The Grand Lift of Dectus.
The lift on the Altus Plateau side had been transformed into a key defensive position. Numerous soldiers guarded both sides of the main road, and the hills and high grounds were dotted with fortresses concealing massive ballistae, powerful enough to pierce a dragon.
The main defensive force consisted of Leyndell Knights, supported by Oracle Envoys, Gargoyles, Tree Sentinels, and other units.
In terms of organization, equipment, and discipline, they were second to none in the Lands Between.
Strength is the reason for kingship, and the king's will requires strength to be executed. This is embodied in the army, and thus, the Royal Capital's army is the strongest.
They have always been the ones to conquer and lay siege.
But today was different. Following the "Skirmish between the Ancient Dragon and the Lord of Cinder," troops had been continuously redeployed to the city, focusing on the defense of the Golden Dynasty's capital, for that was the most critical location.
A palpable tension filled the air, especially when a messenger arrived on a swift horse to declare:
"By order of the Grace-Given King, the 2,000 soldiers at the lift must fully withdraw within three days," abandoning the frontline defenses at the lift.
"You are the last garrison. Trigger the final rockslide trap to block the passage. Regardless of success, return as quickly as possible—because the Lord of Cinder is still active on the Altus Plateau. It has just been confirmed that the Shaded Castle has suffered a devastating blow."
"As you command!"
The soldiers responded in unison, their movements quickening, yet remaining orderly.
There was no time to delay. According to the deductions of some officials of the Golden Lineage, Frieren was merely scouting this time, and it was highly probable she would visit every key location.
That renowned warrior who fought every enemy she met was sure to cause conflict. It was best to avoid her.
Against a sorcerer, one should fight a war of attrition from fortified positions. Engaging in open-field battle on the vast Altus Plateau was simply suicide.
To eliminate this security risk, they had to withdraw swiftly and not waste their strength in such a dangerous place.
They proceeded in an orderly fashion, their column even led by a Crucible Knight.
Originally, a full three Crucible Knights had been stationed here. Hailing from Stormveil Castle, a sealed Evergaol, and Caelid respectively, they had been leading contingents of troops back to the Royal Capital in staggered retreats.
The Crucible Knights, loyal to the First Lord Godfrey, had only been wandering temporarily, never losing their way. When the Lord of Cinder, Frieren, swept through the south, they chose to depart and head for the Royal Capital.
There, they heard good news: The First Lord would return.
So the Crucible Knights simply stayed, quietly awaiting that inevitable moment. One day, Godfrey would again lead them in conquest across the land, to pacify the Lands Between once more.
Suddenly, a series of urgent horn blasts shattered the train of thought. An emergency battle alert!
Across the entire Altus Plateau, how many factions were worthy of their vigilance? If it were a large army, the ground should have been shaking by now. Could it be...
"Switch from retreat column to battle formation! Prepare for magical combat!"
Before the words had even faded, a preemptive strike landed—a massive meteorite, over twenty meters in diameter, crashed into the center of the road.
Upon impact, it violently shattered, creating a barrier.
The goal was not to inflict casualties, but to block the army's advance. Such arrogance, to think she could devour them all in one go.
"Frieren!"
the Crucible Knight murmured in a low voice, recalling his experience during the Battle of Stormveil Castle.
At that time, he and his comrades were locked in combat with the Undead Legion of Farron, yet still felt the terrifying magical explosions nearby. And now, the Lord of Cinder, immeasurably stronger, had come for them.
Under the watchful eyes of all, dust billowed on the horizon of a hill. A lone rider on a swift steed, treading upon golden maple leaves, looked down upon them from on high.
Though not far, her presence felt like dark clouds pressing down, an overwhelming and terrible aura.
She reined in her steed, her gaze sweeping across the field.
The battlefield fell silent. Everyone who felt that gaze found their throats tightening, forgetting to breathe, watching with wide eyes as a massive longbow appeared.
The silver-haired girl drew the bowstring with a resonant twang. The compressed purple-and-white magic was silent, but the golden army had already begun to scatter rapidly, trying to evade.
The resemblance was too strong; her posture was like the Starscourge General returning to the field. No, it was worse.
They now faced the strongest Demigod, the one who had defeated him—
Lion Greatbow, Rain of Arrows!
The moment she released the bowstring, a dense volley of arrows shot vertically into the sky. Hundreds, thousands of them, each the size of a spear.
They soared high, tracing a beautiful parabola, forming a dark, oppressive cloud above the Leyndell army. Streaks of light flickered within it, carrying a deadly killing intent.
Shield wall! Golden Parry!
Small shields, greatshields, and tower shields interlocked in overlapping layers, creating an impenetrable wall. Since they couldn't outmaneuver it, they had no choice but to meet it head-on.
