Flames burned.
In the cemetery outside Castle Morne, as golden fire rose into the air, once-intertwined, indistinguishable life revealed itself to the world once more.
Scales surfaced on the body—tough enough to deflect steel. Wings spread from the back, allowing it to plummet from the skies with crushing force. With four legs leaping, its centaur-like form pounded the earth, unleashing shockwaves.
It breathed fire from a throat sac. A frog's tongue lashed out. A rhino's horn charged. A dragon's tail swept wide...
Tentacles struck like whips. Crab claws slammed down. A lobster head aimed like a sniper. Porcupine quills rained in golden showers...
Its abilities were vast and varied, constantly shifting as its body transformed. Each new part brought new powers that replaced the old, throwing off any rhythm you'd just started to adapt to.
By all logic, a boss this overpowered should've been a nightmare.
But Lloyd found it exhilarating. Halfway through the fight, he even sheathed the Bloodhound's Fang and pulled out his wooden club, just to avoid triggering too much bleed.
How to put it...
Even with all its flashy, complex attacks and phase changes, everything it did felt... intuitive.
When its throat sac swelled, you knew it would spit. When its tentacles lifted, you knew they'd slam down. When its wings opened, you knew it was about to take flight and crash down.
No unpredictable lunges, no delayed strikes, no bizarre hitboxes.
Even unfamiliar moves felt easy to read. Just spotting a new limb sprouting gave you an instinctive sense of what kind of attack was coming, when it would land, and how to dodge it. After your own attack cycle, there was always a clear window to retaliate or heal.
Because this was the purest form of life—undiluted by technique or deception.
Its moves were numerous yet precise. The changing phases added fresh layers to the fight. Every exchange felt like a direct, reactive dance—not just memorizing patterns.
It was a satisfying battle.
And beyond the mechanics, the spectacle itself was breathtaking.
From the chaotic mash of organs at the start, to the emergence of defined forms and structures, and finally to individual organs acting alone—the clutter was stripped away. And with that simplicity came logic, division of roles, and greater power.
The whole fight unfolded like a compressed tale of life's evolution and transformation.
At first, Lloyd had wondered why this strange old Misbegotten, who'd been talking to him so peacefully, suddenly insisted on fighting. But after it was over, he understood.
"In the past, life was one—intermixed and without distinction."
No amount of sterile words could truly express that. But this Misbegotten had shown it all in a single battle, illustrating what those words meant.
"Is that how life evolves in the Lands Between?"
As the final golden flame flickered out, Lloyd approached the strange Misbegotten, who was leaning on his greatsword. He reached out a hand to help him up—but was gently refused.
"It's only part of the story. I'm just a fragment of the past. I can't show you more."
He lifted his head, gazing toward Castle Morne's defenses, and slowly stood.
"Humans and Misbegotten are one and the same. Or rather, all life in this world comes from the same source."
"Differentiation. Evolution. Transformation."
"Death. Killing. Devouring."
"Just like rot and abundance—two sides of the same coin, bound together—these are all parts of life."
"But now..."
He turned his eyes toward the distant, colossal golden tree rising into the heavens—the tree that upheld the entire Lands Between.
Lowering the Grafted Blade Greatsword, he slowly raised both hands. Golden flames lifted from them, drifting on the breeze above Castle Morne.
Then fell golden rain—not of destruction, but of blessing.
And the battle within Castle Morne came to an end.
"Life itself... has gone wrong."
He turned toward Lloyd. As the final golden flame faded, his form began to slowly dissolve.
"Go on, become the Elden Lord, my friend."
"I can sense both destruction and salvation within you—opposing forces, yet tightly entwined. Perhaps that contradiction is exactly what this world needs now."
"As for me, don't worry. This is only a fragment. We'll meet again."
With those words, the Crucible Incarnation faded away.
One gold, one black—two fragments dropped into Lloyd's palm. The black one, identical to what that strange creature had dropped earlier, merged instantly into his hand.
The golden one, however, was an item.
[Crucible Fragment]
[A fragment of the Crucible imbued with the power to create life. When materials are supplied, it can repair and generate life.]
[But as a mere fragment, it cannot form complete life—only construct a vessel capable of housing a soul.]
[In the distant past, the Primordial Erdtree was known as the "Crucible of Life"—the origin of all things.]
[At that time, life knew no separation.]
Stowing the fragments, Lloyd picked up the Grafted Blade Greatsword from the ground—or rather, what had once been that sword.
