Having bestowed Grace several times already, Frieren was naturally familiar with the process.
In the past, she needed to mobilize a portion of her own energy, but now it didn't matter. With so many Great Runes in her possession, she had an abundance of the power of Grace, making it an effortless task.
Dewdrops washed over the Haligtree.
The officers and soldiers of the entire army shouted, "Praise the Soul Cinder King!" Their voices shook the heavens, filled with sincere admiration. If their submission before was partly due to the situation, they were now convinced from the bottom of their hearts, believing she could truly change the Lands Between.
In these decaying times, they had finally grasped hope, certain that the road ahead was unobstructed.
With Frieren's power, order could definitely be reshaped. Even the Haligtree Army, who had once been opponents, acknowledged this point.
The light of Grace flickered, shining even over the skies of the Consecrated Snowfield.
Brilliant and magnificent.
The Royal Capital's army and the Soul Cinder Army confronting each other on the Altus Plateau naturally noticed it, and a conclusion had already formed in their minds. There could be no mistake; since she could bestow Grace, it meant Frieren had swiftly conquered the Haligtree Army. Now, six Great Runes were united under one banner.
In other words, no matter how hard the Royal Capital tried, they could not meet the minimum standard of two Great Runes required for restoration. They could only fight to the death against the strongest Would-be Lord.
The original plot targeting the Haligtree had fallen through.
Both sides let their imaginations run wild, calculating new changes, while Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, gradually calmed down.
After the bestowal of Grace, everyone busied themselves. The primary task was repair; after all, quite a few pots and pans had been smashed during the fight and needed tidying up. As the protagonist, Frieren also needed to rest, mainly to take stock of the spoils of war.
After some teleportation, she obtained the exchange for the Remembrance of the Rot Goddess from the Roundtable Hold:
[Scarlet Aeonia]
[Technique of Malenia, the Goddess of Rot.]
[Creates a gigantic flower that blooms into an explosion of scarlet rot. Each time the scarlet flower blooms, Malenia's rot advances by one stage.]
[Now, that flower has bloomed twice—and with the third bloom, she will surely become a true Goddess.]
This was an Incantation she had obtained before; Sir Gideon Ofnir had provided it to Frieren after a transaction, and it had been used to absorb Scarlet Rot. Speaking of which, this move was basically useless now. In the Lands Between, it would be hard to put to great use; Incantations were more or less related to the faith of a deity, and without the Outer God, its power was greatly discounted.
That was fine.
She didn't lack high-power moves, so having one less threat capability was good news. As for the actual Scarlet Rot, there was no need to worry; she had always relied on cultivating it herself in the laboratory.
Frieren involuntarily touched the two Aeonia Flowers on her head.
Now, they had pretty much become harmless hair ornaments.
So she skipped over this reward and turned to pick up the prosthetic blade. The slender and curved blade surface gave a sense of lightness; it felt good to use and suited her style of swordsmanship.
[Hand of Malenia]
[Blade built into Malenia's prosthetic arm. Through consecration it is resistant to rot.]
[Malenia's war prosthesis symbolized her invincibility.]
[Some claim to have seen wings when the weapon is raised aloft; wings of fierce determination that have never known defeat.]
[Unique Skill: Waterfowl Dance]
[Perform a series of one-footed jumps and ultra-fast slashes resembling a waterfowl's dance.]
[Additional inputs allow for up to two follow-up attacks.]
Frieren gripped the Hand of Malenia tightly. She could indeed feel the aura of the Flowing Swordsmanship's ultimate technique within it. It lived up to its reputation; the killing intent contained within it would still make enemies tremble in fear, and it furthered her own insights.
The realm of the three-stage, or even more stages of the Waterfowl Dance, opened up to her. It was incomparably clear, ready to be grasped at any time, but she didn't plan to use it immediately.
Settle down first.
The urgent task was to rest, conserve strength and store up energy, adjusting her condition to perfection before heading to the Mountaintops of the Giants. That would be another vicious battle, not to be underestimated.
For Frieren, the best way to restore her spirit was to inspect her collection.
Aside from the Remembrance exchange, there were two Talismans: [Rotten Winged Sword Insignia] and [Millicent's Prosthesis].
Although there were slight differences, both increased attack power with successive attacks.
They could strengthen Frieren's power, which was needed at all times. No wonder the messages mentioned them repeatedly; build configurations couldn't do without the addition of such Talismans, otherwise the power would be discounted.
After confirming everything once, she looked to her side.
Since just a moment ago, Trina, Millicent, Melina, and Ranni—the four of them—had been discussing the upcoming arrangements. The repairs and layout of the Haligtree were settled, but what role should Elphael play in this war? Was it to withdraw from here on out?
The God and the Maiden standing on the Soul Cinder King's side didn't care about having one more helper; as long as there was one less enemy, it was fine. Stability was better.
Anyway, they wouldn't play too prominent a role, and the army of 200,000 was already enough of a headache.
No need for more.
