That Ancient God fellow has been tossing and turning, causing trouble all day; it is high time he was put to some use.
In the past, Frieren was cautious with the power she used, but now, against the First Elden Lord, a strike utilizing Bleed is far more suitable. Since it involves blood, she might as well bring in a bunch of restless characters.
The gathered evil wills responded to the Ruler of Yharnam.
Clatter!
Deadly blood-fire flowed over the blade of the Rakuyo, while the staff in her other hand alternated between blood blades and magic, continuously creating blood blades that floated in the air, poised to strike.
She was ready. She was betting that she could suppress her trump card and bring her strongest abilities to bear against an unknown, even stronger enemy.
"Am I being looked down upon?"
Despite the implication, Godfrey actually revealed a faint smile. Regardless of what plan the opponent adopted, that spirit of putting one's life on the line was genuine. It was the perfect opportunity to let him witness true skill.
Responding to the First Elden Lord was Frieren's first strike: two long rainbows of fresh blood slashed past in a cross.
Ping!
The battle axe was held vertically in front of him, blocking with precision. The humming vibration cracked the web of his hand, sending shockwaves from his arm to his spine. What a heavy blow.
Following the violent force, she seamlessly switched to a sword technique that was soft to the extreme. This sword master brushed past him, her sword flourishes trembling and rippling out a trajectory like flowing water, instantly enveloping the tall body of the First Lord.
Crack, crack, crack! The sounds of cutting were incessant. Waterfowl Dance, released in a triple chain!
At the critical moment, Godfrey used Endure to withstand the impact with his body, while simultaneously stomping his foot to whip up a tornado.
The angry explosive counterattack shook Frieren's internal organs at point-blank range, causing blood to spill from the corner of her mouth. Yet, she calmly maintained her balance, succeeding in retreating with light steps to reopen the distance.
The damage she inflicted was superior.
The swordsmanship she had refined during the battle with the Valkyrie Malenia was now thoroughly displayed before her current number one enemy.
This is bad.
Godfrey felt the polluted blood rapidly infiltrating the cut wounds.
Thanks to the tough, all-around resistance provided by the Golden Blessing, he withstood further erosion. However, the momentary pause in his movement was a perfect opportunity for Frieren. The Rakuyo sliced open a brilliant blood-red star trail—Star-Lined Sword!
With a crack, it collided with the battle axe. However, the soft sword momentum immediately switched to force deflection, then instantly shifted to one Dragonwound Slash after another, covering him.
Every move possessed the abnormality of the Ancient God's blood.
So Godfrey maintained distance and cut with similar Storm Blades, finally neutralizing them all.
However, the excellent warrior had already foreseen a danger.
The rhythm has been taken.
If he let Frieren continue to suppress him, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't make a mistake. Therefore, he immediately launched a fierce counterattack—
Storms gathered around the battle axe. As its master danced, it actually triggered an earthquake. The plaza bulged once again like a volcanic eruption, raising raging flames that merged into a streak, pouncing toward the silver-haired girl.
It was not a sharp blade that met the attack, but a figure turning into a thick plume of smoke and thunder, escaping into the air.
The speed was so fast that even Godfrey couldn't catch up. In the blink of an eye, he witnessed the opponent looking down from above, scattering lightning bombardments along the way, as if overlooking the entire Royal Capital.
Thundercloud Form.
The pressure of the Soul Cinder King resonated with the thunderstorms between heaven and earth, becoming part of a mighty force, majestic and boundless. Finally, it condensed into a sharp blade where blood and thunder coexisted, released violently from top to bottom, smashing down with gravitational acceleration.
Godfrey also ruthlessly met it with a heavy strike he had long been charging.
In this instant, both of them abandoned defense. There were no worries; going all out was the only tactic. Sure enough, the shockwaves overflowed, shaking the internal organs of both, making them vomit blood involuntarily. But their strength did not diminish in the slightest as they continued to wrestle with determination.
Thud!
Sure enough, both flew backward. The petite Frieren retreated further, covered in cuts and bruises, her wounds still lingering with storm cuts.
By comparison, Godfrey was injured more heavily, fresh blood flowing uncontrollably.
The two raised their heads simultaneously, their gazes locking.
At this distance, Frieren immediately chose Comet Azur, but the opponent dodged sideways and advanced.
Too agile; she could only fight head-on. As the thought struck, she engaged in close quarters. Ping, ping, pang, pang! The sounds of collision were frequent, accompanied by flashes of blades and shadows of swords. However, as a mage, maintaining mid-range combat was disadvantageous. In the next moment, she teleported away.
Wrong!
One second after the teleportation, the battle axe grazed her cheek. Fortunately, she discovered it in time; otherwise, her head would have been separated from her body.
It was the first time a situation occurred where she was caught directly after the teleportation recovery frame, leaving Frieren with lingering fear. She could not let her guard down.
However, she had reached the critical kill line. This was the perfect moment to choose.
Transform Attack! The Rakuyo, suddenly changing its appearance, stabbed ruthlessly into Godfrey's abdomen, but in the next moment, it was firmly clamped by his muscles.
