BOOM!
The heavy thud tightened the hearts of Ansbach and Moore outside the gates of the Tower Settlement. They followed the sound with their eyes: rubble from the city floated up, coalescing under a violet-white gravity tornado into a meteorite thirty meters in diameter, embedded in a shattered state within the city.
The great noise had come from it, and one could only imagine that the targets below had been turned into meat paste.
It wasn't over. The shattered meteorite reassembled.
Repeating the same move, it thundered toward another area dense with life signatures. It was less like sorcery and more like an invisible giant hand crushing the Tower Settlement with a ball.
An unshakeable power.
As long as the caster continued to pour in magic, the meteorite would repeatedly reassemble for multiple uses—a true nightmare.
The two who remained behind watched the massive meteorite roll back and forth, sometimes crushing, sometimes shooting, unleashing its fury under the Quasi-King's wrath. It was the chastisement of worldly might, a supreme judgment.
"Such powerful magic. So Her Majesty has been accustomed to hiding her strength," Moore realized.
"Indeed, an aura that surpasses that of an ordinary Shardbearer."
Ansbach murmured with deep meaning.
His own lord, the Lord of Blood, had been defeated at the hands of the Soul of Cinder. That affair was over, but was his mission finished? News related to Miquella always made him feel a trace of unease.
It was said that Leda made a deal back then and took Mohg's remains. He didn't know what she planned to do with them...
Inside the city.
After a round of gravity bombardment, the Horned Warrior was left on the verge of death by the aftershocks, propping himself up with a single blade. Amidst the flying sand and stones, four figures emerged.
The dust-covered squad was reunited, not one of them missing.
They blocked the path forward, their leader, Frieren, already raising her Dark Moon Greatsword.
"How much do you know about the Spirit-channeling Ritual?"
To counter his silence, she scoured him with powerful Soul Sorcery. The latter immediately roared in agony while raising his sword, unleashing a gale with all his might.
After easily dodging, Frieren realized she couldn't sense any clear-headedness; it was more like madness. Could the Spirit-channeling Ritual combined with the Soul Sorcery strike have caused irreversible trauma? A true pity.
After a few exchanges, she confirmed that the Horned Warrior had lost his sanity, or perhaps had long since become a vessel for spirit-channeling.
Sorcery: Carian Slicer accurately pierced his heart, a single, fatal blow.
The once-unbeatable Horned Folk hero-warrior had fallen. Even in ancient times, those of his level would be considered strong, but before the power of a Quasi-King, it was completely insufficient.
At the same time, a [Somber Smithing Stone [9]] came into view, much to Frieren's delight. A good find, and a precious one at that.
Putting everything else aside, this smithing stone alone made the trip worthwhile, slightly replenishing her scarce resources. As expected, more exploration was needed. Besides the Altus Plateau, one could always find smithing stones in odd corners.
"Shall we rest for a while?"
Leda took the initiative to ask for everyone's opinion. They all agreed; everyone needed a break.
They each sat on the ruins to catch their breath. This hard-fought battle had not been easy. First, the sudden encounter with the Horned Warrior, then the Flame Knight, which also attracted a siege from the Horned Folk. It was fraught with peril; one wrong step meant death.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty. If it were just our squad in the Tower Settlement, we would have been done for long ago."
"It's nothing. I was also after the spoils of war."
Freyja said excitedly, "It is a great honor to fight alongside a warrior like you. I will continue to hone my skills, and next time, I won't hold you back."
"Don't say that. You're already very strong, the strongest Redmane warrior I've ever seen."
Although Jerren was also extraordinary, Frieren couldn't see the same sharp, enterprising fighting spirit in him; instead, he seemed to be declining with age. That castle lord could no longer be a warrior. Retiring to be a lord was a good choice for him.
Therefore, Freyja was now, without a doubt, the number one Redmane.
"For you."
Suddenly, Melina handed her an intricate talisman. Its overall shape resembled a long spear, wreathed in flames. It was vividly rendered, its style exuding an overwhelming aura of slaughter.
[Talisman fashioned after a spear and flame held aloft.]
[A crest given to those who fought alongside Messmer and died for the Holy War.]
[Raises attack power when an enemy is defeated.]
