In an instant, the Spirit Ash Legion and the Crucible Knight Order crashed into each other, becoming inseparable and immediately forming the forefront of the war.
Although the average quality of the former was inferior to the latter, their numerical advantage made up for it. Under the command of the Mimic Tear, they surrounded the enemy in an orderly manner, trading blows amidst the flash of blades and the shadow of swords.
"Roderika would be very happy to see them being so useful."
Frieren watched with gratification.
It was not in vain that she had spent a massive amount of Grave Gloveworts up to this point. In fact, the Eternal City alone would not have been enough to supply them fully, but fortunately, Farum Azula still had plenty of resources.
In the end, creating the Spirit Ash Legion before her eyes made it not difficult to at least stall the Crucible Knights.
Melina suggested, "Since the progress on the battlefield is currently stable, you should rest for a while. Don't push yourself; if I'm not mistaken, you are not in a complete state right now."
"I will start meditating. It won't take too long. I'll trouble you to keep watch; once I'm done, we will go to the palace."
After speaking, Frieren sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.
"Not only did you see through it, but you also made her listen; you really understand Her Majesty," Ranni sighed. "Otherwise, if you hadn't pointed it out, she would have charged in with her current state in one breath. That would be too dangerous."
"Actually, Frieren feels that no matter what her current state is, she will definitely activate the Soul of Cinder Incarnation later to refresh her own status."
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple. She judges that the final strong enemy is definitely more than just what appears on the surface."
The two looked at each other and fell into silence. Intuition told them it was best to overestimate the enemy; Her Majesty's judgment was correct.
In short, they would protect her for now, and conveniently, they also needed to adjust their own conditions. Next, they each had troublesome enemies to solve.
Florisaxx flapped her wings and moved slightly away from the battlefield.
As a priestess Ancient Dragon, as long as she was high in the sky, she could avoid most attacks and leave the noise of the battlefield, not to mention having three powerhouses protecting her at the same time.
The Royal Capital army also understood this.
They had to ignore the Ancient Dragon. Currently, they had no troops to pursue, and even if they caught up, they couldn't win, so they focused on other things first.
Little did they know that Melina and Ranni were already discussing when to intervene in the battlefield. The two Demigods, currently unnoticed, had to be invested in the most cost-effective way...
At this moment, the very center of the stage had become the Crucible Knights and the Spirit Ash Legion.
Two top-tier elite squads engaged in close combat, killing endlessly. Weapons collided with pinging and banging sounds, heavy armor rubbed and crashed against each other, wielded with the resolve of warriors.
It was a storm of blood.
Even someone as strong as the Crucible Knight Ordovis had to face powerful Spirit Ashes from the Land of Shadow, such as Divine Bird Warriors and Horned Warriors, at the same time.
The opponent adopted a numerical advantage to firmly entangle their side.
Including herself, the other Crucible Knights were also stalled. The opponent's weaker Spirit Ashes were responsible for harassment, maintaining fire coverage from a distance. Latenna, in particular, had already stuck quite a few arrows into them. If this went on, they wouldn't be able to hold out.
Unfortunately, charging fiercely wouldn't work either.
Because among the enemy were famous powerhouses of the level of Cleanrot Knight Finlay, Lhutel the Headless, and Black Knife Tiche, who had now turned into Spirit Ashes to fight them.
The Crucible Knights, who were supposed to be played as a trump card to tear apart the enemy's offensive, slowed their pace.
They still held the advantage in a frontal confrontation, but it was a pity they had no spare energy to delay the enemy.
Rellana, responsible for command, ordered: "Bypass the place where the Crucible Knights are fighting and advance through the streets according to the plan. Focus bombardment on towering buildings and advance in squad units. The Magma Wyrms will provide cover."
"Roar!"
The high-pitched, crawling behemoths radiated heat from their entire bodies. Boiling magma spread, and combined with their weight and defense, simply brushing past a house was enough to cause a collapse.
It was impossible to honestly break through buildings one by one.
The Magma Wyrm unit had been saved until now just to be used for street fighting.
With them as the vanguard, numerous warriors of the Soul Cinder Army followed, eliminating any enemies encountered along the way with flowing ease.
This was a practiced tactic.
During the long preparation time, they had drilled in the ruins seen everywhere in the Lands Between, finally determining the tactic for this very moment: steady and efficient, continuously pushing toward the inner city.
The mighty procession brushed past the Spirit Ash Legion.
They trusted their teammates to block the Crucible Knights and deployed troops boldly and confidently. As a result, Devonia and the others could only watch helplessly as the banners of the Black Sun and Fire Ring swept past on both sides, unable to spare a hand to deal with them.
In fact, the Mimic Tear lived up to expectations and blocked them, creating conditions for the rear to enter the city.
