The situation looked dire at first glance.
In reality, compared to the vast and open plains elsewhere, the root zone of the Haligtree was fragmented and narrow. A single stretch of root was only about as wide as a main avenue in Leyndell. No matter how many times the Kindred of Rot charged, they were driven back each time.
More importantly, the creature had burned through far too much strength earlier. Its condition had deteriorated badly.
When a Haligtree Knight brought his sword down, even if the blow failed to break a shield, it could still send a soldier flying several meters away. When the insect brought its halberd crashing down, however, it only forced the soldiers to stagger back a few steps before they steadied themselves again. That difference alone showed just how weakened it had become.
Facing the Kindred of Rot was a well-trained elite unit. Among them was a female archer whose strength was close to that of a knight, now wielding a straight sword and hacking away without restraint.
The battlefield was pure chaos. Members of the earlier squad who had been wounded were now nothing more than cold corpses.
Nolan saw that every member of his own squad was badly injured. Even Karl, the sword-and-shield fighter, had lost a leg and was being held up by two shield-bearers from another unit.
Clang!!
The glaive and the straight sword collided head-on. The shockwave from the impact forced soldiers within several meters to involuntarily stumble back half a step.
The sword-wielding female archer was sent flying by the sheer force, blood spraying from her arms the instant she was struck.
The Kindred of Rot shook its muddled head. When it saw several Haligtree soldiers advancing with shields raised, it bared its teeth in a vicious grin.
"Miquella's followers. A pack of idiots, just as stupid as your master."
"You cast-off wretches dare insult His Highness!?" Ella roared through clenched teeth. She swung her straight sword with all her strength. The skin of her palms had already split open, blood running down the hilt.
She ignored the pain. Everyone had seen Nolan face two Kindred of Rot head-on, but if a third joined the fight, there was no guarantee he could keep holding out. Drawing this monster away was their best option.
Even so, the insect's attacks were brutally fierce, and the soldiers could do little more than hang on.
Haligtree reinforcements should arrive soon. At most, it would take another quarter of an hour for the Haligtree Knights to lead their forces here.
If they could just hold the line until then, everything would turn around.
With that thought, Ella instinctively glanced behind her. The ground was carpeted with severed limbs and shattered weapons, and her heart sank.
She forced herself to refocus, lifting her sword and bracing for the next assault.
The Kindred of Rot lunged at them like a mad beast, its halberd slashing wildly without any pattern.
Despite their superior numbers, the Haligtree soldiers were almost helpless against such frenzied attacks.
The sword-and-shield fighters crouched behind their shields, desperately searching for an opening to strike back. But every time they tried to move, the chaotic storm of halberd blows drove them back again and again.
"Damn you humans, die—"
The Kindred of Rot's voice cut off mid-sentence. It jerked its head up toward the distance, eyes bulging wide with disbelief and shock.
A steel beast was charging in from above the roots, its approach accompanied by a deafening roar that felt as if it might tear the world apart.
The Kindred of Rot's heart clenched. Its pupils shrank as a sudden sense of dread flashed through its mind.
Had those two failed? How could warriors chosen by two goddesses lose to a single, insignificant knight? Had Haligtree reinforcements arrived?
The thought surfaced only to be dismissed at once.
There was no tide of steel surging forward. There was only one knight, his body soaked in blood, his appearance battered and disheveled. The creature's mouth fell open.
"Damn that knight!"
Rapid footsteps pounded across the roots like rolling thunder. The Haligtree soldiers still locked in combat looked up in astonishment, then joy, hope flickering in their eyes.
They saw a Golden Needle Knight charging straight toward them. The crimson-stained knight gripped a greatsword, surging forward with overwhelming momentum.
"Die!!"
With a roar like thunder, the greatsword smashed into the halberd's shaft. The tremendous force sent the insect hurtling backward.
It lost balance in midair, its body spinning uncontrollably before slamming hard into several metal objects.
Nolan drove off the ground with explosive force, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. His eyes were locked on the Kindred of Rot as he leapt into the air.
What!?
The insect clutched its halberd, watching in disbelief as the shaft cracked and warped. Its toes touched down as it tried to retreat, but the moment it turned, several iron shields came crashing straight toward it.
"Shield Bash!"
The shields slammed into the Kindred of Rot's body, pinning it in place. In the same instant, the knight twisted his body, and the greatsword came down with overwhelming force, the sharp tip rapidly filling the creature's vision.
Lion's Claw!
The Kindred of Rot had fought countless battles, but faced with this terrifying strike, it found no way out. The small shields behind it clamped its body tight, trapping it completely.
In that instant, its vision went black.
"You're done."
The cold, merciless words reached its ears. Then all awareness sank into endless darkness.
Nolan moved like a ruthless machine, showing no mercy as he brought the sword down on the insect's head. Red and white fluids burst forth, and the greatsword did not stop, continuing its downward arc with brutal force.
Slash!!
A surge of blood sprayed into the air. The massive insect that wielded the halberd was split clean down the middle, collapsing into a pool of blood.
Under the cold moonlight, the two grotesque halves of its body separated before the stunned eyes of several Haligtree soldiers.
Most of them were still frozen in their shield-bashing stances. Time seemed to stop. They stood rigid, as if bound by an unseen spell.
The sight was overwhelming, their thoughts locked in place, their minds numb.
Then the severed remains fell limply to the ground, splashing blood across the earth.
The blood-soaked knight stood with his sword in one hand, his gaze hard and unyielding.
"All enemies are slain. Victory is ours."
Nolan's voice was calm, but it carried resolve and authority.
The words struck straight at the heart. Combined with armor dyed in enemy blood, they resonated with undeniable force.
Around them, the surviving soldiers slowly came back to their senses.
The tension finally drained away. Ella raised her sword toward the sky with one hand. Blood streamed down her arm, staining her body red.
"We won!"
Across the battlefield, some soldiers dropped to their knees, arms raised high as they shouted in exhilaration.
Others lifted their swords and cried out at the top of their lungs.
And those who lay on the ground, already beyond speech, seemed to offer their own silent roar—one final cry before returning to the Erdtree and to glory.