Chapter 225: ·Nolan’s Solution

Romina’s emotions were in complete turmoil. In her current state, there was no chance she would stop to question the reality around her. On the contrary, every surge of grief, rage, and fear only dragged her deeper into the distorted perception Rosm had created.

Ailindel’s situation was becoming increasingly dire as well. More than a dozen Wood Elf elders and guards remained restrained by her wind rings, but their struggles were growing stronger and stronger. The rings themselves had begun to flicker unstably, showing signs of collapse.

Above them, Rosm’s “putrefaction” continued burrowing deeper into the Foundation of Life. Not only was it further warping the minds of the Wood Elves, it was also increasing his control over every plant within Forest Home.

Ordinary corruption could never have affected a creation on the level of the Foundation of Life. The overwhelming vitality contained within it naturally neutralized filth and disease.

But the authority of “putrefaction” was different.

The rotting of flesh was merely an outward symptom. Its true essence was decay on a conceptual level. Betrayal and depravity were forms of corruption within the human heart. Moral collapse was the corruption of social order itself.

The Foundation of Life had already been damaged by the divine-level evil known as the Mark of Silent Extinction, leaving cracks within its once-perfect self-healing system. Rosm’s corruption now seeped directly into the souls of every Wood Elf, amplifying all of their negative emotions. And those gathered emotions, in turn, accelerated Rosm’s invasion of the Foundation itself.

The activation of the Blood Refinement Array had merely been the beginning. From here onward, the process would only grow faster and more severe.

Ten minutes had already passed.

The flesh vines under Rosm’s control seemed endless, continuously sprouting from the wooden structure and diving downward.

Ailindel’s spear blurred into a screen of blue-white light as wave after wave of wind blades shredded the attacking tendrils. Foul-smelling blood rained endlessly through the hall, yet she remained trapped in place, unable to break free.

Meanwhile, Nolan remained locked in a stalemate with Romina.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted a Stag Guard with bloodshot eyes charging from the side, roaring wildly as the moon blade in his hand thrust toward Nolan’s ribs.

Nolan inhaled sharply, then twisted his waist and slammed sideways with explosive force.

“Hah!”

Romina had been pressing down with all her strength. The sudden sideways impact disrupted her balance instantly. Caught off guard, she staggered backward several steps, the blade of her greatbow scraping across Nolan’s shoulder armor and throwing off a shower of sparks.

The direction of her retreat happened to place her directly in the path of the charging guard. Unable to stop in time, the guard slammed into Romina’s back. Romina stumbled forward while the guard fell backward onto the floor, his moon spear clattering loudly against the wood.

Now!

Nolan seized the opening immediately. Lowering his center of gravity, he dashed behind Romina while simultaneously kicking the guard who was trying to climb back up.

Bang!

The kick landed squarely on the guard’s neck, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Without wasting even a moment, Nolan pulled a Focus Elixir from the pouch at his waist and gripped it tightly. Taking advantage of Romina’s unstable footing, he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

“Get off me!” Romina shouted in fury, trying to regain her balance and retaliate.

But Nolan was faster. His scabbard slipped cleverly through the frame of her bow while his left leg and body locked the massive weapon firmly in place. At the same time, his free hand shot out and grabbed her quiver, pinning her movements completely.

Romina struggled violently, but her bow and right arm were both trapped.

Her reaction speed was astonishing.

With a swift motion, she pulled a dagger glowing with green venom-light from behind her boot and stabbed viciously toward Nolan’s waist without hesitation.

Clang!

The dagger struck the armor of Immovable Bulwark, producing a sharp metallic ring. Against pure physical attacks, the defense of the Mythic-grade armor was absurdly powerful. 

After her Gold-rank strength had been reduced by the armor’s suppression effect, she could not even leave the slightest dent upon it. But Romina refused to give up. Twisting her wrist repeatedly, she stabbed again and again toward every possible gap in Nolan’s armor, targeting his waist, ribs, and abdomen in a frenzy.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Nolan ignored the futile attacks entirely. His right arm slipped around her neck as his hand pressed against the back of her head, forcing her body backward.

