The squad advanced through the thick accumulation of snow.
Strange enough, as the altitude increased, the wind ceased and the snow stopped. When Frieren exhaled now, her breath no longer turned into a lump of ice; the temperature was rising.
During the journey, they had conveniently cleared a catacomb and eliminated some enemies. It had been quite smooth. It seemed that the shorter the distance to the Forge of the Giants, the calmer it became. Living beings were instinctively staying away, but they would not leave.
They insisted on walking towards the mountain, knowing full well there were tigers there.
It wasn't just the inexplicable tension in their perception; the countless corpses of giants served as a warning in themselves.
The path was littered with the grotesque remains of giants. They were basically in a half-kneeling posture, as if facing judgment. At a rough glance, one might mistake them for trees, their branches laden with pure white snow.
One could not see their eyes, yet one always felt watched.
If it were an ordinary adventurer, they would have long since retreated in the face of such difficulties. However, Frieren looked left and right, extremely curious.
It looked very familiar.
The posture of these dead giants reminded her of the giants killed in the Kingdom of Drangleic, their deaths resembling withered old trees. Unfortunately, they were covered by heavy snow, making it impossible to see the full picture. She had no interest in actively disturbing their corpses, merely marveling at the giants' immense size.
"Were they once as great as the Ancient Dragons?" Frieren asked.
Melina pointed to the location on the map.
"Indeed. That fellow's size is too exaggerated; he might be a whole size larger than Gransax."
"The Giants actually never formed a rigorous organization. They were looser than even the Ancient Dragons, always remaining at the stage of clans and tribes, far inferior to the dynasty system of the Ancient Dragons. So theoretically, they were dispensable and not worth a crusade. However, the issue of faith could not be compromised; Mother had no choice but to kill them."
"Correct. Once Marika established the Golden Order as the symbol of law, she was destined to be the enemy of all forces capable of burning the tree."
"Does choosing an Order mean choosing a faction?"
Frieren's eyes lit up as she said, "Ranni, so your Order can tolerate the power of Outer Gods, but it must crusade against the Outer Gods that bring pollution."
"Completely correct. I will not be like the Golden Order, striving to close the cycle and excluding other factors from reincarnation. I will accommodate them, and then harmonize a new order."
"Except for the Frenzied Flame," Melina added solemnly.
"And also excluding some unstable Outer Gods, such as the Formless Mother."
The Lands Between was actually all-encompassing to begin with, frequently visited by meteors from beyond the heavens or infiltrated by Outer Gods. Over the long years, they had also become part of the world's rules and could not be beaten to death with a single stick.
Nor could one turn a blind eye to them.
In Ranni's view, the factors excluded by the Golden Order represented lazy governance; anything that could not join the Erdtree cycle was treated as heresy and subjected to crusades.
This method was destined not to last, because external factors would only increase.
Even if Goldmask created a perfect Golden Order? It might be perfect in containing the existing factors of the Lands Between, but things develop and change.
A Lord of Cinder like Frieren was an example.
In the future, other outsiders would arrive in the Lands Between, in unimaginable ways, and as unimaginable visitors. Was one to exclude them forever? It wouldn't work. Therefore, Ranni believed that the Order of the Stars was the solution.
Her decision was also affirmed by her two important comrades-in-arms, Frieren and Melina, which made her very happy.
They pressed on with renewed vigor.
Although their hearts surged with emotion and they were not far from the Forge of the Giants, Ranni warned even more seriously:
"The Fell God of Fire is very dangerous. The lethality of the flame sufficient to burn the Golden Order is enormous. We must all avoid it a bit; do not easily group together later."
"Leave the main offense and defense to me. You two keep your distance."
Frieren made the final decision. At this final juncture, she couldn't let them suffer injuries that were too severe, especially Melina, who was key. Regardless of whether she served as a sacrifice or not, the Kindling Maiden was the one who understood the ritual best and was indispensable.
At the same time, she actively extended her spiritual power, only to discover a familiar face:
Warrior Jar?
Alexander had actually come to the Mountaintops of the Giants. The conversation back at the Volcano Manor was by no means a joke; he had made up his mind.
At this moment, the Warrior Jar was bearing heavy injuries, running around and dodging in a sorry state, while the enemy was in hot pursuit...
"Hah!" Frieren suddenly flicked the reins.
"An old friend of ours is in danger. No time to prepare."
Hearing this, Melina and Ranni were first surprised, then nodded, firmly supporting their King. How could they leave someone to die? If they didn't even have this spirit, could they still be called an Elden Lord?
Boom!
A massive shield was swung down, smashing beside Alexander. It didn't hit, but the shockwave caused his jar to crack even further, dripping with blood. How could it not hit? He was simply being toyed with.
With his own mobility, he shouldn't have been able to dodge, but the Fire Giant had played with him time and time again.
"Is this the disposition of a legendary powerhouse?" Alexander huffed coldly. "I overestimated you, you villain."
