Galloping wildly.
Torrent galloped across the endless land of golden leaves, kicking up a swirl of brilliant colors. Ever since arriving at the Altus Plateau, he had been as excited as if on a stimulant.
Aboard his back, Frieren and Melina occasionally tucked strands of hair behind their ears, feeling the long wind blow, accompanied by a rich, clean fragrance as the scenery on both sides of the road rapidly receded. They looked back to find the walls of Leyndell had almost vanished from sight.
This land was vast enough for one side to be locked in a life-or-death struggle while the other remained peaceful and serene, not to mention that the monarch's coalition army had not ravaged the northern part of the plateau.
On the contrary, signs of a blizzard appeared in the far distance. White snow obscured the view, and it didn't look like a place one could easily fly over. It was both remote and treacherous, as if a world sealed off from the rest of The Lands Between.
"Is that... the forbidden snowfields?"
"Yes. It is the land that the Golden Dynasty focused on suppressing and sealing, and it is filled with the remains of Giants."
"I've heard of the War against the Giants," Frieren said. After all, it was Marika who had personally exterminated them. What exactly happened back then?
"Because they touched the forbidden power of flame, which had the potential to threaten the Erdtree. Therefore, the latent danger had to be snuffed out in its infancy, with absolutely no carelessness."
Melina's tone was full of apprehension as she mentioned this.
She vaguely remembered the aftershocks of that brutal war. Of course, it was mainly brutal for the enemy; for the Golden Dynasty at its zenith, sweeping through them was an insignificant obstacle.
The silver-haired girl shaded her eyes with her hand and gazed into the distance, her face full of anticipation.
"Don't think about it for now. You must first pass through the sealed gate of the Royal Capital."
"Anyone who attempts to sneak through by other means will be punished by the blizzard. The area itself is a powerful barrier."
"I understand."
Frieren withdrew her gaze. The time was not yet right.
In a short while, the two had arrived at the edge of the Shaded Castle and stopped to observe. What met their eyes was a pool of greasy green water.
Spreading out the map and checking it repeatedly, they confirmed the location was correct. How did it end up like this? What part of it lived up to the name "Shaded"?
Although their intelligence indicated it was polluted and dilapidated, they hadn't expected it to be this severe.
Melina looked troubled, the reason being the truly awful smell. "Even someone as worldly as her found it repulsive. How did a perfectly good moat turn into a cesspool?"
Her partner, in contrast, looked expectant, rubbing her hands together in preparation.
Enjoying it?
Some strange memory had probably been stirred up again. If that was the case, she would go along with it.
The truth was, Frieren was reminded of the various poison pools of Farron Keep, Blighttown, and the Earthen Peak Ruins. The paltry Shaded Castle was nothing to her; it felt as familiar as coming home. The same old smell.
Of course, she still put up a protective barrier. Nostalgia didn't mean she wanted to bathe in it.
With a light leap, the two landed on the castle wall. It wasn't very high to begin with, and years of continuous collapse meant its relative height hadn't much decreased.
Standing atop it now, their view was filled with decay—broken bricks and shattered tiles, a scene of utter ruin. Looking inward, there were large clusters of buildings.
Their current position was on the outer wall, which emphasized defense and wide coverage. The true labyrinth exploration would have to wait until they went inside.
Roar!
Suddenly, a lunging living corpse was eliminated by the automatic counter of a Glintblade. The one-hit kill was clean and decisive. Inspired by the Carian magic from the Land of Shadow, it had become even sharper and more accurate.
The monster died on the spot without even seeing the silver-haired girl turn her head.
"Strange. I was planning to try and heal them, but their souls showed no reaction."
Melina glanced over and said with regret, "The corruption is too advanced. Besides, this is at the foot of the Erdtree; it should be easy for them to return to it. But because their bodies are mutilated, their souls cannot gather completely, so they're stuck in a mutated state..."
"This is a flaw in the eternal law of this land."
"Indeed. That's why we must find a way to overcome the flaw and repair it, or replace it with a new order. From the looks of it now, your choice was the right one."
In truth, she hadn't shown much certainty about the Order of the Stars, merely seeing it as a step for the Tarnished to become Lord.
Fundamentally, Melina hoped more for the Golden Order to be made whole again.
What a pity.
The more one understood it, the more one discovered its unchangeable flaws. Not even the master Goldmask could fix it, right? In the end, it would just be papering over the cracks.
That level of mending wouldn't be enough to save The Lands Between. But she might not live to see how it's actually done, whether through the Stars, the Golden, or that pure order advocated by Miquella...
As she was pondering, a cloud of fiery powder exploded. It was Frieren, who had found a Perfumer and was engaged in a fierce battle, her attacks like a raging storm.
"You neither fight head-on nor excel at magic, relying too much on external items. You should stick to a support role and not overstep."
Hmph!
Under the impatient Lord of Cinder's assault, the attacker was immediately forced back. Even using perfume powder with all its might to block was futile. The opponent's magic siege capability was truly absurd, and in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of it—
A blue glintstone pierced the Perfumer's body and immediately exploded into fragments.
It all happened in the span of two exchanges. From the moment it was discovered, its death was certain. It thought it was the ambusher, but little did it know the hunter had disguised itself as the prey. One miscalculation, and it paid with its life.
"This is too slow," Frieren said. "We need to hurry. Don't forget, both the Volcano and the Royal Capital will dispatch scouts to search for us."
Frieren nodded upon hearing this.
It wasn't that she feared them, but getting entangled would be too troublesome. If it weren't to help Millicent, she probably wouldn't have even come to the Shaded Castle.
Since it was an open-air environment, she might as well make it quick. The monsters on the wall were practically living targets, and her hands were itching for a fight.
At the same time, a large number of living corpses reanimated. Having slumbered for so long, they had finally found living beings. A repulsive instinct toward life drove their malicious steps forward.
These monsters were even more corrupted. They were no longer just desiccated figures; their bones had broken through their flesh, with hideous bone spurs protruding, making them truly terrifying.
In comparison, the living corpses in the south were practically harmless little darlings.
Voom!
Frieren raised her staff and pointed it toward the sky. A crystalline mass floated up, rapidly growing thorn-like spikes. The immense convergence of magic drew all their attention, forcing them to witness the crystal scatter—
A dense rain of fine crystal spikes fell from above, blanketing the battlefield. The only sound was the whistle of them cutting through the air.
It was followed by the crackling of shattering bodies as the living corpses were torn to pieces.
They hardly bled anymore, only broken bones and skin being ripped and smashed by the sharp crystals. Even when their bodies fell, they were impaled by even smaller crystals, covering the entire wall.
Frieren didn't forget to adjust the position of the large crystal masses. There had to be one in every direction: east, west, north, and south.
The floating instruments of slaughter unleashed an absolute rain of blades. Carried by the long winds rustling the golden leaves, it swept across the outskirts of the Shaded Castle, creating a scene of reaping.
Every exposed living corpse was, without exception, covered by firepower!
Even Frieren hadn't expected this effect. It seemed her magic power had unconsciously improved by a large margin.
She hadn't used a low-tier sorcery like Crystal Barrage in so long that she had poured far more magic into it. The result, naturally, was a qualitative change—its power was overwhelming. Rather than a shower of shards, it was more like a wholesale siege.
Some of the sharp crystals even shattered the battlements.
She simply went all out, strengthening the power of the crystal masses in all four directions. And so, reflecting the sunlight, a glass-like sharpness rained down from the heavens.
Shatter, shatter!
Before the caster whose perception covered the entire wall, no target could hide. The living corpses could only watch as sheets of crystal descended from the sky, effortlessly slicing through them with absolute speed and sharpness, completely unstoppable.
Within a few breaths, the living corpses were all but annihilated, not a single one left whole. As their bodies collapsed, the last remnants of their souls were forced to depart.
Seeing that it was about done, Frieren began to ease her assault.
Erdtree Burial Incantation.
A halo of golden light guided the souls' essences on their distant journey, pointing toward the Erdtree on the horizon. The light from the colossal tree seemed to respond in kind.
Even the most tattered soul would one day return to the Erdtree, especially since she had provided a minimum level of protection, and the aura of the Great Rune within her further promoted this resonance.
At the same time, Melina also murmured a prayer, asking for protection.
The river of souls drifted into the distance. On the broken bridge, Corhyn seemed to sense something and looked up, and even Goldmask's hand drooped slightly...
It had been too long since the Altus Plateau had witnessed such a large-scale return to the Erdtree, so long that people had forgotten what the Golden Order was supposed to look like in operation. Had the splendor of a distant age returned? Probably not.
It was more like the swan song of an old era, echoing.
Those ancient, tormented souls faded away, along with that piece of history.
Farther away, the Royal Capital's scout team set out. A defensive contraction didn't mean holing up completely. Since the Lord of Cinder was on the move, they had to at least confirm her general location.
Then, a gust of frosty wind erased the last few living corpses, and with that, the castle walls were finally cleared.
Frieren didn't rush inside. Instead, her eyebrow twitched. It seemed her "auto-pickup module" had just found something special. She immediately took it out to inspect it and found a painting:
"Song of the Hero"
One of the works of a nomadic painter. A painted memory titled "Song of the Hero." It is said the painter would capture images of those who have vanished, along with the scene of their final moments.
