As another massive tree toppled, the area surrounding the Grand Lift was finally cleared of timber. Under the labor of common footmen and Leyndell soldiers, the felled trunks were gradually fashioned into rows of enormous trebuchets.
"Lord Radagon, what is your next move?"
A representative from House Daen, sent to accompany the army, looked at Radagon with a flicker of curiosity.
"Hmm. We will primarily guard against the Carian forces stationed to the west. Meanwhile, I will disperse our units to push gradually toward the eastern and central regions of the lake district. Not all of the Carian nobility is of one mind with the Royal Family."
Peru, the representative, nodded. In his view, Radagon's plan was sound. The only concern was the strength of the individual units being sent out; if they were too weak, they risked being swallowed whole by the Academy or Carian loyalists.
"As for the stronghold here at the Grand Lift, I'll have to trouble you to oversee its defense, Lord Peru."
"You don't intend to stay with the main army?" Peru asked, momentarily stunned.
"No. I have no intention of lingering here. We are not lacking in high-tier combatants, and I have a means to return to the main force quickly from elsewhere. Should any crisis arise here, I can be back in an instant."
Peru hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "Very well. Since you are confident, proceed. House Daen will support you."
Radagon gave a small nod. As for Peru's words... they were a natural consequence of House Daen choosing to place their bets on Radagon.
The family had sensed something unusual from the attitude of the Church of the Two Fingers. After some subtle probing of High Priest Corhyn, they had gathered enough intelligence to make a decision: while continuing their heavy support for First Prince Godwyn, they would also allocate resources to back this rising star of the Capital. Even if their suspicions turned out to be wrong, investing in a burgeoning new noble was always a wise choice.
"What do you need from me?"
Messmer, who had been sitting silently to the side, finally spoke.
"With Peru and the Draconic Tree Sentinel here, the defense should be stable. Most of the primary Carian forces and their main army are already being monitored by the scouts we sent out. Therefore... I would like you to head toward the Carian city-states and lead our first direct confrontation. What do you say?"
"No problem."
Messmer nodded, grabbed his weapon from beside him, and strode out of the tent without another word.
"Truly a man of action..." Peru remarked with a sigh.
Radagon merely watched Messmer's retreating back, shook his head, and said nothing more.
"For the glory of Caria!!!"
In eastern Liurnia, the town of Scarlilan—the settlement closest to the Grand Lift—was already engulfed in the flames of war. The Golden Order's army had raised its banners and launched its first true conquest since entering the lake district, targeting this very region.
Countless roars and the rhythmic clashing of steel filled the air. The blue brilliance of sorcery and the golden radiance of Erdtree incantations flashed across the battlefield. Blood, wails, and war cries became the canvas upon which the struggle was painted.
The ground was bristling with arrows. Frayed banners of both the Erdtree and Caria lay trampled in the dirt. Fire spread across the landscape, devouring what little greenery remained in the war zone.
The battle was harrowing, yet it was far from over. At this stage, both sides were still testing each other with infantry deployments; the elite powerhouses of the armies had yet to commit to the fray.
The City Lord of Scarlilan stood atop the battlements, looking down at the chaos below. His deeply furrowed brow betrayed the gravity of his heart.
"My Lord, what should we do? The Erdtree's numbers are too great. That first wave of probing alone has cost us nearly a tenth of our forces."
"Withdraw the troops from outside the walls. Stop fighting in the open. We will rely on the city's magical barriers to hold the line. We can only pray for reinforcements..."
"Understood."
The vice-general nodded and began relaying orders to his subordinates.
Soon, the flags atop Scarlilan changed, accompanied by the blare of a horn. Hearing the signal, the soldiers on the field stiffened. The generals on the ground immediately shouted, "Withdraw! Fall back into the city in an orderly fashion! Set up the defensive arrays!"
"They're retreating! Quick, cavalry! Cut them off!!"
At the command of the Golden Order's lead officer, the shieldmen in the front rank immediately parted. The Leyndell Knight units at the rear surged forward on horseback. Brilliant golden light flared across the riders—the radiance of Golden Vow.
"My Lord, shall we intervene?"
Horuf turned to look at Mohg and asked.
"No, not yet. The time isn't right. Not a single heavyweight figure has appeared in this battle. Even if we step in, the gains would be limited. We'll wait for this first round to end, then move in to clean up the aftermath."
"I understand."
Horuf nodded and retreated into the shadows.
Since the banquet at the Dynasty base, they had moved into action. Mohg had been exceptionally busy, constantly traveling between the Carian front and the Blood Dynasty. His guerrilla unit was frequently tasked with harassing small Golden Order detachments. Fortunately, there were no major affairs at the Dynasty base requiring his personal attention, or he would have been spread far too thin.
"By the way, keep an eye on the battlefield medics. Find a way to capture some of them and bring them back to the Dynasty."
"Understood."
Although the Blood Dynasty now had its own doctors and the methods to train Perfumers, they lacked specialists dedicated to frontline trauma. Such individuals were vital; after all, only those who survive the battlefield are eligible for further treatment.
On the field, the Leyndell Knights and the retreating Carian units finally collided.
Pale blue magic shields were raised at the front to withstand the first wave of the knights' charge. Sorcerers at the rear launched a continuous barrage of Glintstone Pebbles at the incoming riders. However, the majority of the spells were deflected by the massive Greatshields carried by the Leyndell Knights.
Soon, as the first Leyndell Knight broke into the Carian ranks, the hastily formed defensive line began to crumble with terrifying speed.
