Edgar led a grand army of fully forty thousand troops, arriving swiftly at the Shadow Keep. Banners fluttered in the wind, and the morale of the garrison soared like a rainbow.
En route, he had already been briefed on the current situation by Frieren and Rellana. This was to be the assembly point.
The thought of fighting alongside the legendary Crusaders was indeed stirring.
The castle itself could no longer contain such a multitude. Consequently, a significant portion of the forces camped directly upon the Scadu Altus. Their tents stretched out endlessly, weaving a landscape of white across the terrain.
Greeting them at the castle gates was none other than Messmer himself. After exchanging pleasantries, both sides proceeded to the inner keep.
The high-ranking officers, burdened with military orders, had no time for excessive formalities. The priority was to act quickly.
The lifting of the Shadow Seal meant that, theoretically, other factions could enter the fray to muddy the waters at any moment. They had to fight fast and decide the outcome swiftly.
"Roar!"
A winged shadow was cast from the sky—it was an Ancient Dragon.
"We have returned."
The Mimic Tear, always outwardly enthusiastic, waved in greeting. Beside her, Frieren and Melina also nodded. They had finally arrived before the war council.
Only after depositing her passengers in the loft did Florisaxx revert to her human form. Even after the long trek, she remained brimming with energy.
Returning to the Land of Shadow didn't displease her; on the contrary, it felt like a reckoning. With the long mission of subduing the dread dragon concluded, it was now time for Her Majesty to ascend the throne.
The first obstacle was the God-King alliance, a challenge that made even an Ancient Dragon's blood boil.
The four of them quickly made their way downstairs to the meeting location.
Laid out before everyone was a massive sand table map, detailing the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and the orientation of the Spiral Tower. It reconstructed the structure as accurately as possible—this was their only reference.
Frieren spoke first to greet them: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Let us get to the main topic."
"Your Majesty, we await your command," they answered in unison.
Their resounding voices echoed through the conference room, united against a common enemy. At this moment, under the banner of the Soul Cinder King, they shared a singular goal.
It was truly unexpected.
To be honest, Frieren had never anticipated such a scene. Looking around, the number of Demigods and legends present—Melina, the Mimic Tear, Ranni, Messmer, Rellana, the Undead Legion, and Florisaxx—was exaggerated.
There were also generals like Edgar, Gaius, and Moongrum, who would serve as the direct field commanders for this war. The scale was unprecedented.
Countless mid-to-lower-ranking officers sat in attendance as well.
Everyone's gaze focused on Frieren. Not just those in this room, but the elite vanguards of three armies.
They had entrusted their lives and fortunes to fight for the mission of restoring the Lands Between. Responsibility had never manifested as tangibly as it did at this moment.
Their gazes felt substantial, a weight of a thousand tons settling squarely upon her shoulders, immeasurable.
"Thank you."
"Thank you for your trust. Command is not my forte, but I will use my power to bring victory." The silver-haired girl waved her hand, and the sand table changed rapidly. "Back to business. This is what I just scouted with Florisaxx's help."
Several layers of barriers had been added outside the Spiral Tower, along with additional outer walls.
It was already a towering fortress, easily defended and hard to attack. Now, the defenders were constantly raising the stakes, turning it into an impregnable iron bucket, dead set on fighting a war of attrition.
If the rhythm of battle were dragged out, unforeseen variables would arise.
"How many men do we have for the siege?"
Frieren estimated that some would have to be left behind for garrison duties, logistics, and tending to the wounded, not to mention the Crusaders were no longer at their peak historical numbers.
"Messmer's Crusaders can provide 20,000 main force troops."
"Rellana's Carian Army has another 10,000 battle-ready soldiers."
"Plus the 40,000 Edgar brought, that makes 70,000? It might not be enough for a siege."
The silver-haired girl pointed to the outer wall of the Spiral Tower and said, "During high-altitude reconnaissance, I sensed a massive number of Fingercreepers. There are very many of them. Combined with the original Hornsent army, they definitely exceed 100,000, and that hasn't even accounted for the Haligtree support."
At best, they held a qualitative advantage.
In a typical siege, a ratio of 7:1 might suffice, but the Spiral Tower was unique. It was too tall, and its scale was terrifying; any commander would get a headache seeing it.
"Even if we breach inside, we's have to fight urban warfare. Such scenarios were common when exterminating the Hornsent."
The experienced Messmer pointed to the Scorched Ruins on the sand table.
It used to be a city, forcibly flattened by the Crusaders. Many battles actually took place within the city limits; ordinary walls couldn't stop their advance.
In other words.
Breaching the wall was merely the first step.
"I don't know how many lives this first step will cost," Frieren lamented. "We cannot let it devolve into something like the Shattering."
Back then, Ranni had orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives, leading to her two brothers attacking the Royal Capital, Leyndell. However, due to the Morgott's fierce defense, it turned into a protracted war of attrition. The plan was stalled, leading to severe consequences.
Now, with another siege before them, Ranni was worried about Frieren.
"Rest assured, Ranni. Since Florisaxx and I have scouted it, we have a way."
"Yes, please leave it to us. The power of the Ancient Dragons of Sky City will reappear in this battle."
The High Priestess also craved military merit. After all, she represented not just herself, but the support of the Ancient Dragon race. Without contribution, one could not speak of receiving Grace.
They would give it their all.
The harmonized opening remarks from Frieren and Florisaxx were reassuring. Clearly, they had a plan, so there was no need for superfluous worry. Everyone simply needed to manage their respective duties well.
Messmer continued, "Then the next focus is urban warfare. First, intelligence on the Hornsent elites..."
He detailed the plan thoroughly. Unlike the rigid descriptions in intelligence reports, this was the Hornsent style as experienced through the Crusaders' slaughter—vivid, practical, and perfectly suited for dealing with such morally bankrupt wretches.
The frontline commanders listened intently to this experience, as they would be responsible for direct coordination.
Corresponding to the Soul Cinder Army, the Crusaders, and the Carian Army, they had fully integrated with their subordinates and naturally took over command.
The Demigods were exceptions. They were either responsible for special missions or besieging another Demigod.
It would be far from easy, and they couldn't spare the attention to command. The most critical point of this battle lay with Frieren; if the Promised Consort was not defeated, all would be for naught.
Despite facing the God-King duo, no wavering could be seen on her face.
The only tension appeared right at the beginning, as if the entrustment of so many warriors weighed heavy.
After that, Frieren relaxed.
Like Melina, the Mimic Tear, the Undead Legion, and Florisaxx, she didn't interfere with the planning. She left the tactical specifics to Messmer and Rellana, while the macro strategy was handed to Ranni, who was, in a sense, the sole strategist.
"By the way, the imminent support from the Haligtree Army gave me an idea... Frieren, can you shoot the Scarlet Aeonia into the Spiral Tower?"
Ranni's startling line of thought made Frieren's eyes light up.
"Theoretically, it's possible."
"But there is a massive amount of Holy attribute magic inside the Spiral Tower, and it's of the purification lineage related to Miquella. The effect probably won't be significant."
Frieren removed an Aeonia flower from her head and displayed it as she spoke.
After absorbing the energy from the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, it looked as if it were about to drip blood, vividly ready to burst, craving an eruption. Unfortunately, it might not be effective against the Spiral Tower's faction.
It was suited for warfare on great plains, not high-altitude, three-dimensional combat.
Frieren shook her head.
"I don't just mean for killing enemy troops. Can we think of a way to deploy a Rot barrier in the high air?"
"Your target is the Haligtree Army?"
"Correct. There aren't many routes for rapid support. Riding Flying Dragons or Winged Misbegotten is a good choice. Also, it might delay Malenia, who is likely coming to support."
"There is no intelligence indicating the Valkyrie will mobilize," Messmer cautioned.
"She will. Because this is family. The Haligtree Twins are very close. I've met them. Miquella might not save Malenia, but Malenia will definitely come."
This judgment was equivalent to bad news.
Another powerful enemy added to the list.
Rellana asked in confusion, "Using Scarlet Rot to block an Empyrean who possesses the Rot Order... isn't that contradictory?"
"Because you don't know that my Scarlet Rot is different."
Everyone's gaze returned to the silver-haired girl. She nodded, holding a Scarlet Aeonia in one hand and ordinary Scarlet Rot in the other. The flower was actively eroding the other.
No, this was something else entirely.
One was the manifestation of a festering cycle; the other was purely malignant killing power. They looked the same, but in reality, the latter had been modified for attack power.
"My Scarlet Rot will definitely drive that Outer God crazy."
Frieren smiled and added, "Mainly, we use the same-attribute Scarlet Rot to neutralize it in advance, preventing the Valkyrie from using Scarlet Aeonia right off the bat. After all, with our greater numbers, we are the ones who need to be careful."
With this insurance policy, everyone relaxed a little. At least they didn't have to worry too much about Scarlet Rot.
Its anti-army effect was too terrifying.
Being able to prepare countermeasures in advance was excellent. Being led by a battle-hardened King was reliable; Her Majesty had already engaged Scarlet Rot several times.
Frieren continued, "After breaching the walls, let's not rush to attack upwards. Instead, we should deploy our forces here and adopt a defensive stance. The Spiral Tower isn't suitable for large-scale combat; entering rashly will easily incur a painful price."
"What about the enemy's firepower from the high ground?" Messmer asked.
"I've thought of that. I've asked Blaidd to bring more Flying Dragons, Trolls, and Magma Wyrms. We just need to suppress the high-altitude firing points. Besides, Priestess Florisaxx can help."
"I see. I agree. That's a good method; at least it can minimize casualties."
He agreed immediately and added some formation information, planning the follow-up tactics against the Spiral Tower in advance...
Moments later.
As the meeting went deeper, it was basically Frieren guiding the rhythm and asking the heads of each section to coordinate closely, followed by Messmer and Rellana, the two commanders, making detailed plans. The three of them covered almost all the brain-burning work, flowing smoothly.
Truly worthy of Carian Royals; it ran in the family.
In terms of military quality as commanders, both Ranni and Rellana were first-class, properly trained from childhood. Messmer, on the other hand, was a commander forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
They complemented each other.
Amidst the harmonious discussion between the academic and practical schools, Frieren completely emptied her mind, leaving it to her teammates.
She didn't understand complex and meticulous troop movements; professional matters should be left to professionals. Managing a full 70,000 people was too complicated, especially with nearly 100,000 enemies on the other side.
If it were humans from her world, they'd probably bluff and call it a "Army of 100,000."
In the Lands Between, the number stated was the actual number. They wouldn't set up confusing arrays, nor would they count logistics personnel to inflate the numbers.
So, these were genuine scales, and when they fought, it was often earth-shattering.
For instance, one glance told Frieren that the troops Edgar brought were frontline units. There was no shortage of veterans who had experienced several campaigns with her. They were precious and reliable grassroots combat power, the bone and blood of the Soul Cinder Army.
All in.
For these people, let alone losing, even a pyrrhic victory would severely damage their vitality.
So, it had to be a total victory. Not only did they have to win, but she also had to bring these veterans, tempered by the God-King's battlefield, back home.
She exchanged a look with Edgar. Master and servant both felt the heavy responsibility; everything was understood without words.
"That is all—"
Messmer concluded decisively, "Everyone make final preparations. We rest for half a day, then depart and force-march through the Ancient Ruins of Rauh route."
Everyone answered in unison and dispersed.
Just as Frieren walked out of the conference room, a Fire Knight reported: "Your Majesty, a Pureblood Knight named Ansbach wishes to see you. He is on the first floor of the Specimen Storehouse ahead."
"Good, I'll go."
After walking a short distance, she saw an old man slowly putting down a heavy ancient tome.
And another familiar face—it was the travel-worn Thiollier. The two had just been exchanging information regarding godhood.
Unexpectedly, the dissenting squad members were gathered here.
"It seems you are both ready?"
Ansbach answered solemnly, "Yes. I wish to conclude this war in the name of a knight under Lord Mohg."
"And I, in the name of Lady St. Trina, must stop Miquella from becoming a god."
"Very well. You will serve as irregular personnel for now. However, do not intervene in the battle with the Promised Consort. I must also personally release Radahn."
The two nodded.
Although they desperately wanted to participate personally in the Battle of the God-King, the gap in power was vast. Being able to participate in this grand war was already their limit.
They would set their sights on Miquella's followers; they had a premonition that the followers would fight to the death among themselves.
It wasn't about personal grudges, but the grandest dispute in the Lands Between: which side's God and King would be chosen?
After giving instructions, Frieren made to leave, but heard Ansbach suddenly say:
"To be able to fight for Mohg, and to throw myself into the same battlefield alongside you... I am deeply honored, Lady Frieren."
"I am also honored to meet a true knight."
"This will likely be my final battle."
Ansbach's aura was filled with resolve. Frieren wanted to say more, but what could be said?
When it came to resolve, who wasn't resolved? The opponent was an unprecedented God-King combination; it would be a fight to the death.
"Take care."
Thiollier said finally, "Your Majesty, I hope you can save Lady St. Trina."
"I promised I would. You two get ready as well. Time waits for no one; we depart as soon as possible."
Seeing Ranni walking up on her own initiative, Frieren waved goodbye. Together with Florisaxx and Melina, they discussed as they walked, their retreating figures gradually fading into the distance...
The Spiral Tower, Enir-Ilim.
First Tower Viewing Platform. This place was spacious and high, offering excellent visibility to overlook most of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh area.
Leaning against the railing, Leda reached out to receive a carrier pigeon. Opening it, she said:
"The Haligtree Army reinforcements will arrive on time. Additionally, Lady Malenia will arrive at the battlefield a bit later."
Her gaze swept over the group of followers, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was impossible not to worry about Frieren's massive army.
That was a combined force of 70,000 regular troops from three armies, plus the combat power of eight Demigods.
Terrifying.
Unknowingly, the Soul Cinder King's faction had grown this large.
Although the enemy was tough, they possessed a God-King. Yet, how could they not worry about the destructive power of an army of 70,000?
Leda asked, "If Frieren dies, will they surrender?"
"I can't be sure about others, but those soldiers from the south definitely won't," Freyja answered with certainty. "I saw in Caelid how dead-set they are. They were nurtured by the Soul Cinder King's Grace multiple times. They cannot be shaken. They would rather return to the Erdtree to accompany Her Majesty."
"That is truly a pity."
"I believe Caria won't surrender either."
The speaker was Ymir. This mysterious Finger Mage always gave off a neurotic aura, as eerie as the black-armored female knight beside him. Although he hailed from the Carian lineage, he didn't match their candid and open nature at all.
Nonetheless, Leda pressed, "Why?"
"I did avoid Ranni and Rellana's investigation earlier, choosing to stay at the Spiral Tower with the great Mother of Fingers, but I still understand their intelligence. Caria has wagered too much now. They are in too deep; they cannot withdraw."
"It's not like they haven't submitted before."
"It's different. Having clearly put forward their own choice of God and King, Caria cannot, and is unable to, choose another path. They can only fight to the last moment."
Ymir sneered, "Perhaps we are about to witness their stubbornness."
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other. Thinking carefully, it seemed correct.
In any case, the Carian Royal Family couldn't afford another choice. They had lost too much in the Shattering, and gained too much in the series of wars launched by the Soul Cinder King.
They were all in.
Even honor wouldn't allow them to defect to someone else again.
"No matter what, that Ashen One must die. This is vengeance. Since she chose to hunt the Lords of Cinder, she must pay the price." Prince Lothric revealed his hands from under his black robes, slightly raising terrifying magic power.
He would not forget the pain of being hunted by Frieren and treated as kindling. He had to make her taste defeat as well.
The other Prince, whose legs had long been disabled, also let out a hoarse growl, gritting his teeth in the direction of the Shadow Keep.
At that time, the brothers had been forced to separate in flesh and blood. The debt had to be settled with Frieren. She was merely an Unkindled Ash, yet she had the audacity to do such things. It was simply unreasonable.
Leda asked, "Can you tell us about your grievances outside the Lands Between?"
"It's too long."
Clearly, the other party didn't intend to delve deep, or perhaps was unwilling to recall it. It was likely a relationship of deep-seated hatred.
It was no wonder they were obsessed with revenge after descending into the Land of Shadow. However, these two were powerful, and invincible when working together. As long as they maintained a united front, it was fine.
"According to the information you provided me... does she also possess a Lord Soul?"
"What does that mean?"
The Prince didn't answer but looked at his elder brother and warned:
"It represents that Frieren is likely the second Fire Linker after Gwyn, that nameless fated Undead, the hero who first proved that the linking of the fire could be continued. She also appeared in Scholar Aldia's era and similarly chose to link the fire."
"She seems to possess the ability to traverse different times and spaces, making choices among different possibilities."
Hearing the conclusion, everyone's hearts tightened. Although there were many parts they didn't understand, this news was a bit too explosive—simply possessing might like the Greater Will.
Really?
"As far as I know, the final Ashen One, Frieren, chose to end the fire linking."
"I thought that fellow was an idealist who naively believed the world would find its own way out, but I must have guessed wrong."
"She is accumulating power across different choices to arrive at an ending that isn't restricted by fate and satisfies herself. Don't forget, the First Flame inherently possesses many abilities, so Frieren might be linked to the world of the First Flame."
The Prince held his chin, falling into deep thought. By extension, perhaps the Lands Between could also bring Frieren new inspiration to save other worlds.
Although she was an Ashen One, she never gave up on any possibility.
"So?" Ymir asked impatiently. "You've deduced a whole lot, but what intelligence does it ultimately explain?"
"It means the entire Lands Between has never seen Frieren's true power."
"..."
The definitive conclusion made everyone's heartbeat skip a beat. Could it be that Frieren, exaggerated to this extent, still wasn't at full power? Even though every battle she had experienced was a fierce fight of high caliber.
Yet they weren't enough to make her display a life-or-death level of skill.
Leda proclaimed loudly, "You outsiders won't understand the power of a God-King either. Now, the Promised Consort and Lord Miquella are complete."
She pointed to the top of the Spiral Tower, where light shone brilliantly, and Holy attribute magic turned into auspicious water clouds.
"Victory will belong to us."
Even the Twin Princes of Lothric remained silent. It was indeed a power they didn't understand, and no one would underestimate that divine power. Defeating Frieren would of course be best, but who knew how much commotion it would cause.
In reality, they detested this group of bewitched fools. If they were pummeled by the final Ashen One, it would actually be quite relieving.
Ymir echoed, "The power of the Mother of Fingers will protect you all. You will understand how magnificent the existence the Greater Will cast upon the Lands Between is. She represents the supreme."
Leda actively interrupted him and conveyed a message:
"Anyway, everyone make your preparations. The city defense deployment is about to begin."
"If you truly want to consider the long term, you should also think about how to govern the south after Frieren's death."
After speaking, she strode away. After all, there were plenty of trivial matters to handle; the defending side always needed to prepare more material logistics.
The crowd dispersed.
The south and the Land of Shadow, which had finally been united in the hands of the Soul Cinder King, relied entirely on one person's prestige to hold together. So, Frieren's life and death were critical.
This battle would either accelerate the revitalization of the Lands Between or push it into the abyss once more.
If the Promised Consort won a pyrrhic victory, it would be difficult to ascend the throne.
No, a pyrrhic victory for either side would be terrible for the Lands Between.
There was only one choice: to defeat the enemy with a total victory. It was good for themselves and good for the living beings of the Lands Between.
Thinking of this, they looked down below the Spiral Tower, where densely packed Hornsent soldiers and Fingercreepers were gathering.
Solid defenses, abundant troops and generals, possessing the high ground—every element pointed to the ending of a meat grinder.
_____
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