At this moment, the entire Royal Capital army focused their attention on Frieren and Melina. Among them stood demigods like Morgott, and elite heroes such as the Crucible Knights. The combined pressure was enough to overwhelm even the strongest, paralyzing them with fear. Who wouldn't tremble under such a formidable display?
"I've come uninvited," Frieren said calmly.
Her words seeming to disperse all the tension and hostility. The oppressive atmosphere that had been building vanished, leaving only one person utterly unaffected.
Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, stared intently at his greatest rival.
"You are indeed a bit rude. You should have brought your army."
The lion on his shoulder bared its fangs, its fierce gaze flashing. The army stood ready, countless ballistae, spells, incantations, and javelins poised.
The fate of the Ancient Dragon lay at the feet of the Soul of Cinder. To dare to intrude so brazenly was tantamount to a death wish, an opportunity they would not let slip. They awaited the First Lord's command.
Frieren's gaze swept over the scene, not focusing on anyone in particular. She merely looked around and remarked, "It's a good place. I'll be back."
"Provided you can leave safely," Godfrey replied with a nod.
A barrage of attacks rained down, covering every angle.
Whoosh! Almost simultaneously, the silver-haired girl pulled Melina close, her slender waist fitting perfectly into her palm, and activated her gravity magic at full power. Instead of heading in any of the cardinal directions, she shot straight up into the sky at maximum speed, becoming a meteor trailed by countless damaging streaks of light.
The relentless attacks pursued her. Most lost momentum and fell away halfway.
The Royal Capital's experienced elite soldiers had considered several strategies and blocked all eight cardinal directions, but they hadn't anticipated the enemy would choose to compete in altitude. This was a critical miscalculation.
As expected of the Soul of Cinder, she had chosen the most optimal and challenging solution. Her incredible speed and the thin air at high altitudes filtered out most of the ranged attacks.
She showed no signs of stopping, continuing her ascent, piercing through the clouds, and challenging the Erdtree with her radiant trail.
Could it be true? The people on the ground watched with growing certainty.
At this point, no attacks could reach her; she had shaken off all pursuers effortlessly. It was that simple, that brutal.
The once formidable Royal Capital army was left embarrassed before the returning First Lord. Even then, Frieren showed no signs of stopping her ascent, becoming the first person in the history of the Golden Dynasty on the Altus Plateau to look down from such a height.
Her slender figure was no longer visible. Yet, no one could miss the resounding power that rippled across the Lands Between.
A crimson bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, piercing through the clouds, challenging the Erdtree itself in height. The new master of Lansseax's lightning was eager to find a target.
Not only were the people of the Golden Dynasty stunned, but the entire Altus Plateau could see it clearly. Even the distant Magic Academy tower offered a pristine view.
It was Frieren! Under the watchful eyes of all, the lightning coalesced into a twisted spear. Crimson energy flared at its tail, raising dark clouds as it roared, fully charged, before everyone.
But no one could stop it. Those with the power to intervene, like Godfrey, were instead eagerly witnessing this true greeting.
Crack! With a thunderous explosion, the lightning bolt plummeted vertically, accelerating with gravity. Its dazzling light illuminated the scene, casting a red glow upon pale, terrified faces.
Would the mighty Golden City tremble under such power? The next moment, the earth rumbled in response to Godfrey's roar, and his battle-axe swung out in a stormy strike, colliding with the Ancient Dragon's lightning.
A white ring exploded in the sky, the shockwave making the heavens even more brilliant. Could it be? Those outside the Royal Capital were shocked.
The familiar fighting style, the opponent worthy of the Soul of Cinder's serious strike, combined with recent rumors... Even if they didn't want to believe it, they had to admit that the First Elden Lord of the Golden Dynasty had returned. With this realization, many doubts were resolved.
Yes, the atmosphere of this clash of kings was undeniably real.
The smoke cleared. The people of the Royal Capital watched as a meteor streaked southward, unstoppable and free. Across the entire Lands Between, only one person wielded gravity magic with such unrestrained freedom.
After exchanging greetings, there was nothing more to say. Their next meeting would be in the final battle.
Godfrey gently touched the electric arcs on his battle-axe. He smiled reminiscently and said loudly, "A lot has happened in the Lands Between while I was away. Such a strong person has emerged. You need to tell me all about it."
"Sorry, Your Majesty," Morgott and the other leaders bowed their heads, feeling somewhat ashamed.
"It's fine. She's not an enemy you can handle."
The First Lord's attitude sobered everyone. Even Godfrey had to take her seriously.
