Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 400: Bernal the Rebel
Bai Shi walked out of the room, put his hands on his hips and began to think about his next move.

He is not an unkind person. The other party has genuine feelings, which is worthy of recognition.

And you have to know that even if he was swallowed by the undead snake, Lacard is still Lani's second brother, and also his uncle.

But there was no way to discuss the matter of Daluun.

When you fight Lacade later, ask him briefly before the battle.

If he can still understand what people say and hands himself over, I can let him go.

It seems that I still have to find a way to see Lakkad myself. Fortunately, it probably won’t take long.

Shaking his head, Bai Shi put the matter aside for the time being.

But looking at Tanis's current condition, he always felt that Patch would not be able to succeed as he wished.

Bai Shi walked down the stairs and planned to look for Bernal.

There is no special purpose. We just came to the Volcano Residence and wanted to meet someone we know.

After all, he was a rare acquaintance at the border and someone with whom I had fought side by side.

As soon as he walked down the stairs, Bai Shi saw Laya with her ear pressed against the wall, listening carefully to something.

"Laya? What are you doing?"

Laya was startled by Bai Shi and turned around quickly.

"Ah! No, it's nothing."

Laya fiddled with the corner of her clothes in a panic, and came forward to change the subject:

"Mr. Bai Shi, you have met Lady Tanis."

"How's it going? Did you join the Volcano Residence successfully?"

Bai Shi smiled at Laya and replied:

"Well...some incidents occurred and our communication was not very smooth."

"And for some reasons, I probably won't join the Volcano Residence."

"However, Lady Tanis doesn't mind me staying here to visit."

"So I'll probably be a guest here for a while."

Laya felt a little regretful that Mr. Bai Shi did not stay in the Volcano Residence.

She really hoped that Bai Shi could stay, because there were not many people like him who would treat her sincerely and gently.

"Ah...how could this happen?"

"It is clear that Lady Tanis has always longed for a powerful hero..."

"How about I talk to her about love later?"

Bai Shi smiled, reached out his hand and touched Laya's head.

"Haha, no, that's not necessary."

Tanis was eager to leave as soon as possible, fearing that the Volcano Residence would be razed to the ground by him.

If Laya told Tanis again that she wanted her to stay, she might have a heart attack.

Bai Shi was still rubbing Laya's head, making her hair a little messy.

As if to change the subject, Bai Shi said to Laya:
"By the way, take me to see Bernal."

After hearing Bai Shi's idea, Laya quickly put aside her regret and returned to her job.

"Well, then I will continue to lead the way for you."

"Please continue following me."

Laya lowered her head and escaped from Bai Shi's clutches.

Laya walked excitedly in front, leaving Bai Shi with only her back.

Looking at Laya who was walking in front and leading the way diligently, Bai Shi touched his chin.

We still need to pay more attention to Laya's matter.

If Tanis had told Laya on her own initiative, it might have been better than for her to discover the deception herself.

But this is hard to say. After all, this life experience may be a little difficult for Laya to accept.

And judging from the situation, Laya has obviously discovered something just now, and has probably begun to explore the secrets deep in the Volcano Mansion.

If Tanis had acted later, Laya might have collapsed and despaired just like in the game.

Bai Shi will not stay in the volcano for too long, and he hopes to resolve the issue peacefully during this period.
-
Bernal, wearing a full set of beast armor, sat alone in the dim banquet room.

He was leaning on the heavy World-Devouring Scepter, and no one knew what he was thinking.

It was not until Laya opened the door that some light came into the banquet room.

"Mr. Bai Shi, please come in."

After Bai Zhi entered, the door closed again and the room returned to darkness.

Seeing Bai Shi walking into the hall, Bernard was not surprised at all and took the initiative to greet him:

"It's you, long time no see."

"I roughly guessed it when I felt the pressure just now."

"…You have become stronger again, and a lot stronger."

Bai Shi smiled and sat naturally on a chair around Bernal.

"It's been a long time indeed."

"It has been quite a while since the battle festival."

"It's just that I said at the time that I wanted to come to the Volcano Residence, but I didn't expect to be free until now."

Bernal looked Bai Shi up and down.

The last time we met was at the battle festival in Gaileed.

At that time, Bernal had fought side by side with Bai Shi, and he knew his approximate strength.

At that time, Baishi was already very powerful.

Even at the last moment, the battle festival turned into a one-on-one duel between him and Latan.

However, for Bernal, although his Bai Zhi was strong at that time, it was not yet to the point where he was completely unable to contend with it.

After all, facing Latan, he was not much worse than him and could kill a few people.

But now, even though we said it's been a long time, a lot of time has passed.

