The Wailing Dunes, where the winds spray sand everywhere. Innumerable swords and dessicated bodies litter this ancient battlefield. Jerren, in card: Before we begin, let me paint you the full picture.
In the far distance, in this complete desolation, one can see a figure on their horse press forward.
The panel zooms in, focusing on this mysterious rider.
It is General Radahn, still in his full battle armor since the day of the Shattering. He is carrying in his hands the corpses of Cleanrot Knights, by the hairs of their helms and scarves.
The view moves to Radahn's cape; piercing it and Radahn's back, are spears, harpoons and arrows that have failed to kill him.
The view moves to the corpses in Radahn's hands.
Then, the stumps of Radahn's legs, eaten by the Rot.
Radahn's profile, as he endures another second of his endless misery. Jerren: General Radahn is cursed ever to wander.
The horse underneath Radahn collapses; he falls with him.
Radahn tries to recover his senses on the ground.
Because of the Scarlet Rot, his vision is a blur; the sands swirl before.
Spit dribbles from Radahn's mouth, as he tries to regain himself. Jerren: Eaten from the inside, by Malenia's scarlet rot, his wits are long gone.
Radahn gropes among the corpses.
He pushes one before him.
He stares at it, contemplating the indignity of the act before him.
He pushes his face close to the corpse.
He takes a bite out of it.
He tears at the corpse's flesh, like a dog. Jerren: Now he gathers the corpses of former friends and foes alike, gorging on them, like a dog.
Blood smeared on his lips, his features ravaged by the winds of the Dunes and the Scarlet Rot, he looks up to the merciless sky.
In the distance, obscured by the sand, he can see the Erdtree.
Sweat beads down his despairing, careworn face.
He screams. Jerren: Howling at the sky.
The view returns to Jerren, at Redmane Castle. Jerren: ...
The Redmane Knights are tearing up; Freyja is solemn.
The worshippers of Radahn amid the champions also tear up too. Gareth, thinking: Worshippers, of the demigod. Pious to the end.
Despite the neverending sorrow, Jerren's face lights up. Jerren: But now, you champions have gathered! There is no need for solemnity! Jerren: There can be no gloom with you stout-of-heart!
Jerren: We make merry! Not in mourning, but in celebration of the man, Jerren: embodying the power and awe of war!
This page has visions of other worlds. A tribe prepares themselves for war with another.
Knights prepare the defense of a castle from an invading force.
A child is chased through the forest by their bullies.
Jerren: O gathering of champions, the revels begin! Jerren: The celebration of war! The Radahn Festival! The crowd roars.
Gareth and Rhys watch, in service of Ranni.
Meilyr and Goldmask watch, seeking glory. Meilyr is actually cheering.
Millicent watches on, trying to comprehend her fate.
Jerren: This is how the Festival shall proceed: Jerren: We Redmane Knights will start the battle.
A Tarnished calls out. Tarnished: And have all the fun for yourself? The Tarnished laugh. Jerren: Ha ha ha! Not at all!
A view of the bay between Redmane Castle and the Wailing Dunes. Jerren: The moment the General sees anything come across the bay, he will fire upon it with a greatarrow. Jerren: If we all try to enter from the same position, none of us will step foot on the dunes. Jerren: The Redmane Knights shall begin battle, by distracting the general.
An ironclad battleship, docked at the opposing side of the Castle. In this same dockyard are many smaller ships, equipped with ballista and harpoons. Jerren: We will send a fleet of battleships along the coast of the Dunes, and take the general's attention. Jerren: We Redmane Knights, who pledge ourselves to the general, are happy to sacrifice our lives in this endeavor.
Jerren: You all will descend the castle, to the bay across the Wailing Dunes, Jerren: and enter boats, the same coffin boats Lord Godfrey and the first Tarnished entered, bidden by Marika to their ever-war.
Jerren: However, the situation is the same: if you all gather on the Dunes at the same time, you will all fall together. Jerren: I, therefore, have a proposition for the particularly brave among you:
Jerren: Those skilled with horses, and those fleet of foot, Jerren: run up to the general, and steal his attention from his fellows, so your brothers may disembark safely.
Jerren: Any volunteers?
The Night's Cavalry raises their hand.