Fortunately, with the power of Grace, the final victory would still belong to the Golden Dynasty, just like their Golden Conquest. But no one dared to underestimate the scale of this battle.
Possessing such power and controlling half of the Lands Between, the Soul of Cinder was the strongest opponent, unprecedented. Even the Ancient Dragon War couldn't compare, for Placidusax hadn't participated back then.
This time, the Golden Dynasty was facing a true Elden Lord and a power befitting a king.
High in the sky, the clouds parted under the strong wind. Frieren held Melina in her arms, her heart still racing as she looked back at the Golden Capital.
Cheers continued there, celebrating the return of the First Lord, Godfrey. For some reason, there was a strange magical connection...
She stared at a statue of Radagon, and the seal on her left eye was loosening. 'There must be some secret I haven't seen clearly yet,' she lamented regretfully.
"It's fine," the silver-haired girl replied, looking ahead indifferently. "The gains are already good. That move just now also told everyone that Godfrey has returned, and the war is about to intensify."
Worthy of being the founder of the Golden Dynasty, his strength, momentum, martial arts, and will were all first-class. He hadn't even been fully blessed yet.
When his eyes were once again lit with the light of the Erdtree, not the light of the Tarnished, his combat power would only grow stronger.
If Godfrey hadn't been burned into a living corpse at the Firelink Shrine back then, he might have given Frieren a battle that truly showcased the tyranny of a king. What a pity.
Still, the pressure Godfrey brought was absolutely worthy of his title.
"That was close just now," Melina said, looking at the distant ground below. "I thought we wouldn't be able to escape. I didn't expect that even the walls of the Royal Capital would be so insignificant in the face of your magic. We will definitely be able to cross its defenses."
"Yes, there won't be a siege that makes both attackers and defenders suffer. The sooner it ends, the more responsible it is for the Lands Between."
Frieren was already contemplating personally leading the assault on the city walls. If necessary, she would initiate street warfare.
"Let's go back and hold a meeting to discuss strategies with everyone."
"I'll speed up."
The news of the First Lord's return, loudly proclaimed by the Golden Capital, quickly spread throughout the Lands Between.
After a long period of the Shattered War, spanning from the distant ancient era to the present, the king who had built great achievements in ancient times had finally returned. Godfrey's name alone was enough to inspire hope, carrying a vision of the Erdtree's prosperous era for many.
Dew would fall from the sky, the land would be fertile, and all things would be full of vitality, free from rampant pollution. This return should have been perfect, but it was marred by a flaw.
The propaganda of the First Lord's return could not avoid the battle that took place that day. Everyone saw it with their own eyes, and the world witnessed together: the clash of kings. It was genuine, without any falsehood.
Although there was only one round, everyone understood that Godfrey had already exchanged blows with Frieren, not only in terms of raw strength but also in symbolic significance.
There was more than one person who could carry the hope of repairing the Lands Between. They had to compete to determine who it would be.
In the time the First Lord was away, a new pattern and a new network of interests had formed. And the budding new order awaited another king.
The Stormhawk spread its wings and flew, delivering letters to every land and every army under the banner of the Dark Ring of Fire. The fastest proclamation: gather.
Caelid. In the new fortress in the distant land of Caelid, Messmer, who was meditating with closed eyes, had his red snake emerge from his body and take the letter with the crown emblem from the Stormhawk's claws.
He opened it, glanced, and closed it again. It wasn't that he wasn't taking it seriously; the letter contained only a brief command, written by Frieren herself.
The fewer the words, the greater the matter. The commander of the Holy War Army naturally understood this simple logic.
Messmer looked in the direction of the Erdtree and said, "We're going back. Pass the order to the entire army. March towards the Altus Plateau."
"Understood."
Far away, in the area from the Weeping Peninsula to Limgrave, Kenneth Haight also received the urgent military situation. The keen man immediately realized something was amiss.
Why were even their second-line troops being called? This suggested it wasn't a quality issue, but a desperate need for quantity. What kind of battle would demand more numbers, even at the cost of some troop quality?
The third siege of the Royal Capital was imminent. The army's overall commander, the Soul of Cinder, didn't need to tell each region the background behind the decision.
Orders were orders; the requirement was to respond. Specifics would be decided at the meeting. First, they needed to get the army moving to avoid delays.
Haight clutched the letter, his heart pounding wildly. It was coming. The historic moment they had been waiting for was finally at hand. How long had they waited, from the Shattered War to this very day?
"Sir, is something wrong?" a subordinate asked carefully.
