Chapter 228: End Of The Rotted

Elias charged toward the Rotted, his crimson Aura flowing along Lastbane as he closed the distance.

The creature immediately reacted to his approach. Several tentacles rose from its enormous body and swept toward him from different directions, their movements fast enough to tear through the air.

Elias lowered his stance and accelerated, slipping beneath the first strike before turning his body sideways to avoid another. A third tentacle descended from above, forcing him to raise Lastbane and meet it head-on.

The impact drove his feet into the ground.

His arms trembled as the tentacle pressed against his blade, its immense weight threatening to force him to his knees.

Elias gritted his teeth and pushed back, allowing his crimson Aura to surge along Lastbane before twisting his wrists and redirecting the incoming force.

The tentacle slid away from his sword, striking the ground beside him with enough force to shatter the earth.

Elias immediately stepped forward and swung.

Lastbane cut through the appendage, and the severed portion fell to the ground without regenerating.

However, another tentacle emerged from the creature’s body and swept toward him before he could press his advantage. He ducked beneath it, then turned his sword into an upward slash that carved through the black mass connecting several appendages.

The wound remained open, its edges unable to draw together beneath the lingering crimson Aura.

Elias immediately exploited the opening, but the creature’s enormous body supplied it with more appendages than he could destroy at once. A cluster of tentacles emerged from the surrounding mass and attacked him from different directions.

’Its body is enormous. Even if I can cut through it, I cannot destroy everything at once.’

He shifted his grip and continued attacking, refusing to give the Rotted enough time to concentrate its tentacles on him.

His sword moved in continuous arcs, each strike flowing into the next as he relied on the first verse of his sword style. He cut through the appendages reaching for him, redirected those he could not avoid, and repeatedly attacked the creature’s main body whenever an opening appeared.

Yet the Rotted continued advancing.

A tentacle came at him from his left.

Elias raised Lastbane and blocked it, but another immediately struck from behind. He twisted his body, allowing the appendage to scrape across his shoulder rather than crush his spine, then swung his sword backward and severed its tip.

Before he could recover, two more tentacles descended toward him.

Earth Wall!

A thick barrier rose beneath his feet, lifting him above the incoming attacks. The tentacles crashed into the structure from opposite sides, breaking through its upper portion and sending chunks of hardened earth flying.

Elias jumped away before the barrier collapsed, landing several steps from the creature as he gathered more earth mana.

Earth Spike!

The ground beneath the Rotted erupted.

A sharpened pillar burst upward, piercing its underside and forcing portions of its body into the air. The spikes penetrated deeply, lifting the surrounding mass and disrupting its movement. Elias used the opening to rush forward, but the creature simply pressed down with its enormous weight.

The earth pillar cracked, its black body swallowed the broken fragments, and the wounds left by the spike began closing almost immediately.

A cluster of tentacles emerged from the exposed sections and struck the ground, scattering the remaining portion of the pillar.

Elias watched his spell fall, then tightened his grip around Lastbane.

’This is not enough.’

He had already known that the creature’s size would make ordinary attacks ineffective, but seeing his magic accomplish so little was still frustrating. He had spent countless attempts learning how to use his abilities, yet the Rotted continued advancing as though his efforts were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Another tentacle swept toward him.

Elias stepped aside and cut through it, but the appendage continued moving even after being severed, its remaining momentum carrying it into his side. He was forced to retreat several steps before regaining his balance.

The creature’s many maws opened, and more tentacles emerged from its body.

Elias looked toward the earthen dome behind him. Although he could no longer see Monica or Stella, he knew they were inside it, and he could only hope that Monica had already begun examining Stella’s condition.

’Just a little longer.’

He turned back toward the Rotted and raised Lastbane.

"I will not let you go near them!" he shouted.

His Aura flared as he rushed forward again, hacking his sword at the creature with renewed determination.

He cut through one tentacle, then another, and continued striking the black mass whenever his blade found an opening. Even when the creature’s appendages forced him to change direction, he refused to retreat. He attacked from below, redirected his sword into diagonal slashes, and used every opportunity to carve deeper into its body.

Each wound inflicted by his Aura remained open, and the severed tentacles could not grow back. However, the Rotted’s enormous mass made it difficult to inflict enough damage to bring the entire creature down.

A tentacle suddenly swept toward his chest.

He raised Lastbane to block it, but the impact was far greater than he expected.

The appendage slammed into his sword and drove it backward, striking him across the chest before he could redirect its momentum. A sharp pain spread through his body as he was thrown away from the creature.

Elias flew across the battlefield, crashed through the remains of a wooden structure, and struck the side of a nearby village house. The impact shattered the wall, sending broken timber and stone fragments tumbling around him.

For several seconds, he remained buried beneath the debris.

His chest throbbed, and every breath sent another wave of pain through his body. He forced himself to move, pushing away the broken pieces of wood before slowly rising to his knees.

Lastbane had fallen beside him.

Elias reached for its hilt and used the sword to support himself as he struggled to stand. His legs trembled, and his breathing was ragged, but he refused to remain on the ground.

