In the Land of Shadow, everyone had a task to fulfill.
Irena and Bai Shi stood side by side before a Nun, while lina watched nervously from the side.
A little farther off, Hilbert had already prepared his aromatic powders, ready to deal with any sudden complications.
The other physicians, anwhile, had been organized to care for the remaining Nun, their movents orderly and efficient.
Bai Shi looked at the Nun before him, his expression placid.
In truth, he was filled with apprehension; whether they would succeed was a complete unknown.
After working so hard, to give them a glimr of hope only to see it extinguished would be a terrible sha.
But it was at tis like these that he had to project an air of calm. Only then could he reassure his followers and maintain morale.
The Nun before him was sowhat familiar, and he soon recalled her story.
The subject they had chosen for this treatnt was the very first Nun Bai Shi had discovered.
Among all the Nun, her condition was the most stable, and she had recovered so of her ntal clarity.
When attempting such a treatnt, it was only natural to choose the most stable subject to significantly reduce the risk of unforeseen accidents.
Bai Shi took a deep breath and t lina’s gaze, offering her a reassuring look.
Bai Shi turned to Irena and nodded.
"I'll be counting on you now."
Because Bai Shi couldn't adapt to that kind of vision, he needed either Irena or Lilianna to observe for him.
Lilianna, however, due to her fae nature, was ill-suited for tasks that required prolonged concentration.
Now, Irena would use her fairy eyes—her ability to perceive ‘concepts’—to distinguish between the flesh of the Nun and the Hornsent.
Then, guided by Irena, Bai Shi would perform the procedure, attempting the separation and healing.
Irena pressed her lips together and let out a hesitant "Mm."
Witnessing such an inhumanly cruel scene, she naturally hoped with all her heart to be able to help the Nun.
Irena didn't want to fail, but reality could not be changed by willpower alone. Whether this thod would actually succeed remained uncertain.
Especially with her being the one to do it.
Although so ti had passed since Lilianna had chosen her, she had yet to master the legacy and power of the fae, and she felt the pressure of the mont.
Sensing her anxiety, Bai Shi gently patted her on the back.
"It's all right. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"If there's a chance to heal them, then let's give it our all."
Irena felt the warm hand on her back as if she had found an anchor, and she gradually began to calm down.
She nodded, her worries now abated.
She lifted the veil covering her eyes and channeled the power of her fairy sight, observing the Nun before her.
As fae spiritual energy gathered in her eyes, they began to shimr with a verdant light.
Her already captivating, otherworldly eyes now seed to flow with iridescent light.
In Irena's vision, the tangled mass of flesh was instantly painted in two starkly contrasting colors.
Irena swallowed hard, finding it hard to believe.
Although it was only the first step, it had succeeded so smoothly.
A good beginning was truly invigorating.
Irena nodded at Bai Shi and said, her voice filled with excitent:
"It worked! I can tell them apart!"
Bai Shi smiled.
"That's wonderful!"
"Now, let's proceed to the next step, just as we planned."
Irena cald herself again, no longer lost in the thrill of success, and coolly prepared for the next step.
Now, she would have to mark these differences and guide Bai Shi.
As long as Irena could mark them, Bai Shi wouldn't need to share her fae vision.
That kind of sight was too strange for a creature with normal vision; adapting to it would take far too long, making it impossible in such a short ti.
And if he had to perform such a delicate procedure while simultaneously adapting to that bizarre perspective, Bai Shi couldn't guarantee the treatnt would go smoothly.
So, Bai Shi entrusted it completely to Irena, choosing to believe in her and in the power of the fae.
Irena focused, attempting to transfer fae spiritual energy into the Nun’s body to serve as a marker.
It was the most suitable power for this mont.
Although using spiritual energy had the drawback of Bai Shi being unfamiliar with it, it perfectly complented the ‘concepts’ distinguished by her fairy eyes.
Using sorcery or any other power as a marker could never achieve the sa flawless precision as spiritual energy in marking the distinctions.
The spiritual energy flowed through the Nun’s body, quickly bypassing the Hornsent flesh and perating only the Nun's own.
The re passage of the fae spiritual energy nourished the Nun's flesh, and its warm, comforting power made her hum softly.
