Elden Ring: Atai vows to have a perfect ending

Chapter 552: Scarlet and Flower Battle: Scarlet Goddess

Annihilation, coming.

As the Ionian flower fell, suddenly, a scarlet and scorching aura exploded like a violent typhoon, blowing away everything around it.

I was blown away by this force with almost no resistance, and hit the wall of roots next to the entrance. My eyes turned black and I passed out.

······

“······Brother, brother······It hurts so much, where are you? Brother······”

In the dim and lightless world, it seemed as if there was a little girl's voice sobbing softly in my ear.

Immediately afterwards, all kinds of chaotic sounds surged in like a tide.

“...Brother, do you really want him? Your promised king.”

"In fact, in terms of strength, I should be no weaker than that man... One day, I will prove it!"

"Do you adore him so much? Why... Okay, I get it. As long as it's your wish, I, Marennia, will fulfill it for you... After all, I am your sharp blade."

Are these voices all Marlenya’s memories?

Or, it has always been hidden in the heart of that girl who seems not good at expressing herself.

I have no way of knowing, but I know that deep beneath the ocean tide, there is a voice that keeps echoing.

“······Brother, didn’t you say······that you would always stay by my side? Brother·····”

······

"My comrades, now is not the time to fall asleep." Suddenly, the voice of the teardrop intervened in this world, like a rope that tied my consciousness swallowed by the tide, and then pulled me out of the sea. "The next battle depends on you."

As the voice fell, I suddenly opened my eyes, only to see wisps of scarlet dust floating in front of me.

——Yes, my battle with Marennia is far from over!

When I stood up, I found that my body was covered with a layer of silver-gray film, like spread out jelly.

——It seems that it was Brother Teardrop who used his last strength to save me at the critical moment when the Ionian flower was in full bloom.

——By the way, where is Marenia?

He stood up and looked around. The original sea of ​​flowers had been completely destroyed, turning into a land as red as Gaileyd. Even on the walls of the holy trees around them, a layer of pale fungi symbolizing decay had grown in a short period of time.

The gate was blocked by dead branches and rotten wood. It seemed that there was no chance to go out and touch the blessing to recover.

The Holy Grail Dew Drops on hand are almost used up. Now is the last chance to restore them to full status.

The Ionian butterfly flapped its wings and flew towards the center of the mortal world, where the scarlet flowers were slowly falling. Marennia... Oh, or perhaps it should be said that the goddess of corruption has descended.

According to legend, every time the scarlet flower blooms, Marennia becomes a little more corrupt.

And the third time, she will completely transform into the scarlet goddess.

This is her exact second flowering, which means that two-thirds of Malenia has been occupied by the Goddess of Corruption.

——That person is a brutal being that can corrupt everything.

I couldn't help but swallow my saliva, picked up the night fire, and walked carefully towards the center of the flower.

Marenia was there, of course.

But what is quite different from the game is that after entering the second stage, the Valkyrie will change from the casual stroll in the first stage to the aggressive and continuous attack like a mad dog.

But now, she was kneeling on one knee, supporting her prosthetic sword on the ground, and supporting her forehead with the other hand.

——Marienia, what happened?

Suddenly, like a lion sensing a threat intruding into its territory, Malenia turned her head sharply towards me.

The next second, the Ionian butterflies that flapped their wings and gathered around her formed a whirlpool and swallowed me up.

Combat skill - Flame Hurricane Dance.

I subconsciously lit a flame to resist the butterflies, but suddenly a cold light flashed in front of my eyes, making me subconsciously dodge away.

But the opponent was too fast and his cheek almost brushed against the blade before he managed to dodge it.

Then, without hesitation, Marennia turned around and slashed at me, asking me to quickly use the hound step, and I was able to barely open up the distance, causing the sword energy to miss the target and raise dust on the ground.

The scarlet and corrupt knife wound on the face hurt as if someone knew the wound was there and had deliberately twisted it hard.

——I always feel that after entering the second stage, her strength and speed have increased again?

boom!

Just as I took a breath, a sonic boom sounded in front of me, and then a shackle fastened my throat.

Marennia broke through the smoke and dust and lifted me up again.

——This time, there is no imitative teardrop to help me dodge this throwing technique!

I subconsciously grabbed her wrist, and my legs wrapped around Marennia's arm like a snake, preventing her from throwing me away, and then twisted it with all my strength.

It was obvious that Marineria was unable to cope with this move of mine. Her arms suddenly lost strength and I threw her out.

After rolling on the ground for three or two times, she raised her head and shook her hands. It seemed that even if her hand bones were broken, Malenia's Big Rune could help her recover quickly.

Immediately afterwards, the opponent quickly advanced again.

The Wings of Corruption only needed to flap slightly, like the thrusters of a rocket, to allow Marennia to pass through the golden blade light in an instant, and with the momentum of cutting through space, she swept a reverse cassock slash at me.

He quickly dodged to the side, and the sword energy swung out and hit the root wall of the sacred tree.

“Hahahhh!” I roared, clenched the Night Fire in both hands, and slashed back at the opponent.

And Marennia also slashed down with a sword without any hesitation.

when--

In the contest of strength, I should have won, but with that heavy blow, a scarlet wave of energy burst out, causing me to step back.

Marennia took advantage of the victory and pursued me. With each swing and each slash, her sword became heavier and heavier, suppressing me and forcing me to retreat step by step, until I was backed into the corner.

Then, the fighting skill - Water Bird Dance!

The pace is faster than before, and the blade is sharper than before.

Although I already had a strategy to deal with the water bird, my body was still scratched all over by her sword energy, and the wounds were broken and blood splattered everywhere. Even the last part of the spreading sword energy forced me to block it with a tattered brass shield, and I was thrown flying.

The brass shield had completed its final mission and completely shattered.

"Cough cough cough——" After falling to the ground, the first thing he felt was the pain in his lungs. The scarlet corruption had already corroded deep into his throat. He was afraid that if he no longer used the "healing of fire", the poison of corruption would explode.

I had just condensed the flames on my hands, but I immediately smelled the murderous breath of death.

Looking up, I saw that Marennia had raised her prosthetic sword high, with countless Ionian butterflies entwined around it in a scarlet aura of corruption. Then, she swung the sword down at me who had just stood up.

——It’s over. No time to hide.

At that moment, this thought arose in my mind, but at the same time, the opponent's blade slid over my head and chopped down on my right side.

However, the scarlet corruption rolled up the flower pillar, and the air tide still pushed me out.

After coming to his senses, he quickly slapped the flame in his left hand onto his chest to clear away the accumulation of corruption.

Moreover, this time, Marennia held her forehead like she did before, and did not chase after him immediately.

——It seems that the knife that slipped just now was not just a mistake or an accident.

——But what exactly is going on?

Before I could think too much, the opponent had already adjusted his mindset and swung his sword, as if cutting off all distracting thoughts, creating a gully in the ground beside him.

The wings of corruption that hung down from the sky flapped gently, and the scarlet goddess rushed towards me again.