The shattering of the Great Rune snapped Miquella out of his frenzied state. He blinked, staring blankly at his hands as if he had forgotten what he had been doing just moments before.
Radahn remained motionless. Although the shattering of the Great Rune had restored the minds of those previously enthralled by its power, Radahn had been personally enchanted by Miquella's law of allure in a one-on-one confrontation. Even the Great Rune's destruction couldn't free him from that enchantment.
The situation had entered a bizarre new stage. Though Miquella had lost the ability to charm the masses through the Great Rune, his greatest trump card—the Starscourge King, Radahn—was still under his control. With Radahn's immense strength, it was entirely possible to eliminate the wounded Messmer and seize his three Great Runes.
However, as fate often goes, the unexpected happens.
The golden sword embedded in the ground—the Divine Fleshblade—suddenly began to tremble violently, as if trying to break free from some invisible restraint.
But no one paid it any mind. All eyes were on Messmer, now holding three Great Runes after defeating the Elden Beast, making him the de facto new Elden Lord. He was approaching Radahn, who had fused with and regained the rationality of Miquella, seemingly intent on finishing his unfinished battle.
Loyal troops of Messmer, freed from Miquella's charm, charged forward to aid their general. But the first to reach Messmer was Rellana, who harbored the deepest obsession for him.
Seeing Messmer—blind, bloodied, coughing, yet still lifting his spear—Rellana made her resolve. Even if today she would be slain by the mightiest demigod, she would die at Messmer's side.
This resolve did not go unnoticed by Miquella, who had always claimed to gently embrace all. Deeply admiring and understanding Rellana's feelings, Miquella gathered his remaining allure powers, intending to control Rellana to join her side and thus control Messmer.
But just before the allure was unleashed, the Divine Fleshblade suddenly shot up from the ground, transforming into a golden beam that pierced through Miquella's chest.
"...Mother?"
Staring at the sword now embedded in his body, Miquella's thoughts were filled with confusion. He felt no pain, no weakening—but instead sensed a familiar, warm power.
His consciousness faded. His vision blurred. His soul seemed to drift through the ages, returning to a time when he nestled in his mother's arms as a child. He tried to recall his divine ambitions, but nothing came to mind. He fell into a deep sleep.
As Miquella drifted off, Radahn broke free from the charm's influence. The Starscourge King, as though awakening from a dream, turned around—only to see his frail, childlike brother lying on the ground, encased in golden light.
Even Aoko, watching, was stunned. Was this still the Lands Between she remembered? The plot had taken a turn she could no longer comprehend.
Others were equally bewildered. But what happened next was even more shocking.
Miquella rose again.
That small figure began to grow—taller, fuller. Heis long hair shifted between gold and red several times before finally settling on a golden hue.
As the golden light faded, the Divine Fleshblade vanished from his chest. The true identity of the new Miquella was revealed—a face all who lived in the Lands Between knew well: the god who ruled for millennia—Queen Marika had returned.
With golden eyes, Marika surveyed the crowd. Even Melina, who had been hidden within the Tarnished, reappeared, stunned by the golden figure before her.
Marika's gaze lingered briefly on Aoko and her sister Touko, the two outsiders, before finally settling on her wounded child—Messmer.
But Messmer had finally exhausted all his strength. To defeat the Elden Beast, he had drawn upon every ounce of power within him—good and evil alike. He collapsed, his spear dissolving into flame and vanishing.
Just before he hit the ground, a pair of soft yet powerful hands caught him and gently laid him down.
"I must admit, I never expected that it would be you, my child, who came this far and accomplished all this," said Queen Marika in a soft but clear voice to the unconscious Messmer.
"The power of serpent and flame is undoubtedly a blasphemy to both myself and the Erdtree, she continued calmly, "but you and your sister remain key to the execution of my plan—even if things didn't unfold as I once envisioned."
Melina joined her brother and mother but said nothing. She watched as Marika's hands gently passed over Messmer's hollow eye sockets, restoring his golden eyes. The winged white serpent also revived.
Radahn, now fully conscious, wore a complex expression. Words failed him as he looked at Marika, now returned to life. So much to say—but no way to say it.
Those who had been enthralled by Miquella remembered everything from their time under his charm. They understood the logic then, but could no longer agree with it. Radahn remembered the agreement he had made with Miquella—but if not for the enchantment, he would never have gone along with his plan.
He yearned for battle. The battlefield was his passion. For the Red Lion, unending combat was his obsession. Miquella's gentle, peaceful reign simply wasn't for him.
Radahn turned to the Pureblood Knights, led by Ansbach. They stared back, no words exchanged. Radahn lifted his right hand, looking thoughtfully at the small hybrid horns growing from his arm.
Just as everyone waited to see what would happen next, Messmer awoke. He looked blankly at the mother holding him, wondering if he had died, his soul taken by her back to the Erdtree, awaiting the cycle of rebirth.
"You have done well, Messmer," said Queen Marika with a smile.
"You have fulfilled the mission I gave you. And now, you have passed every trial…"
"…Now, the chains that bound the Lands Between have been broken—
and you shall become the new Elden Lord."