"Finally… it's done."
The Tarnished looked at his completed masterpiece and wiped away nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
After who knew how many hammer blows, his brother-in-law had finally been knocked unconscious.
Then he used several heavy rusted ship anchors to pin Radahn's limbs firmly to the ground.
These anchors were said to be relics left behind by one of the ships that remained when Godfrey departed the Lands Between with the Tarnished long ago.
After all, he had never personally tried to cure Scarlet Rot before.
He had no idea what might happen during the process.
Judging from the noises Millicent made when she used the needle before, the procedure would probably be extremely painful.
So he decided to secure Radahn's limbs first.
Just in case his brother-in-law suddenly woke up and punched him.
However, once everything was finished, a new problem appeared.
"…General Radahn should be fine… right?"
Looking at Radahn lying on the ground—almost indistinguishable from a corpse—the Tarnished hesitated.
Radahn's helmet had already been smashed to pieces.
His face was buried deep into the ground.
His flame-red hair spread across the sand like fire, mixed with blood and fragments of what used to be his helmet.
To shatter a demigod's helmet into fragments across the battlefield…
He was probably the first person in the entire Lands Between to accomplish such a feat.
And he had done it using glintstone sorcery.
Meanwhile, Radahn's beloved horse—the tiny, skinny steed—nudged its master gently with its hooves again and again, as if trying to wake him.
Although Radahn looked like he had been beaten to the point of nearly dropping Runes…
Based on the Tarnished's understanding of him, there shouldn't be any major problem.
After all—
His brother-in-law was the kind of monster who could turn himself into a meteor, smash into the battlefield hard enough to split the earth apart…
…and then casually stand back up and continue fighting like nothing had happened.
Compared to that, injuries like this were nothing.
So according to his reasoning…
Radahn should be fine.
Probably.
"…Forget it."
"Let's just proceed with the next step."
Scratching his head in frustration, he decided to stop thinking about it.
If things went wrong, he could just force-feed Radahn a sip from the Flask of Crimson Tears.
As long as someone wasn't completely dead—
Even if they had one foot in the grave, a single drink could pull them back.
With that in mind, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a large handful of Unalloyed Gold Needles.
A rough count suggested there were at least sixty of them.
This sight left the viewers in the livestream chat even more confused.
Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor:
"Mr. Tarnished… what kind of torture are you preparing now?"
Hu Tao sat in her chair, swinging her pale legs idly as she waited for customers to arrive while watching the stream.
Seeing the massive bundle of golden needles in the Tarnished's hand, she looked puzzled.
At this point, everything the Tarnished did looked like torture to her.
After all—
His previous actions had basically been torture already.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Mmm… I have no idea…"
NorthernNorthernNorthern:
"Ten Great Tortures.jpg"
Otto Apocalypse:
"I don't think that's the case."
"Based on my understanding of the Tarnished, if he truly intended to kill Radahn, he would not have shown such restraint."
"So there must be a reason for his actions."
Aizen:
"Indeed. Mr. Otto's analysis is correct."
Aizen fully agreed.
Based on his investigation, the Tarnished was a man who hated trouble.
If there was an easier method, he would never choose the complicated one.
Unless he entered a certain state—
Only then would he become extremely ruthless toward his enemies.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Eh? Really?"
"Mr. Tarnished was showing restraint?"
Looking at the scene on the livestream, Chika's expression became strange.
Restraint?
Just now he had hammered Radahn's head at least twenty times.
Was that really restraint?
Otto Apocalypse:
"Yes."
"From the battle we just witnessed, he only used a small portion of his power when blocking the meteor."
"The rest of the time he was clearly holding back."
"And judging by the gold needles he has taken out and the hesitant way he's handling them… it appears he intends to use an ancient medical technique from Shenzhou."
"Acupuncture."
Fujiwara Chika:
"Ah! I know about that!"
"In ancient China, doctors would treat patients by inserting silver needles into special points on the body called acupoints."
"After that they would use herbal medicine to help recovery."
"It's a very mysterious medical practice."
Tony Stark fell into thought after seeing the message.
He had heard of traditional Chinese medicine before.
But he had never tried it.
If it really was that miraculous…
Perhaps he should consider it someday.
After all, he had been suffering from palladium poisoning for quite a while.
Fujiwara Chika:
"And even modern science still can't fully explain how traditional Chinese medicine works!"
Suddenly realizing something, Chika excitedly typed another message.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Could it be that Mr. Tarnished is planning to cure General Radahn's Scarlet Rot using acupuncture?!"
