Frillian in the Elden Ring

Chapter 72 The demigods’ response.

The royal city of Rodel.

Monget between the thrones released his clone.

The battle experience from the "evil demon" Markit returned to his original form 100%, even making him almost stumble.

The battle mage's power is extraordinary. He has many unheard-of techniques and weapons. He is proficient in all kinds of martial arts and is extremely skilled. I'm afraid he didn't use his full strength when dealing with the clone. This is not good.

The purpose of sending them to a distant place to guard the city of Stonewell was to test the level of the Faded Ones so that they could make an accurate judgment. However, this time, there was only one conclusion:

Fulilian is still retained.

Her magician's methods were more than just this; she probably had a hidden weapon up her sleeve. The strength of Markit's clone was simply not enough to test her abilities. This Faded One was very cautious, seemingly employing a wide variety of methods, but in reality, she only used the most basic ones.

The same magic will have different effects in the hands of different people, and there is no way Fulilian won't have that.

So she hid a series of advanced uses and defeated the clone with only the basics.

This means that the attributes are well-balanced and powerful.

What kind of environment outside the border area could produce such a strong person?

No matter how hard Mongert tried to figure it out, he had to face it, so intelligence was crucial. Meanwhile, he had to strengthen the defenses of the royal city, as Fulilian was definitely after the Golden Tree.

"If we want to remove the seal and the double-fingered protection, we need at least two Great Runes. So where is your next target?"

Who is it?

According to common sense, the strongest demigod, Latarn, should be excluded first, but during the battle, Freellian was very interested in this person and might go to the area around Gaileed.

A magic academy was more likely, after all, what wizard wouldn't favor the place with the most magic in the world? However, the Lienia of the Lake region was so isolated and surrounded by natural barriers that even the Golden Army, at its peak, found it difficult to enter, making it a poor choice.

Just as he was pondering over this, a Night Rider came and reported:

"My lord, Fulilian has received the full support of the nobles of the Weeping Peninsula and Nimgefu. Her coronation ceremony is about to take place, and she has also recruited Grek soldiers."

"I see."

"Should we send troops to harass them?"

"It's unnecessary. If you send too few, it won't be effective. If you send too many, it will only attract a siege."

All forces were currently in an awkward position: they had sufficient defense but insufficient offense. This could easily lead to a stalemate, and the Southern Army, occupying the Stonewell Fortress, was indeed difficult to deal with.

In the past, they were too weak so we could just send a few Night Riders to suppress the Faded Ones. But now that we have an activity base, things are different.

"The most urgent task is to dispatch as many troops as possible to the elevators and block the main road leading to the Yatan Plateau."

Mungert has made a relatively safe deployment for now, and the rest is for observation.

"Actually, I still recommend proactively sending troops. You might not know that Stonewell City is currently constantly accepting minor zombies, demihumans, hybrids, flying dragons, and the like. It seems that there's a way to stabilize them. If this continues, we'll definitely create a superpowerful army. Even if I don't have the advantage in weaponry, it'll be very difficult... and there's another important point."

"The Soul Fire King, Fulilian, is gaining increasing prestige in the south. She is gaining recognition from all corners of the country, and even the Faded Ones are closely associated with her. She has replaced the Golden Dynasty there."

"Like the First King."

Such words were considered treasonous, but Mungert was not one to dwell on them and saw the danger. The Stonewell regime, once thought to be on the verge of collapse, remained standing, growing stronger and advancing triumphantly.

Now the Golden Dynasty can no longer intervene.

If this continues for a long time, the South will be completely untamed. Even if Fulilian is defeated, she will still have to face harassment from a group of rebels and traitors.

History has repeatedly proven that they are not short of rebelliousness. If you think about it carefully, their record is simply brilliant:

He became the last tough nut to crack during the Golden Conquest, forcing Ge Fulei to personally lead the Crucible Knights into action. This was truly a show of respect.

During the Shattering War, it was the local lord, Gefuya, who raised the banner of rebellion.

Thousands of years later, when the Golden Dynasty was weak and dying, it was once again the Nimgefu region that was stirred up by a storm, uniting under the command of an ambitious Faded One and ready to take action.

Very courageous.

When the world is at peace, you resist to the end. When the world is in chaos, you are the first to jump out and attack the royal city.

Mungert doesn't want to say things like "poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people" because it's too arbitrary, but shouldn't you reflect on the South's repeated provocations against the Golden Dynasty?

That's why many people are furious.

