Elden Ring: With God Chapter 268: Melina, Reborn at Last!

After leaving Renna's Rise, Bai Shi flew down the mountainside path before the tower.

Nearby was the Dragonbarrow Cave, which contained two talismans, both quite decent.

Hidden along the main path were two magic circles that, when triggered, would summon giant iron balls to roll down and attack.

Though the iron balls were ferocious and a single hit could be fatal in the early stages of the ga, you could also lure them into rolling off the cliff to their demise for a nice sum of runes.

For that reason, it was a pretty good spot for farming runes early on.

Bai Shi had done the sa back in his novice days before switching to other, more efficient thods.

Flying through the air, he didn't trigger the magic circles and soon arrived at the Dragonbarrow Cave at the base of the cliff.

This cave contained the Great-Goat Talisman and the Fladrake Talisman

2.

As he already possessed the special power of the sun's blessing and had extrely high fire resistance, Bai Shi wanted to see if equipping the Fladrake Talisman would grant him complete immunity to fire.

The Great-Goat Talisman was also an excellent accessory that could increase his poise.

With higher poise, it would be harder for him to be thrown off balance by heavy attacks, which could prove useful in future battles.

It would be especially effective against opponents like Godfrey.

The enemies in the cave were not strong—just the usual beasts found throughout the Lands Between, such as wolves and Runebears.

Dragonbarrow's higher elevation had partially shielded it from the Scarlet Rot, and this particular location was the furthest from the corruption's source. As a result, the cave was remarkably normal, with green plants growing everywhere.

The Scarlet Rot from the outside had barely encroached, turning this place into a sanctuary where animals could survive.

Inside, the wolves and Runebears had each carved out their own territories and left each other alone. Bai Shi simply bypassed them and delved deeper into the cavern.

In a chamber with a source of clear water, Bai Shi found a corpse sitting cross-legged. From it, he retrieved the Great-Goat Talisman.

It was a talisman crafted in the likeness of a great-goat's horn, and holding it in his hand, he could feel a reassuring strength emanating from it.

The great-goat was a species native to the Lands Between, massive in size and few in number.

However, the great-goat was made famous by a certain knight—

The stout, mighty, and unflinching ‘Great Horned’ Tragoth.

He was known throughout the Lands Between for his kind heart, and countless Tarnished had received his aid.

One could say he was a brother-in-arms, much like the Knights of the Sun and the onion knights of legend.

Bai Shi had fought alongside him at the Radahn Festival and held him in high regard.

Bai Shi stored the talisman away, intending to swap it in after he had found the other one in the cave.

In the deepest part of the cavern were two Beastn of Farum Azula. They were the masters of this place.

When Farum Azula crumbled, many beastn and pieces of the city fell to the Lands Between, where they eked out a ager existence in various locales.

In the past, beasts had been a symbol of civilization, possessing great intelligence.

But now, scattered across the Lands Between and separated from their collective, the beastn were no longer the wise creatures they once were.

Wisdom, once detached from civilization, would eventually fade, and they had reverted to their primal, bestial instincts.

The two beastn before Bai Shi were now almost indistinguishable from common animals, with no trace of their forr intelligence.

The only special trait they retained was their form—they stood on two feet and carried weapons.

Their strength was nothing to write ho about; they were re minions.

Bai Shi knocked them down with two casual punches, sending them scrambling and tumbling to the edge of the cave, where they cowered and trembled.

Bai Shi collected the Fladrake Talisman that was here and left the cave.

This was one of the few places untouched by the Scarlet Rot. It was best to let the beasts remain here in peace.

Sitting on a massive tree root that jutted out from the sea cliff, Bai Shi began to test his two newly acquired talismans.

He currently had three talisman pouches, containing Radagon's Soreseal, the Winged Sword Insignia, and Erdtree's Favor.

Bai Shi removed the latter two and placed the talismans he had just acquired into the empty slots.

The talisman pouches soon began to writhe, transferring the power of the talismans into Bai Shi's body.

Bai Shi assessed the effect and shook his head.

The Fladrake Talisman

2 had no noticeable effect on him. With his inherent eighty to ninety percent fire resistance, its weak boost was completely overshadowed.

It seed true fire immunity was still a distant goal.

Bai Shi quietly removed the Fladrake Talisman from the pouch.

The Great-Goat Talisman, by contrast, had its full effect. Bai Shi could clearly feel a heavy, solid power residing within him.

Combined with so gravity sorcery, it should make him nearly impossible to stagger.

If he used an Ironjar Aromatic on top of that, he might even be able to trade blows directly with Godfrey.

After a mont's thought, Bai Shi removed the Great-Goat Talisman as well.

He didn't need it for now. He could just equip it later when the ti ca.

Bai Shi placed the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom Talisman Millicent had given him into a pouch. It granted five points of Dexterity, which was a nice bonus.

