The battle ended without the slightest suspense.
Even among the Outer Gods, there were differences in power.
The Frenzied Flame, which had been running rampant throughout the Lands Between, was utterly powerless before the sun.
Even without the true sun descending, the Lord of Frenzied Flame would never have been able to contend with a sun amplified by Super Damage.
But the arrival of the sun's will had completely eliminated any other possible outcome for this battle.
The Frenzied Flame Sun that had previously burned through the heavens and acted as though it were invincible was now completely snuffed out.
Before the true sun, it was pitifully insignificant.
The Lord of Frenzied Flame curled up his remaining torso, gazing up at the sun in the sky.
At such a close distance, there was nothing but endless radiance filling his vision.
No matter which direction he looked, all he could see was the blazing light of the sun.
With the sun occupying the entire sky behind it, the Frenzied Flame Sun over the ravine looked like nothing more than a tiny black stain.
At this moment, the will of the Frenzied Flame had already begun to contemplate retreat.
It prepared to transfer its power elsewhere and preserve its flame.
The birth of a Lord of Frenzied Flame required extremely harsh conditions.
Even over hundreds or thousands of years, it was difficult to find a suitable vessel capable of bearing such a burden.
And Midra was already an exceptionally rare body with the necessary qualifications.
Not only had he become a Lord of Frenzied Flame in the distant past, but after enduring countless years of torment, he had become filled with despair.
After that accumulated despair and emptiness had finally erupted and been consumed by the Frenzied Flame, the Lord of Frenzied Flame's power had become even greater.
No matter what, the Frenzied Flame had no intention of abandoning this Lord of Frenzied Flame.
As long as even a single spark remained, the Lord of Frenzied Flame could burn anew, and chaos would once again flood the world.
Having made the decision most advantageous to itself, the Lord of Frenzied Flame's remaining body instantly collapsed.
In its place, countless sparks of flame burst forth.
The Frenzied Flame Sun suddenly erupted, sending countless tongues of Frenzied Flame in every direction.
Hidden within every one of those flames was a tiny spark belonging to the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
That was not all.
Within the ravine already engulfed by the Frenzied Flame, several more sparks of the Lord of Frenzied Flame suddenly teleported into existence.
Following the scars left behind by the burning Frenzied Flame, those sparks silently scurried away at tremendous speed.
As long as even one spark escaped, just one was enough for the Lord of Frenzied Flame to be reborn.
At the same time, the Frenzied Flame Sun rose into the air and began flying toward the heavens.
Judging from the way it continuously contracted and expanded, it was clearly preparing to self-destruct.
Yet Lucian remained completely motionless in the air.
Looking up at the Frenzied Flame Sun that did not know its own limits, a trace of disdain appeared on Lucian's face.
The Frenzied Flame's plan was flawless.
It was the decision that best served its own interests.
And this method really did make it extremely difficult to stop every escaping spark.
But...
Only the plan itself was beautiful.
How could there be any blind spot beneath the sun, somewhere its light could not reach?
Every intention of the Frenzied Flame had already been seen through.
Blinding radiance descended, covering the entirety of the ravine.
No matter how fast the Frenzied Flame moved, it could not escape.
From the moment Lucian activated Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, the Frenzied Flame had already been left with nowhere to retreat.
Whether it was the Lord of Frenzied Flame or the Frenzied Flame itself, both were completely confined within the space of the ravine.
Even the ravine that had been burned by the Frenzied Flame was thoroughly cleansed.
Every area contaminated by the Frenzied Flame turned to dust beneath the sun's radiance.
Nearby, Melina stared up at the sun radiating the brilliance of life, completely dumbfounded.
She genuinely had not expected Lucian to simply call down the sun and have it fight on his behalf.
Just as the sun Lucian had created, possessing nothing but overwhelming power, was about to collapse, the true sun descended.
It took this power as its avatar and forcibly intervened, stabilizing that violent force that had been on the verge of losing control.
Whatever the reason behind it, there was no need to worry anymore.
After completely restraining the Frenzied Flame's power, the sun continued rising.
The ravine could not possibly contain the sun's existence.
Not to mention that it was still expanding.
The enormous sun continued ascending until it finally hung high above the heavens of the Land of Shadow.
Sunlight spilled across the land.
After countless years, the Land of Shadow, which had long been shrouded in deathly silence and oppression, was illuminated once more.
——
Within Shadow Keep, the numb soldiers heard the calls of their comrades and walked toward the battlements in a daze.
Then they saw the light.
The true light of hope.
It was an absolute miracle, one capable of driving away fear and despair.
Bathing in the bright, warm sunlight, the weapons in the soldiers' hands slipped from their grasp without them even realizing it.
More and more soldiers witnessed the miracle.
The clanging of weapons striking the ground rang out one after another, merging into a single continuous chorus.
Praise the Sun!
Meanwhile, Messmer stood atop the Specimen Storehouse, silently gazing at the sun that touched the heavens.