"I've thought it through. For now, we'll prioritize defense... but we can deploy more Night Riders to harass the enemy. Also, we'll try to secure the Magic Academy and contact the Cuckoo Knights there to secure a route north from Lake Lienia."

This was all he could do for now, and now it was Fulilian's turn to play chess.

……

Kalia Castle.

On the high ground at the edge of the lake, the trees are lush and green, with swaying shadows. The rustling sound made by the wind makes the ruins at the end appear dimly.

Blaze, who came back to report, rode at full speed all the way from the Nimgfu area to the corner of the big lake. The former residence of the Kalia royal family is now in ruins.

The dilapidated state of this place is also a disguise, as few people know that the Moon Princess is still sleeping here.

He looked around and saw that everything was the same as when he set out. In a borderland, unchanging things were paramount; that was normal. In contrast, the rapidly changing Nimgefu seemed out of place. It always felt like a place with unpredictable circumstances.

"Finally I'm back. It's more peaceful here."

Blazer couldn't say whether the changes in Stonewell City were good or bad. He just felt uncomfortable and inexplicably uneasy about the drastic changes.

However, he knew the character of the new Fragment King and knew he would not easily cause chaos.

“What a huge change…”

The Fragment Kings were beings that could shake the world, and before Fulilian possessed the Great Rune, she had already shaken the stagnant order. That kind of power was unimaginable to the naive and faded one she once was.

A giant craftsman was hammering away not far away. He caught sight of Blaze and immediately greeted him, "You're back. Does that mean the Hound Knight is dead?"

Blacksmith Iggy is one of the Moon Princess's confidants and can be considered a military advisor.

Seeing his colleague nodded, he could only sigh and think, forget it, everything was the price of fighting against the two fingers.

"Is anything happening while I'm away?"

"As usual, some people expect Lady Rani to become the head of the Calia royal family, while we continue to strengthen our defenses and be on guard against attacks at any time. It's all the same old clichés, day after day, year after year."

"There are some different changes here. You should have heard about it, right?"

"Yes, the hottest topic in the borderland right now is the new Fragment King. I heard His Highness mention fulfilling the promise of the Soul Summoning Bell a while ago, but I never expected that the newcomer would become such a sought-after figure in the blink of an eye. He will definitely be recognized by both fingers of the Round Table Hall."

Blaze murmured, "With Fulilian's eyesight and wisdom, she should be able to detect the abnormality of the two fingers. We have common interests."

"Not even close."

Iggy didn't think there was any basis for cooperation at the moment, and he was wary of the demigod he didn't know. Who knew what kind of person he was.

He signaled his companions to continue forward. According to the timing, it should be the time for Lani to awaken, so it was a good time to discuss the new situation. Seeing this, Blaze continued to stride forward, driving straight ahead.

While I was thinking, I had already arrived at the Lani Magician Tower, and was greeted by a masked magician.

Servis, who loved puppets and playing tricks, nodded and said hello: "I heard that you worked with the new monarch who has become famous. How is she?"

"A strong man with a heart that wants to save lives."

"I did hear some news about soul magic. It can actually cure zombies. It's incredible..."

He kept repeating it, not daring to believe it but trying to figure out the exact principle.

"I'll go up first."

Blaze knew very well that Servais was always sarcastic and never said nice things, so he was too lazy to communicate with him and simply went straight to the top floor of the magician's tower. There were a lot of thick books piled in the room.

There is a chair in the center, and a blue four-handed doll with white hair has woken up from its sleep.

"Welcome back, Blaze, your mission is accomplished."

"I'm glad to have fulfilled my mission, but I have something urgent to report... As you might have guessed, it's about Nimgefu."

"Go ahead."

He told her everything, including the first meeting with Frillian, the attack on the Hound Knight, the fall of Stonewell City, etc., without any detail, ensuring objectivity and details, full of rigorous logic, and some of it was confirmed by Blaze's investigation.

For example, there should be a spiritual witch who followed Frelian from the beginning, providing help including but not limited to attribute enhancement, guidance and advice. This person is very mysterious and has not appeared.

And soul magic is feasible, because he observed many people who were cured and they performed well.

Out of rigor, Blaze even submitted some observation data, some of which were mentioned in Fulilian's letter. Since he knew the Moon Princess was behind this, he could show his goodwill.

A demigod magician naturally has the potential to be a research partner, and knowledge should be shared more often and there is no harm in spreading it.