Otto Apocalypse:
"That appears to be the most likely explanation."
Otto replied calmly while leaning back in his chair.
He swirled the red wine in his glass and took a small sip.
However—
The next scene in the livestream almost made him spit out his drink.
"Forget it."
"Taking off the armor would be too troublesome. I'll just stab through it!"
Holding an Unalloyed Gold Needle, the Tarnished viciously drove it into Radahn's back.
The brutality of the motion resembled an old palace nanny performing punishment.
Crack.
A faint metallic sound echoed from the armor.
The needle had already pierced straight through the armor and into Radahn's body.
At the same moment—
Radahn's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"ROOOAAARR—!!!"
The roar sounded ferocious.
But this time it carried a tone of agony.
"Relax, relax. It'll stop hurting soon."
The Tarnished patted Radahn's head in an attempt to comfort him.
But the roaring did not stop.
Instead, it became even louder.
This made the Tarnished increasingly irritated.
"You're too noisy. Stop shouting!"
BAM!
He punched Radahn's head.
Radahn's face sank back into the ground, and the roaring immediately stopped.
"See? That's better."
Then he pulled out a second needle and repeated the process.
Another needle.
Another roar.
Another punch.
The cycle repeated again and again.
Needle.
Punch.
Needle.
Punch.
Fujiwara Chika:
"Um… Mr. Otto…"
"Is Mr. Tarnished… really treating General Radahn?"
Not only Chika—
Everyone in the chat now felt confused.
The scene was too brutal to watch.
Was this really medical treatment?
Otto Apocalypse:
"…Probably?"
Even Otto was no longer certain.
The Tarnished's actions were too confusing.
Needle followed by punch.
Was there really such a treatment method?
And although he had heard about acupuncture from Fu Hua, he had never personally seen it.
But one thing he was certain about—
Acupuncture definitely did not work like this.
NorthernNorthernNorthern:
"Murder disguised as medicine.jpg"
As more and more gold needles entered Radahn's body, his roars gradually weakened.
Eventually—
There was no sound at all.
Radahn stopped moving completely.
After inserting the final needle, the Tarnished stood up and jumped down from Radahn's massive body.
He removed the rusted anchors pinning Radahn's limbs to the ground.
Then nodded with satisfaction.
"Looks like it worked pretty well."
At the very least, Radahn was no longer shouting.
He was lying quietly on the ground.
Originally the Tarnished expected to need ninety needles.
But surprisingly, sixty had been enough.
That saved him quite a lot of resources.
Feeling very satisfied, he turned to look at the figure beside him.
Ashmi.
"Hey, Ashmi."
"Do you think these Unalloyed Gold Needles can suppress the Scarlet Rot inside General Radahn?"
"It should work, Master."
"Miss Millicent used the needle to suppress the rot before."
"Although General Radahn is a demigod, you used far more needles."
"So suppressing the Scarlet Rot should not be a problem."
Ashmi spoke confidently.
But she completely avoided mentioning the possibility of accidentally killing Radahn.
To be precise—
She didn't care whether Radahn lived or died.
Even though Ranni and the Tarnished had a close relationship—and Radahn could technically be considered his brother-in-law—
Ashmi only cared about one person.
The Tarnished.
As long as it was something her master wished for, she would do it.
Even if it meant dying.
Because he was her entire world.
"Aaa—aaa!"
A cheerful voice suddenly sounded nearby.
The Tarnished turned his head.
Serolina and Ogha were approaching while holding the small creature.
Before they even reached him, the little creature leaped out of Serolina's arms and landed on the Tarnished's head.
It pulled open his visor with both hands and reached inside to gently touch his face.
"Alright, alright. Stop messing around."
He tapped the creature's forehead lightly.
It wasn't that he disliked the affection.
But the sensation was always unbearably ticklish.
"Master… General Radahn…"
Ogha arrived and saw his former commander lying motionless on the ground.
Even though he had sworn loyalty to the Tarnished, he still cared deeply about Radahn.
After all, aside from their former relationship as commander and soldier—
They had both studied gravity magic under the White King.
The arrow rain technique Ogha used was inspired by Radahn.
"Oh, he's fine."
"He's still alive."
"I've already inserted the needles. With a bit of luck, the Scarlet Rot should be suppressed."
"…!"
Ogha was about to kneel in gratitude when the Tarnished spoke again.
"Wait. Let me finish first."
The Tarnished removed his helmet and smiled at him.
"You've followed me for a long time."
"You know about my relationship with Ranni."
"So if you're thanking me for saving Radahn… there's no need."
"No, Master!"
