Frilian at Elden Ring

Frilian spoke coldly: "Let's get down to business. Now you can beg for mercy, Azart."

82

Chapter 82: Information about Celie.

"You think I'll give in so easily? I'm an elite soldier recognized by His Majesty the Demon King."

"Then give it a try."

There was no room for mercy in the face of the stubborn Azart, so the next moment, Frilian plunged the knife in her hand into his chest, generating lightning once again to continuously erode his life force, leaving the target on the verge of death.

The lightning attribute, combined with the lightning retribution technique, is repeatedly ravaging the opponent.

Her magic also contained the power to tear apart souls; it was a specialized attack attribute developed after being inspired by various sources, causing the demon general unbearable pain.

Anyway, Frilian's original intention was just an experiment, so she didn't mind going through a bit more trouble. The key issue was that Azaert might not be able to handle it.

He really messed up this time; he didn't expect the Elf Village to be so tough. He completely miscalculated.

The foolish one is himself. How could he think that a race with a history of thousands of years couldn't produce one or two strong individuals? He should have mobilized more demons long ago. Now it's too late to say anything. A dignified demon general has become a helpless victim, at the mercy of others.

Even if you use demons to deceive humans into begging for mercy, it won't work. This decisive and powerful elf won't be fooled. Trying to outsmart her will only wear her down faster...

"Have you thought it through?"

Frillian said quietly, "If your information satisfies me, I might be lenient with you."

"Why do I feel like I'm being lied to?"

"you guess."

As she spoke, she intensified her lightning magic. Whether it was real or not didn't matter; what mattered was that if Alzate didn't cooperate, he would die immediately, and she was guaranteed to suffer excruciating pain.

The repeated onslaught of magic over his nerves robbed him of his ability to think, leaving him no time to consider anything.

"...I know, I know both the demons' plans and Celie's location. I'll tell you now, please stop the magic."

"Okay, tell me everything. I have a way to verify its authenticity."

"First, there's the strategy against the elves. That's right, His Majesty the Demon King ordered us to destroy your settlements. Once your social structure is disrupted, the immortal race will soon perish on its own. It would be even better if we could kill some of them in the process..."

Azaert explained his strategy in detail.

As races with long lifespans and expertise in magic, demons and elves naturally clash in their ecological niches, so it's not hard to understand why they would launch an extermination campaign; it was only a matter of time.

In any case, one side will eventually be on the verge of extinction, and perhaps then the conflict can end.

It sucks.

Upon hearing this, the villagers' faces darkened. Victory was one thing, but hearing that the enemy was determined to destroy them made them even more anxious and intensified their sense of crisis. If they didn't become stronger, they would be at the mercy of others. Perhaps Frilian was reminding everyone through the demon general that times had changed. In the past, human wars occasionally affected them; now, another immortal race was planning a full-scale hunt.

"I should thank you for letting us know that we can no longer harbor illusions. From now on, the elves will face the war seriously."

"Seriously? It's too late. You're far from being a proper army."

"Next question: Are there any of your people still on the outskirts of the forest?"

"Yes, they are cleaning up the battlefield to ensure no one is left alive, and also guarding the forest entrance to prevent reinforcements from arriving. They are skilled in assassination and reconnaissance."

"Where are the survivors?"

"Who knows if it even exists? Even if it does, it might be used as bait in a trap. Do you want to give it a try?"

"I will confirm the specifics myself."

"I slowly realized: you are an anomaly. Not lazy at all, that magic is the result of refining day after day and year after year, plus your talent and warrior skills, it must have been honed through countless trials, it can't be done without you."

"...You only have one, Frilian. Aside from being as fragile as your elven race, frankly speaking, you've never been a race for war, just humans who live a long time, right?"

His words silenced the room, inevitably causing an awkward moment.

They knew very well that Frilian was special, and without her leadership, the village would surely be slaughtered. This didn't mean the village was truly capable of fighting; indeed, their military preparedness had been neglected for too long, making them incapable of even one-on-one combat with ordinary demons.

Or there may be only a few scattered people, but war cannot be overturned by a few people, and the final result will not be fundamentally different.

"Did you all hear that? The demons will not let this go. They are targeting all sentient beings other than themselves. A war that will sweep the world has begun. Be prepared."

"..."

Most people are being bombarded with too much information; after all, no one is in a good mood when their peaceful and harmonious home is disrupted.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me where Celie is, the more details the better."

"The intelligence says that the God Era Magicians were active in the northern forest area, and there are sightings in the neighboring magic city. Some people have also seen the ruins of an ancient temple. I will tell you the approximate location on the map."

"I also need all military intelligence. For example, who did you just defeat? Who is the most threatening at the moment?"

"Currently, humanity is uniting..."

When discussing this matter, Azart was not as nonchalant as he appeared; he was filled with apprehension. In his view, the combined forces of several kingdoms posed a significant threat. On the large-scale battlefield, they had already reversed some of their losses and were showing signs of consolidating their defenses.

In addition to providing an objective account of the military situation, he also shared the insights of a general, which helped Frillie, as a listener, better understand the current situation.

It's not that bad. Don't be fooled by the fact that the demons came to slaughter the elves; they only managed to squeeze out a portion of their forces. The main force is still tied up in the direction of the kingdom's battlefield.