What an exaggerated physique.
Two large hands pressed down on the silver-haired girl's shoulders and slammed her ruthlessly into the ground.
This blow was so violent that the plaza on the highest level of the palace subsided, and dust filled the air. Frieren, her internal organs shattered, still did not relax her grip on the sharp blade, while Godfrey's hands did not stop striking with force.
Both sides roared simultaneously, exploding with magic power.
Boom!
Amidst the heart-palpitating, violent shaking, a Bloodboon Incantation was seen sweeping across the sky, accompanied by the ravings of an Ancient God, dyeing the pale blood.
The First Elden Lord retreated stumbling, panting heavily, involuntarily touching the penetrating wound on his abdomen.
Frieren was not feeling good either. She stood up from the huge crater, most of her bones cracked or broken, some even piercing into her internal organs, expanding the injuries. If not for the buffs brought by actively embracing the power of the Ancient God, she would be near death by now.
However, in the next moment, she quickly recovered with Soothing Sunlight. Obviously, she still had the capacity for a great battle; her endurance was bottomless, enough to make anyone who witnessed it tremble with fear.
Godfrey stared at the strong enemy, his eyes seeming to have made up his mind.
"I've had enough of elaborate courtesies."
With a tear of his large hand, he ripped his armor to shreds, going into battle bare-chested. Fresh blood flowed along the texture of his muscles like a war robe.
His aura changed as if he were a different person. Gone was the feeling of being constrained by the fighting style of the First Elden Lord; instead, he was more savage, more pure.
"From this moment on, I am Hoarah Loux, Warrior!"
He assumed a grappling wrestling stance, his movements wide and open, yet his momentum was even superior. Not only did his target, Frieren, furrow her brows, but the entire Royal Capital felt the pressure.
He is back.
Those who had experienced the ancient times realized that the Highlander Warrior, Hoarah Loux, had returned. In the distant beginning, it was he who, together with Marika, created the prototype of the Golden Dynasty. Later, acting as a Lord was a restriction for him personally.
Now, he picked up all his wildness, combat intuition, and ancient techniques, meeting the enemy in his most perfect state.
"His Majesty is also in a hard fight."
Serosh murmured, though there was an extra measure of certainty in his heart. In his memory, his master as a warrior was invincible.
The Demigods of the Golden Lineage breathed a sigh of relief, certain of victory. However, this did not mean their own situation would improve, especially with Melina's pair of Gloam-Eyes becoming increasingly bright, driving Destined Death to boil.
"Since I cannot fight the First Lord together with her, then compensate with your lives."
"Hah!"
Hoarah Loux roared at the sky. Sound waves impacted together with magic power; all phenomena shattered, and the plaza instantly collapsed.
Not far away, Frieren subconsciously covered her ears. When she opened her palms, they were dripping with fresh blood; she could feel her eyes and nose bleeding as well. What a terrifying attack; a single roar was comparable to top-tier magic.
She hurriedly raised her Flask of Wondrous Physick, spun around on the spot, and drank it all in an instant.
Canceling the drinking animation, she then dodged a punch.
Fortunately, her years of experience in PvP combat had not been lost. She had a set of plans to deal with enemies who might punish the recovery frames before and after drinking potions.
Even so, the wind pressure of the straight punch brushing past still cut her cheek, causing discomfort.
So fast.
Frieren took several sliding steps to finally escape the direct attack range, but her body involuntarily transmitted fatigue. It was not that her endurance was insufficient, but the rejection reaction of the Hunter account; she could not allow the Ancient God's blood to penetrate too deeply.
Saving the other trump cards required paying a risk.
Therefore, she could not adopt stalling tactics to avoid Hoarah Loux's edge. There was no time. On the contrary, she had to confront strength with strength until a winner was decided.
It wasn't that she was increasing the difficulty by using the power of the Ancient God, but rather choosing the lesser of two evils, saving the Soul of Cinder and Chosen Undead—which were most damaging to her main body and most berserk—for later use.
Even more extreme, paving the way for the fusion of multiple accounts to exert power; that was a power never before touched...
"You think too much."
Suddenly, Hoarah Loux teleported in front of the silver-haired girl, smashing down with a heavy punch.
Bang!
At the critical moment, a gravity deflection shifted the trajectory slightly. Simultaneously, Frieren met it with a heavy strike from the Gavel of Haima to avoid a direct hit. It was perilously close. Fighting the second phase of the First Elden Lord allowed for no distraction, otherwise, if not dead, she would be severely injured.
She had lingering fears about the terrifying power Hoarah Loux suddenly displayed—implementing a barbaric style, domineering yet rational.
Try testing his attack style conservatively first.
Although the pressure of the Ancient God's blood was constantly increasing, Frieren knew best that she had to be calm.
The silver-haired girl casually renewed her defensive buff magic, then actively released various long-range magic spells to cover the area.
Hoarah Loux, meanwhile, constantly shortened the distance. The wind pressure between his fists and feet had the momentum to topple mountains and overturn seas.
