Frieren's Soul Magic struck Aldrich solidly, causing him to cry out in immediate agony.
He felt an intense burning sensation.
There was no mistake; the power of the First Flame had entered him as well. But that was not the most critical part. What was truly terrifying was that a wisp of Gwyndolin's remnant soul had surged in naturally along with it, entering that divine shell.
The partially devoured god atop the slime monster's upper body was reviving.
"This is all your fault... my great undertaking is a mess."
"You are nothing but a pawn of Pontiff Sulyvahn. Exit the stage; you don't even have the necessity to return," the silver-haired girl said, her face bearing only indifference.
Crack!
The torrent of souls pierced through Aldrich's body. The slime structure on the surface could not deflect the force at all, taking the full brunt of the attack. Not only that, but the inflowing soul of Gwyndolin was gradually awakening. He could be seen murmuring:
"Thank you, Frieren."
Immediately after, that wisp of soul fell into a deep slumber. It did not yet have the strength to take full control and needed time.
"You're welcome. Anor Londo will need you to preside over it in the future."
She didn't care if Gwyndolin heard her; she had dumped the work onto him anyway. This little prince lacked a bit in martial force, but he wouldn't find the work of recuperation and governance difficult. Before meeting a conspirator like Pontiff Sulyvahn, he had governed quite well.
The shortcoming in martial force didn't matter to Frieren. She had already beaten her way through Dark Souls; all that was needed now was recovery.
This sentence was actually telling Gwyndolin: I will bring the method to rekindle the First Flame.
"You people—"
Aldrich was dying before he could even utter his curse, for Frieren's Soul Crystal Spear had pierced his hideous body.
He struggled, attempting to unleash one final strike.
What greeted him instead was a violent twist of Frieren's Soul Magic, shattering him completely.
The soul reaction belonging to the Lord of Cinder, Devourer of Gods, grew dimmer and dimmer until it finally vanished almost entirely. Under the attack of a master of Soul Magic, this level of defense was not worth mentioning.
The slime body representing him disappeared, dying in the Lands Between.
This left Gwyndolin lying weakly on the ground. A moment later, he too turned into particles of light and returned to the world of the First Flame.
It was similar to the exit of the Twin Princes. The difference was that the former had been beaten up and politely sent back, whereas Gwyndolin had received Frieren's Soul Blessing before leaving, so he should recover as quickly as possible.
Finally resolved.
Aldrich could indeed be called durable, but there was one even more durable.
The meteorite above shattered, and amidst the roaring sound, a great serpent's head poked out. Rykard spoke dizzily, "I... will devour you... Frieren."
"How about using my Destined Death?"
Melina had realized the immortality of the God-Devouring Serpent; ordinary means were indeed difficult to handle.
"I can kill him with Soul Magic, then use the property of the soul feeding back into the body to wipe out that constantly growing serpent body as well. The principle is about the same." The silver-haired girl clenched her hand. "I was only able to do this recently."
It was actually a reverse-derived method of using the soul to modify the body.
Previously, Frieren's control wasn't sufficient, and her physical body was relatively fragile, so she had held back this method. It was different now; a genuine, powerful Demigod body was enough to support a higher tier of output.
So she looked at Ranni. This was the final confirmation, because slaughter by Soul Magic was inevitably accompanied by pain.
"Go ahead and do it."
Immediately, the Lunar Princess retreated alongside Melina, ceding the battlefield completely.
They didn't need to intervene. The current one-on-one situation was enough for Frieren to win. Instead, they should stay further away to avoid being affected by the collateral damage.
Rykard shook his head, his gaze becoming sharp again.
"That fellow actually died... truly a useless piece of trash. It doesn't matter. I will kill you all the same."
The flesh and blood upon the Blasphemous Blade brandished its claws and fangs, roaring and screaming in pain, tormented at every moment. At this time, it boiled within the magma mana, condensing into a rainbow of light that connected heaven and earth.
Whoosh!
Meeting it was the moonlight wave of the Dark Moon Greatsword. Although it was a Weapon Skill, in Frieren's hands, it was like a passing blizzard, causing frostbite even to the God-Devouring Serpent.
Ice and fire intertwined, and the melting water currents were evaporated in mid-air.
However, a wisp of lightning lingered around Rykard using the last residual water vapor, detonating instantly with a thunderclap.
