This was his domain. Within this place filled with cursed blood, he possessed a variety of abilities, including powerful effects like lockdowns, attacks, defense, and unrestricted movement throughout the area. Moreover, Mohg had come well-prepared this time. The cursed blood was directly linked to the blood pool of the Mohgwyn Dynasty, ensuring an endless supply until his clone was utterly destroyed. The cost for Ashmi to close the distance and inflict damage on Mohg was far greater than the cost for Mohg to defend. She often needed to string together a combination of skills just to lock down Mohg's movements and wear him down with damage. Ashmi had realized this as well and was now contemplating how to destroy this domain. If she wanted to leave, he couldn't stop her. But Ashmi had no intention of simply departing; her goal was to annihilate him. If she could just dismantle this domain, then dealing with him would be easy. Ashmi ceased her offensive, focusing only on defending her immediate surroundings and counterattacking only when Mohg pressed forward to harass her. She began to experiment with Agheel's Flame and Black Flame, attempting to parch the surrounding blood. After some time, seeing that he couldn't resolve the situation with Ashmi, Mohg communicated through the cursed blood to activate the contingency he had left in Stormveil. Although his blood domain could conceal and isolate the area from the outside world, it could still be detected. His brother had told him before that the very winds of Stormveil were watchful eyes. Reinforcements would arrive; it was only a matter of time. Mohg didn't fear reinforcements. On the contrary, he hoped for more to come. A few hundred would be ideal. Any situation would be fine, as long as it wasn't Bai Shi arriving alone. Ashmi was immune to the cursed blood and bloodflame, but others were not. For them, a single touch meant death. Mohg unleashed his Swarm of Flies once more, but this time, Ashmi was not the target. Hatched from cursed blood, the flies burst through the blood barrier, automatically making for the most densely populated area. Ashmi reacted instantly, summoning a tempest in an attempt to obliterate the flies then and there, but Mohg threw up a wall of blood to block her attack, allowing some to escape. Atop a distant building, the corpse-like Morgott approached a window and gazed down at the streets far below. That area was shrouded in darkness, yet he could sense two immensely powerful forces there. One of them felt incredibly familiar. He turned his head and saw signs of conflict erupting all across Stormveil. On the street directly beneath him, a Storm Knight was already locked in a fierce battle with a figure cloaked in black robes. After a moment's thought, Morgott altered his appearance, transforming into a nondescript warrior. He leaped from the window, bounding across rooftops. Concealed by the darkness, Morgott moved swiftly toward the heart of the battle. However, Morgott was a bit too hasty this time, underestimating the Ancient King who constantly monitored Stormveil. Unbeknownst to him, the Ancient King had already placed him under close observation. Through the storms of Stormveil, the Ancient King was able to patrol the entire realm without pause. Everything that happened in Stormveil was seen by its eyes. Though his appearance was now different, the Ancient King had already identified Mohg's true identity. It had helped Bai Shi fight against Mohg back in Castle Morne. His blood-based attacks were bizarre, and now, they had appeared in Stormveil. Fortunately, his chosen opponent was Ashmi, whose formidable strength was no less than his own. The Ancient King had already notified Bai Shi's subordinates to move in and encircle Mohg's clone. Furthermore, the Ancient King had long since mobilized the Silver Knights. The moment the Bloody Fingers made their move, it immediately dispatched the Storm Knights to intercept them. Though Mohg's sudden attack was unexpected, the Ancient King was not worried about Stormveil's safety. Based on their performance so far, the situation should be resolvable without Bai Shi's intervention. Thus, the Ancient King didn't rush to inform Bai Shi. It had, after all, seen Melina slip into Bai Shi's room, and there was no need to disturb them now. Besides, if things truly took a turn for the worse, Bai Shi's current power was such that he would know without any need for warning. On the street where the Tarnished had gathered, few people could remain seated calmly. After Ashmi and Mohg departed, the sounds of what seemed to be battle had drifted over from the distance. In the night, the clang of swords was exceptionally clear. After that, a brilliant comet had even streaked across the sky. Something was clearly wrong