What a strangely shaped talisman.
It felt prickly lying in her palm, but its vibrant colors certainly lived up to its name.
Frieren carefully examined it, sensing the unique magical flow within and reading its description.
[Vibrant Necklace +1]
[Ancestral Spirit Folk's Ornament]
[A precious item adorned with many colors]
[Greatly increases Immunity, Robustness, and Focus by 60 points each]
[It is said this is a horn about to bud. The horns of a long-lived Beast will sprout new buds, and after continuously sprouting new buds, the Beast will become an Ancestral Spirit]
Quite comprehensive.
Not only does it add many attributes, but the individual values are high. It's a pity it doesn't directly add to base attributes. Of course, that would almost be on the level of a Great Rune; for a single talisman to achieve this level is already remarkable.
She weighed the talisman a few times and murmured: "Beasts become Ancestral Spirits, could it be hinting at something?"
Looking around from the broken crossbeam, the flowing natural magic became clearer, making it difficult for an astute sorcerer to ignore.
There must be a clue.
Frieren's gaze fell on an altar in the distance. It was the corpse of an animal, similar to a reindeer, lying on the ground emitting rich magic. Unlike the decay of typical remains, it brimmed with vitality, as if it could stand up and bounce around at any moment.
She followed the magic's guidance, inspected the surrounding fire pits, and increased the magic transmission.
She couldn't resist letting more energy gather in the fire pits.
"Interesting, could it be some kind of teleportation gate?"
"It feels similar," Melina echoed, "but it should be a temporary independent space, opened by immense natural power. You can try."
The witch used to warn her to be careful, but now she felt that letting Frieren explore and tinker might unearth new discoveries.
The silver-haired girl looked into the distance and said, "There's a similar fire pit structure to the north over there. The energies on both sides are connected. Can independent spaces be summoned simultaneously?"
"I haven't seen it, but if you strengthen the magical connection, it should work. And you're looking too far, aren't you?"
The two were currently in a forest, and she could already sense activity from scattered buildings to the north, whereas Melina couldn't even discern anything special.
So, she always sensed danger one step ahead of others.
"Alright, link them."
Frieren raised her staff, connecting the magic formed by the two fire pits. It must be some hidden mechanism of the Ancestral Woods. She might as well go along with it; perhaps there would be a surprise.
Immense magic flowed into the air, weaving into a flowing cloud layer, covering the two land areas rich with Ancestral Spirit aura.
Thrilled by the hunt, she remotely ignited the fire pits and guided the resonance.
The nearby Ancestral Spirit Folk were already huddling and trembling under this oppressive aura, not daring to look directly, feeling as if they were engulfed in flames, and a single thought from the opponent could trigger a disaster. Was this ruin doomed?
"That's quite a commotion."
From a distance, Blaidd, who was resting, looked up to see the tumultuous magic, which even obscured the projected starry sky of the Underground World. One could imagine how high its magical tier was.
In terms of grand exploration, the Slaying Lord of Cinder was never quiet.
Then he watched as a black mist rose, and the silver-haired girl lightly leaped into it, daring as she was skilled.
Hoo!
Everything fell silent, as if nothing had happened, but Blaidd's intuition was tense.
"...So that's it. The ancient Ancestral Spirits concealed an independent space here. It must be a natural creation, right? I wonder if there will be fighting intent, how should I deal with it?"
At this moment, Frieren was in a cave.
The surrounding gloomy rocks gave off an oppressive feeling, and the only entrance was surrounded by a powerful aura, like a mist door.
Seeing this iconic mist door structure, she couldn't help but want to apply buffs.
Forget it. Before seeing the enemy, she wouldn't know which powers were useful. Her style was to observe first, then fight. She would witness it first.
Proceed.
The silver-haired girl stepped out of the mist door into an open area. Underfoot was a marshy wetland, deep in some spots and shallow in others. Waterweeds were lush and verdant, even many special, unheard-of plants existed, but unfortunately, she had no time to observe them closely.
Because two giant deer appeared before her.
They were estimated to be at least 15 meters long, with backs like small hills and clear muscle lines. Their bodies were covered in long, dense fur, very sturdy, and also had a damp feel, so perhaps fire effects would not be obvious. Their horns were even better weapons, giving off a sharp aura.
