Frilian at Elden Ring

After a moment's hesitation, Malkitt made the final decision:

"Let the troops advance, mainly deploying reconnaissance teams to probe the Southern Army; we can't let them have too much peace."

"As ordered."

107

Chapter 107 Snake Woman Laya and Shrimp-Cooking Guy.

Late at night, in the eastern part of Lake Lienia.

The mournful cries of the ritual bird echoed in the sky, and the monster was covered in wounds from a barrage of arrows.

Each azure gemstone arrow that pierced through the air could take away a large chunk of body tissue. Even a skeletal body protected by the aura of death could not withstand it; the opponent's attack was excruciating and unstoppable.

It had dominated the entire Lake Lienia for many years, almost becoming the ruler of the night, but how could it have expected that someone would take the initiative to target it today?

Trying to escape, they ran into a sealing barrier and could only watch the hunter in despair.

Loretta's Great Bow.

Whoosh!

Another arrow pierced the Death Ritual Bird's claw. It was Frilian who deliberately chose a less vital spot to test the accuracy, and then used soul magic to harmonize with it. It seems to have worked well.

This is awesome! No wonder it's a magic spell that's so highly praised by players. It has excellent range, great power when charged, and when combined with your magic perception, it's like hitting exactly where you point it.

Having the first move advantage is very important, and it also gives you more options when facing agile aerial enemies.

Riding on Toret's back, she ran and aimed, never missing a shot, gradually reducing the size of the ritual bird. Patience is key in hunting, while experimentation requires witnessing different reactions from the sample to be accurate.

The enraged monster exhaled a stream of black flame.

As a result, the ripples of the Tops force field perfectly deflected it, almost damaging its main body.

We're doomed.

Completely unable to think of how to fight such a powerful enemy with no blind spots, while it hesitated, another arrow grazed its wing, this time finally causing the monster to fall.

"You've lost your fighting spirit, so let's end this as soon as possible."

Frilian rode Torret to the side of the ritual bird of death. The light condensed at the tip of the staff was different from the previous soul crystal, but a new, holy and warm power: the purification of sunlight healing.

She had been devising a purification method for necromancy targets for a long time, and this method was most effective for border areas.

hum!

The monster's body, which was illuminated, gradually turned into a phantom and gradually dissipated.

Even if it struggled to get up or used its power to pollute the surrounding area, it was to no avail. That holy power protected the plants and trees, leaving no trace of death and easily dissolving the situation.

"Your magic has advanced again?"

Melina exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be used to suppress the Unborn?"

"It's theoretically feasible."

"So what element is still missing?"

"If I understood the life secrets of the borderlands, things would be much easier. It would be helpful for both the Deadborn and the Crimson Corruption."

As a witch, she was arguably the person who knew the most about Frillie's magical research progress. She had opened countless research lines and was still tirelessly coming up with new ideas. More importantly, she made progress on each one and was not the type to try to do too much at once.

Perhaps only those with extensive experience in magic and unparalleled talent can achieve this.

The Full Moon Queen is in the academy, not far away, but Melina believes that the once-genius Stargazing Girl is not as good as the Soul King. Even though they are both kings of magic, there is a difference in their abilities.

Wow!

After the ritual bird completely disappeared, the deep crater created by the crash was quickly filled by the lake water, as if nothing had happened.

Hint: You have obtained the [Ancient Dead Soul] spell.

Frillie raised an eyebrow. Judging from the name, it didn't seem like a good thing; it should specialize in necromancy. This thing was even less popular in reality, practically synonymous with demons. But the important thing was its performance.

[The magic performed by those who serve the dead]

[Can summon a large horde of relentlessly pursuing vengeful spirits]

【Power can be enhanced by charging】

[It is said to be the ancient embers of death that the Bird of Death extracted from the spirit fire.]

She immediately noticed the keyword "tracking ability." Any magic that possesses tracking capabilities and can fly has a mechanic advantage, not to mention the unique necromancy magic, which naturally resonates with her soul magic and will only perform even better in practice.

call.

With this thought in mind, Frilian waved her staff, and instantly a dark mass of skulls appeared, propelled by burning gray-black flames behind them.

"You only know after trying it. The tracking is good, but the speed is a bit too slow..."

If you insist on relying on sheer numbers in actual combat, it's relatively easy to deal with legions, as you can always hit a large number of them. However, a flexible, single, powerful enemy won't give you that chance.

"Wait, the ancient spirits of the dead are a kind of summoning, and the Legion of Ashes is also a kind of summoning. Both are empowered by necromantic power and are based on the same principle. So, can we enhance the Legion of Ashes?"

"Or I can actively convert ashes, no, I can create ashes of wronged souls, as long as the attributes match."

She looked at the remains of the ritual bird.

Such experiments should not be conducted in reality; it would be too blasphemous. However, the borderlands are not sensitive to this matter. After all, everyone here is immortal and has a concept of reincarnation. In short, necromancy is a major school of thought.

The staff lightly touched the skeleton, while Frilian continuously gathered remnants of vengeful spirits, then shook the bell, using its resonance to guide the process.

call!

A chilling, biting wind swept by, echoing with sounds of resentment.