"In short, not only is Lady Fulilian herself immensely powerful, but her magic is also being taught far and wide. It's said she's already offering classes in the castle. She's truly dedicated to saving lives in the border regions. I predict the South will soon be united with an unprecedented degree of organization, even tighter than during the Golden Dynasty and the Storm King era, and the resources she can mobilize will be immeasurable."

It’s not the intention but the deeds that count. The results of the actions are what count.

I openly declared that this was an experiment, but everyone was still grateful to me.

Hearing this, Lani nodded, and after a moment's silence, she slowly spoke:

"Honestly, I didn't anticipate this day when I sent the Soul Summoning Bell. She acted so quickly. I saw at the time that Fulilian was incredibly powerful, but I didn't expect her to defeat both Market and Greg consecutively. Now the south is the domain of the Faded Ones."

"Your Highness, do you want to continue your friendship with her? Perhaps there is a chance for cooperation. I don't think she would be afraid of two fingers."

"If we can meet again."

Lani has seen the silent flow of fate. The completely static situation is loosening and shaking in the power.

Yeah.

Although Blazer felt that his boss was not very enthusiastic about making friends and that he did not have a deep relationship with him, he had a hunch that they would still be in contact, which could be considered a kind of fate.

"The stars are undergoing new changes. Perhaps a battle festival is about to begin. Blaze, go to Gaileed. You might run into Freellian."

"Could she defeat General Starbreaker?"

Even though he had received so much praise just now, it did not affect his belief that Latan was still the strongest. Regardless of whether he was infected with the Scarlet Corruption or not, the state of the strong men in the final decisive battle was no less than that. At least at that moment they would be in their prime.

If the newcomer, Faded Freelian, and General Starbreaker go head-to-head, they will most likely lose.

Victory or defeat is not up for discussion; what matters is life and death. Without her leadership, the South will immediately fall into chaos.

"I'm not sure, but you can leave now. The Faded Ones will collect the Great Runes anyway. Besides, geographically speaking, to ensure the safety of the Nimgefu region, it's best to connect it with Gelid."

Lani looked towards the southernmost tip, where the old scenery had been swept away and a new breeze was blowing.

Although she couldn't predict the specific situation, she was sure that the changes brought about by Fulilian were still fermenting. Perhaps the stars that had been sealed for a long time would have a new turn of events, which was exciting.

Blaze nodded. No matter what, the issue of General Shattering Star must be resolved, otherwise there would be no way to go to the Eternal City to find the Hunting Finger Knife.

This plan is interconnected and cannot be ignored.

……

The deepest part of the Volcano Residence.

Amidst the swirling lava, a massive snake, with a human face atop its torso, loomed eerie. Surrounded by corpses and skeletons, it feasted on them, devouring the land with relish.

The Fragment King Lakkad was sober for once today because his old friend Bernal, whom he had not seen for a long time, came to visit.

Even though he was severely damaged by the giant snake, he still had the ability to think and at least judge the new situation. When he heard that the evil omen demon was defeated, he couldn't help but laugh:

"Well, finally that filthy son of bad omen has experienced some power."

In the past, Markit led the royal city's troops to counterattack at the foot of the Volcano Residence, and almost broke through the layers of defense to break in. His own foundation was almost burned down, and even now it has not been fully recovered.

"But this means we should be more careful with her."

"Your reminder is correct, Bernard. We should find a way to win her over to become a rebel."

"It's difficult. In fact, I think a true hero, the Faded One, has emerged. She is closer to the Elden Circle than ever before, and she has close ties to the Round Table."

"It doesn't matter. We all know that if we continue down the path of the Two-Finger Plan, we'll pay the price sooner or later. It's a sobering price."

"you're right."

Having said this, the great snake Lakkad went back to sleep.

Little did he know that Bernal was wondering if his magical soul magic was enough to kill the snake's side. Even if it kept its current form, at least he could destroy the violent soul... But that would have to be discussed later, as it was still a long way from Nimgefu to the volcanic area.

The Volcano Residence should take more proactive actions, because the death knell of the Golden Dynasty has already sounded.

……

Se Lian set off in a hurry.

Since there is no result in staying in the basement magic workshop, and there is no trace of the master of the Origin School, it is better to find a stable place to stay.

"Disciple, I'm afraid I have to disturb you."

As she emerged from the sealed ruins, she saw the sun shining brightly, and the air, once filled with the smell of pollution, had lessened somewhat. She encountered fewer zombies along the way, and quite a few showed signs of having been healed.