However, the improvement in strength cannot be achieved in such a short period of time.

Although he was unarmed and not wearing armor, the pressure that Bai Shi brought to Bernal was terrifying.

Especially the pressure just now, even he who was merely affected felt uneasy.

Therefore, Bernal already knew clearly that the strength of the two was no longer in the same dimension as in the past.

While being amazed, Bernal couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

The faders of later generations far exceeded what he and Vic had imagined in the past.

If you want to become a king, you must have such courage and strength.

Instead of being like these two guys who are neither high nor low...

Bai Shi had no idea what Bernal was thinking, after all, his helmet covered his face tightly.

Bai Shi just asked casually:
"You should know why I'm here, right?"

Bernard nodded and said calmly:

"Big Rune, this is the only possibility."

"It seems you have already met Tanis...but the conversation probably didn't go well."

"From what I know about her, she will definitely not give in."

Bai Shi leaned forward against the table, crossed his fingers and placed them in front of his lips, and asked:
"Well, what do you think?"

Bernal did not meet Bai Shi's gaze, but lowered his head slightly to look at the World-Devouring Scepter, or rather, he was actually looking at some other illusory thing.

After thinking for a while, Bernard said:

"I think...Raccard really needs a decent ending."

"I will help you and take you to find Lakkad."

"Give me three days, and I will take you to where Lakkad is."

Bai Shi looked at Bernal with some surprise.

Although I had thought about finding Lacard through Bernal, I didn't expect that he would take the initiative to bring it up first.

"Is it okay?"

"You are still from the Volcano Residence, right? Why did you bypass Tanis and take me to find Lakkad?"

Bernal's sight seemed to pass through his vision and saw the shadow of the official residence in the flickering firelight.

"The Volcano Residence collapsed long ago."

"It's just that Tanis is still dreaming about that unrealistic dream, so I decided to continue taking care of her for Lakkad."

"Now that you're here, Lakkad is doomed to die, and the Volcano Residence is doomed to come to an end."

"I don't mean to say anything more. The law of the jungle is our rule."

"From the moment he plunged into blasphemy, Lakkad should have been mentally prepared for a bad end."

"I will bear the responsibility of the oath I made in the past to rebel against the Golden Tree."

"As for those blasphemers... there is no need to consider them. After all, they did not come here for that ideal at all."

There was no emotion in Bernal's tone, and it was obvious that he did not have a good impression of those rebels.

"Seizing the power of others and making it your own is the purpose of the rebels hunting their fellows."

"Originally, the rebels rose up to protest against the evil order that forced them to kill each other." "But in the end, they became the most superficial predators."

“…How ridiculous.”

"Participating in blasphemy will only lead to a bad end."

After saying this, Bernal smiled self-deprecatingly.

"But I have no right to say that."

"After all, I knew the outcome, but I still embarked on the path of blasphemy..."

Bai Shi looked at Bernard silently, and suddenly asked:
"Then, the former quasi-king, one of my predecessors..."

"Why did you embark on that blasphemous path?"

Bernal felt a little dazed as he heard the distant name, as if he had returned to the time when he first started his journey.

Quasi-king... that title that he had longed for and was so proud of in the past.

But now, this title is no longer necessary...

Now, all he needs is a bouquet of the cheapest flowers and a glass of the lowest quality wine to commemorate the past.

After a moment's silence, Bernal sighed.

Since Bai Shi is curious, there's no harm in talking to him about it.

After all, in the current border area, he no longer has anyone he can call a friend.

"In the distant past, I was guided towards the position of King Elden."

"I made a vow - I will not hear, see, or feel lost, but will only move forward on the path I have decided to take."

“At that time, the goal of becoming king was everything to me, as if I was born for this.”

“I thought I could give up everything for this…”

Bernard was silent for a long time before he spoke again:
"But I was wrong, when my witch burned meaninglessly in the flames..."

“I just realized that I’m actually a weak person.”

"I can't let go of my feelings, but I don't have enough strength to protect them."

"That fire burned away all my ambitions."

"The things that once excited me faded and no longer reflected even a little bit of light."

"And so they are reduced to thin, empty outlines."

"When I mention them, I feel hoarse and speechless."

"I have become a true fader."

"Not only did I lose the blessing like them, but I also lost everything I fought for in the past."

"I have given up my ideal of becoming a king, and the rest of my life is only about revenge."

"After that, I came to the Volcano Mansion and embarked on the Road of Blasphemy in order to raise my sword and knock down the Golden Tree."

In contrast to the tragic story, Bernal's voice was extremely calm, as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him.

But Bai Shi knew that he had never let go of the past.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be accumulating strength at this moment.