Facing power at the level of Incantation: Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike, his body indeed went numb. The accumulated damage was cashed in all at once; scales peeled off, flesh decayed, and he even subconsciously coiled his body and curled up, no longer appearing so colossal.
Now was the time.
"One shock and you're like this? So you are completely a snake."
Before her voice had fallen, Frieren lifted her hand violently. The underground rock strata split apart and actually hoisted Rykard's body, forcing him to float up.
Just as he reached mid-air, he discovered dense swarms of ancient vengeful spirits of death, surrounding him tightly, airtight. No matter how he swung sword energy or used fire, it was of no avail.
Crash!
Immediately after, they all lunged at Rykard, striking directly at the soul through the flesh.
A strong sensation of tearing came through—not simple pain, but being torn away bit by bit. The flesh was clearly intact, yet something unknown was being worn away little by little. He couldn't understand it. All that remained was a more violent bombardment as the entire serpent body uncoiled and roamed the sky.
At the same time, he scattered countless globs of magma, like blood and fire, flowing out into a river of lava along the cracks in the ground.
The God-Devouring Serpent itself was like an avatar of the volcano.
Frieren had no intention of engaging in a contest of brute strength with a madman. Instead, she calmly canceled the gravity magic, causing him to crash to the ground with a boom.
Almost at the instant he touched the ground, the Blasphemous Blade delivered a heavy chop.
Clang!
Despite the extreme disparity in body size, Frieren parried precisely. The transmitted force made even Rykard's figure pause. Immediately, he witnessed white threads spreading, passing through his body like long spears.
Incantation: Pest-Thread Spears fully released, combined with Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns piercing along the serpent's body.
New abilities from the Land of Shadow were all greeted upon him.
Rykard, who had never seen such a fierce assault, saw his vitality drop instantly. But she didn't count on this to kill him; what mattered was the soul damage.
One more move to finish it.
A gigantic Soul Crystal Sword condensed in the silver-haired girl's hand. Sensing the threat of death, a flash of fear passed through Rykard's eyes. He swung the Blasphemous Blade with all his might, but he was a beat too slow. The tempered soul attack struck into his body.
With a crack, the sharp blade easily penetrated his body, annihilating the soul. One hit, certain kill.
The injuries accumulated until now erupted all at once.
He looked blankly at the body he took such pride in. Unexpectedly, it withered, decayed, and even decomposed along with him, collapsing right before his eyes.
"How is this possible! Is the God-Devouring Serpent not immortal?"
Frieren was too lazy to waste words; there was no need to communicate with the dead. She merely threw out a burst of Chaos Fire from her hand. Clearly a life born from magma, this time he withered unceasingly within the flames.
With the emergence of the Great Rune, it meant another Shardbearer had fallen.
Frieren held up the Great Rune with both hands, and a brand-new energy manifested. Presumably, she had drawn a reward.
**[New Module: Nightwalker]
[Completely enhances character performance, ignoring the red tape of the stamina bar, allowing the Tarnished to align with the mobility of a Nightwalker. Includes multiple other adjustment enhancements.]
She hadn't drawn a new module in a long time. The long-lost system reinforcement made her whole body feel light.
The Great Rune was a part of the rules; obtaining one could refresh an extra module each time. It was the same in the other few worlds. If she lacked modules, it would be difficult to achieve a perfect ending or temporarily lock down a situation. In short, having it was a good thing.
For someone like Frieren who could already leap and bound about, performance didn't matter much. The significance of the new module lay elsewhere:
Fusion.
The rejection of the power from Dark Souls was greatly reduced.
This feeling was hard to explain clearly. Unlike before, where using abilities would cause rejection and she had to constantly monitor her physical state to avoid collapse, it didn't matter now. Fusion had advanced; the conflict of rules from the Lands Between against her had reduced by at least half.
An unprecedented sense of ease made her feel as if she had been reborn, even more refreshing than a round of Rune reinforcement.
A huge profit!
The reward of the new module alone made the trip worthwhile, resolving Frieren's pressing need: furthering the fusion of powers. At the very least, the First Flame and the Elden Ring were no longer in such conflict. With the advantages of these two, digesting the Ancient Gods would not be difficult.
The situation had opened up in one breath; this was the best reward.
Before she slept, she had been worried it wouldn't go smoothly—what if she couldn't find a method of fusion for a long time? Now it had begun, proceeding step by step.
