It was time to exchange the Remembrance.
Although the fires of war raged nearby, Frieren was focused on her spoils. This was her break time; the rest of the fighting could be left to her reliable teammates.
She wondered what high-value rewards the First Elden Lord of the Golden Dynasty would yield.
Teleportation.
Beneath her feet lay the Roundtable Hold, which also bore the colors of burning ash. It was deserted, giving off an inexplicable sense of desolation. It resembled the Firelink Shrine before the end; whenever Frieren visited at such moments, it was always with a solemn attitude.
She arrived at the chamber of the Two Fingers. This final envoy had curled up into a ball, bereft of vitality, nothing more than an empty shell.
Its fall symbolized that the age of the Two Fingers had completely faded away.
The Lands Between that followed would no longer have room for these fellows to issue false decrees; it would be an era completely dominated by Gods and Lords.
In truth, Frieren had no connection to the Two Fingers of the Roundtable, but she did feel a pity for the Finger Reader.
"Granny?"
Only after hearing the call did the Finger Reader Crone slowly raise her head. Her withered, hag-like face squeezed out a smile. "You won, Your Majesty. To think you actually defeated that First Lord... You are about to be granted an audience with the Elden Ring."
"It isn't over yet. There are still changes occurring inside the Erdtree. I need to prepare."
"...With Your Majesty's own power, you can materialize the spoils of the Remembrance yourself, can you not? Did you come specifically to see me off?"
"I suppose so. I wanted to take one last look at the Roundtable Hold."
"Once the new Order is established, these old bones and the Two Fingers will completely exit the stage of history. This is the last time, Your Majesty. May you be ever victorious."
The Finger Reader Crone gently stroked the Remembrance with her hand, scattering it into active energy.
Aside from the Runes, two spoils of war fell into Frieren's hands, though their performance and mechanics were hard to evaluate:
[Axe of Godfrey]
[Weapon of Godfrey, Elden Lord.]
[It was broken in a battle led by the Tarnished during the Long March.]
[Proof of the vow Godfrey swore to show a King's bearing, later becoming the symbol of the Golden Lineage.]
[Because in the past, strength was the very reason to be Lord.]
Not just in the past; it was true now as well. From the Dragonlord to the founder of the upcoming third unified dynasty of the Lands Between, every one of them paved the way with strength, their martial prowess peerless. The description of the royal axe was indeed full of grandeur.
Unfortunately, Frieren was not suited for it. Even Godfrey used it a bit clumsily, let alone her.
She cared more about the performance of the Weapon Skill, which she had witnessed in the battle just now:
[Unique Skill: Regal Roar]
[Unleashes a roar, increasing attack power. The shockwave generated by stomping the ground cannot be blocked.]
[While the skill is active, strong attacks transform into a forward-stepping slash.]
Mediocre.
The reason it appeared earth-shattering when Godfrey used it—shocking even her to the point of internal organ rupture—was because his stats were rock-solid. In reality, it lacked mechanics. At Frieren's level, moves that were merely raw stats disguised as techniques were meaningless.
Besides, it wasn't even that oppressive when he used it himself.
Whether it was the stats of the weapon itself or the attached Ash of War, neither was ideal. It was a pity. It would be more suitable to display it as a trophy in the future to showcase martial virtue.
Roaring back and forth was a barbaric Berserker style; it really didn't tune well with Frieren.
[Ash of War: Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker]
[This Ash of War grants an armament the Heavy affinity and the following skill: Slam both hands onto the ground to create a shockwave and shake the earth. Input the command again to slam the ground a second time.]
This one was even more unpretentious, relying entirely on raw damage numbers. No highlights.
Frieren turned them over and over but failed to dig out any decent hidden mechanics, so she looked at the messages:
[Are you kidding me? This is a King's loot?]
[It looked so cool on Godfrey, but when the Tarnished uses it, it's just this? Are you playing me?]
[No wonder he lost to the Tarnished.]
[Old man, your mechanics are too outdated. Pure primitive caveman. Not as good as my dual bleed blades. Jump attacks are the true reason to be Lord.]
[The set doesn't look like a King at all when worn; it actually looks wretched.]
[In terms of progression, a Tarnished who has reached this step has already seen a heap of flashy stuff and owns quite a lot themselves. It's normal to look down on it, but the loot given is indeed average. It doesn't even touch the sides in terms of looks.]
[Go gather dust.]
[I don't have time to look at the First Lord's Remembrance, the boss rush isn't over yet. Keep moving forward.]
...After some study, Frieren decided to store them away. Regrettably, neither of Godfrey's two spoils could provide tangible help at this stage; the most useful thing was actually the Runes.
Mixed within was a portion of the Great Rune's power.
