As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

"Being free from the burden of flesh and blood, I can't feel any pain at all. Even if I'm cut into pieces, what's the harm?"

"Hey, you're still excited, huh?!"

Nia was so angry that her teeth were itching, but she was helpless and didn't know what to do for a moment.

She faced the same challenges that plague all cultists when interrogating them.

He was determined to die, had no sense of pain, and his mental state was different from that of an ordinary person. Ordinary torture methods were completely useless and would only make him laugh.

Until Roy came forward.

"You two, leave this to me. I have some experience in dealing with cults."

Janetia suppressed her resentment and stepped aside tactfully.

Nia's eyes lit up: "Oh, I see. You're going to burn him with firewood, right?"

The Fallen of [Withering All Things] have very poor resistance to fire and will still feel pain when burned.

Once again facing the black-haired boy, although the other party's breath had recovered, the terrifying pressure that was like a dragon spreading its wings and roaring at that time still planted deep fear in Valoran's heart, so that he was trembling in his heart now.

Valoran's expression changed slightly, but he still said stubbornly: "Come on, your flames can't shake my loyalty to the Mother Goddess!"

Roy exposed his purpose: "The dragon's flames are too powerful. You can't hold out for much longer now. Do you think I will let you die so easily?"

"The best is yet to come."

In fact, Roy only had a vague idea of ​​how to torture cultists.

But inside his head is an expert who has been battling cultists all his life!

"Listen to me, this kind of thing should be left to a professional team!"

And this time, Roy had to admire that his mother's opinion was right.

Roy clapped his hands, and four figures in white robes walked in from outside the cell.

Valoran's forced smile of disdain finally froze at this moment.

The holy breath, with its pure halo, illuminates the darkness here.

Even when facing the roaring dragon flames, Valoran had never been as terrified as he was now, so much so that cold sweat was oozing from his charred forehead.

Pure white robes, kind expressions, gentle movements, and every move exuding a solemn and peaceful aura. Just one glance was enough to tell that the four men were priests among priests, the best of clergy!

At this moment, Roy and Rowling in his mind shared the same sneer: "The preaching of the clergy is nothing to ordinary people."

"But it's different for you, a cultist."

"That's why I used my connections to find four of the most powerful clergy from among the church and adventurers. Each of them has their own unique skills and strengths. Their fighting spirit and endurance are truly astonishing. I'm sure they'll bring you endless surprises!"

When it comes to killing cultists, Roy thinks he's just as good as a paladin, but when it comes to torturing cultists, he's ashamed to say he's not as good as a priest.

Professionals should handle professional matters. Is there anyone who is better at punishing cults and heresies than the clergy?

The effect of this method is even better than expected.

Facing four priests with pure smiles on their faces, who were pressing forward step by step, was more terrifying for Valoran than facing a billion extraordinary beings. Valoran, who had been as steady as an old dog just now, was now completely panicked!

"No, no!"

"You can't, I won't allow it... I'm going to kill you, all of you filthy flesh and blood... Ah! Don't touch me! No, don't touch me with that water, ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Oh, what a filthy body, polluted by the evil god." "It must be cleansed with holy water." "The smell of decay is disgusting." "It seems that it is necessary to cleanse it from head to toe~"

Such an inhumane scene made Nia and Gentia fall into silence for a moment.

Chapter 34 The Real Purpose

The sacred purification lasted from the afternoon until late at night, and Roy and others even had time to have dinner.

When they returned, the former deputy of the Emerald Council, the high priest of [Withering of All Things], had finally been smoothed over and lost his resistance.

If Roy's previous sword attack severely damaged his body, then the four priests completely destroyed his spirit.

The former elven elder's eyes were now lifeless, his mouth, face, body, and even his lower body stained with a transparent, unidentified liquid. His already charred body was now covered in traces of sulfuric acid corrosion, creaking and squeaking. If it weren't for the slight trembling, one would have mistaken him for a corpse.

Although the scene was as if they had been raped, the four priests wore gentle smiles, as if they were satisfied with having done something great.

"Mr. Roderick, as you wished, this heretic has completely succumbed to the majesty of the Holy Light and has reformed."

If you put yourself in their shoes, it's easy to understand. Holy light and holy water are like highly concentrated sulfuric acid to a cultist's body, and like filthy slurry to their spirit. The four priests meticulously wiped it into every corner of Valoran, ensuring that even its most hidden corners were bathed in the divine light. No one could withstand it.

