CRACKLE!
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion shook its magnificent body, and the charred, gray-black layer on its surface rapidly flaked off like snow.
Despite the grand spectacle just now, how could damage originating from a spirit-channeling lightning possibly inflict a severe wound?
There was no need to worry about the aftershock; the main energy had been used to nullify the enemy's technique, so the crucial factor was Frieren's condition.
The silver-haired girl dashed forward a few steps and swiftly assumed her stance.
After a single cast of Sun Healing, the wounds left by the lightning were completely erased. Aside from some lingering, tiny arcs of electricity and her scorched wizard's robe, there was no trace of the fierce battle. Her condition was perfect.
Her spirited, emerald eyes made one wonder if she could take on another lion.
Was her resilience unexpected?
Even the Divine Beast Dancing Lion was stunned for a moment, clenching its ape-like teeth.
By now, it knew it could no longer judge its enemy by conventional standards. No matter. Since it had already dealt damage, it would press its advantage and fight for victory, giving its all.
WHOOSH!
The massive lion's head opened its mouth and exhaled a blast of ice and snow—another new element!
The previously blackened ground became brittle, crumbling with a single step, which naturally included the ground beneath Frieren's feet.
Maintaining balance is easy for the strong, but she hadn't anticipated her footing would instantly collapse.
Her body lurched, tilting precariously.
Almost simultaneously, the silver-haired girl went with the momentum, planting one hand on the ground to launch herself into the air while her other hand swung her greatsword to block a snapping bite, its sharp fangs grazing her neck.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion's lower body suddenly coiled and shot out a foot, stomping hard on the sword's blade, applying another wave of suppressive force.
Gravity Sphere!
The unannounced Gravity Sphere caused both combatants to lose their weight, giving Frieren the perfect opportunity. Aided by gravity's pull, she unleashed a blade of sword qi. However, her enemy reacted just as quickly, meeting it with a breath of frigid air. The two forces canceled each other out in a spray of freezing mist.
Two consecutive clashes left a layer of chill on her skin.
If not for her exceptional physical constitution and reflexes, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion would have already landed a hit. In its current, fully spirit-channeled state, a full-power strike from it would be devastating.
Just how many elements had the Horned Folk spirit-channeler mastered?
Every one of its attacks was now accompanied by frost spreading across the ground. A few sharp spikes even managed to graze Frieren. No serious injuries, but the minor cuts were constant. It was clear the opponent intended to win a battle of attrition.
Every stomp made the stage tremble. A tail swipe, a pounce, a bite—its body was a torrent of fierce attacks.
It could be called a war dance.
By now, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion had also begun casting spells simultaneously. Thunder shocks, frost, raging winds, and sand breaths came one after another, a dizzying onslaught.
The frequency of Frieren's jumps and dodges steadily increased.
Normally, she was the one pressing the attack, but the Divine Beast Dancing Lion's frenzied assault was too ferocious. For the moment, she could only maneuver, avoiding any careless mistakes that might create an opening.
"If I don't destroy this stage, your home field, you can just keep squandering mana, can't you?"
"To emerge from a battle of myths without a scratch would be a disgrace." Freyja, on the contrary, proudly displayed the wound on her neck, her armor now scarred and battered.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion didn't respond; its increasingly frantic assault was its answer. It wasn't surprising that she noticed. All I have to do is kill you before you can counter. I must be faster, or else delays could lead to disaster.
It suddenly ceased its attack and leaped into the air. The floating behemoth roared towards the heavens, summoning its full spirit-channeling power.
It absorbed all the final power stored within the stage.
The roaring Divine Beast Dancing Lion, filled with resolve and fury, was now wreathed in tornadoes, frost, and lightning—a full release of three elements.
ROAR!
Layer upon layer of oppressive power pressed down.
This time, it wasn't just targeting Frieren but engulfing the entire battlefield. A multi-pronged, overwhelming barrage. As far as the eye could see, there was only calamity. This was the fury and catharsis of the Horned Folk.
The entire highland structure began to sink, winds howling through the bricks and stones as thorns of ice sprouted forth. Lightning descended from the sky, filling the view with a brilliant gold. There was nowhere to run, no way to dodge.
Only the ever-expanding sphere of abyssal darkness from the silver-haired girl could obstruct the magical trajectories.
"That's quite a thrill."
Freyja marveled, rubbing her fists in anticipation of joining the fight, all thoughts of danger cast aside.
"Lady Melina, do you think we need to create a diversion?"
The still-composed Leda inquired. Only she understood the situation best, especially the King of Soul Cinders' way of doing things.
"There's no need. She doesn't like anyone interfering, and besides, the battle is almost over."
The two didn't know how she reached that conclusion. Why, when the enemy's power was clearly at its peak, did she feel it was nearing its end? But they didn't question it, waiting silently to see for themselves.
The battle had reached a fever pitch.
