Elden Ring: With God Chapter 322: The Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella

Soon, another obstacle appeared on Bai Shi’s path forward.

Several Nox Swordstresses materialized before him, guarding the top of the staircase.

They patrolled the steps chanically, as if endlessly repeating the duties of a bygone era.

Upon seeing Bai Shi, they drew their weapons in unison and attacked.

It was clear these Nox Swordstresses had long since lost their minds.

They had remained here ever since the fall of Nokstella.

Although the Nox were long-lived, an eternity had passed.

The era of the Nox Dynasty’s destruction predated the birth of the Age of the Erdtree by a vast margin.

Other descendants of the Eternal Cities had fled and scattered across the Lands Between, flourishing in new places.

But those who remained here guarded the ruins, choosing to perish alongside Nokstella.

Seeing nothing of value on the Nox Swordstresses, Bai Shi shook his head.

Since they were mindless, Bai Shi wasted no words and simply sent a ball of fire their way.

The raging flas incinerated the Nox Swordstresses, turning them to ash in an instant.

With them dealt with, Bai Shi continued on his way.

——

Soon, he reached the end of the long staircase.

It was a sha he hadn't collected much along the way.

Although the stairs connected to many buildings, few of them contained anything of worth.

Most were just hollowed-out ruins, filled with nothing but scattered corpses of all kinds.

It was a sad sight, not much different from the wreckage outside, just slightly more intact.

At the top of the stairs was a platform resembling a sky bridge, lined on both sides with towering statues of Nox hierarchs.

This bridge connected to another, even more magnificent and ornate structure.

It was just like the cathedral Bai Shi had seen in the Night's Sacred Ground in Nokron; the difference between it and the other buildings was apparent at a glance.

Clearly, that was the path to Nokstella’s true core.

If mory served, the Moon of Nokstella was probably inside.

The Teardrop Chalice that Ashmy needed was likely in there as well.

He didn’t know its exact location, but that didn’t matter.

As long as they got close, Ashmy would be able to sense it.

Once they were near the Teardrop Chalice, he could just let Ashmy find it herself.

After he obtained the Moon of Nokstella, Bai Shi planned to examine its effects before deciding whether to keep it for himself.

He had previously found a key on one of the Cuckoo Knights, which opened a secret vault in Nokron from which he brought out Selinsax and Shivr.

The black gemstone on that key was also from the Dark Moon and could function like a talisman.

Items that increased mory slots in the ga, like mory Stones and the Moon of Nokstella, had their effects altered in this reality.

They could quicken one's casting speed and accelerate one's thoughts.

If the Moon of Nokstella’s effect was similar, it wouldn’t be of much use to him.

After all, magic was just one of his options, and it wasn't ranked particularly high among his many abilities.

Bai Shi wanted to give it to Ranni.

As the moon that once shone upon the Eternal City, it might be of so help to her.

The various moons in the Lands Between were closely connected, and their powers might be interchangeable.

Bai Shi suddenly lowered his head in thought.

Co to think of it, he hadn’t really given lina any decent gifts either...

Hmm... if he were to give a gift, it would have to be of the sa quality. He couldn’t play favorites.

Perhaps the Erdtree's Favor

2 would be a good choice?

It was not only a vital talisman of the Erdtree but also, according to the text, a talisman personally bestowed by Queen Marika herself.

lina would surely be happy if she received it.

It was just that he couldn’t get it for the ti being...

...He’d put a pin in it. It wasn't certain he would give the Moon of Nokstella to Ranni yet, anyway.

If its stats were good enough and its effects powerful enough, he would just keep it for himself.

Though the legendary talisman seed to be just ahead, Bai Shi didn’t rush over to explore.

He turned around and walked toward the last building behind him.

At the building’s entrance, an imp statue maintained a seal, keeping a large door shut.

Bai Shi took out a Stonesword Key and inserted it into the imp statue's forehead.

As the seal was broken, the room was once again opened.

He saw a chamber filled with coffins, several sarcophagi arranged in neat rows.

The heavy tal coffins were carved with the distinctive patterns of the Nox Dynasty, appearing incredibly lavish.

In the center of the room lay a more unusual sarcophagus.

This one was much larger than the others, taking up a significant amount of space.

Bai Shi thought for a mont and concluded that this must be where the Nightmaiden and Swordstress Puppets were kept.

After a mont's hesitation, he pushed open the lid of the coffin.

