The mental control of the magic allowed for constant adjustments to its tracking.
This was the magical enhancement technique displayed by Frieren and the Godskin Apostle, respectively—a clash of titans, a confrontation of the strong.
Clang!
Meteorite of Astel streaked across the sky, leaving dozens of trails. Not to be outdone, the Godskin Apostle retaliated with fireballs of death, weaving together a large patch similar to the Ancient Death-Spirits. The two streams of energy collided, a murderous clash, tearing each other apart.
The meteors had greater piercing power, often able to reach his position.
The flames, however, excelled in their large area of effect, able to disrupt the surrounding magic as much as possible to form an interception.
Thus, the battle between the two evolved into a frenzy of indiscriminate bombing. Bouquets of fireworks bloomed one after another across the Divine Tower bridge, bursting with magnificent colors, as if it were a festival celebration.
They would not continue this fruitless endeavor.
Rock Sling.
Without any warning, Frieren changed her tactics to mass-based magic, covering the enemy with physical projectiles. Even the flames of death would have a hard time clearing them.
The Godskin Apostle had no choice but to use his longsword to cut them down.
The sharpness of the weapon, coupled with his immense strength, easily sliced through the cracked rocks as if they were fragile paper, no match for him at all. He feared his opponent would take the opportunity to press the attack and further enhanced his magic resistance, but the enemy remained patient.
From beginning to end, the silver-haired girl had been strolling leisurely, not advancing rashly, not being reckless. Was she going to just watch the effect of the Dark Moon wear off?
Another round of Rock Sling.
He intercepted the magic just as before, but suddenly found that Frieren had vanished. Alarm bells rang in his mind. He turned, stepping back to create distance.
Wrong.
The real attack was still in the original spot. Only then did her figure reappear.
She feinted! The moment the thought arose, a swift sword grazed past a weak point in his Godskin clothing, instantly cutting open a wound. The defense, already weakened by the Dark Moon magic, was now torn open, the blade even cutting into his body and drawing blood. It was the first time he had been injured since the battle began.
The next moment, he reacted and counterattacked with his sword.
But unexpectedly, the silver-haired girl stepped back and smoothly transitioned into an iaijutsu stance. The Moonveil swung out, a blue arc of light.
With a clang, the Godskin Apostle barely managed to parry, but then his expression changed in shock. This blow was a cover for the next.
Sword of Night and Flame, Comet!
The weapon art was released immediately after the Moonveil's slash. The vertical, piercing attack easily broke through the Godskin's defense, sending the big man staggering back, almost losing his footing.
"How is this possible?"
What was most shocking was that the ultimate treasure of Carian Manor was being used so proficiently in Frieren's hands. What happened outside? But on second thought, one could probably find the Sword of Night and Flame by sneaking into that place as well.
He wasn't panicking yet. After all, it wasn't the Dark Moon Greatsword.
After a perilous exchange, the Godskin Apostle understood that he couldn't fight head-on and took the initiative to create distance.
Fireball!
The grayish-black flames flew over again, but Frieren couldn't be bothered to meet them. Instead, she gently brandished her staff, forming a Carian Phalanx around her to guard her body. The moment any projectile threatened her, it would be immediately neutralized and annihilated.
A move meant for coordinated attacks was being used by her as a defensive skill.
And it defended flawlessly, preventing the flames of death from breaking through. He was unable to close the distance, and a stalemate began to form.
"It's spreading?"
Suddenly, a wisp of black fire emerged from under Frieren's feet. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, or she would have been hit. Unexpectedly, the stone bricks of the bridge had already been permeated with the corrosive mana of death.
If a powerful Godskin Apostle was allowed to continue this, he could probably create a land of death.
"That is one of the powers of the Gloam-Eyed Queen. Its rank belongs to the level of a god," Melina warned.
"I wonder if a buffing spell can resist it?"
"It's best not to. Who knows if it will conflict with the energy inside your body."
She was becoming more and more clear about her partner's situation. She was a conglomeration of dangerous items. If she were to bloom, it would only be a step up from Malenia's Scarlet Rot. It was best to avoid taking risks. And Frieren nodded in agreement.
"We can't let it continue to destroy the bridge. I think, if necessary, he will even use the flames to demolish this essential path."
"Then we'll just have to forcefully dispel it."
As her voice fell, the silver-haired girl stomped on the ground, stirring up a storm. Snow and ice flew, and in the blink of an eye, an ice mountain formed on the bridge. Its huge size and mass extinguished the flames of death, easily resolving the situation.
It was surprisingly a move from the lineage of the Stormhawk King, and probably even stronger than the original.
Caught off guard, a layer of frost covered the Godskin Apostle's feet, chilling him to the bone.
Light?
In a flash, there seemed to be a shimmer from the other side of the ice mountain. Relying on his years of combat intuition, he immediately rolled. A beam of moonlight shot past where he had been.