Whether it was the Horned Folk or the King of Soul Cinders, one had to die. The sharp, clashing auras of the two left no room for intervention. In the end, only one could remain.
Suddenly, the light of the abyssal darkness began to dim, while on the other side, the raging wind and lightning continued to escalate.
In The Lands Between, there are countless spells that use elemental power, but to be able to command multiple attributes so freely was rare. It finally made the single-effect night magic seem outclassed. No, perhaps it was the Divine Beast Dancing Lion that was growing stronger.
At some point, the Horned Folk in the Tower Settlement began to gather.
The survivors who had been in hiding all made their way to the stage, actively using a spirit-channeling ritual to answer the call from afar.
ROAR!
An ancient and powerful force was continuously converging on the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Like a sacred dance from an epic, it naturally pushed its mana to the absolute peak.
But the next moment, the sky was stained crimson as a ring of sigils spread out, interrupting the spirit-channeling.
"Wait, isn't that—"
Outside the Tower Settlement, Ansbach was dumbfounded. He would never mistake it—the aura of blood magic. It had less of Mohg's Outer God corruption and more of a righteous, large-scale destructive power.
Wherever the curse mark reached, blood burst forth from bodies. At the very center of it all was Frieren, raising a trident spear and channeling its power with all her might.
Both were ritual artifacts; it was worth a try.
She wasn't fully relying on the weapon skill of Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear itself, but rather using it as an anchor to cast a Blood Incantation. This way, she reduced the influence of the Outer God while maximizing synergy with her own power, resulting in a blood curse with an absurdly large range.
The Tower Settlement was enveloped. All the Horned Folk, including the monsters, felt a baleful presence. Those attempting the spirit-channeling were the first to be targeted for special treatment.
HISS!
As the silver-haired girl thrust violently into the air, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, which had been presiding over the joint ritual, plummeted.
It slammed heavily to the ground, then immediately struggled back to its feet.
The ritual was only interrupted; it wasn't injured. The important thing was to stop Frieren, or the consequences would be dire.
The charging Divine Beast Dancing Lion opened its great maw, its snow-white teeth glinting coldly. However, the silver-haired girl's incantation was a step faster. Almost simultaneously, its wounds ruptured from the inside out, and pillars of blood erupted.
Just like when Mohg had cursed Frieren.
But the target was not just the beast; all the Horned Folk near the stage were within range. Under this absolute power, they were all afflicted by the curse mark, their bodies gushing blood.
Strictly speaking, this was her first time using a curse-type magic from The Lands Between.
Compared to the contaminating life-law of Scarlet Rot, Blood Magic was focused on destruction.
"It hurts!"
Even the weakest of the Horned Folk let out a wretched scream, clutching their heads before collapsing with a splash into a pool of their own blood. This scene repeated itself endlessly, as swathes of incantation-casters around the stage fell.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion had summoned them all to channel a collective spirit, yet it had become a slaughterhouse.
Did that not make it an accomplice?
Distracted by this thought, its charge slowed, and it could only watch as Frieren lowered the trident spear and delivered a powerful horizontal sweep with a deafening crash.
It wasn't like using a spear at all; it was like swinging a siege ram.
The unexpected attack trajectory left the Divine Beast Dancing Lion unable to react. It was sent flying through the air, tumbling wretchedly to the ground, and for a moment, it couldn't even get up. The blood curse was continuously draining its stamina.
Sigh!
The silver-haired girl subconsciously flicked her weapon to shake off the blood, forgetting it was a trident spear. As a result, she slammed it hard through the ground.
"As I thought, I'm still not used to long weapons."
It wasn't just Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear; any similar two-handed long weapon would be inconvenient, let alone one that was large even for its class. Wielding it felt clumsy and slow.
She needed to focus on training to cast the blood curse without relying on a ritual tool.
Another subject for study.
Looking out, the grievously wounded Divine Beast Dancing Lion was only now beginning to stir. Within her perception range, not a single Horned Folk had escaped unscathed; they were all bathed in blood. The pain, screams, and bleeding became the perfect fuel, allowing the curse to ferment and grow.
It transformed into a Bloodflame Blade, seething and wrapping around Frieren's hand.
She executed her swordplay with the footwork of a beast's pounce, closing the distance in an instant. The red edge danced around the behemoth, carving open wounds.
With a low, mournful cry, the beast swiftly took to the air, riding the long winds and using lightning to stall for time. Only then did it manage to catch its breath and gain a safe distance.
That was close.
Although it had escaped, it felt no joy.
This demigod had displayed an endless array of spells, and now she had brought out a potent curse-based Blood Magic, directly interrupting their collective spirit-channeling and weakening their home-field advantage.
The initiative in battle had been surrendered. Now it was the enemy's turn to orchestrate the next round of attacks.