[Ancestral Spirit] and [Regal Ancestor Spirit]
They bellowed softly at the unwelcome guests, their forelegs scraping the ground like wild bulls, poised to strike.
Although she sensed the terrifying aura of the enemies, she would never retreat. What's more, she carelessly summoned multiple enemies at once, and would soon regret this recklessness.
"Oh crap, connecting the magic simultaneously caused space to overlap," Melina reminded. "This is their home ground, it's going to be troublesome."
"Then let's deal with them both."
Frieren opened with an Erdtree's Blessing and adopted a staff and sword stance.
Roar!
The two giant deer actually raised their heads and chests, leaping up. Their agile four hooves trampled the void, splashing ripples, and they jumped high. They had some of Torrent's double-jump flair, but with more powerful beauty.
They roared and dove down, their massive bodies like meteors, simultaneously blocking two directions.
For safety, she jumped to dodge without hesitation.
With a thunderous crash, a deep crater appeared on the ground. The surface rubble turned to powder, and plants even burned and smoked from the violent magic.
If Frieren had hesitated for a moment, she would have been hit. Regardless of defense, the sheer disparity in size alone would have sent her flying, causing her to lose balance for at least two rounds, giving away the initiative.
She couldn't parry it.
At least not with the Moonveil Katana in her hand. It was best to avoid their direct assault first.
The two giant deer, having missed their attack, didn't lose heart. They respectively blocked her left and right movement positions, maintaining maximum vigilance.
Call Stars!
The probing attack was dodged.
The Ancestral Spirit nimbly leaped sideways in the air to evade, but then a Night Comet struck, hidden behind a Glintstone Sorcery, hitting its fur directly, causing a burst of magical light, and the Ancestral Spirit let out a low whimper.
Hard and dense fur was no problem for a sorcerer of Frieren's caliber.
But the wound was slowly healing. Even if it wasn't as fast as her super healing, it was enough to increase their combat error tolerance, and it would likely prolong the fight for a while.
"So these are the special creatures described in the talisman?"
They weren't demigods of the Erdtree family, or related to the bloodline of powerful Ancient Dragons; they were precious beings nurtured by nature. No wonder they received reverence and respect from local creatures.
She extinguished the Frenzied Flame that had just risen.
"As long as you behave from now on, I'll just give you a lesson."
Vengeful Utterance!
As soon as her voice fell, Frieren took out her Judgment Greatsword and activated a weapon skill. This size was suitable for large targets.
As the longest-accompanying legendary weapon, the Judgment Greatsword was also Frieren's most proficient. Facing the renewed charge of the two giant deer, she lightly leaped to dodge the Regal Ancestor Spirit's sweeping horns, then stomped hard on the Ancestral Spirit's head.
Clang!
The immense force combined with the weight of the colossal sword made the behemoth stumble back, its head dizzy, its steps unsteady.
Her force generated a shockwave in the air, and the lake water on the ground surged.
The hit Ancestral Spirit felt the world spin, everything looked blurry and rotated. What exactly had happened? Forcing itself to observe, it saw Frieren swing her sword again.
Another hit would likely cause it to lose balance!
At that critical moment, the Regal Ancestor Spirit charged at full speed, launching a fierce attack from the flank.
She could only meet it head-on.
The silver-haired girl reacted by holding up her greatsword like a shield to block. No, she also attached a layer of magical shield with her staff, just using it as a shield.
The giant deer's horn struck hard, like a battering ram breaking open a city wall. At first contact, she could resist, but the complex, branch-like horns entangled her weapon, creating more points of leverage that could be leveraged. As a result, the former suddenly raised its head, creating an arc that sent the petite target flying.
The immense weight disparity sent Frieren flying upwards.
For an ordinary person, falling from such a height would mean death or severe injury; this height itself was a weapon.
Gravity Orb.
She rotated and dispersed the force in mid-air, landing steadily on a purple-white orb of light. Only then did she have a chance to observe the two enemies.
The Ancestral Spirit, having taken a heavy blow, recovered. The trick couldn't be reused.
