Frilian at Elden Ring

On the other side, the vanguard troops, no longer suppressed by the city walls' firepower, rushed to the city gate in two strides.

The storm level is overwhelmed.

The small castle bunker was now teeming with thousands of people, completely surrounded, and they were constantly being battered by falling boulders, suffering terribly. There had already been cases of stampede injuries and deaths, a harbinger of widespread chaos.

"He's almost at the breakthrough stage, should we make a move?"

Samir the hero was eager to try, but Frilian calmly shook her head.

"No need. Let's conserve our strength for now. The toughest part is yet to come. I'll finish this as soon as possible."

It's not time yet. Only after I've fought the Storm stage once do I realize that it can't actually hold too many troops. Due to the terrain limitations, even with some repairs, it's not a tough nut to crack. So as long as you take it down quickly enough without wasting time, that's fine.

"I will ensure efficiency."

After speaking, the silver-haired girl raised her staff and activated the bone ash enhancement once again. The spirit warriors then climbed the city wall using the cloud ladder.

Go first!

They were utterly overwhelming the panicked defenders on the city walls. Led by Ruthel, they rampaged through the enemy lines, wiping out the troops around the ladders in one fell swoop, and could no longer stop their advance.

Seeing that Frilian's army of ashes had gained ground, the successors climbed up with even greater enthusiasm, swarming forward.

One hundred Southern soldiers have already climbed the city wall.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle from the moment they met. One side tried to gain a foothold, while the other side tried to drive the enemy away. Immediately, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and mangled corpses fell to the ground and turned into a pile of mud. At this moment, the most brutal battlefield was on the city wall.

Fortunately, the charge of the ash army reduced the pressure, and they finally suffered casualties in the high-pressure battlefield environment, which shows how fierce the battle was, with almost zero-distance fighting.

Frilian then disposed of the ashes of some of the weaker ones, such as demi-humans.

She was already quite satisfied with the performance of the Summoning Bell. It wasn't very useful to her at the moment, but it was indeed very beneficial on the battlefield.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, the city gate was finally smashed open, allowing unimpeded passage.

The impatient Southern soldiers charged in and hacked at anyone they saw. Their roars were deafening. Amidst the flashing blades, countless people fell to the ground, wrestling and fighting in every corner.

Complex environments don't require formations; it's just pure melee combat, with one-on-one duels happening all the time.

"Summon troops to support the area below."

Although the city's defense commander noticed the danger, it was too late; the chaos on the city walls prevented them from effectively eliminating the enemy inside the city.

It must be admitted that Edgar had a firm grasp on the rhythm, methodically forming an encirclement from both inside and outside, linking all the breakthrough points together so that no side could progress too fast and be caught out of a weakness.

He may not be a renowned general, but he is at least sensitive enough to identify weaknesses and avoid making mistakes in advance. This steadiness made the officers guarding the Storm Pass suffer greatly.

"Break through—"

At this point, there's no point in holding out. For such a small castle to have its inner city breached is tantamount to its fall.

Therefore, the Grik soldiers began their evacuation operation according to the pre-arranged plan.

We must protect the conscripts who were recently assembled. Most of them are undead. Although they are mentally unstable and weak, they are excellent laborers and should be reliable for repairing fortifications.

Now that the order had been given, they began to quickly leave the Storm Pass area, hoping to return to the main city in time.

"Be careful, the dragon is blocking the way."

Someone cried out in despair. Normally, they could be killed with ballistae, but now, with all sorts of supplies abandoned and in complete disarray, they couldn't organize an attack at all.

The momentary delay had disastrous consequences, as a large number of Southern troops had already broken through the checkpoints and were in pursuit.

People also came to surround and intercept them from the hillside.

Stoneville City wouldn't stand idly by and send an army to its aid, but the fierce winds of Storm Hill hindered their march. At the same time, a thick fog rolled in—Frilian had used magic to disrupt their plans, enough to make the reinforcements hesitate to act.

It's just a simple trick, nothing technically sophisticated, but it's incredibly effective at amplifying panic on the battlefield, causing the enemy to gradually lose their bearings.

In fact, if there are enough people, you can still get lost in a crowd.

She rode her spirit horse at full speed, passing through the storm checkpoint in one breath, casting spells as she arrived at the pass, fearing that her subordinates might rush too far ahead and be ambushed.

Thanks to Torret's speed, he quickly overtook the pursuing Southern army and then the fleeing ones at the forefront, thus cutting off the support from Stoneville City, making it seem like he was about to take a step back.

One man becomes an army.

When the fully armed silver-haired girl blocked the road, the reinforcements from the main city had no choice but to stop.

Their faces were grim, but they dared not take a step forward. They were in a dilemma and were now at a stalemate. Did they have to fight the Demon Sword of Annihilation immediately?

If the losses are too great, then the rescue effort will lose its meaning.

There was no further communication between the two sides, only a silent standoff. The former wanted to support and rescue the defeated soldiers at Storm Pass, while the latter wanted to stop them. Should they start a war now?

Unless you are willing to confront a powerful being who may have reached the level of a demigod right now.

After a moment's hesitation, the reinforcements had no choice but to leave.

The Grik soldiers at Storm Pass watched helplessly as they were surrounded. Some died, some surrendered, and some fled, and the entire force crumbled and became nothing more than a shadow of its former self.