A sword-qi of frost flew a hundred meters, turning into a blizzard. The Divine Tower in the high Liurnia region was now being blasted by a polar wind.
Looking again, the ice mountain from before had disappeared.
So, in that instant, Frieren had used the Moonlight Sword to gather the glacier and launch an attack, a highly compressed energy? The release and retraction happened in the span of a breath. Her solid foundation was matched by her wild imagination. If that had hit, it would have been a pathetic sight—
The Godskin Apostle then discovered that the front of his clothing had shattered with a crack. At some point, it had been frozen through, so fragile that it disintegrated with a gust of wind.
So I was already hit.
He quickly tore off the tattered robes and replaced the gap.
But the patching and mending only made him look more flustered. He didn't have many ways to counter her. He was gradually being pushed into a corner by his opponent. He had to reconsider his tactics, or he would surely be defeated.
Loretta's Greatbow! He saw glintstone arrows flying from behind the ice blocks, along with Rock Sling.
The ranged magic with physical mass was continuously bombarding him.
Rumble!
The explosions forced the Godskin Apostle to dodge left and right in a pathetic state, unable to counterattack for a moment. An ordinary mage would have just tanked it with magic resistance, but this time he couldn't.
Frieren's various magics were dazzling. He didn't dare to gamble on her attack methods.
To be able to casually release a legendary magic like Dark Moon showed that her magical attainments were among the best in the world, yet she mainly used ordinary moves.
Because the level of battle didn't match.
This unfathomable, unfamiliar demigod was too strong. So much so that even her ordinary magic had been trained to the point of a qualitative change. For example, the Storm Stomp from before was definitely stronger than the Stormhawk King's. So, it didn't matter if it was high-level magic. As long as it was useful, it was fine.
However, in just a few steps of kiting, the explosions had left the Godskin Apostle covered in wounds, his clothes tattered.
In any case, I'll lose sooner or later if this kiting continues. I might as well make a stand.
I'll risk it.
From a distance, Frieren, who was maintaining the magical bombardment, raised an eyebrow. She saw a huge mass of death flames attacking, as fast as a thunderbolt, crushing the ice along the way and reaching her, demonstrating its ferocity.
"I've gotten used to this after fighting for so long."
The ripple of Thops's Barrier captured the grayish-black flame. To guard against the Godskin Apostle hiding behind it, she seamlessly connected it with a Carian Retaliation.
First, parry, then turn the magic to her own use. This was her counter-strategy. She swung out her sword.
An ordinary mage would have unleashed the power, but Frieren suddenly stopped, because the enemy had disappeared, leaving a cracked mark on the ground.
Leap into the air!
The Godskin Apostle leaped high into the air, falling like a meteor, his presence immense, his pressure locking on a step ahead.
I can't take it head-on.
Because Frieren sensed that a huge amount of death flame was hidden in that body. Rashly shortening the distance could lead to infection, which was not worth the risk. But it was also inconvenient to use high-power moves like Comet Azur. She had to be careful not to kill Ranni's subordinate.
"If that's the case, I'll just push you back."
She summoned a huge rock sphere from the ground, with a diameter of ten meters. Then, with a forceful push of gravity magic, its tail end became a meteor streaking across the sky.
The purple-white-tailed rock sphere collided with the grayish-black flame meteor, releasing their energy without reservation.
The Godskin Apostle hadn't expected Frieren to be so fast, but it was too late to dodge.
Let's go.
He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to collide with the gravity-enhanced rock sphere. The death flame burned the rock layer, but gravity also disrupted the flow of mana. A huge explosion echoed.
A storm of mana raged around the Divine Tower, the loud noise spreading in all directions.
From the top floor of the Study Hall, Miriam saw through the window that the cloud of the explosion was very dazzling, the thick smoke dotted with sparks, dragging a burning meteor. Even the glass vibrated with a hum.
"What terrifying magic."
"That iconic flame power... The guardian is actually a Godskin Apostle, and probably still in his prime."
She further understood how much Ranni valued the Divine Tower.
Despite this, the visiting Frieren was a prospective Lord. Even without revealing the power of a Great Rune, she was enough to handle it. No, looking at her temperament, it was likely that the fragment of the Elden Ring wasn't even used for combat functions. She was different from all the shardbearers.
She had always relied on her own magical attainments in combat, honing her skills and mana, a walking great library of magic, all-encompassing.
"It should be over soon. The Cursemark of Death is finally going to reappear in the world."
On the bridge.
With a thud, the Godskin Apostle, riddled with rock shards, crashed to the ground. The moment before he lost his balance, he supported himself with his sword, barely holding his stance.
"As expected, the resilience of a divine being is stronger."
Frieren had been prepared to execute him, but her opponent was still holding on with one breath. He was quite tough.
