The Six Decisions of Man
The chase continued for a moment before the Regal Ancestor Spirit realized that the spiritfire projectiles guided by Frieren were strange; they were specifically targeting its soul's reaction, no wonder they lingered persistently behind.
Not only that, she also unleashed Sorcery: Glintblade Phalanx, adding fuel to the fire, attempting to disrupt its primal nature.
The double assault was enough to inflict a heavy blow.
Suddenly, the Regal Ancestor Spirit raised its head and let out a resounding roar, producing layered shockwaves. This was not any magical technique, but pure magical expulsion that dispelled the spiritfire and glintblades.
Whoosh
It was another burst of vibrant magic; under its grand, dancing movements, the attacks were neutralized. The summoned animal spirits on the ground let out cries, as if singing praises to its immense power.
Only it knew the immense cost, making another such feat difficult.
Ostensibly, Ancestral Spirits are born from nature and thus possess boundless, inexhaustible energy. In reality, their physical foundation dictates their endurance.
Even with a reservoir as backup, water still needs pipes for drainage. Unfortunately, not being accustomed to prolonged conflict, it had never widened its 'pipes'. Therefore, this move was its limit. Luckily, it broke the encirclement, or it would have been utterly defeated.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit landed, glaring intently at its foe.
Frieren, who had repeatedly launched attacks, remained calm and collected, her steps steady, at ease.
This one is even more of a monster.
Despite not being entirely compatible with the natural laws of the Lands Between, she fought by squandering her internal power. Both her magical reserves and output efficiency were simply outrageous. She seemed nonchalant but in reality, firmly controlled the rhythm of the battle.
Furthermore, for some unknown reason, that spiritual aura radiated warmth, an all-encompassing vitality, unlike the oppressive atmosphere of an evil invader.
On the contrary, it was an aura of righteous grandeur, even tinged with Runes.
Swoosh
From the giant elk's antlers, flowers blossomed, spreading their fragrance. As the flower buds closed, they gathered a large amount of magic. It was like the breathing of a plant, mobilizing the entire space.
"It seems to be fully utilizing its home-field advantage to suppress you," Melina suggested. "This cave battleground is no longer suitable."
"Right, we should create a more open space."
Before her words finished, Frieren firmly struck the ground with both hands holding Lusat's Glintstone Staff, instantly unleashing terrifying Gravity Magic. It met the Regal Ancestor Spirit's natural magic head-on, giving no quarter.
Both sides chose methods that were more energy-intensive but provided more significant suppressive power.
The destructive power of the Gravity Magic spearheaded the destruction of the cave; the surrounding rock walls shattered and collapsed, spreading outwards. Cracks spread everywhere, the ground fractured, and the plants relying on it were naturally uprooted and lost their vitality.
Destruction, as always, was her magic of choice.
Frieren, long accustomed to large-scale techniques, wielded gravity with a deeper mastery, skillfully dismantling the cave with seemingly minimal effort, returning them to the underground starry sky.
This exhilarating sensation made her take a deep breath and extend her arms to meet the spiritfire torrent, as Thops's Barrier similarly expanded.
Whoosh!
The Regal Ancestor Spirit, lacking a foothold on the ground, chose to distill natural magic in the sky. As expected, it was even more formidable, unleashing a downward torrent powerful enough to pierce the walls of a fortified castle.
However, it encountered the most impenetrable magical defense, an impregnable barrier that even seemed to subtly capture and assimilate its power.
Back the way it came!
This spiritfire torrent flew back towards its caster, a repeated trick that was nonetheless effective, as the Ancestor Spirit never would have expected its confident strike to be deflected. This feat required, first and foremost, even stronger magic.
Oh no! It had misjudged the opponent's magical reserves, which were simply bottomless.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit was struck by the torrent and staggered.
"Did it lose power because it was reflected? I thought it would knock it down," the silver-haired girl murmured, stretching her wrist.
"As long as I can properly identify and distinguish them, it's fine. This mechanism objectively exists in the Lands Between, and there must be other spells that can be reflected—"
"You're thinking too divergently," Melina interjected. "How could such a technique exist a second time? Frieren, you are different."
Melina couldn't imagine anyone else being able to integrate battle arts and magic so thoroughly; such a feat had never been heard of in the Lands Between.
The two exchanged a brief word before refocusing on the sky. The dispirited Regal Ancestor Spirit shook its head, its fighting spirit waning, revealing a hint of dread towards the silver-haired girl and daring not to advance.
It had clearly used various methods, yet each was countered, leaving it utterly bewildered.
The giant spirit, born of nature, was inherently not skilled in conflict. Repeated blows caused the Regal Ancestor Spirit to lose its will to fight, and it was now struggling with how to conclude the battle.