The two cooperated perfectly, creating a sum greater than their parts, ensuring they would be difficult to deal with. If killing them wasn't the goal, she would have to pay more attention to the tactical rhythm.
"I've been fighting so many dual BOSSes lately."
Even Frieren had to brace herself when facing two powerful creatures simultaneously. Thus, she, after a long time, used the Lusat's Glintstone Staff and Judgment Greatsword combination, balancing power and technique. It was time to control the battle rhythm.
Annihilation Meteor!
With a wave of her staff, dark magic surged and flowed, seeking out the two giant deer respectively.
The reason she didn't use Ancient Death Rancor was because she wanted to hold back. If such rare beasts disappeared, wouldn't it be a loss to the Lands Between? Moreover, the opponents didn't have strong killing intent; it was more like strong territorial awareness. So, she would suppress them first.
Amid pained cries, the Ancestral Spirit was beaten back step by step. Seeing this, Frieren began to charge for a Bloodhound's Step dash, but suddenly frowned.
She had to dodge flexibly with a backstep.
Cold flames swept past her, mixed with natural power. It was the Regal Ancestor Spirit coming to the rescue.
The fire from its mouth was unusual, exclusively resonating with the Underground World's energy, making it even more powerful. It merged with the earth, not harming but instead surging with more magic.
Adula's Moonblade.
The icy coldness dispelled the spiritflame's invasion, leaving her untouched.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit, which had been confident of landing a surprise hit, felt regret. It hadn't expected the silver-haired girl to react so quickly; she was indeed troublesome. But it didn't matter, its companion was already shaking its head and recovering its spirit. Again!
Spiritflames, one from the front and one from the back, surrounded Frieren.
If it were an ordinary creature, it would have retreated in difficulty. Even hero-level warriors might not be able to withstand it. However, they watched as she remained unmoved; it was gravity magic distorting the trajectory.
Exquisite precision control, plus Thops's Barrier deflecting a portion, created a completely safe small area for her.
"It works well. It's also one more way to deal with large-scale flame attacks."
"My turn."
The flame magic spread and seeped, drying up the shallow water on the ground and forcibly interrupting the two giant deer's resonance.
This time, she chose Godslayer's Flame, a power that already existed in the Lands Between, neither the hellfire she used in reality nor Hè Luó's Frenzied Flame.
Even so, it easily suppressed the enemies' home ground advantage.
They had no choice but to start retreating.
Frieren immediately found a gap in their footwork and aimed a super powerful Call Stars at the Regal Ancestor Spirit. The giant creature struggled for a moment before being pulled towards her, met by the Judgment Greatsword and Carian Greatsword.
As the two greatswords struck, it reacted in time, actively meeting them with its large horns.
Clack!
A solid, no-holds-barred clash of immense quality.
On one side was supreme swordsmanship combined with the weight of legendary weapons; on the other, the sharpest horns of a natural Ancestral Spirit. It was a strong vs. strong confrontation, difficult to distinguish who was superior, forming a stalemate in the air.
Unfortunately, as Frieren exerted more force, the balance was broken. Her seemingly slender arm erupted with terrifying power, pushing the enemy back.
A clanking sound transmitted through its horns, and then to its brain, making it shake unsteadily.
Caught off guard, its forelegs scraped the ground.
From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the Ancestral Spirit charging. The silver-haired girl swept out a sword beam, imbued with surging frosty air.
The outermost edge of the sword beam was composed of icy shards, spreading out in a fan-shaped cutting line, hitting the giant deer's body squarely. It tore through its fur, blood flowed, even its muscles were injured, sending its body flying backward.
One blunt strike and one cutting blow separately threw the two behemoths away. One could imagine how strong the force was.
"Indeed, the increase in size also brought a change in strength…"
Melina, having accompanied Frieren the longest, was the first to feel her enhancement. It primarily manifested in her strength, which already rivaled that of strength-renowned demigods like Starscourge Radahn.
Hmph!
The silver-haired girl pursued and struck the Ancestral Spirit again, targeting the weaker one first.
Haima Great Hammer.
Next, Lusat's Glintstone Staff also manifested a huge glintstone chunk. The nearby Regal Ancestor Spirit quickly charged, trying to intervene, but she still heavily struck the enemy's head.
