Crack!
Frieren's Soul Crystal power instantly left a massive diagonal incision on the Elden Beast. The torrent pierced through its back and leaped beyond the city walls, unleashing a thunderous explosion that scattered the ashes and dust in the sky, revealing the high, clear sun.
In the distance, a new gully appeared in the ruins of the Altus Plateau battlefield, becoming a permanent scar.
A seemingly careless strike had reshaped the terrain.
She had held back.
The awkward point was that she wasn't currently clear on the scale of her output, so she had to be careful in everything; it would be a pity to break the pots and pans.
The boiling power within her body had not yet settled, so Frieren tried her best to restrain her force.
But in everyone else's eyes, this move left a fatal wound on the Elden Beast. A kesa-giri slash had completely buried its vitality, causing it to collapse onto the city wall, its golden veins gradually dimming.
That being said, the final stage of its life was enough for it to struggle. It had long made up its mind to take the King who did not follow the Order down with it.
Hum!
The light of the Elden Ring totem manifested once again.
Accompanied by the Golden Beast flying high, a dreamlike pink-purple nebula scattered down.
Merely a casual flight with a flap of its wings shrouded the Royal Capital. If it were to trigger an explosion, the Demigods would likely be severely wounded. It was extremely dangerous for everyone, who was generally injured at the moment.
Frieren, having witnessed this once before, was naturally prepared. Without the need for a staff, she cast a spell with a gentle wave of her fair hand.
Sorcery: Zamor Ice Storm.
A simple magic turned into an exaggerated scale in her hands. Glaciers froze instantly in the air, wrapping up the nebula entirely and then shattering it. At this moment, the temperature plummeted, becoming comparable to the biting cold winds of the Mountaintops of the Giants, a vast whiteness obscuring vision.
She reshaped the climate with a mere gesture.
If she wished, she could completely freeze the Altus Plateau.
The Haligtree army understood more and more that Frieren's thought that "it would be better to make the Consecrated Snowfield habitable" was by no means empty talk; she could truly do it.
Incantation: Frozen Lightning Spear.
In the instant the freezing was lifted, white lightning attached to it, returning to the silver-haired girl's palm.
A long spear of blue and white magical power pierced the Elden Beast.
Its speed was fast enough, yet far inferior to the caster's speed; it was struck squarely in the chest. However, it was hard to say if such an incarnation possessed a vital spot. It merely suffered an energy deficit, immediately struggling to withstand the spear and tearing at the wound to break free.
Where it passed, spots of light like Golden Runes, or perhaps Rune Arcs, scattered; it was the afterglow of the Elden Ring withering away.
It was as if it shared its fate with the Erdtree.
But how could the second unified dynasty, which had dominated the Lands Between for so many years, fall just like this? Even in death, it had to be vigorous and tragic.
The Holy Attribute magic concentrated with unprecedented intensity, gathering in the Sacred Relic Sword. The sharp edge surged constantly, piercing through heaven and earth, flickering with golden sword qi under the Elden Beast's drive!
Ping, ping, pang, pang!
However, Frieren chose to Parry. She casually swatted away the heavy and powerful sword qi, sending it speeding in all directions. Some grazed mountain peaks, shearing them flat; others cut the earth, creating gullies. Such terrifying power was subdued bare-handed—absolute suppression.
Wasn't this technique something Radagon had demonstrated?
The silver-haired girl displayed the inspiration she had just gained from the strong enemy, putting it into action.
The Golden Beast let out a low growl, feeling unwilling. It had to admit that the performance of this technique was even above Radagon's.
Behind it was magical understanding.
The Soul Cinder King's magical knowledge was sufficient at this moment to support the analysis of the parry. Before, there might have been the issue of insufficient output, unable to compare to the Elden Beast's full power. But now, the absolute magnitude belonged to Frieren; they were worlds apart.
Sorcery: Comet.
Unpretentious Glintstone Magic shattered one of the Elden Beast's wings, then the second, then the third, completing the sniping in an instant.
Amidst a wail, it fell from the horizon, streaking across like a meteor.
The living beings of the Lands Between could not help but feel a shock in their hearts, sensing a magnificent aura declining.
It was the incarnation of the Ring, the guardian of the Order, and had established connections with countless lives over eternal years... But no matter what, the changing of eras always washed away the sand.
With a boom, the Elden Beast crashed onto the spire of the palace, dripping with blood.
It wasn't time to give up yet.
Suddenly, ripples lit up in its hand—it was the grab attack releasing the Ring's punishment. However, Frieren, having been hit once, drifted lightly to dodge it. It lunged at nothing, and instead was welcomed by a blast of Soul Stream.
Whoosh!
The soul trauma pierced through the translucent body, leaving the color of embers. Every hit carried the burning power of the First Flame.
