Elden Ring: With God Chapter 363: Messmer: No... You Can’t!

ssr’s expression was a complex storm, his face turning a deathly pale.

His gaze darted back and forth between lina and Bai Shi.

Finally, after repeated, agonizing confirmation, ssr was forced to accept the reality of the situation:

Bai Shi was, without a doubt, one of the graceless.

A Tarnished, bereft of the blessing of gold.

ssr had never imagined he would live to see such a day.

As a warrior with unshakeable faith in the Erdtree and profound reverence for his mother, one of his sacred duties was to deliver death to the ‘unblessed,’ to consu them with the fire of ssr.

But now, his own sister was telling him she had chosen a Tarnished as her consort?!

Seeing the shy, blissful expression on lina’s face, ssr felt his world collapse.

How did it co to this...?

Reuniting with the sister he hadn't seen in ages, confirming her identity, and seeing that his beloved sister had found her own happiness...

Two joyful occasions overlapping should have created a ti of dreamlike bliss...

But why... why had it turned out like this...?

ssr glared at Bai Shi, gritting his teeth as he forced the words from his throat, one by one:

“Could you... properly introduce

to him?”

“I am rather curious to know what talents he possesses to have so utterly captivated my sister.”

Bai Shi heard the heavy emphasis in ssr’s tone, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He’d almost forgotten that the Fire Knight he t in the Tower Settlent served under his new brother-in-law.

They weren’t particularly friendly toward the Tarnished, or the ‘graceless,’ as they called them.

In truth, Bai Shi could have used his own blessing to reignite the golden light in his eyes.

Had he done so, ssr certainly would have had no objections.

But even realizing this, Bai Shi felt it was unnecessary.

He was a Tarnished. That was a fact, so why bother hiding it?

Besides, it was better to resolve this kind of family conflict early. Otherwise, it would surely lead to disharmony after marriage.

Bai Shi had no desire to be constantly criticized behind his back by his brother-in-law. It was best to settle the matter for good.

lina also noticed the weight in ssr’s voice, but she wasn’t surprised.

She and her brother used to be very close. It was only natural for him to react this way upon their first eting, not knowing Bai Shi.

It seed she would have to give Bai Shi a proper introduction to change her brother's impression of him.

lina cleared her throat and spoke again.

“Bai Shi is no ordinary Tarnished. He is the Tarnished who is destined to beco the Elden Lord.”

“Outside of the Land of Shadow, there is almost no one left who can rival him.”

“I believe it won’t be long before Bai Shi becos Elden Lord and nds the Elden Ring.”

ssr froze, then spun his head around and shouted,

“What?!”

“But... he’s graceless! A Tarnished!”

Irena, who was playing with the winged serpents, jumped in fright at ssr’s sudden outburst.

The winged serpents turned their heads and exchanged silent glances with one another.

ssr took a deep breath, trying to calm himself...

...but it was impossible!

If Bai Shi were rely lina’s partner, that would be one thing. ssr wouldn’t stand in their way over it.

After all, love was unpredictable; even mortal enemies could beco husband and wife.

lina had clearly set her heart on Bai Shi, and he would only wish his sister happiness, not interfere in her relationship.

However, a Tarnished aspiring to beco Elden Lord—that was sothing ssr could not simply accept.

Before lina could respond to ssr’s doubt, Bai Shi shook his head and cut in.

“So what?”

“What have the Tarnished ever done to you? You’re discriminating.”

ssr shot a venomous glare at Bai Shi and retorted,

“Mother would never entrust the mantle of a king to one of the graceless!”

lina pressed her lips together and said with a touch of resignation,

“Brother... the mission Mother entrusted to

was to help a Tarnished beco Elden Lord.”

“The warriors who lost their grace and were exiled were destined to return on this day.”

“They would battle, slay, and die upon the fractured Lands Between, all to one day reveal the Elden Ring anew.”

“And Bai Shi is the one chosen by Torrent. He is also the one I have chosen.”

ssr’s eyes widened as he glanced at the Spirit Steed Whistle in Bai Shi’s hand.

He knew very little of what had transpired after the Land of Shadow was sealed away, save for the scant news Miquella had brought.

But the fact that Torrent had chosen this man was proof enough of the truth.

lina continued her explanation.

“Throughout our journey, I ca to feel the strength of his heart, his gentleness, his resolve.”

“As I walked by his side, I found that I could no longer look away from him...”

But by now, ssr’s mind had gone completely blank. lina’s voice seed to drift further and further away, and he no longer had the heart to listen.

ssr had bent his back in service his entire life, but today, his spine had finally snapped.