[They killed and burned all defilement without end. With no mercy, and no honor to speak of.]
[Only those who firmly believed this to be a Holy War could find that sliver of exhilaration in the signal of their demise.]
Not bad at all.
Frieren immediately thought of a suitable application for this talisman. It would be most convenient when charging into large-scale battlefields, continuously stacking attack power through slaughter, causing her stats to climb steadily. While there was certainly a limit, it was better than some purely decorative talismans.
"Thank you for keeping an eye out for me. This should be useful."
"It's nothing. This is part of my duty as a maiden." Melina's tone shifted. "However, the description on this is hardly complimentary."
"Indeed. Regardless of whether the Horned Folk are good or evil, the fighting spirit of an army of pure slaughter would surely waver."
An army is a tool of calamity.
Serving a dynasty's conquest must be accompanied by righteousness, honor, and rewards; the objective must be beautifully packaged. If it is simply used as an executioner, this fell weapon will be tainted, making it difficult to serve in normal warfare.
In essence, Marika must have thought of this the moment she dispatched the army of the Holy War.
They answered the call, every one of them a noble knight, yet they were tasked with the squalid work of slaughter, which was tantamount to sacrificing their dignity.
"Although the Horned Folk got what they deserved, it's a pity the army of the Holy War was used in such a way."
Melina's tone was tinged with sympathy.
Frieren replied, "This further proves that Marika's goal was actually control, not extermination. I believe that with the Golden Dynasty's methods, extermination has never been a technical problem."
"For example?"
"If it were me, I would wash the land with Scarlet Rot and then purify it afterward. Of course, this is a rather extreme hypothetical situation; many variables would need to be considered in practice."
To this day, she had not given up on the idea of eradicating the Demon Race.
The enemy was hoping to exterminate the Elves; was Frieren supposed to treat them with courtesy? They should be given a purer and more thorough extinction.
Marika had given her an important inspiration: don't let the army do it.
She should take responsibility for her own actions, design a powerful spell, and wipe them out in one go. But this would surely be a massive undertaking, requiring exquisite calculations, the right timing, and a powerful caster... It could only be approached slowly.
CRASH!
Suddenly, a series of large-scale collapses interrupted their thoughts. Fortunately, it was just the terrain of the Tower Settlement changing.
It was to be expected. Few building clusters could withstand repeated bombardment by a gravity sorcery meteorite. The original streets, stairs, and houses were toppled, or simply disintegrated. A yellowish-green puddle appeared before them.
It was the well bottom area of Belurat, Tower Settlement.
The foul odor originally sealed within now permeated the air, bubbling and gurgling, and it seemed some monster was swimming within.
A new area!
Seeing the indispensable poison swamp section, Frieren's mouth twitched. No matter how many times she saw one, it was always hard to stomach.
Filthy as it was, was she just going to not explore it?
Freyja and Leda, who had wanted to flee from the stench of the poison pool, were shocked. They watched with wide eyes as Frieren donned a cloak, tied up the hem of her sorcerer's robe, the cuffs of her short leather boots, and her trouser legs, changing into a more agile outfit.
Over here, Melina also skillfully changed her attire, her movements fluid and practiced, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
It was merely a well bottom, not a mountain of blades or a sea of fire. What was the harm in accompanying her?
What is this?
The magnanimity of one who achieves great things without sweating the small stuff astonished the two. Before they could ask, they heard Frieren look back and say, "We'll split up as planned for now. We'll be right back."
Before her voice faded, she grabbed Melina's hand and leaped down. Gravity Sorcery pushed aside the surrounding puddle to form a foothold.
So she wasn't planning on bathing in the poison pool.
In reality, the two observers didn't know Frieren was being meticulous because her partner was present. Back when she adventured alone, she would grit her teeth, close her eyes, and brave whatever smell came her way. She had no idle thoughts of spending magic on clearing sewage; that was too extravagant.
"Admirable," Freyja said sincerely.
Leda replied in a loud voice, "Let's rendezvous at the tallest building later."
With that, the two departed. There was no need to worry about the strength of a Quasi-King; based on her earlier performance, it was as if the suppression of the Land of Shadow no longer existed.
They had to hurry and find information about the Horned Folk, especially regarding their deities and spirit maidens.
