Five Hundred and Forty-Five Roars
When the voice of Rahman resonated strangely within the hearts of all the Adusians in Karnak and its surrounding areas, the fear of the disaster-like destructive sandstorm within them suddenly diminished. Although the source was unknown and its person unseen, for some reason, all the Adusians were willing to trust this ethereal voice in their hearts. This trust seemed to originate from the depths of their bloodlines, tied to their own souls.
In an instant, all the Adusians in Karnak emerged from their shelters against the storm’s onslaught, gazing toward the northern distance where an unknown existence lay. At that moment, they no longer prayed for the terrifying calamity. As the pillars of cognition and legal principles collapsed, the power of the sandstorm Diadeen started to rapidly decrease. In the midst of this power loss, Diadeen, who also heard the voice, furious and wrapped in its own rapidly diminishing ruinous form, commenced an assault toward the direction of the declaration.
“That spirit is rushing back… and its power seems to be waning. What other conditions have occurred?”
To the north of Karnak, Setute, leaning against Shadi, sensed the weakening wind speed around them and spoke seriously. Shadi, with wide eyes and a look of astonishment, replied, “Rahman… I just heard a voice claiming to be King Rahman. He declared the abolishment of Diadeen’s throne, denying him…”
“What? King Rahman? You mean the first king of this nation? You heard his voice and he nullified that spirit’s kingship?” Setute was surprised by Shadi’s words, but after a brief contemplation, he spoke as if understanding something.
“King Rahman… So that’s how it is. Huh… It seems that those friends from the society are more capable than I anticipated. They awakened the soul of the founding king of this nation, using the founding king’s deepest cognition and highest legal standing in Adus to negate Diadeen, shaking its source of power. What a formidable hand they have.”
“King Rahman… So it really was the soul of King Rahman speaking?! As expected… in matters concerning the future fate of Adus, we didn’t mistake our choice… He stands with us!”
Listening to Setute, Shadi spoke excitedly, his words laced with clear exhilaration as he continued to look toward the receding storm. “Setute! With King Rahman denying Diadeen, doesn’t that mean it’s finished?!”
“It’s not that simple. Although its power is waning, it’s still not diminished to a level we can handle right away. Now is not the time to be complacent,” Setute replied sternly. After hearing Setute’s words, Shadi’s earlier excitement quickly transformed back into a serious demeanor as he stared at the distant sandstorm, expressing a hint of worry.
“Is that so… I hope those Judge of Heaven’s disciples have the means to hold this guy off.”
…
On the plains, the wind and sand moved forward. Karnak city lies about eight kilometers from Dead Eagle Valley. Given Diadeen’s speed, it wouldn’t take long to return. Although its power was diminishing, due to the massive amount of energy it had initially accumulated, at this rate of decay it couldn’t quickly weaken to a harmless level. By the time it reached Dead Eagle Valley, the destructive force of the Diadeen storm would still be significant.
After all, Diadeen had ruled over Adus for over a decade. Although it was unpopular, it was the most deeply ingrained ruler in the hearts of this generation of Adusians. This recognition couldn’t be erased simply with a single denial; therefore, the sandstorm of Diadeen, although weakening, wouldn’t self-destruct.
“To possess the ability to convert the people’s recognition and historical principles into power… but to use that power to destroy one’s own citizens? Truly pathetic…”
Standing atop a mountain in Dead Eagle Valley, Rahman, relying on Nephnis, gazed into the distance at the rapidly approaching visage of the sandstorm, unwittingly letting out such an exclamation. At this moment, Diadeen was very close to Dead Eagle Valley, having approached at high speed without any atmospheric resistance. Although it had weakened, it still maintained a form resembling a colossal wall connecting the heavens and earth.
To ensure its destructive power and increase its movement speed, Diadeen actively minimized its form, transforming from a swirling sandstorm into a sand tornado. Now, the entire radius of destruction of the Diadeen sand tornado was over a kilometer. To an outside observer, it appeared as a dark yellow massive wind and sand pillar over two kilometers in diameter, connecting to the clouds. The terrifying face of Diadeen remained recognizable on the wind pillar; from nearby, the oppressive force it emanated made it clear that a small town like Karnak could be razed to the ground within a few minutes under its destructive radius.
As the edge of Diadeen drew closer, yellow sand rose dramatically in Dead Eagle Valley. The frantic wind and sand battered against Nephnis’s robe, and the looming gigantic face glared at her. However, Rahman, relying on Nephnis, remained unfazed. Nephnis’s insignificant physique, compared to the two-kilometer diameter of Diadeen, was trivial, with the disparity of size more substantial than that of an ant to an elephant.
“Spirit-linked bl**d contract… Stop…”
Facing the nearing giant Diadeen, Nephnis pointed her sword forward and whispered softly. In that instant, Diadeen’s forward progress seemed to be impeded by shamanic power, causing a slight delay. However, it quickly resumed its advance; meanwhile, the gigantic mouth atop the wind pillar uttered a mocking voice.
“Useless… old thing. Without a return ceremony, your power still belongs to me. What can you do with that feeble soul and reliance?”
“Go back to your grave! Old fool! Your existence is only to provide us royal power! You’ve long been dead; Adus is now mine!”
The sharp ridicule echoed through the skies of Dead Eagle Valley. Realizing her power could not halt Diadeen’s advance, Nephnis’s expression also turned grave.
At that moment, on the opposite side of Dead Eagle Valley, on the other side of the giant wind pillar constructed by Diadeen, Doro stood, gazing upward at the sandstorm that showed no signs of stopping and continued to advance.
“Although it has weakened significantly… it seems that a bit more is needed for it to vanish completely… Looks like in the end, a heavy hand will be required.”
Fixing her gaze on the still-powerful destructive sand tornado, Doro murmured, then reached up to her robe, pulling back the face-covering veil, revealing her delicate features.
