As Mohg roared, "Zero!", every curse he had placed upon Bai Shi ignited at once. Mohg's terrifying blood ritual was complete. A crimson light bathed the world, and an inky miasma bled across the sky. The cursed blood woven into Bai Shi's very being, impossible to purge, began to detonate, tearing through him from the inside. In a single instant, Bai Shi suffered catastrophic damage from within. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his expression twisting in agony. He mentally called for Ashmi, needing her to watch his back. While enduring the rest of the blood ritual, he wasn't sure he could fend off the encroaching cursed blood on his own. Ashmi’s figure appeared beside Bai Shi, her gaze fixed warily on the distant Mohg. Though his appearance was different, Ashmi easily recognized him as the one who had caused trouble back in Stormveil Castle. He had just finished the second layer when Mohg's voice boomed again: Bai Shi paid him no mind, continuing to apply his incantations despite the severe internal hemorrhaging. The damage from this technique was grievous, but it wouldn't kill him just yet. Damage reduction was more critical than healing at this moment. Finally, just before the last cry, Bai Shi finished rapidly casting all the necessary incantations. Now shielded by prayers, Bai Shi had both damage reduction and regeneration. His hardiness was enhanced, and he now had a resistance to hemorrhage. With the final roar, the crimson light surged, instantly flooding the entire Mohgwyn Dynasty. Mohg brandished his sacred spear as two wings tore through his robes, unfurling into enormous, dark-feathered pinions. Under the blood ritual, the blessing of the primeval crucible now flourished, transforming into Mohg's power. Bai Shi quickly downed a Flask of Crimson Tears, barely managing to recover a portion of his health. Mohg saw that Bai Shi was still in relatively good shape and wasn't surprised. He had never intended to finish Bai Shi with that move alone. In fact, if Bai Shi had fallen so easily, Mohg would have been furious. And that person named Ashmi had appeared as well. So she was residing within Bai Shi's body? Perfect. He would finish them both at once! Mohg flapped his wings and lunged from the sky in a sudden assault. But just as Bai Shi braced for impact, Mohg's form vanished, only to reappear in an instant, lunging from the pool of blood behind him. If not for Bai Shi's swift reaction, Mohg's sneak attack would have found its mark. Bai Shi's brow furrowed. Was this the power of the Formless Mother? Mohg was already incredibly difficult to track within his domain of cursed blood, and now his mobility had increased exponentially. Facing Mohg's relentless assaults, Bai Shi and Ashmi stood back-to-back, searching for an opening to counterattack. Seeing Mohg dive toward them again, Bai Shi seized the opportunity and switched to the Starscourge Greatswords. With a roar, a wave of gravity expanded rapidly before collapsing back toward the center. The force locked Mohg in place, dragging him irresistibly toward Bai Shi. It looked as if he had flown right under Bai Shi's blades of his own volition. The twin Starscourge Greatswords smashed downward simultaneously, unleashing an unparalleled blast of gravity magic. A huge chunk of Mohg's body was obliterated, and he was sent tumbling like a ragdoll into the blood pool. Ashmi immediately drew the Sword of Night and Flame and, aiming at the flying Mohg, unleashed a Night-Comet, gravely wounding him again. And yet, when Mohg attacked once more, his mangled form had already knit itself back together. Bai Shi's own wounds were also healing at an astonishing rate, thanks to his incantations and the power of the sun. However, compared to Mohg, who was fighting on his home ground, the speed was far too slow. After fighting for some time, the level of the cursed blood in the pool had dropped slightly. But there was no way to estimate how much remained. It was no wonder Mohg was so confident. Here, in his own domain, he was practically invincible. As long as Mohg's main body didn't willingly leave this subterranean realm, there was likely no easy way to defeat him. Bai Shi began to contemplate how he could possibly eliminate Mohg. Undoubtedly, the best method would be to use Fengling Yueying's Super Damage to vaporize both the cursed blood and Mohg's physical form in a single blow. But he had to choose the right moment, or it would likely fail. If Mohg managed to use some technique to transport himself elsewhere, even evaporating the entire blood pool wouldn't be enough to kill him instantly. And if that one strike failed, Mohg would almost certainly go into hiding, only to re-emerge once he had accumulated enough cursed blood. Mohg stood up, suddenly easing his assault. He