Elden Ring: With God Mode Enabled

Chapter 353: An Even More Astonishing Old Man

After dealing with Jori the Inquisitor, Bai Shi didn't leave right away.

First, after confirming there were no stragglers, he picked up the pristine golden greatstaff from the ground.

The Barbed Staff-Spear. That was its name.

Taking it in hand, Bai Shi gave it a quizzical swing.

In the horned man’s hands, it was clearly a staff, and upon gripping it himself, he could feel its faith-scaling properties.

But it had a substantial weight, and it felt perfectly balanced for a swing.

And that name, staff-spear...

So was this thing actually a greatspear?

What a strange novelty, to be able to use a greatspear to cast the tower's incantations.

But on second thought, Bai Shi wasn't all that surprised.

It was just a weapon that doubled as a casting medium. It wasn't that rare, just uncommon in the game.

Bai Shi’s own Sword of Night and Flame could cast sorceries, and the scepter Sir Gideon Ofnir wielded could unleash both sorceries and incantations.

Of course, when that scepter finally ended up in the player’s hands, it was nothing more than a glorified club—a rather amusing downgrade.

Bai Shi raised the Barbed Staff-Spear high, channeling his magic into it and attempting to use its skill.

Through a life of interrogation—a process that pierced his own existence as much as it did others'—Jori's methods had coalesced into a skill, lingering on this instrument of torment.

In the next moment, the dense barbs on the staff-spear lit up one by one, and a continuous stream of golden arcs surged forth.

The sheer frequency of this attack could only be described as an incantation machine gun.

After testing the skill’s power, Bai Shi nodded.

Although Golden Vow was just a basic tower incantation and Bai Shi's faith score wasn't particularly high—not even 40 points—the weapon's enhancement still made it shockingly powerful.

Bai Shi nodded again and put it away.

Another toy for the collection. No, this was actually one of the better faith weapons he now possessed.

But his collection of toys was growing so large... he wondered when he'd ever get the chance to take them all out for a spin.

After dealing with Jori's last relic, Bai Shi looked behind him.

There, a passage built of brick and stone extended from the cliff face.

Judging by its design, it looked like some kind of tomb.

Bai Shi guessed this was likely the proper path down to the valley floor, which they had bypassed by teleporting.

Later, he could go back up through this tomb to see where the other exit was.

But for now, it was time to head toward the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

——

Bai Shi led his small group into the mist-shrouded valley bottom.

Within the fog-filled chasm, traces of frenzy, melted by flame, were everywhere.

Unlike the distinct aura of the Lord of Frenzied Flame, the presence of frenzied creatures was difficult to discern in this environment.

To ensure they cleaned out every last one, Bai Shi chose not to have Lilianna teleport them, instead searching along the path.

However, the valley was quite large. The long journey through such a madness-infused environment was beginning to wear on their spirits.

After some time, Irena's breathing grew heavier.

Although she still had some energy left, she was showing signs of fatigue.

Seeing this, Bai Shi shook his head slightly.

He blew the Spirit Steed Whistle to summon Torrent, intending to let him carry Melina and Irena.

But today, after he blew the whistle, Torrent did not appear immediately as he usually did.

The Spirit Steed Whistle on Bai Shi’s finger trembled twice, then fell silent.

Seeing this, Melina moved to Bai Shi's side and gently shook her head.

“Torrent fears the aura of the Lord of Frenzied Flame. It seems he’s quite frightened.”

Bai Shi raised an eyebrow, suddenly finding it a bit funny.

Torrent was usually fearless, charging into the most dangerous battles without hesitation. Why was he getting spooked now?

Since their relationship had broken through that thin barrier, the two of them were more in tune with each other's thoughts than ever.

As if she could read Bai Shi’s mind completely, Melina explained,

“Don’t blame him. The Frenzied Flame is a terrifying thing. Even a spirit like Torrent can be melted by it.”

“Torrent can ignore ordinary attacks; that is the confidence his spiritual body grants him.”

“But if he were melted by the Frenzied Flame, Torrent would cease to exist, utterly erased from the Lands Between.”

Sighing softly, Bai Shi abandoned the idea.

Torrent had always been a diligent companion. He could have a day off today.

Bai Shi suddenly recalled the Frenzied Flame ending, where Melina retrieves the Spirit Steed Whistle from a pile of ash.