over there. Their instincts told them that something big was about to happen tonight, filling them with a sense of unease. Their suspicions were all but confirmed when large numbers of Storm Knights and Silver Knights, responsible for the city's defense and administration, began to mobilize. After remaining for a short while, the Storm Knights hurriedly dispersed again, their purpose unknown, leaving only a few behind to maintain order. As for the numerous Silver Knights, they formed a line, blocking the road ahead and preventing anyone from passing. They didn't know the specifics of what had happened, only that a powerful enemy was there—an enemy so strong they couldn't defeat it even if they gave their all. Therefore, their orders were not to attack, but to stand guard against any unexpected developments. Someone else would handle the enemy up ahead. Behind the line, some Silver Knights began urging the surrounding Tarnished to evacuate and no longer congregate in the area. To avoid unnecessary trouble, most heeded the advice and steadily retreated, causing the street to become much quieter. But many people remained. This was the Lands Between, after all. These Tarnished were not weak and didn't believe they were in any danger. By staying, they could even help out when the time was right. In their simple understanding, with so many Silver Knights and so many capable Tarnished present, they could surely and easily crush any enemy! Of course, not everyone who stayed did so for that reason. Take, for instance, Leda and her party, who were gathering information about Stormveil. Leda watched the vigilant Silver Knights ahead with great interest, extremely curious about what was happening. They had been nearby, but until just a moment ago, she'd had no interest in the matter. Even if that woman really was Bai Shi's sister, it wasn't worth paying much attention to if there was no opportunity for contact. But if something was truly happening up ahead, perhaps they could use this chance to approach the person suspected of being Bai Shi's sister. However, now was not the time to stand out. She wanted to wait for an opportunity, a moment when the situation escalated further. Making a move then would undoubtedly be for the best. Besides their group, others with various motives also remained. For example, the two followers Mohg had recently acquired. They had no real strength and were deeply anxious, yet they stayed put, ready to display their loyalty when their big brother returned. Of course, they weren't truly captivated by Mohg, intending to be his loyal underlings. It was purely for his runes. “Why isn't he back yet? Did he actually get into a fight?” “Who knows? Things sound pretty bad over there. Should we just leave?” “...If we leave now, we might not get another chance to latch onto a guy like him. He’s a really generous spender.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 “Sigh, let’s just wait a bit longer. There are still other people here, anyway.” But the longer they waited, the more intense their anxiety grew. A very faint sound came from ahead, not particularly noticeable amidst the noise of the street. “Hey, did you guys hear something?” a Tarnished suddenly asked those around him. The other Tarnished hadn't noticed the subtle sound and thought he was mistaken. “Didn't hear anything. You're just on edge, aren't you?” However, the sound grew clearer, and gradually, more Tarnished noticed the unusual noise. Something was approaching fast. It was now impossible to ignore. Finally, the Silver Knights arrayed at the very front saw what was making the sound. There in the night, a massive black shadow was rapidly approaching. It was a swarm of vicious flies. The Storm Knights who had remained immediately commanded the Silver Knights, and together they conjured a storm, attempting to block all the flies beyond their defensive line. However, the Bloodflies unleashed by Mohg himself were exceptionally resilient. The knights' power was not nearly enough to quickly eliminate them. The swarm of flies was reduced by more than half, but the rest still howled as they broke through the wind barrier. The flies ignored the fully armored and powerful knights, instead swooping toward the Tarnished behind them. Many of the Tarnished realized something was wrong and quickly warned each other to stay away from the insects. A fly buzzed before a Tarnished, who swatted his arm at it, trying to drive it away to no effect. But as the flies landed on the Tarnished, preparing to pierce their skin with their proboscises and suck their blood, their bodies were blocked by a helm of wind. The ever-present storm above Stormveil was a massive magical array that emulated the magical realm, a formation that could turn the storm into power