Boom!
At the same moment Frieren's attack submerged the Dragonlord's magic, it struck his chest, and his scales shattered in response.
The prolonged bombardment had easily brought his defenses down to a critical point, much like metal fatigue. Now, this armor could no longer protect Placidusax; the instant Sorcery: Comet Azur hit, he was drenched in fresh blood.
As expected, the Dragonlord, unable to maintain flight, fell straight down.
She casually sent out a gravity spell to cushion him.
Only this allowed Placidusax to return to the ground without being too heavy, though a loud crash and unconsciousness were unavoidable.
Then, Frieren glanced toward the temple deep within the Sky City, where a killing intent died down.
"If you want a wheel battle, I accept. Come on."
The Soul Cinder King's declaration echoed in all directions, followed by total silence. Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking, Is she really this arrogant?
Domineering enough; a King should be so. Carrying the might of defeating the Dragonlord, her imposing manner reached its zenith at this moment.
To fight?
Although Frieren was open and aboveboard, quite a few Ancient Dragons were already rubbing their fists; there was no need to speak of martial ethics with a killer like Maliketh.
Regardless of how the Soul Cinder King's next battle went, they wouldn't mind tearing Marika's Shadow Beast apart and devouring him.
There was no response from within the temple.
The silver-haired girl gave a cold glance before exposing her back, descending generously from the sky. Her whole body was full of openings, and she made no attempt to conceal her disordered and low aura; it seemed as if any random Demigod could sneak attack and kill her.
However, Maliketh never made a move, holding his breath as if no one was there.
He could have intervened in a life-and-death duel between those at the level of Elden Lords, but now he had lost his chance. In fact, he should be thinking in reverse: what to do now?
Sky City Farum Azula was about to pledge allegiance to the Soul Cinder King.
Maliketh had to consider whether he should escape as soon as possible. But this city was sealed within solidified space-time; how could he leave? The only possibility was to kill the Soul Cinder King. Was it possible?
"Frieren!"
As soon as she landed, Melina and Ranni ran over, and the two immediately greeted her with a flurry of Healing Magic.
They had been too worried just now, their hearts clenched through countless life-and-death moments. Even witnessing the victory, they squeezed out a handful of cold sweat. The opponent was the oldest Elden Lord; most likely, both sides would suffer, yet Frieren had actually won thoroughly.
"Rest assured, it's nothing serious. Everything is fine on my end."
The silver-haired girl gestured carelessly at her injuries. The severe burns from before were almost healed; her regeneration speed was extremely fast.
With Soothing Sunlight added to her own vitality, the recovery effect was outstanding.
Disengaging meant recovery.
Moreover, she still had a mixed Flask of Wondrous Physick unused, which was why she had the confidence to provoke Maliketh, the Black Blade. If he dared to attack, at worst, she would just start a wheel battle.
"...I can feel Destined Death moving restlessly."
"Your Majesty, please rest for a moment. I will go communicate with the Ancient Dragons. Lansseax is already handling the aftermath."
As the Ancient Dragon Priestess stationed in the Sky City, she naturally had to shoulder the responsibility. After confirming that the Dragonlord was only temporarily knocked unconscious by heavy injuries, they breathed a sigh of relief. To think she showed mercy and didn't kill him under that kind of output; her control was brilliant.
Then they had to reconsider their stance.
Since he lost to Frieren in a duel of Kings, there was nothing to agonize over. According to the traditions of the Lands Between, they had to shake hands and make peace. The Ancient Dragons also had their own pride and disdained breaking faith with others.
Ranni dared to be certain that, at least, this group of big guys wouldn't interfere in the battle at the Golden Capital.
She needed to confirm with Lansseax and Florisaxx, while Melina remained in place to maintain prayer healing.
Frieren conveniently exchanged the Remembrance.
As expected of the Dragonlord's spoils of war, she could feel the colossal power precipitated over ancient eons.
First was a blade that looked as if it were pieced together from scales, heavy and sharp, though unfortunately, it was a type she rarely used. It felt quite good to weigh in her hand, suitable for tackling hard targets.
[Dragon King's Cragblade]
[Piercing gravel stone sword containing primeval lightning.]
[A portion of the Dragonlord's power, gained from the Remembrance.]
[This weapon commands great power against the dragons' descendants, who lack the immortality of their forebears.]
According to this description, wasn't it specifically for beating up Flying Dragons? Of course, what concerned Frieren most was the corresponding Weapon Skill; it turned out this move was placed on the Dragon King's Cragblade.
[Unique Skill: Thundercloud Form]
[Temporarily transform into a red thundercloud and fly through the air, then plunge down with a lightning-infused blade.]
[Hold to increase the distance traveled in the air.]
