Around the Site of Grace before Castle Morne, about a hundred Misbegotten wandered. The air was thick with the smell of blood, mixed with the stench of corpses.
Even though many soldiers and civilians were already dead, the creatures, for their cruel amusement, swung their cleavers, hacking the bodies to pieces amidst hoarse laughter.
Someone's coming!
The new prey was unusual. Looking over, they saw roughly three hundred fully armed elite soldiers, led by a silver-haired girl. Her face was cold, her eyes glinting coldly. She then shook the small bell in her hand.
A total of 13 Spirit Ash combat units materialized on the spot.
They were sufficient to form the first line of defense, especially capable of holding the line with their resilience.
"Lady Frieren, please let us fight alongside them. Leave this to the warriors of eastern Limgrave!"
The captain looked towards her. She nodded. Indeed, along the way, the Black Knife Assassin and the Farron Undead Legion had handled all the tough strongpoints. It was time for these main force soldiers to contribute.
"We offer you victory—"
With the charge signal, three hundred warriors surged forward as one, their morale high as a rainbow, battle cries shaking the heavens. Having witnessed their compatriots being slaughtered, their anger was uncontrollable. Today, not a single Misbegotten would live.
Fully armed, they swept forward like a wall, radiating intimidation.
The monsters were about to resist but found the Spirit Ashes moved faster. Empowered by Frieren, they charged into the Misbegotten ranks, harassing and disrupting their rhythm.
Bang! Bang!
The lower-tier Spirit Ashes could only follow simple charge commands, but it was enough. Against targets that didn't maintain formation and just clumped together, a single charge broke them apart, scattering them.
Maintaining organized formations was humanity's home ground.
The Misbegotten, their ranks in disarray, suddenly saw tall, sturdy armored figures charging right up to them, hands rising and blades falling swiftly.
In the first wave of the charge, several Misbegotten were decapitated, killed instantly. It showed the high quality of their weapons, skill, and strength; achieving decapitations on the battlefield always required high technical skill.
They continued advancing, severing wings, slitting throats, chopping off limbs!
Blood paved a path of vengeance. Every flash of their blades was for the fallen, to console their souls.
The Misbegotten were being routed.
From the start, the monsters had merely gathered to torture and kill, relying on sneak attacks to defeat Castle Morne's defenders. Against elite regular troops, they were insignificant.
Barely over a hundred Misbegotten found themselves surrounded during the charge.
The noble soldiers formed a circle, raising their shields high, firmly blocking the enemy's frantic and chaotic clawing attacks. Then, they switched to polearms, repeatedly thrusting through the gaps between shields at the enemy.
Penetration wasn't necessary; getting the weapon stuck on bone was easy. Just letting the spearheads tear open wounds was enough.
Bleed tactics.
The elite human warriors adopted a steady approach. Coupled with support from the enhanced Spirit Ashes, they completely suppressed the enemy.
"...I don't understand much about military matters, Auluo. In your opinion, how is their training level?"
"Lady Frieren, in terms of training and organization, these noble soldiers are indeed quite good. Their equipment is slightly inferior, but that can be solved with different supplies. The lack in basic attributes is harder to fix; it means they excel at defense but are lacking in offense."
"How effective would they be in siege warfare?"
"Attacking Castle Morne might be barely possible. Stormveil, however, would be impossible. A world-class fortress like that is sturdy enough to hold out against even demigods, assuming the defenders are strong enough, of course."
Tall, magnificent fortresses offered significant advantages to defenders. For example, the Lord of Grace used Leyndell, the Royal Capital, to block the allied Demigod armies.
Even back then, numerous demigods failed to conquer the heart of the Golden Dynasty.
The Black Knife Assassin added, "Stormveil Castle will certainly be tough, but likely not as exaggerated as the Royal Capital, given its history of being conquered by the First King and the Valkyrie. Of course, we don't have Crucible Knights or Cleanrot Knights under our command."
"No matter."
Frieren glanced at the Farron Undead Legion; they nodded silently.
Regardless of the fortress, the Lords of Cinder would fulfill their promise, charging forward and pouring their efforts into their new mission.
If the Lands Between continued to despair, it would sooner or later become a breeding ground for the Abyss. Therefore, the Undead Legion chose to support the rise of an Elden Lord, to bring an era of prosperity to this land.
"With these esteemed warriors present, high-end strength isn't a major issue. Besides that, we need a large number of basic troops, especially laborers like Trolls for heavy lifting."
"Could it be that Auluo has witnessed a siege before?"
"Yes. After escaping Leyndell, I was severely injured and had to recuperate nearby. Soon after, the Shattering occurred. I was fortunate enough to witness the grand campaigns of the demigods."
That magnificent sight was unforgettable for a lifetime – a super gamble involving all the essence of the bygone era of the Lands Between.
Heaven and earth paled in comparison.
"Basic troops can only be gathered bit by bit, I suppose."
"Actually, in the former territories ruled by the Storm Lord, Dragon Communion rituals are quite common. People use the flesh and blood of flying dragons to gain power, especially empowering ordinary soldiers. You could gather resources related to this in the future."
Listening to this conversation, Irina was secretly alarmed. So you're openly discussing overthrowing Godrick's rule?
Not only that, but the nobles of eastern Limgrave had already placed heavy bets.
Pretending not to hear might not end well. Therefore, she spoke cautiously:
"The Weeping Peninsula, being farthest from the war's outbreak point, was less affected. It has great potential for manpower. There are some flying dragons that coexist relatively well with humans, and even Dragon Communion practitioners... If Your Ladyship could win them over, they would surely be a great help."
Irina's statement was also a plea, fearing this powerful Tarnished might utterly eradicate everything in her path, especially given her monopoly on high-end combat power.
In other words, adding the basic troops from half of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula could genuinely challenge the weakest demigod.
Frieren noted the suggestion. Indeed, the ways to become stronger in the Lands Between were diverse.
However, Dragon Communion rituals surely came at a cost. Following the usual Souls-like style, something was likely sacrificed.
She continued observing the battle. The situation grew clearer; the noble soldiers were relentlessly pursuing their targets. Facing such an onslaught, the Misbegotten were completely routed, casualties mounting.
The tipping point.
The next moment, the monsters began begging for mercy, either kneeling helplessly with hands raised high. But the humans had no intention of sparing these butchers. They thoroughly annihilated the demoralized enemy, leaving no survivors.
Moments later, the captain sheathed his blade and bowed to Frieren:
"Milady, mission accomplished, fortunately."
"Well done. Regarding the spoils, they will be collected centrally, and I only require priority selection. The rest is all yours."
The silver-haired girl immediately distributed some Runes. More could always be gathered; motivation was key now.
Establishing rules was necessary. Since she had more supplies than she could use and didn't care much, rewarding her subordinates was most appropriate. As expected, hearing this promise, the soldiers' eyes lit up, faces showing gratitude.
In most cases, nobles would take all the spoils; you wouldn't expect a share.
This new lord proposed a historic distribution of rewards, a completely different style. They had followed the right person; glory and riches likely awaited them in the future.
____
Support Wancheng Funeral Parlor with Reviews and Power Stones.
🎁 Reward: 1 extra chapter for every 5 reviews / 100 Power Stones. ✨
✨ Early access: 40 chapters on Patreon! Support here: patreon.com/Walnutchan