They had to fight.
The Golden Army couldn't possibly leave with the impression of a grandiose expedition ending in a whimpering retreat; Margit would bear heavy responsibility for that. That was secondary; at worst, the Grace-Given King would issue a symbolic warning or punishment. The crucial point was that their voluntary withdrawal would signify a complete loss of control over the lands south of the Grand Lift, with severe political consequences. Despite the fervor of the Shattering War, everyone involved was of the Golden Lineage and explicitly revered the Goddess and the Law.
Frieren, however, might not. An outsider Tarnished with no reverence for the Erdtree, if she were to sweep through and unite vast territories, it would be trouble. The flames of rebellion against the dynasty would ignite completely, impossible to extinguish. Therefore, Margit had to unleash his full combat potential in his guise as the Fell Omen.
"...Your current state is poor. You're the one who should flee, ambitious Tarnished."
"It seems you intend to fight head-on here." Frieren's expression was serious as she reapplied buffs to herself, including but not limited to Contagious Fury, Vow of Vengeance, and Golden Vow—a whole medley. Facing another demigod powerhouse, she couldn't afford to be careless. In terms of overall strength, the Fell Omen was definitely in the top tier among demigods, and he always gave the impression of holding something back.
Clatter!
The Golden Army soldiers actively dispersed into different small formations, raising their weapons. Spears formed a forest, crossbows aimed. After receiving the commander's order to continue fighting, they remained spirited, unafraid of a bloody battle, confident they could defeat the enemy. The allied forces of Stormveil Castle and Liurnia were on high alert, their hearts tight.
This was very bad; as expected, the Golden Army couldn't be scared away. Once they broke through the front lines, it would be easy for them to penetrate the entire army formation; just the trampling and harassment alone would be enough to cause significant casualties. The difference in the quality of overall troops between the two sides was too great. The only possibility of compensating for this lay in one thing:
The battlefield destructive power of a sorcerer.
At this moment, the Farron Undead Legion and the Carian Knights exchanged glances and nodded. They all understood that the key to breaking the stalemate lay in Frieren's magic. They had to protect their commander and primary artillery. Facing the enemy's most intense offensive, they themselves were the front line.
Swoosh!
The first to attack were arrows, even including siege crossbow bolts, their power astonishing, already covering the area of the front-line squad. The Carian Knights immediately deployed barriers to defend, but at the same time, Margit arrived with his elite squad, led by two Tree Sentinels whose golden halberds swept out.
With a crisp clang, a Farron warrior parried the blow, the sharp edge grazing past Frieren's head.
"A pity."
The next few moves were also blocked. The Tree Sentinels clicked their tongues; the Soul of Cinder, currently charging her power, couldn't be interrupted. Her small stature meant she was completely enveloped by her bodyguard contingent, making it impossible to break through. In the Lands Between, where stronger often meant larger, she was truly unique.
In desperation, Margit personally attacked, leaping into the air and sweeping away the Farron warriors with his tail, his golden great hammer crashing down. Suddenly, a staff blocked the magic power—it was Moongrum's Carian Retaliation. Facing the full-force obstruction of such a master, even a demigod would need several rounds, especially with the Carian Knights cooperating seamlessly, unleashing deadly moves one after another, forcing him back into his own army formation.
"Protect Her Majesty!"
Along with the command, the Dragon Communion adherents transformed, spewing dragon prayers of intense flames, their target unexpectedly being the warhorses of the Night's Cavalry and Tree Sentinels. Even battle-hardened mounts were thrown into disarray by the surprise. The Farron Undead Legion seized the opportunity, striking a horse's leg, then, with a flaming slash, lopped off its head.
Your horse is gone.
The enemy's mobility was finally neutralized, and they couldn't easily replace them, as the compatibility between rider and mount wasn't so easily adjusted. Thus, the enemy could no longer rely on rapid repositioning to pull them apart. However, the next moment, Margit struck down this warrior.
"Your experience is still far lacking; your temporary cooperation is too clumsy." Before his words faded, he thrust his cursed sword into another Farron warrior's chest. Due to their undead nature, they wouldn't die, but recovery took time. The already strained guardian formation now had an opening. At this moment, the Night's Cavalry streamed out, and Ancient Dragon Knights unleashed lightning, aiming straight for the silver-haired girl at the center.
Thops's Forcefield!
Mysterious ripples actually repelled the magic. What kind of ability was this? Unheard of. Then, Frieren clenched her left hand into a golden rainbow, fully charged. In an instant, everyone felt daylight descend; it was the dawn of a rising sun illuminating every corner of the battlefield. A majestic figure struck a javelin-throwing pose; the enemy had already gone limp, unable to move.
