Impossible!
Neither the Ooze Knight, Melina, nor the Mimic Tear could believe that gravity magic could reach such a level.
Modifying the terrain was a trivial matter; it directly tore a massive chunk from the vast plain. Moreover, the vortex in the air clearly possessed a terrifying twisting force, pulling even magic along with it.
Little did they know this was the result of a pure, brute-force increase in power.
The Frieren of today had already adapted to the enhancements brought by the Frenzied Flame and Dragon Communion. In the time since returning from the Land of Shadow, she had fully integrated these powers, taking her damage output to a new level.
With a light raise of her hand, the land bearing the Ooze Knight began to rise continuously.
BOOM!
Meanwhile, the ghostflame struggled and resisted, commanding more chunks of ooze to join it; it would not be captured without a fight. Its survival instincts roused, the natural monster roared continuously, pouring all its magic into a confrontation with the invader.
But the silver-haired girl wore a look of indifference.
"If simple gravity isn't enough, then let's add some wind."
The storm of the divine lion dance began to sweep through, forcefully scattering the ghostflame and further lifting the ground. The wind was like cutting blades, making it impossible to breathe.
Not only that, but its scale continued to expand, even spanning the height from the jumping-off rocks to the Purple Velvet Garden.
A massive tornado and gravity worked in tandem.
Joining forces, they easily suppressed the ooze's resistance.
At this moment, Frieren, standing high in the heavens, was like a god. The magical might in her every gesture reshaped the world, neutralizing the enemy's home-field advantage in the most violent and direct way possible.
During its ascent, the Ooze Knight was torn apart by the fierce winds and gravity. Cut by blades of air, its tall and sturdy body grew thinner and thinner, visibly on the verge of death.
The ghostflame energy within the massive clod of earth was also rapidly dissipated. Unable to even protect itself, how could it offer support?
"I'll scatter you both to the winds."
Suddenly, the Ooze Knight made a desperate leap towards Frieren's position, its massive crescent wheel-blade erupting with light, carrying a terrifying energy capable of cleaving an entire forest—
Clang!
First, a wave of moonlight from a weapon skill interrupted its charge.
Immediately after, the silver-haired girl's weapon, coated in a layer of rock by gravity, was switched to a two-handed grip. She swung it with all her might, putting her entire body weight into the blow—Lion's Claw!
The heavy blade crushed the Ooze Knight's weapon, then passed through to strike its body.
Under Frieren's power, it fell without any ability to resist, hitting the ground with a thud before it could even let out a cry of despair.
Could it be replenished by the ooze? Before it could absorb the environmental energy, it felt a terrifying pressure suppressing its magic.
"Damn it, there's no time to replenish."
Its survival instinct struggled to rise, but Frieren would not let this perfect opportunity slip. She blasted a Comet Azur straight into the enemy's abdomen.
The azure torrent instantly annihilated its abdomen.
At the same time, the steed carrying the knight tried to create distance, unaware that she was already prepared. With a light raise of her other hand, ice spread across the ground, freezing it solid as rock and preventing any burrowing movement.
Meanwhile, the continuously firing Comet Azur grazed the steed, vaporizing it in an instant.
When Frieren got serious, her magic output was simply absurd. Her profligate fighting style was simple and brutal, yet effective.
For a creature of ooze, this was its limit. The time had come.
"Again!"
Another Comet Azur struck the Ooze Knight's torso, instantly carving out a cavity.
Having lost the mobility of its mount, it could not escape the pursuing magic. It could only struggle to rise as it was slowly worn down to nothing.
Finally, it collapsed in the Purple Velvet Garden.
Frieren put away her staff, stretched, and turned around, saying, "Let's take a break. There's something I want to check."
The two readily agreed.
Watching the battle, they both felt it had been quite risky and worried for Her Majesty. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
An ordinary mage would likely have found this type of enemy, with its ability to replenish itself on its home turf, very troublesome. But she simply ignored the mechanics and crushed it with brute force, solving the problem completely.
Surprisingly, the reward was a [Remembrance of the Ooze Knight] that needed to be exchanged.
So Frieren teleported back and had the Finger Reader translate it:
[Remembrance of the Ooze Knight, wreathed by the Shadow Tree. With the help of the Finger Reader, the power of its owner can be acquired.]
[If used directly, it can grant a great amount of Runes.]
[Ooze is the final form of defiled corpse-flesh.]
[Trina's nectar granted them eternal slumber.]
[And thus, the ooze became her knight.]
No wonder.
So that's why it carried traces of hypnosis—not control, but a form of slumber. The time between its destruction and revival could be considered its sleep.
