"Horn of the Crucible…" Messmerm gritted his teeth as he watched the transformation of his opponent. His fury blazed even stronger, like a serpent of fire writhing, ready to strike at any moment.
"...This cannot happen. I absolutely will not allow it… Every moment you exist here is a disgrace to me!"
Messmer leaped high into the air, flames condensing into a sphere at the tip of his spear. As the long spear came crashing down with brutal force, even Morgott—who had regained some vitality through the growth of his horns—had to retreat swiftly, unable to face the sheer power head-on.
But the explosion from Messmer's amassed flames still blasted Morgott away. Just as Morgott struggled to rise, Messmer's spear flew out from the blazing fire toward him. Morgott had no choice but to roll desperately on the ground to avoid the attack.
"Gah—AHH!" Morgott suddenly cried out in pain. Though he had dodged the lethal strike aimed at his head, his grotesque, alien-like tail had been nailed to the ground by the spear. Messmer's serpentine flames were now scorching his body.
Messmer emerged from the flames, wielding another spear, vowing to tear the filthy creature before him into shreds.
In a desperate moment, Morgott clenched his teeth and used his cursed sword to decisively sever his pinned tail. He then leaped up, enduring the searing pain of his mutilated body, and engaged Messmer once more.
But this time, no matter how valiantly Morgott fought, no matter how refined his technique, he could not overcome the fury of the Queen's eldest son. Something had awakened deep within Messmer's soul. His golden eye sparkled brightly as he locked his gaze on the horned being before him.
The battle grew ever more ferocious. Morgott's wounds multiplied, and his strength waned. Messmer no longer spoke. It was as if all his will and thoughts had condensed into a singular purpose: to exterminate all horned beings.
In the fierce clash between the two demigods, Messmer's spear finally found a fatal opening. Like a venomous tongue, it slithered swiftly and plunged its deadly fangs into Morgott's chest.
The spear pierced through Morgott's right chest. Messmer lifted him high into the air and planted the spear firmly into the ground. Then, several more spears were summoned from the surrounding flames, impaling Morgott's body and limbs, suspending him in midair.
Messmer reached out his right hand and took out another Great Rune—one held by the so-called Blessed King. After examining it briefly, he absorbed it into his body.
Thus, Messmer the Impaler acquired his third Great Rune. The once proud defender of the royal city, Morgott—who had repelled countless demigod invasions—was defeated, just like the other powerful horned beings Messmer had slain in the Land of Shadow: impaled and suspended by his spear.
Yet this strange horned man seemed truly blessed by the Erdtree. Even in such a grievous state, on the verge of death, he still clung to life. It was undeniable proof that the Erdtree had granted him vitality beyond death.
Messmer didn't kill Morgott immediately. He had learned that this inexplicable creature surely had allies hidden somewhere within the capital. He would leave this horned puppet hanging here, torturing him endlessly until the rats hiding in the sewers had no choice but to surface.
Having fought for many years, Messmer knew these horned beings all too well. The features on Morgott's head were unmistakably the sacred Mixed Horn, a divine symbol unseen for millennia among their kind. That was likely why this man had obtained a Great Rune, the Erdtree's blessing, and the title of Blessed King.
"Guard this one. If any of his allies attempt a rescue—kill them on sight!" Messmer ordered the Flame Knights under his command. Though victorious, the battle had taken a heavy toll. He had expended too much power, and the Abyssal Serpent sealed within stirred restlessly, ready to devour.
Messmer covered his eye and trudged wearily toward the gate leading into the Erdtree. Rellana approached with worry and walked beside him.
Though proud, Messmer understood her concern. He made no effort to push her away. After years of fighting side by side, a deep tacit bond had formed between them. Though never spoken aloud, the sentiment was clear.
As they neared the Erdtree's inner sanctum, both Messmer and Rellana felt a growing pressure. It was undoubtedly the lingering force of a shattered law. Messmer had once felt a similar pressure from his mother.
However, the presence he now felt was like the dying embers of a setting sun—still hot, yet fading.
Something was wrong with his mother. Messmer was certain. He quickened his pace, but as he reached the top of the stairs and stood before the great door… he froze.
The door was overgrown with thorns—like those sealing the towers of the gods with the Shadow Tree. These were thorns of rejection. The Erdtree had refused Messmer, bearer of three Great Runes.
— Divider —
In the biting cold wind, Aoko arrived at a towering magic tower nestled within a canyon, seemingly inaccessible by any conventional means. This was a tower of outcast mages—those deemed heretics by their kin.
However, she did not enter via the hidden bridge but flew directly inside using flight magic—a move the tower's original owner likely never anticipated.
The tower was empty but laden with numerous Caria automaton sentries and a bizarre mage orb, likely a poor soul transformed against their will.
Aoko swiftly dispatched these automated defenses and began carefully examining the tower's interior.
Unlike other magic towers she had entered in the Lands Between, this one contained piles of seemingly ordinary rocks. But upon closer inspection, she discovered fine glintstone veins growing within them—veins that seemed to be still expanding.
Was this related to the heretical mage's research?
She grabbed a book from a nearby shelf and began flipping through it. Time and harsh conditions had left many pages fragile, and Aoko had to use magic to stabilize them and prevent disintegration.
To her surprise, the book was a research log. It recorded how the descendants of the Nokstella stargazers had glimpsed some kind of origin and summoned amber stars from the heavens. These star-amber fragments had fallen to the earth and formed strange minerals—the very stones stored in this tower.
Placing the book back, Aoko continued deeper, taking a still-operating glintstone elevator to the highest level—the study of the tower's master.