After completing the marking, Irena let out a long breath.
The second step... also a success.
Now, it's all up to Bai Shi.
Irena turned and extended her right hand to Bai Shi, gesturing for him to take it.
Bai Shi took Irena’s hand and, through her power, could imdiately and clearly perceive the spiritual energy.
With the contrast between the presence and absence of spiritual energy, the difference between the Nun and Hornsent flesh was laid bare to Bai Shi's senses.
Within the distorted mass of flesh on the Nun, all the parts belonging to her were now imbued with spiritual energy, protected.
The remaining parts, naturally, were the Hornsent flesh that needed to be removed.
Now, it was a test of Bai Shi's control.
Bai Shi summoned the Great Rune, and the entire cathedral was instantly bathed in a soft golden light.
The Great Rune he had acquired from Godrick was the anchor of the Elden Ring.
Its most important aspect was the power of analysis.
With the power of the Great Rune, Bai Shi began an extrely deep analysis of the Hornsent flesh.
Soon, Bai Shi had analyzed the Hornsent flesh inside and out.
If his previous analyses had been cursory studies for the sake of understanding power, this was more like dissecting an alien.
After thoroughly analyzing the structure of the Hornsent flesh, Bai Shi found a way to destroy it.
But the Great Rune only possessed the power of analysis. To separate the flesh, he needed the help of another power.
And so, in Bai Shi’s other hand, purple gravity sorcery began to erge.
Looking at the gravity in his hand, Bai Shi smiled faintly.
Though called gravity, it manifested in diverse forms: gravitational lightning, attraction, repulsion, and collapsing waves.
If he had to make a comparison, it was sowhat similar to the magnetic fields from another world.
If developed to a microscopic level, it could even affect the interactions between any substances.
In the future, if pushed to its absolute limit, it could probably even interfere directly with living cells.
Although Bai Shi couldn't achieve that level of fine control yet, a simple separation was more or less within his grasp.
Especially since the analysis was already complete.
Bai Shi extended his palm toward the Nun, and the purple gravity sorcery imdiately enveloped her entire body. Under the combined forces of attraction and repulsion, her flesh began to stir, writhing and churning as if alive.
The Nun's flesh gradually separated from the Hornsent's, shifting back toward her own torso.
Bai Shi opened his eyes, a great weight finally lifted from his heart.
He looked at the anxious lina beside him and gave a steady nod.
"I can do it."
lina clasped her hands to her chest and, hearing Bai Shi’s words, lowered her head and let out a long sigh of relief.
But just then, sothing unexpected happened.
As her flesh separated and reford, the Nun’s body began to tremble, and she finally let out a pained scream.
The physical pain of the separation was nothing, but the process made her recall the agony of when her flesh had been fused in the first place.
Physical pain could be endured by gritting one's teeth, but the psychological trauma was more than she could bear.
Hearing that anguished cry, lina's heart clenched.
She poured more power into the phantasmal sapling of the Erdtree within the cathedral, trying to soothe her kin.
Inside the cathedral, the phantasmal sapling that lina had been maintaining had already grown several tis larger.
And now, under the influence of lina’s ‘love’, its branches and leaves flourished, taking on the appearance of a true Erdtree.
However, the golden light that normally soothed her kin had only a limited effect against such a violent reaction.
Hilbert hurried forward, pulling two vials of aromatic powders from his pockets.
Without needing a signal from Bai Shi, Hilbert tossed out two handfuls of distinctly different powders.
One was an uplifting perfu, capable of reducing physical pain and invigorating the spirit.
Although its ntal effects weren't as pronounced as the frenzied perfu, it was still remarkably effective.
However, a state of spiritual excitent was a completely negative side effect for the Nun at this mont.
Therefore, the other powder Hilbert threw was a blend made from soporific ingredients.
This powder could suppress ntal fluctuations to an absolute minimum while ensuring the target remained conscious.
Thus, the Nun's body was fortified, and she no longer felt intense pain.
And the stimulating effect on her spirit was overridden and suppressed, returning her to a state of forced calm.
Only after confirming there would be no more abnormalities did Bai Shi relax.
