Chapter 898 The Fall of The Twin Princes

The enchanted swords blazed again, and the twin princes responded with familiar tactics. This time, however, Finn and his team were ready. Finn activated his skill Berserk Magic Spear, unleashing his full strength, while Ais invoked wind magic to bolster her agility, charging forward at lightning speed.

As Finn engaged the elder brother, blocking his attacks head-on, Ais seized the opening, darting to the rear and swinging her sword straight at the younger prince. But her strike was thwarted as a pre-cast shield intercepted her blade, shattering her momentum and resulting in a severed arm.

"Ais, watch out!" Finn shouted as he sensed an imminent threat. Ais dodged instantly, evading a massive greatsword that slammed down where she had just stood, wielded by none other than the elder prince.

Finn, quick to react, drove his two magic-imbued spears into the hilt of the elder prince's sword before he could recover from the teleport.

Seizing the brief moment, Finn detonated the two magic spears, unleashing a powerful explosion from within the elder prince's body, leaving him grievously wounded.

"Riveria, Lefiya!"

After seeing that his attack had a miraculous effect, Finn shouted again, and the two mages unleashed their spells in unison.

A barrage of fiery bolts and a surge of violet-blue flames descended on the elder prince.

"Tiona, Tione!"

This time, it was the two sisters who made the move, but this time what they shot was no longer the Dragonslayer Arrows, but the magic sword.

This was something Finn had thought about before, so these magic swords were shot out quickly, in conjunction with magic, overwhelming him in a storm of magic and obliterating him entirely.

Now, only the younger prince remained, though he was severely weakened. Ais's attack had already cost him an arm, and with his frail constitution, he bore injuries far worse than his brother had managed to shield him from.

Coughing, the younger prince gazed at his formidable adversaries, saying with grim acceptance, "Impressive, travelers from another world. In this world, there is no more hope, only the fading light. If it must end, let it end by your hands. There are places you may yet discover, hidden realms where souls lie in wait—a fitting reward, perhaps, for your soul gathering. The Crystal Sage knows the way."

With that, he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. Their defeat was inevitable, and the twin princes met their end as Lords of Cinder, destined to burn away, and perhaps, in death, finally freed.

As the final remnants of the elder prince's body disintegrated, only his head remained, the last embers of his existence flickering out. The team collected their hard-won souls, reflecting on the terrifying nature of this world.

"This world… it's unsettling, to say the least." Finn murmured, still grappling with the grimness of the Lords of Cinder's fate, "No matter what we did, the fate of a Lord of Cinder seems like one long path to oblivion!"

"Yeah." Ais replied, nodding in agreement, "Compared to this, our world feels almost merciful. We don't face a constant looming darkness, a flame on the edge of extinction that keeps everyone here fighting."

"Not to mention the horrors here." Lefiya added, "This world has no gods to protect them, no divine powers to ward off the shadows. Just humanity, struggling on alone. It's terrifying!"

"Yes, and as powerful as they were, these creatures are nothing like the monsters in our dungeons. They're something darker, twisted." Finn replied solemnly, "We should find the Crystal Sage. If these secret places exist, we may find even more of what we need… and what we have yet to understand about this world."

The group shook their heads, noting the stark difference between this world and Orario. In Orario, the gods maintained order, subduing chaos with their presence. Though dungeons were dangerous, they were ultimately contained within Orario's borders.

If the dungeon were ever to grow too rampant, the gods would lift its seals and end the threat. In essence, the dungeon was a passive adversary, locked in place.

For adventurers, dungeon diving was perilous, but once outside, the surface offered a sense of security. However, in this world, even the supposed safety of the Firelink Shrine wasn't absolute.

Monsters roamed freely, threatening every sanctuary, and even Firelink Shrine itself wasn't fully safe. Though those within Firelink Shrine wouldn't permanently die, the toll of endless battles left many with hardened hearts, worn by the relentless cycle of rebirth and violence.

After gathering their spoils from the twin princes, the party returned to Firelink Shrine. Ludleth had finally embraced his fate as a Lord of Cinder, burning himself down to ash.

With the deaths of the other Lords, he saw no further reason to delay his self-immolation, reducing himself to mere embers.

The five thrones that once bore the presence of the Lords now lay empty, marked by the haunting remains of each fallen ruler.

"They've returned, but this time… we're not bound to carry on their fire!"

The Fire Keeper said, her voice filled with a mixture of sadness and determination.

In the past, each fallen Lord signified the rise of a new one to inherit the flame. Now, however, the Fire Keeper had gathered the remnants of their embers, preparing for one final task.

"This is the last inheritance of the flame." She continued, "Go to the source of the First Flame, where the original Lord of Cinder resides. If you defeat him, his soul shall be yours. But beware, his strength is immense!"

With reverence, she handed the collective fire inheritance to Finn and the others. But no one moved to accept it immediately.

Taking on this power came with a daunting cost, one that even the most seasoned among them hesitated to bear.

Their next destination was the ruins of an ancient Firelink Shrine, where they would face the mightiest of the Lords, the one who started it all. Known as the Nameless King, he was elusive, ever-changing, and immortalized in legend, his strength spanning countless ages.