However, the Haligtree Twins clearly didn't plan to withdraw just like that. How could they not participate in a war that would define the structure of the Lands Between? Otherwise, when it came time to rank positions and divide the spoils, wouldn't they be marginalized? What difference would that be from defeat?
They believed that Frieren's moral character wouldn't lead to targeted suppression.
But who could say for sure about the checks and balances of power? A very simple principle: if you don't fight for it, you've already lost half the battle.
A divergence of opinion arose between the two sides.
One side wanted to join the war, the other refused, and both argued strongly based on reason.
Listening to this, Frieren looked curious, not rushing to lean towards any side. Because the King's stance was higher, she had to make the judgment on this decision herself.
"That's enough." The silver-haired girl's plain sentence caused the four to turn their heads. "The Haligtree needs to dispatch troops. Come down from the Consecrated Snowfield and launch an attack on the north of the Royal Capital. You will command independently and form a separate formation; you will not count as part of the Expeditionary Force. It is decided."
In the past, Frieren would end with a questioning tone, but today she used a straightforward, commanding tone.
"As you command."
Things having reached this point, everyone had to agree. Not counting as part of the Expeditionary Force drew a line in advance; the allocated spoils would naturally not compare to other armies. But she wouldn't exclude you; fight for it yourselves.
As for how many people to send, that was left for Trina to consider.
Introducing the Haligtree faction was also a form of balance. It was exactly what her two partners had taught Frieren. She revealed a meaningful smile.
"...Your Majesty, you are becoming more and more like a qualified King."
Ranni praised sincerely. When outsiders were present or during important decision-making occasions, she would solemnly use honorifics.
Melina changed the subject and urged, "The Royal Capital has surely detected that our next step is to go to the Mountaintops of the Giants. They might dispatch an army to harass us or make other deployments. We must speed up our actions, or we might be intercepted."
The squad's strength didn't fear strong enemies, only wasted time.
"Good. Incidentally, notify Florisaxx to prepare to go to the designated location. We will rendezvous at the Forge of the Giants and proceed to Farum Azula to seize it as soon as possible."
Frieren also understood that they had delayed long enough at the Haligtree; every second counted.
She looked at Trina and Millicent and nodded. The latter naturally understood that the most critical continuous battles were about to begin, which would only be more perilous than facing the Goddess of Rot. However, they had confidence in the Soul Cinder King.
"We still have to compare swordsmanship."
"Your Majesty, may your martial fortune be prosperous. We will see you before the throne."
*
Royal Capital.
Godfrey gazed at the sky in the direction of the Consecrated Snowfield, his brows locked tight, then turned his head.
Looking as solemn as him were Morgott, the Crucible Knight, Sir Gideon Ofnir, and others, as well as Godefroy, who had been released from the Evergaol and was trembling with fear.
The main decision-makers were all here.
As for Fortissax, the Prince of Death, and Yhorm the Giant, they were clearly not the type one could communicate with easily. Brain-burning work had nothing to do with them; they just waited for the final moment of decisive battle.
"The Haligtree has fallen. We must consider the possibility of them participating in the war."
Godfrey continued, "Frieren's next plan is definitely to head to the Forge of the Giants and release the flame that burns the tree."
In a sense, he also needed the Erdtree to open.
But he couldn't let the enemy have it too smoothly; weakening them at the Mountaintops of the Giants was a good plan. Once successful, it could also pave the way for Maliketh's subsequent victory. The Black Blade, holding Destined Death, was very strong and had the potential to defeat Frieren.
The premise was weakening her.
Based on the clash in the Royal Capital not long ago, Godfrey dared to affirm that the Black Blade was not the opponent of Frieren in her full state.
Morgott proposed, "Your Majesty, issue an order to Castle Sol. They were originally garrisoning the Mountaintops of the Giants and can use the terrain advantage to intercept Frieren. Taking this opportunity, we can dispatch troops to the Snowfield to support them."
"Very well. Guarding here forever is not the solution; we must stabilize the direction of the Forbidden Lands."
The two made a decision, hitting the nail on the head.
They immediately cast their gaze upon the large map on the table. It impressively showed the entire Altus Plateau region, with their own flags and the enemy's crisscrossing in a jagged pattern.
The most dense point was at the Lift; the surrounding avenue was full of legions.
It was also the main direction of attack.
The Royal Capital's army had cleared this area and was expected to repel the Soul Cinder Army to occupy the Lift, eliminating one of the enemy's attack routes. In this way, the opponent's troop transport route would be the Volcano.
There was also a certain probability of coming from the Land of Shadow to the Royal Capital, but the infrastructure roads and resource development there were insufficient.
At least some progress had been made.
"Ensure control of the Lift, then focus defense on the Volcano region and attempt to attack the periphery."
Hearing Godfrey's order, everyone's fighting spirit soared.
Once again, a Volcano War had begun. It seemed to share a common destiny with Leyndell, Royal Capital; once one planned to conquer the Altus Plateau, one could not bypass this obstacle. A battle was inevitable.