Ignoring the desperate pleas for mercy behind her, Frillie gazed toward the cabin atop Storm Hill.

Magical perception detected a familiar presence; it was Bernal, who had been watching the battle earlier and now seemed to be smiling, waving, and leaving. Now was not the time for reminiscing; everyone had their own missions to fulfill. They could discuss the war in Stoneville City later.

"see you later."

Frillie was always indifferent to parting, and turned her attention to the battlefield.

"Hopefully, news will come from Nymgefur that the world has changed."

He couldn't help but offer a blessing, for if a faded one clearly occupied Stoneville and held the Great Rune, the symbolic significance would be immeasurable.

The premise is that we can win.

The Storm stage isn't even worth mentioning; there's no decent mid-tier combat to clash with, so it's pretty pointless. In contrast, the main city is now teeming with powerful figures, aided by the Forge Knights and the Ominous Demon, leaving Frillie to face them one by one.

Bernal gave one last glance in the direction of the main city before striding away.

~~~~~

64

Chapter Sixty-Four: First Encounter with Malkitt.

A flag with a black and red fire ring rises at the highest point of the Storm Pass.

The Southern Army used a design by Frilian as its symbol to signify complete occupation, and her inspiration came from the First Flame, the place where the Lords of Cinder passed on the fire.

"Long live!"

The cheers of victory echoed endlessly, many soldiers embraced, and the sound of banging on their shields shook the heavens.

They couldn't help but be happy, after all, they had genuinely defeated the elite troops under a demigod. The city's garrison, entrusted with such an important task, was no third-rate force; their victory signified an outstanding record.

Despite the various supporting factors, such as Lady Frilian's help, it is ultimately something to be happy about and should be celebrated.

The army celebrating their challenge against the demigods also defeated them.

Even though the Golden Dynasty had declined to this point, it was still a remarkable feat, extraordinary and highly symbolic, and the participants were naturally proud of it.

Before the battle, there were repeated worries about whether the commotion would be too great, or concerns about Grek's actions, but once the battle actually began, it was just like that. With their anxieties dispelled and their confidence restored, this army was rapidly forging a rare and invaluable courage.

Even Edgar, who is usually very strict, allowed everyone to play a little longer, just to relax.

He was well aware that a significant portion of the army consisted of temporary conscripts or were simply mercenaries, and that victory and rest were crucial; otherwise, morale would be low and the tough battles to come would be impossible.

"Lady Frilian, what do you think of this match?"

"I don't know much about military matters, but we have a huge numerical advantage, and Storm Pass is not suitable for defense."

"really……"

"But at least in terms of the quality of our troops, we're not that much worse off, right? They have better equipment, but their morale isn't as high as ours."

Even a layman could see that the Grek soldiers were somewhat distracted, lacked resolve, and looked exhausted. The long and uncertain vigil had left them physically and mentally drained, and they even secretly longed for an end.

They were all infected by the zombies. If they were my subordinates, a single Soul Heal would guarantee they'd be back to their old selves.

"Let's rest here."

Frillie could see how excited everyone was, so she decided to let them celebrate.

“Perfect timing. I’ve stockpiled a lot of supplies for the long-term defense of the Storm Pass. I’ll distribute them to you one by one later… I won’t take a single penny.”

"Praise be to the great Lady Frilian."

She had originally planned to slack off and leave everything to the nobles, but Melina reminded her in her ear that she should refuse and that she must control the distribution of the spoils, even if the Faded Ones didn't need it.

The two partners had already raided the Storm level once, collecting all sorts of standard equipment and collectibles, so there was no need to pack anything else.

She instructed, "The key is to control and allocate resources; these are byproducts of power. Frilian, you can't just have power itself; you also need to try to rule."

"Ah."

Frillie nodded lazily, already exhausted.

Although he didn't personally fight on the front lines, he actually used support magic throughout the entire process.

Thanks to this, the Confederate army's losses were kept under control, and everyone was more convinced of Frillian's worth. After all, her efforts were evident to all, and she was far better than those officers who constantly beat and scolded her. It's a case of comparing goods and discarding them.

"You should get some rest."

Melina had no intention of lecturing; she was merely offering a reminder. In reality, as long as you are strong enough, it's not a problem; the boundary has its own operating logic.

The greatest significance of the King of Elden should be to gather the fragments and choose a deity to enforce the law. Now they have taken a big step forward, with the main ring of magic casually located in the hillside city of Stoneville, visiting in a completely different manner this time.

As she pondered this, she noticed that Frillie was already fast asleep, the noisy environment not affecting her sleep at all...

Seeing this, Melina also leaned against the side. Although she was in spirit form, the Faded One's perception was enough to see through her, which should provide a sense of security in the unfamiliar environment.

The two nestled together to rest, while the Southern Army soldier, exhausted from his excitement, gradually drifted off to sleep.

They thought they could drink and have fun for a long time.

Unexpectedly, after a while, the fortress yawned in sorrow. It was too tired. A day of high-intensity combat had almost made it cramp up, so it could only drift off to sleep. The camp fell silent.

Good night.

But for Stoneville, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

A small number of soldiers and a portion of the conscripted undead stumbled through the city gates, their heads hanging low and faces grim. They had suffered a major setback, their pride shattered, and now they walked in with staggering steps.

He thought he was a member of the demigod army, well-equipped, but he was defeated head-on by the rebellious Southern army, a great humiliation.