Some other Tarnished raises their hand.
The Prophet raises his hand. Melina looks at him admiringly.
Gareth: ... Nepheli: Do it, Gareth. If you have the muster for it.
Gareth, standing: I volunteer myself and my ox!
Goldmask nods at Meilyr.
Meilyr: Pick me! Me and the stick!
Corhyn: Master!
Goldmask looks at him knowingly.
Morrowe looks at Millicent. He wants to put himself before her.
Morrowe: I volunteer, on my horse!
Reane squeezes Latenna's hand; Reane encourages Latenna in the upcoming battle.
Jerren: You excellent few! Come up then!
Jerren: As for the rest of you, Jerren: let me make this plain:
Jerren: Not once in the endless succession of time has a warrior felled the general!
Jerren: TODAY IS THE DAY!! Jerren: EVERY STAR IS IN OUR FAVOR!
Jerren: HEART, MEN, HEART! MAY FORTUNE SMILE UPON YOU THIS DAY, AND SEE YOU AS THE VICTOR! The crowd roars, dizzy with excitement.
The Night's Cavalry ascends to Jerren's platform; Gareth and Stalwart follow him. Jerren greets each of them. Jerren: Hail, brave warrior. Jerren: Hail, shardbearer.
Jerren: Hail - Meilyr approaches him. Meilyr: You got a horse?
Jerren: ...Yes. Of course. Meilyr: Thank ye, thank ye.
The warriors enter the church. A Redmane Knight accompanies them.
They see an exit at the side of the church.
They enter a platform, overlooking the Wailing Dunes.
The platform descends, bringing them ever closer to the battlefield.
Their view is throttled by the motley covering over the elevator (or whatever it is).
The warriors step off from the elevator, at the bottom. They see before them the coffin boats Jerren has mentioned, as well as many smaller boats. Redmane Knight: For swiftness, you will board these boats. Redmane Knight: On the second horn, the boats leave.
The ramparts of Redmane Castle. Trumpeteers are posted everywhere.
The trumpeteers blow their horns.
Bells chime, signalling the start of the festival.
The view from the bells moves toward the Wailing Dunes.
Radahn is prostrate on the sands of the Wailing Dunes.
He hears the music of the Festival pealing to him.
His face becomes distorted, full of emotion.
He beats his fists on the sand.
He slaps his face, spraying sand onto his features, trying to awaken himself for the upcoming battle.
Radahn stands up, proud, beating his chest rhythmically and with force; it has the sound of a drum.
He begins to roar loudly, like the true Battlefield's Lion he is.
Jerren listens to Radahn's roar with mixed emotions.
The Tarnished in the plaza hear his roar, with fear on their faces. The person screaming does not seem human.
In the other world, the tribes have begun fighting, the feathers in their hair identical to the red hairs on Radahn's helm.
In the other world, the knights are now defending their castle, from the invaders.
In the other world, the bullies are throwing stones at the child, whose skin is grazed and bleeding by them.
The fleet of warships begin their trek to the bay off the Wailing Dunes, the great ironclad warship leading them. Narrator, in card: The rugged cliffs of the Lands Between did not lend well to naval combat. Narrator: And yet General Radahn commissioned his flagship, the Drake, if ever he needed to enter Limgrave's shores. Narrator: This ship, the largest in the Lands Between by far, was padded with iron against its master.
The ships creep closer to the Wailing Dunes. In the distance, one can see Radahn's silhouette, gigantic.
Radahn is nocking his greatbow, the Lion Greatbow, with his arrow of choice, the spears of his mortal foe, the Cleanrot Knights.
Radahn fires the spear.
A skiff carrying a ballista is destroyed in the impact. The ships fire. I'm not sure what artillery would be on the flagship, so use your imagination.
The sky is filled with the greatbolts from the ships. They color the sky black.
They fall upon Radahn like rain.
Radahn pulls the greatbolts out of him.
He pulls another spear from his back, preparing his bow.
He nocks his bow.
He pulls tighter on the bowstring, infusing his greatbow with gravitational power.
The repelling power he is infusing into the bow causes the sands on the dune to be pushed back.
He fires.
The arrow flies toward the Drake. The gravitational power of the arrow causes the bay to part.
