Village Head's Debauchery

Chapter 1143: Just In The Nick Of Time



"Please... I might suffer a severe backlash if I continue working. Besides, wasn't there an announcement that we wouldn't have to work-" the tree nymph anxiously pleaded. However, before she could finish, the armoured man pulled a whip from the hung on the of his waist and lashed it across her body with a resounding 'PAH!'

"WHO TOLD YOU TO SPEAK? I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION! YOU WOULD HAVE HAD YOUR REST IF THE BASTION OF ASHEN HOPE AND THE WAILING GNARLED HADN'T BEEN FOOLISH ENOUGH TO AMBUSH AND POISON THE KING!! THE KING HAS ORDERED YOU ALL TO WORK!! THERE IS NO REST!!" the armoured man shouted as he continued lashing the battered tree nymph, the whip cracking through the air repeatedly.

The tree nymph collapsed to the ground, her body writhing in pain as her skin bruised under the relentless lashes of the whip.

The crab-bodied man standing beside her stepped back in fear, lowering his head.

Just as the whip was about to strike the tree nymph again, her shadow rippled, and a headless winged spawn emerged from it, catching the swung whip in its grasp.

All of this happened in an instant.

Witnessing the creature's appearance and swift action, the man froze in shock before his expression turned to horror. He screamed, "TAINTED! A TAINTED HAS APPEARED IN THE ORCHARD!!" Without a second thought, the armoured man turned and fled, disregarding the queue and his surroundings.

The headless, winged spawn vanished and reappeared before the fleeing man, its arms morphing into a curved, inky-black blade. In an instant, before the armoured man could react, the blade slashed through him, severing his legs and crippling his escape.

The man fell to the ground, blood pouring from his severed legs, and he screamed in agony, "AHH!! MY LEGS!!"

"TAINTED!!"

The queue members who had witnessed the scene panicked and ran in a frenzy. Chaos erupted in the surroundings as everyone became aware of the danger.

Even the crab-bodied man turned and fled in terror.

The bruised tree nymph's face was filled with fear. She tried to stand and run, but her body was too weak. Pain surged through her with every attempt, causing her to collapse back to the ground after each slight movement.

"Please, spare me!" she cried, her fear deepening as the tainted took hold of the crippled man and approached her. "Kyaa~~SOMEONE HELP ME!" She screamed, hoping someone would come to her rescue. However, contrary to her expectations, the tainted stopped when it arrived beside her.

The tree nymph's eyes widened in disbelief, and she flinched when a voice sounded beside her.

"Are you okay, child?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The tree nymph snapped her head toward the voice, and her eyes landed on a tall, slender woman with flawless fair skin dressed in a green gown adorned with many beautiful flower patterns.

Her hair was a mix of gold and green, pouring smoothly down to her waist. Her breathtaking beauty left the tree nymph momentarily stunned, making her question whether this woman before her was a goddess.

The tree nymph was so captivated by the woman's beauty that she momentarily forgot her pain until the aching sensation in her body swiftly reminded her.

As the tree nymph shifted to the side, she noticed another woman clad in shimmering bronze armour and wearing a black mask with strange tendril designs. Unlike the first woman, her appearance was hidden, but the oppressive aura around her was far more powerful than that of the armoured man who had just been crippled by the tainted.

The tree nymph froze, realizing that these two women had somehow caused the tainted to halt, indicating they were far more dangerous than the armoured man. Unsure if they were sent by the castle to handle the situation, she closed her eyes and sealed her lips, lowering her head in surrender to whatever might happen next.

The nymph remained silent, offering no response.

Aurora frowned deeply as she looked at the battered tree nymph before her.

"I'll take care of your injuries," Aurora said, waving her hand over the frozen tree nymph. Strands of Vylkr energy, mingled with wisps of divine energy, flowed from her hands in a mixed milky and inky-black brilliance.

The energy enveloped the tree nymph, healing the bruises from the whip and restoring her battered skin.

Iris glanced at the crippled armoured Prismerion man, whose movements and mouth were bound by the headless winged spawn. His broad, horrified eyes stared at them.

Iris shook her head in disappointment. Even if Aurora hadn't acted, she would have handled it without hesitation. She refocused her attention on the tree nymph slumped beside them. Within moments, the tree nymph was fully healed, and all discomfort had vanished.

