Chapter 235: ·The Final Barrier

The passage leading to the Foundation of Life was long and oppressively dark. The delicate lantern flowers that once illuminated the tunnel had withered away under the corruption, leaving only faint shadows clinging to the walls. Nolan and Finley sprinted through the narrow passage at full speed, the sharp echoes of their footsteps reverberating endlessly around them. As Nolan ran, he watched his health steadily ticking downward, each loss of vitality feeling like the countdown to an inevitable final act.

After nearly a full minute of running, a faint glow finally appeared ahead.

At the end of the tunnel stood a curtain of soft white light. Its surface resembled frosted glass, hazy and translucent, concealing whatever lay beyond it. Yet even through the barrier, an immense and pure life aura poured outward, so rich and vibrant that it completely overwhelmed the foul corruption saturating the tunnel behind them.

Nolan immediately felt his spirits lift.

This was the life barrier. Beyond it lay the Foundation of Life.

Bathed in the pale glow, Finley’s tall figure cast a long shadow across the ground as he came to a halt and turned toward Nolan. His expression carried a solemnity Nolan had never seen from him before.

“This is the place,” he said quietly. “Beyond this barrier is the Foundation of Life.”

His lips moved slightly as though struggling to organize his thoughts, and when he finally spoke again, his voice carried an almost painful sincerity.

“Mr. Nolan… although I truly hate to say this… please save the Wood Elves.”

Nolan let out a faint, pale smile. “What do you think I came all this way for? I said I’d solve this problem, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Finley nodded slowly. No matter how proud he was, he could no longer deny reality. At this point, Nolan was the only person capable of saving the Wood Elves.

Turning back toward the barrier, Finley pressed his palm against the glowing curtain and began chanting softly in the ancient language of the Wood Elves. The language was obscure yet strangely beautiful, its layered syllables carrying the rhythm of forests and nature itself. At first his chanting faltered slightly, understandable given that this was the first time he had independently performed such an important ritual, but he gradually found his rhythm. The words became smoother, flowing more naturally as the countless repetitions from memory transformed into instinct.

Two full minutes passed before the final syllable left his lips.

The white barrier flashed brightly with a low hum, then slowly dissolved like melting snow.

Yet instead of relaxing, Nolan frowned.

“Aren’t your security measures… a little excessive?” he asked.

Because beyond the vanished life barrier was not the Foundation of Life.

There was another barrier.

Finley’s eyes widened in shock. “How is this possible…? No, that’s wrong. The life barrier guarded by the Flourishing Leaves family has always been a single layer!”

Instinctively, he reached toward the curtain.

“Don’t touch it!” Nolan warned sharply.

But it was already too late.

The moment Finley’s fingers brushed the surface, a violent sizzling sound rang out and he jerked his hand back as though electrocuted. The edge of his palm had already turned black and charred, the flesh horribly corroded.

“Th-this is impossible…” Finley hissed through clenched teeth, trembling from the pain. “Even if this is my first time personally performing the Rite of Life, I know I did it correctly. I watched my mother perform it countless times. There was only ever one barrier!”

Nolan’s gaze immediately turned cold.

“Rosm.”

He understood instantly.

Drawing his sword, he slashed hard against the false curtain. The surface shattered like glass and collapsed away, revealing the true barrier hidden beneath.

It was dark crimson, as though woven entirely from coagulated blood. Vein-like patterns pulsed across its surface, throbbing rhythmically while radiating a nauseating aura of corruption and decay.

Rosm had left behind yet another safeguard.

Behind the original life barrier, he had secretly added a second disguised layer designed specifically to prevent anyone from reaching the Foundation of Life, ensuring his blood-refining formation could complete uninterrupted.

Finley stared at his ruined hand, his voice filled with despair. “The strength of this barrier is nearly on the same level as our strongest life barrier, but it’s far more aggressive. The corruption itself has condensed into physical form… Mr. Nolan… we…”

His voice failed him entirely.

One life barrier already required the secret cipher passed down through the guardian bloodline to undo. Now another barrier of equal strength stood before them, layered with overwhelming corrosive power. Trying to break through it directly would be no different from suicide.