The arrow punches into the Drake, denting its iron plates and near-topples the ship over.
The Redmane sailors hold onto the ship for dear life; the tipping over of the flagship threatens the smaller ships around it.
The ships fire again.
Another arrow from Radahn pierces through the frame of the Drake, ripping the deck off and snapping the masts in half. The sailors in other ships watch in horror.
Gareth, on his own boat, watches in horror.
Meilyr pats his horse. Meilyr: The first battle you've ever seen, girl? Meilyr: I call you Worth - prove it to me.
Morrowe is solemn in his duty.
The smaller boats disembark on the shore of the Wailing Dunes.
The Tarnished - Gareth on Stalwart, Morrowe on Swift, Meilyr on Worth, the Prophet on Torrent - leap from their boats, rushing toward Radahn. Radahn, now, trains his bow against the riders.
The Tarnished next to Gareth is shot; they are flung a great distance back.
Gareth looks behind him, to gauge the force of the arrow himself.
Gareth looks in front, seeing Radahn's bow is trained on him.
Gareth: Stalwart! Brace yourself!
The bull's legs stop, grinding themselves into the sands.
Radahn fires.
Radahn's spear makes contact with Gareth's greatshield.
Gareth's hands, behind the shield, are crushed.
Stalwart's neck is broken.
Gareth falls off of Stalwart; Stalwart collapses in pain; both are thrown quite a distance backwards, though not as much as the Tarnished before. Gareth: Ahhh! I should remind the reader that this duo, before the trials and tribulations they faced in Leyndell, survived the full force of a Night's Cavalry.
Radahn, in the distance, sees Morrowe closing in on Swift.
Radahn nocks his bow as Morrowe draws close.
He fires, the bow causing a great explosion beside Morrowe; Morrowe has made the choice to strafe around Radahn than get closer.
Morrowe, thinking: Like a cannonball blast! Morrowe: I'm not getting anywhere close to him!
The Night's Cavalry charges at Radahn. Radahn nocks his bow.
Radahn fires; the Night's Cavalry leaps over the spear.
The Night's Cavalry swishes their flail.
Radahn nocks his bow.
The Night's Cavalry leaps.
Radahn, unexpectedly, fires multiple spears into the sky.
The Night's Cavalry is about to bring their flail down upon Radahn. Above them, the spears fall down, black like rain.
The spears pierce through the Night's Cavalry, canceling all momentum they built up.
The Night's Cavalry and their funeral horse fall on the ground, writhing in pain.
Radahn slams his leg stumps on the Night's Cavalry, crushing their chest; the Night's Cavalry writhes, like an insect being slowly crushed in pain.
The funeral horse tries to push Radahn off their rider; Radahn sees the Prophet closing in, and nocks his bow in preparation.
Radahn fires; the arrow approaches the Prophet.
Marika's specter guides the Prophet. Marika: Do not fear! Your faith is a shield!
A flamethrower shoots out of the Prophet's hands, engulfing the spear in flame.
The spears are rendered into melted slag, falling beside the Prophet.
Radahn sees Morrowe coming in from the other side.
Radahn nocks his bow again, as the Prophet arrives, his hands aflame.
Radahn slams his greatbow against the Prophet, knocking him off Torrent; in a sweeping horizontal motion he also swipes at Morrowe, but Morrowe swiftly ducks and passes underneath.
Radahn fires the arrow at the unseated Prophet, pinning them onto the sands like a butterfly. Morrowe has ridden on the other side of Radahn and is trying to put as much distance as possible between him and the demigod, who had seen through his maneuver.
The other Tarnished are closing in, Meilyr and Goldmask on Worth with them.
With a spear pulled from his back, he stabs the squirming Night's Cavalry and their horse multiple times, causing both to collapse from their wounds.
Radahn nocks his bow with the bloody arrow.
He fires the spear at Meilyr and Goldmask.
Goldmask sets his arms diagonally.
Switching the positions of his arms, he casts the Law of Regression on the arrow, which is paused in air by the gold.
The arrow, supernaturally, moves backward, as if one were witnessing time reversed.
Meilyr continues to charge forward with his Treespear in hand.