The general strategic direction had been decided; at the very least, they had to block the Volcano's troop dispatch route.
Under ideal conditions, when Frieren came down from the Mountaintops of the Giants, they would still be blocking the Soul Cinder Army. In this way, they could defeat them in detail and fight for the initiative.
"Your Majesty."
Morgott suddenly took out a glistening fragment of a Great Rune.
"It's of little use staying with me anyway. I hand it over to you to restore Grace as soon as possible. Consider it making the best use of things."
"Since there is no longer a chance to gather two Great Runes, I will accept it."
Godfrey accepted it generously.
"Another point: don't worry too much about the current situation. I still have a trump card within the Erdtree. Once Destined Death is released, it will be their time to fight. At that time, it will be a scale of battle the Lands Between has never seen before."
The First Lord took a deep look at the gigantic Erdtree.
His and Marika's plan was still ongoing, only after so many years, unknown variables had been mixed in. For instance, Frieren was too uncontrollable. They only needed someone to burn the tree and release Destined Death; they never said they needed someone to amass such a large force.
It was indeed a bit troublesome.
No one expected the Soul Cinder King to conquer and expand all the way, growing to this point where a Battle of Kings sweeping the Lands Between was unavoidable.
Of course, this actually returned to the domain Godfrey excelled in. Treat it as a second coronation.
Even Frieren wouldn't anticipate what was hidden inside the Erdtree.
Volcano.
As the direction of the Royal Capital army's main attack, they felt the pressure immediately. Trebuchets bombarded along the Volcano's peripheral outposts and roads, while in the sky, the Flying Dragon Army counterattacked with raging flames. The strikes from both sides were three-dimensional and all-encompassing.
Deep within the volcanic ash, at the former site of the Volcano Manor, Messmer was seen crossing off the Lift on the map.
"Rellana, let the Carian army withdraw from the Lift. We can't hold it, no need to waste troops. Conserve strength and block the exit below the Lift."
"Understood. But then only the Volcano remains."
"Correct, but if we keep dragging it out without retreating to defend, we will damage our strength instead. Now that the Royal Capital's morale is high, we should fight a defensive war to dampen their spirit."
"But those attacking guys are annoying," the Mimic Tear suggested. "I'll take the Spirit Ash Legion to blast the Royal Capital's vanguard."
"Let's do it then."
Messmer naturally supported it; at this stage, it was best to preserve the strength of the elite army.
In fact, the Spirit Ash Legion was something Frieren had specifically instructed to be used for high-risk wars of attrition.
The enemy was attacking the Volcano with high fighting spirit, and their deployment mix was unclear. Letting the Spirit Ash Legion she had reinforced, along with the Mimic Tear, counterattack was best... Sure enough, a moment later, a burst of wild bombardment accompanied by an earthquake came from the periphery.
This was the First Mage of the Soul Cinder Army on the front line.
Worthy of being the Mimic Tear, it had inherited a considerable portion of Frieren's power, and it seemed to have become stronger again. No wonder it specifically asked to fight.
This proved from the side that the other battlefield was going smoothly.
Messmer rested his chin on his hand and thought, "Since the Royal Capital knows Her Majesty's route of action, they definitely won't let the matter drop. Eight out of ten, they will ambush with heavy troops at the Mountaintops of the Giants, or even cause a disturbance there."
"So we cannot just defend blindly. We must use offense to fight for the rhythm of the battlefield, forcing the Royal Capital to commit more troops so they won't be able to attend to supporting the Mountaintops of the Giants."
His decision received everyone's support; they should share the pressure of the other battlefield.
"Report."
Suddenly, a messenger brought news: "We found that the Haligtree has dispatched a small vanguard force. Their target is the Royal Capital."
Everyone looked at each other, and their hearts instantly understood.
Good news. It looked like the Haligtree was reintegrating. At present, they didn't need to, nor did they have the ability to, dispatch too many troops, but just setting up a formation was enough to pin down a portion of the Royal Capital's army. Beautifully done.
It seemed Trina had fulfilled the agreement and basically controlled the Haligtree.
"How about we drag out the battle at the Lift a bit longer? Consume the Royal Capital's military strength a bit more. Anyway, I have ample supplies backing me from Liurnia here," Rellana asked.
"Good. In this way, there will be three points targeting the Royal Capital."
Although Messmer judged that the enemy's main attack direction was still the Volcano, the intensity would weaken, which was just right for them to engage in a tug-of-war of attrition.
Hearing this, Gaius, Mulitir, and others nodded. The one responsible for the defense of the Lift area was Moongrum. With his reliability, he could completely hold on for a while longer. The key to this war still depended on how much strength was left for the end.
They occupied more than half of the Lands Between.
_____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
🔥We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead of everyone else.
✅ Get cool exclusive stuff and updates!
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!
🚀180 MEMBERS = 5 extra chapters on all stories for supporters!
👻 P - Walnutchan