The age of gold ends

A vast mist covered room lay before him as the soft rhythm of a pounding hammer could be heard. Some distance away a figure with red hair could be seen hammering away at something. Cracks could be seen all over it's body, yet it seemed to hold firm as if recently broken. He approached calmly as the area began to saturate in mana.

At the soles of his feet glint stone emerged as the room gained a blue hue to it. The once gray and cracked stone below them turned into a resplendent cerulean blue as the small crystals glowed intensely. "Tell me, father or mother, Marika or Radagon, was Godwyn worth the destruction you caused? The pain you inflicted upon many a family?" Leonel asked as he approached the still hammering figure.

No response was given yet the hammering only got louder. " you left my mother in a broken state, my family shattered and displaced, the land rotting and maddened, thousands walk around aimlessly, their minds gone and their soul begging for release, all because of a single golden haired shit stain" he said. Those final words caused the hammer to slam down and stop as the figure slowly turned towards him.

Tears and anger yet pain and confusion could be seen within its eyes as it stared at him. "Yea I know the Elden beast couldn't possibly allow you freedom, I am here for its power, I will slay it and turn it into a repelling force capable of holding back any god with ease" he said as the halberd beside him slammed down illuminating the room in a silvery light. Said light coalesced and slammed into the figure before him as something was yanked out slowly.

"I will allow you the honor of a fight beast, come and show me what a god can do" he said as he took a stance, large glint stone pillars rose behind him. The Elden beast stared at him intensely as it almost seemed to nod as the world around them changed into what he could only label as a river flowing within the cosmos.

The beast attacked first as golden orbs saturated in energy shot off towards him with blinding speed. He dodged to the side and swatted off some that got too close as he rushed forward. The arena changed by the minute as mana saturated the area and forced a change. The beast knew that this would not be an easy fight as it dived deep into the water and resurfaced in front of him as it struck a large sword down. He jumped up and slammed his halberd against it as the two weapons clashed a blast of a myriad of lights shot off.

Leonels armor withstood it with ease, but the beast was not so lucky as it pierced its flesh causing it so roar out in pain and dive back underneath the water. Leonel landed and forced an enormous amount of mana into a singular piece of glint stone before he threw it to where the beast dove into and jumped back. A deafening blast slammed the beast upwards out of the water allowing for several spikes of glint stone to pierce it and send it flying back.

Leonel watched it writhe in pain and anger as it let out thousands of golden lights. As if falling stars the lights headed for him with great speeds. Noticing this he knew that the large amount would eventually overwhelm him so he slammed his hand onto the surface and pumped it full of mana. A large amount of glint stone surfaced as it worked to stop the incoming onslaught of power.

Layer by layer, the golden rays tore at the glint stone, yet the stone held strong. Eventually it stopped but what remained of the glint stone was but two more layers. Leonel breathed in deeply as mana poured into him from the surroundings. He rushed forward with great speed as he raised the halberd and struck forward. The beast met him and struck with its massive blade, yet no clash happened as the beast saw its golden blade simply pass right through Leonel. A sharp pain at its side alerted it to a new presence but another sharp pain to its back sent it flying forwards.

Leonel flew right behind it as his wings beat strongly easily breaking the sound barrier. The beast crashed some distance away as Leonel floated above it. He raised his halberd and pointed it towards the beast as a gargantuan amount of mana accumulated at the tip of it. The beast shook itself off and looked up to him in what could only be described as anger only to see the massive whirlpool of mana forming above it.

He forced the mana into one point and let it go as an incredibly powerful beam of mana ripped through the air towards the beast. The beast retaliated by summoning several golden shields but the ray simply tore through them with ease before smashing onto it ripping through its flesh and cutting off its entire left side sending its sword flying.

The beast roared intensely as it flailed around in utter pain. Leonel watched it writhe and sighed. "Even a god can't give me a challenge, have I grown too far? If I have does it matter? What is power if you have no use for it?" He asked out loud as he turned his head towards the door he came into. There he could see a young woman; a cloak covered her form yet he could see the mark of the three fingers upon her visage. " melena" he said catching her attention.

"I do wonder who brought you here, no matter the Erd tree will be destroyed of that you can be assured, still it won't be by you" he said. He saw anger form upon her face. He turned back to the still writhing Elden beast. He raised the halberd nod let out one accurate blast tearing off the head off the beast's shoulders allowing it to slam down onto the water. A ton of golden lights tried to rush at him, the final remnants of the Elden ring.

