Chapter 120: The True Form of Qroshu, the Rebellious Serpent Head

“Thank you for your understanding and assistance.”

Nolan bowed slightly. Then, with a sharp motion, he pulled Mountain’s Resonance from the ground. The heavy blade cut through the air with a low, resonant hum. Holding the sword upright before him, he closed his eyes and performed a silent knight’s salute. Under the radiance of the altar, the broad blade of the earth-element holy sword cast a shadow across half of Nolan’s face.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, his gaze clear and unwavering.

Reversing the sword, he extended the hilt toward Ailindel.

“What are you…?” Ailindel asked in confusion.

The others were equally stunned.

“Even though I’m fully confident, it never hurts to be careful. This is in case the worst happens. If everything goes smoothly, it’ll be over in five minutes. But if I truly fail, then before Qroshu has a chance to seize my body and escape, use this sword to kill me.”

The moment those words fell, the air froze.

“No!”

Vivi could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward and blocked him.

“Why do you always insist on carrying everything alone?!” Her voice trembled, tinged with the edge of tears. “Aren’t we companions you can trust?!”

Little Donnie and Renee hurried over as well. Even Romina, usually so composed, pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes filled with disapproval.

All of them stared at Nolan, waiting for an answer.

Feeling the trembling in Vivi’s arm, Nolan’s heart softened. He turned his hand and gently clasped her cold fingers. “It’s precisely because I trust you that I dare take risks.”

His voice was quiet, yet it carried a strange steadiness that calmed the heart.

“And it’s also because I trust you that I can leave my beliefs, my ideals, everything I have, in your hands. Because I believe that even without me, all of you will still keep walking toward the dawn.”

His words warmed everyone’s hearts, easing the tension in the room.

“I’d still rather have the boss leading us from the front,” Little Donnie said honestly.

Renee nodded vigorously beside him. “I still have so many things I want to ask Lord Nolan!”

“The Wood Elves are still waiting for your help,” Romina said in a businesslike tone. Then she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her face aside. “Besides… I acknowledge your value as a friend.”

Among Wood Elves, friendship was something that required time to prove itself. Hidden beneath the captain’s formal phrasing was another meaning entirely:

I want to continue building this bond with you.

Looking at the worried faces before him, Nolan smiled. “Don’t make it sound so grim. It’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever. This is just the last resort. A precaution, that’s all. You know me. Whether I end up needing it or not, I always like having a backup plan.”

Vivi still said nothing. Her small hand remained wrapped in his broad, warm palm, and the reassuring strength in his grip traveled straight into her heart. Her cheeks burned. Her pulse raced like she had just sprinted ten thousand meters, and even the base of her tail trembled faintly.

Trying to hide the heat rising in her face, she quietly pulled her hand free and spun around, turning her back toward Nolan. Pretending she was still angry, she muttered in a muffled voice, “D-don’t forget! You still owe me a promise!”

“Don’t worry,” Nolan replied with a smile. “When have I ever lied to anyone?”

Once more, he offered the sword to Ailindel. “Lady Ailindel, please take the sword. There are less than twenty minutes left before the outer seal fully closes. We need to hurry.”

Ailindel looked deeply at Nolan, then at the companions behind him who were still worried, yet no longer trying to stop him.

At last, she reached out and accepted Mountain’s Resonance.

The flowing earth-yellow runes dimmed the instant the sword left Nolan’s hand, returning it to the appearance of a plain, heavy greatsword.

Ailindel planted the blade beside her. The heavy tip struck the ground with a crisp metallic ring. “You have wonderful companions, Nolan. If you’re ready, then let us begin.”

She turned and walked toward the altar. Before stepping onto the stairs, she glanced back one final time.

“I hope this sword will never be needed. Good luck.”

Without another moment of hesitation, she ascended to the center of the altar.

She folded both hands before her chest in prayer and closed her eyes. Ripples of silver-white light spread outward from her like stones dropped into a tranquil lake.

This was the soul essence unique to war spirits.

Bzzz—

The entire altar let out a deep tremor. Then, before everyone’s astonished eyes, the white stone slab at the front of the altar slowly split apart from the middle, revealing a pitch-black opening. The central basin divided in two, and the clear Fountain of Potential poured downward without restraint.

“Holy crap! Isn’t that way too wasteful?!” Little Donnie stared so hard his eyes nearly popped out, his heart aching with distress.

This was holy water capable of causing explosive leaps in strength, and it was just… being dumped away?

As the altar fully opened, they discovered an even more shocking truth.

The legendary armor Immovable Bulwark, which they had assumed was simply placed within the basin, was not resting there at all. It was floating in midair. Streams of source-less holy water continuously flowed out from inside the dark armor itself, cascading downward into the seemingly bottomless abyss beneath.

A strange and unsettling pressure rose from the pit below.

Even after ten thousand years of imprisonment, the mere existence of Demon Overlord Qroshu was enough to make it difficult for everyone to breathe.

The group approached the edge of the opening. Far below, they could vaguely make out a humanoid figure.

That… was Qroshu himself. He looked nothing like the grotesque demons painted on the murals of the Mother Goddess Temple, with bulging muscles and crimson or violet skin. In fact, he could almost be called beautiful. His bare upper body was pale, etched with thin crimson demonic patterns that stretched from his neck down across his abdomen, lending him an eerie allure. Long golden hair hung from his lowered head all the way to his waist, concealing his face. Both of his arms were suspended high above by massive chains, while another collar-like chain bound his neck, forcing him into a painful cruciform posture.

The spring water pouring from above did not directly touch his body. Instead, it formed rings of water that revolved around him like invisible tracks, sealing him layer upon layer.

As the holy water refracted the altar’s radiance, the group finally noticed something behind him.

There were four pairs of protrusions.

Each pair was tightly wrapped in something resembling black cloth, bound over and over with the same dark-red chains that shackled his arms.

The chains were wound so tightly that in some places they had dug deep into flesh, distorting and compressing both his body and the protrusions behind him nearly out of shape.

Only then did everyone understand. He was not merely imprisoned here. He was enduring eternal torture.

The altar fully opened, and Ailindel opened her eyes once more. She cast a cold, disgusted glance toward Qroshu below. “Good. The eighty-eight Chains of Condemnation remain intact.” Then she turned toward Nolan and extended her hand. “Nolan. Take my hand.”

Truthfully, this was Nolan’s first time experiencing something like this as well.

It was clearly stated in the game lore that war spirits could connect spiritual worlds through their heroic souls. But in his previous life, the game had never offered such an opportunity.

Convincing Ailindel alone was difficult enough. Besides, the developers would never dare let players truly risk their consciousness, so the concept had remained nothing more than background lore.

This time was different.

This was real.

Nolan slowly exhaled and stepped forward.

Before entering the unknown, he glanced back at Vivi and the others, giving them a reassuring look.

Then he reached out and took Ailindel’s hand.

Though war spirits were semi-spiritual beings, they still possessed physical forms most of the time. Their greatest trait was the ability to temporarily become spirit bodies.

Ailindel’s hand was small and warm.

So war spirits have body temperature too? Nolan found himself thinking despite the situation.

But what happened next completely caught him off guard.

Ailindel suddenly stepped closer and rose lightly onto her toes. Before Nolan’s stunned eyes, she pressed her forehead gently against his, like a lover.