BAMN: Chapter 178/179

Chapter 178: I'd Insta-Kill You

"Just like Clayman, she has entered a semi-awakened state."

Rin still sat in the courtyard, while Ice Empress and Ogerpon, abandoning their playful actions, nervously watched Frey's transformation.

"Yes."

Violet: "Due to intense emotional fluctuations, the power of Transcendent used Frey's six hundred years of accumulation as fuel, beginning to impact the realm of an Awakened Demon Lord."

"Will she succeed?"

"It will definitely fail."

Violet gave a definitive answer. "Although Frey is not as brutal as Clayman, who accumulated a large number of vengeful spirits through mass slaughter."

"But the number of souls she has absorbed is too far from a complete awakening."

Therefore, Frey's transformation.

It was more like her body instinctively squeezing out its potential after sensing danger, then making a desperate final stand.

[Frey Magicules: 890,000 EP (Semi-Awakened)]

Indeed, when Frey reappeared before everyone, pure white flames burned around her body.

The seemingly terrifying pressure was actually not a good sign.

Being unable to even control her own power was clearly proof of a failed awakening.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Frey gasped for breath, uncaring of her failed attempt to ascend to True Demon Lord.

It was only her first try, after all.

Though it had consumed years of her accumulated soul, a waste of six hundred years.

But if her soul was gone, she could always gather more.

If she had fallen here, that would have been an eternal damnation.

"So close!"

"Just a little more, and I would have died by your hand."

Frey stared at Snow Empress and the returning Artoria.

She truly hadn't expected to be beaten to such a state, so utterly disheveled.

Recalling Snow Empress's palm strike just now, Frey still felt boundless fear.

If not for being a Transcendent, she would have been instantly killed by this woman.

A dignified member of the Ten Great Demon Lord, to be instantly killed by an unknown Demon Lord Seed with a single blow.

If word of this got out, how could she possibly retain her face and her title as a Demon Lord?

Of course, if Frey had known that Snow Empress had no killing intent, only wishing to seal her.

And that defeating her would only require four palm strikes at most.

That would have been the greatest blow to Frey.

"Can you still fight?"

Artoria stood in front of Snow Empress, whose magicules were severely depleted, having even used a powerful move like God's Ring.

"A bit of a miscalculation."

Snow Empress hadn't anticipated Frey entering a semi-awakened state.

Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have used all the powerful moves within God's Ring at once.

Of course, one God's Ring remained as a magicules reserve.

With double magicules as a base, Snow Empress still had the strength to fight.

Moreover, the Bounded Field of Great Nature was not to be underestimated.

Staying here, Snow Empress could rapidly recover magicules.

"Whew~"

Hearing Snow Empress's words, the first to breathe a sigh of relief was Frey.

There was no helping it, Snow Empress's attack was too terrifying.

Even having semi-awakened, Frey recalled Snow Empress's Eternal Return, and she still had no confidence in facing that move head-on.

"You can't be the main attacker, but you're still fine for support."

If her magicules were full, and all ten rings were present.

Snow Empress truly couldn't seal Frey.

But merely killing her would only increase from four palm strikes to eight.

The instant kill would still be an instant kill.

"This time, I was a burden to you."

"Don't say that!"

"No one could have predicted such a thing would happen!" Artoria retorted.

"In any case, leave the rest to me."

Once again, Artoria advanced with her sword. "Let me be your opponent, Frey!"

And as she made her move, several phantom-like maidens appeared around her.

With one sword strike, the swords of several figures also slashed out.

"This move again!"

Frey wasn't fighting one person, but several Sabers, and even those heroic spirits with faces similar to Artoria.

Facing such an offensive, even with Frey's overwhelming magicules, she still couldn't reverse the decline.

Those holy spirits, each with strength comparable to the original, and one enhanced Noble Phantasm after another being unleashed.

They truly battered Frey.

