radahn blinked. "Oh? Interesting. So that's why I feel my strength leaking away. I thought it was just the Rot eating alive."
"You're not angry?" Arthur asked, genuinely surprised.
"Why should I be? You act for Ranni—my most beloved sister. For a brother to step aside for her… isn't that only natural?"
Arthur was struck dumb. Was Ranni living on a cheat-code protagonist script?
Born royal.
Prodigy in sorcery, grasping her own path from her mother's magic.
Cherished by both mother and brother.
Chosen by the Two Fingers as a candidate god.
Only to defy them, stealing the Rune of Death and casting off her flesh to walk free.
Now blessed with a loyal husband-to-be bent on restoring her fully.
(Her husband? Oh right—that's . Never mind then.)
"Tell , how is my sister?" Radahn asked.
"About as you'd expect. The doll's body isn't a good vessel for her soul—she often slips into deep sleep.
The Fingers' assassins, those Baleful Shadows, we've already cut down most of them.
Right now I'm trying to reach Nokron to retrieve the weapon fated to slay the Fingers."
"Ah. Then it makes sense you'd seek . When I die, the stars will flow again, and Nokron will be revealed."
Arthur gave a small nod.
"Well, we've spoken enough. I can feel my power fading. Ti to say goodbye, young one. You've done well—for Ranni's sake.
…Though you bastard, you killed my horse."
Arthur winced. Bro, can we not bring that up? I was this close to squeezing out a tear, and you ruined it.
He watched as Radahn's massive fra slowly crumbled, dissolving into starlit dust.
"Farewell… brother-in-law."
Radahn blinked, then burst into booming laughter.
"Brother-in-law, eh? Hah! You cheeky brat. I should've cut you down where you stood. If you've got the guts, chase after . I'll be watching!"
His laughter echoed across the barren dunes long after his body was gone.
Monts later, the night sky blazed.
One by one, stars streaked across the heavens.
So crashed down into the Lands Between; others burned trails toward unknown horizons.
At Caria Manor's tower, Ranni stirred from her slumber, gazing at the teors.
Softly, she whispered: "Brother…"
In the Grand Library, Rennala lifted her gaze from the amber egg to the sa sky.
"My child… Can you be born anew?"
Across the Lands Between, sane or mad, folk raised their heads to the falling stars.
All except one man—Redmane Castle's commander, General Jerren.
"Wait a damn minute—where's my general? My big, star-shattering general? It's not even ti for the funeral yet!"
He had no idea who killed Radahn. Arthur had swooped in on a broom, gone as quickly as he ca.
Not that Arthur cared. He watched the stars, pocketed Radahn's drops, and departed the barren wastes.
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 30 Chapters Available
patreon/WhiteDevil7554
User Comments
0 comments from readers