The power of the divine realm was being unleashed wantonly upon the Guardians' Garrison.
When had the defenders guarding the Mountaintops of the Giants ever seen such a battle array? It was impressive enough that they could maintain their organization without being scared witless, but it was difficult for them to achieve anything.
"Dodge quickly."
Things having reached this point, they had to retreat, but how could it be that easy? The battle involving Melina, Ranni, and the Godskin Apostles alone was like a hurricane passing through, and they still had the spare energy to guide magic to bombard the Guardians' Garrison.
Don't think about staying out of it and just watching; since they had become enemies, they would be exterminated in one go.
The Godskin Apostles alone could not hold them in check.
Although the Godslayer-type Incantations were very threatening, in terms of hard power, they were inferior to the Demigods and were gradually being suppressed.
Ranni asserted, "These spirit forms lack mana sustainability. Keep suppressing them. To be safe, kite them a bit; they won't last too long. We'll draw the firepower towards the Guardians' Garrison, don't let them hide."
"Let's do that. If there's danger, I will use Destined Death to resolve it in advance."
Weapon Skill: Golden Wave!
Brilliant golden light bloomed from Melina's hands, dispersing the enemy's Incantations while a portion of it struck the Fire Monks.
They couldn't dodge at all. After thinking it over, they could only join the battlefield.
And this fit Ranni's intentions exactly. Her moon magic's range was becoming larger and larger, and combined with the already cold environment of the Mountaintops of the Giants, its power was even superior. The destructive power of a mage was demonstrated vividly.
However, there was one area that the moon magic could not penetrate: the domain of lightning and fire.
The battlefield of the Would-be Lords was expanding!
A sweeping strike of the Ancient Dragons' Lightning Spear was interrupted by Frieren's Ash of War: Carian Retaliation. At the same time, Ash of War: Thops's Barrier reflected the lightning elements. Immediately following, her staff fired Sorcery: Comet Azur, switching from defense to offense in a flowing motion. This set was enough to heavily injure an ordinary Demigod.
However, Vyke propped his long spear against the ground to nimbly dodge the blue torrent. Simultaneously, he used Incantation: Dragonbolt Blessing to protect himself, nullifying all the reflected attacks.
What good martial arts!
The enemies she met in the later stages were all experts in taijutsu without exception, trading the most ingenious movement techniques for high returns.
The battle-hardened Would-be Lord had undoubtedly reached the peak of perfection.
Back then, the concept of a Would-be Lord was not "collecting two Great Runes" but "being strong enough to be called so." Moreover, Vyke was originally one of the Roundtable elders.
It would take some effort to resolve this.
Suddenly, Vyke in front of her clutched his head and screamed heart-wrenchingly. Frenzied Flame poured out of his eyes, igniting his entire body. The sound waves rippled like a tangible substance, stirring up a maddening sensation.
It was more terrifying than the threat given by the Three Fingers of the Frenzied Flame; this was the power of a Lord.
Sure enough, that Outer God was just a bewildering imposter making up the numbers; ultimately, it depended on the recipient of the Frenzied Flame themselves.
And he was the strongest.
Frieren was no stranger to Incantation: Shabriri's Howl. Vyke, in this state, was even stronger, his every gesture carrying madness and corruption. One could not easily grapple with him, otherwise, it would be easy to be grabbed and infused with Frenzied Flame.
Her own resistance was high, so it wasn't a big problem. Mainly, Melina would be very worried, and she couldn't afford complications before reaching the Forge of the Giants.
So she hesitated not at all to switch to stacking buffs:
Ash of War: Golden Vow, Flask of Wondrous Physick, Oath of Vengeance, and others were used all together, mainly emphasizing resistance.
"Come on."
Vyke, with high fighting spirit, was always the instigator of offense. Seeing the enemy wave her hand in provocation, he immediately pounced. Yet, his spear techniques had not fallen behind, shaking out cold glints.
Every point was a Weapon Skill: Frenzied Flame Thrust, sufficient to evaporate a city gate.
However, Frieren bathed in the attacks, blocking them one by one with a clatter, neutralizing them all with the Moonveil.
Immediately after, she tapped the ground with her staff, and spirit fire formed a long spear extending with a cracking sound. Under the death attribute attacks amplified by Godslayer weapons, it broke through the Frenzied Flame defense, the bone-chilling flames conversely suppressing the crazed energy.
Vyke's figure paused, unable to believe it.
He dared not delay his movements in the slightest. In the next moment, he released Dragonbolt to carve a gully in the ground, crackling as it blocked the spirit fire. Only then was he spared from continuous attacks; otherwise, the outlook would have been grim.
Frieren did not pursue but continued to intersperse Sorcery: Night Comet to maintain firepower.
In a battle at this level, it was hard to count on a one-hit kill. It was more about slowly chipping away damage; there was no rush.
Searching for an opportunity.
Now the body-protecting Frenzied Flame was broken, but the Dragonbolt was not. It still faithfully protected the Dragon Knight, making Vyke's magic resistance quite high as well.
So she suddenly sprinted with Bloodhound Step while simultaneously releasing Sorcery: Rellana's Twin Moons.
