After the ritual ended, two newborn dragons came into the world. Yet they didn't seem all that new.
Even without seeing their names, their forms—those iconic four heads and the Flame Lightning coursing through their bodies—made it easy to tell what they were.
"Normally, a ritual should only produce one dragon. My original intent was to create a new Flying Dragon Queen. But those two powers rejected each other so strongly that coexistence was impossible..."
That was how Greyoll's lingering soul explained it.
It wasn't just a conflict in power. Not long after the ritual began, Greyoll realized he had lost control of it. The rest of the process continued on its own, driven entirely by those two forces. What emerged in the end wasn't a true dragon.
Bayla, who inherited Bayle's power, was still a flying dragon by race. But because of her internal nature, she couldn't be called a pure one either. She also served as a vessel of essence, much like Malenia—born as an Empyrean, or rather, a divine dragon.
As for the other, who inherited Placidusax's strength, it was questionable whether Placidusax could even be considered a dragon at all, regardless of the essence within her.
It sounded strange, but if one tried to classify the Dragonlord Placidusax's race, it didn't belong to any known type of dragon. Even oils or items that increased damage against dragons—effective on both Flying Dragons and Ancient Dragons—had absolutely no effect on him.
Some said it was because he was closer to the Primordial Crucible of Life than to dragonkind. Others thought it was due to the influence of the Dragon God, or that his power simply exceeded the limits of dragons themselves.
Whatever the case, for the Lands Between, the Dragonlord's nature remained a mystery—even to himself.
But that wasn't the issue at hand. The real concern was what to do with these two newly born divine dragons.
Greyoll had originally intended to use the ritual to forge a successor—a Flying Dragon Queen capable of inheriting her place—by shaping her mind and infusing her with knowledge. But though the dragons had been born, and were stronger than she could have imagined, the sudden disruption in the ritual left both the outcome and the creatures themselves beyond her control.
Still, that didn't seem to matter much.
Though their birth went awry, their essences had only just come into contact with Lloyd—and it was through his help that they regained their vessels. Naturally, they felt favorable toward him.
While essence and vessel were not the same, just as every god bore traces of their own essence, the vessel too was shaped by it. And since both dragons were newborns with little consciousness of their own, the influence of their essence meant they began with an instinctive fondness for Lloyd. Communication with them came easily.
Afterward, both dragons showed no hostility toward Lloyd. Not only did they willingly speak with him, but they also expressed their readiness to follow his guidance.
However, things between the two of them weren't so peaceful.
Just as their affection for Lloyd was innate, so too was their instinctive rivalry. Even during their earlier exchange, if Lloyd hadn't stepped in when tensions flared, the two might have already come to blows.
"I don't know why, but that stupid (beep—) just pisses me off. I really want to claw her face off."
So said a certain crimson-eyed black dragon.
"Hmm. She seems mentally unstable, possibly suffering from some form of psychosis. If possible, I'd prefer to confine her somewhere before she bites anyone."
The four-headed, blue-eyed ultimate dragon countered sharply.
Seeing this, Lloyd thought for a moment. Then, after a brief pause, he made his decision.
"Then fight it out."
After all, with him present, even death wasn't a problem—he could bring them back.
Neither Placidusax nor Bayla objected. As soon as Lloyd stepped aside, they lunged at each other, fangs and claws clashing violently.
The earth trembled, Flame Lightning roared, and the sky split with thunder. When it was over, Placidusax—bloodied and missing two of her heads—won by a narrow margin, pinning the torn and broken Bayla beneath her foot.
The battle was decided.
"From now on, you're the elder sister."
Having established their hierarchy through combat, Lloyd healed both dragons. During the process, he made adjustments to their forms, granting them humanoid second forms—naturally, in the style of Dark Souls.
Once their matters were settled, Lloyd turned to Greyoll's lingering soul and gave her a new body—a smaller, weaker Flying Dragon form.
He didn't make it stronger because Greyoll's soul was already aged and couldn't bear much power. Besides, she wouldn't need to fight anymore. Her only duty was to watch over the two young divine dragons.
After reviving Greyoll and entrusting her with their care, Lloyd opened his map and teleported back to the Land of Shadow.
Before this, in the mistaken timeline—before that version of Placidusax had corrected the flow of time—he had told Lloyd a method to contact the true Placidusax. It was to deliver that blade to him.
"Find a 'Dragon Feast Witch.' Through a ritual, she can transcend the limits of time and space to reach him directly..."
According to information from Bayla, a grand Dragon Feast Church stood on one corner of Jagged Peak, where such a witch resided. Lloyd made his way there.
...
"So this is what a Dragon Lady of the Lands Between looks like?"
