Maliketh's equipment was good, certainly not lacking in mechanics or stats, but it was clumsy, unwieldy, and simply did not match Frieren's style.
The maximum size weapon she felt comfortable handling was the Sorcery: Dark Moon Greatsword.
Anything larger than that—even something as useful as Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear—had been shelved. She simply couldn't wield them effectively. In a high-end duel to the death, using them would only expose openings, ultimately doing more harm than good.
She decided to look at the Messages first:
[Success, I finally succeeded!]
[It's too agile, designed so well. Truly a hearty and drippingly satisfying battle. Maliketh, I will probably never forget you.]
[I've always craved his armor, but why does it look so uncoordinated when the Tarnished wears it? It's another case of expectation vs. reality.]
[Destined Death burns HP; it's noble mechanical damage.]
[The weapon moveset is indeed cool, but it looks clumsy. I choose looks. The Incantation is much more flexible; it's another powerful move for our Incantation builds. Huge profit.]
[From now on, I'll have the Black Blade to burn HP at the start. I can outlast you just by stalling.]
[There is a gap in aesthetics, but the intensity is up to standard.]
Even the Messages, which usually had diverse opinions, gave their approval. This aligned with Frieren's speculation; it was a considerably excellent ability.
Watching her finish inspecting the spoils of war, the concerned Melina and Ranni hurried over. Seeing that the silver-haired girl had already self-healed and recovered, they breathed a sigh of relief, forced to admire this person's tough physique.
She really won a wheel battle.
First defeating Dragonlord Placidusax, and then fighting a duel to the death with the strongest killer, Maliketh, the Black Blade. Her battle record would be shocking if spoken aloud; everyone had witnessed a miracle.
They had lost successively to the Soul Cinder King; this was enough to represent the gold content of the future Elden Lord.
No, in a sense, having defeated the Dragonlord, she already counted as an Elden Lord.
"Back then, I racked my brains just to steal it," Ranni lamented. "It was the beginning of all plans. Otherwise, if I hadn't killed the Golden Prince, I would have had the fate of an ordinary princess, and the Carian Royal Family would have suffered suppression."
"Thinking about it now, Maliketh gave me the opportunity to start my ambition. He has finally eaten the evil fruit of his own making, leading to our current journey together."
Recalling the past, she revealed a faint smile.
However, Frieren shook her head and said with a face full of certainty, "You wouldn't have been a boring princess. Even if stealing Destined Death hadn't succeeded, you would have thought of other plans."
"You really understand me."
The two knew clearly that they were both ambitious and would absolutely not stop due to a little setback.
"Melina, the power of Destined Death fits relatively well with your Gloam Eyes. I'll split a portion for you to keep. Can you handle it?"
"I can, but will it affect your usage?"
"It doesn't matter. The effect when I use the Incantation: Black Blade is about the same. As for the sword, it's so clumsy that I basically won't take it out," Frieren said. She didn't like weapons that were too exaggerated.
Since the King had given such instructions, Melina respectfully obeyed, using the Blade of Calling to absorb a portion of Destined Death.
It was indeed powerful.
The onrushing aura of death caused her eyes to open completely, flickering with blue-purple light. A brand-new power broke out of its shell, finally revealing itself. The power of the Godslayer lineage combined with Destined Death was nourishing her body.
Melina held up her hands in disbelief, revealing a look of confusion. "Has the seal been lifted?"
"That's right, I guess that's it. In fact, Maliketh used Destined Death to suppress more than half of the Godslayer power. If you are alive when he is killed, you automatically obtain the new power, thereby being reborn. You've become stronger again."
"So this was the backup plan used to prevent the Lord of Frenzied Flame."
At this point, she finally understood that her life and death were actually two preparations. If she didn't die in the Forge of the Giants, it meant the Tarnished had thrown themselves into the Frenzied Flame.
At that time, Melina would obtain powerful strength through her original special connection with Destined Death, sufficient to kill the King.
Was it enough?
She took a deep look at the silver-haired girl.
Leaving aside an extraordinary outsider like Frieren becoming King, even a King produced natively in the Lands Between would likely be very hard to kill.
So, it didn't rely on hard power, but rather on the premise that "since they chose to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, they must care about you, and this will become a weakness." The plan to commit regicide intended to exploit this point; it was another mission.
Calculations within calculations, interlinked rings; they could always find a breach to target you.
Melina had mixed feelings in her heart. She didn't know how to evaluate Marika, so she could only let go of the entanglement.
"Let's rest a bit, then we'll set off."
"Of course... but I have words I want to speak with everyone."
Frieren looked toward Bernahl, who was walking over with large strides. The latter revealed the same bright and clear expression as when they first met.
"Congratulations. Now only capturing the Royal Capital remains. I will witness it to the end. However, this is your battle after all, so I will not participate. The scenery in Farum Azula is nice; it should be just right to watch from here."
