A New Hope Nier

Going through the deep caves into the burning heart of Mount Gelmir it didn't take our flying forms long to fly down the cave system and find the end.

Preator Rykard... The son of Rennala and Radagon, but unlike Ranni and Radahn, he was completely fuck nuts insane from the get-go. Completely idolizing the Golden Order at first, he went with his father in campaigns and battles to bring the Golden Order to the world of the Lands Between.

In his travels, battles, and life he had found his calling as the head of the fucking inquisition of the Golden Order basically, he fought off Outer-Gods and slayed countless giants, trolls, and monsters that would drive a common man mad.

He was already mad though. No kindness could be found in Preator Rykard whose greatest skill lay in torture, causing despair, and mass slaughter beyond even what Malenia could bring about.

Besides Malenia who killed Caelid giving it super AIDS in the Scarlet Rot and in turn probably ruining this world in the future as the Rot continued to spread. Humanity itself broke into madness when the Shattering occurred and the many armies used Mount Gelmir as a battlefield.

A battlefield in which Preator Rykard used all his talents, all his skills to lay low each Demi-God, each hero, every single person that fought on those terrible mountains that were Mount Gelmir shuddered at the memory of haunting screechs as terrible Revenant's would crawl out from their very shadows and tear them apart into literal piles of steaming gore.

Not fucking much Malenia can do when Rykard makes Mt Gelmir explode and coat her ass in lava now can she? 

But in the pursuit of his own personal power, he turned to another Outer-God's essence in the All-Devouring Serpent... And with his Great Rune of Devouring, he was devoured by the Serpent-God and took control over it with his insanity and Great Rune-enhanced will allowing him to devour the ego of the Serpent God.

Rykard's room was utterly massive, with thin streams of molten red stone beneath our feet crisscrossing across its levels and with several dozen, fifteen-meter wide massive chandeliers hanging from the top of the massive cave to provide soft light within the cave.

As A2 and I entered the room I brought down the platform to land I took in my surroundings a dozen meters away from us was what I sought. A huge spear was stabbed into the ground by a burnt black figure that was all but stone with how he had been burnt so severely and killed all but instantly.

Walking over to the spear I gently took the Serpent Hunter from his previous owner and I said softly. "I will take it from here buddy. You watch on and I got this." I said giving a nod to the burned figure and I felt the divinity within the Spear roar to life as it sensed the serpent god in front of me.

The Serpent Hunter spear was a greatsword on a spear's shaft that had bathed in the blood of an immortal serpent and had gained a further hunger for more Serpents blood and only when within the vicinity of such a beast would the spear unveil its true power.

I took a deep breath as I felt the winds surrounding me seemingly drinking my mana and A2 gave a slight hum as I walked over the crack and partly molten ground with tear like streams of lava running through the creases of the floor.

A loud hiss rang out as I approached the massive curled up form and I said calmly. "Die." And an ear-popping crashing noise rang out as I stabbed forward with the massive Serpent Hunter sending a massive sharp spear of wind wider than a semi that smashed into Rykard's massive serpent form.

The snake roared with almost draconic-like hate as it quickly unfurled from where I had thrown it and I noted A2 was running to the side to probably run up the monster's head to take out an eye or something.

The serpent's eyes glared at me and for a moment it faltered before a voice spoke in utter disdain and disgust. "What nonsense is this!? A man who is not even Tarnished dares to stand up to a Shardbearer!" 

I couldn't help a small smile as I said coldly. "Yeah, and this simple human killed Godrick, defeated your mother and your brother... You won't even fit onto the songs of my journey." 

As Rykard turned its serpent head to properly look upon me with his face imprinted on the lower part of the snakes underside just below its head I struck again as with the Serpent Hunter carving a large gash through it before I said coldly. "You are not a challenge to me Rykard, and the simple reason is... I am the bigger monster." 

My shadow deepened and I saw Rykard's eyes go wide as his form rumbled with power sending more than a hundred flying large skulls of flames at me at high speeds! 

But a massive hand of pure darkness mashed through the exploding flaming skulls with large glowing yellow eyes forming across the ever-expanding massive pool of darkness that was below me as I called upon my Guardian.

"You!? You go beyond your station taking in an outer god's power!" Rykard hissed furiously as he looked at me with equal parts hate and jealousy as he used a wave of lava to push back my Guardian before screaming in pain as A2 had ran up behind him and using her large great sword had carved a meter deep and wide gash into his body.

I smiled hearing that and even laughed as I said. "No Rykard... This is my power, this darkness is the Yin in my soul that has eaten entire pools of a God of Darkness's remains."

Another slash of my Serpent Hunter carved a massive gash through his body in which he responded by throwing more exploding skulls at me but my Guardian broke them with his massive fist with Rykard lashing forward in attempting to outright just eat me.

But a mountain-shaking rumble rang out as my Guardian smashed both of its fists down in a hammerhead blow onto Rykard's head and lava splurted up from the shattered ground as the force of the blow made the Volcano rumble with a warning.

And with my Guardian's fists pinning the serpent's head down, I hefted up the large spear and with a stabbing motion, the air screamed as another spear of wind slammed directly into Rykard's face and out the back of his body with my mana-draining quickly as I ripped the colossal wind spear through Rykard's serpent head destroying it utterly.

