Malenia made the first move.
With light footsteps and a gentle tread, she arrived before Frieren in an instant. Her blade swept horizontally, unleashing a killing move that slashed diagonally upward from the ankles.
Such a rare and unexpected attack caught Frieren off guard. The silver-haired girl, who originally held a parrying stance, could only step back to maneuver. As she pulled away, a few strands of severed silver hair drifted to the ground.
So fast.
Movements that appeared broad and open were actually accelerating with sudden abruptness.
Almost simultaneously, the Glintstone sword in Frieren's hand skyrocketed in length. A piercing thrust erupted, stabbing straight for the throat. It was too fast; this time it was Malenia who failed to react in time. Clang! A spark-scattering parry blocked it.
A hum of vibration traveled through the Hand of Malenia, indicating that the enemy's strength was considerably heavy.
The dull ache in the web of her hand reminded her of her battle with Radahn. That Starscourge General also possessed exaggerated strength.
Yet, even he could not compare to the current Frieren.
It was hard to imagine just how much mana was contained within that petite body. As expected of the possessor of four Great Runes... no, that wasn't right.
"You also brought the Great Rune of the Unborn from the Queen of the Full Moon?"
"Correct. She asked me to bring out my strongest power."
Because Rennala felt that acting separately from Frieren might entail risks—what if the Royal Capital's army disregarded everything to fiercely attack for this single Great Rune? It was better to hand it over to the person most capable of safeguarding it.
In any case, under the influence of the Great Rune's energy over many years, she had already created the necessary amber of life. Even if it were reintegrated into the Elden Ring, it wouldn't matter.
Everything was for victory.
"However, rest assured. I will not actively activate the power of any Great Rune. It will only be used for restoration and blessing."
The silver-haired girl's declaration sounded like nothing but a provocation to Malenia's ears. It was common knowledge that the Soul Cinder King harbored benevolence, using Great Runes only to bestow Grace. Or perhaps, no strong enemy had ever been worthy enough for her to use a Great Rune to enhance her combat capabilities.
The next moment, the Hand of Malenia swung its edge, the diffusing blade appearing like a gale.
What seemed to be merely a current of air actually concealed murderous intent.
Frieren blocked horizontally with her sword. Crack! It actually fractured the Glintstone; it was sharper than imagined. In that split second, seizing the opportunity, Malenia closed in.
Sorcery: Night Comet!
Lusat's Glintstone Staff, which was not maintaining the Carian Slicer spell, immediately flung out Night Sorcery that was difficult to perceive. Even the Valkyrie was a beat slow in dodging it. Immediately following that, the Prince of Death's Staff delivered a heavy cleave with Sorcery: Carian Greatsword.
Boom! A loud explosion rang out.
A gully tore through from the ceiling to the ground, creating a crisp sound as it struck Malenia's blade edge.
The heavy force caused her to take a step back. Looking around, the earth was cracked and fissured.
What brutal swordsmanship. It was a ventilation of power that completely disregarded wastefulness; this strike was intended to destroy the entire room. At this moment, she understood that Frieren had come with the resolve for destruction.
Adopting a defensive stance would only expand the scope of the damage and put her at a disadvantage.
Flowing Swordsmanship!
The Valkyrie's blade bloomed like a butterfly spreading its wings. Beautiful streamlines guarded her body, enveloping her with lightness as she advanced.
Frieren's technique was the exact opposite. Leaping into mid-air, she fired off Dragonwound Slash repeatedly. Crimson streams of light collided and annihilated each other, the two sides indistinguishable.
Attack against attack. Using absolute high-frequency lethality to counter the agility of the Flowing Swordsmanship.
Facts proved her strategy effective; facing Malenia's continuous offensive, she actually gained the upper hand. The air was filled with sword qi, slashing through tree trunks, floorboards, and walls. Wherever it passed, things disintegrated with cracking sounds, leaving only broken walls and ruins.
It was simply reckless.
At first, she felt Frieren was fighting chaotically, but when she truly tried to counterattack, she couldn't catch any openings.
The opponent's swordsmanship incorporated the steps of the Bloodhound's Finesse, combined with Quicksteps and other techniques used to perfection. The dual swords were airtight.
However, Malenia gradually adapted.
Once again, they engaged in zero-distance close-quarters combat. Ping-ping-pang-pang! Sparks flew in all directions.
Both utilized fast swordsmanship. Between their pacing, sharp edges bloomed. Leaves and petals dancing in mid-air were sliced in unison; great trees were cut off at the waist, and the escaping shockwaves swept through the ruins.
Crack!
At the instant the Glintstone fractured, the sharp edge of the Hand of Malenia stabbed into the gap of Frieren's side armor.
With just a light lift, it would pierce the internal organs.
However, the silver-haired girl remained calm in the face of danger. She framed the longsword with both hands and actually twisted the Hand of Malenia with great force, causing Malenia's stance to become unstable. She thought it would be a contest of strength, but unexpectedly, she misjudged again—what fast movement.
While Frieren deflected the blade body sideways, she kicked out at the same time. The Step of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, wrapped in thunder, hit its mark completely.