Following the breach of the city, the most crucial thing was to cross the gap. The dangerous period had passed; now they drove straight in and gained a firm foothold, thoroughly treating the streets of the Royal Capital as a battlefield.
"Rebels!"
An angry lion roar echoed: "You are actually destroying the prosperous avenues of the Golden Capital! This great sin must be paid for with death."
"That means we've set a record."
The Mimic Tear spread her hands; the angrier Serosh in front of her was, the happier she became.
In the next moment, the two commanders crashed into each other. Magic and Bestial Incantations clashed with a bang, creating a rumbling thunder.
They were both types that combined magic and martial arts, perfectly suited for causing destruction on the battlefield. In comparison, eyeing another trouble happened to be just right; if they didn't eliminate each other, they couldn't command with peace of mind.
Sorcery: Night Comet.
The purple-black mana wounded Serosh in a single encounter, while the strong wind from his sharp claws also left a gash on the Mimic Tear's shoulder.
Truly troublesome; this was not a victor that could be decided in a short while.
Unless it was someone like Frieren, who was a large cut above a Demigod with a distinct advantage and could complete a quick kill, it would easily evolve into a protracted delaying battle, torturous for both sides.
Even in the highest quality arena present, where the protagonists were Morgott and Messmer, they were inextricably locked in combat.
They had already fought for rounds...
Suddenly, the Mimic Tear revealed a smile: "If we insist on saying there is a soft persimmon among your Golden Lineage Demigods, it must be that ugly patchwork fellow. Mother rose to power from Limgrave and is about to rule over the Lands Between; why doesn't this original owner go die in shame?"
"Don't you agree? Godefroy." Her loud shout spread throughout the street.
The King of Grafting, who was originally leading the reserve team in the rear, twisted his face and gnashed his teeth. Immediately, he charged up in anger, unstoppable.
"Brat!"
"Godefroy, don't be so immature."
Serosh's voice had just fallen when a mass of Night Maiden's Mist rose up.
He secretly thought, 'Not good, this is bad.' Protecting oneself in this mist wasn't hard; the key was that it was very likely the Mimic Tear wanted to seize the opportunity to get away and kill Godefroy. They couldn't hand over a Demigod for nothing.
But then again, why did she dare to be certain she could kill the target quickly?
Even if he was a bit weaker, he was, after all, a dignified Golden Scion. The vitality of a genuine Demigod was impeccable; even a sorcerer could not kill one easily and quickly...
"No, there's a trap! Stop immediately."
"What trap? I'm innocent."
Serosh, confused by his concern, was slightly stunned. Immediately after, a Sorcery: Carian Piercer penetrated his abdomen. If he hadn't dodged in time, it probably would have damaged his heart.
He looked back, and impressively, it was the Mimic Tear. It wasn't her playing a conspiracy; was there someone else? It must be. Because the range of the Night Maiden's Mist was constantly expanding, enveloping the entire street, including Godefroy, in the blink of an eye.
Not good.
He had to find a way to warn him, but everyone on the battlefield had things to be busy with; who could attend to it?
Serosh listened intently while fighting the Great Battle with the Mimic Tear.
It was too strange; clearly, there was no major movement. Was it just a routine troop deployment? Did they not intend to kill a Demigod? Was he overthinking it? After all, a Golden Scion was not so easily killed; otherwise, dying easily would only shake morale...
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past.
The Night Maiden's Mist dispersed. Was it really that simple? But Serosh reacted in the next moment: "No, just now, more than one person was casting the mist."
He looked in Godefroy's direction, only to see the latter's hands and feet suffering from being frozen sealed.
With the power of a Demigod, it wouldn't be hard to break free, even if it was a sneak attack from fellow Demigod Ranni, but he would never have the chance.
Crack!
A dagger filled with the heart-palpitating power of the Rune of Death—no, a weapon that had already extended into an épée under the black-red energy—pierced through Godefroy's throat. It was seen that Melina's petite body was half-crouching on the shoulder behind his back. Standard assassin style, one fatal blow.
"The Mimic Tear was right—"
"I, as the Maiden of the new Elden Lord, have executed the rebel of His Majesty's royal domain."
Limgrave was widely known as the place of Frieren's rise; it held extraordinary significance. How could a King of a former fiefdom be allowed to continue swaggering through the market? It was an insult to her style. Taking Godefroy as the first target was the most suitable.
A Golden Scion, a Demigod, a monarch from the time of the Shattering, had fallen just like that.
A kill by Destined Death left no room for survival; it was over.
Melina lightly stepped on Godefroy's shoulder and soared into the air. On the other side, Ranni, sitting upright on a floating Dark Moon, caught her. The two were immediately picked up by an Ancient Dragon.
It was too fast.
Everything happened in a split second. It was a setup by a full three Demigods to kill him. They accomplished their goal and retreated, leaving behind only a wretched corpse.