She gained no significant advantage despite entering the realm of a half-step True Demon Lord.

"Damn it!"

Frey's martial arts were inferior to Artoria's.

Even in combat experience, the latter was superior.

After just a few clashes, Frey gave up on close combat with her, choosing to create distance and bombard from afar.

However, Snow Empress wouldn't give her such an opportunity.

Various seals from Great Nature made Frey feel as if she was stuck in a quagmire, unable to extricate herself.

"Hahahaha~"

A blonde maiden in a blood-red dress leaped high from behind Artoria, her face filled with an incredibly wild smile.

"Is it finally my turn? Umu"

"Behold my glory. Hear the thunderous applause.

Sit down and praise. My Golden Theater!
Kingdom of Heaven and Hell.

My heaven, reconstructed! This is where the limelight shines!

Aestus Domus Aurea!"

Bounded Field layered over Bounded Field.

Although the power of the Golden Theater was far less powerful than Great Nature, which was a Unique Skill.

The suppression of double rules still disrupted Frey's rhythm, causing her to be cornered by several Sabers, struggling to cope.

"Get lost!!!"

Frey roared, exploding with magicules, forcefully tearing apart the Golden Theater.

However, before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, more earth, water, wind, and fire, under Snow Empress's control, submerged her.

Frey had gotten stronger, but not that strong.

Her magicules had increased, but it hadn't reached the breakthrough of a million-star particle level.

Therefore, Frey's magicules were still on par with Artoria's.

Furthermore, she hadn't awakened an ultimate skill.

Currently, Frey was at most about 2.5 times stronger than she was before her semi-awakening.

Confirming this, Artoria's offensive grew even fiercer.

"Annoying things!"

After another struggle, Frey cut down the wildly growing trees that entangled her like tentacles.

She evaded Artoria's attack, using her speed advantage to create distance.

"I admit, you are very strong!"

"But our business isn't finished!"

The Sky Queen looked down from above at the entire Bounded Field, she raised her hands, and a large amount of magicules sketched out one mysterious magic circle after another in the sky.

"She's going to destroy my Bounded Field!"

"No, Frey is trying to escape!!"

Snow Empress immediately saw through Frey's plan.

She couldn't defeat Artoria, so she decided on a strategic retreat.

Despite being a monarch, she was playing a one-on-one knight's game with Rin here.

Frey, realizing the rashness and unwiseness of her decision, decided to retreat first, then use her military advantage to attack Rin's forces.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 179: Avalon

"Don't even think about it!!!"

Without Snow Empress needing to say more, Artoria had already shot into the sky, preparing to interrupt her casting.

And she absolutely could not let Frey have a chance to escape from here.

At the same time, the air temperature around Frey began to plummet, clearly Snow Empress's Time Stop: Absolute Zero.

In the frozen world, only Artoria was skipped, allowing her to move freely within it.

They had only known each other for two days, yet their tacit agreement was as if they had fought side by side for countless years.

"What?"

However, this time, Artoria had miscalculated.

Invisible spatial barriers appeared around Frey, blocking Artoria.

"Time Stop?"

Frey recovered quickly; she stared intently at Snow Empress. "After unleashing such an attack, you still retained such power?"

The Sky Queen had to admit, she had lost to Snow Empress, and lost thoroughly.

By now, Frey also understood.

Snow Empress had no killing intent towards her.

If Snow Empress hadn't held back in that last move, she wouldn't have had a chance to awaken at all.

"But do you think the same trick will work on me again?"

Thinking this, Frey forcefully broke through the time lock and once again accelerated the construction of her ultimate mystery.

"A bit troublesome..."

Seeing that Frey was truly going all out this time, Artoria also began to get anxious.

With her ability, she could indeed break through the defensive magic around Frey.

But, by that time, Frey would have already unleashed her mystery.

"It's too late..."

Snow Empress looked at Frey's current magicules output.

Even at the risk of her body overloading, Frey was determined to destroy Great Nature.

