Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 443 Corruption Determination

Bai Shi looked at Malenia, who had transformed into the goddess of corruption, and felt some indescribable complex emotions in his heart.

In the end, Bai Shi could only sigh helplessly.

Malenia's determination to fight corruption in the past was still ruined by Michaela.

It was obvious that in the past, Michaela had contributed the most and cared the most to cure Malenia's innate corruption.

But now it has become like this...

The holy tree, the pure gold, all of Michaela's past efforts to help Malenia fight corruption had completely vanished.

Michaela, how long will you continue to indulge in that unrealistic dream?

For that false happiness, he even abandoned his sister who had desperately sought a cure for him.

Even if we wake Malenia from the sacred tree, what can we gain?
When a broken mirror is put back together, the image it prints out is bound to be full of cracks.

Not only did he lose everything he had, but even everyone around him became a sacrifice.

Yet even so, he could not become God.

Michaela knew that Bai Shi had completely destroyed his plan.

Even if he recruited countless followers, even if Marenia became the goddess of corruption, even if the king who was responsible for guiding him was released...

Even if Michaela put everything on the line, there was absolutely no chance of success.

If he had realized early on that he was doomed to fail and brought Marennia back to the Holy Tree, he could at least have lived a stable life like before.

But Michaela was still escaping, still immersed in the beautiful dream of talking to herself.

This look is too ugly and too unbearable.

The road to hell is often paved with 'good intentions' and 'beautiful dreams'.

The thing that almost turned this junction into a hell on earth was his dream of turning it into a 'paradise'.
-
The corrupt butterflies picked up Romina and took her away from the battlefield under the instructions of Marlenya.

Romina's broken body has been repaired and even restored to human form, leaving only the features of a bud and a butterfly.

Those giant insect bodies are hidden inside her body and will only be summoned out when she needs them.

Containing the essence of divinity bestowed by the Goddess of Corruption herself, the Bud Saint is on the same level as the Scarlet Valkyries.

Marennia bent down and picked up the sanctified sharp prosthetic knife again.

Thanks to the special sanctification ritual, the prosthetic sword will never fall into corruption and can still be wielded by her.

But the clothes could not withstand the rising corrupt power, and now she could only fight naked.

But that wasn't a big deal in Marenya's opinion.

Her body was so ugly, infected with corruption, that no one would be interested.

In the past, she had to cover it with clothes, but now she accepted even this ugly body.

After replacing the prosthetic knife back into the slot on the prosthetic hand, Marennia looked up at Bai Shi.

Bai Shi did not attack again until Malenia put Romina down.

This attitude surprised Marennia. She wondered what this powerful king was thinking.

As the hilt of the ancient iron meteorite sword fell heavily to the ground, Bai Shi slowly opened his mouth and asked Marennia a question:
"Did you know there's a girl called Millicent in the Junction?"

Marennia hesitated for a while, feeling inexplicably puzzled by the sudden calming of the battlefield.

However, she did not reject the communication. She half-clenched the prosthetic knife in her hand and had no intention of attacking in a hurry.

Marennia shook her head and answered seriously:
"No, I don't."

"I have no impression of the name you mentioned. I have never heard of it."

Bai Shi nodded slightly, not surprised by the answer.

Although I know the ending is certain, this may be the last chance to convey that will.

At least Millicent's will and call should be responded to, right?

So Bai Shi looked at Marenia and began to tell the story of Millicent:

"That was in the past, when you bloomed scarlet flowers in the Ionian swamps."

"That time, you were not engulfed by corruption, but the power of corruption still showed through."

"For unknown reasons, five girls related to you were born in that scarlet swamp."

"They are connected to your bloodline, so they were used and cultivated as the Scarlet Valkyries to accompany the Goddess of Corruption."

Bai Shi paused, and continued to speak calmly:

"One of the five is the girl I mentioned named Millicent."

"She inherited your Flowing Water Sword Technique, and also your will to fight against corruption."

"Millicent refused corruption, even cutting off her sword-wielding right arm, and she still does so today."

"She heard your whispers as you faced the scarlet corruption, and she has always hoped to return to you the will you once had, and the self-esteem you had as a human being to fight against it."

Bai Shi had no emotions mixed in, nor did he have any opinions on the matter. He just told Marennia the fact.

Bai Shi just felt that she should know about this.

Marennia listened quietly to Bai Shi's story without saying a word.

When the battlefield returned to silence, Marenia looked up and said with mixed feelings:

"...Is this so?"

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Even if I have given up on my persistence, there are still people who keep moving forward.”

“I hope she can complete the journey I haven’t completed yet.”