The tree nymph opened her eyes wide in astonishment as she sensed the changes within her body. She snapped her gaze toward the two women, quickly standing to her feet and bowing. "Thank you," she said, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"Do you feel better now?" Aurora asked softly, gently touching the tree nymph's shoulder.

The tree nymph almost flinched in fear but decided to stand her ground and nodded fiercely. "Yes, thanks to you, I no longer feel any pain. I'm completely healed. Thank you for your care," she said, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks and falling to the ground. Her emotions overwhelmed her under Aurora's comforting touch.

Suddenly, clanging metal, hurried footsteps, and flowing water echoed in the distance. "Alright, stay close to us. We'll handle everything from here," Aurora said.

The tree nymph nodded and quickly moved behind Aurora. She cast brief glances at the tainted holding the conscious man, standing idly beside them, her wild emotions concealed, then turned to look at the two mysterious women before her with curiosity and astonishment. The noises in the distance grew louder, indicating that several figures were approaching.

Soon, they arrived. Before them stood numerous fully armoured figures with protruding breastplates. Some were fully humanoid with distinct characteristics, while others had lower aquatic bodies resembling crabs, sea turtles, or octopus-like tendrils. Some walked on land, while others moved with streams of water flowing beneath them.

Each wielded different weapons-bows and arrows, crudely made swords, spears-and numbered about thirty.

For such a force to be mobilized instantly after the headless winged spawn's emergence meant that the Tidal Depths Kingdom was fully prepared to handle and suppress the appearance of any tainted in their orchards. Unfortunately, this was nothing but a false alarm. However, the thirty-man squad didn't see it that way. Upon sighting the decapitated leg on the ground, the strange scene of the armoured Prismerion man bound by an unmoving tainted, and the two mysterious figures standing near it with a tree nymph hiding behind them, they clenched their weapons.

They immediately formed an attack formation, surrounding Aurora, Iris, and the others. "WHO ARE YOU? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WERE YOU SENT BY THE BASTION OF THE WAILING GNARLED OR PERHAPS THE ASHEN HOPE TO LAUNCH AMBUSH IN OUR TERRITORY?!" bellowed the fish-tailed man standing on a floating stream of water at the forefront of the attack formation, his voice resonating across the surroundings.

He grasped his spear tightly, awaiting their response.

"Allow me to handle this, Goddess Aurora," Iris said.

Aurora nodded. "Alright, I'll leave this to you to handle," she responded. Her tone was cold and almost emotionless, unlike her previous soft, soothing voice, sending a chill through Iris's spine and through the others around them who heard her words.

Truthfully, Aurora was angry about the scene she had just witnessed, but she refrained from acting to avoid making the situation worse. After all, death would be too swift and merciful an end for their crimes.

Iris nodded and stepped forward, halting before the enemy's attack formation.

The thirty armoured men, who had overheard their conversation and made no effort to conceal it, frowned deeply and clenched their teeth in anger, their furious gazes fixed on Iris

and Aurora.

"I MAY NOT KNOW HOW YOU GOT PAST THE BARRIER, BUT YOU ARE TOO ARROGANT IF YOU THINK THE TWO OF YOU ALONE CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING!" the leader shouted before giving a resounding order, "March forward!"

However, just as the thirty-man squad was about to obey his command, a voice rang out from

behind them.

"STAND DOWN! WITHDRAW YOUR WEAPONS IMMEDIATELY!" a man shouted, pushing through the tight attack formation until he arrived at the front and turned to face them.

Iris looked at the man and recognized him as the Prismerion commander, one of the two leaders who had accompanied the Tidal Depths Kingdom's forces to meet the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarl and Ashen Hope. He now wore simpler attire― a shirt and black trousers. "ARE YOU DEAF? OR DO YOU DARE DEFY THE ORDERS OF A COMMANDER? WITHDRAW YOUR WEAPONS!" the man shouted again.

Upon hearing the man's words and recognizing him, the thirty-man squad hesitated, then reluctantly lowered their weapons and withdrew from their attack formation, returning to a

normal stance.

The leader stepped forward with a frown. "Commander-" he began to say, but before he could finish, a hand collided with his face with a loud 'BANG,' fracturing his nose and sending him tumbling from the floating stream of water onto the ground.

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