"Why teleport away?" Melina asked but as though to spite her, a heavy rumble shook the earth with a large plum of smoke bursting from the tip of MT Gelmir making me give a weak smile.

"Because my Guardian, the shadow being put too much force into smashing Rykard's head into the soft ground with the volcano erupting slightly due to that... I don't want to be anywhere near where a Volcano exploded obviously." 

Shaking my head I looked away from the erupting Volcano and held out a hand to Melina and smiled more naturally as I said. "Alright, let's infuse these runes into my body." 

And so she did, pushing the runes to heighten my body's four main stats in Strength, Endurance, Vigor, and Dexterity. I was after all only in this world to strengthen my bodies physical shell as my magical power and spiritual energy was all but too powerful already.

But that wasn't all. I could feel Rykards great rune already within my soul, its power of devouring was passively absorbing the energy around me and further increasing my natural stamina and mana regeneration. 

Now I just needed to make sure I didn't go mad with power and start eating literal people to become more powerful... Not a hard thing to avoid honestly.

"Alrighty! We are in the lovely lands of the Altus Plateau, I want to go meet a certain dragon lady but besides that we can go directly to kill Morgott in the capital and then we will have to do the whole song and dance with the Land of the Giants." I spoke as I stretched my body, feeling its upgrades and the power of the runes spent in upgrading my body to a higher natural level.

Giving a slight hum A2 said with a slight sigh. "This dragon lady is going to try to kill you isn't she?" 

To which I looked at A2's utterly unamused eyes and I shamelessly nodded as I jokingly said. "Yup! But it will be open battle in the fields, I will be able to have my Guardian out and fighting at its full strength." 

Honestly right now, in the world of Elden Ring, the only two beings I knew could remotely match my Guardian pound for pound in strength would be the Fire Giant, and the Elden Beast that was within the core of the Erd Tree.

But with the mental reminder of the Erd Tree I looked to A2 and said. "A2, open up the dimensional connection to YoRHa, and tell them we need several excessively high-yield bombs ready for me to grab." 

A2 gave me a sour look at needing to connect to YoRHa's servers but I just shrugged and said with a wry smile. "We are going to need the bombs to blow up the Erd Tree and force the Elden Beast into the world." 

I had zero intention of going into the Elden Beast's pocket dimension to fight Radagon and then the Elden Beast which was a literal Outer-God fragment... Trying to fight something that literally threw cosmic dust that exploded with the simulated force of literal stars exploding was a stupid as hell idea.

After A2 did so, I raised up the ground beneath us in another platform that flew off into the distance. But as we were flying Melina finally got over her shock at my words and with a some amusement to her voice she said boredly. "Simple mortal bombs won't work upon the Erd Tree. It has stood long before even the Golden Order came to the world of the Lands Between and it acts as the core of this world."

To which I smiled and said replied plainly. "I have a dozen ways to kill off the barriers the Erd Tree has up, so just be patient and watch." 

We were mostly silent now as we flew over the fields of golden land that was the Altus Plateau and with the speed at we were flying at, it didn't take long for us to find the massive form of the Ancient Dragon Lansseax who was just minding her own damn business it looked like as she laid upon a large stone outcropping overlooking the decrepit city of gold.

Silently we landed a ways to her side and I gave A2 a look to stay out of sight while Melina... Instantly took to her shadowy ghost form to hide as Lansseax's aura filled the area with her power and draconic might.

Lansseax's dragon form was that of a western dragon as was the norm for Elden Ring dragons with her scales being of a strong stone-like texture and even her very wings looking like they were made from elastic stone.

I confidently walked across the rocks with my feet making some noise as they kicked aside the gravel to gain her attention as I made my way from her side more to her front with her large draconic head picking up and looking at me with casual disinterest.

"Why are you here mortal who isn't Tarnished. Why have you climbed to this vista to stand near one such as myself?" Lansseax spoke regally with her voice coming out in a distinctly feminine tone but still of a deeper powerful voice that belied her size.

I gave a slight hum before I said honestly. "I wanted to meet the strongest surviving dragon besides the cowardly dragon lord Placidusax, and your brother... Who has been driven to madness in the darkness soooo." In the end, I shrugged and added evenly.

"I imagine you aren't taking on students to teach the dragon arts of controlling lightning are you?" 

Lansseax's slitted draconic eyes tightened on my form before she huffed and her voice spoke with annoyance and simmering hate. "Thou are a brave one... One who has stolen the glory of my once beloved in attaining his dream. But you would be correct, humanity and even the Tarnished are doomed within this world to be naught but dust so spending years upon mortals be wasted when I can remain in peace." 

I tilted my head to the side and said with some curiosity. "You speak of Vyke... Though he never managed to get a Great Rune he was called the greatest hope the Tarnished had with your support. But then he became tainted by the Flames of Madness."

Shaking my head I filled the air with my mana as I looked Lansseax directly in the face as I spoke seriously. "Dragon Lansseax I challenge you in the ways of old. I will defeat you and you will enter my service." 

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