"Without the constraints of other factors and with the guidance of a king like you, she should be able to make it."

Marennia raised her head and said with great regret:

"It's a shame I didn't have the chance to meet her before."

"She is the real 'person'..."

"You became a complete person before me."

If she had known this before she became the Goddess of Corruption, Malenia would probably have been extremely sad.

Because if she had to transform into the goddess of corruption and her strong will was aroused, it would be even more painful.

But now she will not feel sad about it, she will only wish Millicent the best.

Malenia did not fall into the corruption of the goddess, but chose another heroic path.

Corruption will continue to expand and erode unconsciously, but the corrupt goddess will not.

Malenia has a human mind and can lead corruption to its knees.

Then the scarlet corruption that had infested the border areas without restraint in the past might be brought under control, and swamps like Ionia might also be reclaimed by her.

Corrupted creatures also have the opportunity to reduce friction with other creatures and even live peacefully under the same sky.

In addition to her devotion to Michaela, Malenia also found another reason to transform into the Goddess of Corruption.

Marenia looked at Bai Shi standing proudly in the air without lowering her head.

"Although her will is so dazzling, I am not a fallen person who has lost my dignity."

"In the midst of the corruption that I hated so much in the past, I found lives that were equal to me and that I had ignored."

"The meaning of my life has changed. Countless lives have become closely connected with my destiny. I no longer live only for myself and my brother."

"The bloom of the past is the sin that has emerged from my body, and I will redeem it with all my heart."

"But this blooming is different. This will be my new life."

“Corruption needs to be curbed, and that is something only I can do.”

"Please bear witness to what is to come - bear witness to my determination as the goddess of corruption."

Bai Shi looked at Marlenya, feeling the will in her words, and his mood suddenly improved a lot.

"Is that so? That's fine."

At least Malenia made her own choice. She is not a puppet who lives just for Michaela, but has her own ideas.

Although they embraced corruption, it was still better than being driven without any personality or dignity.

This was probably the first time that Malenia had a love that belonged only to her.

Although he chose another path, he is already an existence that is equally worthy of being called a human being.

Looking at Malenia in front of him, Bai Shi couldn't help laughing, and then locked his gaze with her body with even more unconcerned sharp eyes.

Now that Malenia is no longer confused, no longer caught between love and pain.

Now, she is an opponent who deserves to be taken seriously, without any need for pity or lamentation.

The two men understood each other tacitly and raised their weapons to face each other from a distance.

The battle begins again.

Bai Shigao raised his arms, and the red thunder of Thunderbolt gathered in his hands.

Lightning flashed rapidly through the air, flying straight towards Malenia, burning the decayed smell in the air into a burnt smell.

It was merely a tentative feint, but its power was beyond the reach of ordinary ancient dragons.

When Marennia saw the terrifying lightning coming towards her, she did not retreat but advanced instead.

After accepting the corrupt power, Malenia's power was completely broken through, and she reached the same state as Bai Shi.

Driven by the wings of corruption, she approached Bai Shi again at a very fast speed.

Marennia walked straight towards the dragon lightning, and when she was about to be hit, she spun in the air and dodged easily by brushing against the scorching lightning.

Even the speed and path of the rush were hardly affected.

Instantly approaching Bai Shi, the prosthetic knife in Malenia's hand swept towards Bai Shi's chest.

Bai Shi calculated the distance between the blades and stepped back gently, but unexpectedly, Malenia immediately stopped moving the knife.

She turned around, raised her right leg high above her head, and kicked at Bai Shi's head in mid-air.

Under that fierce kick, even the air was caused to create distorted ripples that were visible to the naked eye.

Bai Shi raised his left arm to block the attacking prosthetic foot.

This move is extremely powerful. Once it hits, even Bai Zhi can't pretend that nothing happened.

The meteorite armor and the pure gold prosthetic foot collided with each other, making a harsh collision sound and causing a ring-shaped explosion in the air.

Under the enormous power coming from the external gods, Bai Shi's figure was slightly pushed back.

There was a sharp look in Bai Shi's eyes. He shook off Marlenya's prosthetic foot with his left hand, and then turned around and grabbed the leg with his backhand.

The ancient iron meteorite sword in his right hand pointed directly at Marlennia's body without mercy.

With her right foot grabbed, Malenia's whole body was lifted up by Bai Shi, with her legs spread apart and hanging upside down in the air.

Although the posture was a bit indecent, her movements were not affected at all.

As Marlennia drew her sword to meet the greatsword, she used the force of the collision and the flapping of her wings to move her body again.