Bai Shi continued to use his gravity sorcery, separating the Hornsent flesh.
Under Bai Shi's control, the Nun’s flesh was preserved, gradually reshaping itself back into its original, normal form.
As for the Hornsent flesh, once separated from the Nun's, it was imdiately destroyed, broken down into inert microscopic particles.
As Bai Shi continued his work, the Nun’s appearance gradually returned to normal, regaining her proper form.
At so point, the other physicians in the cathedral had all stopped what they were doing.
They all held their breath, afraid of disturbing Bai Shi and the others, watching the events at the center of the cathedral with rapt attention.
No physician wishes to see a patient suffer.
When they first saw the Nun’s condition, they knew in their hearts that they were powerless to help and had despaired.
But now, the Nun at the center of the cathedral was truly, bit by bit, getting better.
It seed there was truly a chance for a cure!
Harold stood outside the cathedral, silently observing the situation within.
He was supposed to be leading his soldiers on patrol at this ti, but he didn't want to miss this mont.
Besides, the surrounding area had already been swept clean, and all the wandering shadow Hornsent had been dealt with.
Seeing the Nun’s condition gradually improve, Harold gripped his Black Knight's great hamr, his head bowed as he trembled with emotion.
Bai Shi had not only bestowed upon him a blessing, allowing him to reclaim his faith.
He was now solving a terrifying problem that even Queen Marika had been powerless against.
A miracle! This is a true miracle!
In every age of chaos, a champion descends to save a world on the verge of collapse.
Once, that champion was Godfrey. But in this new era, Harold was convinced it was Bai Shi.
Even if Godfrey himself were to return now, it would be difficult to shake his loyalty to Bai Shi.
In his heart, he had already prepared himself to hunt the Hornsent once more, waiting only for the command.
Vengeance for such old hatreds would never be enough.
—
When all the Hornsent flesh had been stripped away, the Nun's tall, slender figure was completely revealed.
With a single strike, the shackles embedded deep within her flesh were severed, leaving behind countless wounds.
Bai Shi reached out and, while the analgesic effect of the powder still lingered, removed the strip of cloth that had fused with the flesh over her eyes.
The wound was a grueso ss of torn flesh, and her eyes had long since beco infected and rotten.
Though the injuries were severe, as long as the Hornsent flesh was gone, the Nun could receive proper treatnt.
Bai Shi released a warm sunlight from his hands, which shone upon the Nun’s body.
The power of the sun instantly healed the wounds on her eyes, along with all her other injuries, large and small.
With her eyes healed, she could finally see the world again.
The first thing she saw was the warm sunlight, followed by the gentle Erdtree within the cathedral.
Realizing what had happened, the Nun blankly lowered her head and raised her hands.
Staring at her renewed body, she hadn't yet fully processed it all when two streams of clear tears began to flow from her eyes.
lina hurried forward, draped a prepared cloak over her kin's shoulders, and embraced her tightly.
lina, too, could no longer contain her emotions, and tears of joy stread down her face.
Irena, caught up in the emotion, wiped away the tears welling in her own eyes.
Thank goodness. It’s done, and without any mistakes.
Hilbert trembled all over, unable to hide his excitent.
A condition like this... was actually cured?!
Even having participated himself, he found it unbelievable.
For a perfur, the healing process he had just witnessed was sowhat beyond comprehension... but what did that matter? Curing the patient was all that mattered.
After a brief silence, the cathedral erupted in thunderous cheers.
"As expected of Lord Bai Shi! He so easily accomplished what we could not!"
"Gods... oh gods, by Queen Marika! It worked!"
Bai Shi let out a long sigh.
This matter, which had weighed on his mind ever since he entered the Land of Shadow, could finally be resolved.
All that remained was to treat the others step-by-step, followed by ntal and psychological healing.
The fusion of Nun and Hornsent flesh was different for every individual.
Therefore, each one would require individual treatnt, a process that would consu a great deal of ti.
But as long as a cure was possible, the ti it took was no issue.
Next, I'm going to call out a certain DLC that's been trashed for a month but hasn't won any awards. (Also, an Elden Ring sequel, I'm so excited for it.)
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