Chapter 88 : If the Rotting Lord shamelessly takes action, then I’ll stake my life to buy you time!
Chapter 88: If the Rotting Lord shamelessly takes action, then I’ll stake my life to buy you time!
This was no fantasy novel.
There were no so-called divine-level secret arts or divine-level weapons flying around.
Nor was “cross-tier combat” the norm, where one couldn’t call themselves a genius unless they could fight opponents several levels higher.
On this continent—
Being one tier higher meant absolute suppression!
Only a handful of the most gifted individuals could barely fight to a draw against a weaker opponent of the next tier, and that alone would already be considered a miracle.
Only Lynn was a complete anomaly!
His true form was not even human—strictly speaking, he wasn’t even a living creature.
He was a church. A church with a system that defied all logic!
And most crucially—there was the matter of level difference!
Lynn’s level was Divine Tier: Third Tier.
Completely incomparable to ordinary Third-tier Earth Knights or Magicians.
When fighting the Undead, Lynn could engage opponents near the Third Tier.
Even against non-Undead, he could fight opponents two tiers above his own!
Perhaps if the enemies’ levels became significantly higher, his ability to fight across tiers would gradually diminish.
But for now, this ability was simply monstrous!
Take Erica for example—
She was still utterly incredulous, her mind buzzing, thirty years of worldly experience shattering to pieces.
She couldn’t help but recall her days studying at the Imperial Royal Magic Academy.
Back then, she was praised for her combat instincts—able to predict what magic her opponent might cast and achieving a seventy to eighty percent win rate against those of the same rank.
Her instructor had called her a “once-in-a-century genius,” and she walked with her head held high.
But the man before her?
A Third-tier fighting a Fourth-tier as if slicing vegetables—and against three at once!
What was this?
A genius among geniuses?
A monster?
Or something else entirely?!
Erica’s heart pounded violently.
Her gaze toward Lynn was as if she were staring at an alien being.
At last, she understood why Colin had spoken of the “Lord Angel” with such fervent devotion.
The Holy Light lineage was clearly no ordinary church!
Its depths were unfathomable!
Its origins mysterious and its foundation terrifying.
Even a Third-tier divine chosen could fight across two tiers...
If word of this spread, the old fossils of the Imperial Capital would probably die of collective brain hemorrhage!
As for Colin and Daniels—
Though also stunned by the divine chosen’s power, their emotions leaned more toward pride and excitement.
Having personally witnessed many of the Lord Angel’s miracles, their acceptance came more naturally.
Only Rathead cowered in the corner, muttering under his breath, “Monster... it’s a monster...”
……
Seeing Erica’s near-broken expression, Lynn felt a touch helpless.
He could more or less understand her shock.
After all, that was how this world’s power system operated.
“Baroness Erica,” Lynn said as evenly as he could.
“You must understand—my ‘Third Tier’ may not be the same as what you call ‘Third Tier.’”
He carefully chose his words.
“The source of my power is not ordinary battle aura or magic, but something that originates from... well, a higher realm of existence.”
He pointed upward, hinting at the angels.
“So naturally, the standard for tier judgment differs.”
“You may consider me as ‘Divine Tier: Third Tier.’”
“Divine Tier...” Erica murmured, repeating the term.
Just that prefix alone revealed endless meaning!
After that brief explanation, Lynn had no intention of discussing power systems any further.
He had more pressing matters at hand.
“Baroness Erica, after being frightened this time, Servan likely won’t dare trouble you again for a while.”
“But right now, I have something urgent that requires your assistance.”
“Please, speak,” Erica said, forcing herself to calm down, though her tone unconsciously carried a hint of reverence.
“On my way to Lemon Port, I rescued a group of refugees—about fifty to sixty people.”
“I had them wait in a mountain hollow by the trade route and placed a protective barrier around them.”
Lynn spoke quickly: “I need you to send a trustworthy team with carriages to bring them safely into the city.”