He held his hand out as a whirlpool of mana absorbed the energy one at a time. " now then, Ranni said to summon her when you died" he said as he floated down towards the rough stone. There he could see a sign glowing intensely blue as a figure formed atop it. He sent a bolt of mana into it activating the portal as Ranni emerged from it and looked towards him.

"So, it's time, very well let-" before she could continue she was pulled into his embrace. "Alter the spell, allow it a host like the Elden ring" he said. She stared at him in confusion until her doll eyes showed clarity. "It would-" she was stopped once again by a finger upon her lips. "Kill me? No, maybe if I held only a single rune of the ring would I die, I now hold two and the ring itself, besides I plan to use both of the connections I hold to two gods as fuel for the spell, never again will a god control this land, all they can do is watch" he said.

She sighed and pulled away, she put two of her hands up as the ring floated towards her alongside two glowing blue orbs that where connected to Leonel by two blue strings. He reached out and snapped the cords connected to him as he felt a large amount of energy leave him. He would grow weaker to what he was like when he had just gained access to the first rune but now he can grow without the influence of a god.

The two orbs where absorbed into the ring then floated into Ranni silently. "I do solemnly swear, to every living being, and every living soul, now cometh the age of stars, a thousand years free of the gods, the wisdom we hold shall allow us to rise and fall equally" she said.

Leonel watched her float with a smile, "so it's over little sister, is it?" He asked. "Yes it is, now we need a lord, have you chosen who? Or will you be that lord?" She asked as she floated by his side. He smiled "well I was thinking that Rykard would be a good lord, without the influence of the snake he is back to who he used to be, none could be better than him at fixing this fractured land, now let's go and stop this madness" he said.

Ranni nodded and snapped her finger teleporting the two out of the room. Outside the city gates all seemed calm. With the last of the golden warriors dealt with the city could evacuate and begin to heal. Atop the highest tower several figures stood. Every demigod barring one who ran earlier stood there watching the approaching tide of giants. "So, what is to be done about them?" Radahn asked.

"We could finish them, or speak to them, what do you think brother?" Leonel asked as his right wing poked at Rykard. "Diplomacy could be done, but power must be shown first for it is all the giants fear" he said as he watched them approach. " then, let me use something I thought I never had a reason to use, it does no require much power, what it requires is seeing the pinnacle of power, the black hole starts out small yet it grows to devour entire worlds" he said as he flew towards the giants.

He arrived atop them and looked down as they looked up. He outstretched his hand as a bit of mana formed. He clenched his hand firmly as the mana compressed itself over and over and over. Each time it did so the attraction and pull increased yet he seemed unaffected. It kept compressing until it could not anymore. He let go as the tiny microscopic spec fell upon them with blinding speed.

It began to grow rapidly as it sucked in absolutely anything in its path tearing apart the mountains and pulling in anything that came too close. Some giants began to float up and get sucked in as the pained screams and the sounds of tearing and breaking could be heard. The fire giant at the front of it all watched in horror as it's now risen brethren were ripped apart by a single attack.

Before the black hole could decimate the remaining giants it simply vanished. "Kneel" Leonel said which although angry the giants followed reluctantly. "Fire giant, the new astral lord wishes to speak to you, your horde shall wait here, and you will follow" he said. A blue portal appeared to his left as he stepped through it, the fire giant looked up in anger but ultimately motioned for the rest to wait. He stood up and moved towards the city with heavy yet measured steps as if he already accepted his fate. Yet what met him was not an army and several powerful warriors. Instead, there before the main gate sat several people including the dangerous black hole summoner relaxing on conjured furniture.

Perplexed by this development he watched as a crystalline throne formed for him to sit. The furniture they sat on floated up to his eyesight allowing for ease of talk. "Now then may I introduce myself, I am Rykard, lord of the volcano plateau and its lands, next to me is the king of Liurnia Leonel, to my right is my sister Ranni the current queen of the moon, next to her is Miquella, lord of the Halig tree and by his side his blade and shield Malenia, last but not least my brother Radahn current lord of caelid, we brought you here to speak fire giant, although that is not your name, is it?" Rykard spoke with eloquence and calmness, yet his voice reached far and wide heard by those within the city and the giants behind their leader.