"My Lord, we must send someone out to meet them!"
"Agreed. I order you to lead a detachment out the gate immediately to cover the retreat!"
"Yes!"
Creeaaaak—
With a heavy groan, the massive city gates swung open again, and figures began pouring out.
"For the glory of Caria!!!"
Amidst thunderous war cries, the Carian soldiers formed a fresh phalanx and pushed forward. The vice-general of Scarlilan led the charge.
"That's one of their officers."
"I'll take him."
A tall man clad in heavy, silver-grey armor stepped up beside the Golden Order's commander.
"I leave it to you, then, Rock."
"Mm."
The man known as "Rock" gave a muffled grunt of acknowledgement. He hoisted a massive hammer, mounted a towering warhorse, and thundered toward the battlefield. As he closed the distance, a faint grey current of air began to swirl around his horse.
The vice-general of Scarlilan didn't notice Rock until the man was barely two hundred meters away. He immediately realized he was the target.
"Everyone, on guard! Incoming raid!!!"
Whoosh—! Boom!
The two hundred meters vanished in a heartbeat. The vice-general watched in disbelief as Carian soldiers were sent flying like ragdolls by Rock's momentum. A split second later, a giant iron hammer blotted out the light above him like a black shadow.
CRASH—!
The moment the hammer struck, it sounded like a thunderclap. Dozens of stone spikes erupted from the earth. The Carian soldiers who couldn't dodge were impaled and left hanging in mid-air.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
Rock looked up toward his right, confusion in his voice. He hadn't felt his hammer hit home. Given the vice-general's strength, he should have been unable to dodge, which meant someone had saved him.
"I'm surprised to see someone of your caliber in a skirmish like this," a voice said.
"And I am surprised as well. Which of the Carian Knights are you?"
"None of them. I'm just an ordinary guerrilla fighter."
Mohg waved his hand, signaling the trembling vice-general to get away. The man finally snapped out of his shock, rallied his nearby troops, and rushed to support the other sectors.
Only Mohg and Rock remained to face each other.
In the distance, Horuf was baffled. Mohg had told them not to intervene, so why was he the first to jump in?! Then again, he realized Mohg was using his Carian identity ("Gwyn") to act, so he decided to stay put and observe.
"Is that so... Well, I imagine it won't be long before you become the next Carian Knight. If you die here, I'm sure Caria will feel a sting of regret."
"If that's what you think... come and see if you actually have the ability."
The moment the words left his mouth, Rock's silhouette vanished. He moved with an agility that completely betrayed his heavy equipment. This meant his physical power was likely monstrous.
An instant later, Rock appeared behind Mohg. His massive hammer swung down toward Mohg's back.
Mohg glanced over his shoulder, tapped his foot on the ground, and darted to the side while drawing his staff from his belt.
"Starlight!"
Mohg poured a massive amount of mana into the simple Starlight spell. The result was that the spell couldn't contain the energy; it detonated in a blinding flash of white light.
Essentially... eat a flashbang!
Having never encountered such a tactic, Rock couldn't react in time. His vision was snuffed out for a second, and his strike swung wide. The resulting shockwave sent dust billowing as the hammer cratered the earth.
Mohg seized the moment. He drew the spear from his back with a sharp motion. Several glinting blue blades of mana manifested around him. Simultaneously, he flooded the spear with magic. Righeys' spear hummed under the stimulation, revealing its true form.
The spear transformed into a sword-spear, with glintstone-like crystalline spikes erupting from the base of the blade. Mohg could feel it; the weapon had temporarily become a catalyst for sorcery!
Without hesitation, Mohg lunged. He transformed into a streak of azure light, thrusting the sharp blade toward Rock's heart.
Schwing!
Sensing the lethal danger and the piercing sound of the wind, Rock reacted instantly. He hoisted his hammer and slammed it into the ground.
BOOM—!
The same shockwave skill he had used against the Scarlilan troops erupted again. Mohg was forced to leap into the air to evade, swinging his sword-spear to shatter the rising stone spikes.
Rock used the opening to regain his sight. With a sonic boom that sent a ring of dust flying, he launched himself from the ground, soaring straight for Mohg.
Mohg leveled his sword-spear at his opponent, blue light condensing at the tip.
A barrage of azure stars streaked toward Rock. The impact of the projectiles left dents in Rock's armor, but they failed to slow his momentum.
In the blink of an eye, Rock was upon him.
Hammer up, strike down!
BANG!
Struck by the hammer, Mohg was sent hurtling into the ground like a cannonball. The roar of the impact drew the attention of all the nearby combatants.
"My Lord!"
Horuf couldn't help but cry out.
Rock let himself fall back toward the earth. In his mind, no one could survive that strike and still be capable of a counterattack.
But a second later, a brilliant blue light erupted from beneath the dirt. A slab of earth was sliced as clean as a piece of cake, and Mohg's silhouette emerged. The blue light on his sword-spear was now blindingly bright.
"Carian Grandeur!!!"
VROOOM—!
An enormous, ethereal blue greatsword swept across the sky and the earth. A heavy thud followed as someone hit the ground.
Below, Mohg was gasping for air. Truthfully, that clash had been dangerously close to the wire. If he hadn't subtly used a spark of blood-power at the last moment, he might have actually been taken down.
Just then, the sound of wind tearing reached Mohg's ears from behind. It was Rock—who had somehow survived that "Carian Grandeur"—charging again!
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (Full)
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