Then, Doro began to levitate, rising to over ten meters above the ground. Amidst the swirling winds and sands, she took a deep breath, facing the chaotic storm, and delivered ancient words.
“FusRoDah”
The ancient syllables escaped Doro’s lips; her voice, though not loud, in ordinary circumstances would not even be heard over the noise of the wind. However, the reality was that when these words formally resounded in this world, they unleashed a booming sound several times louder than thunder.
The distant elemental roar from another world echoed in the skies of Adus. When that ancient and mysterious language reverberated amidst the winds and sands, the entire world seemed to resonate with it. In that moment, Doro had a sense of illusion, feeling as though she was commanding the world, ordering it to draw forth power and crush the storm.
“Boom!!!”
With a sound louder than an explosion, deeper than the earth itself, all living beings within earshot clutched their ears in terror and looked toward the sky. The ancient syllables resonated with the world, erupting with unparalleled power, transforming into a tsunami-like force that surged upward toward the immense wind and sand pillar.
Suddenly, the sand column, hit directly by the impact, bent dramatically as if it were a person who had just received a gut punch. In an instant, the entire wind and sand column twisted over ninety degrees, and the spirit body permeating throughout the Diadeen wind and sand column felt an extreme pressure akin to soul pain.
“What…”
Finally, under this tremendous impact, the sand pillar couldn’t bear the burden and shattered. The originally chaotic winds and flying sands were torn apart by this shockwave, and the remaining force surged upward, dispersing clouds that had thickly accumulated, breaking a hole in the heavens through which the obscured sunlight shone down. Beneath the formerly overcast sky, an expanse of clarity appeared in an instant.
Under the shine of sunlight, amidst the shattered storm, Diadeen’s spirit body lay suspended in mid-air, ravaged by the roaring sound. His spiritual body was torn apart, with one hand, two feet, and most of his torso vanishing without a trace. His face displayed an expression of incredible pain and disbelief.
“What… on earth… is that?!”
Feelings of soul disintegration flooded Diadeen’s awareness. He hadn’t expected that his magnificent calamitous form would be reduced to this in a single blow.
Although the confusion churned within him, Diadeen understood that the immediate priority was to gather his spirit and reconstruct his ruinous body using the environment. He would build it up as much as possible. Just as Diadeen was preparing to do so, a swift shadow rushed toward him from the distance. Before he could react, the shadow had arrived before him. It was none other than Nephnis, wielding a long sword.
Seeing the alluring figure before him, so enchanting that even the robe could not conceal her form, Diadeen’s gaze widened. He could distinctly sense the soul energy emanating from the woman before him; it was a feeling he had experienced before, during the royal ritual eighteen years ago in the tomb.
“Your Majesty the Founding King…”
“Slash!”
Without any hesitation, Nephnis wielded her sword, slashing down decisively to sever the head of Diadeen’s spirit body. Subsequently, continuing in the face of his terrified expression, she swung the sword, instantly dismantling the already deteriorating spirit body into countless pieces.
Diadeen’s soul severely damaged, unable to maintain its spiritual form, could only collapse into a wisp of soul flame. Seizing the opportunity, Nephnis plunged her hand into Diadeen’s soul flame, gripped it tightly, and pulled back, retrieving two items.
The first was a cup transformed from the spirit body; the second was a smaller wisp of soul flame. After these two items were taken, Diadeen’s soul flame began to tremble violently, emitting a wail of despair.
“No…
“I am… the king of Adus…”
Amid his cries, the strength of Diadeen’s soul rapidly weakened, ultimately reaching a point where even the soul flame could not coalesce. In the midst of increasingly frantic tremors, the remaining small wisp of soul flame began to destabilize and scatter, transforming into threads of soul energy that drifted in all directions.
At this moment, in Nephnis’s grasp, the spirit cup quickly materialized, soon transforming into a solid object. As for that small wisp of soul flame, Doro inhaled it into her mouth, merging it with the spirit of Rahman that relied on her.
Gazing at the cup in her hand, looking at the gradually clearing sky and the desolate land of Adus, Rahman, relying on Nephnis, couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s over…”
After expressing her emotion, Nephnis turned her gaze toward the distance, where the tremendous sound had just come from. Her expression grew serious, and she slowly began to speak.
“It seems that in this era, formidable entities are rising… what will this bring to Adus?”
…
Meanwhile, Doro was gently descending from the sky. After landing on the ground, she tilted her head, gazing at the shattered sandstorm and the opening clouds. With the sunlight shining upon her, she closed her eyes, reminiscing about the feeling of using the three stages of unbroken power in the real world for the first time.
“Resonating with the bones of the earth, commanding the world, unleashing great power… This… is the essence of the Dragon Shout in Nirn.”
“I didn’t expect that after being localized in this world, the principle of Dragon Shout remains quite similar. I can resonate with the ‘earth’s bones’ using the Dragon Language and command the world…”
Observing the scene before her, Doro whispered, realizing that after using the three stages of Dragon Shout, she had finally glimpsed some truths about this world, utilizing the Dragon Shout as a medium to perceive reality.
In the world of The Elder Scrolls, the creation of the world was by a group of gods classified as Aedra, who gathered at the suggestion of Lorkhan to create. During the creation process, many Aedra exhausted their power, becoming trapped in the material world. Upon d*ath, their bodies accumulated to shape the world; the corpses of gods became the earth’s bones, while their bl**d transformed into ebony ore… The essence of Dragon Shout is to resonate with the shout and the earth’s bones, invoking phenomena.
The principle of Dragon Shout in Nirn was thus; in this world… it was almost the same… At the moment Doro unleashed the three stages of Dragon Shout, she felt something akin to the “earth’s bones” existed in this world.