Boom!
The light-bodied Valkyrie was sent flying just like that. Although she used her sword to support her stance in time, her back still smashed through a wall.
She blocked her abdomen with her free hand, which was covered in blood, bruises, and electric arcs. If she hadn't blocked in time just now, the injury would have been far more than this degree. It was truly a thrilling round.
The clear pain reminded her that the Soul Cinder King was not an enemy who could be summarized by a single style.
Swordsmanship, Sorcery, Incantations, or martial arts—no flaws existed. She was full of pragmatism; if it was useful, she used it, never sticking to one form. Once one misjudged, one would suffer a loss.
Fortunately, she had reacted just now.
But what Frieren seized was precisely this moment of the Valkyrie's wavering.
This time, it was she who took the initiative to attack. The Sorcery: Carian Phalanx and the sharp sword in her hand followed the same path, instantly pouring down cold light.
Malenia's Hand of Malenia similarly dragged out afterimages, intercepting the flashes of swords and shadows without showing weakness. In an instant, blood splattered from both sides.
Both were of the light-armor type; aside from critical vitals, they basically possessed no protection. Under such fast-attack sword momentum, the concept of blocking and defense did not exist. They relied purely on absolute attacks to cover the enemy, giving their all.
Only attacking, never defending.
At this moment, both Frieren and Malenia felt their swordsmanship ascending to a higher level.
It was the first time they had adopted such close-quarters combat. It was as if every move was feeding the opponent's technique, dissolving freely, dancing on the tip of a blade. Only in the most dangerous situations could the greatest progress be created; this was the domain of the peak of martial arts.
However, in terms of physique, the silver-haired girl was superior, charging power against the blade edge.
The Prince of Death's Staff bloomed with brilliance. It was a special Soul Magic filled with the aura of vengeful spirits, and the energy reaction made everyone's heart tremble, full of the power of Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone space-time—
A God-Slaying Weapon!
The Soul Stream slammed ruthlessly onto the blade of Malenia. At this moment, her weapon was actually wailing.
A weapon with the highest reinforcement in the Lands Between unleashed its murderous intent.
Combined with the caster's irregular power that defied logic, even the Flowing Swordsmanship could not offload the force. The stream of light engulfed the red-haired figure, and Frieren even chased the direction the opponent dodged, fiercely jerking it upward. The vertically connecting gully tore open the deep room of the Haligtree.
The stream of light extended all the way to the sky in one breath, shocking even the Haligtree Army who were climbing.
They were very clear on whose power held the upper hand. Aside from the Soul Cinder King, no one in the Lands Between could release such terrifying magic.
This was bad.
If this dragged on, the victor might be decided in the deep room, or a worse situation might occur—the aura of Scarlet Rot was brewing!
But in the next moment, Malenia gripped the Gold Needle in her severed arm, forcibly suppressing it. The will of the Goddess of Rot, which had been ready to make trouble, weakened a fraction and had to lie dormant for the time being.
Just a little bit more.
Everyone could feel the palpitating aura of the Outer God being suppressed.
But they dared not relax in the slightest, because as long as the Goddess of Rot was still paying attention to the battle between Malenia and Frieren, sooner or later, she would seize an opportunity for an explosion. It wasn't up to the Valkyrie; presumably, the difference would only be in the scale.
"Once the Aeonia Flower blooms, it's over. Stop the healing first; you should keep a safe distance," Millicent warned.
"My current mission is to heal you and assist Ranni."
Melina was unmoved.
At the breach, the Lunar Princess spoke while casting spells: "Trust Frieren. We don't need to leave. Besides, where can we run? The entire Haligtree is within the coverage range of the Scarlet Rot; nowhere is safe."
Her firmness and Melina's gentleness left Millicent speechless; even if she was worried, it was hard to refute.
Trina said softly, "Prepare yourself, my sister. No matter what, after this battle, the original Haligtree Twins will cease to exist..."
Ping!
Another crisp sound of clashing swords rang out as if in answer.
After a brief stagnation, the two sword masters fought together again, vying for supremacy amidst flashes of blades and swords. Their movements were faster and more dangerous than before because they were gradually becoming familiar with each other's routines. A person's habitual movements and force-exerting postures would not change easily.
In their eyes, it was all crystal clear. By this point, Frieren and Malenia were playing with almost revealed hands.
Every strike of the sword was bound to yield results.
With every flash of cold light, blood was drawn, leaving them covered in scars. Both sides held on purely through tough physical quality and steely will; otherwise, with damage accumulated to this degree, anyone else would have collapsed long ago. That they could still be lively and vigorous now was nothing short of a miracle.
But the miracle was coming to an end. Anyone with eyes could see that the Valkyrie was panting heavily.
She was tired.
Along with that, the sharp aura gradually faltered, no longer as it was before. After all, not everyone could maintain high-intensity combat.
Taking the Soul Cinder King as an opponent was already full of challenges.
In contrast, Frieren's focus remained as it was from the beginning, her eyes determined, staring dead at Malenia.
The next moment, the silver-haired girl took the initiative to charge forward. Almost simultaneously, the red-haired Valkyrie raised her sword stance again. Weapon Skill: Waterfowl Dance.