There was no deep-seated hatred between them. In time, a loyal knight would be born again in the Purple Velvet Garden.
What Frieren truly cared about were the items from the exchange. After all, the Cerulean Coast had been quite barren; she hoped for a better reward.
[Ooze Great-Cleaver]
An utterly hideous weapon. Neither its weight nor its form suited her, but she patiently read the description:
[Weapon wielded by the Ooze Knight.]
[A great-cleaver with a blade formed from hardened ooze over an archway of countless human bones.]
[Its power increases according to Arcane.]
She really couldn't bring herself to use a weapon cobbled together from corpses.
Major points deducted.
Now, the only thing left to check was the performance of its weapon skill, even though she had already guessed most of it...
[Weapon Skill - Whirling Decapitation]
[A weapon skill where one holds both ends of the weapon, bends backward, and brings the ooze blade down in a cleaving strike.]
[Activate again to continue the pursuit as long as stamina remains.]
[After activation, a heavy attack will perform a spinning attack after a leap.]
As expected.
Just as Frieren had guessed, it inherited the Ooze Knight's reckless fighting style, similar in principle to the Magma Wyrm's Scalesword.
In any case, it didn't match her own style at all.
The other reward, a sorcery, was at least acceptable:
[Ooze Vortex]
[Sorcery used by the Ooze Knight. Releases multiple vortexes of ooze that explode after a delay on impact, sweeping the surroundings with ghostflame.]
Although throwing mud wasn't exactly an elegant combat style, its properties were at least commendable.
Frieren excitedly cast a stream of ooze, immediately unleashing a mudslide of swirling ooze. The rotation created a suction effect and was mixed with burning ghostflame, making it particularly lethal against ordinary lifeforms.
"You wield it with even greater power than the Ooze Knight," Melina praised.
"Mother's magic and that thing's are worlds apart," the Mimic Tear added.
"Anyway, let's rest for a bit."
From experience, it was always best to rest at a Site of Grace after a major battle, regardless of one's condition.
After lighting the Purple Velvet Garden Site of Grace, the three of them meditated briefly, restoring themselves in the golden light to prepare for the next fight.
After all, no one could guarantee that another knight wouldn't appear to block their path ahead.
A while later.
Their spirits restored, the party resumed their journey, striding purposefully forward to explore the cave where the Ooze Knight had appeared.
Then, they encountered a familiar figure:
"Thiollier, I knew you'd be here."
Frieren had long since grown accustomed to bumping into other people in the most inexplicable ways.
She was long past the stage of asking, "Why do I have to fight my way here while you just spawn in?"
In player parlance, it was the "employee entrance." They always found a way.
Life finds a way.
Unfortunately, Thiollier was not in good condition. He was kneeling on the ground, his face buried in his hands, muttering through choked sobs:
"Your Majesty, thank you for your help. It is only because of you that I can see Lady Trina like this." After speaking, he tilted his head in a strange manner.
"...I am now immersed in Lady Trina's poison, hoping to hear her lost voice in a state between dream and wakefulness. Please wait a moment. Do not stop me."
"Huh?"
"There is one thing I forgot to mention... do not... do as I do. Lady Trina's poison... will make you... fall into an eternal slumber. This is something only I... can do..."
He was speaking intermittently and nonsensically.
Could he be trusted?
Based on her experiences so far, whenever Frieren was warned not to do something, it was precisely what she should do.
Just as she was about to ask more, Thiollier had already fallen asleep.
A slumber induced by poison carried certain risks; its composition and mechanism were unknown. So, it was best not to disturb him for now.
Rather than ask others, it was better to try it herself.
The group looked towards the woman on the "violet" deep within the cave.
Trina was one with the flower, as if growing from its pistil, drowsily lying across its petals. Her long, wavy purple hair was fragrant, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
"She's asleep?"
To be honest, it had an uncanny yet breathtaking beauty. Though her form was twisted, the floral adornment gave it the sacred beauty of a totem.
Even the well-traveled Frieren had never seen such a form.
Perceiving her closely revealed a faint life force; Trina was clearly in a bad state.
Although she didn't understand the mechanics of severing a 'half,' it must have been a brutal abandonment that came at a price.
"Her injuries are severe," Melina stated firmly.
"Right. Whatever we want to ask, we should at least heal her first."
The two made the decision in unison. One cast a Minor Erdtree, the other cast Sun Healing. Light brimming with life force filled the small cave, adding a touch of warmth to the atmosphere.