for warriors. The Ancient King had been watching all along, and for the first time in a long while, it used the storm to grant these Tarnished a layer of wind armor. Though its defensive power wasn't astounding, it proved remarkably effective against creatures like the Bloodflies. Suddenly, the faces of Mohg's two underlings turned an unnatural shade of red, and they couldn't utter a word. They clawed frantically at their necks and faces, tearing their flesh to ribbons without stopping. Sharp, twisted horns began to pierce through their skin in multiple places. The surrounding crowd, forgetting about the flies, immediately scrambled away from them. To have horns sprout from one's body was a sign of a terrifying curse! Blood is one of the carriers of power. Many people in the Lands Between would go their whole lives without knowing this, their blood containing almost no power. But for Mohg, it was a different story. The faint power within the two Tarnished's blood was converted by the seeds he had planted, spontaneously transforming into cursed blood. The curse-like power spread throughout their bodies, concentrating the power of their blood until it became a small amount of cursed blood. After a brief accumulation, the bodies of the two men swelled and exploded, bloodflame erupting from the cursed blood. This cursed blood splattered everywhere, and even the swirling wind armor was ignited by the clinging blood. Caught off guard, many people were hit. The plague and curse of blood began to spread. The Tarnished contaminated by the cursed blood fell into despair, and one by one, they too burst apart. These secondary explosions were weaker, but they continued to propagate the curse. Bloodflame began to crawl across the bodies of the Tarnished, completely impossible to extinguish. Only now did these Tarnished understand the horror of their enemy. Faced with such an attack, they were utterly defenseless. The enemies they had encountered before were all tangible foes they could at least charge and fight. They had never witnessed such a bizarre method of attack. This was the source of Mohg's confidence. His abilities were the very definition of despair for weaker Tarnished. No other demigod could compare to him in terms of killing efficiency. The Silver Knights immediately dispersed the crowd, preventing the curse from spreading further among the dense population. Meanwhile, the now-scarce Bloodflies changed direction, diving into the cursed blood on the ground. They reproduced at an incredible rate, and a massive swarm of flies rose once more. However, a violent storm of unprecedented intensity swept through, instantly wiping out the resilient flies. Upon seeing how troublesome the combination of Bloodflies and cursed blood was, the Ancient King determined that this was no longer a situation the knights could handle and decided to intervene personally. Since the cursed blood and bloodflame were difficult to cleanse from within the body, it would first completely eliminate the more easily dealt with flies. Amidst the panicked Tarnished, a smile appeared under Leda's helmet. In this attack, she sensed the unique blood power of Mohg, the Lord of Blood. Interesting. So very interesting. She already felt that this was no ordinary matter, but she never expected it to be Mohg himself making a move. How unexpected. But this was perfect. Mohg had dared to strike within Stormveil, and against someone who was likely Bai Shi's sister. Now she didn't have to worry about finding a way to incite conflict between Bai Shi and Mohg; they would fight on their own. All she needed to do was tell Bai Shi how to get to the Mohgwyn Dynasty, which was tantamount to placing a knife in his hands. And it seemed she could even offer some assistance now and curry some favor. Leda stood up and walked against the tide of people, moving past the crowd. A Tarnished retreating from the front line immediately warned Leda not to go any further. But a hand gently patted his shoulder. A man in a wide-brimmed hat gave them a reassuring smile before pushing him in the direction of the fleeing crowd. As a man of the cloth, Dane possessed not only a soaring fighting spirit but also a reliable quality that put people at ease. Without such a trait, one could not be considered an excellent clergyman. “Ha, finally some fun!” ‘Redmane’ Freyja also rose from the side and followed Leda. The three of them moved against the current, parting the crowd. Soon, the trio witnessed the bizarre scene ahead: bodies exploding one after another, filth and blood covering the entire street. The Silver Knights who remained were not faring well either. Although they were stronger than the other Tarnished, they had no immediate way to deal with such a grotesque tactic. They could only distance