Ranni had appeared behind Throne. Though she had harbored doubts a moment ago, now only resolve remained. As always, she steadfastly supported every decision this man made.
"Remember, return to Caria as soon as you are finished. Today counts as a declaration of war; I must make preparations."
In the past, Throne had to hide his tracks, trying his best to conceal Caria's involvement when facing Erdtree forces. This time, they were clearly tearing off the mask.
"It couldn't be helped. After Mt. Gelmir, we were already in a state of war with Leyndell; it's just that no one was ready yet."
Throne took a light breath and squeezed Ranni's hand, his expression turning fierce.
"To ignite the fuse of the second Shattering with this Dark Moon... what a supreme honor!"
A war that would sweep across the entire Lands Between was about to begin, and Ranni intended to pour all the power of this puppet into giving the wheels of history a violent kick.
"With you by my side, victory shall belong to Caria."
After those faint words, moonlight enveloped Throne.
A Dark Moon rose from the snow, massive and imposing with a diameter of dozens of meters. It was vast and profound, its hazy moonlight suppressing the Erdtree's glow, casting the snowy plains into a state that was neither day nor night. Yet behind this vastness and magnificence lay the most direct destruction. Throne embraced Ranni as her figure began to fade, injecting his own mana as well.
The hazy Dark Moon bloomed with a hint of purple light, suddenly leaping dozens of meters into the air before crashing down toward the army formation ahead. Composite Magic: Moonfall! Pale purple moonlight filled their entire field of vision. Countless men looked up, subconsciously raising their shields, only to feel how pale and powerless those shields were against the falling purple moon.
They wanted to scatter, but the narrow land bridge was packed with people.
"What the hell is that?!"
Miles held his great halberd, watching the moon rise and fall. He was calm, yet panicked, because his experience had led him to a fatal conclusion. Caria is going to war. Today, right here!
Regardless of what they thought, the purple moon landed right in the center of the land bridge, the most densely packed part of the crowd. Boom—
The heavy purple moon crushed a hundred men into meat pies on the spot, cratering the ground. Then, a violent release of mana froze the already cold air. Rumble!
A flower of ice bloomed in the center of the army, crystal clear and momentarily beautiful, but it was filled with frozen people. They remained as they were in life—some holding shields in defense, some fleeing in panic, others casting incantations—but their bodies were frozen along with time. Hundreds killed in an instant!
Even though this only eliminated about an eighth of the force, the ice flower cut the army formation into front and back sections. Those behind scrambled to retreat, while those in front had their minds go blank. Then, they saw the ice flower suddenly shatter. Crack—
Amidst the crisp sound, ice shards filled the sky. Having torn through human bodies, these shards were stained a seductive bright red, mixing with the kicked-up snow in an indescribable magnificence. Throne stood in the center of the flying ice, looking at the dense pack of soldiers and knights ahead, and opened his arms. Mana Threshold: Released. Gravity Arc: Expand!
With him as the center, purple electrical arcs spread outward, causing the ice shards that were slowly falling to float in the air. A single glance revealed thousands of them. Miles didn't know what magic this was, but he had seen it on the road to conquering the Mountaintops of the Giants—it was the scene of a demigod-level Astrologer going all out. Legendary Sorcery: Storm Icefall!!
One moment, all was silent; the next, heaven and earth were being destroyed. The air was shredded by whistling sounds as thousands of ice shards rained down like cannonballs, just like falling stars. Boom boom boom boom... The impact points were indistinguishable. There was only splashing dust, blood, armor fragments, and ice mist.
They enveloped the army, making it impossible to see the reality, while the shockwaves carried scalp-numbing screams. But Miles knew the losses must be catastrophic! It was one thing to be ambushed, but to take two legendary sorceries in a row while in a dense formation—the Leyndell Army deserved its name as an iron army for not collapsing on the spot.
"Hahaha, has this foolish apprentice increased his magic's lethality to this level?"