The condensed, super-massive magic made the opponent dizzy, and with a thud, it sprawled on the ground.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit barely reached its companion, dragging its limp body, while summoning Spirit Animals for cover. They gathered on the shallow wasteland, moving about, subtly showing signs of attack.
"Using numbers against a sorcerer?"
Frieren raised her staff, preparing Annihilation Meteor.
But then she witnessed the Regal Ancestor Spirit let out a long howl heavenward. After one call, the Spirit Animals gradually dissipated, turning into energy that gathered on the Ancestral Spirit, immediately bursting with vitality. The next moment, it stood up with its head and chest held high, fully recovered, looking refreshed and energetic.
In terms of healing effect alone, it was probably no less than a Sunlight Healing method, directly restoring full health.
"What an unexpected discovery!"
She raised her evaluation of the Ancestral Spirit's mechanism. Unfortunately, its base attributes weren't strong enough, otherwise it wouldn't have been repeatedly repelled.
"This is good too. I can go all out now. Anyway, you have a thick health bar."
As soon as her voice fell, Frieren reapplied Erdtree's Blessing, Vengeful Utterance, and a Magic Shard spell. Standing in place, she refined her magic to the extreme, then switched her weapon to the Starscourge Greatswords.
With the weapon skill Rock Sword active, she would try out the power of this new toy.
It's really heavy.
Even with her enhanced attributes, Frieren felt the immense weight of the two Starscourge Greatswords. It wasn't just the sheer size of the weapons themselves, but also the power of high-grade epic smithing stones infused into them, reaching the +9 limit.
Only one step away from the legendary +10 Wolf God Weapon, no wonder it was difficult to wield.
But she always liked to try new weapons.
Call Stars.
A rapidly expanding purple-white magical vortex pulled at the two giant deer. Despite the vast weight difference, they were pulled backward. Such was the domineering power of gravity magic.
Their four hooves scraped grooves into the ground, but it was futile.
The distance between them shortened to within a hundred meters. For a master, it was instantaneous. She stomped her foot, and Frieren struck first. The Starscourge Greatswords generated a dazzling arc of light, sweeping across. The merciless wind pressure stole their breath, leaving only a mountain-like crushing force in their vision.
Gravity Blade.
The light struck the Ancestral Spirit first, then, with undiminished momentum, hit the Regal Ancestor Spirit, throwing both into the air.
Their heads felt dizzy, almost losing consciousness. Their internal gravity was disturbed, making any creature disoriented. Once hit, their status rapidly declined. No, they had to regain balance quickly.
Fortunately, they could walk on air. Their four hooves created ripples in mid-air, barely holding them up, otherwise another fall damage would finish them.
Little did they know, Frieren was waiting for this moment.
She lightly scraped her two greatswords on the ground, kicking up a full 6 rock orbs.
The Starscourge Greatswords, in Radahn's hands, already possessed spell effects, making them powerful weapons for battle mages. Apart from the size difference, they were quite compatible with their new owner, even using different magic was fine.
The rock orbs crossed the sky in an instant, flying towards the targets' bodies. Gravity accelerated them towards the targets. With a muffled thud, the Ancestral Spirit was completely disoriented.
Since the battle began, it had mainly been dodging, making it Frieren's primary target.
Next, Full Moon Sorcery.
The full moon shot out like a cannonball, perfectly timed during the Ancestral Spirit's unsteady phase, immediately colliding with it. The icy mist first covered its fur in white, then the branch-like horns symbolizing life withered away piece by piece. The flowers wilted, vitality faded, making it unsustainable.
However, true to beings of natural law, it stubbornly stood its ground, not falling for now.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit rushed over, but unexpectedly, the silver-haired girl lightly leaped under gravity and grazed its horns.
Adula's Moonblade!
As she jumped, a super-long Adula's Moonblade combined with Lion's Claw, drawing an arc in the air and suddenly striking the Ancestral Spirit's head. The latter reacted in time, defending with its horns, clashing head-on.
With a clang, its proud horns shattered. Having already taken a Full Moon Sorcery hit, its resistance was lowered, naturally unable to contend.