By visiting the location in the painting, one might find the painter's spirit, and the relics left behind at that final moment.
She had collected many similar items; for example, some nobles would offer artworks as tribute, but they were far inferior to this one.
It seemed to depict a location somewhere on the Altus Plateau?
"There's someone in the castle!" Melina suddenly warned. "I felt a gaze."
Although the person hid quickly, vanishing in a flash, the lingering aura was real. Anyone who witnessed Frieren's level of magical output would be startled, and to remain hidden until now indicated considerable skill.
In a place like the Shaded Castle?
She remembered that this castle under her feet wasn't a particularly important fortress. Its lord had simply revered the Valkyrie, making it a vassal of the Haligtree's forces, at best...
"We'll know once we go in. Besides, I've collected most of what's outside."
"You seem very focused this time. Do you know if there's some special treasure inside?"
"Actually, I'm not sure either. I'll have to search to find out."
"If it has caught your eye, it must be extraordinary. Let's hurry. It will be troublesome if scout teams and the like arrive."
The two set off from the outer wall. Thanks to her auto-pickup and treasure map being active the entire time, Frieren had missed almost nothing. A single circuit of the walls was enough to finish collecting.
So poor.
At least so far, the Shaded Castle hadn't offered any surprises; it was utterly unremarkable.
Using her super-wide-range perception as a guide, Frieren descended from the inner side and headed toward the fortress complex. Along the way, she unsurprisingly stepped through another poison pool, though it was a bit too shallow to slow her down.
It's no Lake of Rot.
As she was thinking, a ring of light suddenly flew toward her from above. Its sharp, rotating outer edge attacked in an instant from a tricky angle, all in the blink of an eye. The silver-haired girl simply tilted her head and shifted her body to the side to dodge it. Her steps didn't falter in the slightest; it was effortless.
"There are Cleanrot Knights hiding in a place like this?" Melina murmured with a frown. "Logically, they are enemies of the Royal Capital's army. The Leyndell Knights wouldn't allow it."
"It means we've come to the right place. It's definitely related to the Haligtree."
As soon as she finished speaking, Frieren lightly kicked off the wall and flew straight up. A brief levitation and change in the direction of gravity weren't difficult, and the lack of defending forces allowed her to break through easily, landing squarely on the inner wall.
Swoosh!
It was immediately followed by another ring of light from the distance, and more Cleanrot Knights were rushing over.
"If you back off now, I won't hold this attack against you."
The response was a ready battle stance.
Frieren was actually quite sincere about communicating with the Haligtree natives; gathering information indirectly would also help her understand Miquella's background. Unfortunately, The Lands Between was full of enemies who refused to communicate, or rather, who believed that force was the best form of communication.
Furthermore, two Cleanrot Knights were cautiously guarding a small room behind them. Over their shoulders, a treasure chest could be seen.
Could it be?
Before she could think further, a long spear suddenly thrust out, its point aimed straight for her face, the gust of wind lifting her silver bangs. A thrust of this speed was easy enough to dodge.
Carian Piercer—
—a blue glintstone blade struck back with even greater speed, giving the former no time to react.
But at almost the same moment, the other Cleanrot Knight brought down her sword in a powerful chop, shattering the glintstone with a crack and rescuing her comrade from a perilous situation. Otherwise, that seemingly simple piercer would have been enough to tear through armor.
The two coordinated and attacked simultaneously. Twin spears pressed from the left and right, unleashing a tempest of thunderous strikes, their cold gleam sealing off all escape.
The narrow wall became an excellent strategic advantage. Two long spears were enough to create a situation where one could hold off ten thousand. The unified tactics of the elite Cleanrot Knights made them an even greater threat.
However, it was still not enough against a divine being.
What's more, while Frieren was only divine in terms of stats, her technique was at its zenith. Amidst the airtight flurry of killing blows—a precise parry.
Amidst the cold glint of the spears, the silver-haired girl parried with her staff and her Moonveil, never missing a beat.
The Cleanrot Knights fought until their brows were beaded with sweat, a sense of dread growing in their hearts. How is she doing this? How can a person's reflexes and precision be controlled to this degree? It's simply divine skill.
Within the attacker's techniques, they even recognized an unusual style...
So familiar.
In that moment of distraction, Frieren's Moonveil blade shone, unleashing an elegant and agile arc of light. It effortlessly sliced through the weak points of the Cleanrot Armor, and fresh blood splattered instantly.
"Why do you know the Waterfowl Dance?"
_____
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