Radahn watches as the spear returns back to him. His face is shocked.
Flashback. A scene from the Shattering: the walls of Leyndell are assaulted by the vast armies assembled under General Radahn. Notably, siege engines are firing projectiles at the walls of Leyndell.
The projectiles go up, soaring through the air to the white walls of Leyndell.
Golden Order sorcerors, posted on the ramparts, cast the Law of Regression as Goldmask had.
The projectiles return back to the siege machines and archers.
Leyndell knights, with their spears and swords, smash into Radahn's troops, cutting them down with their lightning-infused swords; in the background, they are also summoning thunderbolts on the army.
Radahn in present day, enraged at seeing the current incarnation of his ancient foes.
He pulls his colossal swords, the Starscourge Greatswords, up, obscuring the sun with their appearance.
Leonard begins to gallop beneath him, charging toward Meilyr. Radahn is in a frothing rage.
Radahn swings the Starscourge Greatswords against Meilyr.
Goldmask casts the Law of Regression again, pausing Radahn in time.
Meilyr raises his Treespear vertically. Meilyr, thinking: Lansseax.
He raises his Treespear into the air, high above his head.
Golden lightning strikes the tip of his spear; the spear crackles with lightning.
Meilyr pushes the lightning spear deep into Radahn's body.
Just as Radahn is pierced, the other Tarnished follow up, also plunging their weapons into Radahn.
Blood comes out of Radahn's mouth; he has a sneer on his face.
He gives a great shout; the Tarnished who have stabbed him, to their surprise, are lifted up in the air, by the god of war's incredible strength, even after receiving mortal wounds.
In another world, the tribe is brutalizing the other tribe, bashing brains out, cutting limbs.
In another world, the knights are burned by pitch, and their eyeballs are pierced by arrows in the siege.
The Tarnished fall, unable to hold onto their weapons.
Radahn smashes his colossal swords on them, reducing them to paste.
Meilyr, who has held on, plants his feet on the ground and pushes in even deeper.
Radahn stamps on Meilyr with his leg stumps.
Meilyr, on the ground, has not removed his hands from his weapon.
Radahn sees, in the distance, the coffin ships with the rest of Tarnished arriving.
Radahn sees, close by, Goldmask, on Worth, circling around him.
Radahn and Goldmask square off, staring at the other defiantly.
Radahn swings his swords against Goldmask. Goldmask is preparing the Law of Causality.
Before the sword reaches Goldmask, the Law of Causality is complete.
Radahn is paralyzed; he cannot complete the swing.
It is discovered Meilyr's spear, still in Radahn's body, is literally digging into Radahn's spine, causing the paralysis. (MEDICAL SCIENCE BE DAMNED!)
In extreme pain, Radahn grasps Meilyr's spear torturously.
He pulls it out, tossing Meilyr away from him.
Goldmask on Worth circles back to Meilyr, as the Tarnished arrive to them, led by Alexander and Lionel the Lionhearted.
Radahn has not noticed Morrowe, who has dismounted Swift and has been waiting for the right opportunity.
Morrowe is pulling his Knight's Greatsword back, his stance very low on the ground.
Morrowe completes the motion of the Giant's Hunt, the technique he learned from the Leyndell Knights; the greatsword pierces into Radahn's side, immobilizing him temporarily.
Alexander throws his body against Radahn; Lionel pierces his Great Epee into Radahn's body, and Tragoth smashes into his bones with the Giant-Crusher.
Radahn retaliates by sweeping his swords wildly and powerfully; the force of the swing actually breaks Alexander's jar, and Lionel and Tragoth's armor. Morrowe, luckily or unluckily, manages to deflect the swing with his greatsword.
Lionel and Tragoth are cut bloody.
Morrowe's wrist and arm are completely broken by the deflection.
Blaidd is leaping in the air, in the familiar pattern of the Wolf's Assault; raised above his head is his Royal Greatsword. Blaidd: For Ranni!
Blaidd plunges his blade deep into Radahn's shoulder.
Blaidd flips backwards off Radahn.
Radahn is covered in ice, his muscles frozen.
The Prophet, a great hole in his armor from Radahn's arrow, arrives.
