Elden Ring: With God Chapter 319: Everyone Here is Trash

Bai Shi paused, looking at the incomplete chunks of flesh on the ground.

From the equipnt left behind, he was certain that many of the bodies here belonged to the Cuckoo Legion.

These corpses had all been carefully sliced, the pieces of roughly uniform size, likely to feed their larvae.

Moreover, the bodies were still dripping with fresh blood, a clear sign they had been slaughtered and collected recently.

But how did the Cuckoos end up here?

The ants didn't seem to have expanded their territory to the surface world; their growth was confined to the underground Ainsel River basin.

With no ants on the surface, it was impossible that these Cuckoos were captured and dragged down from above.

Did that an the Cuckoos descended into the underground of their own volition?

Bai Shi pondered this for a mont, then opened his map to search for an answer.

Soon enough, he figured out the Cuckoos’ point of origin.

On the eastern shore of Liurnia, there was a well that led underground, with an elevator that descended into the depths.

It was just like the well in Limgrave’s Mistwood.

Both wells provided a path to the subterranean world, yet neither offered a direct route to an Eternal City.

The well in the Mistwood led to the lowest level of the Siofra River.

Nokron, the Eternal City, however, was perched high upon sheer cliffs, utterly unreachable by conventional ans.

But the well in Liurnia was slightly different.

Though there was a difference in elevation, it wasn’t entirely impossible to reach Nokstella from there.

After arriving in the underground world from the bottom of the well, one could pass through another set of Uld Dynasty Ruins to reach the sluice gate of the Ainsel River.

Once past the gate, they would be in the lower Ainsel River.

Among the ruins of the lower Ainsel River, all one had to do was kill an inverted Malford Star, and it would be easy to climb up from below and set foot on the path to Nokstella.

In the ga, this path could only be traversed by jumping down, but in reality, it shouldn't be an impassable dead end.

If they wanted to get up, the Cuckoos could simply set up a ladder.

Although he didn't know the Cuckoos' objective, Bai Shi certainly couldn't stand by and let them reach Nokstella.

First, he had to find the Cuckoos' current location and see how far they had progressed.

Then, depending on the situation, he would either eliminate them directly or handle them another way.

Bai Shi walked deeper into the ant nest, where several tunnels led to unknown destinations.

Faced with so many passages, Bai Shi naturally couldn't explore them one by one.

This was an ant nest, after all. These tunnels likely branched into countless more forks ahead.

Fortunately, Bai Shi now had a reliable thod for exploring paths.

He summoned a fierce gale and sent it surging into the tunnels.

The wind tore through the nest, transmitting the conditions within every passage back into Bai Shi’s mind.

A complete layout of this massive subterranean ant nest quickly took shape in his head.

Even the ants scurrying through the tunnels were fully detected by Bai Shi.

The cavern he was currently in was already imnse, yet it was rely the tip of the iceberg.

Compared to the entirety of the underground nest, which was so vast it seed poised to hollow out the entire mountain, this cavern was nothing.

The dense swarms of ants constantly moving through the nest made Bai Shi's skin crawl as he surveyed the scene, threatening to trigger a bout of trypophobia.

Still, he hadn't found any signs of the Cuckoo soldiers yet.

Bai Shi increased his power, and the strong wind continued its sweep outward from the nest, exploring the Ainsel River basin.

As he further expanded the scope of his search, Bai Shi first located Nokstella, the Eternal City.

The passages leading there were still occupied by ants, so he estimated the Cuckoos had not yet reached it.

Bai Shi ntally marked the route to Nokstella.

He then shifted his attention, no longer focusing on Nokstella, and directed the wind to search the lower Ainsel River.

This subterranean world was simply too vast, and precise control was needed to explore it. Bai Shi couldn't cover every angle at once.

This ti, he quickly found signs of human activity, completely different from the ants.

These humanoid creatures were gathered in the lower Ainsel River, staying among the ruins of the Uld Dynasty.

Judging by their numbers and movents, they couldn't be Clayn. They had to be the Cuckoos from the surface.

In that vicinity, he could sense periodic contact between the ants and the Cuckoos.

Corpse after corpse was being carried back to the nest by the ants—both Cuckoos and ants alike.

Bai Shi opened his eyes. After a mont's thought, he started walking in that direction.

The giant ant nest completely blocked their path to Nokstella.

To reach Nokstella, they had to pass through the nest.

