The Middle Tier Grand Knight Commander flicked his right hand, rolling up his robes, and a gust of wind dispersed the approaching "snowflakes."
At that moment, he disregarded his usual decorum, grabbed his son by the collar, threw him into the house, and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Come out."
Howard, his face ashen, spoke to the empty front yard.
Amidst the swirling reeds, a figure appeared opposite him:
"Grand Knight Commander Howard of the Third Order of Knights of the Fir City Holy Crusaders, is that you?"
The newcomer wore the hood that came with the priest's robe, and her voice indicated she was a woman.
Howard nodded calmly:
"It is I, or more precisely, the 'former' Grand Knight Commander."
A fierce battle was inevitable, and he was mentally prepared.
The newcomer seemed unconcerned about such trivial matters as whether it was the Grand Knight Commander or the former Grand Knight Commander, and continued speaking:
"Come with me. The Son of God has arranged a new job for you."
Howard's expression remained unchanged, but his tone was somewhat sincere:
"Can I not go? It doesn't sound like a very good job. Actually, Antiya Lisi has already suspended me from my post, and now I'm just a commoner..."
Why would an ordinary citizen burn their files?
The question was too pointed, Howard couldn't think of an excuse for the time being. He sighed and asked:
Did you come alone?
"Yes, I heard you have excellent hearing, so I had them stand by a block away."
Howard didn't reply. He glanced at the swaying reeds, which made the entire courtyard exceptionally quiet; even stepping on the ground wouldn't make a sound.
He inwardly sighed, realizing that this move indeed had a certain degree of restraint on his senses. The fact that this person came alone also demonstrated his confidence in his own strength. He couldn't help but ask:
Who are you? I've never seen you before.
A smile appeared on the face of the person under the hood:
"Grand Knight Nuolun, Holy Crusaders First Knights Second Holy See."
Howard shook his head:
"Never heard of it."
He swung his right hand sharply, and a long-handled axe, which Directed Alienation, was now in his grasp.
The retired knight strode forward, and with each step he took, the bark armor on his body became clearer, and he grew an inch taller.
Nuolun said no more, pointing his long rapier at the enemy while concealing his heavy cleaver in his sleeve, and began fighting his opponent in his most familiar fighting style.
Ten minutes later, the reeds stopped falling from the sky. The Second Holy See's Holy Crusaders, located a block away, witnessed the pre-arranged signal and began to advance in unison, surrounding the small house from all directions.
Ed, who was used to watching the drama unfold, also joined his First Knight Order and came with them outside the manor.
Looking through the fence, Howard's house appeared to have been hit by a localized earthquake; only a corner on the first floor remained relatively intact, while the rest of the house was reduced to ruins.
In the courtyard covered with grayish-white reeds, more than a dozen servants who were not dead lay scattered about, and long, splattered streaks of blood covered the ground.
Upon reaching the gate, the manor's iron gate opened, and Nuolun dragged out a mangled, humanoid creature.
Looking at Nuolun, who was covered in blood, Ed couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. As expected of the Grand Knight Commander of the newly formed First Knight Order, he was truly exceptional.
Duolin but not good enough at fighting; Motley is good at fighting but not loyal enough.
Among those belonging to the plant faction who could be incorporated into his ranks, only Nuolun was both loyal and capable in combat. Luxiusi had indeed carefully chosen his subordinates when dealing cards to him.
Ed looked closely and realized that only a small portion of the blood on Nuolun's body was her own; most of it came from the humanoid monster she was dragging.
Based on this, it seems that Nuolun's strength is probably below Motley and above Howard, because Nuolun previously stated that his attacks would have difficulty breaking through Motley's defense.
Therefore, Antiya Lisi is indeed the number one fighter in the entire Fir City. Whether in the priestly system or the Holy Crusaders system, he should be the most capable fighter.
It was only because that kind-hearted person, whom even Duma couldn't see, helped him that the recapture of Fir City went so smoothly.
From [ Howling Pothos's ] perspective, although Antiya Lisi died in human form, he had previously been in a similar monstrous state, and speaking of humanoid monsters...
Ed frowned.
"Weren't we here to capture the High Knight Commander? Where did this half-tree person come from?"
Nuolun handed the half-dead Howard to his men and explained:
"I broke his defenses and he was seriously injured. He wanted to fully Tree Transformation and fight me to the death, but I forcibly stopped him."
Ed was shocked. Nuolun could interrupt other people's transformation process? Was this some kind of superpowerful ability that could break the fourth wall?
In this World of Disorder, while there's no rule against attacking during the Form Transformation process, for players, the unique BOSS is undergoing a unique transformation. At this moment, turning on the camera function is undoubtedly a better choice than rushing in and getting killed.
If Nuolun possesses the extraordinary self-control to resist transforming without looking at others, and even greedily go in for a couple of hits, then her positioning will need to be carefully planned when fighting bosses in the future.
Thinking of this, he quickly pressed for an answer:
How did you stop him?
Nuolun shrugs:
"I told him that his family had been tainted by my [ Blood-Seeking Pampas Grass ], and if he died here in Tree Transformation, they wouldn't survive either. Then he suppressed the Tree Transformation effect himself. The two opposing forces collided within his body, and he passed out."
After hearing Nuolun's explanation, Ed remained silent for a long time.
This wasn't just about interrupting the enemy's transformation; it was about precisely exploiting the enemy's weakness to launch a targeted attack, successfully bringing the opponent to a near-suicidal state.
And more importantly, how could Nuolun have come up with such a solution?
Is this still Nuolun?
Where has that upright Grand Knight gone?
This kind of insidious method could only possibly be used by players, right?
Ed suppressed the urge to make a strange gesture at the corner of his mouth. He had a bad feeling that his trusted advisors were being dragged little by little into an indescribable abyss by the players.
Without saying anything more, he took two steps forward to Howard's side, bent down, and easily took away his symbiotic plant.
The Grand Knight Commander, writhing in excruciating pain, slowly awoke from his coma. Before him stood a one-eyed boy who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old.
"You, you can do whatever you want to me, please, just spare my family."
Ed neither agreed nor disagreed with Howard's pleas; the cathedral's documents were still being compiled, and the evidence against him had not yet been fully gathered.
However, not everyone is as alone as Antiya Lisi, Ed felt it was time to impose certain restrictions on the families of these Stained Ones.