The woman's sharp laughter made Miles's eye twitch, and he whipped his head around. There was no shock or fear, only a sky-high killing intent.
"I'm going to slaughter you!"
The giant horse broke into a gallop. As Miles moved, the remaining two Tree Sentinels and the Leyndell Knights moved as well.
They weren't acting out of shame or anger, but because they knew such legendary sorceries must have a massive cost. If the enemy escaped now, the entire army would collapse. At that point, they would become rabbits on the ice plains, left to the mercy of their opponent. In an instant, the giant horse was before her, raising its front hooves to stomp down. Bang!
The stone slabs within several meters were all crushed, but Sellen had already vanished, replaced by Finlay charging in from the side. Miles didn't even look, only scanning his surroundings. After locking onto a few azure particles, he raised his left hand and gripped a Golden Spear. Sellen's Starlight movement was fast, but not fast enough for him. Golden Spear!
Sellen indeed appeared on a rooftop. Seeing the giant spear coming her way, she didn't panic and simply raised her left hand. Thops's Barrier. Doop—
With a strange sound, the Golden Spear was deflected into the sky, but Sellen had no chance to catch her breath. The giant horse actually jumped higher than a two-story building.
The knight's massive shadow eclipsed Sellen as he swung his halberd without a word. Gavel of Haima! Sellen still didn't panic, swinging the great gavel with a wave of her hand, only to see the spell get forcibly shattered by the giant halberd surging with flowing fire. Bang!! The shockwave caused the building to collapse. Half-meter thick stone walls were sliced open.
Sellen rolled across the ground, not even bothering to fix her tilted glintstone crown, and raised her hand to release a Crystal Burst. This spell was like a shotgun, making it hard to dodge, but Miles didn't dodge. Amidst a flurry of 'clinking' sounds, he used his heavy armor to tank the hits and charged out of the dust. The giant horse leaped, and the halberd thrust forward. Die!
Clang—
A figure charged out diagonally, intercepting the Glaive above his head. His knees sank into the ground, cracking the earth.
"Miss Sellen, go!" Ivan roared, feeling his entire skeleton groaning. He had to muster every ounce of strength to resist.
He suddenly let go, letting the giant halberd slice through his shoulder armor and into his chest, while he pulled out his rapier and stabbed it into the eye socket of the giant horse's faceplate. Neigh—! The giant horse reared in pain, and Miles skillfully twisted the giant halberd, piercing Ivan's chestplate and tossing him into the air.
A Golden Spear gathered from his fury was thrown point-blank. Thud. The knight was gone, his chest pierced by the spear as he flew dozens of meters and was pinned directly to a wall. The battle-hardened knight looked forward, past the terrifying Draconic Tree Sentinel, toward the sky full of ice mist outside the town. A thousand words gathered in his heart, finally turning into a single sigh.
In the end... we won't see each other again. There were no heroic words. In the heat of the battle, Finlay and Sellen didn't even hear his last words. But Sellen did not retreat; instead, she moved forward. Glintstone Cometshard!
At this moment, she transformed from an elegant sorceress into a violent assassin, thrusting a three-meter-long light spear forward, stabbing it deep into the unarmored belly of the giant horse. Blood sprayed out as the giant horse shrieked and fell backward. Miles let go of the reins, not even pausing to check on his partner, and rolled onto the ground to pick up his dropped greatshield. Clang!
The light spear swept across, exploding against the surface of the greatshield. Sellen's strength was too small; Miles didn't even wobble. He lowered the greatshield and thrust the giant halberd through the gap.
"It's time for you to die!"
The two-meter distance was covered in an instant. This time, no one stood in front of Sellen.
The witch opened her arms as if to embrace the giant halberd, a smile appearing on her face. Whoosh—
The long street was torn by a sonic boom. Miles swung his shield behind him while his halberd continued forward, but then, an unprecedented impact sent his massive frame flying. Bang! A large hole was smashed into a wall, and the entire house collapsed.