In the other pouch, Bai Shi re-equipped Erdtree's Favor.

He decided he would swap it for the Stargazer Heirloom Talisman once he went to the Divine Tower of Liurnia.

As for Radagon's Soreseal, Bai Shi still hadn't taken it off.

It was all about the stats. As long as he maxed out all his numbers, he would be invincible.

The attribute bonus it provided was still substantial, and the negative effect of increased damage taken wasn't a problem for him.

Once his talismans were in order, Bai Shi began to think about what else he had to do in Caelid.

In the days leading up to lina's rebirth, he wasn't really in the mood to go fight demigods.

For now, Bai Shi planned to search the area around Sellia for 'Sage' Gowry and any information about Millicent's four other sisters.

In the Lands Between, 'Sage' was hardly a complint.

Sages were heretical intellectuals, and their crimson robes were a symbol of their exile from civilized towns.

Just then, however, the moonlight mark on Bai Shi's body began to glow.

Ranni's voice echoed in his ear:

‘Co to the Grand Library.’

‘She is about to awaken.’

Bai Shi's spirits imdiately lifted, and he used a site of grace to teleport to the Grand Library.

For a rare change, Ranni was standing on the floor, positioned before Rennala and the Rebirth Amber, silently watching lina within.

lina was already showing signs of stirring. Her limbs twitched slightly, like soone on the verge of waking from a deep sleep.

Seeing that Bai Shi had arrived, Ranni turned and nodded at him.

"You're here. In that case, I will take my leave."

Ranni could already imagine the reunion to co, and her staying would just make things awkward.

With that, Ranni vanished from the Grand Library.

Bai Shi walked up to Rennala and looked at lina inside the amber in her arms.

He slowly rested his hand upon the Rebirth Amber.

Finally... the day had finally co.

After her rebirth, lina would have a physical body, a true second life.

They could embark on a real journey together, instead of her being just a spirit watching from the sidelines.

And now that he had gained the power of the sun, he could see the phantom fla.

This ant lina no longer needed to burn herself. They wouldn't have to asure the depth of their love through the pain of a final, fatal parting.

Bai Shi gazed silently at lina's face.

Even though he couldn't see her clearly through the hazy amber, he could still 'see' her perfectly.

After all, lina's appearance was already firmly etched in his heart.

At that mont, lina's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her right eye, her gaze eting Bai Shi's.

Opening her eyes and seeing Bai Shi waiting before the amber, lina broke into a smile of pure, heartfelt happiness.

lina felt that, in this mont, she had to be the happiest girl in all the Lands Between.

lina reached out her hand, pressing it against the outer shell of the amber to et Bai Shi's own.

The once-hard, thick amber shell imdiately grew clearer, gradually vanishing as if it had never existed at all.

lina's hand broke through the shell of the amber, and she intertwined her fingers tightly with Bai Shi's.

Erging from the amber, lina threw herself into Bai Shi's arms, embracing him tightly.

Bai Shi held the soaking-wet lina, clearly feeling her breath and the beating of her heart.

lina had beco human.

No words were needed. They simply held each other tight.

After a while, Bai Shi retrieved the clothes he had long prepared for lina from his spatial storage and draped a new cloak over her.

Bai Shi quietly averted his gaze. Well... how to put this? It was a little crude, but...

He could only say it was a perfectly normal physiological reaction.

"Let's go. Let's go ho."

lina's face was also a little red as she nodded.

"Mm."

——

lina, draped in the cloak, took the clothes and went behind a bookshelf.

The blissful smile on her face had slowly faded, replaced by a look of confusion and uncertainty.

lina bit her lip, her thoughts still a jumble.

She was reabsorbing the mories she had once lost.

Within the amber, lina had slumbered for a long ti, and during that period, mories had washed over her like a tide.

The mories now returning to her body were sothing even lina herself found difficult to accept.

She was a hidden demigod, an unknown child of Queen Marika.

Queen Marika was her mother, and she even had a brother.

Not only had lina discovered her origins, but she had also learned of the mission she was destined to carry out.

Before, lina had always known she bore an important mission, but she never knew what it was.

lina was supposed to return to the Royal Capital at the foot of the Erdtree to recover her purpose, but now, that purpose had co rushing back along with all her mories.

She possessed a soul that could perceive the phantom fla—a necessary qualification for her to serve as Kindling.

On the day when all seed lost, lina was to offer herself as Kindling and burn down the Erdtree.

For this purpose, she was secretly raised by Queen Marika and taught every skill she might possibly need.

Whether it was the ability to turn runes into strength, the arts of cartography and crafting sacred flasks, or even combat techniques from the sa school as the Black Knives...

A heavy mission erodes its bearer, like an inescapable curse.

All of this had been arranged long ago.

But in truth, lina wasn't against it.