On the other side, it was also Waterfowl Dance. Two curves bloomed with brilliance, and blood splattered.
The third stage of the Waterfowl Dance!
Frieren succeeded, but her Glintstone sword also shattered, unable to withstand the strain. Fortunately, she wasn't injured because the fragments blocked the impact, but the other one wasn't so lucky.
Malenia never expected that one day she would be heavily injured by the Flowing Swordsmanship.
The lacerations caused her intense pain, but what was more terrible was the continuous bleeding draining her vitality, making it increasingly difficult to sustain herself.
However, Frieren did not pursue.
From beginning to end, the silver-haired girl hadn't pressed too tightly. Instead, she was constantly stacking buffs and taking countermeasures, clearly guarding against something else.
Regrettable, and also a humiliation. Clearly, as the Valkyrie Malenia, what posed a threat to the strongest Would-be Lord of the Lands Between wasn't her swordsmanship, but the Scarlet Rot she detested. At this moment, it was stirring restlessly.
"My brother, Miquella..." She turned her head, looking at the god with the weak aura, and murmured:
"I'm sorry. I will definitely protect you."
Click!
Malenia fiercely pulled out the Unalloyed Gold Needle from her severed arm. More importantly, she accepted the Outer God.
After thoroughly embracing the Scarlet Rot, a burst of loud laughter instantly echoed through the sky. At this moment, the God of Scarlet Rot could finally enter completely. With the most compatible and powerful vessel, it was perfect.
There had never been such a feeling of swaying freely. Release it.
As the thought struck, a gigantic scarlet flower bud wrapped around Malenia's body, closing tightly and emitting terrifying pollution energy. In a split second, everyone felt an inexplicable palpitation.
At the very center, a mass of light resembling both gold and fire seemed to rise, then bloomed abruptly.
The blooming.
At the critical moment, Frieren took off two Aeonia Flower headpieces. Holding one in each hand, left and right, she rapidly absorbed the escaping rot.
A scarlet cloud was reflected in the sky above the Haligtree.
The Haligtree Army, familiar with all this from top to bottom, trembled in fear, thinking it was over. But in the next moment, another mass of energy was also reflected in the sky, actually actively bearing the Scarlet Rot power of the Outer God, swallowing it in one breath like a siphon.
One released, one swallowed with the momentum of a whale. Two flowers absorbing one.
"It's the Soul Cinder King's Aeonia Incantation! How does she dare? She's simply disregarding her life! How is this possible?"
"——Just to clean up the mess for you lot!"
Ranni scolded angrily while gathering Moonfrost in her hands, blasting a horizontal sweep at the Haligtree Army in front of her. This sent them—already distracted by the great battle in the deep room—tumbling in disarray.
Even the elite Haligtree Army found the current situation difficult to handle. Having tasted the terror of Scarlet Rot, how could they not be worried?
Behind her, Melina led Millicent and Trina away from the pollution.
It was safer than imagined.
Logically speaking, the four of them should have been contaminated in the first wave of the explosion, beyond the help of even top-tier healing Incantations. Yet, a clear breeze brushed their faces, and they felt no threat from the pollution aura. Everything was as usual.
Frieren had withstood the Outer God's Rot Blooming with her own strength.
What price had she paid? Was she heavily injured and near death? Did she need support?
For a moment, various worries surfaced in their hearts. But in the next moment, sword qi and magic collided once again. It was still so brilliant, the aura still robust; only then did they feel relieved.
"Did you still abandon your self?"
Millicent couldn't understand it at all. she stared blankly at the depths of the room, feeling a regret akin to hating iron for not becoming steel.
"Even Miquella is indulging it. The Haligtree probably ends here."
Trina was also heartbroken over this undertaking, but hesitation would lead to disaster; preparations had to be made. She had seen through Miquella's character long ago in the Land of Shadow.
Boom!
The Scarlet Flower in the deep room bloomed completely.
And Frieren was still holding a sword stance. Just now, a surprise attack of sword qi had actually flown out from within; it was truly thrilling. It came right during the interval when she needed to suppress the large amount of Scarlet Rot she had absorbed. Next, she would have to fight while digesting it.
The next moment, the flower bloomed, and inside was impressively the unarmored Valkyrie, Malenia.
Wings grew from her back, formed of fluttering flowers. As they beat, butterflies flew out one by one, also possessing the power of Scarlet Rot.
Indeed troublesome.
Accompanied by the Goddess of Rot's slow action of standing up, butterflies circled, seeming to guard the leader in the center. The scene was magnificent, yet accompanied by one of the most terrifying powers in the Lands Between.
"The Scarlet Flower blooms once more. Witness true horror."
Malenia stroked her prosthetic hand and slowly flew into the air, looking down condescendingly at Frieren, who was waiting in full battle array.
Immediately after, a flower bloomed behind her back.
The silver-haired girl's pupils constricted abruptly. She hadn't expected there to be yet another Scarlet Rot explosion, and this one was different—it was an Incantation used by the Rot Outer God personally.
This is bad.
____
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