Elden Ring: With God Chapter 325: Ranni: I Want You to Give It to Me in Person

The two teardrops each took on a human form, then imdiately brandished their weapons and charged toward Bai Shi.

The silver tear wielding the greatsword led the charge, leaping high into the air and bringing its blade down on Bai Shi’s head.

anwhile, the other silver tear held up its tower shield, protecting its companion’s flank, its own spear poised to strike.

The next mont, the leaping silver tear was pierced in mid-air by a brilliant golden light.

Bai Shi’s Aeperia twinblade had impaled the silver tear on its tip and was steadily draining its life force.

As it continued to absorb, the light on Aeperia grew brighter.

The other silver tear imdiately charged Bai Shi with its greatshield, thrusting its spear forward in a swift, vicious attack.

However, a sword wreathed in red-and-black energy materialized and danced through the air, its spinning blade effortlessly piercing through the greatshield.

The silver tear’s reaction was incredibly fast; it imdiately used the shield to deflect the treasured blade of Eochaid.

The silver tear impaled on the twinblade used this opportunity to revert to its liquid state and slip free from Aeperia.

After reforming into human shape, the two silver tears stood side by side, not daring to advance recklessly again.

The treasured blade of Eochaid flew back to Bai Shi’s side, continuously circling around him.

Bai Shi looked at the glowing Aeperia in his hand and nodded slightly.

Aeperia was far more versatile than he had anticipated; it could even drain power from artificial lifeforms like the silver tears.

The only unfortunate thing was that it was completely ineffective against Those Who Live in Death. Otherwise, it would be even stronger.

Just as Bai Shi was about to unleash Aeperia’s weapon art to finish off the silver tears before him, the Nox Swordstress behind them suddenly made a move.

The Nox Swordstress held a silver dagger before her chest.

As the sigil of the Nox Dynasty erged, a silver-black mist instantly filled the Cathedral of the Dark Moon.

This was a fog unique to the Nox Swordstresses, a silver mist that eroded the life of all it touched.

It hard any who ca into contact with it, including the caster.

That said, the silver mist was identical in composition to the bodies of the silver tears.

And because of that, they were completely unaffected, able to move freely within the fog.

Not only were they immune to the damage, but the silver tears could even benefit from it.

For instance, they could absorb the mist to slowly recover from their injuries.

As for Bai Shi’s side of things... it seed the fog was completely ineffective against him as well.

Bai Shi scratched his head, a little confused.

He had originally wanted to experience the mist’s damaging effects firsthand before dispelling it.

But when the mist ca into contact with him, it failed to produce its intended effect.

In fact... as the mist enveloped him, Bai Shi even found the sensation sowhat pleasant.

The fog seeped into his body; logically, it should have begun to erode his life from the inside out.

But for so reason, Bai Shi was completely unaffected.

If the mist had any effect on Bai Shi at all, it was rely to make his lungs feel a bit ticklish.

Bai Shi scanned his body internally and imdiately discovered the source of the strange sensation.

It was just like what had happened when he drank the Teardrop Chalice.

Ashmi's core had completely devoured the Nox Swordstress’s fog that had invaded his body.

And if the fog inside him had no effect, the mist surrounding him was even more pointless.

The mist couldn’t even corrode his skin; at best, it only served to obstruct his vision.

Taking advantage of the fog, the two silver tears charged forward once again.

Bai Shi’s Aeperia glowed brightly as it floated before him and began to spin at high speed.

As Aeperia spun, the swirling vortex scattered the dense fog, revealing the figures of the silver tears and the Nox Swordstress for all to see.

Bai Shi locked onto his enemies, and Aeperia instantly erupted in a brilliant, destructive light.

Everything in the path of that light was utterly annihilated.

By the ti Aeperia had expended all the power it had accumulated, the enemies before Bai Shi had vanished without a trace.

Bai Shi looked at the cathedral, now on the verge of collapse from his attack, and clicked his tongue.

Surely he hadn’t destroyed the place where the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ was kept...

With this thought, he hurried into the small room ahead to search.

Fortunately, the carefully preserved and enshrined chest was unhard.