He supposed that in that timeline, Torrent must have been incinerated by the Lord of Frenzied Flame after they had descended into madness.

Bai Shi snapped his fingers, and a gentle breeze wrapped around Irena.

Instantly, Irena floated into the air, flying along at the same pace as Bai Shi and the others.

After a moment of panic, she simply relaxed and allowed the wind to carry her along.

At the same time, Bai Shi turned to Lilianna with some concern.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, is it really okay to bring Irena here?”

“I promised her father I would protect her, and now you’ve brought her to a place this dangerous.”

“If the Lord of Frenzied Flame breaks free of his seal, even I can’t guarantee her safety.”

When they were coming over, Lilianna had teleported them in a hurry without asking.

Bai Shi had originally intended to come alone, or at most with Melina.

The two of them were more than strong enough and were practically invincible against the Frenzied Flame.

Bai Shi himself was a god with his Fengling Yueying system—no need to even pretend—so that went without saying.

And he wasn’t worried about Melina either.

After all, she was capable of hunting down a Lord of Frenzied Flame single-handedly across the desolate Lands Between. Now that her body had been reformed by the Teardrop Chalice, her strength was assured. There was no need for concern.

Unlike this Lord of Frenzied Flame with its faint aura, the one Melina hunted was the one embodied by the player character.

That was a ruthless figure whose frenzy was powerful enough to turn the Erdtree into a torch and melt the entire Lands Between back into primordial chaos.

If Melina dared to hunt a being like that, she was naturally confident.

With the two of them fighting as a couple, and with Ashmi making it a three-on-one, the Lord of Frenzied Flame would have to kneel.

Lilianna coming along was acceptable; fairies were indeed wondrous, and he needed her to lead the way.

But bringing Irena was completely outside Bai Shi’s expectations.

After Irena received the fairy’s legacy, Bai Shi had considered that they might one day fight side-by-side.

After all, with the precedent set by the blue-clothed swordstress, Irena would surely become strong in the future.

But that time was definitely not now.

Irena was still too weak and hadn't fully assimilated the fairy’s legacy.

She had previously described some of the effects of this inheritance to him.

Besides the obvious changes in her appearance, her physical abilities would continue to improve, gradually transforming her into the realm of the extraordinary.

But the current Irena was far from reaching that point.

Her transformation had only just begun. Facing the Lord of Frenzied Flame was far too advanced for her.

Although saying this in front of Irena might hurt her feelings, this was about her life.

Bai Shi couldn't afford to worry about anything else.

Lilianna, however, was completely unconcerned. “Oh, it’s fine. Irena has the fairy’s legacy from me...”

Bai Shi cut her off, retorting,

“I know, the fairy’s legacy is powerful. The Blue-Clad Swordstress used the Flowing Sword Arts to seal a god of rot.”

“But Irena can’t fully wield that power yet, and her own transformation isn’t complete. It’s too dangerous for her to face the Frenzied Flame.”

Irena lowered her head and said nothing.

She wanted to help Bai Shi, too, but she knew he would never feel at ease letting her fight the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

“It's okay,” Lilianna said. “Once you encounter the frenzied flame, you’ll see why I’m so confident.”

“While I can’t vouch for other attacks, as long as I’m by her side, the Frenzied Flame can’t harm Irena.”

“Besides, she isn’t here to fight the Lord of Frenzied Flame. She’s here to secure the seal, and that’s something only she can do.”

Irena lifted her head and spoke in a small voice,

“Yes... what Lilianna said is true.”

“This fairy power is specifically for dealing with the Frenzied Flame.”

“It seems that only I can seal the Lord of Frenzied Flame...”

“I want to be of help to you, Lord Bai Shi, so please allow me to accompany you.”

Bai Shi sighed, still a little worried.

But if sealing the Lord of Frenzied Flame truly required Irena’s power, and Lilianna guaranteed the frenzied flame couldn’t hurt her, then Bai Shi wouldn’t argue any further.

As long as she wasn’t directly involved in combat and had Lilianna protecting her, it should be fine.

Worst case, he could have them hide far away and wait until the battle was over for Irena to come and deal with the aftermath.

After traveling much further, the aura of frenzy grew stronger. Lilianna warned,

“There must be frenzied creatures ahead.”

“I don’t know what kind of things they are, so we need to be careful.”