For the first time, Finley truly felt as though the Wood Elf race had reached the end of its fate.

“There’s no other choice.”

The low voice that answered from behind him carried a strange overlapping resonance, as though multiple voices were echoing together from the abyss itself.

“Finley. Don’t tell anyone about this. It will be better for both of us.”

Finley spun around instantly, and what he saw froze him in place.

The human lord clad in black armor had completely transformed.

Four pairs of enormous wings, each bearing a different color, slowly unfurled from Nolan’s back, nearly filling the entire tunnel. The whites of his eyes had turned pitch-black like the depths of midnight, while dark crimson flames burned from the corners of his eyes. An overwhelming and chaotic aura poured from him without restraint.

Finley’s mind went blank.

A demon…? Hadn’t Nolan said before that the Soul Imprint he obtained from the Demon Overlord granted no actual abilities?

Now that he stood this close, Finley could clearly feel the terrifying pressure of the abyss pressing against his soul. Yet at the same time, the sword in Nolan’s hand still burned with incomparably pure golden holy flames.

Sacredness and evil.

Two completely opposing powers that should never have been able to coexist were somehow present within the same person.

Almost instinctively, Finley stepped backward and drew the greatbow from his back, fingers tightening around the string despite the fact that his quiver had long since run empty.

“Sorry for deceiving all of you earlier,” Nolan said. After activating Half-Demonization, even his voice carried that strange layered resonance, giving every word an overwhelming sense of pressure and authority. “A form like this naturally invites misunderstanding.”

He stepped forward slowly, the four massive wings inherited from the Rebellious Serpent Head Demon Overlord Qroshu stirring the air behind him and sending dust spiraling through the tunnel.

“When I destroyed Demon Overlord Qroshu, what I obtained was not merely his Soul Imprint, but part of his power as well.” Then Nolan lifted his gaze and looked directly into Finley’s eyes through the dark flames burning at the corners of his own. “I need your trust, Finley. Step aside and let me pass.” His voice remained calm, steady, unwavering. “I came here to destroy this calamity. Words can lie, but actions cannot.”

Finley’s heart descended into violent turmoil.

Behind him stood the Foundation of Life, the very root upon which the Wood Elf race depended for survival. Before him stood a half-demon radiating terrifying abyssal power. Every instinct and every piece of reason screamed at him that such a being should never be allowed near the Foundation of Life. To permit it would be a betrayal of his ancestors and a risk that could destroy his entire race.

He bit down so hard that blood seeped from his lips.

Instinctively, he raised his hand, preparing to restore the life barrier he had only just removed.

Yet just before he acted, scene after scene flashed through his mind.

It was this man who had exposed Rosm’s conspiracy while everyone else still doubted him. This man had willingly produced Sourceless Water, a treasure equal in value to the Foundation of Life itself, simply to save the corrupted Wood Elves. Even while fighting the controlled members of their race, Nolan had constantly restrained himself rather than harm a single innocent elf.

Nolan remained silent as he watched Finley lower his head without moving aside. Seeing the hesitation continue, he prepared to force his way through. There was no longer enough time for explanations.

But just as Nolan took a step forward, Finley suddenly moved.

The Wood Elf vice-captain dropped his greatbow and reached out, grabbing Nolan’s black-armored arm tightly. Though every instinct deep within him screamed to strike down the “demon” before him, he forcibly suppressed it and stared directly into Nolan’s eyes.

Their homeland was already drowning in disaster.

Whether he advanced or retreated, the blade would still fall.

So he chose to gamble.

As the heir to the Flourishing Leaves family, he decided to shoulder a burden heavy enough to crush anyone if it meant protecting his people. One wrong choice would make him the eternal sinner responsible for the destruction of the entire race.

But doing nothing would only lead to the same ending.

“Go!”

With a violent wave of his hand, the life barrier he had begun restoring shattered apart once more.

His voice came out hoarse and urgent, filled with desperate resolve.

“Mr. Nolan, hurry! Before I change my mind!”