The first moon was actually flicked away to the other side by a lift of Vyke's long spear. Seeing this, even Frieren raised an eyebrow, lamenting in her heart. However, immediately after, the second moon still stirred up frost on the ground, and for the third moon, she herself rose as a Dark Moon.
It was actually continuous double casting!
The knowledgeable Vyke completely hadn't expected the enemy to suddenly pull this move, and he was hit head-on, caught off guard.
Amidst the rumbling explosion, frost covered his body; the magic-breaking attribute penetrated his body.
Bad.
Experience told him that the next moment would be a magical strike, so he hurriedly moved with consecutive backsteps.
However, he was still too slow, or rather, he had underestimated the opponent's strength. The silver-haired girl raised her staff high while moving.
Instantly, the sky turned azure.
That was no ordinary blue, but a deep, sedimentary, distant blue, within which starlight dotted and twinkled gorgeously, so magnificent that it silenced the battlefield.
The combatants had no leisure to view the scenery, awed by the intense threat of death.
They poked their heads out from the azure canopy—they were glintstones. But far more restrained than the glintstones of the Lands Between, appearing like visitors from the distant starry sky, descending under the summons of the strongest magician—
Sorcery: Founding Rain of Stars!
The eldest primeval sorcery declared its return.
The azure raindrops enveloped Vyke in an instant. Before such mighty power, he appeared so thin and insignificant, submerged in moments.
Frieren's attack did not stop at this level. While maintaining the super-large-scale legendary magic, her other hand switched to the Bolt of Gransax. Using this as an anchor point, she actually actively drew away Vyke's Dragonbolt, frustrating his attempt to counterattack.
Satisfied, she expanded the scale further, the whistling rainstorm expanding to the range of the Guardians' Garrison.
Boom!
Without suspense, it all collapsed.
Ranni and Melina had already dismantled more than half of it earlier. Now it was directly scrapped; after bathing in the Founding Rain of Stars, not even complete bricks or tiles could be found.
The reason she dared to scatter the attack was that Vyke's life aura was critical.
When Frieren dispersed the magic, the sky was clear. The original blizzard had vanished, and all directions were tranquil.
The Godskin Apostles had likewise fallen. Loot had already dropped; the dust had settled.
In the direct center of the glintstone debris, Vyke was half-squatting on the ground, propping himself up with his spear. Even at this point, he hadn't died.
The foundation of a Would-be Lord was enough to burn for a while longer; fighting to the death wasn't difficult. Pity that Frieren could no longer sense his fighting spirit.
His eyes had dispersed the madness.
"...Since your goal is the Forge of the Giants, then you know about the burning of the tree?" Vyke glanced at Melina in the distance, then looked straight at Frieren and asked, "Have you decided who will be sacrificed?"
"Neither. I found a way for both to have the best of both worlds."
Had it been anyone else daring to mention 'the best of both worlds,' Vyke would certainly have been angry and would never have believed it.
However, this person had easily defeated him, and her feelings with the maiden were deep. The atmosphere of mutual care could not be faked; they must have walked this path sharing life and death. If they couldn't stay together forever, they would rather not have the Lands Between.
"Even a God has already given her heart to you..."
The silver-haired girl nodded, while healing light rose in her hands. Her eyes revealed a query, but Vyke smiled and shook his head.
"My name is Frieren, a Tarnished. Senior, do you have anything to ask?"
"The element of Frenzied Flame is so scarce; it was killed by you, right?" His deduction received an affirmative look from the other party, and he continued to ask, "Is the Roundtable still there? Are my friends maintaining it?"
"Ofnir has been commanding the Roundtable all these years, but he stood on the opposite side from me. I left the Roundtable myself. We will inevitably have a battle."
"So you are the actual leader?"
"Everyone nominated me. Although I didn't formally accept, thanks to their care, I suppose so."
"He is a paranoid man. In his bones, he believes in an immutable Order and thinks highly of himself. You will just have to use battle to interpret..."
Before his voice fell, Vyke's body began to disintegrate, cracks spreading all over.
He had reached his limit.
Even knowing that Frieren's healing was backed by the mighty power of more than half the Elden Ring, sufficient to revive the dead and flesh the bones, he did not want to stay in a world where his lover had passed away. There was no need to live on ignobly. It was good; he was liberated. The long suffering was about to welcome its end.
Finally, Vyke sat down cross-legged and said solemnly, "Future Elden Lord, you must protect your maiden well, and save the Lands Between."
"I will. We will definitely do it."
"By the way, you have the aura of the Ancient Dragon pact on you. Do you know Lansseax? Bring her a greeting for me."
"I know her. She has always been concerned about you."
"Then let us part here. Take my Dragonbolt Incantation and move forward."
As soon as the words fell, Vyke lowered his head. There was no more sound, and his remaining body gradually turned into particles of light and vanished.
A generation of a Would-be Lord had fallen, but he was smiling when he bid farewell eternally. At least he saw a successor, and one who would surely fulfill the responsibility perfectly. He was satisfied; he asked for nothing else. Leaving with ease was the greatest fortune amidst misfortune.