As the heavy lid slid aside, two cold puppets were revealed to him.

A Nightmaiden and a Nox Swordstress lay peacefully within the sarcophagus.

These were ancient puppets crafted in the Eternal City.

The puppets of two sisters who had willingly undergone the process, a Nightmaiden and a Swordstress.

They were outsiders with cold blood, who wielded the distinctive flowing weapons of the Nox Dynasty.

The two within the coffin both had smooth, silver skin, and the lower halves of their faces, visible beneath their veils, were equally exquisite and beautiful.

They looked as if they were still alive, their beauty frozen in this mont, untouched by the erosion of ti.

Yet, the absence of breath or heartbeat was a constant reminder that they had long been dead.

The two lay side-by-side in the cold sarcophagus, pressed closely together.

Between them, their hands were clasped tightly.

It was obvious that these two were sisters.

Perhaps it was because of their sisterhood that they were permitted to beco puppets together, warranting this special coffin.

One had to rember that in the Nox Dynasty, the status of a Nightmaiden was on a completely different level from that of a Nox Swordstress.

Nightmaidens were the highest-ranking clergy, while Nox Swordstresses were rely guards.

Bai Shi collected the two puppets and placed them in his dinsional disk.

In terms of seniority, this was probably one of the earliest applications of puppetry.

Seluvis would surely find it incomprehensible that soone would willingly be turned into a puppet.

He lacked the charisma to make anyone sacrifice themselves for him voluntarily.

Thus, he could only rely on deception and force-feeding potions to turn others into puppets, satisfying his depraved desires.

Because of this, his puppets felt nothing but hatred for him.

Even after being turned into puppets and losing consciousness, their souls would seek revenge if they ever lost control.

How pathetic that he couldn't even realize his puppets only hated him.

Perhaps Seluvis was aware, but he was just unwilling to face the fact that the puppets he cherished all despised him.

After collecting the two puppets, Bai Shi didn't open any of the other coffins.

Besides this pair of sisters, there was no guarantee the others contained puppets.

Besides, there was no point in collecting so many puppets. Bai Shi only wanted this special pair. He left the room and walked to the edge of the building.

The torrential sound of a waterfall roared from outside.

This building was situated at the very edge of Nokstella.

Further on, a massive drop led down a cliff face to a completely different area below.

Standing at the cliff’s edge, Bai Shi could clearly see a gigantic skeleton sitting on a massive throne.

Below was the lower part of the Ainsel River, the domain of the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella.

For a boss tied to an achievent, the Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella was rather difficult to find.

The location wasn't related to any side quests; it was a hidden boss that could only be found by exploring after coming down the well in Liurnia.

To find it, players had to traverse an ant nest filled with giant ants.

And after passing through the ant nest, there was still a long way to go, and it was easy to miss the path leading to it.

During his first playthrough, that journey had been sowhat agonizing.

Fortunately, Bai Shi could now skip that part of the run.

Bai Shi leaped from the cliff's edge, landing in the pool of water below.

The pool was already littered with the mangled remains of Cuckoo soldiers.

Their bodies were torn to pieces, as if ripped apart by so powerful creature.

One could only imagine the violence these Cuckoo soldiers had suffered before their deaths.

Besides the fresh corpses of the soldiers, the pool was also filled with the skeletons of Nox exiles.

Countless skeletons were lded together, their hands reaching out toward the giant skeleton as if seeking hope and salvation.

A massive skeleton sat upon a throne-like shrine, receiving their adoration, yet it too had long since perished in the river of ti.

Although the giant skeleton was a stunning sight, Bai Shi hadn’t co for it.

Upon Bai Shi's arrival, the beast that guarded this place awoke.

On the cliff face opposite, a colossal creature revealed itself.

It raised its head, crawling out from the cave where it dwelled, and roared at the false night sky.

"Roar—!"

The roar seed to signal the start of battle as the Dragonkin Soldier leaped down.

With a whoosh of air, the Dragonkin Soldier crashed down like a teorite between Bai Shi and the giant skeleton.

Its heavy body sent massive waves through the pool.

"Boom—"

The Dragonkin Soldier landed on all fours, opened its bloody maw toward Bai Shi, and let loose a deafening roar that swept forward like a shockwave.

Fierce lightning crackled across its body, sparking and surging around it as energy rapidly built up.

It was a frigid blue lightning, a power unique to the Dragonkin Soldiers.