There was not even time to collect the body on the battlefield before it was picked up by the claws of a Magma Wyrm and held high for public display.
"The Golden Lineage Demigods will be completely wiped out today."
Following the Mimic Tear's high shout, the entire Soul Cinder Army yelled with boiling excitement, cheering at Florisaxx who was speeding away. Ranni and Melina, riding on her, didn't even forget to wave their hands.
The Royal Capital army was naturally furious, but they couldn't catch the Ancient Dragon Priestess.
It wasn't that they were truly helpless, but what if they really broke through Florisaxx's defense? Don't forget the silver-haired girl meditating sitting on top of her. If she was alarmed in advance, the losses would probably be even greater. They had to guard against it.
Inside the palace, Godfrey said with a grim expression, "I am about to completely receive the final Blessing of the Erdtree. Prepare for the decisive battle."
"As you command."
Even the battle-hardened First Lord couldn't help but sigh with emotion at the death of a Golden Scion.
There would definitely be more than one victim today; there would be thousands upon thousands.
Leyndell, Royal Capital, had bet the foundation of an entire dynasty's rule, packing in all their belongings to fight a duel to the death with the final challenger brewed over five thousand years. This battle would turn the sky dark and the earth dim.
Godfrey took a deep breath, gripped his battle axe tightly, and murmured, "Marika, I will help you crusade against those who attempt to subvert our dynasty."
With the fall of a Demigod, the reserve Royal Capital army was leaderless.
The Soul Cinder Army seized the opportunity to push forward again.
Benefiting from air cover, they had a keen perception of the battlefield. The moment they caught a flaw, they covered it with a rain of arrows, causing a considerable batch of the reserve team in the rear to fall like cut wheat, dying before they could complete their mission.
However, the Royal Capital army still displayed powerful organization under pressure, their dense phalanxes surrounding ruin after ruin to block the enemy.
Both sides seemed to treat Leyndell as a cluster of fortresses; they had to attack and gnaw through them one by one.
Although the Spirit Ash Legion led by the Mimic Tear and the Crucible Knight Order led by Serosh had the highest average quality, what truly had a great impact was the confrontation of the grassroots military forces.
Both main forces had already entered the main battlefield and then discovered one thing:
It was total chaos.
The narrow streets, compared to the scale of nearly 250,000 people combined on both sides, were terrifyingly crowded. The dense formations the armies took pride in were completely useless. It was mostly close-quarters combat, fighting in pairs—no, it was simply a brawl.
There was no coordination, only primitive wrestling.
The commanders could only try their best to gather manpower and issue orders with their personal guards as the core, barely maintaining order.
Compared to the war itself, both sides had to place more energy on organization. The events up to this point, such as the city breach and the fall of a Demigod, had shaken the command of both sides. Once one side reorganized a step ahead, they could obtain the advantage.
Melina and Ranni, high in the sky, saw it most clearly.
They needed to recover for a while after the unusually full-powered sneak attack magic. Conveniently, they conveyed orders to the various commanders.
"Blaidd, tell Edgar to take over Rellana's command," Ranni exhorted through a small doll. "Let her go support Messmer."
"Understood."
"There are also familiar faces who have come from afar."
The blue-haired girl followed the direction Melina pointed and saw the Tarnished from Roundtable Hold arriving late. Clearly, they didn't want to miss this great war and chose to stand with Frieren.
"Mr. Corhyn, who studies the Order, is also not far away... but I don't see Goldmask."
"Even those repairing the Elden Ring have all arrived. This battle is the stage for you and Frieren to announce the Order to the Lands Between."
"It's a pity the Great Rune isn't on Morgott, otherwise we would have collected them all. He will pay the price for this."
Ranni also had a bit of obsession with collecting things related to the Order, looking down coldly.
Ping!
The long spear once again parried the Cursed Sword. If Morgott hadn't reacted in time and swept away the red serpent with his tail, this move would definitely have hurt him. Opposite him, Messmer wasn't impatient either, re-racking his spear and setting up his stance, renewing the offensive.
He intercepted the Incantation light sword, but was swallowed by snake fire.
It looked like Messmer's offensive was fiercer, yet it hadn't caused much damage. He had to admit that the Grace-Given King had surpassing martial arts and excellent talent; his only flaw was being an Omen.
"As expected of the powerhouse capable of protecting the Golden Capital twice; you are the most excellent Golden Scion."
"I can hold it the third time too. Cut the crap; I have nothing to say to you people who have betrayed the responsibility of the dynasty's bloodline."
"I'm chatting with you only because you're about to die."
Before his voice fell, Messmer placed his hand on the eyeball that bore burn marks, murmuring, "The Soul Cinder King gave me a Blessing to completely tame the snake fire. I have already stepped onto a higher realm—"
"Forget it, you and I are enough."
Unknown to when, Rellana stood not far away, drawing her twin swords.
____
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