Chapter 221: ·The Usurper

The golden holy flames of Divine Infusion blazed across the blade. Nolan’s sword became a streak of radiant gold, carving a swift diagonal arc straight into the whipping tendrils surging toward him.

Slash!

The edge severed Rosm’s tendril instantly, then sliced cleanly into his left shoulder, cutting through his body all the way down to the ribs on his right side without the slightest resistance.

Rosm’s upper body slowly slid apart along the path of the strike. His rotting flesh looked fragile enough, yet even Elder Ironwood of the Gold rank had failed to penetrate the defense of those tendrils.

Unfortunately for him, such defenses meant nothing before Nolan, whose power against evil entities was multiplied severalfold.

One strike. Cleaved in two. The severed tendrils writhed violently on the floor, spraying foul blood everywhere. Yellow-green pus mixed with chunks of decayed flesh splattered across the hall. Rosm’s body, split into upper and lower halves, continued squirming grotesquely on the ground.

But he was no longer human. Even such wounds failed to kill him.

He raised his head, about to spit out a mocking remark, when golden holy fire suddenly erupted from the severed cross-section of his body. The flames crackled as they consumed his rotting flesh.

“Aaaagh!”

Even someone long accustomed to living with constant agony could not endure the pain of purifying flame.

“Holy fire?!” Rosm screamed as his upper body twisted frantically across the ground. “You despicable temple bastard!”

Nolan gave him no chance to recover. He immediately turned, his eyes meeting Ailindel’s. “Ailin!”

She understood at once. The currents swirling around the tip of Breeze let out a piercing shriek. After a brief charge, Ailindel thrust her spear forward with flawless precision.

Buzz!

Wind elements condensed into a violent storm, tearing through the space between them as the spear struck. Countless razor-sharp wind blades shot toward Rosm, who was still struggling within the holy flames. The blades shredded his already ruined body even further, scattering flesh and blood in every direction.

At the same time, Nolan’s holy fire surged explosively with the aid of the raging wind.

Boom!

Golden flames engulfed Rosm completely. Within only a few breaths, the nauseating mass of rotting flesh was reduced to wisps of black smoke beneath the wind-fueled inferno, vanishing without a trace. Only the strange stench of charred decay lingered in the air.

The Hall of Tree Shepherds fell silent once more.

“H-he’s dead?” Finley stared blankly at the scorched ground, muttering under his breath.

“…So strong…” one of the Stag Guards whispered in awe, voicing the thoughts of many others.

The human lord had revealed terrifying strength through only a few casual exchanges.

“How is it?”

Yet Nolan’s expression remained grim. He flicked the remaining sparks from his blade and sheathed it before immediately turning to Ailindel once the flames died down.

The surrounding Wood Elves looked confused. The enemy had already been burned to ashes. What was there left to ask?

Ailindel closed her eyes. Silver-white soul essence spread outward from her body, instantly covering every corner of the great hall.

A moment later, she opened her eyes again.

“His presence is still there,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s not over.”

What?

Every Wood Elf present felt their hearts leap back into their throats.

Nolan had expected as much. As one of the Nihility Cult’s “Six Pillars,” Rosm could not possibly die so easily. Besides, the system interface had not displayed a kill notification.

“Be careful!”

At that moment, the previously silent Grand Elder’s expression changed sharply. Gentle green light radiated from the withered staff in his hand.

“The will of the forest is crying out. Something… is stealing its power!”

Before his words had even finished echoing—

At the center of the domed ceiling, a massive tree tumor that had existed there for countless years suddenly began swelling and writhing violently, as though something inside were struggling to burst free.

Pop!

Seconds later, the tumor split open. Thick green fluid splashed everywhere.

A mangled mass of flesh forced its way out. Hanging upside down from the ceiling, it writhed and stretched gradually into a humanoid shape. A horribly decayed face twisted into existence, pus dripping from ruined features. It looked like some blasphemous fruit born from a place where no tree should ever bear fruit.

It was Rosm.

He had returned before them all in this grotesque new form. His lower body remained fused with the swollen growth on the ceiling, while a huge portion of his upper torso was still missing. Yet his vitality was monstrously strong.

“I underestimated you…” He stared down at Nolan below, hatred and madness overflowing from his ruined face. “You’re a Templar Knight…? No… impossible. There’s no one like you in the Holy Orders…”

“Fire!” 

Romina reacted first. She yanked back the string of her massive bow, and under her command the Stag Guards swiftly switched from moon spears to reserve bows.

In an instant, arrows rained upward. The storm of arrows blessed by nature surged toward Rosm on the ceiling.

But layer after layer of vines exploded from the wooden dome, weaving together into an impenetrable net that blocked every single arrow.

“H-he can actually control the plants of Forest Home?!” The Grand Elder, whose connection to the forest’s will was deepest, cried out in shock and fury. “He has seized part of the Foundation of Life’s power!”

“Hahahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!”

Behind the gaps in the vines, Rosm’s revolting face appeared once more. He looked down at the futile attacks of the Wood Elves with utter disdain curling at his lips.

“These isolated Wood Elves are nothing but weaklings awaiting extinction. The Formless God foresaw their end long ago. I merely hastened the process.”

His gaze swept past everyone before locking onto Nolan.

“Only you can be called a worthy opponent! But no matter how worthless they are, they are still true long-lived beings, a people blessed by nature itself. And I…” Rosm spread his arms wide, intoxicated by the sensation of overturning everything. “I have already obtained the authority of the Foundation of Life!”

His twisted smile brimmed with mockery.

“Do you still not understand, ‘Lord Nolan’? The will of the Formless God shall be fulfilled! The one trapped and surrounded here… is not me.”

The moment his words fell, he suddenly drove his right hand straight into his own chest.

Splurt!

Blood exploded outward.

A thick crimson mist carrying an unbearable stench burst from the wound and rapidly spread throughout the hall.

The vines and branches connected to him began changing grotesquely. Their bark decayed and peeled away, revealing blood-red fibers beneath. The color deepened into a vivid crimson as they pulsed and writhed like living flesh.

“Urgh!”

As the red mist spread, every Wood Elf in the hall shuddered violently.

A strange blood-red glow began appearing deep within their eyes.

“Not good!” Nolan’s expression darkened. “Ailin, get close to me!”

The crimson mist was not merely poisonous. It carried mental corruption as well. Rosm, who wielded both decay and psychic power, was using the mutated Foundation of Life to corrode the minds of the Wood Elves.

Nolan barked a sharp command, “Armor up!”

Outside the Hall of Tree Shepherds, Immovable Bulwark, which had been under the guard of the Holy Hammer Division, sensed the call of its master’s spiritual power.

Clatter!

The black armor instantly disassembled into countless pieces and shot skyward, flying precisely through the openings atop the hall. The components rapidly reassembled midair, locking together with clear metallic chimes.

Three seconds later, Nolan appeared once more clad in heavy black armor.

Meanwhile, outside the hall, Vivi, Rehanna, and the others guarding the entrance had already become fully alert the moment they noticed the abnormal movement of Immovable Bulwark.

Kayan’s Cross Staff radiated gentle holy light, dispersing the spreading crimson mist. At the same time, layers of luminous barriers enveloped everyone present, prepared for any sudden threat.

As for the several Wood Elf guards who had been stationed beside them, their bodies now trembled uncontrollably, their eyes vacant as they stood frozen in place.

“So the situation Lord Nolan predicted is finally happening?” Vivi exchanged a glance with Rehanna.