Chapter 136: Commander O'Neil

Bai Shi set aside thoughts of Millicent for the time being.

If she was currently at the Church of the Plague, being watched over by the Kindred of Rot, then he could simply follow the game's progression, repair the needle, and give it to her.

If Millicent hadn't been found by the Kindred of Rot yet and was still wandering, hidden within the Swamp of Aeonia, then Bai Shi would be out of options.

He had no way of searching a large area for someone, unless he simply waited to run into her.

But the Swamp of Aeonia was so vast that hoping for a chance encounter was nothing short of wishful thinking.

The task at hand was to find Commander O'Neil first.

He had to get the needle from him; otherwise, everything else was just empty talk.

Although he had the neutralizing boluses from Hilbert, it was uncertain whether such an antidote would even be effective for Millicent, whose body had mostly fused with the Scarlet Rot within the aeonia.

If the neutralization ended up paralyzing the organs that relied on the Scarlet Rot to function, it would do more harm than good.

The safest method was still to use the needle.

However, having Sage Gowry repair the needle was not something he could fully trust.

It was highly likely that the needle Gowry repaired had been tampered with.

The repaired section connecting the broken parts of the needle was the same color as the Scarlet Rot.

Besides, Gowry was not a good person. To witness Millicent's "blossoming," he would even commission someone to kill Millicent personally, all so she would bloom in the despair of betrayal.

Whether Gowry himself was a Kindred of Rot or was merely possessing one, he was undoubtedly a believer in rot.

If he placed Millicent's fate in Gowry's hands again in this life, it would be a terrible mistake.

If possible, Bai Shi hoped to find another way to repair the needle.

Or better yet, could he find an intact one?

But that seemed even more difficult to achieve.

But if it could be done, that would be the safest method.

——

Bai Shi continued forward along the withered branches.

The withered branches in the area grew denser.

Torrent no longer needed to tread in the rot-filled water and could leap between them.

Before long, a cluster of massive, thick, withered branches appeared ahead, pointing toward the sky.

They twisted upwards, intertwining with one another.

As he drew closer, Bai Shi gradually heard the sounds of battle.

"Why are there sounds of battle?"

"Who could it be?"

Bai Shi had Torrent pick up the pace and hurried over to see.

As he approached the battlefield, Bai Shi heard increasingly loud shouts rising and falling in waves.

This was not the kind of commotion a few people fighting could create; it sounded more like an entire army was in battle.

Bai Shi and Torrent stepped onto the withered branches and arrived near the battlefield.

From his high vantage point, Bai Shi got a clear view of the entire scene.

On this patch of land, fungus grew and spread like coral, forming a plateau.

Upon it, hundreds of spectral soldiers were battling four young women.

These spectral soldiers were, without exception, all Banished Knights—in other words, the storm soldiers now found in Stormveil.

Some held swords and shields, others bows and crossbows, coordinating their attacks from all sides, near and far.

The sound of their war cries was constant and uplifting, steadily raising the army's morale.

Faced with such a formation, the four besieged young women were not weak or helpless victims.

On the contrary, the four look-alike girls were sweeping through the army, moving as if through an empty field.

Commander O'Neil stood behind the soldiers.

But strangely, the commander, who should have been fighting alongside his men, showed no intention of advancing.

It certainly wasn't because he was old and afraid to fight.

Given Commander O'Neil's pride, as long as his body had not yet turned to ash, he would fight side-by-side with his warriors.

The reason he was observing from the rear was due to hesitation and confusion.

——

These four young women who had suddenly appeared had different weapons but looked very similar.

Their hair color, attire, and other aspects all proved they were sisters.

Their faces and hair color reminded Commander O'Neil of Lady Malenia.

And like Lady Malenia, they also had missing or disabled body parts.

In the Lands Between, such a combination of factors could not be explained away by coincidence.

Commander O'Neil felt that the four of them had some connection to Lady Malenia.

That was why he had remained behind his soldiers, observing carefully.

And now he had confirmed it; it was indeed so.

These four definitely had some relationship with Lady Malenia.

Not only were their missing eyes tainted with Scarlet Rot, but one of them could even unleash Lord Miquella's ring of light.

Similar looks, missing parts, and Scarlet Rot.

Although he didn't know their exact relationship with Lady Malenia, he was certain there was a connection.

How should he deal with them?

He also didn't know what they were after.

They had charged in and attacked without a word. If he hadn't summoned his soldier ashes in time, he likely would have been defeated long ago.

Since they were here to take his life, O'Neil had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

Though he was just a ghost lingering on the battlefield, having long lost his reason to live, it would be too disgraceful to give up the fight simply because these girls were related to Lady Malenia.

That reason was not enough for him to offer up his life so easily.

Besides, there was something strange about these girls.

Lady Malenia, though born with the Scarlet Rot, had always fought against it.

But these four girls not only carried the Scarlet Rot, they even used weapons tainted with it and unleashed rot attacks.