She had witnessed the power of Thundercloud Form just now; it possessed both good looks and power. If she hadn't been guarded against it, that combo would have directly inflicted heavy damage. Moreover, its flight performance was quite strong, easier to use than the meteor of Gravity Magic.
Thundercloud Form was suitable for Frieren to lay the groundwork for lightning-attribute magic; the attributes interlocked perfectly.
A huge profit.
She could release the Weapon Skill separately as magic without binding it to the weapon—an enviable dominance.
This move was already strong enough, yet it couldn't compare to another ability:
[Placidusax's Ruin]
[Power derived from the Remembrance of the Dragonlord Placidusax.]
[Transforms caster into the Dragonlord to spew golden breath from above. This incantation can be cast while jumping.]
[The Dragonlord dwells in the storm beyond time—]
[It is said that this is the dying wail he let out as he withered away.]
The realization in the instant between life and death urged him to complete Placidusax's Ruin, integrating death, destruction, and the accumulation of ancient years into it. It was an Incantation of the strongest tier.
Back then, it was this move that crippled Bayle the Dread. In a sense, it saved the Ancient Dragon dynasty from peril and was crucial.
But it was very difficult to use.
With just a slight perception, Frieren discovered that Placidusax's Ruin was broad and profound; the required mana, understanding of Incantations, and technique were all no small matter. However, she believed she could master it; she had plenty of ways, and she would figure it out sooner or later.
On the other side, Ranni arrived with the two Ancient Dragon Priestesses. Lansseax and Florisaxx bowed deeply, respectful and reverent.
"Your Majesty, first of all, congratulations on achieving victory in the duel."
They were sincere. The entire Ancient Dragon race felt honored by this witnessing.
The times had changed.
In such a chaotic background, having a Soul Cinder King who counted as friendly was already the greatest luck amidst misfortune.
Frieren spoke straight to the point: "The collapse of Sky City Farum Azula is accelerating; it is falling slowly. Your urgent task is to prevent this. Wait until the war is over, and you can also ask me for help. Regarding the matter of Leyndell, Royal Capital, you gentlemen should not participate."
She looked around, and wherever her gaze passed, not a single Ancient Dragon met her eyes.
The implication was simple: she would not forcibly require the Ancient Dragon race to pick a side, which would be awkward given their superficial alliance with the Golden Order.
Besides, they indeed had sufficient reason.
After the tossing and turning just now, the teetering power of solidified space-time had been broken. Crashing was only a matter of time; the Ancient Dragons couldn't attend to anything else.
"As you command, Your Majesty, Soul Cinder King."
The two Ancient Dragon Priestesses responded immediately, giving Frieren a clear answer on behalf of the whole group.
The Sky City had neither the leisure to interfere in this war of dynasty change nor the interest; staying out of it was best. To be honest, everyone was previously more worried about being coerced into the war, thinking that if the Soul Cinder King won, she might issue a conscription call.
If that happened, it would be a sharp confrontation with their alliance, potentially causing a split among the Ancient Dragons.
Thinking darkly, a scheming ruler would have every motive to use this to dismantle the Ancient Dragon race's power, causing them to decline further through internal attrition.
Frieren, however, did not consider this.
Her philosophy was more direct: "If I beat you until you're out of the game," naturally, you can't interfere in the dynasty war.
Hearing this, the Ancient Dragons breathed a sigh of relief, feeling quite appreciative. Everyone looked at each other, involuntarily revealing looks of admiration; they hadn't expected the Soul Cinder King to simply give up conscripting an army sufficient to determine victory.
Lansseax continued, "With the current power of the Ancient Dragons, if we act together, we should be able to keep the Sky City from falling for a hundred years."
"After His Majesty wakes up, he can maintain it for even longer."
"But if you can master the complete Elden Ring, returning Farum Azula to the sky will not be a difficult problem."
"You want to book a use of the Elden Ring's mighty power in advance?" Ranni chimed in.
Frieren wasn't good at subtle political trading. With a weary face, she signaled her partner to speak. Besides, nominally, the Elden Ring was for a God to wield, so it naturally had to be discussed carefully.
"Correct."
The Ancient Dragon Priestess didn't beat around the bush, answering bluntly: "In exchange, the Ancient Dragon race can conclude an alliance even closer than the one with the Golden Order. After all, they didn't completely win that war back then, and His Majesty made no decision."
"And now I believe Lord Placidusax will agree to ally with Lady Frieren."
"Part of the reason for the war back then was that it was interrupted by your brother." Florisaxx pointed out meaningfully. "Fortissax was impulsive."
She secretly expressed an accusation.
In that battle, it was Fortissax who led everyone to charge at the Golden Capital. As a result, he and the defending Golden Prince Godwyn sympathized with each other, dissolving their grudges, and together facilitated the alliance, bringing it to an abrupt end.