"No matter what your intentions were, saving General Radahn is a fact!"
"Allow me to thank you on his behalf!"
Ogha's voice trembled with emotion.
It was almost unbelievable that such a rugged warrior was on the verge of tears.
"I told you, there's no need for thanks."
"I have my own purpose."
"And besides…"
"General Radahn has already woken up."
Ogha immediately turned around.
He and the Tarnished looked toward Radahn.
"…Ugh…"
A deep groan echoed across the desert.
The massive body—like a small mountain—slowly began to move.
Radahn pushed himself up from the ground.
His fiery red hair hung messily over his face.
Even so, his rough and powerful features were still visible.
Radahn held his forehead with one hand, frowning as if in pain.
The small horse beside him whinnied happily when it saw its master awaken.
It immediately ran beneath him and once again became his mount.
Despite having only been freed for a short time—
It willingly returned to carrying Radahn.
That loyalty…
Impressive.
"…Thank you… my friend."
Radahn instinctively used gravity magic to lighten his own weight.
Then he gently stroked the horse's dry mane.
After that, he looked around at the surroundings.
"…Where… am I…"
Radahn's mind was in chaos.
His memory was still stuck at the moment when he had ordered his soldiers to build the burning barricades to stop the Scarlet Rot.
Then he had commanded Jerren to hold the festival that would kill him.
And finally he had exiled himself to the battlefield.
But judging from the ruined landscape and the distant Redmane Castle on the verge of collapse—
A long time had clearly passed.
How long?
A hundred years?
A thousand?
He could not tell.
But at least…
His companion was still beside him.
"Yo. You're awake."
Radahn suddenly heard a voice.
He looked toward it.
Three figures were approaching.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"…Tarnished?"
Seeing the young man in ancient silver armor, Radahn recognized him immediately.
But he did not move to attack.
Instead, he fell into thought.
So the First Lord had already brought the Tarnished back…
Then his gaze shifted to the other two figures.
The woman was clearly a Finger Maiden.
Though her condition looked strange.
"General Radahn…"
"…Hm?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Radahn turned again.
"…Ogha?"
But after seeing Ogha clearly, Radahn seemed to understand.
"…Ogha. So you have already died."
Radahn's voice was heavy but calm.
He had expected that possibility long ago.
Since he himself was still alive, it meant…
Radahn briefly examined the condition of his own body.
Then he looked at the Tarnished.
"…Tarnished. Did you save me with Miquella's needle?"
"Not exactly."
"I only used Unalloyed Gold Needles."
"…Why?"
"Your kind seeks to become Elden Lord."
"Why didn't you kill me and take my Great Rune?"
Radahn paused suddenly.
Realizing his words sounded rude.
"…My apologies."
"No matter the reason, I must thank you."
"Thank you."
Radahn lowered his enormous head.
"Don't worry about it."
The Tarnished waved his hand casually.
"I only helped because of my relationship with Ranni."
"And I also have my own purpose for coming here."
"…I see."
Radahn suddenly burst into laughter.
A loud, heroic laugh echoed across the battlefield.
"Very well."
"If it is for Ranni…"
"I know what must be done."
As his words ended—
Purple lightning began to swirl around Radahn.
Even stronger than when he had summoned the falling stars before.
…Ranni.
My sister.
So you truly intend to walk that dark path.
A faint smile appeared on Radahn's lips.
The violet lightning grew brighter.
At the critical moment—
It erupted into a beam of light that shot straight into the sky.
The remaining crimson clouds scattered.
The night sky rippled like a curtain being pulled aside.
The seal on the stars had been broken.
The gears of fate began turning once more.
One star.
Two stars.
Then countless meteors streaked across the sky, painting brilliant trails across the eternal night.
"…My student."
"You defeated General Radahn and returned the stars to the sky."
"Thank you…"
Deep beneath the ruins of Waypoint Ruins, Sellen stepped out from her underground chamber.
Looking up at the stars, she murmured softly.
At that moment—
One star suddenly deviated from its path.
It streaked across the sky and crashed into the distant land of Limgrave.
Blinding white light split the darkness.
The thunderous impact echoed throughout the Lands Between.
The path to Nokron, Eternal City had reopened.
Far away, deep within Carian Manor, inside a magical tower—
Ranni slowly opened her eyes from her long slumber.
Looking at the stars moving once again, she whispered softly.
"…My brother."
"You have finally met your fate."
Her eyelids lowered slightly as if she were thinking.
"…It does not matter."
"I will carry your fate with me."
"…Together we shall walk that eternal path of darkness."
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