The miracle sorcery of Gwyn, Lord of Cinder, who had once ushered in the Age of Fire—
Sunlight Spear.
The Farron Undead Legion, also Lords of Cinder, immediately recognized the power of that first king. In an instant, they met Frieren's gaze and made a lifting gesture. The silver-haired girl stepped onto their hands and launched herself into a leap. At this moment, the Sunlight Spear, along with the dawn on the horizon, enveloped the Golden Army. She fiercely threw a spell condensed with maximum magic power.
Lightning more brilliant than gold bloomed!
The Sunlight Spear landing in the formation instantly destroyed targets with a force like a spiderweb, sending hundreds, even thousands, flying. A second wave of energy followed, a dazzling brilliance washing over everything. The earth rumbled, the heavens split, and the army caught in the middle fell like reaped wheat, their combat effectiveness gone.
It wasn't over. Round after round of contracting and blooming sunlight power overturned the enemy; several thousand people were tossed about repeatedly in that instant. The Golden Army, from the front ranks to the central formation, completely collapsed.
Crack!
Margit's cursed sword also pierced Frieren's blocking arm, its edge aimed straight at her face.
"Don't mind me, advance—"
As she was injured, the Southern Army roared and charged forward. Even against the strongest legion, they charged with all their might, trampling over the front-line soldiers most severely wounded by the Sunlight Spear in one go, an almost one-sided rout.
An opening.
The rear reserve tried to provide support, but how could an army of tens of thousands move easily? The long-waiting wyverns and Stormhawks harassed their march with ranged firepower. The rushing army was like a tide; now, even demigod powerhouses were merely slightly larger stones in the torrent.
Bang!
The Farron Undead Legion repelled Margit, preventing him from suppressing Frieren. She rolled to dissipate the force and stood up again. Beside her, the Dragon Communion adherents and Carian Knights firmly blocked. She immediately drank a flask of Wondrous Physick to replenish her wounds, barely staunching the blood. The effect was diminishing; even the best potions required sufficient magic power to guide, and even with an additional magic flask, the body's fatigue couldn't be suppressed.
Using Sunlight Spear while fighting against the different magical rules was too tiring. Fortunately, one strike had broken the army, and the situation was reversed.
"Margit, it's time for you to choose."
"Frieren, I'm sure you are the Golden Dynasty's greatest threat now."
At this moment, the battlefield entered a state of close-quarters combat. The advantaged Southern Army reaped through the Royal Capital Army's front ranks. Even though they were stronger, under the Sunlight Spear's assault, they were either dead or severely injured. Armor couldn't block vital point attacks; one after another, souls returned to the Erdtree. The rear ranks were suppressed by ranged firepower and couldn't reinforce in time.
"Attack!"
Edgar's command released the long-suppressed morale. At this moment, the most elite legions of Limgrave and Liurnia, sharing a common enemy, rushed into the enemy's central formation. Arcs of electricity crackled here, the smell of burning flesh permeated everywhere, and a large swathe fell. Many among them still possessed combat strength; even lying down, they forcefully reached for their weapons, struggling to rise, their ferocity imaginable. Unfortunately, they all fell to the Southern Army's finishing blows, giving the Royal Capital Army no chance to recover.
A single super magic spell had broken the stalemate; they had to seize the opportunity to expand their gains.
"Her Majesty's magic is indeed exaggerated enough."
From now on, the Lands Between had another famous magic: Sunlight Spear. Its debut battle record would be eternally etched in history. However, a qualified commander wouldn't be reckless. After reaching the central formation, Edgar ordered them to primarily hold their ground, using skirmishing and ranged attacks to obstruct the Royal Capital Army's rear, trying to entangle and maneuver, because the battlefield that would truly decide the outcome was still undecided:
Rumble!
On the other side of the battlefield, explosions and roars were continuous, the clash of steel like a sonata, the numerous interweaving figures more captivating than any dance. Two battle groups engaged in high-intensity, close-quarters combat, their organization deciding the victor. The allied side, led by Frieren, along with the Farron Undead Legion, Carian Knights, and Dragon Communion adherents, formed a defensive formation, mutually covering each other. The attacking Royal Capital Army, led by Margit, was supported by elite Night's Cavalry, Tree Sentinels, Leyndell Knights, and Ancient Dragon Knights—at least hero-level units, and their cooperation was seamless.
"Tarnished, you don't understand the Dynasty's foundation at all." The enraged Fell Omen's movements grew faster, practically trembling with anger, because his horn was absorbing souls; some who fought for the Erdtree had lost their chance to return to it.
"That's truly regrettable."