"Since you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
Boom!
Frieren's magic surged from the ground, even more potent, like a torch illuminating the world under the Eternal starry sky, so bright that even Blaidd, resting far away, could see it.
The hiding Ancestral Followers watched the miracle, dumbfounded and trembling.
This energy was even infused with the blessing of a Great Rune, inspiring awe. How could such a majestic and irresistible oppressive power be defeated? Fortunately, the caster was by no means a heinous villain; the magnificence of her soul was clearly evident.
Sorcery: Collapsing Stars—
She abruptly pulled the giant elk towards the sky, then slammed it onto the ground, immediately followed by layers of stone spheres sealing and suppressing it.
The Regal Ancestor Spirit naturally resisted with all its might, but unfortunately, the gravity pressing down on it gradually intensified, rendering it immobile. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't budge. It was as if a mountain was pressing down on it—such terrifying power.
As the giant elk struggled, the energy gathered on its body continuously scattered, much of it transforming into treasures, and its aura steadily weakened.
The next moment, the tip of her staff was aimed at its head.
Frieren gave it a stern look, and immediately a gravity shockwave sent it flying. The Ancestor Spirit then stumbled away in a flash, vanishing without a trace, not even looking back.
The nearby Ancestral Followers also fled in panic, but with a diminished sense of unease.
Its soul aura and magic were genuine; at least they knew this unwelcome guest did not come with malicious intent to invade.
However, what they thought was completely outside Frieren's consideration. She was currently more concerned with the energy that dropped from the Regal Ancestor Spirit, which, along with the Ancestor Spirit's previous energy, collectively formed a rare treasure:
[Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor Spirit]
[Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor Spirit, sculpted by the Erdtree]
[Through the Finger Reader's help, one can gain the power of the Remembrance's lord.]
[If used directly, one can acquire a massive amount of Runes.]
[Ancestor Spirits are a mystery that exists outside the Erdtree – life sprouts from death, and life sprouts from life.]
[This is their innate life nature.]
No wonder she felt a hint of immortality from the Ancestor Spirit—endless, cyclical life. It must be an absolutely neutral creature; there was no need to fight to the death, just getting the drops was enough.
Moreover, the mystery outside the Erdtree greatly interested Frieren. After all, it represented a different principle, unlike any system she had encountered up to now.
Not a wasted trip.
A single Remembrance was enough to be considered a full haul. Could the Regal Ancestor Spirit's status truly rival a Demigod?
Specific research into creatures like Ancestor Spirits would have to wait for later.
The key was the reward. Whenever Frieren encountered a special treasure as important as a Remembrance, she would immediately use her save module to save a copy separately. That way, she wouldn't be limited to exchanging it only once—that would be stingy, always forcing a choice of one out of three.
With the added "cloud save" module she extracted, she had no more worries. No matter what it was, she'd get a copy of each.
There was also another treasure dropped by the Ancestor Spirit, which, for her, with her "Spirit Summoning Module," was similarly not to be underestimated.
The silver-haired girl gently scooped up a handful of silver-white Spirit Ashes from the void with both hands. Traces of the Ancestor Spirit's natural power still lingered on it. This was no ordinary mass-produced item she could create; it possessed uniqueness.
[Ancestral Follower Spirit Ashes]
[Spirit Ashes containing a soul, capable of summoning Ancestral Followers to battle.]
[Souls of a horned race who abandoned metal and civilization. They are tall and skilled in unique spirit arts.]
[Among them, this particular soul is an excellent archer.]
Its appearance was indeed that of a tall, burly man with horizontal bull horns, holding a bow and arrow, poised to strike. Like the Ancestral Followers she had seen, it seemed even more compatible.
It yearned for her magnificent soul. Perhaps this species possessed such keen sensitivity.
Very well.
At first, Frieren, as usual, concealed her aura, so strangers couldn't perceive the brilliance of the Soul Cinder King's soul. But once she truly fought and displayed her power, that aura was unleashed without reservation, a declaration of her righteous nature.
She murmured, "Both being archer Spirit Ashes, I wonder how it compares to Lady Latenna..."
"My Lady," a confident reply came from within the Spirit Calling Bell, "in terms of archery, I am superior. Please, command me as you wish."
It concerned the dignity of a magic archer; her own skill was undoubtedly top-tier in the Lands Between, and this Ancestral Follower was still far from being her match.
"I know Lady Latenna's skill is first-rate. Many future battles will need you."
Hearing Frieren's affirmation, the soul let out a joyful laugh, its sincerity evident. The other party truly believed her.
Her intuition told Latenna the answer; it was definitely not flattery, and there would be plenty of opportunities for her to assist in battle. The question was, how did Frieren confirm it?
Little did she know.