The Cuckoos had not yet broken through the giant ants' domain, but their location was very close to Nokstella.

That ant they could enter Nokstella without too much effort.

It wouldn't matter if he ignored them; Bai Shi was confident he would reach Nokstella before they did anyway.

However, when it ca to these Cuckoos, Bai Shi decided it was better to deal with them ahead of ti.

After enveloping himself in a barrier of storm winds, Bai Shi completely concealed his presence.

Adding a layer of invisibility on top of that, he walked directly into the depths of the ant nest.

Under this twofold concealnt, Bai Shi strode right past the giant ants, who didn't react at all.

Seeing how effective it was, Bai Shi proceeded through the nest with confidence.

Along the way, the interior of the nest could only be described as a charnel house.

The bones of countless creatures were strewn across the ground, forming a thick layer.

The sheer number of bodies made Bai Shi wonder where the ants had managed to find so many people.

They couldn't have all drifted down here, could they?

And even with so many corpses, it wouldn't be nearly enough to sustain the ants' consumption and reproduction.

However, Bai Shi soon found the answer inside the nest.

In several of the caverns, there were piles of plant fragnts, upon which grew many viscous mushrooms native to the underground.

It seed these ants were omnivorous, which explained how they could reproduce in such large numbers.

But if they even ate mushrooms, why had he not seen a single Clayman corpse among the skeletal remains he passed?

Furthermore, there was no sign of any Astel larvae.

Astel floated, making them hard for the ants to catch, and they might not even be able to win a fight.

But the Clayn moved slowly and were surely no match for the ants.

For a species that ate everything, their lack of interest in the Clayn was puzzling. It was almost as if they were coexisting peacefully, which was sowhat incredible.

Perhaps the Clayn just didn't taste good, or maybe they were inedible?

Other than that reason, Bai Shi couldn't imagine why they hadn't been devoured by the teeming swarms of ants.

—

In the lower Ainsel River, a large number of Cuckoos were stationed, constantly pushing into the giant ant nest.

Day after day, they set up camp, tore it down, and set it up again in an endlessly tedious and exhausting cycle.

Fortunately, they had brought more than enough soldiers and foot soldiers. The undead soldiers felt neither boredom nor fatigue.

Although scores of common soldiers were dragged off by the ants every day.

But to the Cuckoos, anyone who hadn't beco a Cuckoo Knight was nothing more than cannon fodder.

And cannon fodder was ant to be thrown on the front lines.

The giant ants were, after all, ordinary creatures of the Lands Between, not so sort of insectoid race from outer space.

So, even if they constantly recycled nutrients, their reproduction rate couldn't keep up with the Cuckoos' advance.

While the front lines pushed forward, several Cuckoo leaders gathered in a large tent at the center of the camp.

A towering Cuckoo leader with a warhamr resting beside her looked at the blurry map in her hands and spoke:

"If this map is accurate, our current position should not be far from the Eternal City."

Her gear had been modified to distinguish her from ordinary Cuckoo Knights. And the other Cuckoo leaders in the tent were all uniquely attired as well.

Sitting across from this amazon, a gaunt man with a silver twinblade on his back propped up his head and shook it.

"Who cares if it's accurate or not..."

"That damn thing told us to co here, so we just do it."

"Besides, it's not the first ti we've failed to find the place and ended up wasting our ti..."

The other Cuckoo leaders nodded numbly.

They had no idea what that damn thing at the top was thinking, always sending them to explore so bizarre location.

Sotis it was a strange crypt, other tis a cave teeming with beasts.

It cared nothing for the Cuckoos' losses, and the rewards for exploring these places were completely disproportionate to the cost.

And yet, this sa creature possessed an absurd level of power.

That Mimic Tear ruled over them, leaving them with no room to resist.

Just then, a voice spoke from beside them.

"I have a question, if you don't mind."

"What is this 'damn thing' you're talking about?"

Everyone in the tent started at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

The Cuckoo leaders whipped their heads around, only to see a man they had never seen before.

Who was he?! And when did he get here?!

They were in the very center of their camp, and everyone present was of comparable strength, yet not a single one of them had noticed him!

The uninvited guest was, of course, Bai Shi.

The power gap was simply too great; he had walked through the Cuckoos' territory without a single person detecting him.

At this mont, Bai Shi was also observing these Cuckoo leaders.

As leaders of the Cuckoos, they each had their own strengths, every one of them possessing power on par with a hero.

Had he encountered them much earlier, this group would have been a decent source of experience, dropping a few Runes.