Responding indifferently, Frieren used her Brass Shield to block the cursed sword, sparks flying. She now chose a conservative fighting style. On one hand, her magic power and condition couldn't withstand the extravagance of dual staves; on the other, she had to protect her teammates. The Royal Capital's elite only needed to consider attacking, while her side, due to a lack of mid-tier combat strength, had to cover them from time to time. But they couldn't easily remove the weaker units, because numbers were also important now; otherwise, they couldn't defend all directions. Fortunately, the two Lords of Cinder shoring up the lines compensated for the gap; both Frieren and the Farron Undead Legion were capable of injuring this Fell Omen demigod.
"I'm curious about your ambition. Is it to destroy the Erdtree and reshape everything?" Margit's roar received no answer, as Frieren herself wasn't clear on the specific steps. But it undoubtedly fueled his anger; he felt this war was full of constraints and utterly frustrating.
Clang!
Suddenly, Frieren proactively extended her shield to block, the parry making him freeze for a moment, forcing him to defend. According to experience, this fellow should be switching weapons to stab.
Unexpectedly, a Farron warrior rushed towards him. Although instantly heavily injured by the surrounding Royal Capital soldiers, his undead nature allowed him to complete his mission: his greatsword pierced the Fell Omen's chest, drawing blood. At the same time, the allied elites swarmed forward, blocking the Tree Sentinels and others, creating a brief opening.
"It's time to enter our rhythm." Frieren, wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword, leaped up. What was thought to be an execution attack turned out to be another parry; the terrifying force nearly made Margit lose his grip.
Crack! It was actually a Farron warrior's flaming greatsword that delivered the execution attack.
It wasn't over.
The silver-haired girl took another step forward, striking the wound again. Another Farron warrior parried the cursed sword's counterattack, and the former attacked once more... The two Lords of Cinder moved in unison, echoing each other as if in a dance, their blades weaving a tapestry of light and shadow, drawing blood. Only they, simultaneously understanding the Farron Undead Legion's fighting style, could form such beautiful combination attacks, completely suppressing the target.
"Damn, I was careless." Margit cursed himself for letting his anger get the better of him, revealing an opening. In the blink of an eye, he was covered in wounds. Perhaps the time to decide the victor had arrived, which was why his opponent was so fierce.
At this moment, the Royal Capital Army's rear-guard main force, braving the allied fire, was still advancing, about to reinforce the line. Once they completely stabilized their footing, they could likewise heavily damage the allied troops. Frieren needed to use large-scale magic to suppress them; the torrential onslaught was merely a prelude:
Annihilation Lightning magic swept across the battlefield in all directions. From this moment on, every move, every release of magic power she made carried crimson lightning, sweeping back and forth. Even if Margit dodged, a bolt of lightning would extend and strike into the Golden Army, sending men and horses flying. The sorcerer's large-scale destructive power was vividly displayed by her.
Why not like this before? As the question arose, a chill ran down his spine, because there was only one reason left: Frieren was rapidly recovering. As a sorcerer, this person's fundamentals were incredibly solid. She was actually refining magic power while fighting and not forgetting to heal. Thanks to her teammates' protection, as long as she didn't sustain new injuries, she could continue to recover, even growing stronger as she fought.
Misjudgment. Margit had previously thought he could defeat the Soul of Cinder with the advantage of team combat, but he was gravely mistaken. And now, Royal Capital soldiers were continuously dying, while his own horn disrupted the Erdtree Rebirth system. Losses were true losses, with no chance of reincarnation. Wasn't that too cruel? For a moment, he was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to retreat or continue.
"Hesitation will lead to defeat—"
Suddenly, Frieren produced an Omen Bangle. The moment it appeared, alarm bells rang in Margit's mind. Sure enough, a heavy pressure firmly locked onto his body. In his depleted current state, he couldn't struggle at all, finally revealing an opening.
"Now!"
The target wasn't him. The silver-haired girl unleashed a Glintblade Phalanx, striking all the elites separately, causing each to lose their balance. The long-planned demigod-level magic easily broke through their defenses. Then, the Farron Undead Legion, Carian Knights, and Dragon Communion adherents fiercely attacked those who had lost their demigod cover. Swords pierced hearts, heads, throats, and other vital points; some died instantly. The dying souls were again affected by the Omen horn, causing Margit's pupils to tremble and his body to weaken further.
"Patches, you truly sold me a despicable item, but this is war, isn't it?"
"Attacking the mind is paramount. Your will is already shaken."
At the final moment of the bangle's sealing effect, Frieren switched back to dual staves, including a new spell she had naturally learned after watching the Full Moon Queen's demonstration.
Soul Stream.
And Comet Azur—
The rushing, azure torrent completely struck Margit's body, sending him flying hundreds of meters, crashing into the Royal Capital Army.
______________
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