The result was unsurprising. With their poise already broken, Frieren and Miriadel were sent flying by the heavy blow, grievously wounded.
The Orphan of Kos's second phase was far more difficult than before.
Its movements, power, and reaction speed were all at their peak. It leaped and teleported, its wings granting it both agility and explosive force. A single moment of inattention would lead to severe consequences.
This was troublesome.
Covered in blood, the two immediately scrambled to their feet, but the Orphan of Kos before them was already charging an attack.
Its dash swept forth with the pressure of a gale—
However, lightning was faster. Flamme's crimson thunder formed a barrier along its inevitable path, halting even a Great One's charge in its tracks.
Something was very wrong. Why did it have soul-damaging properties?
The moment the red-haired girl unleashed her lightning, the Fishing Hamlet dreamscape actually showed a sign of shattering—a mark of instability. This attack was aimed not only at the Great One but at the entire dream. It was a targeted strike empowered by Grace.
"How did you do that?" Miriadel asked, dumbfounded.
"This is something only she can unleash right now."
"Yes, Master. Their greatest miscalculation was not expecting that I could still use power from outside the dream. Perhaps it's not that they didn't react at all, as I have been constantly interfered with, but it doesn't matter. At this moment, you can no longer hinder me."
The protection of Grace!
Before the words faded, a golden light emanated from Flamme's entire body, accompanied by a strong Rune reaction.
Furthermore, her spiritual insight accurately located the dream's weak points, causing the entire Fishing Hamlet to teeter on the verge of collapse.
In Yharnam, she had gradually learned to master immense magical power.
Previously, Frieren had been cramming knowledge into her, teaching her casually, confident in her disciple's genius, but the practitioner's own spiritual power hadn't kept up. However, the city of nightmares had tempered the girl's weaknesses, allowing her to integrate everything and wield it as an extension of her own will.
She had ascended to a new stage.
When Serie had granted her mana, there had been a faint, preordained feeling. Now, she had finally grasped it, anchoring her true power and commanding miracles by intuition.
Flamme felt she was far from her limit; it was just that her current state was unprecedented.
The incessant whispers of the Great One in her ears vanished, and her mind felt clear and refreshed. Despite being in the depths of a nightmare, she only felt the vastness of the world and the boundless waves. Even the Orphan of Kos's movements no longer seemed so agile.
Sorcery: Comet!
A strike without warning streaked across the sky. The once-ferocious Orphan of Kos was pierced through, the pain striking its very soul causing it to shriek endlessly. This momentary paralysis gave the two old hunters a chance to use their vials, and their wounds healed completely.
They renewed their assault, proactively closing the distance.
How could a mighty Great One retreat so easily? The master of this dream, filled with hatred and curses, swung its placenta despite the damage to its soul.
Suddenly, Flamme flung out an arc of electricity. The faint light connected with Frieren's hand, and in an instant, the light flared into an even more terrifying energy:
Lightning Spear!
A combined, point-blank blast.
Having inherited the same power, they could naturally use the technique of returning lightning to actively strengthen it. In that moment, the telepathic attack from Flamme and Frieren unleashed five hundred percent of its power, tearing through the world and carving a deep crater in the beach. The Orphan of Kos, taking the hit head-on, was left with scorched black skin crackling with arcs of electricity.
It quickly shed its skin to recover, but what followed was a heavy slash from Miriadel.
The sharp blade cleaved an opening from head to toe, shattering bone from shoulder to waist, so deep that the interlocking ribs in its chest cavity were visible.
For the first time since the battle began, the white Great One's claws suffered a serious wound.
Previously, though it appeared battered, it had not sustained any fundamental damage. But now, its movements became staggered, and it began to sway. Its wings beat as if to flee, but Frieren immediately gave chase.
Weapon Skill: Waterfowl Dance!
Graceful arcs of sword energy swept past its side, blooming like blood-colored petals.
The silver-haired girl then spun around, using the Saw Cleaver's transformation attack to hack at the original shoulder wound, nearly severing it with a crack.
It wasn't over. Flamme, from a distance, didn't forget to add to the assault. One after another, Lightning Spears flew forth, each one striking with unerring accuracy. The elemental damage and paralyzing effect were perfect for the hunters to exploit.
The three covered each other, completely suppressing their foe.
Now, the Orphan of Kos was not only powerless to fight back, but the accumulated damage was also causing its life signs to fade.
It desperately tried to find an opening to counterattack, but found none. Frieren, leading the charge, displayed transcendent swordsmanship, her ultra-high-speed strikes all accurately hitting vital points. Any move it made was met with a clever attack on its point of balance, making retaliation impossible.