stood at a distance, turning his head to look at Leda and the others, who were deep within the enemy encirclement. “You must have enjoyed killing so many of my followers earlier...” Mohg activated his Great Rune, and a crimson mist spread from the battlefield, completely blanketing the entire Mohgwyn Dynasty. From afar, Leda and the others saw the strange blood mist and, sensing trouble, immediately held their breath. But how could a power that carried the weight of cosmic law be resisted by such a simple method? The blood mist seeped directly through their bodies; Leda and the others were powerless to stop it. As the mist invaded them, they discovered to their horror that their bodies were becoming paralyzed. They could feel the blood in their veins rebelling, flowing backward in a chaotic torrent. In some vessels, the blood reversed its course, and the immense pressure burst them, causing blood to spray from their ruptured skin. They were losing control of their bodies. Realizing the situation was far more severe than they had imagined, Leda immediately summoned the last of her strength and unleashed an Unalloyed Gold Needle. The pure golden needles pierced into her and her companions, finally alleviating their condition. Leda’s heart pounded with lingering fear. Looking down at her armor, which was steadily seeping blood, she couldn't imagine the state of her body underneath. Even though the direct influence was gone, the injuries they had already sustained would take time to heal. But on the path before them, a chorus of roars was already drawing near. Under the shroud of blood mist, the body of an Albinauric ahead of them began to swell, growing even larger. Blood flowed from the corpse that Bai Shi had slammed into the cliff wall earlier, a mixture of platinum ichor and cursed blood, and poured into its body. More Omen horns sprouted from its form, its skin turned a dark, blackish-red, and its already large head grew a massive dewlap. It clawed at its own throat before spewing a gout of flame from its mouth. And this was not an isolated case. All the enemies enveloped by the blood mist underwent similar monstrous transformations. Some grew vestigial wings on their backs, others sprouted hooves. Leda rose to her feet, wanting to mount a defense, but found she could barely control her own body. Dane and Freya were in the same condition. Suddenly, a jet of black flame swept past them. The black flame detonated upon hitting its target, instantly spreading through the enemy ranks. A shortsword embedded itself in the neck of the foremost enemy, instantly ending its life. Melina sidestepped the falling Albinauric, not a single drop of the splattering blood touching her. Only then did Leda remember the woman who traveled with Bai Shi, the one who hadn't made a move until now. Her presence was so faint, almost as if she intended it to be that way. Because of this, Leda had even forgotten to give Melina one of the golden needles. Melina stood before Leda and the others, silently placing her left hand over her heart. A golden sigil of the Erdtree materialized beneath her, and she unleashed the Erdtree's Favor. Healed by the incantation, Leda and the others slowly recovered from their injuries, regaining their ability to fight. After confirming they were out of danger, Melina began to walk forward with a slow, measured pace. The moment the blood mist appeared, Melina had known something was wrong. However, the damage the technique had inflicted upon her was surprisingly minimal. Perhaps it was because her body was composed of a Larval Tear? No matter. First, she would deal with the enemies before her. Before Melina stood a throng of enhanced and regrouped foes. Yet she advanced with the unhurried grace of a stroll in a garden, taking one step at a time. One by one, the enemies charged at Melina, only for their corpses to fall behind her. The so-called elegance of the Mohgwyn Dynasty Knights became clumsy and full of openings before the poised and composed Melina. Watching Melina cut a swath of death through the crowd without the slightest hurry, the knights began to doubt if they were truly so pathetically weak. Leda and the others watched Melina's calm dispatch of the enemies, their expressions shifting constantly. They had thought Bai Shi’s companions, Ashmi and the ancient dragon, were terrifying enough. But this woman seemed even more powerful than them! This was without a doubt a power that could rank among the demigods. At that moment, Bai Shi was also enveloped in the blood mist. He felt a surge in his blood, but thankfully, the effect was not severe. It seemed the technique affected individuals differently based on their strength. Ashmi, on the other hand, was completely unaffected and currently locked in combat with Mohg. Now that Mohg was using his true body, Ashmi could no longer rely on sheer stats to overwhelm him as she had before. Ever since that crimson Great Rune had appeared, Mohg had become like a demon god in this world of cursed blood. Drawing power from the blood pool, Mohg could attack Bai Shi and Ashmi with utter impunity. Bai Shi once again blocked an attack from the flying Mohg and was about to counter when he sensed an imperceptible presence. He immediately threw himself to the side, ignoring the terrible wound Mohg's spear tore in his body. Bai Shi clearly saw a shimmering, translucent distortion slice through his arm. The moment it made contact, the flesh on his arm completely broke free of his control. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝 The very bonds holding flesh to flesh and blood to blood were annihilated, completely severed. Flesh and blood were gone, yet the bone remained perfectly intact. Flesh and armor peeled away from the now-skeletal arm, sinking into the blood pool below. In a single instant, Bai Shi's entire left arm had disintegrated. Bai Shi stared at the wound, cold sweat beading on his forehead. ‘So this is the power of an Outer God!?’ This was, in a real sense, the Formless Mother's first direct attack. Before this, she had only allowed Mohg to use the Mohgwyn Sacred Spear to splash her blood around. He never imagined that her direct intervention would be so terrifying, leaving him almost no way to resist. If Bai Shi's perception hadn't already broken through its limits, allowing him to see the power of gods invisible to ordinary eyes, he likely would not have even detected that attack. Ashmi stared at Bai Shi’s injury, utterly shocked. She had no idea what had just happened. Mohg, however, was quite surprised. His Mother had personally struck, yet she had missed? Bai Shi truly was an enemy worthy of his full strength. Now, with his left arm unusable, Bai Shi had to let Ashmi temporarily hold Mohg off while he looked for a chance to cast an incantation or drink his flask. But Mohg naturally wouldn't let Bai Shi have his way, constantly shifting his position within the blood to interfere. Just as Bai Shi was growing frustrated, a warm radiance suddenly appeared in the center of the blood pool, and a phantasmal Erdtree materialized. This dazzling, spectral Erdtree seemed utterly out of place in this hellish landscape. The small, phantom Erdtree emitted a gentle glow and began to heal Bai Shi's wounds. The rate at which new flesh grew on his arm immediately accelerated, even surpassing the healing effect of his Flask of Crimson Tears. Melina had arrived at Bai Shi’s side. She swung her shortsword, sending a blade of golden light arcing through the air to slice deep into Mohg’s body. Seeing Melina, Mohg briefly halted his attack, looking at her with some confusion. “Who are you? There’s something very familiar about you.” “...You’re a demigod! A demigod born of Marika!” Mohg stared at Melina, his eyes widening, before he suddenly burst into laughter. “Hahaha, I remember now!” “The reason I decided to kill Bai Shi myself in the first place was because I sensed an aura on him that was so similar to Marika's, an aura I detest!” “So, it was coming from you?” “Heh heh, then that’s perfect.” Mohg folded his wings in mid-air, letting his body fall naturally into the pool of blood. The cursed blood consumed him, and then the previously calm lake erupted into a raging tempest. An enormous figure rose from the blood. It was formed from countless streams of blood, a featureless torso. Looking down at the three below, Mohg raised both hands high and brought them crashing down. Faced with such a monumental attack, the three of them dodged in separate directions. Mohg laughed maniacally, shouting at Bai Shi: “How do you like it? How do you like it? Don't you just love relying on that strength of yours?” “Hahahaha! Today, I’ll use that very method to defeat you.” Bai Shi looked at Mohg, who was at the center of the giant, and decided to use Fengling Yueying. With Mohg now controlling the blood giant, it actually presented an opportunity. If he could destroy the giant and Mohg together in one blow, he could prevent any chance of him escaping. Bai Shi closed the distance rapidly and used Fengling Yueying once more. Super Damage, activated! A sun ignited into existence. In the first instant of its appearance, the searing heat vaporized more than half the blood lake. After a momentary expansion, the sun shrank in Bai Shi's palm, condensing into a pure orb of light too brilliant to behold. Gazing at that sun, Mohg was permanently blinded. By now, Bai Shi had pushed it right in front of him. Feeling the destructive power emanating from it, a look of terror crossed Mohg’s face, but there was no longer any chance to escape.