When lina finished speaking, she saw that ssr was still silent.

Having heard lina’s words a second ti, ssr could no longer control his expression, his face contorting into a fearso grimace.

Finally, he clutched his chest, staggered back two steps, and muttered in disbelief,

“Mother, did you truly entrust the duty of a king...”

“To one of the graceless?”

There were three won who mattered most in ssr's life: his mother, Marika; his sister, lina; and his consort, Rellana.

And now, both his mother and his sister had chosen the graceless.

ssr covered his face with his slender hands, obscuring his expression completely.

“...This must not happen...”

“...How can we let a graceless one beco king?”

“Graceless... Graceless!”

“No, you can’t!”

As he roared, a violent fla erupted from his palm.

Lifting his head, ssr fixed his gaze on Bai Shi and began to walk forward, step by step.

He knew this was his mother’s decision, but why?!

Why, why, why?!

Anyone else could beco Elden Lord! It didn’t have to be him! But why did it have to be an unblessed, graceless Tarnished?!

“If you have what it takes, then prove it to !”

Startled by ssr’s reaction, lina imdiately leaped back, positioning herself in front of Bai Shi.

Bai Shi reached out, patted her shoulder, and gave her a confident smile.

“It’s alright. Let’s let our actions do the talking.”

“I’ll go easy on him.”

Stepping past lina, Bai Shi calmly faced the advancing ssr.

“You want proof? Then I’ll give you proof.”

“I’ll show you that power is the only thing that makes a king!”

With a silent roar of fury building in his heart, ssr’s pace quickened until he was charging straight at Bai Shi.

As he ran, his greatspear ignited with black-and-red serpentine flas, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Seeing that ssr was also a fire wielder, Bai Shi smiled faintly. The embers rekindled on his body as he summoned the Sword of Night and Fla.

However, Bai Shi refrained from igniting the blade with the sun’s blistering heat; he was afraid he might incinerate his new brother-in-law.

The next mont, ssr’s flaming greatspear was upon him, and the two divine weapons clashed.

The fiery spear skillfully parried the Sword of Night and Fla, its montum barely diminished as it lunged toward Bai Shi.

In his normal state, Bai Shi was slightly lacking in strength, but strength wasn't his main advantage at the mont.

Bai Shi swiftly backed away to create distance, but ssr's greatspear followed him like a shadow, striking with the speed of a serpent’s bite.

The black flas seed alive, their tongues constantly lashing out at Bai Shi.

The winged serpents attacked from the left and right at extrely awkward angles, restricting Bai Shi’s movent.

The spear tip grazed him several tis, but Bai Shi nimbly evaded each strike.

However, Bai Shi could also tell that ssr had no intention of aiming for his vital points.

This was only natural. ssr had no desire to take Bai Shi’s life.

As for his sister’s beloved, he rely intended to make Bai Shi abandon his reckless fantasy of becoming king.

The Gravel Stone Seal in Bai Shi's hand suddenly flared, unleashing the power of the storm.

Dark clouds gathered, and crimson dragon lightning beca the only light in this place.

Amidst a tornado so fierce it could tear anything to shreds, strikes of ancient dragon lightning followed, gradually consuming the ground where ssr stood.

Witnessing this technique that altered the very weather, ssr grew vigilant and slowed his assault.

He gauged the power of the attack and quickly devised a counterasure.

Black-and-red serpent flas gathered into a ball in his hand, which he hurled into the tornado, causing a violent explosion.

The continuously erupting flas triggered a chain of explosions, causing the storm and the dragon lightning to gradually subside.

However, shielded by the storm, Bai Shi had already prepared his next move.

Unlike the strategy of a warrior who fought with blood-pumping abandon until the world itself wore down, a sorcerer or a prophet’s attacks had to co in waves, one after another, until the enemy was subrged.

Bai Shi swung the Sword of Night and Fla. Glintstones shimred, and the magic infused into the blade instantly created a Terra Magica at his feet.

But that wasn't all. Bai Shi employed a technique he hadn’t used in a long ti, one he had learned from his teacher, Sellen.

Dual casting—Crystal Release and Shattering Crystal.

A mass of pure crystalline shards ford in front of Bai Shi before shattering into countless fine pieces.

The crystal fragnts exploded at close range, blanketing ssr like a shotgun blast.

At the sa ti, an irregular block of crystal floated up into the air.

From it rained down a majestic torrent of crystal shards, covering the entire area.

This was a sorcery that only Crystallian leaders could perform, earning it the na "Crystal Sun" for its appearance.