The well bottom.
After scattering some pungent medicinal herbs to finally neutralize some of the odor, Melina and Frieren could carefully appreciate this land of accumulated pollution. It was a scene of utter decay, with the wreckage of several collapsed buildings.
This wasn't their doing, but the heavy mark of time.
And the aura of an old friend!
An Ulcerated Tree Spirit leaped violently from the sewage, as ferocious as ever. Its body was somewhere between plant and flesh, grotesque and disgusting, and it fixed its murderous gaze on the two of them.
"Could it be an Ulcerated Tree Spirit of the Scadutree? Or have the roots of the Erdtree reached this far?"
BANG!
Muttering to herself, Frieren leaped lightly to dodge the slam of a root; even the splashing sewage was blocked by her Thops's Barrier.
While protecting Melina, she still had the capacity to observe the enemy. It was clearly larger in size, and having adapted to the magical energy of the Land of Shadow, it was extremely difficult to deal with, its swings whistling through the air.
The root she had just dodged directly snapped a tower in half at its waist.
She couldn't be careless.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit pursued, its entire body emerging from the water, dragging a massive tail. It had no hind legs, just a large tree root. Its two front claws scuttled rapidly across the ground; its body length was estimated to exceed twenty meters.
In the Land of Shadow, larger creatures were always bigger than their counterparts, and their strength was also superior.
Frieren didn't dare to be arrogant and attack rashly. A Chaos Flame swept out like a tornado, the blaze leaping across the distance and striking the enemy fiercely.
"Hiss!" A painful cry echoed in all directions.
A small half of its body was burning. This was the demon-creating fire capable of twisting life itself, difficult to eradicate.
Yet the silver-haired girl still attempted to press the attack, intending to burn the target to ashes.
SCHLICK!
Seeing the situation was dire, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit decisively severed its ignited body parts. The fierce flames were cast aside along with its plant-like flesh, buying it a moment of respite. It immediately scrambled away to maintain distance, putting a hundred meters between them in an instant.
At the same time, twigs, bark, and even giant wood resembling muscle tissue rapidly sprouted from the wound, replenishing the missing parts.
"What fast regeneration."
Even Frieren, who excelled at healing magic, was surprised.
It was much stronger than the Ulcerated Tree Spirit beneath Stormveil Castle, superior in every way. Although the Chaos Flame wasn't completely extinguished, it managed to endure after a few rolls on the ground.
A few small flames on its main body didn't stop it from causing trouble for the two of them now.
Charge.
The simple-minded monster had only one thought left: to kill the ones who had invaded its territory.
Its massive body crashed through ruins along its path, lunging straight for its target. At the same time, the branches and twigs all over its body swayed, splashing itself with sewage. Its surface actually showed a slippery, reflective sheen, glistening with water, able to resist the flames for another moment.
Frieren frowned slightly.
Elemental damage was convenient but easily countered. Now was probably not a good time to casually cast Chaos Flame.
Increasing its power wasn't hard; the difficulty was the fear of turning this place into a chaotic ruin after the fight.
Fell God's Flame.
Using a spell native to The Lands Between had limited effect. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit only paused for a moment before continuing its charge.
A thick tail swept fiercely over, certain that this one blow would be enough to shatter the sorcerer's fragile frame. Unexpectedly, a powerful vibration came back, the recoil nearly forcing the monster back.
Fortunately, the extreme weight disparity compensated for the shock.
The Ricochet Hardtear once again proved effective. Frieren's Dark Moon Greatsword even managed to slice a gash in its tail.
In her other hand, the Gavel of Haima.
The Glintstone, which already possessed physical mass damage, was even more formidable in the hands of a top-tier battlemage. With a single swing, Frieren smashed a concave dent into the root-body, a meter in diameter. Though it was an area-of-effect strike, it exhibited piercing properties.
BANG!
A shockwave passed through its body. Even for a creature of its immense size, the giant monster stumbled backward.
Immediately after, Haima's Gavel shot out from the tip of her staff, embedding itself deep within the enemy's body, directly creating a Glintstone crystal.
Any creature of flesh and blood would have died several times over by now.
"As long as it's effective."