"Thank you."
"Let's skip the polite remarks. Go meet the Ancient Dragons; they are anxious."
Just as Bernahl said, the originally comatose Dragonlord Placidusax showed signs of awakening.
He was simply the King of Durability; to be able to wake up quickly after taking such a beating.
Although he was sound asleep, his life aura was clearly tending toward stability.
Lansseax said, "His Majesty should wake up before long. With him and us together, maintaining Farum Azula will be enough to keep it from falling for a hundred years."
"It's fine. My promise remains valid. If I win, I will hold up the Sky City again and help you repair it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Even knowing clearly that it was a political trade, the Ancient Dragons were grateful. After all, being able to do it and being willing to do it were two different things. The Soul Cinder King, who would dominate the Lands Between in the future, could completely disregard the Ancient Dragons, yet she still gave them a reassurance pill.
The dynasty under the Order of the Stars needed their support, so the Ancient Dragons would certainly do their utmost.
"Bring a message to Placidusax for me. When he wakes up, say: I have a way to cure your disability. Even your two heads can be reattached."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was shocked.
Could it be that when killing Bayle the Dread, the Soul Cinder King had conveniently kept the Dragonlord's two heads? was there really a chance to restore them?
And the price?
It would definitely be high. It would ensure the Ancient Dragon race completely became a part of the new dynasty's foundation, no longer allowed to drift outside uncontrolled. Perhaps it was a step further than the simple deterrence of someone like Maliketh, but it might also be more comfortable.
"I will tell His Majesty. You will have to discuss the specific details."
After nodding, Frieren said loudly, "Florisaxx, same as always. I'll trouble you to send us part of the way. The target is Leyndell, Royal Capital."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The Ancient Dragon Priestess let the three sit on her head. In the next moment, she flapped her wings, stirring up a gale, and sped away.
Her resolute back pointed toward the place of the final decisive battle. Presumably, the earth would crumble and the mountains would shatter there.
Even the Ancient Dragons, as eternal lives, were nervous about the surging changes of the era...
"Wait a moment." Suddenly, Lansseax called out to the squad. "Your Majesty, I have a temporary proposal."
Altus Plateau, relics of the Outer Wall Battleground of the Royal Capital.
The Soul Cinder Army, treading forward on the ruins of past wars, had solemn expressions and a heavy atmosphere.
Passing through here, one could occasionally witness super-colossal arrows that only Golems could shoot, as well as broken chariots, saddles, weapons, and the like. The fierce fire was enduring and unceasing, still burning and constantly creating ash. There seemed to be bursts of shouting and killing in the wind.
Deadly silent and desolate.
Even the 200,000-strong main force of the Soul Cinder Army couldn't disperse this chill of death. Who knew how many people had buried their bones here.
Messmer, at the very front of the column, looked left and right and murmured, "Thinking about it now, among us generals, unexpectedly no one has experienced the battles of the King's Alliance. We don't know the details of the defense of Leyndell. This is a shortcoming."
The Mimic Tear asked in confusion, "Didn't many veterans experience it? They didn't die."
"The perspectives of soldiers and commanders are different. Although Rellana and I have experience in siege warfare, it may not necessarily be effective against a high wall like Leyndell's."
The others, like the Undead Legion of Farron, were even less worth mentioning.
Combat power and command experience could not be lumped together. The Siege of Leyndell tested organization particularly heavily, not to mention that the opponent's high-end combat power was not bad either.
It was also a galaxy of stars:
Godfrey, the First Elden Lord; Morgott, the Grace-Given King; Beast Regent Serosh; and Yhorm the Giant. Plus Sir Gideon Ofnir who had defected to them, as well as the Prince of Death and the Lichdragon—two weapons of war that could not be ignored... And there was Godefroy the Grafted and a full complement of Crucible Knights. It was equally an exaggerated lineup.
In terms of the number of high-end combatants alone, they did not hold the advantage.
Considering the grassroots military force, they might even be at a slight disadvantage. It was very difficult to handle.
Calculating overall, they were evenly matched. Even if war wasn't about smashing stats directly against each other, it was worth referencing.
Laying out the lineup, one knew it would be a hard fight.
Not to mention that Leyndell's city walls, equipment, and supplies were factors that had to be considered. Back then, the disparity in high-end combat power for the King's Alliance was much greater than today, yet were they not still blocked by the Grace-Given King?
Although there was the reason of the bloody conspiracy stealing the home base from behind and disintegrating the alliance, there was no doubt that Morgott had withstood the fiercest offensive in the initial stage.
Today was even harder.
Rellana comforted, "That is why we brought almost all the sorcerers from Caria."