Before him stood a gaunt, dragon-headed woman with a humanoid body—terrifying, yet strangely dignified. Lloyd fell into thought.
After some time speaking with her, he learned her name.
"Florissax. My name is Florissax."
At first, Florissax was skeptical of Lloyd's story—an alternate timeline, contacting a Dragonlord—it all sounded absurd.
But when Lloyd produced the Dragonlord Smithing Stone and other proof, Florissax finally believed him and began the summoning.
Yet nothing happened.
"Our king must be resting peacefully; he hasn't responded yet."
Very well. That was just like Placidusax.
Since it wasn't urgent, Lloyd didn't press her. He left her a message stone, instructing her to contact him once she had news. Then he pulled out his Spectral Steed Whistle, blew it, mounted Torrent, and set off again to explore the remaining parts of the map.
After another long stretch of travel, he arrived at a vast field of flowers.
A sea of blue blossoms.
[Azure Coast]
The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. But that was all it had to offer—no monsters, no collectibles, and no NPCs to interact with.
Only an endless expanse of blue flowers swaying gently in the wind like rippling waves, filling him with a quiet, refreshing sense of calm.
After some time, Lloyd reached the heart of the flower field. The emptiness puzzled him—had he missed something? Or was there some hidden condition he hadn't met?
Just as he was wondering, his system suddenly flashed a notification.
[Invaded by 'Dancer of Ranah']
Seeing that long-forgotten invasion alert, Lloyd's interest was piqued. He drew his weapon, ready to engage the intruder.
But...
"I'm not here to fight you."
The moment they met, the dancer—whose hand was embedded with a black fragment—immediately surrendered, lowering herself in a posture of complete submission.
After exchanging a few words with Lloyd, she lifted her skirt and, in the midst of the blue flower sea, performed a graceful, mesmerizing dance for him.
When the dance ended, the dancer stepped forward again. The fragment in her hand trembled as she spoke her request.
"The dancer within this shard told me you are a king who appreciates dance."
"I ask for nothing else but to continue dancing."
"If you allow me to dance, I will pledge my loyalty to you."
And thus, Lloyd gained a dancer under his command—and in his hand, he now held a dancer's fragment.
After resolving the matter of the dancer, Lloyd continued onward. Before long, he reached the edge of a deep pit.
After a session of Miyazaki's favorite jumping puzzle, he finally landed at the bottom.
He activated a Site of Grace, pressed forward through more winding terrain, fought off several laser-firing monsters that seemed like they'd wandered in from an Armored Core battlefield, and finally leapt down from a stone statue to reach the deepest part of the cavern.
Originally, this place should have housed a Sludge Knight—a being formed from the convergence of immortal life—who guarded the Deep Purple Saint capable of granting them rest.
However, due to the interference of a certain Ashen One, the Deep Purple Saint was no longer here, and naturally, there were no Sludge Knights remaining either.
Even so, there was still another kind of knight present.
[Foul Knight]
A writhing, half-humanoid creature composed entirely of flesh and sludge, resembling a twisted centaur.
It was here to guard the fragment of the Foul Essence.
As for why that fragment was here...
A while back, Lloyd had thrown Asimi and Fretia into a corruption-infested dungeon.
Though he hadn't mentioned it for some time, Lloyd had been keeping close watch over the two ever since, occasionally opening his system panel to check their live feed—both to confirm their safety and to monitor their progress.
That dungeon wasn't a simple instance—it was an entire world of Corruption. Their goal wasn't merely to cleanse it, but to seize the very essence of the taint itself. Once they mastered that power, they intended to reverse and heal the damage caused by the Corruption.
Despite Asimi's strength and Fretia's capable support, their tireless efforts had only brought limited progress until recently. They had been purging corruption across the land but had yet to reach its core.
Then, perhaps because too much of the corruption had been eradicated—or perhaps because it had sensed a growing threat—the essence of corruption itself finally surfaced and confronted them.
During their battle, Asimi struck off a fragment of its essence with her Mimic Greatsword. Gravely wounded, the essence was forced to flee.
This wasn't because the essence was weak—far from it. Among the primordial deities, Filth was one of the strongest, especially within its own domain, where its power rivaled that of Marika in the Golden Order.
The problem was that Asimi's strength was simply too far beyond the norm.
Already the vessel of the Eternal King, and having absorbed the power of the Great Holy Grail and Filth, she might have appeared gentle and harmless on the surface—but after fully digesting that power, she had reached the strength of a true "King."
And to ensure she wouldn't suffer losses in that corrupted world, Lloyd had stuffed her with a pile of powerful items before she went in. Moreover, through the bond of their mutual contract, he had shared a portion of his own strength with her.