He looked toward the battlefield.

The Rotted was still approaching.

’I have to protect them.’

His fingers tightened around Lastbane.

"I must..."

He lowered his body and lunged forward.

Elias charged like a lunatic, ignoring the pain in his chest and the exhaustion weighing down his limbs. Tentacles rose to intercept him, but he continued advancing, cutting through whatever entered his path.

His Aura surged.

At first, it flowed along his body and Lastbane as it always had, but then something inside him seemed to ignite. A sudden force erupted from his Aura Core, spreading beyond the limits of his body and expanding into the surrounding space.

The crimson energy rolled outward.

Elias continued charging as his Aura expanded around him, forming a dome that enclosed both him and the Rotted. Its surface was dense and nearly solid, resembling a crimson barrier that separated the battlefield from everything beyond it.

The creature’s tentacles immediately came into contact with the expanding Aura.

The appendages touching its surface began breaking apart, their black flesh burning away as though exposed to an unbearable heat. The Rotted attempted to withdraw them, but the damage spread faster than they could retreat, and several tentacles disintegrated before reaching its main body.

Elias raised Lastbane and swung.

Crimson Aura rolled around his sword and body, reinforcing every movement as he struck the creature’s exposed surface. His blade cut through the black mass with far greater ease than before, leaving deep wounds that could no longer close.

The Rotted attempted to move away, but Elias attacked again before it could escape.

His movements were faster, and every strike carried greater force. He no longer needed to spend as much effort cutting through its thick outer layers, while the Aura surrounding him continued burning away the tentacles that approached too closely.

A tentacle lashed toward his head.

Elias tilted his body and allowed it to pass, then swung Lastbane horizontally. The blade severed the appendage and continued into the creature’s body, carving a deep gash through its surface.

The wound remained exposed.

He turned his wrists and delivered another slash, widening the damage before the creature could react.

Then another.

His sword moved relentlessly, cutting through the creature’s flesh while the crimson Aura spread across the surrounding area. The Rotted’s enormous body began shrinking as more of its mass was destroyed, and the tentacles that once covered the battlefield were reduced to burning fragments.

For the first time, the creature was losing ground.

Elias pressed forward, refusing to let it recover. He struck every opening he created and continued attacking whenever its body attempted to close around his blade.

However, his expression suddenly hardened as a faint crack reached his ears from behind.

Elias understood what was happening without needing to look.

’I have to finish this before she gets out.’

He tightened his grip around Lastbane and charged directly into the Rotted.

The black mass swallowed him.

Its tar-like substance closed around his body, covering his face and limbs as he pushed deeper inside. The liquid burned wherever it touched his skin, and a sharp, searing pain spread across his body as the creature attempted to dissolve him.

Elias gritted his teeth.

His Aura surged over the affected areas, forming a nearly solid layer that covered his body like a second skin. The crimson coating protected him from the worst of the corrosive substance, but it could not completely prevent the damage.

He continued forcing his way forward.

Inside the Rotted, there was no clear direction or recognizable structure. The creature’s body surrounded him on every side, however he was able to sense everything happening within his Aura Zone.

He let out a deep breth and swung Lastbane.

The blade carved through the creature from within, tearing apart its inner mass. He continued attacking, moving deeper into its body while his Aura Zone constricted around him.

The dome of crimson energy gradually shrank.

Rather than expanding across the battlefield, the Aura concentrated around the Rotted, compressing the space in which the creature could exist. Its enormous body was forced into an increasingly smaller area as Elias continued destroying it from within.

The creature struggled violently.

Its tentacles thrashed across the ground, smashing into the remaining structures and tearing apart the earth. Its maws opened and closed, releasing distorted cries as its body writhed beneath the pressure of the crimson Aura.

Elias’s attention remained fixed on attacking, and he continued swinging Lastbane even as the corrosive substance ate through his flesh. His Aura covered the damaged skin and allowed him to continue fighting despite the terrible pain.

The black mass repeatedly tried to close around him, but each attempt was met with another slash.

His body was gradually consumed.

Half of his skin had already melted away, leaving the affected portions covered by the nearly solid crimson Aura. Yet Elias continued advancing, and the shrinking Aura Zone continued compressing the Rotted until its enormous form could no longer maintain its previous size.

Eventually, Elias emerged from the dying mass.

His body was barely recognizable, with nearly half his skin melted away and replaced by the crimson layer of Aura. His breathing was heavy, but he remained standing, holding Lastbane in one hand.

He lowered his gaze and near his feet lay a small black puddle, no larger than his hand. A single eye shifted within it, while a tiny maw opened and closed weakly.

The Rotted had been reduced to the final fragment.

Elias stared down at it, then slowly raised Lastbane above his head.

Crimson Aura poured out of the sword, gathering around its blade like an enormous flame. The energy intensified until the weapon was almost completely concealed within the brilliant crimson glow.

Then he swung downward.

The crimson blade descended with overwhelming force, striking the final fragment of the Rotted and destroying it completely.