"Collapse and Ruin"

A spatial mystery as dazzling as a kaleidoscope gradually formed above the Sky Queen's head.

Along with it, the sky turned black, like the end of the world.

Storms and lightning, accompanied by spatial collapse, descended upon this world.

"Bang!!"

The sky crumbled with a roar, and large fragments of space scattered like raindrops.

"The sky, it shattered..."

This scene caused Hakurou, Kaede, Momiji, Ice Empress, and Ogerpon to simultaneously look up, gazing at that figure like a world-ending demon god.

"Is this the power of a Demon Lord?"

"It's too much!"

The Tengu had lost their will to fight.

What should they do?

Watching the spatial turbulence swell and threaten to engulf the entire Bounded Field, including all living beings within it, all the Tengu panicked.

"All of you, be lost in this chaotic space!"

This was Frey's most powerful technique.

Even she could only summon spatial turbulence, not control it beyond that.

"Artoria."

Rin was calm, not at all surprised by the sight of the collapsing world. "It's up to you."

"Understood, my Master!"

With that, the young woman knelt on one knee, raising both hands as if holding something invisible.

Pale blue light points gathered before Artoria, forming an exquisite scabbard.

The scabbard's exterior was golden metal inlaid with striking blue enamel as decoration, and ancient fairy runes were inscribed in the center.

"What?"

Frey didn't know why Artoria would summon a scabbard at this moment.

But a growing unease warned her that the scabbard in the other's hand contained an unimaginable power.

[Avalon]

This scabbard was a Noble Phantasm born from Artoria's Unique Skill, "Solitary Existence".

Solitary Existence allowed Artoria to gain immortality and absolute defense, making her impervious to any power except Ultimate Skills.

In her battle with Frey, Artoria had not once displayed this Unique Skill.

Because there was no need.

Artoria's own martial prowess alone was enough to stand undefeated.

But now, as Frey prepared to destroy Great Nature and all the living beings within it, Artoria summoned it.

"In the name of King Arthur, this place is avalon!"

As Artoria's words fell, the physical blue-gold scabbard instantly transformed into magical energy...

Then it expanded continuously until it encompassed the entire Great Nature.

Thus, the Bounded Field of Great Nature, and everyone within it, were all protected by the avalon scabbard.

"What's going on?"

"Why?"

"This, this kind of thing...."

"Impossible! This kind of thing is impossible!!"

Frey looked at the collapsing space above her head. She found that she had lost control over the spatial rifts and turbulence within it.

No, it wasn't a loss of control.

Rather, a more powerful rule-based force had overridden her secret art, forcibly fixing it in its original state.

"What exactly did you do?!!!"

Frey had never lost her composure like this moment.

She could feel her secret art colliding with some force.

But no matter how much magicules she applied, the barrier in front of her secret art remained unmoving.

Are you kidding me!!

This was her strongest attack, unleashed with all her might!

If even "Collapse and Ruin" couldn't break through the defense, what else could Frey do?

"Did what?"

Artoria secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone was fine. "Actually, it's nothing much, just sealing your power with the scabbard."

"Scabbard?"

"A mere scabbard, how could it possess such power!" Frey was losing it.

"Of course, it's not just a scabbard."

"It is the manifestation of my Unique Skill." Artoria replied calmly.

"However, if the scabbard is manifested, although it can protect more people, I will also lose this power."

Yes, avalon is a large barrier-like absolute blessing.

But just as King Arthur lost her scabbard.

By taking out and releasing the scabbard, Artoria would lose the protection of the "Solitary Existence" Unique Skill.

In other words, she could now be killed.

No Ultimate Skill was needed. As long as her inherent resistance and defense could be broken, she could truly be harmed.

"You mean..."

Frey was not foolish. She heard something terrifying in Artoria's words. "You were fighting me with such a Unique Skill active just now?!"

(To be continued.)