Frieren had long understood Latenna's capabilities through 'messages' – her strength was guaranteed by positive player reviews. In contrast, the Ancestral Follower's Spirit Ashes had received mediocre reception, merely serving as a collectible.
After simply collecting the spoils, she returned to where Blaidd was resting.
"The Two Fingers' influence seems even stronger in the underground world. I need to get to a suitable place for sealing myself away as soon as possible," he said with an apologetic expression. "I should have been exploring with you."
"Your well-being is what matters. The Tranquility Magic I left you will last a long time, but you still need to act quickly."
"It's so reliable having you here."
"Naturally. Each of us gets what we need. Don't worry, I will fulfill Ranni's request," Frieren stated frankly. "In resisting the Two Fingers, our interests align. I need an Empyrean ally without future worries."
Regardless of whether she followed the Lands Between's predetermined path of gods and kings, she had to gather them first.
Blaidd nodded. Although he longed to witness it firsthand, he could only wait until the Two Fingers were slain; otherwise, he would only become a burden.
His figure quickly merged into the darkness of the underground world.
Both sides understood that Blaidd, as Ranni's Shadowbound Beast, having his control dispelled and then actively sealing himself away, was enough to be seen as a declaration of war, finally breaking that thin veil of tacit understanding.
Taking this opportunity, Frieren also planned a round of power-up. The spoils were still waiting for her to redeem them.
Roundtable Hold, Two Fingers' room.
The silver-haired girl filled with caution visited Roundtable Hold's Two Fingers chamber.
In truth, she was prepared for a conflict, but it now seemed that the Two Fingers, the half-dead spokespersons of the Greater Will at the Roundtable, were indeed very listless. They didn't share information with their colleagues and knew very little about the outside world.
Looking at you, you're not very clever, and you're neighbors with Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing. You must have suffered quite a bit in the past, haven't you?
"Your Majesty, truly an astonishing feat," the Finger Reader Crone Enia's hoarse voice conveyed her shock. "I sensed the aura of an Ancestor Spirit. Did you go underground and even conquer that mysterious existence, neither living nor dead?"
"It's quite weak, nothing major."
"There are few in this world who could give such a evaluation. That underground world is about to become active. You must be careful of the cosmic monsters within."
"How much do you know about Astel?"
"The Naturalborn of the Void possesses Gravity Magic capable of shaking the underground lands, enough to make two long rivers run dry or collapse. Once it makes a move, the assassins of the other Two Fingers lurking in the shadows, as well as the ambiguous conspiracies behind them... all will likely become restless."
"That's good, but let's not get sidetracked. I'll leave the Remembrance exchange to you."
Frieren, as usual, directly exchanged three copies. The first copy was naturally for her own use, and a large amount of Runes permeated her body.
No new modules were generated. It seemed that it wasn't enough to just have a large influx of Runes; Elden Ring fragments were also needed to trigger it.
However, the current gains already exceeded her expectations.
As vast energy flowed into her body, Frieren said to Melina, "I'll leave this to you. Primarily allocate it to Faith and Intelligence. Right now, I need more mental attributes to be safe."
The witch readily complied, helping to digest the Runes and guiding them to integrate into the target attributes.
The latent dangers her actions had stirred up settled down somewhat, allowing the silver-haired girl to breathe a sigh of relief.
30,000 Runes was a generous amount.
Moreover, it came with the Regal Ancestor Spirit's unique natural life aura. It seemed the equipment it dropped when fleeing was quite valuable; her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Her Astrologer build's overall strength was now superior.
Now, with her points primarily allocated to Intelligence and Faith, she could use a significant portion of sorceries and incantations with full power, a perfect fit.
Although many people viewed her as a battlemage, Frieren was actually more inclined to use all sorts of special magic. The reason she employed melee combat techniques was to consider her compatibility with enemies.
Next.
She through her save, used the Regal Ancestor Spirit's Remembrance for exchange:
A weapon: [Winged Greathorn]
[A special horn that harbors stronger Ancestor Spirit power.]
[In the Ancestor Spirit faith, it represents the messenger's wings.]
[It is used to reap lives that have not yet sprouted.]
Frieren grasped a peculiar hammer, or perhaps a club, shaped like a deer horn at the top. It was hard to say if it truly counted as a weapon; at most, it was a blunt-force type. It wasn't suitable; her martial prowess focused on sharp implements.
It was too bizarre, even more so than the Grafted Blade Greatsword. She would struggle to adapt to it, and it would leave her vulnerable.
[Exclusive Weapon Skill – Soul-Stifling Hex]
[A Weapon Skill that invokes a malicious aura by raising the Winged Greathorn high.]
[Temporarily lowers the defense of nearby enemies.]
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