Romina was bent nearly into an arch, her head tilted back unwillingly, yet her legs remained rooted firmly to the ground while her left hand continued its desperate stabbing.

“Open your mouth!” Nolan barked.

Romina clenched her teeth tightly, her lips pressed into a hard line. Her eyes were filled with hatred.

Crushing the neck of the Focus Elixir bottle in one hand, Nolan simultaneously pressed sharply against a pressure point near her jaw with the other. It was a technique he had learned from Leus. Extremely effective against uncooperative patients.

Romina’s jaw muscles spasmed instantly, and her teeth loosened involuntarily for half a second.

Earlier, the single diluted bottle shared across the entire hall had achieved almost no effect. But this was a full bottle. At this concentration, it should be enough to forcibly break through at least part of the mental corruption. As long as he could restore the strongest combatant first, the pressure on both him and Ailindel would decrease dramatically.

But just as Nolan raised the bottle toward her lips—

Fweeeesh!

More than a dozen arrows screamed through the air. One of them struck the bottle in Nolan’s hand with perfect accuracy. The vial exploded instantly, icy-blue liquid bursting outward and splashing across Nolan’s face.

“Pah!” He spat reflexively as the potion nearly got into his eyes.

Turning sharply, he finally realized the arrows had come from the invisible Finley.

From Finley’s perspective, the disgusting monster dripping with foul pus was currently restraining the captain he cared about most, and looked moments away from opening its giant maw to bite through Romina’s throat. Panicked beyond reason, he had unleashed everything he had. The arrow he had fired earlier had accurately shattered a bulging “blood core” growing on one of the monster’s tendrils. After the hit, the creature had visibly paused, and its tentacles had stiffened for a moment.

Finley became convinced his judgment had been correct. He reached for another arrow.

But his quiver was empty. The previous burst of fire had exhausted everything he had.

Seeing the “monster” still restraining Romina while her struggles grew weaker and weaker, something inside his mind finally snapped.

“Let go of the captain!”

Ignoring all consequences, he charged forward.

Along the way, he grabbed the heavy curved blade dropped by the unconscious Elder Ironwood. Whether he could win or not no longer mattered. The captain he had always admired had to be saved.

Nolan, whose plans had once again been ruined, had no choice but to deal with him first. With a metallic click, the grappling hook hidden in Nolan’s left boot shot into the floorboards, anchoring him firmly in place.

Watching Finley’s approach, Nolan calculated the exact trajectory of his charge before unleashing a brutal spinning kick.

The strike was heavy, fast, and devastatingly precise. It slammed directly into Finley’s chest while the young Wood Elf still had his curved blade raised overhead and his guard wide open.

Pfft!

Finley was launched backward in a straight line before crashing heavily into a pillar and losing consciousness on the spot.

After dealing with him, Nolan immediately pinned Romina’s constantly kicking leg beneath his own and forced her upper body completely down, leaving her nearly lying horizontally against him.

To be fair, the flexibility of the Wood Elf ranger captain was genuinely impressive. An ordinary person’s waist would probably have snapped already in such a position.

“Let go… monster… die!”

Romina still struggled desperately, her teeth grinding audibly.

At the same time, several Wood Elf elders noticed that Romina had apparently fallen into “danger.” Abandoning their attacks against Ailindel, they turned and charged toward Nolan instead.

Ailindel was already occupied restraining other Wood Elves while simultaneously fighting the endless blood vines overhead. There was no way she could stop all of them.

“Nolan!” she shouted.

He knew there was no more time to waste. Reaching back, Nolan pulled out the final Focus Elixir. He looked at Romina’s lips, tightly shut with fury and hatred.

Then he made up his mind.

Biting the cork free with his teeth, Nolan drank the icy potion in a single gulp.

Sorry about this.

He muttered the apology silently in his heart.

Then he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her hard.