Frilian at Elden Ring

The other mage, Lyman, was also outstanding and his reputation was growing, after all, he had only recently become Seria's apprentice.

He represented the prestige of the newly formed first-class mage group, and also the will of headquarters. His strength was extraordinary, and his wide circle of friends made him an excellent choice. There were some familiar faces present who had worked with him before.

Wayne was equally highly respected. As a renowned nobleman from the North, his family had served in the military for generations and had accumulated numerous merits. He also served as an advisor to the most experienced high-ranking officials.

...He is indeed the most suitable candidate, even from the perspective of professional compatibility.

"welcome."

"Lady Frilian, I am Fenton, the head of the excavation site. And it's been a long time, Lord Wayne."

Things went much more smoothly when a familiar nobleman was present.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group began to subtly inquire about the situation in the Labyrinth Kingdom. At least from the current situation, the demons were still hiding very well and could not be lured out in a short time.

Unless they are willing to create an opening and give the demons the perfect opportunity to strike, but that will have to wait.

What is the current status of the Tomb of the Fallen King?

Lyman asked.

Fenton shook his head and sighed deeply:

"It's terrible. The deeper we dig, the more ruins we find, and unfortunately, quite a few monsters have made their homes there, making it an even bigger mess. We've been circling around the perimeter for over a year, but we still haven't been able to dig up the tomb itself, so we're planning a full-scale assault..."

"We'll help you with that. Please let us know if there's anything you need to be careful about."

"what?"

“You heard me right. The association was originally established to support your country’s excavation work. Coincidentally, I plan to achieve some results before meeting His Majesty.”

Frillie spoke with absolute certainty.

"Don't blame me for not reminding you, in much more ancient times there were great mages and great demons who all died here."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers and adventurers nodded vigorously.

They had been there the longest and knew best what had happened. The tombs buried beneath the layers of ruins were fraught with danger; one wrong step and you could be killed.

"Does everyone think we're just talking nonsense because we're new here and don't know the situation?"

The silver-haired girl looked around seriously and said, "I won't make any boasts and then tell you what to do. Instead, I'll lead everyone on an exploration."

"Really?"

"Those in power should take the most difficult problems upon themselves, make decisions on the front lines, and lead their teams to overcome difficulties. If it were easy, I wouldn't be here. I'm here to end the threat of the labyrinth. With me here and with you all here, its hidden dangers will be completely eliminated, just like the countless labyrinths that have been conquered throughout human history."

After hearing what Frillian said, everyone finally felt reassured.

The atmosphere on site became more lively, morale improved, and even the magic detection team put in a lot more effort.

She took the lead and began communicating with Fenton, walking towards the main part of the tomb. With a casual wave of her staff, she cleared a path, her ease and grace convincing.

"Is just a few words okay?"

Vlamé tilted his head, puzzled.

Wayne laughed and said, "Because the president understands that everything is essentially accomplished by people. Most people are disorganized and tend to avoid, slack off, or ignore difficulties when they arise... so someone needs to lead them. Not the kind of leadership that involves whipping them, but rather a thorough and appropriate analysis that helps everyone understand that success is inevitable and that the problems are not actually difficult."

"It sounds easy, but it's hard to do. Vlame, you'll eventually reach that level of thinking, so take a look at your master more often."

The red-haired girl nodded thoughtfully, only noticing that she had a leader's aura.

"Northwest!"

Suddenly, Frillian's voice reminded everyone, causing them to pause slightly. Looking into the distance, they could only vaguely spot the figures of monsters on the other side of the mountain after three breaths. There were many of them.

Such an exaggerated range of perception! They foresaw the approaching danger before anyone else present.

Before we could think any further, the alarm bells rang, echoing in all directions.

To make matters worse, a series of roars suddenly came from the ruins surrounding the collapsed tomb, and one after another, demons appeared, baring their fangs and glaring at anyone who dared to disturb them.

A war is inevitable.

When the monsters came within range of the crossbow bolts, people realized that most of them were gargoyles, monsters that haunted the area around the tomb.

They resembled bats, with corpses hanging from their bodies, seemingly sculpted and integrated into one piece, giving them a rather eerie appearance. Unlike living creatures, they exuded an aura of death, and the chilling atmosphere made everyone shiver even in broad daylight.

That's really weird.

The monsters seemed to have been provoked by something and moved as a group, rushing over in a mighty wave.

"Everyone to your positions, adopt defensive formation."

As the commander, Fenton gave orders in calm words, leaving time for a response, even though the scale was unprecedented.

Preparations were completed quickly and efficiently. Ballistae, longbowmen, and mages took their positions. They had fought on the outskirts of the Tomb of the Fallen King more than once, and were known for their rich knowledge and composure in the face of danger.

Even if there were hundreds of gargoyles, they couldn't shake the situation, because in addition to the long-built defensive fortifications, there was also an ace up their sleeve today.

"Then let's join in."

Frillie glanced at her teammates, who all agreed.

The demons infiltrating the kingdom's upper echelons is one thing, supporting the exploration team is another; we cannot allow the losses to continue.

Furthermore, they suspect that the frequent monster attacks are closely related to the mastermind behind them, so they might as well test their skills and see how things go.

call!