Throne retracted his golden wings and landed steadily in front of Sellen, flicking his greatsword—
"It's time for YOU to die!!"
The long street was cut in two by a straight vertical line, ending right in front of Sellen. The witch's azure eyes widened as she looked at the back in front of her. It was somewhat familiar, yet somewhat strange, seemingly much taller than in her memories. Heavy armor, a crimson cloak, and that sharp greatsword.
"Throne?" she asked tentatively.
"Teacher, have you forgotten me after just ten years?"
Throne stared at the breach, turning his head slightly. His tone was relaxed, even mixed with a bit of teasing, no different from ten years ago. It was only that his power was now worlds apart. In Sellen's impression, this foolish apprentice had been somewhat clumsy and needed her protection.
When they met again, the fledgling had grown into an eagle, just like that tall back that protected her so thoroughly. There were no tears, and it even lacked some of the emotion of a reunion. To Sellen, it felt as though too many words would be hollow. Throne watched as a giant halberd poked through the wall and asked of his own accord, "Teacher, do you have any instructions?"
"Ah? Let me think."
Sellen rubbed her messy black hair, revealing a gentle smile for the first time.
"Kill him to vent my anger, and then cook me a good meal." Throne smiled, opened his hand, and crouched low.
"Understood!"
Bang—
The knight vanished instantly, a gust of wind blowing through Sellen's black hair, making her skin prickle. She wore a curious expression. This foolish apprentice has become so strong.
No, I must find time to strip him and study him! Throne didn't know his eccentric teacher was having weird thoughts again. He saw the churning halberd tear the wall apart as the massive giant stepped out. He stabbed his greatsword into the ground, changing his high-speed charge into a pole vault to leap high into the air.
The thrusting halberd passed beneath his feet, and Throne flipped several times in the air, tensing his right hand. Moonfall. Clang!! The greatsword slammed into the shield, making Miles's knees buckle. He then extended his arm, swatting Throne away with a shield bash. The shockwave was like a tsunami, swallowing the ruined walls. Throne fell through the air.
Before touching the ground, he drew the Sword of Night and Flame mid-air, executing a 'draw-slash' with the straight sword. However, it wasn't just a blade he drew, but a soaring pillar of fire. A serpent of fire surged out, the wave of flame scorching and igniting the entire building. Throne's toes finally touched the ground.
The golden throwing spear tore through the flames. Boom—the Dark Moon sword beam shattered it mid-air. Shockwaves punched Throne back several steps. From the inferno emerged a massive figure, wreathed in fire yet unyielding, his giant halberd gripped with lethal precision. A machine built for destruction.
"You're no ordinary Tree Sentinel."
Throne's voice cut through the chaos. Finlay marked the line between heroes and demigods; a standard Tree Sentinel fell short. But this man? He eclipsed Finlay entirely. Against Godrick's unit, he'd end the fight in less than twenty blows.
"You… are strong."
Miles strode forward, iron boots grinding rubble to dust. Shield and halberd gleamed in the firelight. In his long existence, only a handful had earned such acknowledgment.
"This battle isn't between you and me."
His tone dripped with arrogance. The clash of steel and roar of flames still raged around them.
Throne's gaze swept the battlefield. Finlay grappled with a Tree Sentinel, her opponent battered but unbroken. Another Tree Sentinel burst through a wall, mounted and flanked by knights, charging toward Sellen as ordered. The Leyndell Army reeled but held, their ranks bolstered by incantations of 'Calm.' Chaos, yet no collapse.
"So, the outcome rests with us?"
Throne's foot rose, then slammed down with deliberate force.
"Carrying expectations, deciding victory… I know this feeling well."
If a hero doesn't turn the tide, they might as well be a salted fish. Pressure didn't weigh Throne down—it ignited him. He surged forward, the ground cratering beneath his step. At the last moment, he vanished. Starlight flickered. A teleport, clean and precise, evading the halberd's deadly arc. Throne reappeared—behind Miles.