It had reached the very top of the sky, pressed directly against the descending veil of Shadow, as though it were about to pierce straight through it.
What kind of terrifying power was this...?
Just who was the person standing beside Melina?
——
The sun eventually stopped.
It restrained its power, preventing itself from burning away the veil of Shadow.
Even so, outside the Land of Shadow, within the Lands Between, the sun's radiance had already pierced through the Shadow.
The phantom image of a colossal sun was projected into the very center of the Lands Between's missing landmass, above the great circular inland sea.
Every living creature across the Lands Between noticed that enormous phantom of light.
Among them, Stormveil had the strongest reaction.
The moment they saw the phantom sun, they immediately realized that this was the result of Lucian's actions.
The entire city erupted into cheers.
Every living creature shouted the name of Rex Solis, Sun King again and again.
The various factions gazed toward the radiance of the sun, each harboring their own thoughts, yet all of them were shaken by this overwhelming display of power.
Even the Elden Beast within the Erdtree was disturbed.
It leapt from the primordial sea that resembled a sea of stars.
Sensing that terrifying power it had not felt for so long, the Elden Beast stared at the sun and fell into deep contemplation.
The Elden Ring was the manifestation of the world's rules, defining the laws that governed the Lands Between.
And regardless of the era, the Order rejected the power of the Outer Gods, refusing to allow them to descend.
The forms taken by the Outer Gods were fundamentally different.
Celestial bodies in particular were completely isolated from the Lands Between and could only project faint traces of their power through intermediaries.
It did not take much imagination to understand what would happen if those gods from beyond the stars were allowed to descend directly upon the Lands Between.
It would be nothing short of a catastrophic disaster.
The Lands Between rejected the power of the Outer Gods.
And this was why.
But now, that rule had been broken.
No one could have imagined that someone could release enough power within the Lands Between to allow the sun itself to descend.
And once the sun took control of that power, stabilized it, and transformed it into something akin to an avatar, everything became different.
This sun not only possessed power comparable to that of a genuine celestial body, it also possessed the authority of a true core.
At this very moment, the sun released by Lucian could already be considered a genuine external deity from the perspective of the Lands Between.
And with the Elden Ring already shattered, this sun had practically reached the absolute limit that the Lands Between itself could endure.
If it wasn't for Lucian and the Sun itself restraining their power, it was impossible to say what the Lands Between would have become.
The Elden Beast could not understand why things had developed this way.
The one fortunate thing was that what had descended was the Sun.
In its memory, the Sun was a benevolent and gentle deity. It would not destroy the Lands Between.
In the end, the Elden Beast made no move.
It glanced once at Queen Marika, still hanging there and suffering her punishment, before its form once again vanished.
——
Lucian flew toward the Frenzied Flame Sun in the sky, slowly drawing closer.
The Frenzied Flame was now completely restrained and had no power to resist.
Within the Frenzied Flame Sun, only the Lord of the Frenzied Flame's head remained, sustaining the last traces of his power. The rest of his body had already completely dissolved into scattered sparks.
Lucian reached out and pulled the Lord of the Frenzied Flame's head from within.
The Frenzied Flame continued to burn fiercely.
Holding the Lord of the Frenzied Flame's head in one hand, Lucian suddenly thrust his severed arm straight into it.
Everyone present was stunned by Lucian's actions.
Melina had no idea why Lucian had suddenly reached toward such a dangerous source of Frenzied Flame. Her entire body trembled with fear that something might happen to him.
As for Asimi, she was practically on the verge of tears.
'My lord... whatever you're planning to do, my main body is still inside you.'
'Could you at least let me run away before doing something this terrifying next time...?'
Yet as he felt the power of the Frenzied Flame continuously burning him, Lucian remained completely calm.
With the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow's enhancement, the Sun he had created possessed power.
Then, when the Sun itself had actively descended its will, it had filled that otherwise empty shell of pure power.
The Sun before him was now equivalent to a genuine descent carrying the Sun's power.
Its strength could not possibly compare with the true Sun itself.
But without a doubt, this was the Sun.
With the Sun watching over him, Lucian was confident that nothing could go wrong, no matter what he did now.
Besides, what he was about to do only required a safety net.
As long as that safety net was enough for him to activate Wind Spirit Moon Shadow's [Remove Status Effect], it would be sufficient.
Lucian had already communicated with the Sun in his mind, asking it to protect the deepest layer of his consciousness.
Only after receiving a response, and confirming that his plan was virtually foolproof, did Lucian begin.
He activated the power of his Great Rune and forcibly guided the Lord of the Frenzied Flame's remaining energy into his body.
The Frenzied Flame sensed Lucian attempting to absorb it.
Instead of resisting, it simply surged inside.
There was no way to escape anymore. It might as well gamble on this final opportunity.
If it could seize control of Lucian's body instead, the next Lord of the Frenzied Flame would be even more powerful, powerful beyond comparison.
The sparks of the Lord of the Frenzied Flame that had previously scattered throughout the area also began converging from every direction, gathering together once more.