Nia laughed heartlessly, "Hahahahaha, how do you feel? How do you feel? Holy light and all that must be really cool, right?"

"Mr. Valoran, to be honest, I admire people with faith. If the four priests still can't shake your loyalty to the Mother Goddess, then I have another trick up my sleeve to show my admiration." Roy spoke in a polite and sarcastic tone, and at the same time, he took out bottle after bottle of holy water as if it were free, and drank as much as he could.

One is Nia, who was scolded by Lao Deng since childhood and whose life was threatened. The other is Roy, who was hunted by cultists for many years and even had a grudge against the Mother Goddess.

No way, no way, no way, there really is no one who sympathizes with the cultists? It is impossible for either of them to have the slightest bit of chastity, and they both revealed devilish smiles.

It was as if Valoran was being raped by a big man, and there were two young boys and girls laughing strangely. The weird scene made Janetia look complicated.

If you don’t know, you might think they are the villains!

"Valoran, are you willing to answer my question now?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! Just don't let that damned Holy Light and Holy Water touch me! I'll do anything you ask!"

"Is there another request for you?" Nia took a bottle of holy water from Roy and splashed it on Valoran's face, making him scream like a pig being slaughtered.

Janetia's brows twitched slightly, but when she thought of Valoran's stubbornness, she felt that this level of punishment was not enough to comfort her compatriots who had sacrificed their lives, and in the end she did not speak out to stop it.

Janetia began to interrogate: "First question, why are you targeting Nia at this time?"

"What's so strange about this? The Forest Elves have always been the target of our Decay of All Creatures..."

"Still not behaving yourself." Roy interrupted with a sneer.

"Your actions were never this grand before. Something must have happened that caused you to change your course, right?"

The further you progress in defying fate, the more dangerous it becomes, and the greater the changes you will make to your destiny.

Nia's fate concerns not only her, but also the entire Emerald Council.

During the Blue Trial, [Withering] wanted to capture [Forest Spirit] and offer it as a sacrifice to the Mother Goddess, but Roy guessed that they no longer had that in mind.

The fate-defying node is still there, and Nia's crisis has not been resolved. This means that Valoran is just a pawn of [Withering of All Things], and the real threat has not yet surfaced. This is what Roy wants to figure out the most, the true purpose of [Withering of All Things].

Roy also opened a bottle of holy water and this time pointed it directly at Valoran's mouth: "I ask again, why are you targeting Nia at this time?"

"Damn it! I'm telling you! Take that thing away! Damn it, I beg you..."

"You guessed it! Things have changed!"

"Initially, we simply wanted to sacrifice a sufficiently mature Forest Spirit, using its immense vitality to awaken the Mother Goddess. I don't know the details, but it seems the Master made a deal with someone and obtained other sacrifices. The Mother Goddess's awakening exceeded our original expectations, so even if the Forest Spirit is no longer needed, it doesn't matter!"

Nia was stunned when she heard this: "Then why are you still bothering me?"

Staring at the elven girl dimly, Valoran's tone was tinged with hatred and murderous intent: "Because, you are a threat."

"[Forest Spirit] is the only threat that can prevent the Mother Goddess from awakening. Therefore, we no longer need to sacrifice you. Instead, we must completely eliminate you before you can grow!"

Roy kicked him to the ground.

"Unfortunately, your plan has failed."

"Haha, maybe. But my mission is just an insurance policy."

"You cannot stop the Mother Goddess's resurrection. When that happens, her grace will spread throughout the forest and even the entire world! You and the Forest Spirit will pay the price...ah!"

He poured out the holy water once again, interrupting the other party's delusion. The information had been obtained, and Roy was in no mood to listen to his unnecessary nagging.

After asking a few other details, Valoran, who had lost his usefulness, was pushed onto the execution platform by the soldiers.

Below the stage, soldiers and civilians cursed and denounced the traitors' crimes.

"Just wait. One day, you will understand that the existing elves are the true traitors, and the Mother Goddess is the only salvation for us, the descendants of the elves! Flesh and blood are weak, only the Mother Goddess endures..."

The raging fire and thick smoke engulfed Valoran's figure, and those rampant and crazy words turned into wails under the burning, which was very gratifying.

No matter how powerful the gods they believe in are, this is the only outcome of following evil gods.

In order to decide on the next countermeasures, Janetia launched a new round of meetings overnight.

Nia, the person involved, and Roy, a powerful foreign aid, also came to listen.

Now, the internal forces behind the withering of all things have been eradicated.