The other leg found the right direction and attacked the arm that was controlling her body with Bai Shi.

Seeing the 'Xianfeng Kick' coming at him again, Bai Shi had no choice but to let go of his hand and block the kick instead.

Since Malenia's strength leapt to that of the Goddess of Corruption, you can no longer ignore her attacks like before.

Freed from the restraints of Baizhi, Marennia's body quickly turned back to its original shape in the air, gracefully waiting for the next opportunity to attack.

Feeling the changes in Malenia, Bai Shi gradually became excited.

There is no point in fighting the weak, and such a crushing will bring nothing.

The only thing he hopes to see is to fight against and win against a strong person of equal strength.

The current physical strength of Malenia has surpassed that of Bai Shi in this form, and is approaching his other form of physical close combat.

Looking at the distance between the two people, a magic wand appeared in Bai Shi's hand for the first time.

It was a stone staff with a giant blue pyroxene growing on the top, containing exquisite mysteries that could not be understood by mortals.

Luther's pyroxene staff, a powerful staff that can only be wielded by those who have come into contact with the wisdom in the stone.

This also means that Bai Shi has to use the most powerful move in this form.

While Bai Shi was constantly increasing the distance, a huge amount of magic power was rushing into the staff and condensing at the top.

At the same time, a huge ritual also spread from the bottom of the staff and unfolded in the air.

The realm unfolds - the realm of magic.

Seeing Bai Shi's actions, Marennia immediately felt something was wrong and chased after him at a faster speed.

An illusory corrupt butterfly flew out from behind her, locking onto Bai Shi's position like a tracking missile, and quickly flew forward with a light pink corrupt force.

Those butterflies that contain the power of the Goddess of Corruption cannot be treated simply. Once they explode around Bai Shi, they will definitely interrupt the magic power he has condensed.

And Bai Shi naturally took this into consideration.

Since this form's physical state is poor, it will naturally struggle in battle.

With his level, it is now fully capable of casting several spells and praying at the same time.

Four illusory guardian spirits summoned by prayer appeared behind Bai Shi, arranged in sequence.

The guardian spirits opened their mouths and howled silently.

The deep and ancient dead souls rushed out of their mouths, as if opening the gates of hell.

In just a moment, the overwhelming ancient dead souls covered the sky like dark clouds, colliding and disappearing in the air with the butterflies separated by Malenia.

Thick scarlet petals emerged from all around Malenia's body, wrapping her up as she rushed out of the dense crowd of resentful souls.

As Baizhi gathered magic power, tiny crystal fragments scattered in the air were barely noticeable and remained in the air.

And at this moment, Malenia is already trapped in it.

The crystals transmitted magical power like a network, and a huge black hole appeared where the crystals were surrounded.

The supreme magic from the Eternal City—Eternal Darkness.

The location where it is generated is the space centered on Malenia.

A huge force came from the eternal darkness, pulling at Malenia's body and making her unable to move.

Although it was only a momentary restriction, it was enough for Bai Shi.

The accumulated Comet Azr burst out from the top of the staff and turned into a huge meteor that was clearly visible throughout the Shadow Land.

The comet with a diameter of tens of meters was surging, and Malenia's figure was easily submerged.

White consciousness maintained the flow of the comet until the vast amount of magic power was completely drained.

As soon as he rested, Bai Shi took out the holy grail bottle of blue dew drops blessed by Rune, ready to restore his magic power.

But before Bai Shi's hand could reach his mouth, the armor was suddenly pierced through from behind by Marlenya's signature piercing move.

A blood-stained blade pierced through Bai Shi's body and stabbed out in front of him.

Corruption rose, and countless corrupt butterflies gathered together, and the figure of Malenia appeared behind Bai Shi.

At the same time, the life force in the flesh and blood also surged along the blade, rapidly repairing Malenia's body.

Most of her body was evaporated by the comet, and only about 20% to 30% was left.

But what was inside that body at this moment was not the fragile organs and flesh of the past, but the squirming scarlet corruption.

Because of this body made purely of corruption, Malenia endured attacks that should have completely destroyed her.

Coupled with this move of re-condensing the body that was close to instant teleportation, even Bai Shi was caught off guard and successfully ambushed by this unprecedented move.

Bai Shi calmly drank the dew drops from the Holy Grail and turned back to smile at Marlenya.

"Do you like to absorb life force?"

"It doesn't hurt to inhale a little more..."

Watching Malenia's body recovering rapidly, Bai Shi broke free from the blade and turned to face her.

On his left hand, a ball of extremely solid fire was no longer suppressible and exploded close to Malenia's body.

(End of this chapter)