Furthermore, there was the power of the Great Rune.
Rykard's Great Rune, pieced together with the other three inside her body, formed more than half of the Elden Ring. In an instant, it emitted a magnificent, supreme power, warm and encompassing.
Frieren was all too familiar with this power. Most of the Elden Ring was in hand.
Blessing!
She didn't hesitate to scatter motes of Runes into the earth. In the blink of an eye, the vegetation incinerated by the magma revived and grew. Spring returned to the land, greenery covering the fields. Not only that, but it even climbed up Mt. Gelmir in reverse, lowering even the scorching temperature slightly.
It seemed to fall back into dormancy, no longer so violent.
Melina came to Frieren's side and gently grabbed a handful of soil; inside, there were actually already roots of vegetation.
"In the long time of the future, the volcano will sleep, and then forests will cover it again... That is something I have never seen."
"Maybe there will be a volcanic lake."
The two smiled at each other and then tacitly moved away from Rykard's only remaining carcass.
They yielded the space to Ranni, the only relative present. The latter sighed deeply and came before the face of the great serpent's carcass. She clasped her hands in prayer, silently reciting words of parting, and stroked her brother one last time...
"My Lord!"
A cry of alarm from Tanith interrupted the tranquility. She stumbled forward and hugged the gradually melting flesh and blood, disregarding the boiling high temperature to hold Rykard tightly.
Not far away, Ranni revealed a wisp of grim, chilling mana, which then dissipated amidst her lament.
She shook her head, turned, and left, returning to the squad.
"No need to mind her. Since Tanith has made her choice, then let her die for love with Elder Brother. They have both prepared themselves; we are outsiders now."
As the sole person in charge of the new generation of the Carian Royal Family, she made the judgment.
Melina naturally had no objection; it was basically none of her business. Rather, having fewer other Carian Royal Family members dividing power and concentrating resources more on the Little Princess was beneficial to the Soul Cinder King's faction.
Frieren, however, let her thoughts drift.
She wasn't in a hurry to exchange Rykard's Remembrance. Instead, she took out that weapon which was so exaggeratedly large it required two hands to hold.
It was hard not to associate it with the Storm Ruler greatsword, recalling the defeat of Yhorm the Giant alongside the Onion Knight. As the saying goes, only a storm can fell a great tree.
[Serpent-Hunter]
[Weapon that serves as both greatsword and spear.]
[Thought to have been used to hunt an immortal great serpent in the distant past, it manifests a long blade of light when facing such a creature.]
[When the High Lord's ambitions were reduced to base greed,]
[his knights searched for a weapon with which to halt their lord.]
The description indeed lived up to the title of hunting the great serpent; it was perfectly suited to deal with Rykard. It seemed the temptation of the serpent had existed since ancient times. It was no wonder; mutual generation and mutual inhibition—immortality was not absolute immortality.
There had always been people trying to stop Rykard's corruption. Unfortunately, when he willingly fell into madness, no one could help.
[Unique Skill: Serpent-Hunter]
[Skill that executes a powerful thrust, which can be followed up with an upward thrust. When facing a great serpent, a long blade of light takes shape, revealing the armament's true power.]**
As a counter-strategy weapon for specific scenarios, it was already not bad, with decent power.
Of course, Frieren wouldn't use it; she would treat it as a collectible.
After basically confirming her harvest, she glanced from afar at the ruins on the mountaintop. It was Bernahl, fully armed in the Beast Champion Armor, looking back. His face was resolute, his gaze sharp. After a slight nod, this hurried Teacher of Ashes caressed his sword and left.
It was not the time.
He had to find a way to reach Farum Azula. Frieren, who already had the allegiance of the Ancient Dragons, might be ahead of him, so he had to be quick.
Thus, Bernahl left decisively.
Below, Frieren also relaxed a little. If the other party had insisted on deciding a victor here, it would have required a great battle of the Would-be Lord specification. She would have had to defeat him, but fighting for too long would inevitably provoke a reaction from the Royal Capital.
She spread out her perception and sure enough, discovered troops returning from the direction of Leyndell, Royal Capital.
Morgott's style was as conservative as ever, making it boring.
Frieren pondered for a moment and made a decision: "Let's go. We'll look for Patches and Rya. They shouldn't have gone too far; we can still catch up now."
A moment later.
