No one is anyone's savior; he was merely acting as a friend to fulfill a promise, nothing more. The girl's wooden personality had its benefits at times. Throne withdrew his thoughts and leaned his head out to look down. The Godskin had long since vanished without a trace, leaving only that Fire Giant pacing back and forth with its severed leg.
If not for the fact that it could not approach the furnace, it would have already charged up to settle the score with Throne. Throne had broken the rules and beaten it severely; it was undoubtedly a blood feud.
"What should we do? Should I try to lure it away?" Melina suggested from the side. Seeing Throne raise his hand, she dodged backward like lightning.
"What are you doing? Are you afraid I'll hit you?"
Throne pinched his chin with his hand.
"W-who's afraid of you hitting me? To tell you the truth, now that I've regained my memories and my strength is constantly recovering, I won't be afraid of you in the future."
Melina raised her little fist, signaling that she was very strong now.
"Oh."
Throne glanced at her and immediately turned his head away again.
"Is that all the reaction you have!?"
"What else? Isn't your strength still in the process of recovering? By the time you recover to the power of a demigod, I'll already be arm-wrestling Godfrey, and by then, won't I still be firmly suppressing you?"
Melina froze, then recalled the growth speed of this man, and her gaze toward Throne gradually became dangerous.
She felt like returning evil for good, taking advantage of Throne's heavy injuries to teach him a lesson right now. However, looking at the irritable giant down the mountain, she forced herself to hold back while a sense of sorrow welled up within her. Why am I always completely dominated by this man? Throne ignored her, seemingly forgetting the moving embrace from just moments ago.
After looking for a long time without finding a solution, he simply pulled his head back.
"There's no way to go down. After this giant sacrificed itself to the evil god, its strength became extremely high. Even in my prime, I might not be able to handle it."
"Then what do we do?"
"We wait, at least until my injuries recover."
"Here?"
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the cold?"
Melina was choked up by Throne again, immediately forgetting her remaining gratitude and guilt, and went to a corner to grumble to herself. She stared blankly at the furnace, still unable to snap out of it. Even though something that could change her fate had just happened, she didn't feel much of an impact, and it was no different from usual. Shouldn't she be lost? Shouldn't she be filled with emotion?
Melina turned her head and looked at the desolate silhouette in the cold wind. The muscles exposed through his broken armor were covered in scars, and she finally understood something. This man hoped that she would treat major events as minor ones, so she wouldn't carry any burdens.
After hesitating for a moment, she slowly moved over, leaned against Throne's back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and feeling the man's tensed muscles, lowered her head and murmured into his ear:
"I forgot to say, you, just now, were my hero."
On the peak of the snowy mountain, the cold wind howled. Melina's voice was very soft, and the breath she exhaled brushed against Throne's cheek, making him feel a hint of ticklish warmth. Throne, who had already entered a light doze and begun checking his losses, slowly opened his eyes, revealing an imperceptible smile. She really was a blockhead, but a blockhead that had already blossomed.
Even if her reactions were slow, she ultimately knew what her own thoughts were. He had changed Melina's fate, yet he hoped she wouldn't change anything. The girl's heart was forever pure; at most, being taken advantage of by him was worth the price of admission.
"I feel a bit cold."
Melina was stunned, then hugged Throne even tighter without hesitation, and whispered, "You sleep, I'll keep watch."
"Then can I sleep in your arms often in the future?"
Ah, this. The girl hesitated for a moment, thinking of what she had just said, and couldn't help but nod heavily, "Okay, I promise you."
"Can you get along well with Ranni in the future?"
"What does this have to do with the Lunar Princess?"
"Ouch, ow, ow, this Black Flame really has carved itself into my soul."
Melina gritted her teeth and nodded again, "Okay, I'll try my best."
"And that teacher of mine, you'll be able to see her soon, and at that time..."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go too far."
Melina finally realized that this guy was taking advantage of her broken psychological defenses to force an unequal treaty on her. She immediately hugged Throne even tighter, so tight that he had trouble breathing, and finally understood what it meant for her strength to be recovering. Unexpectedly, as her memories returned, the blockhead's IQ had also increased. He simply shut his mouth.
"Throne, actually I'm very grateful to you. You've done so much for me without asking for anything in return, and you haven't even imposed your will upon me."
Accompanied by her soft voice, the girl's warm, tender hands massaged his head, even though the mountain peak was extremely cold, with thin ice even forming on his armor. The Erdtree's lush crown was still before his eyes, as if he could touch it if he reached out.
Throne squinted at it, feeling that this trip to the north seemed to have accomplished nothing, yet it also seemed that everything had been done. The results were few: just one Bishop of the Two Fingers, one Draconic Tree Sentinel, and a few Godskin, that was all. He hadn't killed any major targets, and the Erdtree still stood by his side, but many things had changed.
He had met Sellen, who haunted his dreams; his relationship with Ranni had taken a step forward; and he had completely changed Melina's fate. These three women were now firmly bound to him; whether they were dull, tsundere, or eccentric, there were no longer any barriers between them. As Throne thought about it, a smile appeared on his face.
This was truly immense happiness—an executioner who should have been spurned by the world was now enveloped in 'love'. But soon, that smile froze. Behind the happiness lay extreme danger. Throne wasn't naive enough to think that these three women would treat each other with respect and mutual tolerance. Didn't he see that even after he had done all this, Melina still refused to give in?
"Sigh, sometimes I really envy those people who can settle everything with kindness. In a sense, they are also strong."
"Why are you sighing when everything is fine?"
Melina lowered her head, clearly not asleep.
"I'm thinking of a way to burn that tree to ashes."
"It doesn't feel like it..."
"What the hell do you know about feelings?"
Throne glared, though he felt a bit guilty inside. He hadn't expected that now that Melina had regained her memories, her intuition had also improved.
You're actually scolding me again. Melina pouted, but she didn't get angry, muttering, "Are we just going to sit here stupidly waiting for the Lunar Princess to come and save us?"
She wasn't stupid. Jumping into the sea of clouds was suicidal, and crossing the chains to challenge the Fire Giant wouldn't be any better. Staying on top of the furnace wouldn't freeze them to death, but two Godskin had escaped, and who knew if they would call for reinforcements.
"I've lost contact with Ranni; she has no idea about the current situation."
Melina took a light breath. She didn't know why, but facing an even worse desperate situation, she was actually somewhat happy. She tilted her head and thought about it—could it be because only Throne was by her side?
"Then let's wait for that teacher of yours. If the three of us work together, we might be able to kill this giant."
The girl's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
You're actually curious about the teacher?
"My dear girl, you still don't grasp the true lethality of that witch."
Throne chuckled inwardly but shook his head.
"The teacher has to watch over Millicent. She unleashed the Scarlet Rot to break the encirclement, and now she's in grave danger."
Melina's pupils contracted sharply.
"Is Millicent alright?"
"She's not alright, but it's under control for now. I'm swamped—found the teacher, settled your mission, and now I've got to help Millicent."
Throne pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling like one crisis was chasing the next. Heading to the Mohgwyn Dynasty to confront that malevolent figure was unavoidable. Malenia could wait, but Millicent couldn't afford any delay. This tangled mess also involved Miquella, and the complications were beyond description.
"I believe you can handle it," Melina said after a long pause, her voice tentative.
"Who else but me?"
Throne tilted his chin up, exhaling softly as he leaned on his sword and rose to his feet.
"No time for chatter. Let's move."
"You've already recovered? What else is there to do?"
"I'm an unkillable cockroach. If we wait any longer, the Crucible Knight will show up, and then we're done for."
Throne's tone dripped with pride. Under Melina's bewildered gaze, he turned toward the furnace beside them.
"As for what to do? Exactly what you're thinking."
It sounded like a riddle. Before Melina could process it, Throne stepped forward and plunged toward the furnace. Her face drained of color as she lunged forward to look. Relief washed over her—Throne hadn't lost his mind and committed suicide. The Dark Moon Greatsword was embedded in the furnace's edge, leaving him suspended in midair.
He peered down at the embers at the furnace's base, faint as dying sparks. Harmless as they seemed, he'd witnessed a powerful Godskin touch the flame and disintegrate into ash instantly, leaving no trace. If the Frenzied Flame consumes everything on a spiritual level, this thing incinerates all on a physical level. It's unimaginable how terrifying it must have been in its prime.
Judging by the cauldron's design, it must have once been filled with searing flames. The Erdtree had expended immense time and energy to reduce it to this faint glow. Yet, even now, the flame couldn't be extinguished.