Frieren half-knelt on the ground, clasping her hands together in prayer.
She had heard of this senior's great reputation a long time ago. In a sense, she had traversed the Lands Between following in the footsteps of the Would-be Lord Vyke.
"Thank you."
Looking at the Incantation scroll left in place, even she couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.
If Vyke had succeeded, naturally there would be no business for her, but failure enlightened the successors even more. Clearly, the senior was only one step away.
Can I take this final step?
When Frieren looked back and saw Ranni and Melina, the other party also met her gaze and nodded, revealing relaxed expressions. It made her relax a bit as well. Forget it, let's look at the loot first.
[Incantation: Vyke's Dragonbolt]
[Incantation of Vyke, Knight of the Roundtable Hold.]
[Summons red lightning to wreath both the caster's body and their armament held in the right hand.]
[Enchants armament with lightning-affinity attacks, and increases maximum equipment load. However, lightning damage negation will be reduced.]
[Vyke was known as the Dragonspear, and was the knight Lansseax loved the most.]
Looking just at the description, it didn't seem outstanding, but the power Vyke displayed just now was no less than a top-tier legendary Incantation; it also depended on the user. Moreover, in the end, he had lost his fighting spirit and admitted defeat actively. If he had truly carried out a life-and-death battle, Frieren would definitely have suffered some injuries.
A Would-be Lord's Dragonbolt was not to be underestimated.
She used lightning attribute Incantations often normally. Now, having one more method—an ability shaped by Vyke's insights—was no small matter; it was worthy of the great responsibility and comparable to the status of a Lord.
After all, having reached this level, there were few powerful means left for Frieren to choose from.
Most other moves belonged to crowd control; final killing power still had to rely on legendary-tier magic, weapons, and other abilities. Ordinary quality couldn't enter high-end matches.
Crackle!
The silver-haired girl condensed a wisp of lightning in her hand to wreath the Dark Moon Greatsword. It worked; the killing power was even superior.
Just as she was pondering, Ranni and Melina on the other side had already finished cleaning up the battlefield, knocking down the last ruin of the Guardians' Garrison, leaving not even a wall of cover for potential enemies. Of course, the defenders were also completely annihilated.
From beginning to end, they couldn't intervene in a Demigod war.
The Royal Capital's orders were more like using sacrifice to create some results, hoping to cause damage to the squad. Unfortunately, the plan fell through.
Ranni glanced in the direction of the Erdtree and asserted:
"The planner should be the Beast Regent Serosh, only he underestimated His Majesty's power, and also underestimated Vyke's will, thinking he had gone completely mad."
"Fortunately, everything went smoothly. If a Would-be Lord fought a life-and-death battle, it would have been very troublesome."
Melina didn't want problems at this critical juncture. It was best to end it like this; otherwise, the Mountaintops of the Giants would have collapsed.
The two walked forward.
Frieren, who was studying the Dragonbolt, turned her head to see her companions handing over the loot, showing great tacit understanding. First was a new Incantation—
[Incantation: Black Flame Ritual]
[Black flame incantation of the Godskin Apostles. A superior incantation.]
[Summons a circle of black flame pillars around the caster.]
[Charging increases the size of the circle.]
[The Gloam-Eyed Queen led the apostles. It is said that she was an Empyrean chosen by the Fingers.]
Although the Black Flame was not as good as before, under Frieren's excellent attribute scaling, it was still usable. The quality of a superior Incantation wouldn't drag her down either; it was a good new method. The power of the Godslayer line was gradually being constructed.
Summon!
With a thought, black flames rose around the silver-haired girl, making the two companions stare wide-eyed. No matter how many times they saw it, they were shocked. What a pick-up-and-use ability.
His Majesty's natural talent was superb; research went smoothly without getting stuck.
After confirming the Black Flame Ritual was usable, Frieren paid attention to another piece of loot, a Talisman resembling an embryo:
[Godskin Swaddling Cloth]
[Sacred cloth of the Godskin Apostles, made from smooth skin sewn together.]
[Successive attacks restore HP.]
[The Gloam-Eyed Queen cradles newborn apostles in this cloth. Soon they will grow to become the death of the gods.]
Frieren respectfully declined the aesthetic of the Godslayer line. How could they think of using skin to piece together something resembling an embryo as a Talisman? Forget it, she wouldn't fuss about it; she would honestly keep it as a collection.
After confirming the harvest, the silver-haired girl stretched her waist and shaded her eyes with her hand to gaze into the distance. On the other shore of the wind and snow, a pitch-black cauldron appeared.
Almost there.
"Ahead is the Flame Peak, the final destination of our journey this time." Melina's voice revealed nervousness.
The two gazed in silence, then mounted the spectral steed.
To say they weren't nervous was impossible. After all, before personally verifying it, no one could guarantee that the tree could definitely be burned, or burned smoothly. Everything depended on that ending.
_____
New Story: Bleach: Dominating Soul Society in One Sting
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Gain early access to 40 chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive content and special announcements.
We have set new community milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters for all series!
👻 P - Walnutchan