Immediately, Frieren pressed her pursuit. Every swing of her blade was accompanied by several flashes of blood-red light, which, combined with her exquisite swordsmanship, created layered slashes that were nearly impossible to dodge.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion descended from the sky. Its multiple operators moved with perfect coordination, their phantom-like footwork matching her speed.
Bloodflame Talons.
Suddenly, she amplified the incantation's power, landing a strike on the lion's head.
If she attacked the torso, who knew which operator the hit would land on, and the damage would be dispersed by the mechanics. But Frieren had noticed that striking the head directly ensured the full force of the blow. So she struck without hesitation, finally accumulating enough status effect—
Hemorrhage tore the Divine Beast Dancing Lion's flesh open. Every movement now scattered blood, and it grew progressively slower.
This is bad.
It certainly noticed this. It wanted to disengage but was relentlessly pursued. If it created distance, it would face a magical bombardment; at mid-range, it faced magical combat that was even harder to predict.
And this was while she was suppressed by the Scadutree.
Yet the silver-haired girl was as vigorous as a dragon. Either she had gathered enough blessings to be completely unsuppressed, or it simply couldn't gauge the extent of her suppression.
Either possibility was terrible. With this thought, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion could only make a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.
DEVOUR!
Suddenly, it stomped the ground proactively. The war-torn stage shattered, and all its remaining spirit-channeling power overflowed and was absorbed.
The entire stage collapsed with it, crumbling layer by layer from top to bottom. Stone pillars snapped, dust billowed, and countless souls wailed.
Forget the altar. It could be rebuilt later. The most crucial thing was to survive this war.
"Get back."
Hearing Frieren's warning, Melina, Freyja, and Leda quickly retreated towards the stairs. They couldn't face this head-on; the collapsing building was no less powerful than a mighty spell.
They couldn't fly at will like a master of Gravity Magic.
As expected, a purple-and-white gravity blade erupted from the ground. Its sharp form was that of a Carian Greatsword, carrying a terrifying and inescapable gravitational force.
Lion's Claw!
The sword qi crashed down, splitting the already crumbling stage in two while simultaneously cleaving the Divine Beast's body. The cut passed through effortlessly, continuing on to cleave the highlands of the Tower Settlement, a vertical slice of light reaching all the way to the well bottom.
A single blow had dismantled Belurat.
It truly made one wonder, if the target were the high walls of Leyndell, Royal Capital, how many of Frieren's full-power attacks could they withstand? But none of that mattered now. What mattered was that the Horned Folk were utterly outmatched.
As the dust settled, the silver-haired girl advanced across the rubble, her poised figure exuding a palpable sense of pressure.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion, struck down to the ground, still crawled tenaciously, trying to gather magic, but could only muster a faint breeze, its previous majesty gone.
Its mana was exhausted.
It had overdrawn its energy several times, yet still couldn't defeat its opponent. But at least its body was still functional.
Its massive, bloody maw lunged at the shadow in the dust storm, but Frieren used Miriam's Vanishing to teleport instantly, simultaneously firing a Soul Stream that pierced through the lion's head.
A fatal blow. The Horned Folk's characteristic sharp reflexes vanished.
With a thud, the Divine Beast fell to the ground and disintegrated. Beneath the red robes lay a heap of bodies, completely devoid of life.
[Received Remembrance of the Dancing Lion] and [Divine Beast Head]
The advice was right; the Divine Beast Head reward did appear. It truly was a special item, no wonder it was so durable. What surprised Frieren even more was that it dropped a Remembrance, a testament to its value.
The spoils were worthy of the difficulty. With its home-field advantage, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion was an incredibly tough foe, especially with its powerful multi-elemental mechanics.
Fortunately.
If they had split up and entered the stage without knowing what to expect, there would have certainly been casualties.
At the same time, seeing the aftershocks gradually subside, the three women hurried up, their feet treading on precarious ruins and rubble that flowed with the blood and soul-essence of the Horned Folk—a scene of apocalypse.
At the very top stood a silver-haired figure.
Despite having just finished a brutal battle, she was already shading her eyes and looking ahead to the next stop.
"Is everyone alright?"
Melina suggested, "Though you've healed most of it, you're the one who was hurt the most. You should rest. My incantations have purifying and dispelling effects, which can also lessen the burden of the blood magic's curse on you. We can explore further up later on."
"Alright."
In truth, this level of strain was no problem for Frieren, but she couldn't refuse the kind gesture, so she gracefully accepted.
Besides, her wide-range mana sense had already scanned most of the area above. It was a Shadow Seal.
A supreme power sealed the upper part of the Tower Settlement, or rather, the other half of this vast castle complex—that spiral-shaped building.
She remembered the painting the Mimic Tear had found:
Its silhouette strongly resembled the 'Tower of the Gods'.
____
MikoDayo released a new Frieren story!
Go check it out, it's very good: Frieren: I Reject My Humanity!
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