The remaining Mimic Tear stood guard at the entrance, its watchfulness extending to Thiollier as well.
His morbid obsession with Trina could be dangerous. If he did anything crazy, he'd have to be beaten down.
A moment later.
The deep purple girl's life force gradually recovered.
Nowhere else in the Lands Between could one find such a healing lineup.
The combined healing of Melina and Frieren was the highest standard of emergency care; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it could bring the dead back to life and flesh out bones. After all, they had managed to save every single one of the Living Jars.
Indeed, Trina's breathing stabilized, and she seemed to fall into an even deeper sleep.
After the magic dissipated, she still showed no sign of communicating, instead releasing more of the sweet fragrance of nectar into the air.
"How rude."
The Mimic Tear pouted, but Frieren shook her head and replied:
"It's likely a magical characteristic. We can't communicate with Trina without resonating with her on some sort of mental level... The clue is this nectar."
"Could it be dangerous? No matter what, it is a potent poison," Melina objected.
"We'll have to try it to find out. Whatever happens, don't act rashly."
In fact, Thiollier's words had been a hint: one had to drink the nectar.
And the most suitable person was undoubtedly the Tarnished, who had the safety net of revival by Grace—even though she had never died once.
Frieren took a deep breath and approached the human-flower.
She reached out and cupped a drop of nectar. It was like a dewdrop, flowing freely in her palm without any stickiness. Its fragrance captivated her senses first, an irresistible lure.
Following its guidance, the silver-haired girl drank it all in one go.
Thud!
Right in front of Melina and the Mimic Tear, she suddenly collapsed. What was more terrifying was that her life force plummeted rapidly.
The two almost launched an attack on the spot, but remembering her instructions, they held back. They would observe the situation first; Frieren had plenty of trump cards.
The next moment, a flicker of embers lit up around the silver-haired girl, halting her near-death state. It was the flame deep within her soul, providing its protection.
At the same time, a wisp of golden light drifted over from the nearby Site of Grace. With multiple boons, her condition rapidly stabilized.
In the blink of an eye, Frieren sat up again and looked at the two, who were on high alert.
"I told you I'd be fine."
Melina touched her forehead and said with a hint of reproach, "Fine. I'll trust your judgment. I'll just watch."
"Right. Go ahead and try, Mother. We'll stand guard."
Suddenly, Thiollier spoke again: "Lady Trina, why are you silent? Speak to me. Ah, let me be steeped in your poison, more of it... let me sleep deeper. Please, let me hear your voice."
He crawled forward and drank the nectar once more.
Seeing this, Frieren, not to be outdone, strode over in a few quick steps, caught the nectar, and drank it down.
Both of them collapsed.
The two spectators couldn't help but sigh. What a bizarre scene. Were they competing now?
An indomitable spirit had sparked over the most absurd thing.
If it weren't for the well-known fact that Frieren's mental resistance was maxed out and that she had taken precautions against Miquella, one might think she had fallen under some charm or hypnosis.
But her and Thiollier's behavior was indeed quite neurotic.
While Melina and the Mimic Tear were marveling at the scene, they collapsed several more times.
How much longer would this take?
They grew impatient out of worry, but the participants themselves continued to drink with gusto, casting aside all thoughts of life and death, as if they were simply savoring the taste.
However, Frieren knew the critical point was approaching, as the mental resonance was growing clearer...
The moment she collapsed again, an echo sounded in her ears:
"Stop Miquella. Do not let him become a god."
"Of course!"
As if startled from a deathbed, Frieren sat bolt upright and actively buffed herself to dispel the drowsiness.
All this time, she had only experienced a drop in vitality, maintaining her record of never having died. She had finally heard Trina's plea.
Unfortunately, besides that, she had no strength left to communicate further. At least, not for now. The healing wasn't instantaneous; she needed to rest.
When Melina and the Mimic Tear confirmed she was safe, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I made contact with Trina. Unfortunately, she only said to stop Miquella... The half is closely linked to the whole; they flourish and perish together. She has made her peace with that."
Adhering to the principle of hearing all sides, Frieren relayed this to Thiollier.
"That's what she said. What do you think?"
"Please do not lie to me. I am the chosen one. Only I can be immersed in Lady Trina's poison in a state between dream and wakefulness."
"—Therefore, it is impossible for you to hear a voice I cannot. Do not speak such unpleasant lies again. If I hear them again, I cannot be sure I will be able to forgive you."
Frieren was speechless.
Before she could try to persuade him further, the Mimic Tear cut in sharply: "Insolent fool. You have clearly never witnessed the power of a King."
____
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