Before Erica could respond, Colin stepped forward anxiously.
“Lady Erica!”
“When Brother Daniels and I came here, we also helped settle over a hundred people who fled with us outside the city!”
“They’ve been there for more than two days now—food and supplies are almost gone, the situation is dire.”
“We beg you to lend a hand—give them something to eat, a place to shelter from the wind and rain!”
Erica sighed helplessly and rubbed her temples. “Alright, I’ll see to it.”
“I’ll immediately dispatch people with carriages and food to meet them outside the city.”
She went to her desk, swiftly wrote two written orders, sealed them with her crest, and summoned her trusted guard waiting outside.
After giving quiet instructions, the guard accepted the orders and hurried away.
Once that was settled, Erica turned back, her face still shadowed with worry.
“Helping the refugees is a good deed, but it only treats the symptoms, not the cause.”
“As long as Lemon Port remains in chaos and the plague persists, the people’s hearts will never be at peace.”
“The more refugees we take in, the heavier the burden and the greater the disorder.”
“I understand,” Lynn nodded.
“That’s why our next step is to eliminate the parasitic plague.”
His tone was firm, carrying a calm confidence: “I will personally purify all the parasites infesting this city.”
“Once it succeeds, your prestige among the citizens will soar to its peak.”
“By then, you can seize the moment to consolidate every wavering force in Lemon Port—even annex Servan’s faction.”
“Unite everything into one strength and prepare for war!”
“Because once this carefully laid plague is gone, the Undead Legion will surely retaliate in fury with an all-out assault.”
“Our time is short, so we must act fast!”
Erica fell into thought.
She had to admit, this was the best possible strategy—thorough and comprehensive.
By relying on the divine chosen’s power, she could swiftly establish absolute authority, consolidate resources, and brace for the enemy.
However—
She lifted her gaze toward Lynn, voicing the most crucial concern:
“The plan itself has no flaw.”
“But... are you truly confident you can withstand the wrath of the Rotting Lord?”
“If it deems your intervention a violation of The Violet Armistice and personally descends?”
“A being above the Sixth Tier—just one of its kind—could easily crush and annihilate us all!”
Lynn fell silent.
To be honest—
Ever since acquiring the divine art 【The Gate of Heaven】, he feared no swarm of low-tier enemies.
As long as he could intimidate them and break their morale, he could simply open the gate and reap victory.
However—
Erica was right.
The Rotting Lord, that boss-level existence, could very well intervene personally.
Even if his own strength was Third Tier, the ability to fly and display such overwhelming might could lead the enemy to classify him as a Fifth-tier combatant—and respond with its own ultimate power!
That would be the most perilous situation imaginable.
But what choice did he have?
For his true form to ascend to the Fourth Tier, he needed 100,000 points of Holy Radiance.
At his current rate of accumulation, that would take more than two months.
He couldn’t expect Lemon Port to endure another two months, waiting until he grew strong enough to face the Rotting Lord before launching the counteroffensive.
By then—
The entire city might already be crawling with hatched parasites, feasting on corpses.
So Lynn replied calmly, “If the other side truly has the gall to descend personally…”
“Then I’ll stake my life—I should be able to hold out for a while and buy you some time.”
“After that, you must organize an evacuation by sea. Save as many as you can.”
As a thriving port city, Lemon Port had no shortage of ships.
Evacuating at least half the population wouldn’t be a problem.
Hearing this, Erica’s pupils constricted slightly.
Evacuating by sea…
That was undoubtedly the worst possible contingency—signifying abandoning all the foundations of Lemon Port.
Yet when the young man spoke those words—
His composure brought her an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
It was as if he had already accounted for the worst outcome.
And still, he was willing to stake his life—for her, for this city!
Such noble selflessness moved Erica deeply.
Her eyes glistened with a thin layer of moisture.
“Alright, I understand.”
Erica nodded solemnly. “I will fully cooperate with you!”
“The future of Lemon Port… I entrust it to you, my lord.”