The standoff lasted only a moment before collapsing, yielding the ground beneath its feet. Although its companion summoned Spirit Animals to prepare for a supplement, Frieren pressed forward, her killing intent one step faster.
Adula's Comet pierced through its weakened body, instantly making it ethereal.
Bad news, it must retreat.
The Ancestral Spirit's instinct for self-preservation made it actively dive into the ground. A spiritflame trail moved rapidly into the distance, revealing a hint of discomfiture in its haste.
"So it has this move too? Is it a talent ability?"
Frieren did not pursue. There was no need to annihilate rare animals; making them retreat in difficulty was enough.
However, there was still one that was unwilling to give up.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit raised its head and roared furiously at the intruder who had trampled its territory and harmed its companion. Spiritflame surged around its body, and it raised its hooves with unprecedented momentum. The swelling muscles were still clearly visible beneath its thick fur.
"Those powers on you that don't belong to the Lands Between are too glaring in its eyes. This fight is unavoidable," Melina stated clearly.
"You're right. I guess all residents of the Underground World are hostile towards external powers."
"After all, it was a star from beyond that destroyed this place."
Although she said this, Frieren's movements were merciless. A Stone of Gurranq circle guarded her, and Annihilation Meteor restrained the enemy. She was already impatient to fight the enraged Regal Ancestor Spirit to her heart's content.
One side wanted to completely drive away the unknown intruder filled with dangerous elements.
The other side wanted to investigate the Underground World, which naturally included carefully studying the abilities of new enemies.
Night Comet continuous fire!
Frieren's staff waved, unleashing purple-black magic that merged into the darkness, chasing the Regal Ancestor Spirit, and it looked like it was about to hit.
Every one of her moves seemed fast, but was actually equivalent to a full-power strike, pure brute force, resulting in attacks with power beyond her peers. So the giant deer found it difficult to distinguish at first, but it had another method.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit first leaped into the void to trick her, causing the Night Comet's trajectory to sway. Then it suddenly lifted, its agile leap like stepping through air.
Before, it could at most clear the ground; now it was practically flying.
Magnificent.
Even the experienced Frieren smiled, marveling at the miraculous creatures born in the Lands Between. Nature was truly wondrous.
The soul stream that had just risen was interrupted.
The Underground World preserved the past of the Lands Between, burying countless secrets, which were what the Tarnished, lacking information and completely in the dark, desperately needed. It wouldn't do to destroy too many precious creatures, and the Regal Ancestor Spirit was quite compatible with her.
She wasn't a demon who had to kill everywhere she went.
So Frieren adopted a strategy to limit the opponent's tactics as much as possible. Of course, that's if she had the opportunity. Now, the agile giant deer unexpectedly countered without revealing any weakness.
Spiritflame Projectile!
Leaping in the air, it spat out burning spiritflame, which also possessed soul-damaging properties.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit was a being born from natural law, with deep reserves. Even if it wasn't skilled in combat, it had powerful means. Having learned from its companion's earlier experience, it now understood it must maintain distance.
The ripple forcefield repelled them.
As a soul-attribute entity, and one tier lower than herself, it was excellent material for parrying. So Frieren caught all of them without hesitation, and even, on a whim, attempted an unprecedented technique.
"Since you're so compatible, go back the way you came."
The silver-haired girl waved her arm, sweeping up the rolling spiritflames with a ripple. The immense, majestic energy was entirely captured, becoming docile prisoners.
Return!
Her mental power captured that wisp of intent and linked all the spiritflames, sending them flying back towards the caster, with precise homing. They left a trail of light in the air. Why? How did it become like this?
The Regal Ancestor Spirit, caught off guard, immediately repositioned, but its tail was still hit, taking away some vitality.
Damn, it was still modified spiritflame.
Moreover, the soul aura it just displayed wasn't malicious….
It desperately fled in the air, with its own spiritflame chasing behind it, in a sorry plight.
__
Want more content for everyone? The community goals are:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!
🎯 5 Reviews = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!
And our main goal...
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of EVERY STORY!
Your support keeps our work alive. Don't let this chance die!
Access, support, and read now: 👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan