The inevitable has arrived.
Frieren had anticipated reinforcements from the Haligtree army, but she hadn't expected them to deploy an aerial transport force of this scale.
Not only that, a sandstorm was brewing on the edge of the horizon, the sign of several thousand troops charging at full speed. Their ability to arrive from so far away was a miracle in itself.
A forced march is often the ultimate test of an army's organization, and these were absolute elites.
The aerial formation prepared to descend directly upon the Spiral Tower's core to intercept the enemy.
However, they immediately issued a warning:
"High concentration of residual Scarlet Rot in the air! Do not enter rashly! Evade at once!"
The Flower of Aeonia that Frieren had bloomed earlier had created a quarantine zone, preventing the Haligtree army from immediately linking up with the Hornsent forces. Now divided, they could only provide cover for each other from a distance.
She cast a look of appreciation at the little puppet princess. It was a masterful stroke; thanks to Ranni's idea, the enemy forces were now fighting on their own.
But this was not enough to affect the morale of a top-tier army.
They quickly regrouped under their commander's orders. The aerial formation dropped off the elite Haligtree soldiers at the front lines and then began to maintain an observational holding pattern.
"Loretta is in command."
Ranni sighed as she recognized the distant white armor. The two sides were now forced to meet in battle.
Fate was a cruel trickster; it was ultimately unavoidable. The king she had chosen must defeat all powerful foes.
That included the Haligtree. Since a battle was inevitable sooner or later, it was better to test their mettle here and now.
With the arrival of new forces, a solemn atmosphere fell over the plain.
The main army led by Edgar had remained stationary precisely as a precaution, and just as expected, the Haligtree army had intervened. They would now face a legion long-renowned throughout the Lands Between.
"Form ranks! Prepare to engage!"
The resounding voice was full of infectious power. His subordinates were ready, their blood boiling as they stared into the dust storm.
—At this point, all five armies had arrived.
Before the Spiral Tower, the military formations were vast and layered. A forest of weapons pointed to the heavens, and banners obscured the sky like shifting clouds. The very ground thundered with the sound of their marching feet.
The scene was a grand gathering of the Army of the Lord of Cinder, the Carian army, the Crusade Army, the Hornsent army, and the Haligtree army.
Truly magnificent.
Every soldier present felt a sense of honor; simply marching onto this battlefield of gods was the stuff of legends.
Who would claim the final victory? Their every action would decide the fate of the age.
Loretta led her troops in reinforcement, and the closer they got, the quieter it seemed to become.
"All units, hold formation."
As commander, Edgar had to lead the army from the south against the finest armed forces in the Lands Between.
Could he prove that the south was not weak? Could he succeed? There was no time for such thoughts; there was only the charge.
"Under Her Majesty's witness, for the Lands Between!" The great general raised his banner.
"Charge to victory!"
The next moment, Edgar and his most elite personal guard charged forward at full speed. The spearhead of the main formation, held in reserve until now, was finally about to be unleashed.
He was not alone; beside him, the Boar Knight charged as well.
Mulivell remained behind to command from the center, while he and Gaius were to hold back the Haligtree army.
The wind howled past his ears amid the neighing of warhorses. In a flash, Edgar saw the enemy charging at a similar high speed. With no pleasantries exchanged, they raised their gleaming lances and aimed for one another.
CRACK!
The first clash sent men and horses tumbling.
There wasn't much of a bloody spectacle; it was more a chaotic mess of trampling, falling, and colliding—the true face of a battlefield.
Fortunately, this wasn't Edgar's first experience. Wielding his halberd, he dodged and weaved, toppling several Haligtree Knights with a sweeping strike. Tempered by numerous top-tier battles and having absorbed their Runes, and further strengthened by Frieren's Grace, he had no fear of these famed warriors of the Lands Between.
As expected, the enemy automatically parted to form a path, from which a female knight in white armor and a blue cape emerged, her blade swinging.
CLANG!
The full-force collision sent both combatants reeling back, the web of their thumbs aching.
"So you are the Soul Cinder King's general? The former Storm Knight. I never expected Limgrave could produce such an expert," Loretta couldn't help but praise.
"I have heard of you, Your Highness. Lady Ranni, in particular, speaks very highly of you."
"That's all in the past."
The two then clashed once more. Halberd and glaive sparked, and shockwaves from their storm and Glintstone skills radiated outwards. Even amidst an army of ten thousand, they were a conspicuous sight. Together with their personal guards, they formed the absolute eye of the storm.
An ordinary person would find it difficult to break through the melee to intervene, but the Boar Knight's heavy armor was completely unaffected.
The behemoth he rode tossed one enemy after another, carving a wide path straight to the center of the battlefield. At this moment, Edgar and Loretta also saw a new force intervening.
Gravitas!
A full-power strike from Gaius forced the white-armored knight to evade. Compounded by her recent imbalance, an opening nearly appeared.
At the critical moment, Cleanrot Knights moved in to guard her, blocking the follow-up attack.
The next moment, they were met with a pincer attack from Black Knights and Dragon Communion disciples, who held their own even against the Haligtree's elite. Putting aside the Crusade Army's first-rate troops, these Dragon Communion disciples had all been personally enhanced by an Ancient Dragon priest.
This was more than a duel between three commanders; it was a contest of their personal guards' coordination.
If the Demigods' battlefield was a spectacular vista, then this was the ultimate contest of martial arts on the battlefield, a comprehensive test of a hardened army's organization.
BOOM, BOOM!
The continuous explosions made the ears of those on the Spiral Tower ring, a testament to the intensity of the slaughter.
Frieren glanced back from the stairs, looking at the dark, pressing mass.
Even with her perception fully extended, she could barely count the number of people. Including the scattered enemy troops, the total was likely around 20,000. Added to her own side's 70,000, it was an army of nearly one hundred thousand—a terrifying force in any era.
Even Frieren would need some time to clear out such a vast number.
What would the final losses be, she wondered.
Meanwhile, the Hornsent army, having received reinforcements, grew even more excited. Their recent listlessness gave way to renewed vigor, and they clashed with the army besieging the front, using the terrain to fight to a stalemate.
Elsewhere, at the breach, the melee between the five Demigods had reached a fever pitch, shaking the heavens and earth with turbulent magic.
With their stamina, they had more than enough to last the entire battle.
However, Rellana, the Undead Legion of Farron, and the Mimic Tear's main objective was simply to tie down the troublesome Twin Princes. As long as that tactical goal was met, it was enough.
Hold the line for now.
Rushing into a life-or-death struggle might instead disrupt the rhythm of the battle. For the side with a numerical advantage, it was best to control the situation.
But it was still too early to say who held the advantage; two troublesome, powerful enemies had yet to make a move.
"Melina, I sense the aura of Finger magic."
"That's right. We're not far now. It's waiting for us up there, along with a whole swarm of Fingercreepers."
"The Fingerslayer Blade is ready to be used at any time."
Moreover, below the stairs, the Messmer siblings had already regrouped. With Destined Death on their side, they had another advantage. All they needed to do now was probe the enemy.
In a hurry, Melina activated the Wings of the Crucible's Aspects, soaring up the tower in a spiral of light. There, on a platform, stood a grotesque monster made of pale purple, fat fingers cobbled together.
"You really are ugly."
The moment Frieren's heartfelt assessment was spoken, the face of Ymir, who stood beside the Mother of Fingers, twisted in fury.
"Soul Cinder King, what do you know of the greatness of the Greater Will's daughter?"
"Daughter? Then its bloodline must not be very good."
The overly blunt assessment left him speechless. How outrageous!
The esteemed professor of magic from Caria had never met such a rude person, who dared to offend the mighty Metyr, Mother of Fingers.
It wasn't just Ymir; all the Fingercreepers present grew agitated, eager to tear the offender to shreds.
VMMM!
A sacred and profound magical aura filled the surroundings.
The oppressive aura from a higher being was indeed worthy of an envoy sent by the Greater Will. Perhaps calling itself its child was an exaggeration, but its power was not lacking.
"For all your arrogant talk, your Mother of Fingers is injured, isn't it?"
The Ranni doll spoke sharply. Wielding the Fingerslayer Blade, she immediately sensed a trace of familiarity. That's right, this thing bore scars; its true body had been wounded by the Eternal Dynasty in the past.
The deduction was correct.
"Lady Metyr will eliminate you!"
Ymir roared as he and the Mother of Fingers released their oppressive aura in unison. The corpulent figure stretched out two slender arms and fired beams of light. Frieren easily dodged, but the tower behind her wasn't so lucky, being sliced in two with a loud crash.
It was too fast, and its power was terrifying, indeed possessing the unique suppressive force of a being of extremely high standing.
Ordinary magical means would likely have little effect on it.
Comet!
Practice is the sole criterion for truth. A conventional spell hit the fingerprint-covered skin with little effect, the reaction lackluster.
Metyr, Mother of Fingers, did not employ a particularly skillful style of magic combat. Instead, it simply and crudely unleashed its immense magic power, dyeing the sky a dark, somber hue and releasing a vastness from beyond the stars.
Hundreds, even thousands of light beams were released, blotting out the sun, and all of them were aimed at Frieren. From the very beginning, it was an all-out annihilation.
She immediately took flight, nimbly dodging them one by one, but the beams of light pursued her relentlessly.
Ranni's Dark Moon!
The small doll on her shoulder cast the spell quickly. The Dark Moon, with its magic-attracting properties, deflected the trajectories, neutralizing a portion of the attack and preventing a direct hit. Yet the two still faced a sky-blotting barrage of firepower.
She had intended to conserve her strength, but now it seemed that wouldn't be so easy. This would require some effort.
Frieren glanced back and saw that the tower below had also been caught in the crossfire and was constantly collapsing. Amidst the roaring, rubble rained down, continuously turning to ruins under the bombardment of light beams.
"I can't just leave this to Messmer and Melina."
"The Mother of Fingers is stronger than estimated. I have to weaken it here, or at least ensure it cannot escape."
Having made up her mind, Frieren immediately cast Flame, Grant Me Strength, Golden Vow, and other enhancements.
"I will support you with all my strength."
Ranni also cast a series of buffs like Terra Magica, stacking them all onto the silver-haired girl, who shimmered with a rainbow of colors as her magic power was pushed to its absolute limit.
They had to grievously wound this powerful foe here and now; otherwise, she couldn't rest easy entrusting it to her other teammates.
"Your efforts are destined to be in vain."
Despite his unforgiving words, Ymir did make preparations, quietly hiding behind the Mother of Fingers while simultaneously instructing it to launch a new offensive. The behemoth hung high in the air, a sphere of light above its head, refining a torrent of magic power.
Above the Spiral Tower—no, as far as the eye could see, a doomsday scene unfolded, the profound aura filled with an oppressive sense.
All fell silent.
People couldn't help but stop what they were doing and look up, trembling. Could it be? If the Mother of Fingers' output was on this level, then how strong was the promised king? How could he possibly be defeated?
Then, under the watchful eyes of all, another streak of light tore through the sky.
Soul Stream erupted in a scattered burst, likewise splitting into hundreds, even thousands of beams of light to confront the Finger magic in the sky, neutralizing them one by one.
It was Frieren's signature magic—everyone was naturally familiar with it. A powerful confrontation was taking place there.
BOOM!
The scales of the situation tipped faster than expected. In the blink of an eye, the soul magic actually overpowered the magic of the Mother of Fingers. The magic from beyond the stars, said to be protected by the Greater Will, gradually dimmed in the clash, replaced by the brilliance of blue souls.
The aura of the Fingers in the sky was completely annihilated.
The caster's fingers all over its body couldn't help but contract, showing clear signs of exhaustion, unable to continue.
A spatial fluctuation appeared around it; it clearly intended to make a temporary retreat.
But the Soul Stream was faster. In an instant, it converged from a scattered burst to a single point, streaking past the Mother of Fingers like an arrow, tearing a gaping hole through it.
Blood splattered across the sky, proclaiming to the world in no uncertain terms:
The so-called envoy of the Greater Will also bleeds.
Immediately after, a pair of golden wings folded, propelling Frieren's body into a fierce dive, the Soul Crystal Sword in her hand plunging viciously into the Mother of Fingers' head.
Along with Ranni's Fingerslayer Blade.
At this very moment, she and Ranni together drove the sharp blades into the behemoth's body. A shriek echoed as its life force plummeted.
The ugly, arrogant Finger that had been so haughty just moments before now fell from the clouds.
It dawned on people: was that all?
It looked so imposing, yet it crumpled so pathetically after one hit from the Soul Cinder King? All show and no substance.
Ultimately, the quasi-king forged in the flames of war was superior. If the Mother of Fingers were truly that strong, it wouldn't need to hide behind the scenes.
"How is this possible!" Ymir clutched his head and cursed.
"Damn it all! My lady, I'll help you right—"
SHINK!
A sharp spearhead burst from his chest. In an instant, his body boiled and melted, burned to ash by serpentine fire before he could even turn to see his attacker.
Messmer flicked his spear, scattering the ashes.
Ordinary Demigods rarely resorted to sneak attacks, but he had done plenty of dirty work for Marika and couldn't care less for such etiquette. This was mainly to clear a path for his sister; he couldn't leave a treacherous sorcerer alive during the coming fight with the Mother of Fingers.
Elsewhere, Frieren practically stomped on the wounded behemoth below, plummeting like a shooting star.
The two were still locked in a struggle mid-air. The Mother of Fingers flailed its arms, while the two sorcerers drove both longswords completely into its chest.
THWUMP!
With a heavy thud, they crashed down together.
They didn't fall too hard and were still grappling at point-blank range.
Seeing this, Messmer rushed forward, swinging his spear in a wide arc that severed one of the Mother of Fingers' arms. It had just been about to cast a spell, but the attack interrupted it, wasting its efforts.
"You're up."
Before the words were out, Melina dashed past her brother, raising the Blade of Calling that flowed with Destined Death. If this blow landed squarely, the Mother of Fingers would be dead or gravely wounded—
Suddenly, Frieren violently pushed off the target, rocketing back in a single bound. She grabbed Melina by the waist, threw her over her shoulder, and broke into a dead sprint.
What happened? For a moment, she was stunned.
In an instant, Messmer's expression also turned cold, and he changed direction.
As the two strongest individuals on the field sprinted at full speed, the sky suddenly darkened, the light of day vanishing.
It was a meteorite!
An immense rock, possibly a hundred meters in diameter, pierced through the clouds.
_____
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