The Prophet engulfs Radahn in a great inferno, as Blaidd and the recovering Tragoth and Lionel watch.
Radahn is seared in the flames. The Tarnished watch Radahn, hesitant to enter the fray.
The shadows of the flames flicker on the Prophet's helm.
In the flames, the Prophet sees Radahn is moving, his posture restored.
The Prophet, panicked, pours more flames on him.
Radahn stamps his foot on the ground.
His swords are spread apart, and his face is to the sky. Radahn: HAAAAAAAAH!
All of the Tarnished in Radahn's vicinity are pulled toward him, in the Starcaller's Cry; the flames die down, wrapping around him.
In the tribal world, the cry echoes throughout the sky.
In the knight's world, the cry echoes throughout the sky.
The cry echoes throughout the forest.
Radahn's face is twisted; he is angry with violence, and yet he is enjoying this entirely.
The Prophet, panicked, shoots flames from his hands, pushing himself away from Radahn as far as possible.
Radahn slams the Starscourge Greatswords on the ground, causing a great gravitational explosion tearing his enemies into shreds.
The Tarnished dissolve into atoms.
The Bloody Fingers dissolve into atoms.
The Prophet, and the rest of the Tarnished, watch in awe.
Goldmask, thinking: A god! A true god!
The explosion reverberates throughout the outer worlds. An earthquake shakes the tribal world.
The castle wall in the knight world collapses, the night streaking with purple energy.
In the forest world, the trees fall; Radahn's image as the Starcaller is imprinted in the sky.
Radahn grins, ecstatic in the carnage and finally returned to his splendid form.
He performs his famous sword sweeps, cutting the Tarnished up like wheat.
Gareth is standing up, shakily; his legs and arms are numb from his prior impact. Rhys is with him; Rhys, of course, would not throw himself headfirst into the melee. Gareth: He's completely different from Godrick... Gareth: It's like he breathes a different air. This is the man Marika sent us truly to fight -
Radahn, smashing and chopping the Tarnished violently. Gareth, offscreen: A true, unrestrained, rebellious god!
Jerren and Freyja watch sullenly from the shore. Jerren: ...
Jerren: I don't so love to send men to die, but... Jerren: old friend, you don't want anything easy, do you?
Tarnished: Why don't you fight, Jerren?! Why don't you try to end it?
Jerren: Hush. How is a Tarnished like you supposed to understand? Jerren: I want to join him, but I am dutybound not to.
Tarnished: Forget this, this is a slaughterhouse -
The complaining Tarnished is cut in half by a strong-looking Tarnished.
Strong Tarnished: Complainer. Unworthy of walking on the very ground of the Starscourge!
Strong Tarnished, fanatical: All my life, I have worshipped you! All my life, you have brought me fortune in battle! Strong Tarnished: The Battlefield's Lion! I'm coming for you!!
In the tribal world, the victims are running through a dark canyon, chased by their enemies.
In the knight's world, the invaders have breached through, and are rampaging through the castle streets.
In the forest world, a bully has caught up with the child and is pummeling them into a pulp.
Back to the battlefield Radahn, a whirling dervish, is slicing Tarnished up gleefully. The champions are holding back, watching the carnage with apprehension from a distance.
The Tarnished hear the heavy footsteps of someone coming up behind them.
It's Yuina, in the Fire Prelate's armor, charging ahead.
Gareth: Oh.
As Radahn has been doing, he cuts down Yuina and other Tarnished in half.
Yuina, surprisingly, gets up; the padding on the abdomen is cut, but is thick enough to prevent any damage on herself.
She presses onward; Radahn sizes her up.
Radahn jumps, both swords high in the air.
He slams both greatswords down on her.
He minces her up, chopping with the swords up and down rapidly.
Beyond belief, Yuina stands up, facing Radahn as in that famous image of Malenia looking up against Radahn.
Yuina raises her katana high above her head. Yuina, to herself: Miquella... Let me strike true!
Her Uchigatana shines.
The Erdtree brightens; the battlefield is illuminated with light. One can see, subtly, Leda is in the background here, watching this. Followers of Miquella who have joined the battle kneel, their hands on their heart; they thought they would never see their lord again.
Radahn's eyes are blinded by the brilliance.
