Nolan raised his straight sword to block, but the sheer force of the impact drove him backward several steps before he barely managed to steady himself.
A violent gust roared past his face. Had that thrust landed squarely on his body, it would have pierced straight through him.
He barely had time to breathe before the Kindred of Rot stepped in again, gripping the halberd with both hands and bringing it down in a heavy slash.
It was a simple attack, completely lacking in finesse, yet unstoppable all the same.
After all, the Lands Between was a realm of magic, where individual physical strength was anything but trivial. Not only heroes like Leda, but even ordinary Haligtree Knights possessed enough power to cleave a heavily armored man in two with a single blow.
These Kindred of Rot wielded strength comparable to knights. Naturally, they were no exception.
Even wearing knightly armor, Nolan knew he couldn't take this strike head-on.
His body reacted faster than his thoughts. He instinctively stepped half a pace to the right, turning his torso slightly as he held the straight sword horizontally in front of him.
Clang!!
Steel screeched as blade and halberd scraped violently against each other, sending a spray of sparks flashing across the night sky.
But the collision subtly altered the trajectory of the strike. The overwhelming force slammed the tip of Nolan's sword straight into the ground.
Seeing the enemy's weapon pinned beneath the halberd, the Kindred of Rot immediately exerted more strength, preparing to lift the weapon for an upward cut. At that moment, a dazzling stone shot straight toward its head.
Swift Glintstone Shard!
Compared to Glintstone Pebble, this sorcery carried less power and had shorter range, but its advantage lay in its speed.
With the cutting wind already slipping through the gaps in his armor, there was no room for delay. Every second mattered.
Nolan's instincts answered instantly, releasing the glintstone sorcery without hesitation.
Bang!!
A heavy impact echoed off the creature's carapace as the magical stone smashed into the Kindred of Rot's face.
The spell wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but it was far from a harmless pebble.
Though it failed to shatter the insect's skull, the blow twisted and warped its head, pain exploding through its body as it was sent flying backward.
The halberd's blade, poised to bite into flesh, never got the chance to taste blood. The Kindred of Rot barely managed to regain its footing, just about to retaliate—
When Nolan was already upon it.
The distance between them was less than half a meter, close enough to resemble lovers dancing beneath the moon.
A range where even the slightest lean could spark an absurd cross-species romance.
The Kindred of Rot panicked. Not because of any sudden hormonal confusion from being too close to a man, but because this distance rendered its weapon nearly useless.
With no room to swing, it abandoned the halberd and threw a punch instead.
Nolan didn't dodge.
He chose to take it head-on.
Why didn't he evade?
That question was shattered an instant later by a burst of crimson light.
As the Kindred of Rot's fist came down, Nolan clenched the flaming straight sword and slashed upward with all his strength. Roaring fire bloomed like dazzling fireworks.
Slash!!
The gray-white arm dropped to the ground. The severed fist continued its arc through the air, its strength rapidly fading before it finally slammed into Nolan's heavy armor, forcing a muffled grunt from his throat.
Even so, he did not take a single step back.
"Sss—"
The Kindred of Rot let out a shrill, anguished screech. Its halberd-wielding arm was severed in a clean cut, the blade crashing down onto the tree roots as the sudden loss of balance sent its body toppling backward.
The severed limb lay where it fell. Fortunately for the creature, it still had plenty of other arms.
It raised another limb and drove it forward, smashing toward Nolan's chest.
Nolan did not retreat. Instead, he surged forward, leaping lightly into the air.
In the blink of an eye, countless flashes of steel burst forth like a rising tide, completely pulverizing the enemy's fist.
Waterfowl Dance!
The longsword slashed again and again, ripping through bone and flesh, slipping between joints with brutal precision. Snow-white arcs streaked across the dark night sky.
In an instant, the Kindred of Rot collapsed into nothing more than a heap of mangled flesh and blood.
Its head, fitted with insect-like mandibles, rolled along the ground. Through its eyes, unmistakable terror was clearly visible.
The speed of the strikes wasn't particularly fast, but against a creature in this state, it was more than enough.
"This one's pretty strong,"
Nolan remarked calmly. He quickly assessed his own condition, then lifted his gaze once more.
At that moment, he saw the bodies of the creatures confronting Leda shatter one after another.
The Golden Needle Knight Commander was chasing down the last Kindred of Rot. Its arms had already been severed, and it wailed in agony as it fled in panic, scrambling desperately for an escape.
Five Kindred of Rot could barely hold her back, yet four couldn't delay her for even a few seconds. That made sense…
Made sense my ass.
Leda was weak. Weak to the point of resembling a bottom-tier hero.
Puzzled, Nolan raised his hand. Golden light roared through the silent tree roots as a spear formed from condensed lightning shot forward.
Hearing the sound, sharp and shrill like the cries of countless birds, Leda instinctively turned her head.
"You—"
The Golden Needle Knight Commander blinked a few times, her thoughts momentarily tangled. She couldn't understand why this brat was stealing her kill.
And that Kindred of Rot wasn't even wearing heavy armor. How could it possibly be killed in close combat by a Golden Needle Knight who was barely stronger than an ordinary soldier?
Her confusion lasted only an instant.
The moment Nolan's lightning spear pierced straight through the creature's body, she snapped back to her senses.
"Kill them all!"
Leda said nothing more. She clearly understood what needed to be done. Her figure vanished from where she stood, and the distant sound of blood spraying echoed through the night.
Sword raised, Nolan caught only a blur of dazzling blade light as she moved. He didn't fall behind, charging in her direction as well. The crawling Kindred of Rot larvae didn't even have time to register his presence before being cleaved clean through the waist by his straight sword.
So fast.
As he cleaned up the remaining enemies, Nolan watched Leda's dance-like slaughter with keen interest, quietly hoping her sword would slow down just a little and leave him a few more kills.
After the earlier fierce battle, there were only a handful of larvae left. Under the relentless assault of these two killing machines, they were quickly wiped out.
The archers and sword-and-shield soldiers supported one another as they slowly approached. With so many enemies, it was impossible for ordinary soldiers like them to emerge without injuries.
"All right. It's time to return and report to His Highness."
The battlefield had long since been cleared of bodies. Leda led the group at the front, while the soldiers followed behind, leaning on one another for support.
When they heard her words, it was as if new life had been breathed into them. They even seemed to forget their pain, smiles spreading across their faces.
Nolan paused for a moment, though he showed little surprise. In the entire Haligtree, Malenia included, who wasn't a fanatic admirer of Miquella?
Sometimes, just seeing him once was enough to lift one's spirits for a long while.
"At least I've found a way to grow stronger. That alone is worth being happy about."
Nolan tightened his grip on the sword in his hand, feeling the power surging within his body. Especially now, after leaving the battlefield and focusing inward, the sensation became even clearer. This was no illusion.
By slaying those corrupted beings, both his body and his soul had undeniably grown stronger.
Could it be because of… the First Flame?