The battle stage shattered.
The palace collapsed from top to bottom. The magnificent, grand palace built relying on the Erdtree continued to cave in, turning into ruins under the gaze of the multitude, and even becoming powder within the shockwaves.
What fell was not only rubble but also various gorgeous vessels, portraits, and sculptures, which people felt was a pity.
Who knows how much of the wealth of a dynasty, having weathered the storms, could remain today?
But on second thought, this was the moment deciding the fate of the world. Mere gold, silver, and jewelry were not worth mentioning; the victor's Order would reshape the Lands Between.
Boom, boom!
Heavy muffled sounds accompanied multi-colored, materialized magic power.
The Demigod battlefield below was greatly affected. Even those as strong as this tier had to avoid it.
Everyone knew well that the two in the death match had likely started their second phases. Then, no matter what, they would fight to the death next, with no distractions and no scruples. Every blow could be called a natural disaster, wreaking havoc on the fertile land of the Ashen Capital.
Wreaking havoc in the apocalyptic environment of the burning Erdtree added an apocalyptic atmosphere.
Crack!
Just in an opening where everyone was not paying attention, Melina stabbed a blade into the body of the Prince of Death. The black-red Rune of Death surged, easily penetrating the huge rotten body emitting a foul stench.
It evidently began to wither. Although the evaluation that "vitality drops" for Those Who Live in Death was fast, it was indeed on the verge of death.
She actually caught an opportunity again.
Sir Gideon Ofnir stared with uncontrollable rage, but in the next moment, he had to defend against Ranni's Dark Moon magic.
"Conspirator of the Night of the Black Knives, you caused all of this."
"Ofnir, it is your inaction and attempt to stop the Tarnished from repairing the world. Your long-cherished wish is about to end; you are destined to have no good result." The blue-haired doll retorted sarcastically, neither giving way to the other.
They guarded strictly against each other, not allowing a top-tier mage to enter the battlefield to cause destruction; they had to keep watch.
Gradually, people felt Frieren's aura decline.
A turn for the better?
Originally, the Demigods of the Golden Lineage were beating drums in their hearts, after all, the advantage had been gained at the high-end combat power level. But now it seemed Hoarah Loux could turn the tide; as long as he defeated the Soul Cinder King, it would be fine.
There was no alternative option for the candidate of the Elden Lord. If she died, it was over.
Instead, the side with the advantage moved slower, hesitating, inevitably a bit worried about Frieren...
"Continue fighting." Melina stood on the mermaid remains and spoke clearly.
"Believe in our King; she will return in triumph. Our mission is only one: kill the enemy Demigods as much as possible. Perform your respective duties; there is no time for us to waver."
Her words made everyone a bit more determined.
The implication also rejected the idea of support. That was the King's war; as a Maiden, she chose to believe in the partner who had walked all this way.
Whoosh!
The direction of the Throne Plaza violently erupted with an earthquake. Rubble rose roaring, accompanied by flames.
It was impressively Hoarah Loux grabbing the ground and flipping the table. The force was so strong that it shocked Frieren back into the sky, tossing her high up and making her lose balance. Even she hadn't expected the massive scale of this move.
No, it wasn't over yet.
In the corner of her eye, Hoarah Loux roared and rushed into mid-air. Taking advantage of the opening from her loss of balance, he grabbed her with both hands and smashed her ruthlessly toward the ground.
Too late, and no strength to struggle. In a trance, the world spun as she plunged into the dark bottom layer; her body seemed to lose sensation for an instant.
A full-power grab technique from the First Lord head-on possessed terrifying lethality; even an Ancient Dragon would be smashed to death forcefully.
"...You are actually still breathing? Not dead?"
He looked at the silver-haired girl slowly standing up in the hollow, intending to pursue, but his body was also a bit numb. Under conditions of heavy injury, a full-power strike was also a gamble.
"Cough!"
Frieren, spitting out a mouthful of blood, finally stood firm. Seemingly barely supporting herself, in reality, the bones all over her body were shattered.
She had never underestimated Hoarah Loux's combat power and had brought out the Hunter combat stance hidden until now, but the warrior who founded the Golden Dynasty indeed had some tricks. The current output level was not enough.
Coming to the Lands Between, this was the first time she felt the danger of the edge of death.
She spread her hands, emitting crackling, crisp sounds.
The bones all over her body shattered further, yet reshaped within the shattering. At this moment, the Ancient God's blood completely replaced normal blood, a deep morphological transformation.
The red on the Rakuyo was so rich it could not dissolve, making one's scalp tingle just by looking at it.
Full Hunter Transformation.
Magic power condensed into a black trench coat on Frieren's body, and she wore a tricorne hat. Her entire temperament changed abruptly—dark, profound, and unpredictable, simply like a different person.
Since it had come to this, she would activate the Hunter account to the maximum degree.
The Hunter who once achieved the body of an Ancient God and bore all the evil of Yharnam manifested here, fighting with all her might.
____
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