Then, the dark flames within the core of the Frenzied Flame continuously flowed outward, pouring into Lucian's body.
The Lord of the Frenzied Flame's power was completely absorbed into Lucian.
Gradually, an arm composed of twisted black-and-yellow flames took shape, connecting directly to Lucian's severed arm.
The moment the Frenzied Flame arm was attached, Lucian's aura suddenly surged.
Of course, he did not sense the ambition hidden within it, nor did he understand the desire it harbored.
After all, there was nothing within the Frenzied Flame except madness and chaos.
For Lucian, however, possessing the complete power of the Lord of the Frenzied Flame still had considerable value.
The Lord of the Frenzied Flame's power was extremely strong, but it was not something that could be controlled for long.
Everyone who had ever attempted to master the Frenzied Flame eventually went mad.
Every single one of them.
Lucian grinned.
He didn't need to worry about any of that.
All he needed to do was absorb everything into his body.
Now that the Lord of the Frenzied Flame's power had been completely absorbed, Lucian could finally relax.
[Wind Spirit Moon Shadow]
[Remove Status Effect]
[Activated]
In an instant, the left arm that had been damaged by the Frenzied Flame Core and had stubbornly refused to regenerate immediately began recovering.
At the stump of his severed arm, fresh flesh began writhing and growing, attempting to reconstruct itself.
But the Frenzied Flame arm obstructed the process, preventing it from succeeding.
Then, in the next instant, the Frenzied Flame stopped resisting the regeneration.
Under the transcendent power that surpassed the world's limits, everything harmful to Lucian was stripped away from the Frenzied Flame.
What remained within Lucian's hand could no longer truly be called Frenzied Flame.
The madness and chaos had been discarded.
Only its power remained.
Flesh rapidly grew.
Lucian's left arm was restored once more, returning to its original appearance.
Meanwhile, the power of the Frenzied Flame transformed into several black flame-like sigils that coiled around his arm.
Lucian clenched and unclenched his hand before nodding in satisfaction.
As expected, nothing beat the original.
He was simply more accustomed to using it.
Of course, if Lucian wanted to, he could still completely recreate an arm composed of Frenzied Flame at any time.
Not only that, now that he possessed the power of the Frenzied Flame, he could play around with some new tricks.
With a thought from Lucian, his head and left arm were instantly burned to ash by blazing flames.
The Frenzied Flame arm reignited.
And in the place where his head should have been, a miniature Sun appeared instead.
Lucian could now walk around with a Sun for a head.
After stepping into the realm of a lord, Lucian's body had almost no weaknesses left.
His Vigor attribute had already surpassed its limits. Even if his heart were ripped out, he would not die immediately.
The only part of his body that could still be considered a weakness was his head.
After all, his ultimate trump card was Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, and he still needed to activate it manually.
If his head were severely damaged and his consciousness dispersed, or something similar happened, there was still a possibility that he could be killed.
But with a Sun for a head, even that weakness had practically disappeared.
A core constructed purely from energy could not be destroyed in an instant.
In other words, no matter what happened, Lucian could maintain his consciousness.
He no longer had to worry about his consciousness being disrupted during battle and consequently being unable to activate Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
In his normal state, Lucian might still have enemies he could not deal with.
But once he turned on his cheats, there was nothing left to discuss.
Lucian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The others nearby, who had witnessed everything, also finally relaxed.
When they felt the warm light radiating from the miniature Sun, they knew that Lucian was still himself.
Everything was still under control.
——
Once everything Lucian had intended to do was finally completed, his consciousness gradually separated from his body under his own control.
His consciousness found itself within the starry void, and once again, Lucian came face-to-face with the true Sun.
At this moment, the Sun was even farther away from the Lands Between, continuing its journey toward the unknowable depths of space.
A deep and indescribable will emanated from within the Sun.
Lucian quickly understood what it was trying to convey.
This time, it had sensed such an enormous surge of power, so it had come over to take a look.
Originally, it had merely descended a portion of its power, hoping that Lucian would destroy the Faded Sun so that before it completely departed, it could once again cast its radiance upon the world.
If the world were to fall completely into darkness, it too would eventually enter an "abnormal" state.
But even the Sun had not expected Lucian to grow to his current level, or that he would be capable of releasing such immense power within the Lands Between.
If Lucian wanted to become the next Sun, then so be it.
It would help him.
Compared to merely leaving behind the lingering warmth of the Sun, having the Lands Between possess a Sun of its own would naturally make it even more pleased.
And what Lucian needed to do was very simple.
Continue destroying the Faded Sun within the Lands Between.
A portion of the Faded Sun had now been shattered.
Although that was enough to allow the Sun's radiance to descend, it was still not sufficient.
The Sun that could currently be maintained over the Land of Shadow was entirely the result of its own will participating in the process.
The true source of power, the power sufficient to allow Lucian to become a Sun, still could not descend.
Only after the Faded Sun was completely destroyed could the Sun's full power descend.
At that time, it would be able to help Lucian raise a new Sun.