"So, you're refusing to show yourself and chase away Azure Maiden because you're afraid of being affected by 【Great Thunder】 and want to avoid its edge?"
Faust asked, shifting the subject. If Mephistopheles could not act, he would have to fight this tough battle himself.
However, Mephistopheles flatly denied his contractor's guess:
【Is that a joke? Me, avoiding her edge? I'm just worried I'll scare her off. If she runs, I can't get the divine authority she holds. "Great Thunder" would be useful for you.】
Faust's interest was instantly piqued.
"Hmm? This divine authority involves me? Can I ascend to godhood?"
【No. Generally speaking, a son of man cannot exercise divine authority. But don't look down on me; I haven't been wasting my time all these years.】
【As long as you can achieve merit in your struggle against Azure Maiden, I can peel away a portion of the authority of "Great Thunder" in the name of a blessing.】
【Then, using my shell as a medium, I can transfer that power to you and condense it into your mystery trait.】
Mephistopheles made it sound easy, but a moment's thought revealed the countless intricacies involved—risks where a single mistake could lead to total annihilation.
This primordial fairy didn't seem to value his own life at all. Coincidentally, Faust felt the same way.
Besides, the mighty power of a deity... it was impossible for the prince of Qingxi not to be tempted.
Faust had only one concern: "Are there any side effects?"
【There will be side effects. You will also be affected by the divine authority of "Great Thunder," and your behavior will lean toward its nature to some extent.】
The prince of Qingxi grew serious. "What kind of influence? How severe?"
【You will become lustful, obsessed with fame and merit, wild and unrestrained, and insatiably greedy.】
Faust examined himself and frowned.
"...Isn't that exactly the same as I am now?"
【Exactly. Although my compatriot would rather die than become such a deity, for you, it's no burden at all. That's why I recommend "Great Thunder." It's practically a divine authority custom-made for you.】
Mephistopheles agreed:
【Otherwise, I would never place shackles upon you. To a son of man, nothing is more precious than freedom.】
If that was the case, there was much that could be done.
Hearing that the side effects were essentially non-existent, the prince breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly began discussing the matter with his contracted fairy.
While Faust and Mephistopheles conversed in his mind, the first clash between the frost-walkers and the grail knight order had already begun.
Dathrohan had sent a squadron of cavalry forward, and a unit of frost-walkers in front of the gate of 【Mountain Father】 stepped out to meet them.
Since neither side possessed long-range firepower, a direct clash of blades was the only option.
The first wave of the crossbreed warhorses' charge slammed violently into the constructs, sending a group of frost-walkers flying before they crashed heavily to the ground.
If they were humans, such an impact would have shattered their bones, but for constructs, it was merely a matter of dusting themselves off and getting back up.
After the initial charge, the formations of the frost-walkers and the golden eagle knights became intermingled as they began a brutal melee.
Knights' warhammers flattened steel frames, and the constructs' blades pierced flesh and blood. Amidst the splattering blood and the glow of various spells, the outline of the skirmish took shape.
Faust watched the battlefield closely, commenting:
"It looks like the front line can stabilize. Even the grail knight order can't shake these ancient alchemical creations in a short time."
He had personally experienced the strength of the 【frost-walker】. Even though they were purely engineering constructs with average combat intelligence, their raw stats were quite exaggerated.
A fully equipped 【frost-walker】 in good condition was equivalent to an 【Elite】-tier 【warrior】. Faust was confident in crushing fewer than ten frost-walkers at once, but any more than that and he would have to consider a flanking maneuver.
With hundreds or thousands of such fearless, disciplined elites, not just the grail knight order, but even the main legions of the Radiant Dynasty would suffer heavy losses against them.
Selena crossed her arms and frowned, sneering:
"This is just the vanguard. The kingdom's army hasn't joined in yet. It looks like the kingdom has mobilized everything. Hah, they're truly sparing no expense. They really want me dead that badly."
Though she had previously entertained thoughts of sacrifice, after meeting Faust, Snow White had completely discarded such pessimistic notions.
She absolutely couldn't die before she got to sleep with Faust! Not even if her mother came!
She wasn't joking; this was a very serious matter.
"The key isn't these conventional clashes, but the grail knight... He is the only one who matters."
Faust searched the battlefield for the grail knight under Azure Maiden's command. The man didn't seem to be participating in the heated battle.
The prince of Qingxi didn't have to wait long. Soon, a dazzling figure soared straight over the skirmish and landed like a cannonball before the brass gates of the fortress.
"Boom—"
The ground cracked like a spiderweb. The tall knight in precious armor stepped forward, drew his silver sword, and pointed it at the frost-walker army.
His resolute and clear voice was incredibly piercing:
"Come out, ancient blasphemous creations! Let your leader come and fight me!"
Faust watched the grail knight—the first he had ever seen in his life—and nodded unconsciously:
"Instead of going to the front lines to slaughter common soldiers, he's challenging the Titan directly?"
This was very much in line with the combat style of a grail knight. In fact, even for those who weren't grail knights, most battles in this world could be described as honorable.
King against king, general against general. A top-tier powerhouse bullying common soldiers would be ridiculed.
And the wars between kingdoms... the martial spirit was abundant, and it actually adhered to the ancient codes of decorum!
"Do you plan to accept the challenge?"
Selena looked toward the titan's core and asked, "Against a grail knight, a win isn't guaranteed. It might be better to attack together."
A titan frost-walker replied: "We were not born for slaughter or battle, but since the enemy comes with the intent to destroy us, we must resist."
"As for swarming him—we would never stoop to such a despicable act!"
Even as alchemical creations, they possessed the pride of the Golden Age!
A floating central sphere flew toward the sky. The patterns on the surface of 【Mountain Father】 began to glow. Beams of rainbow light shot toward the core, rapidly weaving together a Titan's body.
Having stayed at the frost-walker base for so long, Faust understood the principle behind the Titans' ability to change size freely.
As long as they were within the range of the 【Mountain Father】 signal tower, the tower-builders could transmit matter and data.
Within a few breaths, the components of a Titan had finished transmitting around the central sphere.
Subsequently—
"Thump—"
A dull roar vibrated through the air as the Titan landed.
The Titan stood tall upon the earth!
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