After making her judgment, Frieren charged her Dark Moon Greatsword and unleashed a wave. The frost-aspected slash, combined with poise damage, caused the Ulcerated Tree Spirit untold suffering. It vaguely began to consider retreat, its heart filled with shock.
It had clearly ambushed them and seized the initiative, yet the opponent had turned the tables and countered.
Strong. To be precise, she was revealing her true magic reserves. They were bottomless, even carrying the aura of a divine being.
However, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit also knew that turning its back rashly would mean death. Even if its mind wasn't sharp, it at least had its battle instincts.
So it dove into the water and began to swim around.
At times it would fire spear-like branches, at others it would sweep with its tail from beneath the water.
Becoming annoyed, Frieren began to charge a Full Moon sorcery. If it were a sufficiently strong ice-aspected spell, it could surely freeze the entire well-bottom lake.
BZZZ!
Suddenly, an even more irritating sound came from the distance. She turned her head and sighed, "I knew it."
What came into view was a swarm of giant flies as tall as a person. The serrations on their mouthparts and jointed legs were incredibly sharp, gleaming with a cold light.
They had clearly targeted the enemies who had intruded into their territory, their momentum fierce.
Even worse, a new Horned Warrior emerged from behind them.
"Leave it to me."
Wielding the Blade of Calling, Melina volunteered for battle. The two stood back-to-back, each facing one side.
An assassin-plus-cleric class against a super-high-poise Horned Warrior?
Though a little worried, Frieren didn't say it out loud, merely nodding. As long as she finished her own fight quickly, it would be fine.
It was all the same principle.
The next moment, the giant flies charged with a buzz, a swarming black mass emitting a foul stench.
Incantation: Rejection!
A golden ripple spread out from Melina. Its surface was coated with a layer of holy-attribute burning damage. In one pass, these small fry were turned to ash, disappearing without having done a thing.
Frieren had seen this ability from the incantation master Corhyn at the Roundtable Hold.
She had learned it herself but wasn't very good at it and didn't have the energy; just remembering and referencing the vast number of spells was enough to fry her brain. In contrast, her partner had imbued Rejection with a new state, enhancing its power.
Melina has top-tier talent for incantations.
"ROAR!"
Reinforced, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit's confidence surged. It leaped out of the water and fiercely flung a volley of branch-arrows.
Each one was sharpened to be comparable to metal. Meeting them head-on would surely result in injury, not to mention she had a teammate to cover.
Suddenly, the silver-haired girl pushed her staff forward. The half-charged Full Moon sorcery abruptly turned into a gravity wave, deflecting the arrow rain.
The whistling projectiles all struck the other side, clearing out another batch of the pursuing monsters.
It missed.
The enraged Ulcerated Tree Spirit made a reckless mistake, sweeping its tail, meeting the attack with part of its own body. In response to this move, Frieren returned the favor with Sorcery: Adula's Moonblade. Sword qi crisscrossed, its sharp edge glinting.
The powerful cutting force shredded its tail to pieces. Even a monster that knew no pain or fatigue subconsciously let out a cry of misery.
She was about to pursue when she sensed the aftershock of lightning and fierce wind from her side.
To be cautious, Frieren slightly backed off.
BOOM!
As expected, the aftershock grazed past her body, even hitting the Ulcerated Tree Spirit and sending it tumbling.
The culprit was the Horned Warrior's storm-blade qi. Faced with Melina's powerful Incantation: Rejection, a portion of it was actually repelled.
It was expected. She was a Golden Scion, after all, with a body forged from top-grade Larval Tear materials and nurtured by Soul Sorcery. Dealing with a Horned Folk hero-warrior was not difficult.
Don't be fooled by her usually somewhat frail appearance; when she fought, one would discover Melina's skills were exquisite, her style similar to that of the Black Knife Assassins.
Reassured, Frieren retracted her gaze.
The most shocked was the Horned Warrior. He hadn't expected that attacking alongside the Ulcerated Tree Spirit would yield so little.
How could he not have seen the massive meteorite wreaking havoc earlier? He had merely suppressed his anger, bided his time, and waited for an opportunity.
Finally, he had waited until the enemy's squad split up and encountered the attacking Ulcerated Tree Spirit—a once-in-a-lifetime moment. So he went all in, but unexpectedly, his opponents only fought harder, gradually revealing their true capabilities: two full Demigods had entered the Tower Settlement.
