"Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?!"
"That's the Ancient King!"
The sword-wielding Banished Knight was baffled by his companion's actions.
They both knew it was the Ancient King, and they had just paid their respects.
Why raise a weapon right after bowing?
"Of course I know that's the Ancient King. Why else would I bow?"
"But I am still Lord Godrick's subordinate. Betrayal is something I cannot do."
With that, the halberd-wielding Banished Knight took a defensive stance.
"My apologies for the offense, Lord Ancient King."
"If you wish to proceed, you must first defeat me!"Bai Shi stepped forward.
He had anticipated a situation like this.
After all, not everyone thought the same way.
The era of the Stormhawk King had long since ended, and the Ancient King was now but a lingering soul unwilling to fade away.
It was unrealistic to expect every Banished Knight to submit on that basis alone.
The Ancient King was not angered by the Banished Knight's impudence.
On the contrary, he felt gratified.
My knights, no matter where you are, your loyalty has never tarnished the name of the storm.
The Ancient King told Bai Shi not to kill him.
But even without the king's request, Bai Shi had no intention of taking the Banished Knight's life.
Besides, once Godrick was dead, the knight would fall under his command sooner or later.
And so, Bai Shi drew his twin swords and moved to engage the Banished Knight.
............
The halberd-wielding Banished Knight lay spread-eagled on the ground, while the sword-wielding one sat beside him.
He had been defeated, utterly and completely.
In both martial skill and the power of the storm.
His martial arts were not the best among the Banished Knights of Stormveil; he was not even as skilled as the man with the sword beside him.
Being overpowered wasn't a surprise, as he was actually renowned among his peers for his command of the storm.
But when he swung his halberd and summoned a tempest, the resulting breeze was effortlessly extinguished by Bai Shi.
Today, he had finally witnessed a true storm, and he had seen how laughable his own had been.
"So strong... he is truly worthy of being chosen by the Ancient King."
"If they can defeat Lord Godrick, I will surely pledge my loyalty to him."
The sword-wielding Banished Knight shook his head.
He and the man on the ground had grown up together; they were the closest of friends.
He knew his friend had a one-track mind, but he never expected him to raise his weapon against the one chosen by the Ancient King.
"First a descendant of the Stormhawk King, and now one chosen by the Ancient King himself."
"I wonder if the Storm Dynasty can truly be restored."
The man lying on the ground spoke up.
"It will be. That descendant of the Stormhawk King last time was too weak, which is why he was captured."
"But the lord who has come this time is exceptionally powerful. I have felt it firsthand."
The sword-wielding Banished Knight sighed.
"Ah, I hope so. Otherwise, if this keeps up, we Banished Knights will surely be taken as sacrifices for grafting."
—
Hakan swung his sword with all his might, shattering the spear of a Godrick soldier.
He followed up with a kick to the soldier's chest, knocking him to the ground.
Without delivering a finishing blow, Hakan turned to call out to the Tarnished behind him.
"Let's go!"
Several young Tarnished scrambled to follow Hakan.
The most conspicuous among them was a young woman with bright, golden curls, wearing a vivid, dark red cloak.
She was being protected by the other young Tarnished, her youthful face still etched with terror. Hakan led the group, weaving chaotically through the castle.
Hakan didn't know where he was running, but he knew they had to keep moving.
Otherwise, the soldiers would quickly surround them.
'Dammit! I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then!'
Hakan cursed his past self, but not for a moment did he consider abandoning the Tarnished behind him.
Hakan stayed at the front, avoiding contact with the soldiers as much as possible to keep from being bogged down.
But as more soldiers poured in from all sides, the space to maneuver grew smaller and smaller.
Eventually, Hakan ran head-on into a squad led by a Godrick Knight.
Under normal circumstances, Hakan wouldn't have shied away from a fight.
But now, with a group of burdens in tow and only a scavenged weapon, a direct confrontation was impossible.
Hakan stood protectively in front of the Tarnished, urging them to retreat.
He needed them to get some distance so he would have room to move; otherwise, they would just block his path.
Roderika, in her dark red cloak, obeyed Hakan's command, turning and running back with all her might.
But she collided with something and nearly fell backward.
A large hand grabbed her, steadying her before she could fall.
She looked up, about to thank the person who had caught her, but her face instantly turned deathly pale.
The one holding her was a Banished Knight!
"Ah—!!"
Hakan forced the Godrick Knight back and quickly glanced behind him.
His scalp tingled. Another Banished Knight had appeared.
A wolf in front and a tiger behind. It seemed this was the day he would meet his end.
It was a pity he wouldn't live to see Bai Shi become Elden Lord.
Hakan had truly wanted to see the prosperous new age he had described.
Hakan raised his straight sword and charged toward the nearest Godrick Knight.
If he had to die, he was taking one of them with him!
But a fierce gust of wind roared past Hakan.
The upper body of the Godrick Knight and the two soldiers beside him were instantly shredded, leaving only six legs to topple to the ground in a heap.
"Hakan!"
A familiar voice called out.
Hakan looked toward the source of the sound, which had come from the Banished Knight holding Roderika.
Hakan couldn't believe it. He cautiously ventured a question.
"Bai Shi?"
—
The newcomer was indeed Bai Shi.
Just a moment ago, a group of people had suddenly appeared in their path.
And that iconic "Little Red Riding Hood" was too conspicuous to ignore.
Bai Shi guessed that Roderika, whom he hadn't found earlier, was among them.
The group's route was surprisingly identical to theirs, always staying just ahead of them.
They had even drawn the attention of many soldiers, which had been a great help.
After some thought, Bai Shi decided to pursue them alone.
Since their paths were the same, Nepheli and the others would catch up eventually.
He never expected that he would not only confirm that "Little Red Riding Hood" was Roderika, but also run into a familiar face.
After Roderika screamed, the person at the head of her group had glanced back, and that single look had left Bai Shi stunned.
Leading the group was none other than Hakan, the first living person Bai Shi had met in the Lands Between.
He had no idea why Hakan was in Stormveil.
Nor did he know why Hakan had teamed up with Roderika.
But it was clear Hakan was about to fight the Godrick Knights to the death.
Without a second's hesitation, Bai Shi unleashed a Storm Blade, annihilating the knights in front of Hakan and calling out his name.