But in the current climate of ever-inflating enemy stats, any random foe Bai Shi faced could wipe this group out.

One of the Cuckoo leaders, wielding two poisoned daggers, took advantage of his position to silently stab at Bai Shi's back.

In his mind, this single strike would be enough to severely wound this pretentious bastard.

The other Cuckoo leaders saw this and, while cursing him as a brainless fool, couldn't help but look on in anticipation.

Though the chances were slim, if it actually worked, then maybe they had a shot at winning.

Unfortunately, this highly anticipated attack had absolutely no chance of hitting Bai Shi.

Without even turning his head, Bai Shi calmly snapped his fingers.

Behind him, the attacking Cuckoo leader erupted into a man-shaped cloud of blood mist at the sound of the snap.

It was as if a gust of wind had blown through, and he was simply gone.

In that fleeting instant, a storm had enveloped him, shredding him into pieces too small to be seen.

A red mist filled the tent, slowly staining the old canvas a faint pink.

The remaining Cuckoo leaders trembled uncontrollably, their courage to fight completely gone.

The thick scent of blood filled their nostrils, and their forr comrade slowly beca one with them as they breathed him into their lungs.

Seeing their companion's grueso fate, the other Cuckoos were both relieved they hadn't acted and plunged into despair.

Bai Shi looked at the Cuckoos, who clutched their weapons but dared not strike, and smiled.

"Co on, you're really pathetic."

"Don't get

wrong. I'm not picking on any one of you. I'm saying that everyone here is trash."

"So, just answer my question obediently."

"Otherwise, the consequences might not be so pleasant."

—

anwhile, in Leyndell, the Royal Capital of the Erdtree, a rather unusual eting was taking place.

Morgott stood beside the Elden Throne, silently observing the guests he had personally summoned.

Two Cuckoo leaders with identical appearances stood before him.

They both had wavy black hair, the faces of middle-aged n, and a slightly noble air about them.

They wore personalized equipnt that clearly distinguished them from other Cuckoos.

One of them looked at Morgott and spoke with a flat, emotionless tone.

"To think that the renowned 'Grace-Given King,' Morgott, would actually be an On."

Hearing the man next to him speak, the Cuckoo leader nad ryl, who had previously communicated with Bai Shi, broke out in a cold sweat.

For god's sake, boss, can you please not say whatever you want when we're in soone else's territory?

He still wanted to live for a couple more years.

If he could control his own actions, he never would have wanted to co here in the first place.

To ryl's surprise, Morgott had no reaction.

Although Morgott deliberately avoided showing his face in Leyndell, he wouldn't hide his identity from those he granted an audience.

Anyone personally summoned by Morgott would learn the truth that he was an On.

Of course, Morgott had only ever summoned a handful of people.

Morgott addressed the man before him calmly.

"The feeling is mutual."

"In fact, I am far more surprised to learn that the true leader of the Cuckoo Legion is a Mimic Tear."

"You are the second sentient Mimic Tear I have encountered."

Morgott observed him closely once more before continuing.

"You seem to be rather peculiar..."

"An ordinary Mimic Tear would not, in turn, control a human."

A faint flicker of surprise finally crossed the expressionless face of the Mimic Tear opposite him.

"You've t another sentient Mimic Tear before?"

Morgott nodded.

He had t Ashmi when he fought alongside Mohg using their projections in Stormveil Castle.

Since this concerned intelligence on Bai Shi, Morgott didn't mind chatting a bit more with the other party before getting to business.

If the other party knew sothing, that would be even better.

"It was a Mimic Tear called Ashmi."

"The host she resides in and mimics is none other than Bai Shi, the 'Lord of Stormveil'."

Upon hearing the na Ashmi, the Mimic Tear opposite him understood.

"Ah, so it was that one. Then it's not strange that it has its own consciousness."

"I just never expected it would end up with Bai Shi."

"In that case... things have beco a little troubleso."

Morgott couldn't agree more.

Bai Shi was already his greatest enemy, and now he had a Mimic Tear capable of imitating him as an ally.

The fires of ambition in Bai Shi's heart still burned fiercely, and Morgott knew he had to extinguish them.

The Mimic Tear opposite him thought for a mont, then decided not to dwell on it.

"This matter... we can discuss it later if you're interested."

"First, let's talk about our cooperation."

"Regarding the complete transfer of the Cuckoo Legion's command to Leyndell."