The next moment, the Godskin Apostle roared and suddenly began to roll with powerful steps. It wasn't a defense, but rather like a large iron ball rolling over, with a hidden sword edge cutting in all directions, attacking with absolute mass.
She would meet his head-on attack. Seeing this, she took out the Starscourge Greatsword.
Dual-wielding colossal weapons combined with gravity adaptability was the ultimate violent aesthetic. Not only that, the silver-haired girl lightly leaped over the human war chariot and fiercely brought down a chop.
Slam!
The purple-white magic light arc that she brought down with her swing fell along with it.
Rather than a sword, it was more like a castle gate slamming into the Godskin Apostle. Absolute power crushed all magic resistance.
In a single pass, he saw stars and was dizzy. This move almost scattered his consciousness. So strong. She was actually using Starscourge Radahn's weapon. So the invader had defeated the strongest demigod? And like him, she was a battlemage.
He stumbled to a stop, then swung his longsword based on pure instinct, drawing a circle of fierce flames.
Let it burn.
A storm of fierce flames spread out from the Godskin Apostle as the center, rising and expanding in a vortex, a veritable fire tornado that soared a hundred meters into the sky, its presence pressing down.
At this point, he didn't have many moves left. He could only shorten the distance and try to suppress her with fire. The bridge was narrow and there was no way to dodge. Otherwise, if it went back to a battle of kiting, he would surely lose. The chance was now.
However, in the eyes of a true powerhouse, it was all for show. The energy was scattered, a rootless duckweed.
Frieren could block it with just a Twisting Wall of Light.
The intensity of the death flame was much weaker than before. It was clear that the caster's condition was declining, and he was becoming more and more unable to continue, which led to a slip in his magical operation. To make such a low-level mistake, it was clear he was not far from defeat.
Parry!
She took the initiative and dashed forward, meeting the Godskin Apostle's attack with the Starscourge Greatsword held horizontally. With a crisp clang, sparks flew.
Her opponent staggered but was still attacking. Truly resilient.
"Then let's go again."
Frieren, wielding the Starscourge Greatsword, also seemed a bit clumsy. She might as well use weight against weight. This pair of door-panel-like greatswords slammed heavily into the target.
The Godskin Apostle felt the sword that had been repelled almost shatter. His entire skeleton was trembling, his footing unsteady.
Almost at the same time, the silver-haired girl executed him with the Gavel of Haima.
The fierce blunt weapon strike both ensured that it would not cause too fatal an injury and could break his toughness and knock him out. It had become Frieren's preferred method of suppression. As expected, it brought down the massive, divine powerhouse.
He fell to the ground on his back, unconscious, and wouldn't be getting up for a while.
"Finally settled you."
Frieren put away her weapon with ease. Even with numerous restrictions, it didn't affect her ability to handle the situation. It was just a matter of changing tactics a few more times.
She actually welcomed a new enemy like the Godskin Apostle as a sparring partner.
Since she had seen one now, there would surely be similar opponents in the future. It was good to get familiar with their mechanics first. She estimated there were stronger Godskin Apostles. It might take more effort then.
Suddenly, the fainted loser on the ground slightly raised his head, then shook his head and fell back into a deep sleep.
Melina said, "His resistance is very strong. He might wake up and cause trouble again before we leave the Divine Tower."
"I should have a way."
To be precise, the player comments definitely had a way.
With a quick glance, Frieren found information on how to deal with the Godskin Apostle:
[Fatty, I must control you. Eat my Sleep Pot!]
[I just fought him straight up. I once said I didn't need such methods. But I was taught a harsh lesson in Farum Azula. Forget it, I'll just be honest and use the guide's method.]
[Since he's so weak to sleep, isn't this a back door prepared for me? I'll make good use of it. I just need to collect St. Trina's Lilies.]
[Sleep, control, and abuse all in one.]
[So you were helping me this early on, Trina? What great guidance!]
[The trick still works well.]
Coincidentally, among the supplies she had replenished before this long trip, there were indeed Sleep Pots. With this thought, Frieren took out a small, palm-sized item that gave off the fragrance of lilies.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have paid attention to her item supplies.
But because she had asked the southern army to prepare a few more things, her meticulous subordinates had brought a bit of everything. At that time, she had taken it all without thinking. It turned out that a secret strategy for dealing with the Godskin Apostle was hidden inside.
Thump!
She casually threw a Sleep Pot, which released a fragrant magic. The already dazed Apostle naturally had no resistance and fell asleep.
Just this one item was probably enough to make him sleep until the next day, the kind of sleep that thunder couldn't wake him from.
"You've got some tricks. Are the Godskin Apostles weak to sleep?" Even Melina, who had traveled the Lands Between, was caught off guard.
"That's not the point. We should go up the tower now."
-
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