Bai Shi pushed open the chest and, sure enough, found the most valuable item of his expedition inside.

There, resting on a sumptuous, deep purple cushion, lay an exquisitely crafted ornant.

A tallic ‘dark moon’ was embedded in its center, while the edges of its base were adorned with countless stars that orbited the moon.

This was the secret treasure of Nokstella, the Eternal City, the very symbol of the dark moon.

After taking the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ in hand, Bai Shi imdiately began to feel the power contained within.

A short while later, Bai Shi opened his eyes.

As expected, this talisman symbolizing the dark moon had the sa function as a mory Stone.

However, its effect was far superior; the increase it provided was clearly noticeable.

Though the effect was quite good, it was of limited use to Bai Shi.

Until a certain attribute of his surpassed a certain threshold, Bai Shi still preferred talismans that offered direct nurical increases.

Once that threshold was crossed, talismans with special effects like this one would beco exponentially more powerful, supported by his strong base stats.

So, for the ti being, Bai Shi decided to give the talisman to Ranni.

With that, Bai Shi took out the Small Ranni doll.

At the mont, the frosty aura around Small Ranni was faint, almost nonexistent.

By now, Bai Shi could gauge whether she was paying attention based on the intensity of the doll’s frosty aura.

Its current state indicated that Ranni was only maintaining the bare minimum connection to the doll.

As long as he didn’t do anything too outrageous with Small Ranni, she wouldn’t notice what was happening over here.

Holding the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ in one hand, Bai Shi cradled Small Ranni in the palm of his other hand.

As if posing an articulated figurine, Bai Shi gently lifted Small Ranni’s arm and placed the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ into her embrace.

Once it was set, Bai Shi repositioned Small Ranni’s four arms, making it look as though she were hugging the talisman.

After setting the pose, Bai Shi nodded with great satisfaction.

Small Ranni was indeed tiny; the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ she was holding was half her size.

But it was precisely because of this that as Small Ranni knelt in his palm, legs tucked beneath her while tightly hugging the moon that was enormous to her, she looked exceptionally delicate and adorable.

Just as Bai Shi was about to put her away, he saw Small Ranni suddenly blink.

Frost spread across her body as a cold aura began to emanate from within.

When the chill had completely enveloped her, Ranni's consciousness had fully descended once more.

Small Ranni looked at the strange ornant in her arms, then tilted her head up to gaze at Bai Shi.

“What are you doing?”

—

Soti earlier, in another, undisclosed cave.

Ranni sat on a throne ford of ice, while beside her lay several red-and-black shadows that were steadily dissipating.

These were the Baleful Shadows she had just intentionally lured here by revealing her aura.

This location was completely separate from her true hiding place—a necessary asure for her own safety.

Although a few Baleful Shadows had appeared, she had used this tactic several tis already, and the Two Fingers rarely fell for the bait anymore.

As she contemplated her next strategy, Ranni nded the tattered parts of her body.

The doll's exterior gradually beca as whole and flawless as new.

Though Ranni had been using this body constantly, she had rarely maintained it before, to the point where much of its stuffing was exposed.

In Ranni's eyes, it was sothing that could be replaced at any ti, so she saw no real need to repair it.

Once it broke, she would simply get a new one.

It was because she had always held this view that her current body's appearance was long since tattered and worn. But now...

Ahem, it was damaged during battle with the servants of the Two Fingers, so it must be properly repaired to maintain combat readiness. (Or so she told herself.)

Just then, Ranni suddenly sensed that the doll she had left with Bai Shi had been touched.

Bai Shi must have taken the doll out again.

At the thought of how Bai Shi had nearly seen beneath the doll's skirt last ti, Ranni flushed with sha and anger.

Ranni quickly projected her consciousness over, intending to see what Bai Shi was up to this ti.

However, the mont her consciousness arrived, she felt sothing heavy settle into her arms.

Ranni looked down to find that it was an ornant, one she couldn’t get a clear look at from her perspective.

Ranni had intended to stop Bai Shi from whatever he was doing that might bring sha to a witch's na, and perhaps enlist his help with the remaining Baleful Shadows along the way.