And that wasn't all. In the next moment, the Elden Beast discovered that Ancient God pollution had permeated the blood flow, eroding along with the attack just now. Whispers, the world spinning. It could no longer perceive the normal world; it was all various grotesque and bizarre scenes.
Could it be that even this body of the Ring's incarnation couldn't purify it?
The gap in status was too large. The current Frieren was not relying on abilities stacked one by one, but was rapidly sublimating and becoming stronger.
She was far from her limit.
The only difference lay in the attack method she chose; there was nothing that wasn't effective.
It was completely out of moves. Even the hand of the Elden Beast wielding the sword was going soft. Its originally golden, glittering body was being hollowed out by erosion more and more, gradually losing vitality. Anyone could see it was an arrow at the end of its flight.
"Your mission is over. You have performed great deeds supporting the loophole-filled Golden Order for many years. Rest well."
Frieren waved out a stream of Soul Magic.
It possessed no aggression, merely pure soothing of the soul, yet it caused the Elden Beast collapsed on the palace roof to lower its head, no longer roaring, but calm.
The incarnation of the Ring's rules was passing away.
In its final moments, it tried its best to straighten its body, stretching its neck to gaze at the starry sky for a long time without speaking, seemingly forgetting the pain.
At this moment, the atmosphere of war no longer existed; it was more about divinity, a send-off, bidding farewell to the old era.
It symbolized more than just the Ring. Although it was their first meeting, she could feel the ancient Order carried upon it, originating from the era when the Greater Will favored the Lands Between. The parting represented not only the Golden Dynasty stepping into history but also the years influenced by the envoys of the Greater Will gone forever.
The road ahead truly had to be walked by themselves.
Everyone witnessed solemnly as the Elden Beast extended its hand slightly, but sighed as if it had used up all its strength, then lay prone on the ruins, glowing no more.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew, scattering the insufferably arrogant and magnificent body into particles of light.
The final game of this war for the change of dynasty was settled. The loser bid farewell, and the victor was naturally born—
Frieren picked up the Sacred Relic Sword.
It turned into a compatible size. Swinging it was relatively light; it counted as a Greatsword, certainly easier to use than a Colossal Sword.
It harbored intense Holy Attribute magical power. She had witnessed its power just now, and it was worthy of its background:
[Sacred Relic Sword]
[Sword born from the remains of a god who should have lived a life eternal.]
[Thoughts on what the weapon portends are many and varied—some consider it the mark of a great sin, or a sign of great devastation. Some think of it as the end of an age, while others; the beginning.]
The description was full of style, indirectly confirming Marika's death? Or perhaps it could be said that it transformed from the power stripped from a god, becoming a weapon of the highest quality.
It was the strongest weapon Frieren had obtained to date.
[Unique Skill: Wave of Gold]
[Imbues the sword with the gold of the past, then releases it.]
[The Wave of Gold spreads in a wide fan forward, sweeping all enemies.]
It was worthy of being the divine weapon in the hands of the Elden Beast. It had once caused heavy damage to Frieren, and its strength lay in its super-large range of impact, which fit perfectly with her usual style. It was usable.
She could use it as a regular weapon in the future; as a reward given by the Final Boss, it was indeed worthy of this battle.
The other item was a weapon held only by the unity of God and King:
[Marika's Hammer]
[Stone hammer made in the lands of the Numen, outside the Lands Between.]
[The tool with which Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring and Radagon attempted to repair it.]
[The hammer is partially shattered by the impact of striking the Ring.]
[Glinting with runic fragments on the surface.]
The sharp weapon that smashed the Elden Ring was impeccable in both legend and quality. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it opened the most magnificent period of history in the Lands Between, the "Shattering War."
Even though a new dynasty had been born in Frieren's hands, everyone still lamented this era, especially for the martial people of the Lands Between; sooner or later, it would be romanticized in narrative.
One could imagine that Marika's Hammer would be endowed with more legends in the future, and it was indeed easy to use:
[Unique Skill: Gold Breaker]
[Leap up high and grasp the hammer, imbuing the rune fragments with light, then come crashing down from the air. A skill characteristic of Radagon, the hero.]
The only flaw in the perfection was probably the wind-up time. After all, the original owner used it with wide, open movements; without a powerful physique, one really couldn't use it recklessly. Of course, it was a top-tier weapon after all, perhaps only slightly inferior to the Sacred Relic Sword in setting.
There was no need to distinguish so clearly; they were all the final rewards.
Frieren looked at the messages left behind with the emotion of farewell:
[Elden Lords, the journey ends here. The next step is the throne; the Order is entirely for you to decide.]
[What a long adventure. We have actually walked such a long road.]
[Lonely...]