“Some of those things are very good at ambushes.”

Bai Shi nodded, his senses on high alert.

Just then, he noticed several gray marks on the ground ahead, glowing faintly.

Bai Shi froze for a moment, then hurried forward to inspect them.

He saw that on the ground were three messages left by those who came before:

‘Don’t let that thing spot you...’

‘Once it sees you, there’s no escape!’

‘Why... can’t I touch that thing!?’

Three consecutive messages, their distorted script conveying the terror of their authors.

And a little farther ahead, there was a final one:

“Hide in the tall grass!!!”

The message was wild and twisted; it was hard to imagine what its author had endured.

These were words left from an ancient era, before the Tarnished lost their grace.

So people had come to this valley back then?

It seemed that after the outbreak of frenzy, this place had been left unattended for a long time, long enough for others to venture here.

It wasn't until the influence of frenzy spread from the valley to the surface that the Lord of Frenzied Flame was discovered, and the inquisitors were dispatched to contain and seal him.

Returning his attention to the messages, Bai Shi grew thoughtful.

It seemed the enemy couldn't be touched directly, or rather, those people lacked the means to deal with it.

‘Once it spots you, you can’t escape...’

That statement seemed somewhat meaningless. When a stronger entity spots you, very few can escape anyway.

As for hiding in the grass?

Could it be that the creature had poor eyesight?

With no more useful information to be found, Bai Shi could only shake his head.

After a moment's thought, he turned to the others.

“I’ll go on ahead. You all maintain a safe distance.”

“Even if something unexpected happens, don’t rush over unless I call for you.”

Melina was the first to nod.

She trusted Bai Shi completely and supported whatever he chose to do.

Though Lilianna and Irena were surprised by his decision and a bit worried, they thought of Bai Shi's strength and felt reassured, nodding in agreement.

Ignoring the message’s advice to hide in the grass, Bai Shi walked openly down the path.

The others followed far behind, keeping him just at the edge of their vision.

Before long, Bai Shi saw ‘that thing’ the messages had warned about.

Its head had been replaced by a swollen, tumorous mass of countless glowing yellow eyes of frenzy.

Beneath that colossal head, a gaunt, shadowed body struggled to support the mismatched, ocular cranium.

Upon seeing it, Bai Shi was startled.

No wonder those who came before were so terrified. This thing didn't look like it belonged in the Lands Between.

If anything, it seemed like it had wandered over from a Lovecraftian world like Bloodborne.

The moment Bai Shi spotted the grotesque creature, the countless eyes on its head turned in unison to face him.

Instantly, the frenzied creature’s figure vanished from sight.

Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Shi flashed forward, precisely dodging the staff the monster thrust at him.

As he dodged the attack, a flicker of fire erupted in Bai Shi’s hand, and the flames of the sun burst forth.

However, as the flames engulfed the space, Bai Shi's brow furrowed.

He could clearly feel the fire pass right through the frenzied creature's body, having no effect on it whatsoever.

It’s really untouchable? No, impossible.

There couldn't be something truly invincible in the Lands Between.

If even a common frenzied creature was impossible to hit, then no one could have ever contained the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

This particular type of frenzied creature must just possess some kind of special power.

Just then, as Bai Shi stared into the cluster of frenzied eyes, he heard demented whispers at the edge of his hearing and saw faint illusions flicker in his vision.

So this was the madness buildup.

Bai Shi didn’t panic. He calmly focused his senses on the enemy before him.

Soon, he thought of a countermeasure.

This creature probably had some kind of phasing ability.

His previous burst of flame hadn’t caught the exact moment of its attack, likely allowing it to phase back into its incorporeal state.

Thinking of this, Bai Shi smiled faintly.

So what if it could phase? Did it think it couldn't be hit just by hiding?

He drew the Sword of Night and Flame. Without using any other powers, he swung forward with a simple, unadorned slash.

The Sword of Night and Flame warped space-time ever so slightly, and the frenzied creature had nowhere left to hide.

Even while it was phasing, its massive eye-head was cleanly split in two by Bai Shi’s blade.

A miserable university student encounters a lab report. The experimental principles are shockingly complex, the revisions are monstrously frequent, and it takes every ounce of effort just to scrape by with a victory.

However, the fire is fading, and the update schedule is now but a candle in the wind.