With its roar, the accumulated ice lightning erupted violently, its cold light illuminating the night sky.

On the Dragonkin Soldier's back, four sharp bones pierced through its flesh with the discharge of ice lightning, rapidly extending and instantly growing into complete wings.

The shockwave of its roar flung the water aside. The pool instantly froze over from the ice lightning, only to be shattered an instant later.

The dense layer of corpses on the ground was imdiately blasted to bits by the shockwave and ice lightning.

Bai Shi looked at the Dragonkin Soldier before him with so surprise.

This Dragonkin Soldier was far stronger than any he had encountered before.

And it wasn’t just a slight individual difference; it was clearly on a higher level.

Excellent. A product of the Nox Dynasty is a guarantee of quality.

He had originally just co to get an achievent and replenish his uses of Fengling Yueying.

He hadn't expected the Dragonkin Soldier before him to be so well-developed.

Even the hole in its stomach had been filled in, making it look like a normal living creature.

Unfortunately, its legs still seed flawed, preventing it from standing up properly.

Perhaps this Dragonkin Soldier was close to its final intended design.

Looking at the Dragonkin Soldier with its wings spread wide and its body wreathed in ice lightning, Bai Shi smiled faintly.

Looks like this could be interesting.

If it still had its consciousness, he'd try to take it with him after the fight.

Bai Shi drew his weapon—a rough, heavy slab of iron known as the Greatsword.

As expected, facing a beast this large, this was the only weapon that felt truly satisfying.

The Dragonkin Soldier spread its four tattered wings and launched its heavy body into the air.

Its four wings stretched out beneath Nokstella’s night sky, blotting out the starlight with an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The Dragonkin Soldier did not fly high before imdiately diving, its giant claws aid straight for Bai Shi’s body.

Bai Shi raised his Greatsword before him, eting the diving Dragonkin Soldier head-on.

The creature's sharp claws clashed against the Greatsword, producing a tallic ring.

Bai Shi firmly withstood the imnse weight and terrifying force of the blow without taking a single step back.

The attack was completely ineffective. Any creature would feel hesitation or confusion in such a situation.

But the Dragonkin Soldier’s ferocious eyes showed no such emotion.

Born as a weapon, it had no need for such superfluous feelings.

No matter the circumstances, it had only one task:

It only needed to guard this throne until it could no longer move.

With a mighty heave of his arms, Bai Shi lifted the Dragonkin Soldier’s body and threw it into the air.

With the help of its wings, the Dragonkin Soldier's massive body nimbly flipped in mid-air.

After stabilizing itself, two spears of ice lightning ford in its hands, which it hurled down at Bai Shi below.

Bai Shi didn’t dodge. He swung his greatsword, and a sudden gale erupted, shattering the ice lightning spears in mid-air.

The wind shattered the lightning, and its montum, unabated, knocked the soaring Dragonkin Soldier out of the sky and onto the ground.

The Dragonkin Soldier roared in fury and charged at Bai Shi again on all fours.

Facing the aggressive Dragonkin Soldier, Bai Shi casually slung the greatsword over his shoulder.

Bai Shi crouched, gathered his strength, and then slamd the greatsword forward, his body flipping through the air with the montum.

Twisting his waist, Bai Shi yanked the greatsword from the ground and brought it crashing down heavily on the charging Dragonkin Soldier.

The Dragonkin Soldier raised an arm to block, but the heavy blade instantly shattered its limb.

After the arm ca the head. The flat of the blade struck it squarely, leaving it dizzy and unable to continue its charge.

Stopping a dragon's charge with a greatsword!

Having stopped its charge, Bai Shi felt utterly refreshed.

He hoisted the greatsword onto his shoulder and walked up to the Dragonkin Soldier.

Seeing Bai Shi standing before it, the Dragonkin Soldier imdiately tried to grab him.

However, having suffered a heavy blow to the head, it couldn't even manage such a simple action.

Just as Bai Shi was about to speak to it, he heard a different kind of whistling sound from the sky.

Sothing was flapping its wings at high speed, flying this way, and it seed quite large.

Bai Shi looked up to see a colossal creature slowly appearing before him and the Dragonkin Soldier from below Nokstella's cliffs.

A pale white skull with massive jaws poked out from between the cliffs, its long, slender body shimring like a constellation as it swam freely through the air.

A fully-ford Astel.