The Scarlet Rot and the Eternal City were mere distractions. The only forces capable of truly harming the Erdtree were the Frenzied Flame and the Flame of Ruin. Considering it was just a tree, this made perfect sense.
"The Greater Will is the true God of Gods. To face It, I'll need the power the Erdtree has amassed over the ages. Burning it outright would be a waste."
A greedy glint flickered in Throne's eyes. The Lands Between were just the beginning; the Greater Will was the ultimate foe. To achieve this, the path of the Tarnished was useless. Rykard's philosophy, however, aligned with his own—to unify everything, to devour the Erdtree. Only then would he be worthy of facing the Greater Will.
But the question remained: how? It wasn't as simple as stabbing the Erdtree with a blade and draining it dry, was it? If the Elden Beast was its soul, then the crucible of life was its root. Would he need to extract both to achieve his goal?
Gazing at the Flame of Ruin below, buffeted by the cold wind, Throne's mind sharpened. Even if the giant snake swallowing the elephant didn't cause him to burst, he'd still need to find the path to confront the Elden Beast. Combining the Tarnished's method, traversing the path of thorns required three things: the Frenzied Flame, the Flame of Ruin, and Destined Death.
Controlling these three elements wouldn't be easy—he couldn't just torch the entire Erdtree. A task like scaling the heavens, but that's what made it worth doing. Throne never shied from impossible odds. He craved them. One piece of the puzzle lay right before him, and fate had handed him Adam's fire-stealing technique.
A test run first. Safety first. Throne drew a steadying breath—then Melina's shout sliced through the air from above.
"Trouble below!"
Suspended in the furnace, he couldn't see the mountainside, but the clash of armor rode the icy wind. No need to look. The Fire Monks were mobilizing. The teacher was weighed down. No way she could hold off hundreds—thousands—of them alone. And him? Stuck on this godsforsaken peak with no way out. The situation crumbled fast, but Throne didn't retreat upward.
"Watch them. I'll be back."
"You—"
Melina's hand shot out, grasping empty air as Throne released the sword hilt and plunged down the furnace wall toward the searing flames.
Lunatic. She clenched her teeth, dagger in hand, keeping vigil above. Had this entire journey been anything but madness? Every step of the way, this man flirted with death—no, chased it like a lover. Once, she hadn't understood. Now she did. For Throne, "impossible" was just a word. No matter the chaos, he focused on the task at hand with a magnetism that dragged others into his insanity.
Her eyes tracked his descent. Crimson lava sheathed his hands, glowing like molten gloves from afar. Is this the Thief of Fire's technique?
She'd met Adam. The memory steadied her pulse. If that thief could do it, Throne would do it better.
Boom—
The furnace's gloom shattered under a surge of crimson light. Flames roared to life, writhing like a beast injected with fresh vigor. To steal fire, you must first wake it. The realization flickered—then vanished as movement below stole her attention.
The Fire Giant lurched upright, a massive bone lashed to its severed leg. It paced, restless, yearning to crush the insolent thief but bound by the seal. Then—chaos from the mountainside fortress. The Fire Monks had noticed. They swarmed upward, a tide of zealots.
They crossed chains, wove through forests, strode past the giant itself. An unspoken truce—of course. Enemies wouldn't have let the first thief near the furnace.
These monks were the Golden Order's sentinels. They had the right to approach. Hundreds halted beneath the chains, hands raised. Incantations bloomed like deadly flowers.
The girl tightened her grip on the short sword, poised on the chain's end like a predator. As fireballs rained down, her golden barrier flared to life.
"With me here, you shall not pass!"
Golden ripples erupted—a lake struck by a storm. Flames shattered against the barrier, not a single ember reaching the furnace or the man who danced with fire.
The giant and the monks saw this as worse than theft—this was daylight robbery, a sacrilege that scorched their very purpose. For centuries they'd guarded this frozen hellscape, bound by duty. Now some bastard was looting their domain in broad daylight. Rage detonated in their veins like black powder.
"Charge!"
Aganti's roar split the air, veins bulging at his temples.
"She's one fucking woman! This insult makes Adam's sin look like a child's prank!"
Spittle flew from his cracked lips. The blasphemy burned a hundred times hotter.