The battle between Messmer and Rykard was exceptionally fierce—serpent against serpent, flame against flame—devouring and consuming each other.
However, there was no doubt that Messmer, chosen by Marika as the leader of the Holy War Expeditionary Force, far surpassed Rykard, who was formerly a judge, in combat prowess. Even though Rykard had fused himself with the Blasphemous Serpent to gain immense power, he was still unable to overpower Messmer, who was innately gifted with both serpent and fire attributes.
Moreover, compared to the flames Messmer wielded, Rykard's fire was magical, recreated through volcanic sorcery. In contrast, Messmer's black-red flames were a hybrid of the God-Slaying Flame and the power of the Abyssal Serpent, vastly outclassing the volcanic magic of Mt. Gelmir in terms of essence.
The massive Blasphemous Serpent struggled helplessly, its body covered in wounds inflicted by Messmer's flaming spear. The serpent's natural regenerative abilities could not keep up with the rate at which Messmer inflicted damage.
The God-Slaying Serpent Flame further suppressed the Blasphemous Serpent's regeneration. If one were to identify the most effective counter to the Blasphemous Lord Rykard among the many demigods, it would undoubtedly be Melina, who wielded Destined Death, and Messmer, who possessed the corrupted God-Slaying Flame.
"...O great one who creates gods, controls gods, and slays gods, I swear upon this moment…" The gravely wounded Blasphemous Lord Rykard murmured cryptic words, seemingly praying to some entity. However, this prayer neither empowered him nor alleviated his dire situation. "...I shall surely raise my sword against that so-called Order…"
Annoyed by Rykard's incessant rambling, Messme wielded his spear like a blade and, with a single strike, severed Rykard's sword-wielding hand. The Blasphemous Greatsword clattered to the ground.
"...Not bad… not bad, not bad…" Rykard seemed unconcerned about losing his weapon, continuing to mutter as if he had accomplished something. "Evelyn… let this man… let this man devour the gods…"
Evelyn… Hearing this name, Messmer felt an inexplicable irritation. His left eye socket, long devoid of an eyeball, throbbed with pain. Within that hollow, the long-sealed, long-suppressed Evil Serpent stirred once more.
It was time to end this.
Messmer made up his mind. With the aid of his winged serpents, he leaped high into the air, his spear blazing with intense flames. He struck down, pinning Rykard's massive body to the ground. No matter how the Blasphemous Serpent writhed and struggled, Messmer's grip remained firm.
The Blasphemous Serpent's vitality was astonishingly tenacious, continuing to regenerate even under these circumstances. But Messmer tightened his grip, driving his flaming spear deeper into the earth. Then, from the surrounding ground, dozens of identical flaming spears erupted upward, piercing the Blasphemous Serpent from below and lifting it into the air.
Rykard was hoisted up like a skewered, sun-dried fish. Watching this, Rellana and the other Flame Knights, who were standing by, suddenly felt a sense of familiarity—wasn't this just like a divine beast lion dance?
Rykard's struggles weakened as the God-Slaying Flame on Messmer's spears burned away his very essence from the inside out, rapidly depleting what remained of the Blasphemous Serpent's life force.
"...Child of the Serpent, one day, you will understand… That person… Evelyn will return from the deep slumber of death…" As the Blasphemous Serpent's body was consumed by fire, half of Rykard's enormous face fell to the ground. His indistinct voice echoed through the hall. "...I am not controlled by anything… The serpent is eternal…"
With those final words, the former demigod judge spoke no more. His half-severed head seemed both dead and not dead.
From within the head, tendrils resembling serpentine tongues wriggled meaninglessly, but there was no doubt—Rykard's will no longer resided within.
Frowning, Messmer used his spear to pry out Rykard's Great Rune from within the head. A portion of it had been tainted by the power of the Blasphemous Serpent...
However, Messmer held it in his palm and clenched it tightly. The black-red flames burned away the corruption, restoring Rykard's Great Rune—positioned on the left side of the Elden Ring—to its original form.
Closing his eyes, Messmer then absorbed the Great Rune into his body, allowing it to fuse with the Crucible Rune he had obtained earlier. Though it had yet to be fully activated by the corresponding Divine Tower, it undeniably strengthened Messmer, enabling him to contain even more power.
"Let's go," Messmer said as he opened his eyes once more, addressing his subordinates. "We're heading back. Gaius should have secured the remaining medallion pieces by now. It's time to march to the capital and rescue Mother."
— Scene Break —
After some discussion, Aoko and Touko decided to split up. Aoko would head north to Caria Manor to speak with Ranni, while Touko seemed more interested in the ancient tomes housed in the Carian Study Hall. Thus, she requested permission from Queen Rennala to visit the study hall for research.
Rennala generously granted Touko's request. After all, in a way, Touko was like a godmother to her youngest daughter, so such a small request was naturally permitted.
Incidentally, the Great Rune of the Unborn that Rena held within her was originally given by Radagon. However, he had only bestowed it upon Rennala before he left. Since Ranni had slain her own body and escaped her fate before that event, Aoko had always suspected that this Great Rune was the one Ranni had discarded—later retrieved by Radagon and gifted to Rennala.
But this was merely speculation. Neither Rennala nor Ranni were likely to disclose such details to an outsider like Aoko, so she didn't push the matter further.
After departing from the Royal Carian Academy, Aoko traveled from the northern shore of Liurnia Lake, using the Carian Crest to pass through the magically concealed ruins of the royal domain. There, by a roadside anvil, she spotted the great scholar Iji, engrossed in reading a massive, leather-bound book.
The contrast between the towering form of the scholarly troll and the delicate tome in his hands was so striking that Aoko momentarily hesitated, unsure how to greet him.
"A visitor? Oh…" Iji carefully closed his book, placing it beside his blacksmithing tools. His keen, intellectual gaze pierced through the reflective surface of his helmet as he looked at Aoko, who was clad in Carian robes. "Princess Ranni has mentioned you—the foreign godborn."
"I hope to meet with Princess Ranni," Aoko said, presenting the Carian Crest to Iji. "We have an agreement."
"The crest is authentic," Iji confirmed. "However, you must be cautious. Recently, the manor has been infiltrated by several spies of the Two Fingers."
So that's why he wears that helmet? The technology of the Nox could shield one's mind from the prying influence of the Fingers…
Understanding this, Aoko nodded seriously.
"...I have informed Lady Ranni," Iji continued after a brief pause. "She awaits you in the magic tower behind the Royal Lunar Observatory. Please proceed with caution."