After so many years, her strength had grown again, widening the gap between them once more.
Furthermore, her frequent parries and visceral attacks dealt massive damage, making the Orphan of Kos unwilling to take risks, and it gradually retreated toward the coast.
"If you give up the attack, you will lose."
The silver-haired girl's cold words sent a tremor through the Great One. Out of the corner of its eye, it glimpsed Miriadel's fully charged, fire-enchanted strike smash into its back.
CRACK!
One wing was severed at the root, not only causing the Orphan of Kos to lose its balance but also its mobility. Flamme, who previously had to aim, now unleashed a relentless bombardment, piercing its body with one Sorcery: Comet after another.
In its desperate state, it actually rolled away, stumbling to create some distance to catch its breath.
No, something was wrong. How could its enemy let it go so easily?
As its senses returned, the Orphan of Kos clearly saw a surge of blue-green brilliance—it was unmistakably the Moonlight Greatsword.
It shone brightly in Frieren's hands. Wielding it with both hands, she condensed magic beyond its limits, as if the blade itself was cheering for the strongest hunter's return to battle. Now was the time to end the nightmare.
An arc of light swept across.
The Orphan of Kos, lunging on pure instinct, barely dodged, but its other wing was sliced off by the passing wave of moonlight.
Impossible. Why had its body become so fragile?
With a sharp crack, a long spear pinned the white Great One in place. Atop it was Flamme, who had descended from the sky grasping the Sorcery: Carian Piercer. She looked directly at the Great One and said coldly:
"You are indeed growing rapidly, but I am growing faster. Your soul has already been sealed."
Before she finished speaking, the Moonlight Greatsword struck its throat.
However, Frieren simultaneously felt it being firmly blocked by a hand. A shrill scream symbolized its final, most resolute struggle for survival; to relax now, even for a moment, meant death.
CRACK!
Flamme, coordinating with her master's attack, reinforced the power of her long spear, which instantly sprouted tree-branch-like spikes that tore the Orphan of Kos's body apart. On the other side, Miriadel also swung her cleaver at its neck, only to be blocked by another hand.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, the sheer friction of their power causing the coastal waves to recede.
The white Great One opened its bloody maw and roared in defiance, but could only watch as Frieren's sword was the first to sever its hand and cut into its neck.
The bones in its neck could not stop her advance in the slightest. Her indifferent, superior gaze watched the death of the newborn existence.
A breath later, the intersecting blades scissored shut, severing its head.
The Great One fell dead.
Even with its boundless hatred, the Orphan of Kos was reduced to a corpse by the combined efforts of the three. It collapsed onto the shore with a thud, lifeless. Its remains quickly desiccated, faded, and vanished with the echo of the waves.
"Is it... over?" Flamme patted her head in disbelief.
Finally, she no longer had to listen to those strange screams; otherwise, she would have developed a phobia of babies crying. "We've finally achieved victory."
Miriadel sheathed her weapon and took a large swig of a cocktail, laughing, "The exciting part is just beginning."
"Look at the sky, both of you."
In the direction Frieren pointed was a mass of raging fire. Previously, in high-level spiritual sight, it had only been a small corner of the picture, but now it was as bright as the sun. How could the mere moon compete? Behind the moon, the tentacle-headed Great One was howling, as if in terror of the heat.
The fire was burning, awakening, and illuminating all things.
The mist that had shrouded Yharnam year-round began to dissipate. A warm breeze even drifted in from the coast, bringing a feeling of safety from the bottom of one's heart.
The Great Ones howled incessantly, but they could do nothing to stop the flame from piercing the clouds. It seemed to descend from across worlds, tearing open the entire terrifying barrier with its mighty power.
The next moment, the flame formed a ring like a black sun, its raging blaze gradually stabilizing.
Dong~
A distant, melodious bell seemed to echo in the air. Then, Flamme and Miriadel witnessed the splinter soul lower her head, saying with a weary expression, "The main consciousness has awakened. I must return to the Hunter's Workshop. You two just stay here."
Rather than returning, it was more like a wisp of King's Soul-level energy merged into the Black Sun Fire Ring, forming a complete entity.
Frieren's main consciousness projected itself and gave a solemn nod to the two, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared within the fire ring. With long, flowing silver hair and a sorcerer's robe, it was unmistakably Frieren in her real-world attire.
Ringed Knight Sword!
As she drew this weapon, the power of the First Flame resonated strongly, turning into a blaze that dyed the skyline red from south to north, connecting heaven and earth. A simple edict felt like drawing upon the supreme power of a world, not an oppressive dominance, but a purification that embraced all things and remade life.