But seeing the peculiar ornant in her hands, Ranni decided to shelve that topic for a later ti.

“What are you doing?”

Ranni pointed to the ornant in her arms and asked:

“And what is this?”

Bai Shi hadn't expected Ranni to appear so directly.

But this worked out perfectly; he could give it to her right away.

So, Bai Shi stated plainly:

“It’s a gift for you.”

Hearing his words, Ranni paused for a mont, not having expected such an answer.

“A gift...”

It had been a very, very long ti since she had heard that word.

She had thought she was long past being moved by such things.

But as she actually received a gift from Bai Shi, she discovered that she could still feel an emotion like ‘joy’.

“Thank you, I love it...”

Bai Shi rubbed the back of his head.

“Aren’t you going to ask what it is first?”

Small Ranni pursed her lips.

What the gift was, in itself, wasn't all that important to her.

She was once a Carian princess, and later, a witch operating from the shadows.

In all her years, she had seen countless strange and precious treasures.

To soone like her, the monetary value of a friend's gift was irrelevant.

What mattered to her was the act of giving itself.

But since Bai Shi had ntioned it, she supposed she should take a look at what it was.

She was sure he wouldn't offer sothing unworthy as a gift.

Small Ranni stood up and, with so effort, turned the ornant over.

The tallic dark moon and the cluster of stars that surrounded it ca into Ranni’s view.

Small Ranni stood beside the ‘Moon of Nokstella,’ carefully examining the extraordinary ornant.

Gradually, a flicker of surprise appeared on her face.

This object... its origin seed to be the sa as the sorcerers’ treasured ‘mory Stones’.

And its power was even greater.

It also possessed the power of another kind of moon, one that would be a great boon to her sorcery.

Small Ranni looked at the ‘Moon of Nokstella’ and smiled faintly.

This item was a perfect fit for her and would be a great help.

Small Ranni stood in Bai Shi's hand, looked up at him, and said:

“Thank you. I’m very happy, truly.”

“But please, take this back for now.”

Bai Shi was a bit confused.

Judging by Ranni’s expression, she seed very pleased with the item.

So why did she suddenly want him to take it back?

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t like it?”

Bai Shi took out the ‘Stargazer Heirloom’ hanging from his chest and added:

“There’s no need to be so formal with . After all, I took your pendant.”

Ranni shook her head, simply gazing at Bai Shi as she said:

“That’s not it.”

“I want you to give it to

in person.”

“To the body that you know. The one you are familiar with.”

“Not this temporary shell.”

Bai Shi understood Ranni's aning and smiled as well.

“Alright. I’ll deliver it to you personally.”

“But you haven’t told

where you are.”

“You don’t expect

to find my way there all by myself, do you?”

Ranni smiled and shook her head.

“Of course not.”

Ranni turned and pointed toward a certain direction in Nokstella, saying:

“Underground, in this direction. There are traces where the Two Fingers once lingered.”

“I’m sure there will be Baleful Shadows there.”

“I will intentionally release my aura to draw the shadows over.”

“I have used this thod a few tis before, so they may already be on their guard. I don’t know how many will be lured this ti.”

“But if you kill them—no matter how many there are—it will be a great help to .”

“I’ll have to trouble you to defeat them.”

After explaining her plan, Ranni spoke again:

“After that is done...”

“Please make your way to the Altus Plateau.”

“I am currently tracking the Two Fingers and have stopped there for the ti being.”

“As for my precise location... once you arrive in the Altus Plateau, I will guide you there myself.”

Understanding Ranni’s plan, Bai Shi nodded in agreent.

“Alright.”

re Baleful Shadows were, of course, no challenge for Bai Shi.

Baleful Shadows?

Beneath the sun, there are no shadows.

—

After Small Ranni fell silent once more, Bai Shi knew that Ranni had departed.

Once he put Small Ranni away, Ashmi erged from the side and ca to his side.

She had returned a short while ago.

But she now understood that there were tis when it was best not to interrupt.

“Host, I’ve brought back the Teardrop Chalice!”