In the moment O'Neil hesitated, the four sisters had already wiped out most of the spectral soldiers.

So O'Neil waved his standard again, once more summoning spectral soldiers from the ashes.

The soldiers responded to the summons from the ashes, appearing on the land.

The diminished number of soldiers was replenished, and even increased.

Although O'Neil was quite old, he had once been a renowned commander with distinguished merits. This level of magic and command was well within his abilities.

Seeing the soldiers they had painstakingly defeated so easily replenished, the four sisters realized that continuing with their current strategy was futile.

Though the spectral soldiers were not strong and could be easily defeated, they would continuously drain their stamina and magic.

If their stamina was depleted, forget about killing the commander and taking the needle; they might end up being captured by him instead.

The four sisters exchanged no words, but their coordination was impeccable as they worked together to change their strategy.

The eldest sister, Mali, who was blind in both eyes and wielded a Cleanrot Knight's halo scythe, unleashed a series of rings of light, clearing a path through the spectral soldiers.

But they weren't trying to flee. Their intent was to take the commander's head from amidst his army before their stamina ran out.

Commander O'Neil was quite surprised.

He had thought that summoning more soldiers would make them retreat, but instead, they charged straight at him.

Although the four sisters cooperated well and the soldiers couldn't break them, this decision was a bit too bold.

If a fight they wanted, a fight they would get.

Commander O'Neil had closely followed Malenia's footsteps, rushing all the way from the Haligtree.

He had arrived in Caelid almost at the same time and participated in the war in Aeonia.

He was a veteran of a hundred battles with great merits, and the one thing he did not fear was combat.

He would just have to defeat them, spare their lives, and then interrogate them about the situation.

As a commander, he did not fear close combat; his strength was not to be underestimated.

If they fought him up close, the outcome was still uncertain.

Raising her greatspear and casting Sacred Order, the second sister, Moli, who only had her right eye, tucked the weapon under her arm and charged forward.

The third sister, Aimi, also blind in both eyes and wielding dual Flowing Curved Swords, followed close behind the charging Moli.

Though she didn't know the Flowing Sword Arts, her nimble form allowed her twin blades to continuously reap the soldiers who stood in their way.

The youngest sister, Pollyanna, who had only a left eye, raised the Blade of Calling from a distance, spread her arms, and unleashed Pest Threads at the commander.

Seeing the approaching Pest Threads, the commander's expression changed.

"That's an attack used by those bugs! Why do you know it?!"

The commander was no stranger to Pest Threads.

It was an attack used by the Kindred of Rot, who fired threads from an organ in their chest cavity to strike their enemies.

He had seen Kindred of Rot not only here in Caelid but also at the Haligtree. Those Kindred of Rot had followed the Scarlet Rot and arrived at the Haligtree early on to pledge themselves to Lady Malenia.

They hoped Lady Malenia would become their Goddess of Rot.

That was, of course, impossible. Lady Malenia had always resisted the Scarlet Rot, continuously fighting against it.

How could she abandon her long-held conviction just because of the Kindred of Rot's request?

However, the Haligtree did not expel these Kindred of Rot because of their wish.

Adhering to the Haligtree's philosophy, it allowed them to stay and settle there.

But to be honest, O'Neil despised these bugs.

They selfishly hoped for Malenia to become their Goddess of Rot.

They had no idea how much pain Malenia had endured to resist the rot.

They had never come to the Haligtree because they agreed with its ideals, but only to await the advent of their so-called Goddess of Rot.

And the advent of the Goddess of Rot would mean the death of Malenia's self, to be completely consumed by the Scarlet Rot.

The people of the Haligtree would never want to see that day, and no one would consider it a good thing.

It was just that the Haligtree promoted racial harmony, so even then, they would not openly ostracize them.

Otherwise, the Haligtree's reputation would be tarnished.

But now, for one of these people to be using Pest Threads, it changed everything.

Pest Threads were fired from the bodies of those bugs.

Without the organ, how could they use it?

Either these people with faces similar to Malenia's were bugs in disguise.

Or a bug had transplanted an organ into them.

Whatever the case, it was definitely because of those disgusting, rot-worshipping bugs.

"Those damn bugs, they've actually come for me."

Seeing the three young women charging toward him, Commander O'Neil brandished his Commander's Standard.

This standard was both a tool of command and a combat halberd.

Though he was old, he still swung his weapon with force, blocking the attacks of the three.

He wielded his standard to create an impenetrable defense, and the nearby spectral soldiers harassed the sisters.

For a moment, the three sisters could not harm the commander, and a fragile balance was maintained.

But unfortunately, O'Neil truly hadn't fought in a long time and had even misjudged the strength he had lost over the long years.

With the youngest sister, Pollyanna, joining the fray, O'Neil gradually began to struggle.

He was indeed old.

The strength of these four sisters was formidable; they were, after all, offshoots of a demigod.

And unlike Malenia, they did not resist the Scarlet Rot at all.

They had acquired its power and used it without hesitation.

Every time they struck O'Neil, the Scarlet Rot within him would surge.