Sure enough, everyone met again downstream of the Seethewater River. It turned out they hadn't left the volcano at all. Discovering this, Ranni couldn't help but reprimand her little niece for her audacity, which left lingering fears.
"Your Majesty, and the two Highnesses... may I ask, has Lord Rykard returned to the Erdtree?"
The girl asked very tactfully.
In reality, being devoured by the great serpent counted as one of the worst ways to die in the Lands Between. Out of gentleness, they nodded.
Immediately, Ranni changed the subject and asked, "Do you want to come to the Magic Academy? I will talk with you in detail about your origins and your future... In short, you will return to a safe and peaceful life, and you can travel the Lands Between later."
Her voice seemed to cherish the girl greatly, fearing she would leave.
Sensing this sincerity, Rya nodded. "I believe you. We can set off at any time."
"Then is my mission over?"
Patches rubbed his hands with a grin, then received a large sum of Runes from Frieren as he wished. This deal was worth it.
"Your Majesty is indeed generous. I'll throw in a piece of news for free: The First Lord is not far from the Lands Between. The entire Golden Order faction is uniting closely."
"Thank you. I know. I came this time to end it."
...
Main Gate of the Royal Capital.
Morgott led a host of the Golden Dynasty army to guard strictly, receiving the retreating outpost and reconnaissance forces in batches.
Suddenly, the air was no longer scorching hot; replacing it was a wisp of floral fragrance.
Looking into the distance, Mt. Gelmir was no longer billowing with thick smoke; the eruption had ceased. The magma flowing at the very top cooled rapidly, solidifying into black bay-like traces of volcanic ash, like the carved marks of a sculpture.
There was even a touch of greenery climbing up the high mountain.
Morgott made a hand gesture, and his subordinates stopped their gathering actions, looking into the distance together.
The power of a full four Great Runes was reshaping the scorched earth. Blessings fell from the sky, scattered like dewdrops from Frieren's hands. Even as enemies, everyone knew that only the Soul Cinder King would do this; others' first reaction to possessing a Great Rune would be to enhance their combat power.
To this day, she had fought without relying on the Shards of the Elden Ring.
"Stop the withdrawal."
"Redeploy outwards. Dig trenches, build fortresses, and expand the defensive line. We must be prepared to face the Soul Cinder Army on the volcano."
Hearing the order, everyone's hearts tightened. That's right, the troublesome phase was coming.
The loss of the volcano directly meant that the various southern troops didn't need to take the Lift route, which was easy to target. They could be transported to the volcano one after another to wait at ease for the fatigued enemy, and it would be difficult to interrupt them during the troop transfer.
If the Royal Capital army attacked rashly, it would be the Third Volcano War, but they were not the Rykard of those years.
Now the Soul Cinder Army sat on numerous Demigods and elite troops, unafraid of a head-on clash.
Added to the advantage of the natural chasm, they might even swallow the Royal Capital army.
No.
In reality, Leyndell's only choice was to repair the defensive line and continue to exploit the defensive advantage, though they would also have to face the commanding height of the volcano.
The outer defensive line was destined not to be held; they were sacrificial lambs left for the Soul Cinder Army to impede the momentum of their charge. Ultimately, victory or defeat would be decided under the world's highest city walls. That time was not far off.
Although they didn't see the figure of the Soul Cinder King, they all felt a gaze.
The moment of the decisive battle was approaching.
Seeing that the Fell Omen was calm, everyone relaxed somewhat. Moreover, the Royal Capital's military strength was constantly increasing, with numerous Crucible Knights guarding it, returning to its peak.
Little did they know that Morgott's true confidence lay in Godfrey, his father. That Majesty was about to land in the Lands Between. Once his return was announced, the entire Lands Between would boil over.
Northern Altus Plateau.
Millicent, who had just killed a group of hollows, caressed her sword and gazed into the distance. She saw the volcano that towered into the clouds gradually extinguish.
In the long time of the past, it had clearly been erupting constantly.
Today it was uncharacteristically quiet, and dewdrops even descended. Nine out of ten, it was the handiwork of an old friend. The Lord of Blasphemy had fallen.
"Frieren... we will meet again soon."
Intuition told Millicent that the time would not be far off. Soon, the Soul Cinder King would formally step onto the Altus Plateau, and everyone would definitely meet then. She heard she had exchanged blows with the Haligtree Army; she must ask about it later.
