The checkpoint had been completely breached and could no longer halt Bai Shi's advance.
A tower built against the rock face came into view. It was the passage leading to Stormveil's main gate.
In front of the tower were ballistas and over a dozen soldiers on guard. This was the last line of defense outside the castle.
After killing the soldiers in his way, Bai Shi charged into the passage to Stormveil.
Halfway through the passage, a Site of Grace emanated a warm glow. Bai Shi lit it.
Here, Bai Shi took out a small jar.
It was a Furlcalling Finger Remedy. Using it would allow him to see the signs left by other Tarnished.
He took some ointment from the small jar and smeared it around his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, a golden sign appeared on the wall next to the Site of Grace.
This was part of Bai Shi's arrangement with Gideon.Once he arrived here, Bai Shi was to touch this sign.
Upon sensing the sign being touched, Gideon's forces would spring into action.
Through a chain of passed messages, all the personnel lying in ambush within Stormveil would mobilize.
The entire castle of Stormveil would be thrown into chaos the moment they began.
Meanwhile, Nepheli and the other warriors would make their way to this Site of Grace, preparing to take down the Fell Omen with Bai Shi.
By the time Bai Shi and his group broke into Stormveil, the chaotic castle would be unable to mount a full defense.
Bai Shi touched the golden sign.
The golden sign began to flash.
Far away in the Roundtable Hold, a Tarnished sensed that the sign had been touched.
He immediately went through a secret passage to Gideon's room to report the intelligence.
After hearing the news, Gideon stood up from his chair and walked to one of the study's walls.
"Bai Shi is moving even faster than I imagined."
"What an impatient fellow."
Gideon smeared the Furlcalling Finger Remedy around his eyes.
Instantly, the entire wall was covered in dozens of densely packed golden signs, becoming visible before his eyes.
Gideon touched several of the golden signs in front of him in succession. These belonged to the Tarnished he had arranged beforehand to lead this operation.
Upon receiving the message, they would notify the Tarnished of the next rank down.
"Go. Plunge Stormveil into utter chaos."
"Then, according to my plan, bring back every book, secret scroll, and piece of intelligence you can find."
The vast organization hidden in the shadows of the Lands Between began to operate in secret.
Gideon had lost track of how many years he had spent cultivating them since the organization's inception, and today, they were finally making a major move.
Gideon was also eager to see just how much they could accomplish.
After doing all this, Gideon sat back down in his chair and resumed studying his book where he had left off.
Now, all he had to do was wait for news.
—
Bai Shi leaned against the wall, waiting for Nepheli and the other Tarnished to arrive.
He didn't know where the Crucible Knight had gone; he had vanished after they entered the passage.
There was no need to worry, though. The team would soon be larger, and they would be even less afraid of a single Crucible Knight causing trouble.
While waiting, Bai Shi gave the Golden Seed to Melina.
Melina quickly turned the seed into another flask.
This time, Bai Shi still chose a Flask of Cerulean Tears. He was still rather short on mana.
Especially when he needed to use the storm to block projectiles and ballista bolts.
Although each block only required a little mana, the sheer number of projectiles and bolts was overwhelming.
Before long, Nepheli was the first to emerge from the Site of Grace.
Seeing Bai Shi, Nepheli walked over and slapped him firmly on the armor.
"We meet again. I'm glad I get to fight alongside you."
Next, several more Tarnished emerged from the Site of Grace. Among them was a familiar face, Sorcerer Rogier.
Rogier said that after they defeated the Fell Omen and entered Stormveil, he would leave the group to act on his own.
Bai Shi did a quick count. Including himself and Erlisa, the team had seven members in total.
The Tarnished Nepheli had brought were quite capable, having been strengthened by a Witch several times.
Nepheli and Rogier were a cut above the rest.
Though none of them could compare to Bai Shi, they were still skilled warriors from the Roundtable Hold.
Bai Shi was very satisfied with these helpers. They wouldn't hold him back at all; on the contrary, they could even provide some assistance.
"Everyone, let's move out."
At Bai Shi's command, the team set out.
As Bai Shi charged out of the tunnel toward Stormveil, the lonely castle on the cliff appeared before his eyes up close for the first time.
Because it was built on a cliff, one could only ever look up at Stormveil, no matter the vantage point.
Thus, Stormveil displayed its full magnificence before them.
Its towering Gothic walls reached into the clouds, layered one after another, circling and protecting the interior.
The tops of the walls were adorned with golden filigree carvings.
A faint, lingering storm constantly swirled above Stormveil, shrouding it in a veil of wind. This was the origin of its other name, the Castle of the Wind's Veil.
Two different kinds of banners hung from the castle walls, fluttering in the wind.
The old, tattered ones were Stormveil's eagle banners, while the newer, more intact ones were the lion banners of the golden royalty's 'Beast Regent'.
Tall, octagonal towers divided the walls into several sections, dotted with countless arrowslits.
Unfortunately, with Stormveil's current strength, it no longer had enough soldiers to man all those arrowslits.
Likely only a few of the slits above still had soldiers stationed there.
At this moment, Stormveil's main gate, a wooden portcullis, was lowered, blocking all entry and exit.
"How magnificent."
Bai Shi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration as he gazed at Stormveil's grandeur.
Stormveil had been spectacular enough in the game, but seeing it in reality was even more breathtaking.
"Magnificent, is it? Then I shall see you buried before this castle."
"You Tarnished, manipulated by the flames of ignorant ambition."
"You shall be executed by me, Margit, the Fell Omen."
A deep voice rang out.
The group looked toward the source of the sound.
On one of the towers along the wall, a tall figure slowly appeared.
He wore a tattered, brown fur cloak and held a giant staff.
His body was covered in thick, grayish-white fur, and from beneath his white hair, gnarled Omen horns protruded.
The newcomer was none other than the one who had blocked countless Tarnished from entering Stormveil: Margit, the Fell Omen.
Of course, Margit was merely the name used by this projection of Morgott.
Seeing that familiar face, Bai Shi felt a wave of emotion.
Morgott was so different from Mohg. They were twins, yet their auras seemed to be complete opposites.
Mohg was sinister and mad, while Morgott looked positively righteous.
But now was not the time to be thinking about that.
Because Morgott had already leaped from the tower, landing with a thunderous crash before them.
Morgott gripped his staff tightly, pointing it at Bai Shi and the others from a distance.
"Who will be the first to die."