SCHLICK!
In his moment of hesitation, the Blade of Calling had already seized the opening and slashed a wound across his chest, while the Horned Warrior's curved sword was dodged.
Melina's agile footwork and lethal attacks were extremely difficult to handle.
Moreover, she didn't seem to be seeking a quick victory, prioritizing stability. She took no risks, making it even harder to find an opening, because she knew her partner would decide the victor soon enough.
In an instant, frost froze the earth.
The cold wind howled, crackling as the well bottom puddle now became a solid block of ice.
Looking closely, Frieren had converted her magic into pure elemental energy, thereby freezing the puddle. The monsters lurking within were all wiped out. Some stray flies and birds also became popsicles and fell, shattering on impact.
The largest of them, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, was the most affected, its movements becoming sluggish.
It could only crawl slowly now, a far cry from its former energetic leaping. Its plant-like body grew sluggish in the extreme cold.
And it wasn't over!
With a gesture from the silver-haired girl, a tangible wheel of magic appeared. It was Ranni's Dark Moon, possessing both ice elemental and magic-breaking properties, a spell even superior to Full Moon sorcery in her hands.
Even before being launched, its oppressive force was terrifying.
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit turned to flee without a second thought, not daring to linger for a moment. It was over, all over. Why was it so slow? It's so cold. Does it even snow in the Tower Settlement?
One thought after another flashed through its mind, but the speed of its body and thoughts were not in sync. It had essentially become a stationary target.
Frieren launched the Dark Moon.
It instantly crossed a hundred meters and slammed into the monster. Thanks to its large size, she didn't even need to aim to hit it squarely.
The impact first coated the ugly body in a layer of ice shards, which then began to peel off and shatter piece by piece.
Its massive form now continuously collapsed.
The magic sustaining its form was completely severed, leaving behind nothing but some wood, which decayed bit by bit under the frost's erosion before falling to the ground with a bang and turning into snowflakes.
From beginning to end, the Ulcerated Tree Spirit never managed to harm Frieren.
A talisman fell into her hand, but she didn't look closely, instead coldly watching the enemy's destruction.
Aside from its initially impressive regeneration, there was little worth noting. It was just another confirmation that the creatures of the Land of Shadow had incredibly tough basic physical constitutions.
Like him.
The Horned Warrior was covered in wounds from Melina's assault, yet he somehow remained standing, even having the strength to unleash a sword qi.
She easily dodged it; he hadn't touched the hem of her clothes since the battle began.
.When an assassin only wishes to skirmish and delay, it's very difficult for them to get hurt.
.Of course, if she had been injured, Frieren would have immediately dropped her fight with the Ulcerated Tree Spirit. This side was the most important.
"Not using the Rune of Death?"
"That thing is too dangerous. It's best kept as a trump card, not to be used indiscriminately."
"Fair enough. Then I'll help you finish him off quickly."
Hearing this, Melina took a step back. Fighting wasn't something she enjoyed; there was no joy in victory. She might as well leave it to the Color-Slayer.
Watching the powerhouse whose presence surpassed even a Demigod walk toward him step by step, the Horned Warrior clenched his teeth, his gaze locked on her. Even his spirit-channeled body brought no sense of security, only a fear and wavering that came from the bottom of his heart. That gaze had only one meaning:
Annihilation.
They had finally seen Messmer's army fall silent, declining day by day, only to welcome a new Demigod in the prime of her strength.
Perhaps even the aura of an Elden Lord was no greater than this.
And both sides held the stance of exterminating the Horned Folk. For them, this was the worst possible news.
"Tell me what you know about the Spirit-channeling Ritual."
"Since you can ask me, it means the person you interrogated before didn't talk. So, do you think I will? Let's just get on with it."
"No. You're more stable than the last one. You can withstand an experiment of mine."
"What?"
Before his voice faded, the Dark Moon Greatsword tore a gash from his shoulder to his heart, down to his waist. It was too fast, and the force was even more terrifying.
The Horned Warrior realized that in that instant, the silver-haired girl's physical attributes seemed to have undergone a drastic change.
____
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