An image of the Shattering. In the past, the warriors of the Erdtree defending Leyndell used to raise their weapons aloft, the Erdtree blending the metal of their swords with the air, and brought them down in a brilliant clash against the shields of Radahn's soldiers, healing their wounds in the process.
In the outer worlds, Miquella's sign is seen. In the tribal world, the heavens are filled with light; the tribes stop and look at the intercession from heaven.
A knight in the outer worlds sees light coming down from the castle's ramparts.
A flash of inspiration comes into the child's eyes.
Back to Jerren. Jerren: That's - ! Jerren: So he's alive, after all of these years!
Jerren: Miquella the Kind!
Yuina rends Radahn's flesh with the Prayerful Strike.
The Uchigatana, however, snaps in half, before it can sink deeper into Radahn's flesh.
Yuina looks at her broken weapon with astonishment.
Radahn swings.
Leda and Gareth intervene, blocking Radahn's sword swing.
Gareth, to Yuina: Get out of here! Gareth: Find yourself a weapon!
Yuina flees.
In the distance are some particularly large, powerful foes: Elemer, the cracked Alexander, the recovered Night's Cavalry and the Crucible Knight are bracing for an attack.
These giants of people slam themselves into Radahn, Elemer and the Crucible Knight with their shields, the Night's Cavalry and Alexander with their bodies. They succeed in knocking Radahn offbalance.
Bloody Finger Okina is on the other side, his hands on the sheath of his katana.
Okina unsheathes, painting the air with blood.
Radahn is overcome with a lightning-fast pattern of slashes painted in blood; Radahn's armor becomes caked in blood, well, more blood than had been accumulated in the previous years.
The Bloody Fingers charge at Radahn.
Radahn cuts at them, but the dynasts of Moghwyn move with a kind of finesse.
They throw endless blades of blood against the god of war; the blood sprayed is so thick even the plumes of Radahn's helm sinks from the moisture.
In the knight's world, overcome by an invader, a knight finds a hammer lying around.
They bash their foe's head, breaking their eyes and teeth.
The knight's features are distorted by their rage; they bash over and over again, spilling more blood. Mohg's sign is in the distance.
The tribes have descended into a frenzy; they have devolved into cannibalizing their enemies.
The child is reaching out for something in the beatdown.
They find a particularly sharp rock on the forest floor.
Radahn, blood pouring out of his armor, cuts the Bloody Fingers into pieces.
He roars, the pain so great it distorts his ability to think.
He raises his swords up, kicking up a wall of sand, obscuring his opponents' view.
The sand falls like rain on the Tarnished's heads.
Radahn, in the confusion, chops up the Tarnished before the grains of sand can fully fall.
Morrowe, Diallos, Patches and the Prophet stand to the side, watching the carnage unfold. Patches: That thing doesn't stop. He's not a human.
Patches: I'm hanging up my hat. Patches: Even you agree, Morrowe, we were never meant to fight monsters?
Morrowe is silent. He inwardly agrees with Patches, as a fellow brigand. Morrowe: ...
Morrowe sees Millicent running up to Radahn. Morrowe: !
Morrowe runs forward. Patches: Where are you going?! Patches: Tch! What caught his fancy?
Patches is watching Tragoth. Patches: This isn't going to end any other way. Patches: I just gotta figure out how to get out of here.
Istvan brushes by the Prophet. Prophet: ! Istvan: I know your fire. You were with us on the march, right?
Istvan puts his hand on the Prophet's shoulder. Istvan: You're a warrior, through and through! Istvan: Heart, fellow, heart!!
The Prophet nods.
The pair rush back into the battlefield.
Patches: Feh! These warrior types! Patches: Warrior this! Warrior that!
Diallos is crying, clenching his eyes closed. Diallos: I want to go home...
Radahn sees Millicent close in.
He cuts at Millicent; she jumps over his sword.
He cuts again, with the other sword; Millicent nimbly dodges this one too.
She plunges the Shamshir into one of Radahn's eyes.
An eye falling out, Radahn brings both swords high above his head.
Millicent, in an elegant gesture and a twist of her body, cuts Radahn horizontally before she dodges backward.
Finally, the moment we were waiting for: Millicent begins with the starting posture of the Waterfowl Dance.