Upon discovering this summons, the Death Ritual Bird, driven by its last remaining obsession, flew into a rage. "You're using me as a test subject, whether I live or die? You're quite the opportunist."

Frillie ignored the other party's roar and continued to manipulate the magic to forcefully gather and assemble the vengeful spirit-shaped ritual bird of death, while simultaneously casting a series of enhancement spells.

The next moment, it spread its wings and cried out.

Its aura was significantly stronger than before, and although its size had shrunk slightly, it was still highly concentrated. The modified version was equally effective in enhancing the ashes, making it almost comparable to a powerful hero. It was a good starting point for the first vengeful spirit's ashes.

She then rang the bell, and the ritual birds obediently returned, behaving more like puppets. Expecting intelligence was impossible, but she guaranteed cost-effectiveness by increasing quantity.

"I heard that the eldest prince, Godwin, will have necromancer-type royal guards under his command."

Melina's revelation caused Frillie to frown slightly.

"It doesn't matter if I'm not the first to do something similar, but does that mean the royal city has gained another type of troop?"

"really."

"No matter how you look at it, the royal city has an absolute advantage in terms of core strength."

"Don't worry about it, it's the result of thousands of years of accumulation. And the Faded Ones don't necessarily need to completely defeat Rodel's army. As long as you can infiltrate the throne and kill the guardian there, it'll be just as good. Besides, I know the route, so it's easy for me to be your guide."

“You don’t understand. When I accepted the allegiance of the Southern nobles, I lost the option of sneaking in.”

"why?"

"Many people risked their lives to participate in the Battle of Rodel, hoping for that baptism. Although I am an outsider, I also felt that it had an indispensable symbolic significance for the enemy's approach to the Altar Plateau."

Fleurian's words made Melina nod in agreement.

From the witch's perspective, all that's needed is for the Faded One to sneak into the Golden Tree.

To put it bluntly, we don't expect you to become king; just repairing the magic circle is enough. You can treat you as a tool.

Melina felt a little embarrassed that she was still clinging to outdated ideas. Wasn't she focusing on her mission and neglecting Frilian? No, she should think about it from the perspective of assisting a king.

The legendary deeds of Viktor, the near-King, and Bernal, the Herrscher of Rebellion, have raised the bar for the Faded Ones, inspiring everyone to expect a powerful Faded One to become king.

That depends on history.

Since the War of Destruction, people have held the view that "to become a king is to lead an army to conquer the Altar Plateau and occupy the royal city."

I hope that the future quasi-king faded one will also be replicated.

If Frilian had refused the nobles' offers of allegiance and instead single-handedly stormed the Golden Tree to become queen, no one would have questioned her, and they would have eagerly come to her aid. But choosing to rise from the south meant taking a different path.

It was as if history had come to life, and the new fading power was about to lead an army to conquer the royal city.

You are the only one for me.

If he were to continue thinking of infiltrating alone, he would only disappoint his subordinates. Melina, on the other hand, also hoped to witness a new ruler who had a perfect path to becoming king, one that was absolutely legitimate.

Now she would not say, "It would have been better if I hadn't accepted Hyde's allegiance," because the recovery of the South depended entirely on the cooperation between the two sides. They were not only concerned with becoming kings, but had long since begun to restore the border areas and cared about the common people.

So Frilian chose the right path, while the standard answer is often more difficult, requiring a direct confrontation with the royal city of Rodel.

"No wonder you're considering strengthening your military now."

"It's alright. These things can't be rushed; it's easy to make mistakes in the rush. Even if the army isn't strong enough in the end, we can always make up for the gap with high-end combat power. Ultimately, as long as I'm strong enough, that's all that matters."

"The logic is sound, but it's too dangerous. After all, even the strongest demigod, Rataen, with the combined might of the allied forces, couldn't overcome the Blessed King's protection."

"We'll see the real test then."

Since her partner was confident, Melina expressed her support first. After all, the journey was still long, and there was no guarantee that a stronger unit might appear, especially since experiments were already underway.

To be honest, Frilian had never commanded a large-scale siege battle before, and she was just as unsure of herself.

But we won't be afraid of those towering city walls; there's always a way.

After cleaning up the battlefield, she gazed towards the academy. Dawn was breaking, the fog had dissipated, and the scene was now much clearer than before, its beauty shrouded in mist. It was a good time to continue her journey; she should finish exploring the academy as soon as possible.

The spirit horse answered the call and galloped towards the academy gates, carrying Frilian and Melina.

……

South of Lake Lienia, beside the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

The daylight swept away the usual hazy mist, revealing a bright and lush landscape. The nocturnal monsters lay dormant, making the place unusually peaceful.

Riding her Torret into the area, Frilian raised an eyebrow and sniffed carefully. Though faint, there was a hint of boiled shrimp in the air. Such leisurely elegance? Could it be related to some plot clue? As expected of a new area, there are countless surprises.

Originally, I only planned to scout around the magic academy and observe it, but I unexpectedly made a discovery. I might as well go and take a look.

At the same time, her keen observation led her to discover a young girl, a green-clad noblewoman, in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

"Hello, you over there. My name is Laya. Could you please help me?"

Following the sound, Frilian paid even closer attention, because for some reason, Laya in front of her had hunched shoulders and inexplicably exuded a serpentine aura.