He assumed a boxing stance, ready to meet the attack head-on.
Rather than dodging around and being mocked, it was better to fight to the death right here. After all, having walked this far was essentially enough.
The Fire Giant's tall body projected a shadow full of oppression in front of Alexander. In the next moment, he lifted the shield as if playing with a large blade, ready to completely dismantle the target to be satisfied. But he also felt it was a pity, having finally met someone who could relieve his boredom...
Bang!
A comet sped over and was blocked by his shield, the glintstone exploding and flashing with blue light.
His hand was shaken to the point of numbness.
Sorcerers possessing this kind of power were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Following the sound, he saw a silver-haired girl in silver armor dismounting, her emerald eyes staring dead at him, causing the Fire Giant to immediately furrow his brow. The comer was not friendly.
Not just her, there was also a woman in a black cloak and another doll mage; none were simple.
Frieren used a Gravity Well to pull Alexander out of the battlefield. The latter landed in the snow with a plop, gasping for breath as he sighed, "I didn't expect you to come. I thought I was dead for sure."
"Rest well. Your jar is about to shatter."
She gave Melina a look. The latter took the wounded and retreated, healing him along the way. The Kindling Maiden would not participate in this battle; it was risky.
Ranni charged magic from a long distance, leaving the central battlefield to Frieren alone.
"Roar!"
Amidst a roar, the Fire Giant stood up completely, aggressive and menacing, evidently ready for a fight to the death.
Although he was essentially imprisoned on the Mountaintops of the Giants and cut off from the world, he had at least sensed the changes in the directions of the Royal Capital, the Haligtree, and Castle Sol. He had somewhat of a guess: a daring new Would-be Lord wanted to burn the Erdtree.
Of course, he could not let her pass; he must crusade against the one committing high treason.
Frieren held the Dark Moon Greatsword high. A bolt of thunder descended and wreathed around it—Dragonbolt Blessing. At the same time, her staff also emitted wisps of cold spirit fire accompanied by the howling of vengeful spirits.
Ready.
Both sides understood that this was a death match with absolutely no retreat.
The Fire Giant made the first move.
The massive shield, like a door panel, smashed down with a boom, conducting a shockwave through the ground and even causing earth and rocks to bulge and splash indiscriminately.
Almost simultaneously, Frieren leaped lightly to dodge the shockwave while unleashing Sorcery: Ancient Death Rancor. The skulls struck the behemoth's body surface, causing him to frown and immediately step back to avoid them.
He thought to himself that he should pinch the soft persimmons first, such as killing the cloaked woman carrying the wounded.
Sorcery: Glintstone Pebble!
What followed closely was Ranni's active containment. She saw through the Fire Giant's plan; she would absolutely not let the enemy leave, nor let him affect her teammates.
In the next moment, Frieren spread her arms and released a wave of Incantation: Pest Threads.
White lines streaked across the blizzard sky. At first, they were invisible, but as they crossed their parabola and began to dive, the Giant sensed something was wrong. He made a prompt decision to breathe out a beam of fire, burning them clean in an instant.
However, immediately after, a rock ball smashed into his chest. Under the acceleration of gravity, its mass proved superior.
Even with a massive build like his, he was forced back a distance.
In fact, Frieren had anticipated the failure of the Pest Threads attack, but she hadn't expected the opponent's casual burst of fire to be so strong. For the sake of experiment, she had of course reinforced the mass of the Pest Threads, even reaching the limit of this Incantation's quality, yet it was still vulnerable.
Truly tough enough.
Although it couldn't compare to the exaggerated defense of Ancient Dragon scales which possessed the power of space-time, it was not something that could be easily overcome. The opponent's flesh was extremely robust.
Coupled with the vitality brought by his massive size, his margin for error was also high. She had to be careful.
Meanwhile, the Fire Giant stopped his retreat. Looking closely, his feet had plowed two straight gullies in the ground, intercepting the massive force sufficient to crush a city gate. But this was far from the limit of his strength.
He stood up straight and shrugged, his muscles swelling terrifyingly.
His volume was obviously a circle larger than before, his red hair standing on end, looking like he was baring fangs and brandishing claws. The small wounds from earlier had all healed.
This was a body that had received Grace.
Only, it was the Grace of the Fell God of Fire, so it was accompanied by a sinister magical pollution that was quite eerie.
"...Seems I can't count on 'beasts with fur are weak to fire'."
Frieren knew with a glance that the enemy's body was abundant with fire elements. Ranni's long-range frost magic being evaporated nearby further corroborated this point. Why did the enemies of the Lands Between all like playing with fire? Lacking in novelty.
She reached out a hand, and a freezing storm blew away the oncoming fireball.
Sorcery: Night Comet!
The sneak-attack magic was released, only to see the Fire Giant roll to dodge it. It was merely a graze; his intuition was quite good.
So Night Sorceries were also ineffective; the remaining magic spells were all of the frontal combat type.