themselves from the ever-spreading danger, temporarily preserving themselves to avoid a meaningless sacrifice. Leda raised the Needle Knight sword high. The next moment, a brilliant golden power lit up the blade, casting a sacred light upon the hellish scene. A dozen virtual golden needles formed from the power of Unalloyed Gold flew from the sword, entering the bodies of the victims who had been contaminated by the cursed blood but had not yet exploded. With the power sealed, these people were temporarily saved, but they would still require further treatment to be completely out of danger. The Silver Knights had intended to stop them from advancing. The situation ahead was unknown, and rushing in was clearly a dangerous proposition. But Leda chuckled softly from under her helmet and spoke kindly to the Silver Knights. “There is no need to worry. We have fought alongside your Lord Bai Shi before. We are very strong.” “If you have the chance, please send him our regards.” The Silver Knights exchanged glances. They had just witnessed her power, and it was indeed far beyond their own. Finally, the leading Storm Knight bowed to them and allowed them to pass. “Thank you for your assistance.” After passing through several deserted streets, Leda and her companions looked at the blood barrier that had swallowed the entire road and smiled. She took a deep breath, focusing the power of Unalloyed Gold into her blade, and swung it forward with force. The power of the cursed blood was briefly suppressed by the Unalloyed Gold, turning it into ordinary blood. A fissure immediately opened in the sturdy barrier. At Leda’s command, Freyja and Dane eagerly charged in one after the other. Only then did Leda calmly step into the domain. Upon entering, Dane and Freyja were immediately met with a fierce assault. But the two were not weak, and they managed to block the attacks from the blood-spikes and blood-blades with relative ease. However, when Mohg shifted his focus and prioritized attacking them, the two quickly found themselves in a difficult position. After stepping into this blood domain, Leda briefly surveyed its interior before speaking calmly. “Keep him occupied for me.” Freyja was the first to attack, while Dane stood before Leda, defending her from incoming attacks. Leda plunged her Needle Knight sword into the ground. A golden light spread out, continuously covering Mohg’s blood. The power of the blood was suppressed by the Unalloyed Gold, causing Mohg's domain to gradually lose its effect. Seeing this, Ashmi charged forward again, swinging her blade at Mohg, who could no longer dissolve into blood to hide. Mohg looked at Leda, his face contorting with disgust. Miquella’s followers had chased him all the way here? How unlucky. He immediately summoned more cursed blood, which spread across the ground like a tidal wave. Leda’s face showed signs of strain. Her power alone was not enough to contend with Mohg, and the golden light was continuously being forced back. Seeing this, Mohg laughed triumphantly, once again transforming into blood to narrowly dodge an attack. Ashmi pursed her lips. This domain was simply too troublesome. If only someone could just tear it apart. As if in response to Ashmi's wish, a colossal spear of red lightning pierced down from the top of the blood domain, and lightning instantly filled the area. A giant claw tore through the fissure, completely ripping open the roof of the domain. Senessax’s massive ancient dragon head peered inside, its vertical pupils staring coldly at Mohg. On a nearby rooftop, the increasingly weary Lanslet gave Mohg an annoyed look, clearly resentful of the one who had interrupted his nightlife. He waved his staff, and a violent storm locked onto Mohg’s form. A tornado remotely restricted his movements for an instant. Leda seized the opportunity. The power of Unalloyed Gold once again overcame Mohg's, sealing his ability to hide. Senessax's dragon claw and Ashmi's Starscourge Greatswords struck at the same time. Mohg cursed inwardly. The current situation was extremely disadvantageous for him. Ashmi's strength was slightly greater than his, and this ancient dragon was at least on the same level. The Needle Knight was a bit weaker, but she was still a top-tier hero of the Lands Between. The remaining few were also more than capable of participating in a battle of this level. Faced with the impending attack, Mohg made a reluctant attempt to defend. His plan had not yet achieved its desired effect; not enough blood had been spilled in Stormveil. But it seemed he had no choice but to make a regretful exit. However, just as everyone thought Mohg's defeat was certain, something unexpected happened. A figure no one recognized appeared in front of Mohg, helping him block the fatal blow.