[If the people I know who are still alive could come to the throne together, that would be great. Then I would definitely choose a good ending, otherwise I wouldn't go so far as to burn it all with Frenzied Flame.]
[Just pretend they are in a place you can't see. Little Red Hat and the Blacksmith are there.]
[Even if the guidance has shattered, the Tarnished still became Elden Lord. I did it.]
[I want to go back to the first grave and take a look.]
[I lost my maiden when I first came to the Lands Between, and I was still alone when I finally sat on the throne. So I acknowledge the Order of the Stars; at least I won't be lonely.]
[Farewell here. The Lands Between. The Tarnished's story is finished.]
...It was time to say goodbye.
Frieren, having stepped through countless hardships, felt this most deeply, not to mention that she carried the hopes of not just the Lands Between, but other worlds as well.
The current her was sufficient to reverse the burning of the First Flame to make the world shine again, and could also dispel the Ancient God pollution to let Yharnam welcome a clear day. She could do a lot; this was a tangible victory.
The silver-haired girl looked down from the top of the palace. A crowd of Demigods knelt on one knee with a rustle, bowing deeply.
Immediately after, the Soul Cinder Army followed, the multitude bowing in submission.
The faces made her reveal a smile; the original empty feeling was swept away.
She hadn't disappointed the people who supported her along the way. Everyone was alive, and together they witnessed the change of dynasty. It was both lucky and thrilling. Regardless, Marika's Hammer and the Sacred Relic Sword symbolized the transfer of the scepter.
After confirming once, Frieren held the two weapons high, and the multitude shouted:
"We won! We won!"
"—Praise His Majesty, the merciful Soul Cinder King!"
The celebration of nearly two hundred thousand troops resounded through the clouds, shaking Leyndell, Royal Capital. It was the will of the people.
The silver-haired girl advanced surrounded by a forest of weapons, stepping onto the Throne Plaza once again. At this moment, only her own Demigods remained here, waiting for her decision with solemn expressions.
She gestured with her left arm, and Ranni beside her obediently took it.
The two looked deeply into each other's eyes and couldn't help but smile.
From the meeting at the Church of Elleh on the first night in the Lands Between to this very moment, how many times had they shared life and death? How many conspiracies and schemes? How many times had they proceeded without turning back? After overcoming thousands of difficulties and dangers, they finally created the present.
Then, they looked together at another person. Melina, being stared at, was slightly stunned, thinking to herself, what does this have to do with me at this time?
But she heard them speak in unison, "Where do you think it is better to announce the Order?"
Melina subconsciously looked at the Erdtree. The behemoth of the past had been completely torn apart by the war; there was no longer a distinction between inside and outside—it was rather hideous. Besides, they weren't inheriting the Golden Order, so why use the symbol of the previous dynasty?
"Fine."
"You two are not gods ruling over Demigods, nor Kings selected by a god. You ascended for the sake of humanity. You are the God and King of hope after five thousand years of suffering in the Lands Between."
"Announce it here. On the ruins that will inevitably be rebuilt, before the throne, under everyone's witness."
After her voice fell, the two came to the throne together.
Frieren raised her hand, and the complete Elden Ring emerged. The missing Great Rune was also filled in; it was the inspiration she found from Goldmask, Fia, and others by gathering their strengths. Finally, it was complete.
It was a rule more complete and magnificent than before, lacking only Ranni's completion.
She gently touched the Ring. Instantly, star trails emerged on the skyline. A semicircular Dark Moon spanned the horizon, yet it radiated gentle energy.
Everything was just right; all was ready.
The Order of the Stars shall be established!
The two held up the Elden Ring, blessed by the Order, together.
In an instant, the vast will was sown throughout the entire Lands Between, boundless and endless, overlooking the common people, shining equally on every living being.
For a time, spring returned to the earth, mountains and rivers were remade. Countless stardust particles fell from the sky, glittering; once touched, one felt warm all over. Whether plants or animals, they grew robustly, and those with injuries recovered as if new.
Grace!
"Consider it my Blessed Dew. Let the world return to fertility. Grant Grace to every living being who has lived strongly until now; they are all worthy."
Ranni opened her arms, making the starlight even more brilliant.
Frieren acted in coordination with her partner's Order. This was a will that encompassed all phenomena and pointed to the starry sky.
They fulfilled their promise, reshaping the Lands Between, sprouting vitality in the new order.
The two looked deeply at each other, then cast their gazes into the distance together. The brilliant starry sky belonging to the Order of the Stars smeared across to the other side from the firmament of the Royal Capital, like painting on a canvas, passing through the sea of fog, reaching the ends of the world.
It succeeded.
This meant the new Order had completed its preliminary docking with the Lands Between. It was compatible. The next step was to repair the trauma.
____
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