Radahn is stunned, recognizing this form.
Radahn plants one of his swords into the ground.
With both hands on the one sword, he deflects Millicent's first sword strike, a horizontal strike.
Millicent, who is surprised he anticipated the opening move of the Waterfowl Dance, continues onward; she performs a sword strike from a low position, which Radahn also deflects.
Radahn keeps deflecting the Waterfowl Dance, a move he has burned in his mind.
Radahn roars in excitement.
Millicent is tense, but even she is excited that someone can properly spar with her.
As Millicent takes flight into the air, her body covered in a series of slashes she leaves in the air, Radahn keeps up; the clanging of metal and the blur of their hands awe the Tarnished.
Millicent enters the final phase of the Waterfowl Dance, the Shamshir held high above her head, her furious expression obscured behind her wrist.
Millicent twists herself in the air, a dervish of slashes; Radahn catches all of these blows.
Millicent lands, her sword hand on the ground, ready to perform the final, glorious swoop upward ending the Dance.
However, in the miniscule window of time it took her to plant her feet, Radahn is prepared to retaliate; he brings his sword against her. She can't bring her hand up in time.
Morrowe plants the hilt of his greatsword close to his face, in the pose of the Royal Knight's Resolve.
He puts himself in a low stance, performing the first part of the Stamp (Upward Cut).
Perfectly timed, he cuts upward with all his strength, deflecting the blow from Millicent.
Radahn's hand is blown sky high; in the frenzy of the dance, he did not see Morrowe at all.
Morrowe and Millicent share a brief acknowledgement.
They push toward Radahn.
They elegantly cut the god of war into pieces, Millicent with her Shamshir and Morrowe with his Knight's Greatsword.
Radahn, recovering, brings the hilt of his sword upon them.
Millicent is able to dodge back, but Morrowe is too slow.
Elemer intervenes, blocking the blow with his greatshield.
Morrowe and Elemer share a brief glance.
Blaidd, the Leonine Misbegotten and Tragoth harass one side of Radahn.
Istvan and the Prophet harass the other side.
Elemer sets his shield down.
He brings both hands on the Marais Executioner's Sword, raising it high above his head.
He cuts down, cutting clean completely one of Radahn's leg stumps.
The leg, which had stopped its bleeding long ago, lets out a torrent of blood; one can see the ragged bone, not made whole over the years.
Radahn roars in pain; he cannot take it anymore.
Gareth, Rhys and Blaidd press forward. Rhys: This is it.
Reane and Latenna on Maurice also press forward.
Rhys waves his staff over his head; several dark-blue swords dangle in the air.
He shoots his staff forward, projecting a dark-blue lance; it and the swords pierce into Radahn's flesh. Meanwhile Gareth and Blaidd are pushing Radahn offbalance.
Latenna fires arrows into Radahn's other good eye.
As Maurice comes nearer to Radahn, Reane prepares herself to jump. Reane, thinking: Not much blood left in me. Have to make it count.
Reane jumps; the face of the god of war is right below her.
Reane plunges the Antspur Rapier into Radahn's skull.
The Scarlet Rot sinks into Radahn's brain.
Radahn, reintroduced to the Rot, has lost his mind; his vision becomes dizzy, and he temporarily loses consciousness.
The Tarnished make one final push, to bring the demigod to the ground. One can see Alexander and Tragoth trying to bring down his feet; the Prophet and Lionel are buffeting him with spells, Lionel casting the Ancient Death Rancor; Blaidd and Rhys are on Radahn's chest.
Rhys, Blaidd: FOR RANNI!!
The pair plunge their blades into Radahn's chest, cutting open his armor.
Rhys carves Radahn's heart out.
Gold shines on Rhys and Blaidd's faces.
Radahn's Great Rune shines in his organs. Rhys: The Great Rune!!
A Tarnished, lost in the Wailing Dunes: The Great Rune?
The Bloody Fingers. War Surgeon: The Great Rune.
The Wailing Dunes erupts into jubilant shouting. Everyone: THE GREAT RUNE!! The Tarnished run to Radahn, as if running to a Gold Rush.