Humanity's sheer numbers and faster development of combat power make them virtually invincible.

Moreover, the battlefield involves a high degree of coordination among all parties.

The situation has changed dramatically. What does the annihilation of a powerful demon general and his elite troops signify?

The offensive and defensive strategies differ.

Without Azart and others to command and hold the line, there is a risk that the human army will push back on the main battlefield. To be precise, it is highly likely that the demons, who make up the largest proportion of the overall combat power, will all be wiped out by Frilian.

Although Yunus could likely conquer the fortress or even massacre the city by sheer momentum, he might not be able to hold it.

"I understand the basic situation. You can ask your adjutant for the rest."

"Wait, you'll let him go—"

Before he finished speaking, a flower bud suddenly bloomed on the demon general's chest. The scarlet flower exuded an evil aura, eroding all magic power, as if it were all for the purpose of nourishing this flower bud.

He instantly lost his mind and roared furiously, struggling to move even with his mangled body. Frilian moved aside, but Azart ultimately couldn't withstand the sight of a cluster of scarlet flowers blooming, and his corpse temporarily froze.

Fortunately, the erosion and expansion that occurred before his death showed signs of reversal, at least it wouldn't easily spread out, so the experiment was on the right track.

"As expected, the Ionian Flower is not so easy to control; it is extremely lethal to living beings."

"However, the successful control of the erosion's spread means that the large-scale damage from the crimson corruption is, in a sense, controllable. Multiple experiments will be needed..."

"it's your turn."

The silver-haired girl's gaze fell on the adjutant lying on the ground.

The process was simply repeated. For the disheartened demons, they were willing to reveal information in order to survive. Even though they knew it was a countdown to death, they still actively cooperated with Frilian's questions. The information from both sides corroborated each other, greatly increasing its relevance.

The credibility is not an issue, and the ability to test the magic of lies also proves it's not a problem; the situation is clear.

The good news is that Seria's location has been found, reducing the direct pressure on the human army in the battle for the elven village. The bad news is that the demons are serious, and this extermination strategy will continue.

"The cycle of mutual extermination will not end unless one side becomes completely incapable of waging an organized and large-scale war."

As Frilian asserted this, she released the Ionian Flower once more.

The lieutenant died as expected, and the demon army that attempted to invade the elven settlement was completely wiped out. However, the elves did not show any good mood; instead, they were very nervous.

The atmosphere in the village was somber.

Everyone knew very well that they hadn't relied on their own abilities to quell the demon attack, and even in victory, they felt no sense of security.

On the contrary, the other side clearly expressed its determination to slaughter.

Faced with the overwhelming power of the demon race, the outnumbered and weak elven village was utterly insignificant. They hadn't contacted the outside world for far too many years, and didn't even know if other villages existed, or if they had already perished...

"Don't worry."

Frillie's loud declaration drew everyone's attention: "We have changed the situation. This army will never appear on the battlefield again."

"The conquest of the demons is not achieved in a day; it is a gradual process. The elves need to take the initiative to go out and conquer them."

"If we hold onto the village, we'll fall sooner or later. We must change the overall situation."

After this battle, many elves have realized that staying out of the world is a mistake. Especially now that she has spoken like this, it is even more touching. In any case, being passive is definitely not an option, and they will only get weaker and weaker.

Those who participated in the village defense battle were certainly not cowards, and they quickly regained their confidence.

"We will learn magic, Frilian, please teach us."

"Just practice more often to pass the time."

“Elves should have their own teams of mages and warriors, and we can organize a small squad right now.”

"We can't let our guard down."

The progress of civilization also relies on communication. The elves, who were dealing with the ill-intentioned outsiders for the first time, were greatly shocked and their previous laziness was swept away.

They are not stupid; in fact, the long years have brought them more experience. At least they have some knowledge of the basics of warriors and magic, making them a bit stronger than human recruits who need to start from scratch. If they are willing to learn, they can quickly become combat-ready.

As a race with magical talent and longevity, it's fine for them to make up for the lessons they've missed over the years. The rest depends on their talent, which determines their maximum potential.

"Okay, let's clean up the battlefield now. Also, we should have a proper celebration."

Frilian smiled, and the elves around her also showed a rare enthusiasm.

"Long live victory!"

The village was reborn amidst iron and fire.

She could have ended the battle completely in the Miasma Forest; she had several options, and could have even ended it quietly. But she still chose to let the demons get this close, inevitably breaking some things along the way.

If the elves continue to live in a daze without any sense of crisis, they will definitely collapse when the enemy comes knocking, and that would be truly terrifying.

The demons' actions shattered illusions, forcing everyone to take the changes in the world seriously.

She couldn't protect the village forever, so she decided to help her fellow villagers become stronger.

In fact, everyone performed admirably in this battle, partly because Frilian often dragged people along to study magic and even train, or exchange warrior experiences, single-handedly stirring up the village.

The villagers gradually repaired the camp gate and extended the defensive fortifications further forward, enabling them to issue earlier warnings and strike targets.

The elves used their ingenuity to deploy more traps as a supplement, since the area was mostly populated by hunters.

Even burned forests can be quickly repaired with plant magic, though this will take time. The benefit is that it allows for the honing of magical abilities, so why not? The lush forest barrier will become a natural defense, and people will pay more attention to it in the future.

Frillie was also busy.