With a light wave of her hand, the sword's energy swept in all directions.
The closest target, the Moon Presence, received the most terrifying attack. All the tentacles on its head were instantly incinerated. Even a Great One shrieked and writhed in pain.
"And you, Oedon, still plotting a true descent?" Frieren's gaze froze the formless existence. "Even if you came, so what? I will kill you—"
The power of the First Flame covered it in an instant.
As expected, it let out a horrifying scream, visibly annihilating and disappearing.
Every time you come to Yharnam, I'll kill you once. She never had a kind look for this lingering pest.
The two leading Great Ones were beaten into a sorry state in the blink of an eye. This scene reminded the restless monsters of the true ruler's dominance over the dream. They trembled, terrified of the enmity in their own hearts.
So terrifying.
No wonder this being could suppress all of Yharnam. On one hand, the Great Ones were scattered and even hostile to one another; on the other, the power of the First Flame was concentrated in one person. The concentration of their powers was utterly incomparable. From the very beginning, they could only operate in the mental realm, relying mainly on the Orphan of Kos.
Now that the Great One skilled in curse-dreams had been killed by the second Fishing Hamlet expeditionary force, a crucial control unit had fallen.
This directly led to Frieren's complete awakening.
She showed no mercy to the Great Ones who tried to sneak-attack and stir up trouble from behind the scenes.
BOOM!
Explosions continuously battered their bodies, gradually eroding their shells. As for the insignificant powers of the Abyss, they vanished without a trace, silenced by the aftershocks. The battlefield now belonged to the power of creation.
Yharnam teetered under the light of the Black Sun Fire Ring. Countless monsters suffered from the scorching heat, their cries of pain rising and falling in waves.
Fortunately, Flamme and Miriadel were on the coast; otherwise, they too would have felt the furnace-like heat.
They instinctively activated their magic defenses and then realized something: the restriction had been lifted! Previously, with the special exception of Flamme, they could only use the native powers of Yharnam.
But now, all was permitted.
The power of the First Flame had melted the original seal.
"Master did it! Amazing!" the red-haired girl said, her eyes shining. "Is she going to kill the Great Ones completely?"
"She can't. From the beginning, she could only suppress and very slowly digest the power of Yharnam. Those Great Ones are one with the nightmare; they can't be easily erased. This is a long war that has been going on for over a hundred years."
"Listening to you, Sister Adel, it sounds like Master has been slumbering for a very long time?"
"Long? It feels like yesterday."
"...Alright, by elven standards, it must be very short."
"You don't need to worry about her. Instead of getting bogged down in all those convoluted details, you should pay close attention to Yharnam's specialties... This cocktail is pretty good. I have a new idea for a product."
As she spoke, she began to drink deeply, not caring whether it was a dream or not. A toast to start.
Hearing this, Flamme fell into thought. Indeed, the city of Yharnam beneath her feet had many things worth studying, such as how they built such magnificent architecture...
BOOM!
An explosion echoed from the sky as the Moon Presence crashed down, toppling a tall tower before gradually fading from sight. The first Great One had been repelled.
Beneath the Ringed Knight Sword, evil spirits scattered.
Frieren, in her full-powered main body, held an overwhelming advantage against a single Great One. She was invincible and unstoppable. Wherever the First Flame reached, the monsters were revealed and vanished without a trace.
Through this deep slumber, she had found a blessing in disguise, as the corruption of the Great Ones had overwritten Miquella's charm.
Upon waking from the nightmare, all her negative statuses had been cleared away.
This was one of the few moments of ease in Frieren's life. She no longer needed to be meticulously on guard against the invasion of the Great Ones. Since it had come to this, she would give them a thorough beating.
A moment later.
Yharnam, which had been filled with wails and howls, fell into a dead silence. All the Great Ones had vanished under the absolute power, slumbering in the depths of the nightmare.
"I'm about at my limit, too."
The silver-haired girl looked down at her palms, the edges of which were bright red, like burning embers. Remnants were even starting to flake off. No healing magic could ever restore it; she could only stop using the First Flame and recover slowly.
Her current state was that of a Lord of Cinder offering themselves to the flame, a power that could not be overused.
Although it looked spectacular, her body's strength was on the verge of collapse. As a vessel, it couldn't contain so much power and could easily explode on the spot. That would be an irreversible fate, certain death.
This time had been a risk, but fortunately, it had succeeded.
So Frieren let out a long sigh and dispelled the flames, then slowly flew down to the sandy beach.
"I'm back."
_____
🔥 The latest chapters are being posted! 🔥
🪦 Join the community on P... with a 25% discount!
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan