Elden Ring: With God Mode Enabled

Chapter 359: The Sun, Descends!

Bai Shi’s expression was grim as he stared at the sun of Frenzied Flame hanging high in the sky.

He thought he had been taking the Lord of Frenzied Flame seriously enough.

From the very start of the battle, Bai Shi had kept the Lord suppressed, preventing him from unleashing his full potential.

But he had never imagined the man would be even more tenacious than he expected.

Not only had he secretly rekindled the flame in the valley to gather strength and summon his servants the moment he appeared.

But just now, he had seized a fleeting opportunity to play all his hidden cards.

After reabsorbing that power and restoring his frail body, the Lord of Frenzied Flame before him had reached his absolute peak.

In an instant, the tables had completely turned.

Recalling the Lord of Frenzied Flame’s comeback, Bai Shi couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

The Lord of Frenzied Flame couldn’t possibly have known about his Fengling Yueying; using the old inquisitors to redirect the attack had been a complete bluff.

He was still too used to being frugal. His tendency to always seek the optimal solution had cost him a golden opportunity.

Now, the renewed blaze of the Frenzied Flame was irreversible. Bai Shi decided to survey his surroundings.

In a corner of the valley, a protective barrier, shrouded in shimmering light and utterly out of place, remained intact.

Seeing that Irena and Lilianna inside had not been touched by the spreading Frenzied Flame, Bai Shi felt a sliver of relief.

At that moment, the Lord of Frenzied Flame spread his arms in the air. The colossal sun of Frenzied Flame above his head pulsed as if it were breathing.

Realizing he was preparing to expand the flame’s range again, Bai Shi and the others immediately took action, trying to stop him.

Bai Shi raised his Sword of Night and Flame high, aiming it at the fiery sun in the sky.

The neatly arranged glintstones on the blade lit up one by one as magic poured into them, azure power gathering at the sword’s tip.

Once the magic was fully charged, a deep blue torrent of comets shot straight into the air, like a river of stars defying gravity.

Beside him, the dragon lightning hurled by Ashmi and the Black Flame unleashed by Melina followed in quick succession.

Not to be outdone, the Lord of Frenzied Flame sent a downpour of frenzied flame from the sky, raining down upon the earth like a meteor shower.

Against the canvas of a twilight sky scorched by frenzied flame, brilliant colors intertwined.

In the end, the sheer volume of the Frenzied Flame overwhelmed the trio’s attacks.

But as a price for his counterattack, the Lord of Frenzied Flame’s plan to spread the flame and draw more power had also been thwarted.

Seeing the large-scale advance of the Frenzied Flame contained, Bai Shi finally stopped channeling magic into his blade.

That high-output skill had nearly drained his magic reserves.

With a swing of his Sword of Night and Flame, a roaring blaze erupted from the blade.

He soared into the air, preparing to continue his dogfight with the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

With how things had developed, Bai Shi was already mentally prepared to activate Fengling Yueying’s Super Damage at a moment’s notice.

The Frenzied Flame would stand no chance against the ultimate strike enhanced by Fengling Yueying.

However, the precedent of Mohg being saved by the Formless Mother made Bai Shi aware of the small possibility that his attack could miss.

The old inquisitors could teleport within the Frenzied Flame’s domain; if the Lord of Frenzied Flame had a similar ability, it would be disastrous.

He needed to find another opportunity, then get in close and obliterate the Frenzied Flame with his system’s power.

This time, he had to ensure the Lord of Frenzied Flame was erased without a single trace.

As he flew toward the Lord of Frenzied Flame, Melina and Ashmi continued their relentless feints.

Bai Shi, meanwhile, retrieved a Flask of Cerulean Tears from his dimensional disc.

But instead of drinking it immediately, a golden light flashed in his hand as a massive amount of Runes were infused into it as a blessing.

Only after completing the enchantment did Bai Shi drain the flask in one go.

The effect of the enhanced tear was extraordinary; a single flask instantly and completely restored his magic.

The Lord of Frenzied Flame was already wielding his greatsword of eternal punishment, diving from the heavens to meet Bai Shi.

In a flash, the two clashed once more, their sharp blades rapidly tearing into each other’s bodies.

Bai Shi felt the significant increase in his opponent’s strength, his brow furrowing.

The power the Lord of Frenzied Flame had gained from igniting the valley had not only replenished his earlier losses but had made him even stronger.

Now, in a direct physical confrontation, he could only barely maintain the upper hand.

Seeing Bai Shi’s wounds heal in an instant yet again, the Lord of Frenzied Flame decisively unleashed the power from his core, creating distance between them.

As the Lord of Frenzied Flame unleashed his core power once more, a tremor of unease ran through all three of them.

Although none of them had been hit by it yet, no one dared to test its might.

Realizing Bai Shi’s regeneration was heavily influenced by the Minor Erdtree, the Lord of Frenzied Flame pointed a finger.

The next moment, countless enhanced streaks of scouring Frenzied Flame shot out from the fiery sun, aimed directly at the Minor Erdtree within the manor.

No one present had the spare energy to block the attack, nor did they intend to. They focused on dealing with the flames emanating from the Lord's core.

Having replenished his strength, the Lord of Frenzied Flame used this core power with even more reckless abandon.

Under the dense barrage of scouring Frenzied Flame, the manor that once held Middla and Nanaya's happy memories was mercilessly blasted into oblivion.

Middla's manor was now a thing of the past, melted and incinerated into a blazing ruin within the Frenzied Flame.

The Minor Erdtree within was naturally unable to escape, and it was immediately engulfed by the flame, twisting and dissipating into primordial magic.

Seeing the Minor Erdtree destroyed, Melina once again gathered her magic to coalesce another.

Even though she knew that as soon as she summoned it, the Frenzied Flame would target it again, Melina still tried.

Even if it only served as a decoy to draw fire, it would be beneficial to their current situation.

However, as the Frenzied Flame spread, there was less and less ground for a Minor Erdtree to stand on.

——

In the burning valley of Frenzied Flame, the rippling barrier of light was the last bastion of purity.

Irena knelt, her hands clasped tightly, praying ceaselessly for the others.

This terrifying battlefield was completely beyond anything she had ever imagined.

Right now, she was so frightened her legs had turned to jelly.

Lilianna pressed against the protective shield, her eyes fixed on the battle.

The Lord of Frenzied Flame was unimaginably powerful, especially after replenishing his strength.

Lilianna sighed faintly in her heart.

There just wasn’t enough time.

If only Irena had a little more time to complete her initial transformation, she could have joined the fight.

With the protection of the lake’s light, the influence of the Frenzied Flame would be reduced to an imperceptible level, and the damage it dealt would be greatly diminished.

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do now; they couldn't even project their power through the Frenzied Flame that filled the valley.

All they could do was trust in Bai Shi and the others.

Suddenly, Irena saw something materialize beside her through her fae-like eyes.

Looking closely, she realized it was a snake—a red snake with wings.

The snake only had the front half of its body, the rest fading into the void, indicating it was merely an illusion born of some power.

Yet, within the Frenzied Flame, the snake's phantom form looked precarious, seemingly in pain.

Seeing it wasn't far from her, Irena tried to extend the lake's light to cover it.

The Frenzied Flame clinging to it was immediately extinguished. The winged serpent’s verdant eyes noticed this small act of kindness.

What Irena didn't know was that a golden eye was watching this place from a great distance.

——

Far away, beneath the Scadutree, the Shadow Keep stood proudly.

This was a highland with a view of the Scadutree to the northeast, and Messmer's army was stationed here, centered around the Shadow Keep.

The massive commotion from the valley was too immense to ignore, having set the entire vast basin ablaze.

Such a huge disturbance would be noticed immediately, no matter how reclusive one was.

Inside the grand menagerie, Messmer was currently covering his right eye, his consciousness transmitted to the illusory body of his winged serpent.

The searing heat of the Frenzied Flame made both him and the serpent very uncomfortable.

Not only that, but the flame was causing the illusory body to verge on dissipation, blurring his vision.

But to investigate the situation within the flame, he had to endure it for now.

Fortunately, even with his blurry vision, the sun of Frenzied Flame hanging in the sky was unmistakably clear.

Looking at the iconic sun of Frenzied Flame, Messmer couldn't help but frown.

"The Lord of Frenzied Flame... is it?"

Messmer fell into deep thought, his long fingers resting on his chin as he recalled everything he knew of the past.

Before long, Messmer managed to retrieve information about the valley.

The valley... yes, there was indeed something unusual about that place in his memory.

Just after his mother had reached a tentative consensus with the horned people, they began constructing churches everywhere to spread the faith of the Golden Tree.

But the church in that valley was sealed off by the horned people for internal reasons before it was even completed.

Connecting these thoughts, understanding dawned on Messmer.

So it was because of the Lord of Frenzied Flame back then that the entire valley was designated a forbidden zone?

After the Holy War, Messmer hadn't sent anyone there.

After all, even before the war ended, his army was already beginning to buckle under immense psychological pressure. And at the war’s conclusion, when this land was sealed off and exiled, there was no longer any need to explore the valley.

So, the Lord of Frenzied Flame’s seal must have been broken...

With this thought, Messmer prepared himself for battle.

The Lord of Frenzied Flame was the very incarnation of the Frenzied Flame—the epitome of madness and despair.

No living being could coexist with such a creature. There could only be a war to the death.

Just then, Messmer felt a gentle power envelop the winged serpent's illusory body, driving back the Frenzied Flame.

As the flame was dispelled, the serpent's vision gradually cleared, finally revealing the full picture of the valley.

Turning his gaze, Messmer saw Irena and Lilianna within the barrier of shimmering light.

'She looks like one of the golden folk, but the one next to her... could that be a pixie?'

Before he could figure out Irena and Lilianna's origins, his attention was drawn to the battle in the sky.

'Someone is fighting the Lord of Frenzied Flame?'

'Did they release him?'

'Who could they be? Hornsent? Or golden folk?'

When he saw the figures in the battle clearly, the seated Messmer shot to his feet in shock.

After confirming their identities over and over, Messmer muttered in disbelief:

"Melina...!"

——

The Sword of Night and Flame and the greatsword of eternal punishment clashed and separated again.

This time, however, it was Bai Shi who actively retreated.

During their recent exchange, the Lord of Frenzied Flame had frequently used the power of his core, and he had finally managed to land a hit on Bai Shi.

The moment that flame touched him, Bai Shi’s left arm was instantly vaporized.

But if it were only that, it wouldn't have been enough to make Bai Shi back down.

Such an injury was nothing to him; normally, the arm would grow back in two seconds.

What truly alarmed him was that the severed arm showed no signs of regenerating!

Bai Shi was stunned. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his regenerative abilities.

His life attribute had broken its limit, pushing his natural healing to an inhuman level.

On top of that, he was under the continuous healing effects of the Blessing of Grace and the Minor Erdtree.

The ordinary Frenzied Flame didn't have a healing-negation effect; his other wounds from it were healing rapidly.

Only the left arm, obliterated by the core flame, showed absolutely no signs of regrowth.

Bai Shi deliberately slowed the burning of his residual embers, focusing all his regenerative power on his left arm.

But still, there was nothing.

Ashmi and Melina immediately noticed something was wrong with Bai Shi.

Without hesitation, Ashmi wielded Aeperia with both hands, taking Bai Shi's place to block the Lord of Frenzied Flame and continue to tie him down.

Possessing the skills and strength she had mimicked from Bai Shi, Ashmi managed to hold her own for the time being.

Melina’s eyes widened as she saw Bai Shi's arm failing to regenerate, a sense of unease blooming in her heart.

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to rush to Bai Shi’s side and help him find a solution.

But with only Ashmi on the front line, the pressure wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, as a soul-form Mimic Tear, her situation might be even worse if she were hit by the core flame that had injured Bai Shi.

Gritting her teeth, Melina solidified her judgment of the battle and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ashmi against the Lord of Frenzied Flame.

Though she was worried about Bai Shi, Melina trusted he could solve it.

If even Bai Shi couldn’t fix it, she probably wouldn't be much help either.

Aeperia danced wildly in Ashmi’s hands, its bounteous power continuously siphoning life force from the Lord of Frenzied Flame’s body.

Though a being of chaos and madness, the Frenzied Flame was also an aggregate form of life.

But very quickly, Ashmi ceased using the bounteous power.

