Boom!
As the brilliant golden light flared in the distant forest, followed by a thunderous roar, Harold's mouth fell open. His expression shifted at a visible speed into one of pure, unadulterated frustration.
He was incensed. To unleash such a high-impact, high-profile Golden Incantation right in the middle of their territory—what were they thinking? What was their goal?!
"Move! Double the pace!" Harold barked, spinning around to glare at his subordinates. "Move out now!"
He was determined to make whoever was responsible for this provocation pay the price.
"Nothing will happen to Lord Mohg, will it?"
Liana looked toward the spot where the Golden Retribution had just erupted, her voice tinged with worry. The sheer density of the Golden Order's power in that blast was enough to strike fear into anyone of their kind.
"The Sovereign will be fine. His strength is far beyond our imagination," Horuff replied, offering a word of comfort. He wasn't just being polite; when he had first met Mohg, he had felt a crushing sense of pressure radiating from the man. After Mohg had met Liana and stepped out of that room, that aura had only grown more formidable.
"How is the situation on your end?"
"Lord Mohg!" Liana cried out in relief.
"Sovereign." Horuff bowed his head.
Seeing Liana rush toward him with a look of pure joy, Mohg reached out to catch her before gently setting her aside.
"Everything is normal here. We encountered no incidents. But on your end, that light..."
"Ah, I ran into a Deathbird. It took a bit of effort to settle," Mohg explained with a nod.
Horuff's expression shifted slightly. "So... that blast just now was your doing?"
"A measure left behind for me some time ago," Mohg replied vaguely.
"As expected of the Sovereign..." Horuff sighed, a look of genuine awe flickering in his eyes.
Mohg blinked, realizing Horuff had likely misinterpreted the source of the power. He had simply used the "artifact" his brother had left him. He saw no reason to explain further; sometimes, a useful misunderstanding served his purposes well.
However, he had pushed the weapon to its limit this time, fully unleashing the Golden Retribution stored within. The cost was high: the weapon was effectively sidelined for the time being. It was the equivalent of Godwyn showing up in person to cast a casual incantation—the tool had "overheated" and drained a significant portion of Mohg's internal energy.
Elsewhere, Harold and his men had arrived at the clearing where Mohg had finished off the Deathbird.
The lingering, dense fluctuations of golden energy confirmed his suspicion: this was indeed the work of the Erdtree's forces. He became exceedingly vigilant; judging by the residual power, the attack that had taken place here was nothing short of terrifying.
If he were to face the person who unleashed that strike head-on... Harold suspected he wouldn't survive more than a few moments.
"Is this... a Deathbird?"
Harold stared in shock at the remains slowly dissolving on the ground. He dismounted and approached the carcass. The overwhelming Holy attribute had completely obliterated the creature's head and part of its torso, though some scavengeable remains were still present.
Of course, those were only useful to necromancers. For the Carian military, they were merely clues to gauge the attacker's strength.
Beyond the horrific fatal wound, Harold noticed numerous smaller lacerations across the bird's body, as if it had been struck by tiny blades. These wounds weren't deep, however. It appeared the creature had primarily suffered "essential damage" from the Holy energy.
This information left Harold feeling deeply puzzled.
A powerful beam had instantly killed the Deathbird, yet these tiny lacerations had done almost nothing. There were no other wounds visible—though they might have been on the parts of the body that had already dissolved.
Harold leaned toward a specific conclusion: the attacker had used a "trump card" to kill the bird, and their actual, inherent strength might not be that impressive.
Furthermore... the attacker was likely in a very weakened state right now!
"Spread out! Search for tracks! Find the person who was here and bring me their trail!"
"Sir!"
"We should leave as quickly as possible. That commotion was massive, and since I didn't bother hiding my tracks, it won't be long before someone follows the trail here," Mohg said, looking back the way he had come.
"Where shall we go, Lord Mohg?" Liana asked.
"Let's rendezvous with our people. Based on their speed, they should have arrived in the area by now. I can sense that the three warriors I sent ahead have already infiltrated Toriland Town. Once we regroup, we'll find someone to extract them."
Liana nodded. "But it might be difficult to slip away unnoticed now, wouldn't it? Our party is quite conspicuous."
"Normally, yes," Mohg agreed, acknowledging her concern.
"Then allow me to serve as a decoy to protect you and Lady Liana," Horuff interjected, stepping forward and dropping to one knee.
Mohg immediately stepped forward to help him up. "Your loyalty moves me, but I will not allow a warrior of the Dynasty to throw away his life over such a trivial matter. Stand up, Horuff."
"But..."
"Do not worry. I already have a plan."
Mohg shook his head and waited in silence. He had just contacted the Bloody Fingers who had arrived in the region, instructing them to begin the ritual.
At that very moment, on the opposite side of Toriland Town from Mohg's location, over a dozen gathered Bloody Fingers looked at one another before slicing open their own arms.
Blood flowed freely, pooling into a small pit they had dug in the earth. Before long, the pit brimmed with crimson liquid, and a thick, metallic scent of blood began to waft through the air. The local wildlife grew restless at the smell.
After the sacrifice, the group quickly bandaged their wounds—it would be a dark irony to bleed to death before the mission was complete. Then, they began to chant the prayer to Mohg.
"O Great Lord of Blood, O God of Blood... we beseech Your gaze and Your advent..."
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