"Her Majesty has summoned me to bring the reserve troops north. The more, the better. Bring the supplies and move all the military equipment we have accumulated so far."
"I'll get right on it."
Even those with a bit of sensitivity knew how serious things were. They could guess that other teams, having received the same orders, were also setting out one after another.
Frieren's previous trip to the Altus Plateau must have been fruitful; she had clearly made up her mind. Combined with recent rumors, it confirmed the trend of the battle of kings. They had to fight to the death.
The first major fortress in the south, Stormveil Castle, was the first to sense the rising killing intent.
"We're going to war," the Mimic Tear shouted from the city wall, waving both arms. "Trample all of the Royal Capital!" "——Trample the Royal Capital!!!"
The crowd roared in response to her fervor, their morale soaring and their will to fight at its peak. The newly born Storm Knights had waited too long, and now they were eager for battle.
Stormveil Castle, serving as the hub for integrating all military forces from the south, buzzed with activity. Elite troops, many of whom had been withdrawn from the Land of Shadow for rest, were now fully rejuvenated.
Under the command of the Mimic Tear, the army assembled in an orderly fashion on the vast Stormhill.
They sharpened their weapons and fed their horses.
Everyone could feel the approaching footsteps of a grand war.
It no longer mattered whether the First King would return or not. It didn't matter if their opponents were Godfrey, Radagon, or anyone else.
The tide of the times was advancing, and the combined interests of all parties had formed a united front.
Only by occupying the richest lands could everyone be satisfied.
Only by reshaping the landscape of the Lands Between could they all gain new blessings.
That's right, it was they who could not tolerate the Golden Order, they who had initiated the challenge, they who could not share the spoils of war thus far.
Even taking ten thousand steps back: even if the Royal Capital surrendered on the spot, they could not be assimilated.
It was impossible to guarantee that they could bestow blessings on another group under their current circumstances. That was unrealistic, absolutely impossible.
Only when one side fell could the matter be resolved.
Especially after the last expedition to the Land of Shadow, the south had gained confidence. With the power of the Dragon Communion at their disposal, they should have been capable of even greater feats. Undoubtedly, the Altus Plateau was the perfect stage.
Once, the Storm-King had resisted the Golden Conquest here, standing as the last stubborn defender to fall. Today, this very place had nurtured the most formidable challenging army.
After rallying the troops, the Mimic Tear returned to the tower room and asked the violet-haired figure beside her:
"Trina, are you coming with me to the Magic Academy? Her Majesty is holding a meeting there."
"I do have some matters to report to Her Majesty. Please take me with you, Your Highness."
On the other end of the Stormhill cliff lay the vast expanse of Liurnia of the Lakes, but Liurnia was not idle either.
Numerous marching troops moved like threads across the vast waters.
They came from various villages and camps, the bones and blood left behind by the Golden Conquest and the Shattered War in the Liurnia region.
After a brief respite under Frieren's revitalization, they were finally marching to the battlefield today.
Combined with the forces returning from the Land of Shadow, they would form the power of the Carian Royal Family, achieving the unfinished war of the Golden Dynasty.
Continuing the past.
To many, the marriage between Rennala and Radagon was merely a punctuation mark in a phase. The question of who would dominate the Lands Between was far from over.
Now, their choice was the Lord of Cinder, Frieren, the king of Caria herself.
Apart from the loyal southern lineage that had always followed her, the Carian Royal faction was the most dedicated.
This time, they were going all in.
If they didn't win completely, they would be completely liquidated.
Thus, as soon as the military order was issued, forces from the entire Liurnia of the Lakes region responded, rushing at the fastest speed to assemble below the Magic Academy.
Wherever they passed, beasts fell silent, birds stopped chirping, and the killing intent seemed like dark clouds hanging over the lake.
Similarly, Edgar, stationed in the volcanic region, was also summoned back. The real offensive was about to begin.
He no longer needed to be constantly on guard, because the capital was also mobilizing troops for defense. While they might also be preparing for an attack, it could hold.
Now was the critical period for determining strategy and tactics.
On the other side, the lift region had strengthened its deployment. Given the current situation, an attack from one direction alone could not accommodate the massive army of the Lords of Cinder. They had to advance on two fronts.
Thus, the largest army currently in the Lands Between gathered at the Raya Lucarian Academy.
—Gathering for Frieren.
___
New Story: FGO: Building a Lostbelt from Scratch, the Winner is Canon
🔥We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Gain early access to 40 chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive content and special announcements.
We have set new community milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters for all series!
👻 P - Walnutchan