Since that was the case, the silver-haired girl smiled instead. With a gentle wave of her staff, the earth's crust at the point she indicated peeled away. Layers of rock were chiseled open, floated up, and condensed into spheres of Sorcery: Rock Sling.
The Fire Giant showed no weakness either, raising both hands to slap the ground with raging flames.
The ice and snow melted, spraying out magma instead, intercepting the speeding rock balls from below. They collided with the purple-white mana trails. The two sides annihilated and canceled each other out in mid-air, shattering into a rain of meteor fire.
Rumble!
Crimson red filled the field of vision, obscuring the distance.
The air was scorching hot, making one's mouth dry. It seemed as if skin became shriveled and wrinkled, massive amounts of moisture being evaporated, making breathing feel difficult.
The ten-thousand-year ice strength of some giant corpses couldn't withstand it; they collapsed and melted instantly, falling into the flames to become part of the firewood. The Flame Peak lived up to its name. The ground beneath their feet had become an inferno, and the mountain top was boiling with billowing thick smoke.
They shrouded the battlefield, making it impossible for even Melina in the distance to see clearly. She couldn't help but furrow her brow.
"Mr. Alexander, was the Fire Giant this big when you fought him?"
"Far from it."
"Then he is absorbing energy to strengthen himself."
Careful perception would reveal that fire elements were hidden deep within the soil of the Mountaintops of the Giants. As the name suggested, so this was what it meant; the fire energy deposited over many years was now being absorbed by the last Giant.
He did it for the mission of guarding the flame, for his faith. He would not allow any heathens to defile the sacred flame.
Presumably, Marika had also taken a fancy to this point before ordering him to guard the forbidden flame.
Moreover, the Fire Giant was also guarding the legacy of the last Giants. How could he not give his all? In terms of fighting spirit, he was definitely among the best in the Lands Between, with absolutely no retreat.
Incantation: Flame Breath!
Suddenly, he took a fierce deep breath and spat out raging flames. Unlike the fire of other enemies Frieren had encountered, this was mixed with pitch-black smoke.
Ash fluttered within it, making even perception sluggish.
The experience accumulated from hundreds of battles made Frieren subconsciously assume the most correct stance. She erected the Dark Moon Greatsword to cover her petite body. Almost simultaneously, the howling wild wind slammed into her viciously.
With a bang, it felt as if a mountain had crashed onto her blade.
The disparity in strength was largely due to the difference in body size... In the instant of her thought, the silver-haired girl flew backward.
Her silhouette streaked through the air, dozens of meters off the ground. If she fell back down solidly, she would be heavily injured if not dead. Fortunately, a Gravity Well received her in time, barely stabilizing the inertia of the parabola, but it wasn't over yet.
"Roar!"
The roaring Fire Giant leaped high, his large hands blocking all directions of movement, looking like he was about to grab her.
Even Frieren's eyes went wide at this move; he was actually this agile.
In an instant, sword light erupted from both her hands. She unleashed Ash of War: Sword Dance in mid-air, the slicing sounds cutting open the palm, followed closely by a stomp of Ash of War: Storm Stomp on the Giant's forehead.
The latter roared unwillingly.
However, his old strength was spent. He could only fall back to the ground with a plop. He was quite proud of planning this combo, never expecting the opponent to be able to counterattack under those circumstances. How was that possible?
The Fire Giant stepped on the ground again, but found it ice-cold underfoot. It was the magic he had ignored all along:
Sorcery: Ranni's Dark Moon!
Ranni's magic-breaking attribute penetrated at this opportune moment.
As early as when the smoke shrouded them, she had guessed the enemy would launch a round of continuous fierce attacks, and she firmly believed Frieren could resolve them one by one. So she acted decisively, hiding the Dark Moon mana in the ice and snow, hitting the behemoth.
"This is no sacred battle of Kings to be fought as a duel. You are merely a sinner guarding the flame. Exit the stage quickly."
The blue-haired doll tapped her finger lightly. The Dark Moon exploded, and ice crystals covered the Giant's fur.
Even so, he couldn't attend to targeting Ranni, because a greater threat was brewing. Looking up, he saw Frieren soaring straight into the clouds, supported by the Incantation: Aspects of the Crucible: Wings.
Weapon Skill: Ancient Dragons' Lightning Spear!
Crimson-red electricity flowed arbitrarily in her palm, taking on various forms.
It was not the fixed move of any Ancient Dragon, but an insight belonging solely to the strongest Ancient Dragon Knight. It condensed into a broadsword, held high with both hands to take aim. Stretching toward the sky, dark clouds gathered densely, the wild wind howled, and between heaven and earth, only the sound of its charging remained.
In the next moment, Frieren chopped down with a heavy cleave.
Thoom!
The thunder explosion capped the Fire Giant's head. Along with it, mountain ranges collapsed, slopes overturned in unison, and the peak itself was shortened by a head.
____
New Story: Bleach: Dominating Soul Society in One Sting
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