In the distant Royal Capital, Morgott placed a hand on the thorns of refusal covering the Erdtree, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he received a message from his projection in Stormveil.
The projection he had left in Stormveil had been killed.
"A Tarnished..."
"To possess such strength... It seems Godrick is in danger."
Moreover, that Tarnished even possessed a fragment of the shackle from long ago...
Morgott remembered having returned to the sewers to dispose of the fragments of both his and Mohg's shackles.
Why did that Tarnished have a fragment, and why did they specifically use it in battle?
It was as if they knew it was specifically meant to counter him.
Did they know something?Morgott fell into deep thought.
If that Tarnished had truly pieced something together from clues, it would be disastrous.
His identity as an Omen was Morgott's greatest secret.
Aside from a very select few who had been rewarded for their meritorious service, and his own brother Mohg, no one else knew that the 'Grace-Given King' was an Omen.
However, that was not the most pressing matter at hand.
With his projection defeated, the path to Stormveil would be wide open for the Tarnished.
Although Stormveil's defenses were formidable, fully equipped with all manner of siege weaponry.
But Morgott knew that they would be no match for the Tarnished who commanded the storm.
They could simply use the storm to deflect attacks; the castle's defenses would be unable to harm them.
As a descendant of the true Golden Lineage, Godrick could not be allowed to die so easily.
Not to mention, Godrick held the anchor of the Elden Ring.
The anchor of the Ring was of paramount importance; it could not fall into the wrong hands.
That was why, even after Godrick established himself in Stormveil and performed the ritual of grafting, Morgott had not punished him.
He had not even recalled the projection sent to protect Godrick, leaving it to guard Stormveil's gate and, incidentally, to keep an eye on Godrick.
Unfortunately, the Tarnished had still broken through.
He had to take measures immediately to try and save Godrick.
And so, the 'Grace-Given King' issued a command.
The falling leaves of the Erdtree carried the message, relaying the order of the King of Leyndell.
Limgrave
The Tree Sentinel patrolling outside the Fringefolk Hero's Grave looked up toward the Erdtree, then immediately hefted its golden halberd and spurred its steed toward Stormveil.
Altus Plateau
The Night's Cavalry, who patrolled in the shadows around the capital, gathered their forces. From the Altus Plateau, they prepared to ride out to various parts of the Lands Between.
The soldiers of Leyndell, too, acted on the orders, expanding their patrol areas. Any sign of a Tarnished was to be reported immediately, with attempts made to capture or kill them.
Having done all this, Morgott walked to the side of the throne.
On one hand, he had sent the nearest Tree Sentinel to aid Godrick.
On the other, his personal guard, the Night's Cavalry, would begin actively hunting Tarnished throughout the lands.
Morgott did not sit on the throne. He merely rested a hand on its back and gazed into the distance.
"Father, the Tarnished have been returning to the Lands Between for some time now. When will you finally come back?"
In truth, with Morgott's power, he was perfectly capable of reclaiming the Great Runes from some of the demigods.
But Morgott had no intention of taking the other demigods' Great Runes for himself.
He was an Omen, the most reviled of beings in the age of the Erdtree. He should not lay a hand on the Elden Ring.
Morgott was merely acting as the regent King of Leyndell out of necessity.
For this reason, he would never overstep his bounds.
Even if most of the demigods were disobedient traitors, only Godfrey, as Elden Lord, had the right to punish them.
Morgott was waiting, waiting for his father, Godfrey, to return.
When that time came, the title of 'Grace-Given King' would no longer be needed.
For the Lands Between would once again fall under the rule of the First Elden Lord, Godfrey.
***
A massive amount of runes flowed into Bai Shi's body, yet he was not happy.
Morgott's strength was still formidable. Even though Bai Shi had faced him head-on the entire time, Morgott had still found an opportunity to kill two Tarnished on the spot.
As for the one in heavy armor who had been sent flying first, he was only grievously wounded.
The group rested at the Site of Grace for a while, fully recovering from their injuries, then walked toward the great gate of Stormveil.
The massive, grated wooden gate remained closed.
A head peeked out from the small gatehouse to the side.
The man's face was gaunt, his withered hair plastered to his scalp. He was practically skin and bones.
He wore a strange expression.
"Hey, you're Tarnished, aren't you?"
"Impressive, truly. To think you could defeat that 'Fell Omen'."
"But I want to give you a piece of advice. Strong as you are, the main gate is not to be trifled with."
Bai Shi glanced at him. This was Gostoc.
In the game, he would steal the player's runes upon death in Stormveil and would also lock the player in a dark room to get beaten.
To be honest, Bai Shi didn't think much of it; they were just 'little easter eggs' that added to the game's charm.
But Bai Shi simply disliked the man.
Because after Godrick was defeated, Gostoc would run out and stomp on Godrick's head.
If he had at least helped in the fight, it might have been understandable; after all, who knew what grudge he held against Godrick.
But he offered no help during the battle, only running out afterward to desecrate the corpse, acting as if he'd been the one to kill Godrick.
Such behavior was rather disgusting.
Gostoc continued:
"The main gate won't open, but I know a side path..."
"That doesn't concern you."
Bai Shi interrupted him coldly.
He had no business here now. They didn't even need him to open the gate.
Everything had already been planned by Gideon and Bai Shi.
Gostoc had the sense to say no more. After all, this group had just killed the Fell Omen.
Gostoc watched Bai Shi's party quietly, waiting to see how they would open the gate.
Bai Shi walked to the main gate. From within the castle, he could hear the clamor of shouting.
It seemed Gideon's people were proceeding smoothly.
As planned, Bai Shi shouted at the gate:
"Ensha! Open up!"
Ensha was currently sitting quietly on a wooden crate in a small room, with corpses scattered casually at his feet.
Hearing Bai Shi's call, Ensha walked to the winch in the room and pushed the heavy mechanism.
"Rumble—"
The seemingly impregnable main gate of Stormveil was opened from the inside.
Gostoc's face turned deathly pale.
The small room that controlled the gate mechanism was directly above his own gatehouse.
The floor of that room had a large hole in it, and Gostoc could usually see the guards stationed there from below.
But the guards in that room had died without a sound.
Gostoc looked up, and his gaze met Ensha's skeletal helm.
Gostoc's legs went weak with fright, and he slumped against the wall.
Bai Shi paid Gostoc no mind, leading his group straight into Stormveil.
Next, he had to kill Godrick as well before the 5x rune buff expired, and then take control of all of Limgrave!