The life force she absorbed was entirely tainted with the madness of the Frenzied Flame.

On one end of her weapon, a bright, amber glow had already begun to appear.

The Frenzied Flame, truly an enemy of life.

Although she could use rot to degrade the tainted life force before absorbing it with bounty, the efficiency dropped drastically.

Ashmi abandoned the idea at once.

Now, she could only continuously conjure vortexes from Aeperia to protect herself while dissipating the Frenzied Flame.

Melina’s gloam eye had long since opened, channeling its power to the fullest.

As she poured a frenzied amount of magic into it, the Queen’s Black Flame blotted out the sky, momentarily claiming it as its own.

——

Bai Shi's gaze sharpened. He swung the Sword of Night and Flame and cut off the stump of his arm completely.

Vigorous life force immediately rushed to the wound, but it only healed back to its previous state.

Seeing this anomaly, Bai Shi understood.

No matter how severe an injury, it could naturally heal as long as the regenerative ability kept up.

But now, it seemed the Frenzied Flame’s core possessed a special power.

Previously, with his infinite life, he could essentially regenerate from a single cell.

But he didn't sprout an extra hand during healing because his body knew its proper form and would heal it to that state.

Now, it was likely his body believed its proper form was without a left arm, hence why it wouldn’t regenerate.

It was somewhat similar to the Hell Blade from the tales of magnetic power, which dealt 'true damage.'

Even a master of magnetic fields like the second son couldn't perform cellular reconstruction on a severed arm.

Bai Shi was now facing a similar predicament.

He took a deep breath, his mind surprisingly calm.

A mere healing prohibition could be easily dispelled with 'remove abnormal status.'

But Bai Shi didn’t do that. Instead, he rummaged through his dimensional disc.

Soon, he pulled out over a dozen Scadutree fragments of various sizes.

Looking at these fragments, Bai Shi crushed them in his hand.

In the past, he had used 'remove abnormal status' to erase his weaknesses.

Now, the Scadutree fragments provided a direct enhancement.

As the blessing descended, Bai Shi's aura grew even more potent.

Exalted Flesh, Uplifting Aromatic, Frenzied Aromatic... Bai Shi used every single buff he had.

To cap it all off, Bai Shi summoned another Great Rune from within him.

The Great Rune where he had stored the power of the sun while he had infinite mana.

As the power was unleashed, a blazing sun far larger than the sun of Frenzied Flame descended upon the world.

A crazed look slowly spread across Bai Shi’s face.

Fengling Yueying, activate! Super Damage!

And the target of this enhancement was, naturally, the blazing sun in the sky!

Screw it! He was going to blast this so-called Lord of Frenzied Flame to smithereens!

The combination of infinite mana and super damage, on top of a full stack of buffs, sent his power spiraling into the stratosphere, defying all logic.

Unreasonable? That's the point!

He was already cheating, so why should he play fair with the enemy?!

In an instant, the sun swelled uncontrollably, as if the real sun had descended.

The Lord of Frenzied Flame was vaporized of ninety percent of his matter just from a moment of exposure.

Dropping his greatsword, the Lord of Frenzied Flame trembled as he retreated into the core of the Frenzied Flame, only to watch helplessly as the sun drew nearer.

Under Bai Shi's control, the sun's power didn't harm his allies in the slightest.

However, the Great Rune was on the verge of shattering, and the sun was still missing that final, divine spark.

That was the essence of a real sun's core, something that couldn't be replicated with brute force alone.

But it didn't matter.

All Bai Shi had to do now was destroy everything related to the Frenzied Flame here.

Just as Bai Shi was about to completely annihilate the Lord of Frenzied Flame, a ray of sunlight suddenly pierced the veil of the Land of Shadow, gently pouring into the near-disintegrating sun.

The next moment, the sun that had been on the verge of self-destruction completely stabilized.

Seeing this, Bai Shi couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh.

It's stable! It’s completely stable!

The real sun has descended!

By shattering a corner of the faded sun in the spirit world, the sun’s power could once again intervene in the Lands Between.

As if taking control, the sun had designated this ball of fire as its avatar.

A sun in its absolute, ultimate state, so powerful that it even began to twist and warp the very laws of the world of the Lands Between itself.