The Tarnished cover Radahn, pushing him limbs down and stabbing him in various places. They are in a frothing frenzy, wanting to make their weapons holy by painting them with the blood of the god of war.
Tarnished are trying to pull Rhys from Radahn's chest; Gareth and Blaidd defend him. They are tantalized by the Great Rune.
The warriors are going mad; they are even painting their faces with Radahn's blood, in hopes his warrior's strength extends to them.
Meilyr, to Goldmask: Well, that's that. Meilyr: We were too late to it. ...My fault, I would say.
Goldmask is analyzing the situation. Goldmask: ...
Goldmask's finger twitches rapidly, nervously. Goldmask: Meilyr. Get on Worth and run.
As Rhys tries to pull out the Great Rune, he sees the color of the rune has changed dramatically.
The rune has become red-hot, almost painted in flame.
Rhys, quickly, unable to control himself: Gareth, Blaidd, Rhys: RUN, NOW!
Back to the outer worlds. The losing tribe is fleeing backwards. The winning tribe chases after them, mad with blood.
Suddenly, an avalanche is heard above them in the canyon.
Rocks smash onto the winning tribe.
The losing tribe, unable to believe their fortune, grip their weapons harder.
Their teeth have the madness and rage of wolves.
In the knight's world, the enemy knights have completely overrun the city.
Suddenly, from the citadel, the defending knights rush out, slaughtering their foes.
The child in the forest gropes for the rock.
They bash it in the bully's head.
They bash and bash, blood splattering their face.
Reane, hearing Rhys's warning, runs away.
Other Tarnished who know Rhys, or are sensitive to this kind of thing, also flee.
Radahn's leg stumps quiver.
Radahn pushes himself up with a roar. Tarnished fall from his chest and arms. The sands below their feet quiver.
Radahn continues his roar, causing the very earth to quake. The Tarnished's eardrums rupture, letting blood flow on the Wailing Dunes.
Kenneth hears the scream from Stormveil. He is at a complete loss for what is happening, but the incident has the feel of a natural disaster waiting to happen.
Mohg can hear the scream from the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum; blood falls from the sky and onto the lake of blood. He has concern on his face.
Morgott, from his throne in Leyndell, hears the scream. This is the most consequential sign he's experienced for millennia and, in hindsight, he's not particularly pleased he did not predict this.
Radahn's stance is low. He is accumulating great amounts of energy into his badly-wounded body. Tarnished are still clinging to him, as if only a little more effort is needed to bring the great man down.
Radahn jumps, in a fiery fireball. Yes, he jumps.
The Tarnished who clung to him burn into ashes as he enters the stratosphere.
As Radahn disappears far into the night sky - that's how long this freaking battle has gone on - silence comes over the Wailing Dunes, finally.
Gareth, breathing heavily: ...Is that it? Gareth: Oh, let it be it.
War Surgeon: Did... War Surgeon: Did anyone get the Great Rune?!
The War Surgeon watches as all the Tarnished shuffle around, lost in the moment. War Surgeon: No?
Patches: Let's pack it up then. Diallos recovers, slightly.
Yuina; she has pulled one of the anchors from the coffin boats, now wielding the Rusty Anchor. Yuina: But...that can't be it! Yuina: The Great Rune! Where is it?
Yuina: Why did we fight, then?!
Meilyr and Goldmask are both perplexed, staring at the night sky.
Jerren and Freyja approach them. Meilyr: ! Meilyr: The castellan. Why have you come, finally?
Jerren: This is it. Jerren: The stars are perfect.
Jerren: My duty is near complete. Jerren: This is my lord's end.
Gareth and Rhys continue to stare at the stars. Rhys: ...Gareth. Please tell me my eyes don't deceive me. Gareth: What is it?
A view of the night sky, populated with stars. Rhys: The stars. They're moving.
Gareth: That can't... Gareth: No...
The stars are shifting in the night sky.
Now, the stars are racing rapidly through the night sky; Radahn's twilight has arrived.
A particularly bright star appears in the sky.
The star becomes brighter.
The star is now a giant fireball, arriving to the Wailing Dunes.
Radahn, firing his body like a comet through the night sky, descends furiously onto the Wailing Dunes. One can see the Tarnished, tiny like ants, fleeing.