When Lacarde raised the banner of rebellion, it was only to claim the legitimacy of his actions.

In essence, he didn't care about the slogan, nor did he care about the demigods fighting each other.

However, only Bernal took it seriously.

Even Bernal actually knew that even Lacard was just a name.

But so what, what needs to be done has not changed.

His fate was indeed manipulated by the golden tree, and he drank the poison called dreams.

Clearly being guided and moving forward, but in the end it was meaningless.

He could not be king, and witches were burned.

Not only him, but Vic's fate was the same.

The golden tree gives guidance, yet rejects everything.

The two men who were once revered as quasi-kings are now just losers who share the same suffering.

After slowly recounting his life of ups and downs, Bernal stood up.

He stared closely into Bai Shi's eyes, as if trying to find the answer from them.

"What kind of world do you desire?"

"Are you going to continue the Golden Rule? Or are you going to destroy it and replace it?"

Facing Bernal's question, Bai Shi answered very seriously:
“There is no need to continue the radiance of gold, for the sun shines brighter.”

"I am destined to burn the golden tree and recast all the laws of the past."

"When that time comes, the border area will usher in a truly glorious era of life."

"I can't promise more, but it must be a peaceful world where everyone can smile from the bottom of their hearts."

Bernal stared into Bai Shi's eyes, then slowly knelt down on one knee.

"I believe you have the power to do it."

"I took the path of blasphemy in order to raise my sword against the golden tree and strike it down."

"It's not because I attribute everything that happened to me to the Golden Tree."

"It's because I feel hopeless about this world being controlled by gods."

"I believe you can achieve that great cause, so I am willing to be your strength."

"To me, all reputations and means are no longer important. As long as I can see an era better than the Golden Tree..."

Bai Shi looked at Bernard and couldn't help but think of Tanis's comments on the rebels in the Volcano Mansion:
Heroes walking on dirty and unclean roads always shine so brightly──
I don’t know what they were thinking to come to such a strange conclusion.

But Bai Shi believes that it is not because of the dirty and unclean roads that heroes are made...

But for the ideal in their hearts, some people will step into it without hesitation, even if it is a dirty and unclean road.

They were already heroes before they embarked on that path.

So even if walking on such a terrible road, a hero is still a hero.

Bai Shi stood up and said solemnly to Bernal:

“I like a saint who is flawless, but I like a warrior who admits his brokenness even more.”

"Because I'm only human."

"The sun will not reject any shadow that turns to the light, even if he has been soaked in blood."

"Soak up the sunshine, and I hope you can regain your knightly ways."

Bernard lowered his head. This was the only thing he had a clear conscience about.

Even when he devoured his fellow men to gather strength, he only did that against those who rebelled against the law.

"The way of chivalry always remains in my heart, and I dare not forget it for a moment..."

Bai Shi drew out the Sword of Night and Fire, gently placed it on Bernal's shoulder, and accepted his allegiance.

Since the other party firmly believes that he can create a new era, Bai Shi will not let him down.

At this moment, Laya's scream was heard outside the room.

Bai Shi nodded to Bernard and left a few simple words:
"Then I will come to see you in three days."

"When that happens, it will be the time for the Volcano Residence to come to an end."

"Before that, you still have enough time to say goodbye to your past life."

Then Bai Shi quickly walked out of the room to check on Laya's condition.

Bernal raised his head and watched Bai Shi's figure leave.

What will the future look like?
-
After Bai Shi left for a while, Bernard slowly stood up and walked out of the room, heading deeper into the corridor.

In the dark corridor, a lonely soul knelt in front of Lakkad's portrait.

This is the last of the Gmir Knights.

Bernal stood in front of him and took a look at the portrait of Lacade.

After sighing silently, Bernard turned to the knight's soul and said:

"You can rest in peace."

"I have found someone who can bring honor to Lakkad."

"Although Lakkad is not recognized as a king by the Golden Tree, he was once the Fragment King after all."

"His destiny is to die at the hands of a true king."

"He was deserted by his friends and was killed by his own knights. If anyone tells others about this, he will be laughed at."

Bernard raised the glass and slowly poured the wine in it in front of the knight's soul.

The high temperature of the Volcano Residence caused the wine to evaporate rapidly, and the glory of the past seemed to gradually emerge in the mist.

After a brief moment of haziness, it dissipated again with the mist.

Beside the last Gmir Knight, many souls that had become so blurred that they could no longer maintain their physical form slowly emerged as if being called.

In the mist of the soul, obsession and wish blended together, giving them the last bit of time.

"Is this so..."

"That's great."

"Please allow us to witness and participate in our king's final battle."

"That is... to end the war of the undead."

(End of this chapter)