The silver-haired girl reached out and cupped them. Drawn by the six Great Runes she already possessed, she absorbed them all into her body, sweeping away her feelings of exhaustion.
Currently, the Astrologer's base stats and the support of the rules could afford a higher-level form.
"Very good." The Finger Reader Crone nodded one last time. "I have always believed that you would become the Elden Lord..."
She slowly closed her eyes.
Frieren performed a prayer gesture with solemnity, then headed to the blacksmith's location.
The isolated space of the Roundtable Hold ultimately cut off most of the burning ash. The place that maintained its usual state most was right here, where Hewg continued to hammer materials while Roderika waited uneasily.
"Frieren, are you alright?"
"I'm just one step away from entering the Erdtree. However, I need to ask Mr. Hewg to use up all my Smithing Stones. It would be a waste not to use them."
Hearing the silver-haired girl's usual vigor, the Little Red Riding Hood girl breathed a sigh of relief.
The blacksmith didn't waste words either; he took the weapons and began to hammer.
The three of them silently enjoyed a moment of peace. Everything was understood without being spoken; this was the last meeting of the old era. Either the Lands Between would sink into oblivion from here on, or they would proceed to the Soul Cinder King's coronation ceremony.
On the other side.
The commotion inside the Royal Capital gradually died down, and the aura of life steadily fell.
The various Demigod sub-battlefields successively reached their conclusions. It became much quieter, especially after Yhorm the Giant fell.
Even on the verge of death, he didn't forget to deal a heavy blow to the Undead Legion of Farron. In a short time, even the undying Abyss Watchers were laid low. The Lord of Cinder battle had finally quieted down.
Frieren teleported back, arriving right beside Morgott.
She walked forward proactively to prevent any unnecessary casualties from a dying counterattack. But she was overthinking it; with Melina responsible for the finishing blow, there was no such thing as 'not dying thoroughly.' The opponents were all gasping for their last breath, with no possibility of resurrection or playing dead later.
The Grace-Given King lay on the ground, his body visibly shriveled as his vitality flowed away continuously.
The oil was dry, the lamp withered.
If Destined Death hadn't been unsealed and manifested throughout the Lands Between, perhaps the Demigods would have had the undying properties to hold on a while longer. Now, that was dispensed with.
Morgott, who had protected the Royal Capital twice, was about to meet his end. However, he still stared at Frieren and said:
"I witnessed the battle between you and the First Lord. It was an honor."
"I'll take that as your praise," the silver-haired girl said frankly, cutting straight to what he cared about. "Additionally, I will treat this place kindly. Leyndell, Royal Capital, is beautiful; it should not be destroyed."
"As for Omens like you, or the Hornsent... you will vanish along with the foundation of your definition."
Frieren delivered her judgment.
The future King provided a footnote to this history.
Beside them, the victors—Messmer and Rellana—nodded silently. It was an acknowledgment of their work in the Land of Shadow. It had ended perfectly, and the new dynasty would face this purge squarely.
"I have no regrets. Farewell, Soul Cinder King."
After speaking, Morgott, hanging on to his last breath, scattered into particles of light and vanished completely.
From the attack as Margit, the Fell Omen, in front of Stormveil Castle, to repeatedly being enemies later, the two could be considered fated adversaries. Now that Frieren had won, she couldn't help but sigh at how things and people had changed.
Farewell.
Whether called Omen or Hornsent, it no longer mattered. Both their history and objective existence were annihilated. A bond of ill fate returned to time.
Frieren spread her spiritual perception to check various parts of the battlefield, ready to deliver a finishing blow or bombardment at any moment.
The Elden Lord of the side that won first would exert tremendous pressure on the remaining enemy forces because they were too strong; they possessed the advantage of the kill line and could quickly establish victory. However, there was no need for her to act.
The valued Beast Regent Serosh had followed Godfrey in death.
He led the entire Crucible Knight Order to die in battle, besieged by the Spirit Ashes army and the Mimic Tear. The whole army was annihilated; none survived.
The power of the ancient crucible had faded.
Dragging out the sharpest ace elites of the Soul Cinder Army for so long was indeed formidable. Unfortunately, the tide had turned. Even if they held on longer, Frieren, who had reached the point of considering troop conservation, would have called upon the Ancient Dragon formation to finish them off—they were still regretting their lack of war merits.
Of course, the Ancient Dragon Knights of the Royal Capital were also completely wiped out, annihilated under the leadership of Florisaxx.
A clear cut.
She demonstrated the Ancient Dragons' stance to the new master and new King: faith must be unified under the King's will. The Ancient Dragon Cult under the old dynasty's dominion had to be eliminated.
Frieren cast a glance of approval; they were sensible enough.
She had always been cautious regarding faith; keeping her own hands clean was quite good.