Meanwhile, her companion Fretia had once been a shrine maiden devoted to combating corruption. After spending prolonged periods within the essence of filth, she had gained partial authority over it. During her subsequent travels, she rescued many former companions who had been tainted, earning the support of those freed from corruption.
With these factors combined, Asimi had long since possessed the strength to obliterate the essence of corruption.
The reason she hadn't done so, as mentioned before, was because their goal wasn't simple destruction, but usurpation—to seize and claim the essence itself.
Now, for reasons unknown, the fragment of the essence of filth that Asimi had severed did not remain in that corrupted world. Instead, through some unseen connection, it crossed the boundaries of time and space, manifesting within this cavern in the Lands Between.
Upon arrival, it instinctively awakened the slumbering corpses nearby, merging them into a powerful mass of flesh and sludge—a Fleshguard, intent on repelling all intruders—
Thud.
The Fleshguard collapsed.
After dispatching it with ease, Lloyd stepped deeper into the cave and found the severed fragment of filth.
It lay still amid a sea of tainted, blood-red blossoms.
At that very moment, as Lloyd discovered the fragment of corruption's essence, in another part of the dungeon, Asimi and Fretia once again came face-to-face with the Corruption Deity itself.
This time, however, was different. Though it had previously suffered grave injuries—its essence even cut away—the god of filth now appeared far stronger, wilder, and more frenzied. With a single swipe of its claws, it sent Asimi flying, shattering the mimetic shield she had conjured.
"What... is this?"
"It devoured another essence!"
Sensing the chaotic, frenzied energy within the deity's core, Fretia's expression darkened. "It used its wounded state as bait—to lure in other essences seeking to consume it. Once they were drawn close, it bared its fangs and devoured them instead...
"No sane god would ever do such a thing. Devouring another essence so violently might grant overwhelming power for a short while, but it causes irreversible damage to the self. At best, the conflicting essences drive the god into madness—at worst, it's complete annihilation..."
As she spoke, a second wave of attacks came crashing down.
Countless tendrils of corrupted flesh writhed and shot forward, firing hundreds of sharpened bone spikes like a storm of spears. In an instant, Asimi was engulfed.
"Should we retreat?"
Reforming her shattered body, Asimi turned toward Fretia's spirit form beside her. After all, based on Fretia's words, while the entity was monstrously powerful now, it would eventually destroy itself if left alone.
Fretia hesitated for a moment, about to nod—but then she looked up. When her gaze met that of the corrupted god, her face turned grim.
"It says... if we retreat, it'll go after the people we saved..."
Though madness and death awaited it, that end would take time—time enough for the Corruption Deity to slaughter those innocents dozens of times over.
That meant they had no choice but to hold it here.
Resolute, Fretia began to chant a purification prayer, summoning a glowing white barrier around herself.
Beside her, Asimi once again formed her sword and shield, ready to block the monster's advance.
But—
Crash!
A single swipe of the deity's claw shattered the white barrier like glass, sending Fretia's spirit reeling in pain.
Meanwhile, Asimi, despite her King-tier strength, could only barely withstand the god's onslaught. Her defense was holding, but just barely—she had no chance to counterattack.
While struggling to hold the line, she noticed filth creeping toward Fretia's wounded spirit form, trying to use their shared essence as a conduit to spread its chaos and madness into her.
If that infection succeeded, even Lloyd would struggle to undo the damage.
To protect her ally, Asimi split off part of her own body, shaping it into a weapon to shield Fretia.
But in that instant, the dispersion of her power left a crack in her defense.
The next moment, several bone spears descended from above with explosive force, piercing through the weakened point in Asimi's shield and nailing her to the ground.
Because her true body was that of a Silver Tear, Asimi had no vital points—being impaled didn't cause her much harm.
The problem was the bone spears themselves—they were inscribed with curses tailored specifically for her, and as the curse spread, her movements were briefly sealed.
Then, the mass of foul flesh began to writhe, forming a colossal claw that reached toward the heavens. Power gathered around it, condensing into one overwhelming strike, and then—
Boom!
The claw came crashing down.
A wave of annihilation erupted, obliterating everything in its path. The ground was pulverized, and even the sky above seemed to tear open.
But the pain and destruction Asimi expected never came.
Cautiously opening her eyes, she saw it—
Before the massive claw, a rift had appeared, born from the resonance of an essence fragment.
Through it stepped a familiar figure, raising a great shield to intercept the devastating blow.
In his arms, he held a white spirit form.
"It's all right. Don't be afraid."
He swung his shield, deflecting the sky-shattering claw, then looked down at Asimi.
"I'm here."