Even with the needle suppressing it, he could clearly feel the rot's corrosion.

Soon, as the eldest sister, Mali, seized an opportunity and hooked O'Neil's standard with her scythe, the other three swiftly inflicted heavy damage on him.

If not for the spectral soldiers pouncing forward to block some of the follow-up attacks, O'Neil would likely have died on the spot.

However, his current situation wasn't much better; he was just waiting to die.

O'Neil was entangled in close combat with them, with no ability or time to summon more spectral soldiers to reinforce his ranks.

And against such enemies, these spectral soldiers could offer little help.

Watching the four sisters close in, O'Neil felt no fear of his impending death, only anger.

"Why?! Why do you so willingly accept the Scarlet Rot?!"

"If you truly have any connection to Lady Malenia, you should not have walked this path of rot!"

"Where is your pride? Your resistance? Your conviction?!"

But O'Neil's heartfelt roar did not even cause the slightest change in the four sisters' expressions.

Why persist? Why resist?

Is the Scarlet Rot something bad?

The Scarlet Rot could clearly replace the current Erdtree and Golden Order.

The law of cycles that would turn the world from prosperity to decline was precisely the splendid and dazzling law of rot.

That was the world they looked forward to.

Or rather... the world *they* made them look forward to.

Seeing that reasoning was futile, O'Neil gave up on words, once again brandishing his standard to resist to the death.

"It seems today I am to die at the hands of the Kindred of Rot."

"How frustrating... Lord Miquella, Lady Malenia."

The four sisters closed in on O'Neil again, preparing to take his life.

However, today was not his day to die.

A fierce bolt of lightning struck the ground before the four sisters, forcing them to a halt.

Bai Shi arrived at the center of the battlefield, standing between O'Neil and the four sisters.

"My soldiers have been under your care."

He had been observing the situation from above for a long time.

He had been hesitating, wondering whether he should save the commander.

If he saved the commander, it might be impossible to have Gowry repair the needle.

But upon seeing the commander about to lose his life, Bai Shi still came. He had made up his mind.

The needle being with the commander didn't mean he had to kill him for it.

Since the commander seemed capable of communication, why not save him?

Bai Shi hadn't planned on relying entirely on Gowry anyway.

It was obvious these four sisters had been sent by Gowry to seize the needle.

If he let them take the needle back, Gowry could still tamper with it.

Even if Bai Shi got involved, it would be useless; he wouldn't be able to tell if Gowry had done something to it, given the technical nature of the work.

That was it. To help Millicent, he didn't need Gowry at all.

In that case, it was all the more reason to stop him.

After all, he was the mastermind behind the tragedy of the five sisters.

As the one holding the needle, perhaps the commander could contact the Haligtree.

An ordinary needle was not Miquella's Needle. Miquella's was meticulously crafted by him, making it extremely rare.

As for ordinary needles, it was impossible that there was only one in the entire Lands Between.

If even Gowry could repair it, then the people of the Haligtree certainly could as well.

They might even have an intact one.

Observing from a distance, the strength of the four sisters was indeed not to be underestimated.

Each was about as strong as the current Alexander, possessing a power that could be called heroic.

Moreover, they would continue to grow like flowers, becoming stronger and stronger until the end of their lives, the moment of their blooming.

Although the commander's raw power was much higher, he was well past his prime and couldn't exert his full strength.

Being besieged by multiple enemies of a similar level in this state was indeed hard to withstand.

"Who are you?"

O'Neil asked with confusion, looking at Bai Shi standing before him. His soldiers had been under his care? What did that mean?

"I am the Stormhawk King."

The four sisters had no sense of honor; they charged forward before Bai Shi could even finish speaking.

Bai Shi swung his Dragonslayer's Swordspear, and the hurricane it created kept them at bay.

The third sister, Aimi, due to her position, slipped past the edge of the hurricane, leaped up, and swung her Flowing Curved Swords at Bai Shi.

Bai Shi swept with the flat of his blade, striking Aimi's side and sending her flying, crashing heavily onto the distant withered branches.

After the hurricane passed, the eldest sister, Mali, rushed before Bai Shi and used the same trick, hooking his swordspear with her scythe.

But before the other two could coordinate an attack, a terrifying power of lightning burst from Bai Shi's swordspear.

The current coursed through Mali's body, leaving her charred black.

Mali quickly fell to her knees, unable to move.

In a single exchange, two of the four sisters had lost their ability to fight.

The second and youngest sisters assessed the situation and confirmed that continuing to fight would only lead to death.

So, each picked up a sister and began to retreat, fleeing the battlefield.

Neither Bai Shi nor O'Neil pursued them.

The spectral soldiers fired a few arrows and then also ceased their pursuit.

Commander O'Neil, breathing heavily, walked up to Bai Shi.

"Thank you for your assistance."

Bai Shi waved his hand.

"It was nothing."

"I came looking for you for a reason."

"I heard you have the Unalloyed Gold Needle."