The traitor of the Roundtable Hold, Sir Gideon Ofnir, died at Ranni's hands. The Princess of the Moon, having weathered many trials, was no longer in the tier of frail Demigods. Besides, halfway through the fight, Ofnir's Daoist Heart should have shattered given his fanaticism.
Good riddance.
Frieren had always been wary of and repulsed by this conspirator. It was fitting for him to jump out and be purged.
The cautious Melina checked the enemy Demigods one by one, sparing no use of Destined Death to confirm, before nodding to the silver-haired girl.
Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The others also cast their gazes over, fear lingering in their hearts. They had won in the end, actually managing to pick their lives back up from such a chaotic battlefield.
"Everyone did well. We survived the Siege of Leyndell and successfully occupied this place."
Hearing this, they couldn't help their joy. Indeed, the commemorative significance was non-trivial. They had negated its claim of never falling with practical action, gnawing it down by brute force. Not only the Demigods, but the army also gradually stabilized their footing.
The scattered Golden Army was merely a spent arrow.
It wasn't that Frieren hadn't tried to persuade them to surrender, but she was met with stern refusal, so she could only continue the annihilation.
Live and die together.
—This was the answer given by the Leyndell Knights. They were blessed by the Golden Dynasty, rising and falling with it. Now, they were martyred through valiant struggle, remaining with the Golden Order.
"Florisaxx, Loretta, I'll trouble your troops."
With a faint sentence from the silver-haired girl, the Ancient Dragon and Haligtree forces understood; the final cleanup work was left to them.
Instantly, the sounds of killing rose again.
These two forces had basically been conserving their strength since the start of the war. They were eager for a fight, their morale, magic, and stamina all at their peak. Facing the Golden Army, which was in its twilight, it was naturally a harvest.
The Soul Cinder Army could sit tight on the fishing platform and continue to rest.
Thus, while winning, they preserved their organizational structure as much as possible, winning thoroughly and laying a solid foundation for the Soul Cinder King's upcoming rule. Her subordinate army not only avoided heavy casualties but would be strengthened through the experience of the highest-tier battlefield. Now, they could be undeservedly called:
The Strongest Carriage.
The change of dynasties was vividly reflected in them; the King's blade verified the changing of the times.
"I suggest everyone stay away from the Erdtree," Frieren said seriously. "I can feel exaggerated power contained within it, and it is full of hostility."
"To tell you the truth, that is probably the final test."
Her words made everyone tense up again.
Then, the silver-haired girl beckoned, signaling everyone to keep up. The entire group gathered before the seal inside the Erdtree.
Hum!
A gentle touch yielded no reaction. Only by actively resonating with the Great Runes and one's own aura would the Thorns of Rejection completely disperse. In other words, only one person was permitted entry: the victorious King.
Others could not take her place. The Thorns of Rejection were the final rule, a manifestation of great power.
Only the true Elden Lord could complete this.
Those who had wanted to suggest going in together immediately choked on their words. This was a step that allowed no overstepping. Presumably, Frieren wouldn't allow it to be yielded to anyone else either.
She turned her head and said, "I'm not sure what's inside either, but it definitely won't be obediently waiting for me to complete the ceremony."
Ranni hurriedly replied, "We believe Your Majesty will definitely be victorious."
"Frieren, including myself and everyone else, we united and gathered here because of you. So, you yourself are more important than the duty of being King... That is all I have to exhort." Melina nodded.
The two of them had prepared themselves mentally.
Along the way, they had witnessed the Soul Cinder King's capabilities. Worry was worry, but they were also steadfast, having fully prepared themselves mentally.
In reality, everyone's expressions showed they were more nervous than the person herself, not knowing what they would witness next.
In contrast, Frieren remained calm and light as the wind from beginning to end.
Sure enough, she never spoke big words. The Soul Cinder King from another world had experienced similar grand scenes several times. Before the door of the final trial, she still strolled idly, but this was the only time she looked back.
It was truly lively.
In the past, there had never been so many people sending her off to the final destination together.
Thinking about it carefully, she used to feel a bit weary every time she reached the final step of a consecutive battle sequence, possessing more of a mindset of completing a task. But now, she was high-spirited and her blood boiled. The witnesses of the journey gathered together; they represented the magnificent reality, living up to this arduous journey.
Choosing to become a Tarnished in the Lands Between was truly great.
After taking a deep breath, Frieren waved her hand, then actively spread her palm to display the greater half of the Elden Ring. The mighty power returned.
The Thorns of Rejection opened a path.
"Everyone, I'll be back soon. You don't need to be too anxious. Who knows, maybe later I and the guy inside will smash through the Erdtree to the outside for you to see."
Beyond lay the golden light, the depths obscured, but she strode through nonetheless.
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
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