Ruin-Strewn Precipice.
A large number of frontline troops stationed at the valley bottom began to mobilize under Edgar's command. The mighty contingent formed a black streamline, climbing all the way toward the volcano region. After emergency repairs, this place could be put back into use.
As long as Rykard didn't cause destruction, it wasn't difficult to build a road for the army to pass.
Not to mention there was Florisaxx providing cover and watch from high in the sky, enough for smooth transport.
Edgar ordered in a loud voice, "The mission of the first batch of troops is to occupy favorable terrain according to the map. Establish basic vigilance and defense first, and be sure to watch out for Royal Capital reconnaissance."
"Yes, sir."
He didn't forget to check the map repeatedly to confirm the arranged positions.
The defense of the first batch must be tight, because the possibility of the Royal Capital army attacking amidst the chaos could not be ruled out. The risk had to be controlled.
His mission was to take the forward springboard.
While he was pondering, he saw the Ancient Dragon that had been circling in the sky suddenly descend, then nod respectfully. Following Florisaxx's line of sight, it was impressively Frieren returning.
The silver-haired girl was in a good mood, a smile on the corner of her mouth, waving hello from afar.
"Ten thousand victories to Your Majesty!"
Witnessing the Soul Cinder King return in triumph, everyone immediately erupted in cheers. The military banners fluttered and snapped in the wind. Everyone was incomparably excited for this moment; they had finally settled this trouble.
To say that having such a big volcano overhead constantly dropping monsters wasn't scary? That was impossible; it was simply disgusting.
Now it was finally subjugated, and they had even built a forward base.
The moment the Soul Cinder Army stepped onto the plateau, they would have a stronghold.
Unlike those temporary fortresses before the Grand Lift Avenue, which would definitely be destroyed in one blow if they encountered a main force charge, the volcano terrain was just right. It offered room to advance and retreat; it was the best choice. In a sense, it and the Royal Capital held each other in check.
The relationship between the two even represented the direction of the pattern dominated by the hegemony of the Lands Between.
Chaos in troubled times.
Checks and balances in peaceful times.
If one wanted to rule the Lands Between, the governance areas that could not be bypassed, aside from the Snow Mountains, were none other than the Volcano. Now, Frieren's banner had been planted upon it. The symbolic significance was sufficient; this signal was inspiring.
"Edgar, set your mind at ease. I have already seen that the Royal Capital army is not interested in the volcano; their main tactic is defense."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
"I'll leave the front line to you for the time being. I, Ranni, and Melina need to go to the rear to arrange tactics first. Afterwards, the main force will pass through here to the volcano. I leave the safety of the route to you; pay more attention."
"I already understand the heavy responsibility. Leave the authority to me."
Edgar bowed and answered solemnly. He understood that the prelude to the decisive battle had arrived.
Frieren nodded. The two had cooperated for a long time and had ample tacit understanding; there was no need for superfluous exhortations. So the four of them embarked on the return journey together.
The squad headed all the way toward the Magic Academy.
Melina waited on the periphery, handling some newly added government affairs in passing.
Ranni had to settle Rya and handle Rykard's funeral affairs in passing. She had to comfort her mother well; Rennala's life was truly a bit bitter, having to receive another piece of bad news.
And she had to be responsible for the scheduling of the Liurnia area army to ensure they echoed the Volcano front line; this was the top priority.
Grand Library.
Frieren had started reading books ever since she heard Rennala's sobbing just now.
Since the daughter and sister were there to comfort her, there was no problem; she wouldn't intervene much. The Carian Royal Family was fraught with disasters; it was good to give them a period of rest, and at the same time prepare them mentally. Because aside from Frieren, it was the Carian Royal Family that had staked the most.
Their entire fortune was for this battle to claim the throne.
A moment later, Ranni walked over slowly. There was still a trace of sorrow between her brows as she murmured, "Your Majesty, we have lost too much since the Shattering War. You must absolutely not meet with any mishap."
"Haven't I always told you to be at ease?"
Before Frieren's voice had fallen, the other party threw herself into her embrace. The puppet's four arms hugged her tightly, a fragrant scent assailing her nose.
She smiled faintly and returned the hug. Only the current Ranni possessed a kind of true solitude.
Suddenly, the face in soul form slowly drew close, gazing directly. The intimate distance made both their hearts skip a beat.
____
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