The knights felt a heavy force slam violently against their shields.
Then came a series of cracking impacts, continuously battering their fragile formation.
"Hold the line!"
Some were already pierced clean through, shield and all, by the oversized arrows, their bodies pinned in place as blood gushed forth. Yet, the next moment, a comrade would fill the gap. The formation constantly broke and reformed, unyielding under the Crucible Knight's command.
A small boat tossed in a storm, swaying endlessly but never sinking, with only the continuous glow of Golden Order Incantations shining forth.
Even as bodies were dragged away by the arrows, leaving bloody trails, they gritted their teeth and held on, trying to absorb the force.
One after another, the Leyndell Knights stubbornly endured two volleys of the arrow rain. In the latter stages, they even began to actively use the Tree Sentinels' Golden Retaliation as a focal point to nullify the energy of the ranged magic.
"Truly worthy of the Royal Capital's army. I am impressed."
After firing another round of arrows, Frieren put away the Lion Greatbow.
Purely ranged firepower had reached its limit; the efficiency was a bit low. She might as well charge in and fight herself.
At that moment, she stretched her shoulders and fingers, poised to strike.
"You intend to charge their formation?"
Melina showed a look of surprise, her tone clearly one of disapproval as she shook her head at her.
"Continuing with magic is the safest option. If you rashly charge into their ranks, you'll face a dangerous situation that could even trap a Demigod. Don't forget the lesson of Godefroy. Although he was weak, you don't have a personal guard to protect you."
"You alone are better than any Demigod's personal guard."
The decisive answer left Melina speechless. She truly didn't know what to say, feeling both pleased and worried that Frieren was being too reckless.
"If I don't experience it firsthand, we won't be able to judge the gap between the Southern Army and the Royal Capital Army. Come, this is an opportunity that won't come again."
After a moment of contemplation, the maiden wrapped her arms around the silver-haired girl's waist, tightening her grip in preparation.
Beneath them, Torrent huffed, panting heavily, its four hooves planted firmly, the muscles of its body taut and defined.
As the final volley of arrows tore a gap in the knightly order's front rank, a swift wind raced by—
Charge!
The spectral steed leaped down from the hillside. It was less like running and more like a combination of sprinting and soaring, rapidly closing the distance.
Too fast. The archers of the golden army didn't even have time to aim.
Most importantly, they had misjudged. How did she dare? Did she think she could take on a full-strength elite Leyndell detachment by herself?
Still some distance to go. Faster.
Frieren lowered her body to reduce drag, allowing Torrent's speed to increase even further. In a flash, they were within a hundred paces.
In the realm of the strong, this was nothing, yet it became the most solid of barriers.
The two lead Tree Sentinels blocked the way, their paths intersecting to obstruct her advance. Their towering figures on horseback formed a veritable wall.
However, Frieren showed no sign of slowing down. Instead, she thrust out a long spear.
Vyke's War Spear!
This time, it was not wreathed in Frenzied Flame, but in a Chaos Flame Assault. A ten-meter cone of fire erupted from it. No one had expected that she, renowned for her magic, would suddenly display such spear skills.
The Tree Sentinels were initially shocked, but they quickly realized something: It was too crude. Both her horsemanship and her spear technique felt amateurish. This person had no real skill.
Therefore, her opponent would use overwhelming power to overturn them.
With a tremendous roar, a cloud of fiery explosions sent the two Tree Sentinels flying into the army's formation.
This caused further disarray in their ranks. Seizing the momentum, Frieren tugged the reins, making a great leap over the front line, then used a Gravity Well to clear a space and land steadily.
She had arrived.
So, what now? She looked around at the forest of spears and countless weapons. Even a Hero charging in rashly would be hacked into mincemeat.
But the silver-haired girl calmly surveyed her surroundings, making the Leyndell Knights' hearts tremble.
"To think a complete amateur would dare to challenge us."
However, a light suddenly shone around her body. Carian Phalanx, Greatblade Phalanx, Glintblade Phalanx, and other combat sorceries rose to guard her.
This was not the usual type focused on duels, but a formation designed to break armies through sheer numbers.
A proactive, 360-degree counter-attack.
Whether it was hidden arrows, javelins, spears, or incantations, all were intercepted one by one, a truly breathtaking sight.
Could this spell be used in such a way? It was nothing like the original version.
Some elites tried to attack from behind, but they were met with Melina's sharp counterattack.
The Blade of Calling's aura was by no means short, sweeping forth in a wave of golden flame.
Being of the Golden Lineage herself, she knew exactly how to skillfully parry and break their incantations. Each time, she found a weak point and struck with precision, preventing the Leyndell Knights from advancing a single step.
"A Scion of Gold dares to oppose the Royal Capital!"
Words of this level could not shake Melina's resolve. With her there, no one could dream of sneak-attacking Frieren and Torrent from behind.
Golden Wave!
The incantation responded to its master's will, transforming into a higher level of energy that spread across the ground like a surging tide.
During their time fighting together, Melina had not been idle. Following a battle-crazed Tarnished, it was hard not to improve. Even she had gradually become more familiar with incantations and better able to unleash her body's potential.
Under such a large-scale Golden Wave, the Leyndell Knights were sent tumbling, men and horses alike.
This was bad. A high-spirited Demigod blocked the front, making a breakthrough difficult. Moreover, the Glintstone Phalanx was a constant interference. Despite hundreds of elites swarming forward, they could not break through.
The reason they were attacking the rear so fiercely was because the front line was even more outrageous, completely impenetrable.
Bang!
A flaming spear shot out thirty meters, leaving a trail of charred corpses in its wake. At its end was the war spear in Frieren's hand.
With a single-handed toss, the long spear spun around her forearm. Its point clanged as it parried a Tree Sentinel's shield bash, and at the same time, it carved a bloody hole in her opponent's body from an uncanny angle.
Her mounted combat skills were far superior to when the battle began.
The Lord of Cinder's talent was so high she could learn on the fly, improving at a visible rate!
Any normal warrior would never want to be surrounded on the battlefield while wielding a spear. But Frieren's one-handed grip implied something even more terrifying.
Her other hand, holding a staff, had been poised all along. After casting the Glintstone blades, it had gone still. Surely her conscience hadn't suddenly kicked in...
Gravity Blade!
The next moment, the knights witnessed a brilliant flash of light rise from the horizon, blooming wantonly across the boundless plains.
The first layer of energy tore up the very ground, along with everyone standing upon it.
The second layer was a blade of shockwaves, expanding in a fan shape with a radius of over a hundred meters. Wherever it passed, warhorses were torn apart, armor disintegrated, and the flesh and blood within turned to dust, returning to the Erdtree.
The third layer, the aftershock, became a gale that uprooted distant forests, sending maple leaves soaring into the clouds as if to compete with the Erdtree itself.
In the face of absolute power, there was no escape.
Even so, the outermost edge of the Gravity Blade did not lose its momentum, sending a sandstorm towards the high walls of Leyndell. It was a blatant provocation. To directly attack the main army's elite, and somehow still hold the advantage.
"There's no mistaking it," one said, "that's gravity magic more powerful than Radahn's. We're in danger."
"The golden army will never fall on the Altus Plateau!"
That their morale could remain this high was truly remarkable, as they had already lost a third of their number after the repeated assaults.
They were being systematically annihilated, and with a powerful visual impact. This was a result of Frieren's deliberate actions, intended to intimidate and test the enemy's resilience.
Impressively tough.
An army with slightly less organization would have probably scattered like birds and beasts by now.
Which was all the more reason for her to crush them. Eliminating a portion of them now would also reduce the pressure for the inevitable siege to come.
This was a rare opportunity. The silver-haired girl grabbed the reins, turned to face the Royal Capital's army, calm and composed, a slight curve to her lips.
It wasn't just her; Melina too was fired up with fighting spirit. They reveled in the thrill of fighting side-by-side, an army of thousands meaning nothing to them.
The enemy took a step back.
It was not a retreat, but a parting of the ways. The remaining high-ranking Leyndell Knights and Tree Sentinels advanced, led by a Crucible Knight.
He held a horned shield in one hand and a broadsword in the other, his heavy armor giving him a heroic and extraordinary appearance.
At this point, commanding the army was meaningless. The original hope was to use numerical superiority to defeat the enemy, but now it seemed that was wishful thinking against a quasi-monarch. It was better for him to lead an assault and fight a battle of elites.
"It's been a long time since we last met at Stormveil Castle."
"I have always wanted to fight a Crucible Knight. You have served through two generations of Elden Lords, with illustrious battle honors. This is perfect. If I don't take a valuable victory from the Royal Capital, I won't leave satisfied."
Frieren held a staff in one hand and a war spear in the other, preparing for battle in a posture never seen before.
Since she hadn't dismounted, it meant she intended to continue exploiting Torrent's mobility advantage, complemented by Melina's combat prowess...
It was to facilitate intercepting any routing soldiers.
The goal was total annihilation—not one would be left.
Realizing this, a shock ran through the entire Leyndell army, from top to bottom. Such audacity, such dominance, such kingly bearing. Truly worthy of the strongest quasi-monarch, the one closest to the Elden Ring. She wouldn't leave quietly; if she was going to leave, it would be with a bang.
The Royal Capital Army had blocked the lift for so long, delaying the south for years. They had to pay the price.
Only by watering the roads of the Altus Plateau with blood could she display her martial might.
_____
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