"Something feels off," Touko furrowed his brows and stared at the warring Starscourge Radahn. "His vitality is gradually decreasing, but his soul's power keeps surging."
Hearing this, Aoko also carefully observed Radahn's condition. The current battle situation was as follows: the towering veteran General Gaius was acting as the main tank, while the half-wolf Blaidd, the leader of the Knights of Miquella, Leda, the Tarnished and the Albinauric's bow-mounted cavalry were seizing opportunities to deal damage. The Finger Maidens were providing support and healing.
Logically, as Radahn's vitality waned, he should have been growing weaker. However, the reality was quite the opposite. Instead of weakening, Radahn was becoming increasingly berserk, his strength growing ever greater. If not for Aoko constantly reinforcing General Gaius with supportive buffs, the veteran might have already collapsed.
"Why is this happening?" Aoko pondered in confusion. "Radahn's will to survive seems incredibly strong. Wasn't he seeking a battle glorious enough to end his painful existence?"
Although Radahn had become wildly aggressive, the warriors who had withstood the trials of battle were gradually adapting to the Starscourge General's combat rhythm. At the very least, the coordination between Blaidd and Tarnished was becoming more seamless—they supported each other whenever the other was in danger, dealing heavy damage to Radahn.
Aoko did not doubt that Radahn would eventually fall to these warriors. However, she saw no need to exert her full strength, as it was unnecessary.
Most of her attention was focused on the Knights of Miquella, led by Leda. Aoko had a gut feeling that these people had some dubious plans. However, as long as they did not interfere with the interests of her allies, she had no intention of meddling.
In other words, as long as these unfamiliar figures did not attempt to harm Aoko's allies, she would not act against them. That was the lowest threshold she was willing to set.
Radahn, now covered in blood, took a direct thrust from General Gaius but retaliated by cleaving both the veteran and his mount into the air. At the same time, Tarnished's Carian Glintstone magic struck Radahn once more, dealing another devastating blow and stripping away a large portion of his vitality.
At that moment, the Golden Needle Knight Leda, who had been lingering at the edge of the battlefield, seized the opportunity. Light burst forth from her longsword as she leaped high into the air, driving her blade deep into Radahn's back. Immediately after, dozens of golden phantom swords, formed from the power of prayer, erupted from Radahn's left chest like a peacock unfurling its tail, destroying the demigod's heart from within.
The enraged demigod spun around, swinging his colossal sword in a desperate arc, forcing everyone back. Mustering the last vestiges of life in his body, he raised his gravity-infused greatsword and brought it down upon the fallen Golden Needle Knight, Leda.
But, as with every story that must reach its conclusion, the strongest demigod had finally reached his end. Before the strike could land, Radahn's body froze in place, locked in his final pose of battle-fueled rage—standing before them like an eternal, immovable statue.
"He's dead." General Gaius gazed at his fallen brother-in-arms, sighing deeply. From within his helmet, his voice echoed with a heavy solemnity. "A warrior's life has met a noble end..."
But just as Gaius was mourning his brother and the others were tending to their wounds and recovering their strength, four Miquella Knights—including Leda—each took out a talisman and positioned themselves around Radahn's corpse. A massive, pure-golden prayer formation materialized beneath the demigod's body.
At first, the others assumed that the Knights of Miquella were purifying Radahn's body, which had been tainted by the Scarlet Rot. However, as an expert in soul-related matters, Touko immediately saw through their true intentions.
"They're guiding Radahn's soul," Touko whispered into Aoko's ear. "Someone else must be using this spell in tandem with them... to receive the guided soul elsewhere."
What was going on? Aoko frowned. What were these Knights of Miquella trying to do? Wasn't Miquella himself currently cocooned in Mohgwyn Palace?
What did they want with Radahn's soul?
Could Malenia have sent them? That didn't seem logical...
Aoko scrutinized the knights before her. They had not harmed any other participants of the Festival of Combat. They had done the opposite—they had sacrificed most of their comrades, bravely taking the vanguard in this brutal battle, absorbing much of Radahn's devastating attacks, and playing a significant role in the fight.
Thus, Aoko had no reason to interfere with their actions. She had no idea where Radahn's soul would naturally go after death—perhaps to the Tombstone Plains of the Shadow Realm, or maybe to a resting place meant only for demigods. Either way, it had nothing to do with her or Touko.
As Radahn's death became final, the stars in the sky, once frozen, resumed their motion. A vast meteor shower stretched across the heavens. All those attuned to Glintstone magic instinctively looked up, sensing a newfound strength coursing through the lands between. Their spells were subtly, yet undeniably, changing.
One particularly massive meteor, trailing the brightest light, plummeted into the western lands of Caelid. Even from this distant battlefield, the warriors could hear the immense impact.
While most were mesmerized by this celestial phenomenon, Leda and her Knights of Miquella quietly vanished from sight.
Aoko's sharp instincts caught this detail immediately. She suspected that someone from afar had used magic—or perhaps some other means—to extract them swiftly from the battlefield. Were they worried that the remaining warriors might turn on them?
"Huh?"
Tarnished's surprised voice rang out. He held something in his hands, burning with a fierce flame. "Is this...?"
"Leda didn't take the Great Rune..." Aoko mused. "Which means it holds no significance to her faction."
This wasn't particularly surprising. Neither Touko nor Aoko had any interest in the Great Runes. General Gaius, as an Albinauric lineage, and Blaidd, a sworn knight of Ranni, also had no desire for this volatile artifact.
"You take it," Aoko nudged Tarnished. "Didn't you promise Melina that you'd become Elden Lord? If so, the Great Runes are a necessity."
Tarnished hesitated for a moment before nodding, offering a polite word of thanks to Aoko and the others. Then, he absorbed the Great Rune's power into himself.
However, to fully activate its strength, he would need to journey to the top of the Divine Tower of Caelid. It seemed he had plenty of work ahead of him.