Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 501: The Situation

The Duke completed all of this as if he were just brushing off some nonexistent dust from his sleeve.

His gaze finally fell on the nearby young survivor, who had collapsed to the ground, eyes wide and mouth agape, resembling a clay sculpture or a wooden statue.

Tom looked up at the young man standing on the back of the giant eagle, like a god, and then at the battlefield that had instantly been wiped clean, his mind blank.

The knight-level master he once could only look up to fought against the Insect Race with blood, yet still could not escape death. Meanwhile, the one before him had merely moved his fingers, turning those demonic monsters to dust.

At this moment, the definition of power in his heart was completely overturned.

After receiving news about Besom County, the Duke immediately took the Storm Dragon Eagle to investigate the situation.

Vivian stayed in Maple Hill County, handling various affairs there.

Along the way, the Duke had already seen several waves of the Void Insect Race attacking human villages and towns. The entire Besom County was extensively infested with the Void Insect Race.

Besom County is right next to Silver County, and Silver County is adjacent to Maple Hill County, separated by just one territory.

As he flew over Besom County, seeing the situation below, he knew that Besom County was finished.

Here was beyond rescue; even if the Void Insect Race could be dealt with, only a nearly empty and devastated territory would remain.

The Duke leapt lightly from the back of the Storm Dragon Eagle, landing on the slightly fungus-infected ground without a trace of contamination.

An invisible force field seemed to surround him, isolating all uncomfortable auras.

The Duke glanced at Tom, immediately recognizing that he was likely a local civilian of Besom County, with some Fighting Spirit still coursing within him, indicating he was not entirely ignorant of the lower classes in Besom County.

From this person, he could possibly obtain some information about Besom County through inquiry.

Tom watched as the god-like young man approached him, wanting to struggle to his feet to give a salute but was unable due to his injuries and exhaustion. He could only feebly prop himself up with his elbows, his eyes mixed with awe, fear, and a desperate glimmer of hope.

The Duke stopped a few steps in front of him, calmly scanning Tom’s gruesome wounds and tattered leather armor, before finally meeting his eyes filled with pain and panic.

His voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable penetrating power, directly entering Tom’s ears, oddly calming some of his panic:

"Did you escape from Stone Shield Castle?"

Tom nodded vigorously, his throat too dry to produce a clear sound, only managing to rasp out a few words: "Yes... yes, my lord... Viscount Barton... the castle... is finished..."

"Tell me what you saw," the Duke’s voice was steady as if confirming an already known fact, "the number of the Insect Race, their movements, how the castle was breached, and... did you notice any unusual behavior?"

Tom took a deep breath, struggling to organize his words, and began to speak haltingly:

"Many... so many... like a purple tide... they climbed right over the walls, the garrison couldn’t hold them back..." He recalled the horrific sight atop the wall, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes, "Acid... melts armor and stone... and creatures that shoot bone spikes... Viscount Barton... he and his knights tried to flee... but were overwhelmed..."

He paused, overwhelmed by a wave of sorrow, his voice choked, "My parents... they sacrificed themselves to help me escape..."

He couldn’t continue, biting his lip hard until he tasted blood.

The Duke listened quietly, without rushing him or showing unnecessary sympathy.

This calmness somehow steadied Tom.

After a while, Tom continued, his tone tinged with numb confirmation, "When... when I escaped, I saw... saw that within the castle and near it... the ground had sprouted those purple, meat-like things, still moving. In some places, they seemed to... to swell, pulsing like a heart, right in the original castle square."

This description caused a subtle shift in the Duke’s gaze.

The fungus carpet covers, and new Mother Nest prototypes appear.

This means that the Insect Race is not merely plundering and slaughtering; they have already begun rooting and transforming at the core of Besom County.

This speed surpassed his expectations.

The Duke mused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Tom’s pitiful state and the desolate wilderness.

He knew leaving this young man here would be akin to letting him commit suicide.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Tom tried, his legs wobbling, but he managed to stand shakily with determination, using a Broken Sword for support.

The Duke said nothing more, turning to walk towards the Storm Dragon Eagle.

With a thought in his heart and a wave of his hand, he lifted Tom onto the back of the Storm Dragon Eagle.

The Duke also leaped onto the eagle’s back, standing in front of Tom.

"Hold on tight," he instructed simply.

The Storm Dragon Eagle let out a high-pitched screech, spreading its wings wide, stirring a powerful gust of wind, and soared into the sky.

Tom clung desperately to the eagle’s sturdy feathers, feeling the weightlessness from the rapid ascent and the sharp winds.

He looked down, beneath him, familiar Besom County rapidly shrinking, large areas covered in dark purple alarming to the eye, burning villages and abandoned towns like ugly scars on the land.

He saw the path he fled desperately, saw the Stone Shield Castle that eventually swallowed his parents and home, now just a small spot surrounded by purple fungus and active insect swarms.

The Duke flew directly overhead Stone Shield Castle, clearly seeing the scene below. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The closer they got, the stronger the smell of decay and acrid stench filled the air. The area below was completely covered by dark purple fungus, the original castle’s outline faintly visible amid the fungus and remnants of walls.

At the center of the former castle square, a less massive but already formed, vigorously pulsating Mother Nest prototype was conspicuously visible.

It appeared as a huge, vein-filled fleshy tumor, rooted on the fungus carpet, with Insect Race constantly feeding gathered materials into its base absorption port.

Several smaller structures like follicles, evidently developing auxiliary structures or hatcheries, surrounded it.

"So they’ve indeed taken root here," the Duke said gravely.

Although he couldn’t annihilate it fundamentally like Wizard Herbert, he must do his utmost to eliminate these overt threats and slow their expansion.