This was her mission, the forr aning of her existence.

To burn the Erdtree was an act of high treason against the Golden Order, yet this was the mission bestowed upon her by her own mother—Queen Marika.

Afterward, the order would be reconstructed.

Despite having found the purpose she had been searching for all this ti, lina felt a profound fear and uncertainty.

The ti she had spent as a spirit, while brief compared to the long mories of her past life, was the happiest period of her entire existence.

She had fallen in love with Bai Shi.

Was she truly ant to burn it all down, lting away love, hate, and everything in between?

But if her mission was, as she understood it, the only way for Bai Shi to beco Elden Lord...

Then there was nothing to hesitate about.

Her desire to fulfill her mission now had nothing to do with her mother's expectations. She would do it for Bai Shi.

lina now finally understood why that Finger Maiden they had t near Caelid had been searching for the Kindling, attempting to burn herself.

lina let out a soft sigh.

Fortunately, she probably still had a lot of ti left to create mories together.

lina put on the clothes, which were the sa set she had worn as a spirit.

They seed to fit quite well.

It was a fairly common style in the Lands Between, so it had been no challenge for Boc. The craftsmanship was superb.

And because Bai Shi had personally commissioned it, Boc had poured his heart and soul into the work.

The sensation of a real body and the friction of clothes against her skin felt marvelous to lina. It had been a very long ti since she had experienced anything like it.

After putting on her outer garnts, lina opened her eyes and looked down at her burn-scarred hands.

Although she had her mories back, she had no idea why her body from her past life had been burned.

The mories she had recovered were still incomplete; many important things remained unknown.

...Hmm?

lina suddenly realized her tightly shut left eye was inexplicably open, and she gasped in shock.

The seal on her left eye had been placed there by her mother to contain a special power.

As far as lina knew, the seal would only be released under extrely specific circumstances to grant her strength.

Whatever the case, it was not a seal that should be broken now.

She quickly closed her left eye again, then cautiously peeked it half-open a mont later.

She imdiately squeezed it shut again.

After checking several more tis, lina finally accepted the fact that the seal on her left eye was broken.

"This is..."

lina glanced around, making sure Bai Shi couldn't possibly see, before summoning a black-and-white fla in her hand.

lina looked at the fla, puzzled.

She had seen Bai Shi use this fla before and had heard him speak of its origin.

It was the Black Fla wielded by the Gloam-Eyed Queen, who once led the Godskin Apostles.

In the past, the Black Fla was infused with Destined Death, and they had used it to hunt the gods.

But after Destined Death was sealed away, the Black Fla lost its god-slaying power.

lina gently bit her lip, thoroughly perplexed.

Why would such a power be sealed within her?

If it was just the Black Fla, was it truly necessary to seal it away so carefully?

...Never mind. She couldn't figure it out.

But at least the seal was broken, granting her access to so power. She should be able to help Bai Shi more in the future.

With the power of the Black Fla and a formidable body constructed from two Larval Tears, lina's strength was now astounding.

Aside from a lack of practical experience and being sowhat unaccustod to combat, her power was no less than that of the Shardbearers who fought to the death all across the Lands Between.

——

Bai Shi stood in the center of the Grand Library, patiently waiting for lina to get dressed.

When lina walked out from behind the bookshelf in her traveler's attire, Bai Shi's eyes instantly lit up.

Although her clothes were identical to when she was a spirit, the feeling was completely different.

Bai Shi walked up to her and asked with a smile:

"How is it? Does it fit well?"

lina nodded and spun around in front of Bai Shi, her twirling skirt blooming like a flower.

"So parts are a little off, but a few adjustnts will fix that easily."

"It's amazing that he could make it like this from just a description."

"Boc's skills have improved quite a bit. It seems he's been practicing all this ti to sew clothes for you."

Bai Shi nodded.

To hone his craft, Boc had been helping the residents of Stormveil by sewing and nding their clothes.

He was now a renowned tailor in Stormveil.

Bai Shi suddenly felt a wave of emotion. lina had traveled with him as a spirit and knew all the people they had t along the way.

But none of them knew she even existed.

Once they returned to Stormveil, however, they would get to et her anew.

"Let's go. Let's go back to Stormveil."

lina nodded but didn't leave right away.

She walked over to Rennala and bowed deeply in gratitude.

lina had a good guess as to why she had regained her mories and why the seal on her eye had been broken.

Rennala had used her secret arts to reconstruct her body and had silently done all these things for her.

Whether the heart-broken queen had acted of her own volition or not, she had indeed done this for her.

In a way, she was lina's second mother.

lina had once wondered what the relationship between an ordinary mother and child was like.

Now, she had found so answers.

Rennala, clutching the amber, appeared to be sleeping, her eyes closed and a faint smile on her face.

"Good child, you have been reborn so beautifully..."