Although he didn't want to make it too public, Roy still revealed his true identity to the current senior officials of the parliament.

"The Dragon Slayer of the Lionheart Kingdom?"

"No wonder they were able to defeat the cultists, that makes sense!"

It must be said that the identity of the Dragon Slayer Knight undoubtedly made everyone feel relieved.

After all, it's hard to trust a high-ranking adventurer whose origins are unclear, even if he's doing good deeds temporarily. But the Lionheart Kingdom's Oath Knight, the Western Continent's number one prodigy, is a legitimate and well-established individual who stands on the front lines against the cult and is worthy of trust.

only......

Isn't this Lord Roy already the Saint Guard of the Saint of White Harbor and the fiancé of Princess Lionheart?

We don't care about other people's affairs, but is it really okay for Miss Nia to be so close to him?!

Looking at the boy and girl sitting together arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, the congressmen were speechless.

But the wisdom gained from years of experience in politics told them that some things were better left unseen, so in the end everyone pretended not to see anything and continued with the meeting.

Chapter 35: Dispute between Mother and Daughter

There is no doubt that the rebellion in Valoran brought huge losses to the Green Council.

Half of the council members died in the massacre, and the rangers also suffered heavy losses. Since the Fourth Era, after the subsidence of the [Third Demonic Tide], this was the first time that the descendants of the elves had faced such a bloody tragedy, and it was inevitable that people were uneasy.

But in a sense, this is also a good thing.

Now, no matter which faction they belonged to before, no one would oppose the confrontation with [Death of All Things]. The rebellion of Valoran, on the contrary, united the originally loose councilors.

The imminent awakening of the Withered Mother Tree marked the first time since the First Age that the elven bloodline faced a critical moment of survival. No matter how peace-loving they were, they now had no choice but to send troops.

"According to Valoran, [Withering of All Things] is about to awaken [Withered Mother Tree]. From ancient times to the present, sealing this evil god has been the fate of us, the descendants of the elves. Now, it is not only a mission given by our ancestors, but also for our future survival. Stopping the resurrection of the evil god is urgent."

The parliamentarians have never been as united as they are now. No one raised any objection to what Jantia said.

"The headquarters of [Death of All Things] is located in the Forest of Everlasting Darkness. This is consistent with the intelligence we investigated previously and is now verified by Valoran's statement. Next, it is imperative to march towards the Forest of Everlasting Darkness—"

"Although I'd like to say this, the Ever Dark Forest is too dangerous. The adventurers we commissioned have already established a base there a while ago. Even so, reconnaissance of the Ever Dark Forest has been slow. Before the main force sets out, it is necessary to dispatch a small number of elite troops for further reconnaissance."

Reasonable judgment.

It is quite unwise to send a large-scale army to an overly dangerous area. If sufficient investigation is not carried out, it is very likely that before the cult's base is found, they will encounter dangerous monsters and suffer unnecessary losses.

Roy remembered that Red had mentioned before that a large number of adventurers had gathered at the Emerald Council, and there were also many rumors about the Forest of Ever Darkness in the guild.

However, a large number of adventurers were unable to make any progress, and even if the rangers took action themselves, it would probably not be much better.

In short, the direction of sending a small number of elite troops has been decided.

Just as everyone was discussing the candidates for advance reconnaissance, Nia suddenly raised her hand.

"Take me with you on this reconnaissance!"

Before the other members of the parliament could speak, Jantia frowned and replied, "What are you talking about?"

"Have you forgotten that [All Things Wither] wants to kill you even in its dreams?"

"That's true, but they're also afraid of me, right?" Nia smiled, but her eyes were not as careless as usual. She looked straight back at Gentia who was scolding her: "Didn't that old man in Valoran also say that I am the only possibility to prevent the evil god from reviving."

There was unrest among the MPs.

Roy also agreed with Nia's statement, but was a little surprised by her awareness.

Don't be fooled by this girl's carefree and lazy appearance. She is really capable when something happens.

To prevent the evil god from reviving, either overwhelming force or means to restrain its attributes are needed.

This evil god, the Fallen Mother Tree, was definitely no less powerful than the demigods led by Bahamut. Now, with the secret support of numerous cultists, Roy honestly didn't think he could forcibly interrupt its resurgence.

Only the [Forest Elves] who can restrain [Withering of All Things] can completely destroy the revival of the evil god. The murderous intention of [Withering of All Things] towards Nia is enough to prove this.

A leader should not fail to recognize this.

But before she was a leader, Jantia was a mother.