Although objectively it avoided mutual destruction and benefited the common people of the Lands Between, he was not a qualified commander-in-chief.
A commander-in-chief does not need to judge whether to make peace; obeying orders is enough.
The one qualified to make judgments back then was Lansseax, and she acquiesced to her brother's behavior.
"So he paid the price."
Did she not detest the Golden Order herself? After all, it was your many messy conspiracies that dragged Fortissax into them. Yet this guy, with his one-track mind, became a Lichdragon, and now had to be used as a weapon of war one more time.
Who was to blame?
Could she blame the strategist Ranni before her eyes, who killed Godwyn? She was aiming for the Golden Prince; how could she know your brother would be willing to throw himself in too?
Lansseax sighed and said no more.
"Your Majesty, ignore this side. Please resolve Destined Death as soon as possible," Florisaxx suggested.
The longer it dragged on, the greater the variables.
In fact, she had already instructed some Ancient Dragons to watch the temple, guessing that Maliketh, the Black Blade, might run away, so they guarded it strictly. No matter what happened today, he had to stay; it was just the struggle of a trapped beast.
However, the silver-haired girl stretched her waist and pointed from afar at a patch of broken wall not far away.
"I still have a competitor to talk to."
Knowing he couldn't hide, Bernahl revealed himself voluntarily. Instantly, several coercive pressures locked onto him together, causing him to involuntarily grip the Devourer's Scepter tighter. Even as strong as a Would-be Lord, facing this lineup made his back go cold.
He would face ill fortune confronting so many Demigod-level combatants simultaneously, not to mention having someone of Frieren's outlier level presiding over it.
So be it.
Since this cheap apprentice was willing to speak, she didn't intend to fight.
However, Bernahl didn't relax his weapon and said seriously, "If possible, I don't want to be enemies with you, but I still want to unleash Destined Death with my own hands. This is of great significance to me; I promised my Maiden."
"For you, it is a promise." Frieren's body, just recovered from heavy injuries, stood upright again. "I can accompany you for a duel, Teacher Bernahl."
Her aura was restrained, her mana surging. She was ready and could start fighting again at any moment.
"Forget it. I don't want to take advantage of someone's precarious position."
"That's even better. Actually, I didn't want to fight you; there's no deep hatred between us."
"To be able to reach this step makes you worthy of my admiration instead, Frieren. You not only protected your Maiden but are also one step away from burning the Erdtree. You did better than me... Actually, my pursuit is very simple: make the Golden Order pay the price. They deceived me."
For many years, Bernahl had regretted listening to the Golden Order's theories, only to watch helplessly as his Maiden burned to death.
It was simply fraud.
Was it that only the conspiracy personally arranged by Marika was allowed to succeed? If not for Frieren's surpassing methods, the same thing would have repeated itself on her apprentice.
How could he not hate? How could he not hope for it to collapse?
Now that the edifice was crumbling, seeing the Erdtree burn was undoubtedly a good thing.
"Seeing your success, I feel as if I have also received salvation. Thank you, Frieren. You are the most outstanding Tarnished in history."
Bernahl let it go, looking at the raging burning Erdtree with great satisfaction. Beautifully done. In any case, a brand-new era was arriving. He had been disheartened, but now he began to look forward to the future again.
The silver-haired girl before him also smiled.
"This is, after all, the land where you, Teacher Bernahl, and your Maiden fought together. Even if the Golden Order failed you, my Order will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. Please take a good look. I just beat up a guy who sought his own end; I don't want to do it again."
Hearing this, he laughed heartily, understanding immediately that she was referring to Warrior Jar Alexander.
Truly good.
Why hadn't he met such a formidable junior back then? But on second thought, Bernahl felt that thanks to his ability to endure—better to live poorly than to die well—he had waited until she arrived.
To have hatred drive him to live until the next new era—was this not a blessing in disguise?
"Teacher Bernahl, your Maiden's prayers are still protecting you, aren't they?"
"That's ancient history." Though he said this, he smiled even more happily. "Also, Patches asked me to say hello to you and pass on a message: If you succeed, other worlds will surely be able to see the light again, and he can go back for a stroll later."
Frieren nodded solemnly.
As expected of old comrades-in-arms who pitted against and helped each other across several worlds; sure enough, Patches had guessed that she wanted to use the Elden Ring's mighty power to leverage the reconciliation of the First Flame and the Old Gods.
She naturally wouldn't let them down. The next battle was the prelude.
"Excuse me for a moment. You just wait here; it shouldn't take too long."
After speaking, the silver-haired girl strode toward the temple with large steps. In the distance, the Draconic Tree Sentinel made a move, but in the next moment, Ranni and Melina suppressed him. They were solemnly prepared to begin seizing Destined Death.
_____
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