The Liurnia region had mobilized all its magical resources with an attitude of 'no longer saving for tomorrow,' piling up a super siege unit. The goal was to breach the Royal Capital, or at least ensure an advantage in large-scale bombardment.
Sitting on the resources of the two great magic regions, Sellia and Raya Lucaria, they had the confidence. They had invested heavily this time.
Success or death; there was no other choice.
"It will be smooth once Mother returns. With her here, besieging the city won't be hard."
"...That's not necessarily true. The Royal Capital is very well prepared this time." Messmer pointed into the distance, where a layer of scaffolding piled with various debris had been added to the outer wall of the ramparts.
They were naturally fragile, simply a garbage dump, but they were enough to unload a portion of the shockwaves and could hinder enemies climbing the wall.
Truly troublesome.
Even with a glance, all the generals felt it was thorny. It was sturdy enough.
"The commander-in-chief should be Morgott. Having fought the Defense of Leyndell twice, he knows the key points better than anyone. Instead, we are the novices. However, no one knows without fighting a battle. Deploy the formation. Prepare."
Following Messmer's order, the entire army mobilized, gradually spreading out in an arc outside the firing range of the city walls.
Benefiting from absolute numerical superiority, the current Soul Cinder Army could completely adopt an encirclement tactic. One after another, trebuchets and ballistae, as well as Golems and Trolls, were set up, all aiming at the high walls of Leyndell.
Except for the side with the broken wall near the Land of Shadow, everywhere one could find a footing was the spearhead of the Soul Cinder Army.
Atop the city walls.
Morgott, looking down from high above, had a solemn expression.
As far as the eye could see, there were banners of the Black Sun and Fire Ring, vast and mighty. Ten thousand people would look endless visually, let alone a swarm of 200,000 troops turning out in full force.
The last time he had a full-scale confrontation with Frieren's army was in Liurnia. Back then, there clearly weren't many people; it was mostly private soldiers from nobles all over Liurnia filling the scene to support them.
Now, the enemy had grown into the largest scale army in the Lands Between.
Even though the Soul Cinder King hadn't arrived, the pressure given to people was enough to suffocate, like black clouds pressing down on the city.
"Everyone to your positions. Set up shields. Every battlement point must be guarded. constantly watch out for climbers. Maintain patrols."
"Yes, sir."
After a round of arranging troops and formation, the Soul Cinder Army also tended toward stability.
The queues gradually calmed down and stopped moving, but the veterans knew clearly that this was actually the signal for the general offensive, so they held their breath. Then, they watched helplessly as Trolls and Golems raised huge Spiritflame Pots one by one.
They had actually specially prepared thrown items. They had spent a huge price, but would it work from outside the wall's range?
In the next moment, the sorcerers collectively chanted reinforcements, making the aura of these throwers even more intense. Wait a minute, could it be they were forcibly reinforcing them before attacking?
Whoosh!
Blue shadows rose into the sky. Impressively, hundreds of Spiritflame Pots drew parabolas and struck the top of the city walls with perfect posture.
A crashing explosion rang in their ears. The Leyndell Knights subconsciously covered their faces, but there was no movement. Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay before breathing a sigh of relief. It turned out they had hit the upper parts of the wall; ultimately, they failed to completely surmount this wall of sighs.
"I told you, how could this high wall be so easily hit by them?"
"A bunch of country bumpkins simply don't understand the formidability of the Royal Capital."
Mocking laughter rose one after another. However, Morgott noticed that the broken pot fragments were stuck to the city wall, and blue-black mud was even spreading out.
It was Putrescence!
It was even accompanied by small-sized Putrescent organisms constantly clinging to the walls, carrying the chill of Ghostflame.
They came from the inspiration Frieren found from the Putrescent Knight. So she had instructed early on to bring it back for research, finally resulting in special Putrescent organisms packed in pots. They were temporary, and the Ghostflame would go out quickly once it lost its danger, but playing for a time difference was enough.
The blue flames swelled up violently when the wind blew.
In an instant, soldiers were swallowed up, falling while howling, igniting even more people. The disorder on the city wall was spreading.
The Soul Cinder Army made a prompt decision to push forward. The trebuchets, seizing the opportunity, could finally start moving. Only the whistling sound of breaking air was heard as boulders rumbled and beat against the high wall, though they still failed to hit the top of the wall.
The angle of elevation was too high.
But the vibration and reaction force were real; a portion was even shaken off and fell.
Messmer was clear that Leyndell's high walls were hard to surmount, so the goal from the beginning was not to cause damage to the defenders on the wall, but to suppress.
He gave the Mimic Tear a look, and the latter nodded in understanding. With the sound of a bell, the Spirit Ash army emerged. Not only that, but a large number of countless Silver Tear lifeforms advanced under the command of the Eternal City's legion.
General physical attacks had very little effect on them; they were the excellent vanguard army to press on in one breath.
____
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