[Greatsword of the Crucible's Aspects]
[Once a treasured relic of Castle Morne, a blade born of countless wails of sorrow and rage, forged for vengeance.]
[After its baptism by the Crucible, the sword transformed, growing horns that symbolize the blessings of its many aspects.]
[If you listen closely, you can feel it pulsing.]
[A symbol of life itself.]
[Ash of War: Aspects of the Crucible]
[Exclusive Skill: Aspects of the Crucible]
[A battle cry born from life's primal instincts calls forth the Crucible's power contained within the blade.]
[Temporarily increases all attributes.]
[During the effect, gradually restores HP.]
Switching to his main build, Lloyd tested the sword a couple of times. Then he glanced at its absurd stats—90% physical damage negation, a 50% defense boost on activation, plus five points to all attributes—and his mouth twitched.
Is this even a sword? Feels more like a greatshield. Is this the upgraded Fume Ultra Greatsword 2.0?
And that skill... damage reduction, max HP boost, and even percentage-based healing?
If the weapon's base stats weren't so underwhelming, you could probably face-tank bosses to death just by standing there with the skill active.
As for the Crucible fragment...
Lloyd considered using it, but a prompt appeared:
[Requires materials and a willing soul to activate.]
He'd have to think more about how to use it later.
He closed the system and was about to leave—when he suddenly noticed a tall Leonine Misbegotten nearby.
As he looked over, the figure slowly approached, knelt on one knee before him, and then began to fade.
[Received "Leonine Misbegotten Ashes"]
Huh?
Lloyd stared at the new item in his inventory—Spirit Ash of the Leonine Misbegotten—completely baffled.
Wait... bro, how'd you turn into Spirit Ash?!
"These kinds of voluntary Spirit Ashes aren't actually dead. Their souls and consciousness are still intact. If you want, you can even summon them out for a chat," Alice explained.
"They're in ash form just for convenience in battle. When you don't need them anymore, just mix in some meat chunks and toss them into the Crucible—they'll resurrect instantly."
"That's pretty handy."
Lloyd had long grown used to Alice's unpredictability. After stowing away the Spirit Ash, he glanced toward Castle Morne, recalling the rain of golden fire from earlier.
"So, what's it like in there now...?"
"Mmm, no one's fighting anymore. Everyone's a Misbegotten now, though it's still kind of a mess."
He returned to the city via the Site of Grace. The moment he stepped inside, the entire place was filled with Misbegotten—even the corpses scattered on the ground had grown traits of the Crucible's Aspects.
He found Lord Edgar, who had been brooding over his own transformation into a Misbegotten—only for golden fire to rain from the sky and turn everyone else into one too.
At least he no longer had to worry about standing out, but now he had no idea what to do about the chaos.
"That Misbegotten..."
"Is already gone."
Edgar was silent for a while, then sighed and handed Lloyd a small token.
"I have a favor to ask. Please take care of my daughter. You've seen the state the city's in... it's no place for her right now."
"After the civil strife, there's not much I can give. I hope you don't mind."
[Acquired 'Somber Smithing Stone [3]' x2]
"I'll handle it."
After saying goodbye to the worried Edgar, Lloyd made his way back to where Irina was. Around her, several corpses still burned with Frenzied Flame.
"Oh, brother, you're finally back," Chaos said cheerfully. "How'd the delivery go?"
"Not bad," Lloyd replied with a nod.
He'd basically wiped out everyone in Castle Morne and the Misbegotten, fought the Crucible, then triggered a golden rain that turned the entire population into Misbegotten.
For an undead who stirred up trouble wherever he went, that was just business as usual.
"Right—Irina, your father's fine now. But things are hectic in the city, so he's asked me to look after you. This token is proof."
After touching the token, Irina nodded.
As for where to put her, Lloyd had already made up his mind the moment he agreed.
Unlike the game, the real Roundtable Hold gave everyone their own room—like the All-Knowing's office, or Chaos's bedroom.
And bringing someone along? As long as it wasn't excessive, the Two Fingers wouldn't care if you brought a handmaiden or servant.
So that settled that.
Lloyd sent Chaos back, dumped Irina into his room, gave her a Braille Divine Tome to fidget with, then left the Roundtable Hold. He returned to the Site of Grace and looked over at Melina.
"So... Melina."
"What is it?"
"Do you want a real body?"