As they were exchanging information, the first batch of gargoyles arrived in the air, hovering and observing the position, not in a hurry to launch an attack. The soldiers on the ground, on the other hand, aimed cautiously. These guys had very tough skin and could not be easily breached; they had to seize the opportunity.

Suddenly the ground rumbled, and a small fortress began to collapse.

"This place is collapsing! Help!"

Amidst gasps of alarm, dust billowed up as the sandworm monster extended its enormous mandible, its sharp teeth arranged in a vortex, opening and closing, each tooth gleaming with an incomparably sharp, cold light.

The soldiers who were targeted retreated in a panic, only to find that the ground was constantly collapsing and turning into sand, about to fall into the mouth of the monster.

Click!

The broom star pierced the sandworm's head, killing it instantly—a firepower intensity that left no doubt.

After releasing one shot, Frilian was still not satisfied. She turned her staff around and aimed at the troublesome sandworm monsters one by one. "Since you plan to cooperate with the air force, then annihilate them first. We must ensure the safety of our foothold. Leave no one alive."

With a series of bangs, blue light enveloped the entire area, never missing its target, killing a killer insect with each release.

It appears casual, but its single-target penetrating and destructive power is extremely strong.

Most magicians would marvel at this. Achieving high frequency, high quantity, and high accuracy coverage is already outrageous enough, but what's even more outrageous is that the power never diminishes. It's like a person maintaining a sprint speed in a kilometer race. How is that possible?

"Leave the ground to the worker."

Vlame warned, "The gargoyles are coming soon. I'll reinforce our defenses with a barrier."

Fenton nodded.

The ground firepower is sufficient, but what is lacking is a defensive plan to stabilize the position.

The red-haired girl raised her wand, unleashing a powerful burst of magic, but nothing else happened, leaving everyone puzzled. What was going on? The gargoyle, relieved, let out a mocking laugh and swooped down.

However, a muffled thud struck the barrier, and coincidentally, dozens of monsters crashed into the wall in an instant. The honeycomb-shaped barrier, invisible until it was triggered, protected the entire area.

No, it's not triggered.

Because the other magical and physical attacks were not hindered, such as the cover provided by Lyman and Wayne.

"So you define a range, and then generate a barrier wherever there are enemies to provide precise defense?"

"What else? Master said this is the most efficient way."

Vlame's matter-of-fact answer left Fenton and the others dumbfounded. It was true; they had indeed heard of some powerful mages who could defend precisely, but they had never heard of one that could project such a distance, effectively becoming a super-large barrier protecting an entire army.

Its performance combines accuracy and defense; after all, even a gargoyle that is two meters and five heads long can not move it when it crashes into it, making it as solid as a rock.

The dim-witted monster had no idea why there was an invisible wall.

"Fight back."

At a single command, arrows rained down upon him.

They rose into the sky in graceful parabolas, like dark clouds, higher than gargoyles, before plummeting down and embedding themselves hard in tough skin, the arrowheads violently shaking and tearing at the wound.

The weapons specifically designed for monsters are not meant to kill them instantly; their main purpose is to impede their health. As injuries accumulate, even the strongest body will eventually weaken.

Indeed, monsters that have been hit by many arrows fly more slowly.

The unfortunate souls immediately became perfect targets, bombarded relentlessly by the mages on the ground. Their weaknesses lay in their slightly slower charging speed and insufficient coverage, but when combined with the army, they were no problem, hitting their targets with pinpoint accuracy, achieving a one-hit kill, or severely injuring and sending them crashing down.

The gargoyles that fell to the ground were warmly welcomed by the spear formation, and after a round of stabbing, they were lifeless.

It's all done in one round.

More than thirty monsters have been killed, which is much smoother than Fenton had expected.

Despite the team's complex composition, it brought together a group of elites including adventurers, magicians, and mercenaries. No one who dared to come to the Tomb of the Fallen King was mediocre. They cooperated and leveraged their respective strengths, making their advance unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Frilian cleared out the sandworms.

She crouched down and carefully examined the cave dug by the monster, which led all the way to the depths of the dark tomb. Could it have been hollowed out from the beginning?

"...No, some passages show signs of reinforcement, which is definitely not the work of monsters."

So someone went in!

Even more chilling was the faint sight of several figures flickering, yet the magic perception didn't register anything, indicating they weren't living beings. Strange, a ghost story in broad daylight is definitely a problem.

Roar!

A hysterical roar interrupted Frillie's thoughts. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw only a mass of darkness. Huge wings blocked out the light, stretching over ten meters horizontally. A gargoyle, supporting an equally massive body, hovered in the air, watching menacingly.

They were no less formidable than the Black Sword retinue before the Temple of the Beast Priests.

Its roar was accompanied by terrifying sonic shockwaves, which instantly dismantled the outer walls, stirred up a storm, and caused people and horses to fall over.

"Be careful."

The well-informed Wayne loudly warned, "These gargoyles are the size of those guarding large temples; they're very sturdy. Keep your distance."

Unfortunately, the enemy did not give them a chance.

The giant gargoyle swooped down with its full weight, smashing through the barrier with a crack. Seeing this, Vlame immediately switched from defense to offense, unleashing a merciless torrent of souls, accompanied by a roaring, billowing wind.

However, she was not skilled enough, and in the gap while she was charging up her aim, the opponent widened the distance.

As a result, the red-haired girl had no choice but to regretfully put it away.