Under his current stats, the sorcery's damage was astonishingly high.

Having just broken through the storm and dragon lightning, ssr was imdiately confronted with point-blank Crystallian sorcery.

Caught in such a close-range bombardnt, ssr was montarily thrown into disarray.

His entire body was pelted by the dense shower of crystal fragnts, each impact drawing a spray of blood.

ssr spun his spear, whirling it around him.

Flas poured from the greatspear, sweeping up the crystals and forming a defensive barrier.

His winged serpents also spat fire from their mouths, lting the remaining crystals that he couldn't fully block.

The Crystal Sun in the sky did not suppress ssr for long before a phantom greatspear pierced through it, shattering it in mid-air.

However, the mont ssr dealt with the Crystal Sun, Bai Shi had already closed the distance again.

He conjured the massive head of a phantom dragon that lunged at ssr, while countless glintblades ford a neat circle around him.

ssr dodged the dragon's bite, but the Phalanx of glintblades had already been activated, shooting relentlessly toward him.

Gradually, Bai Shi seized control of the battle’s rhythm.

ssr could only barely fend off the overwhelming onslaught, accumulating injuries large and small.

Although his wounds were healing just as quickly, being constantly suppressed was not a sustainable strategy.

Realizing his predicant, ssr made a decision.

An increasingly terrifying fla power gathered within his body, tinged with the aura of an evil serpent.

This was a portion of power drawn from the evil serpent that ssr was usually reluctant to use.

His winged serpents, sharing his thoughts, helped maintain this power defensively, preventing the serpent’s influence from breaking through.

Finally, the flas finished gathering safely.

ssr lifted his head, and a violent surge of fire erupted outward, instantly turning the entire valley floor into a sea of flas.

Under the terrifying sweep of fire, every single attack Bai Shi had launched was instantly erased, leaving no obstacle between them.

After unleashing the blast that cleared the field, ssr charged forward again without the slightest hesitation.

The after-effects of the flas were gathered like a sheet of cloth and hung on the tip of his spear, which instantly beca a red blur stabbing toward Bai Shi.

anwhile, on the ground around them, the residue of the creeping flas coalesced once more, forming countless phantom greatspears that erupted from the earth.

Bai Shi’s expression was one of delight. Surprisingly, he made no move to dodge or evade.

ssr’s eyebrow twitched, and he subconsciously held back a fraction of his strength.

However, as the greatspear pierced Bai Shi's side at an angle, ssr suddenly understood his opponent’s unusual reaction.

The pitch-black, scorching flas crawled over Bai Shi’s body like living things, yet they struggled to inflict any substantial damage and were gradually consud by the embers on his skin.

The phantom spears made of fire were even more pathetic, shattering and dissipating the mont they touched Bai Shi’s body.

The flas, tainted with the aura of the evil serpent—flas he himself had to handle with care—burned Bai Shi’s body to almost no effect.

Bai Shi smiled faintly, pushing aside the greatspear lodged in his side as the wound rapidly healed.

Although he rarely needed to rely on this feature, he was under the blessing of the sun.

Now, with a Great Rune reinforcing the laws of his being, this blessing was fully activated to its peak state.

Bai Shi’s fire damage reduction was approximately ninety percent.

Casually dispelling the flas, Bai Shi t ssr’s gaze and said,

“Do you want to continue? I’m ready whenever you are.”

By now, both n had a clear understanding of each other's strength.

And Bai Shi had yet to use any of his truly powerful spells, such as the Cot Azur from his Sword of Night and Fla.

ssr's single golden eye stared silently at Bai Shi. Finally, he gave a cold snort and withdrew his greatspear.

By this point in the battle, ssr had cald down.

In his heart, he now acknowledged Bai Shi’s strength.

Though he had avoided vital areas, he had not held back on the power of his attacks.

For most of the fight, Bai Shi had held the upper hand.

Even with his own advantages in strength and speed, he could barely land a hit on Bai Shi, which spoke volus.

Furthermore, the vision he’d had through the evil serpent showed Bai Shi in a completely different form.

In that state, Bai Shi’s physical strength was certainly no less than his own, and might even have surpassed it.

But the most critical factor was that near-immunity to fire.

For ssr, a wielder of flas, that alone was enough to extinguish any desire to continue the fight.

Although he still had reservations about Bai Shi’s identity, he had to admit that lina had chosen well.

ssr took a deep breath and spoke.

“You are an excellent warrior.”

“But as for your fitness to be king... I will reserve judgnt.”

“...Co. We will talk in the Shadow Keep.”