Chapter 122: You are not worthy to be his master!

To be honest, Sheffield admired Wood very much, and she understood his motives. Just as she would do anything for her beloved master Joseph, Sheffield believed that everything Wood did was for Anrietta.

Wood's once black hair had now turned completely white from root to tip. Although his life force was gradually fading, he fought with increasing ferocity, and wherever his sharp eyes focused, the enemy troops retreated in fear.

The runes of "Reeves Lacher" on his chest burst with brilliant light, and powerful slashes erupted from the two long swords in his hands. Wherever the slashes passed, nothing—whether it was magic, enemies, or the surrounding trees and rocks—could withstand Wood's attack.

The battle raged on, and the thick scent of blood permeated the entire forest. Tristan's forces were down to just 500 soldiers, and they continued to fall due to exhaustion.

Five hundred, four hundred... one hundred, and by the very end, only a few dozen soldiers remained, barely able to maintain even a basic defensive formation.

As for Albion, despite Sheffield's relentless orders to continue the assault, fewer than 10,000 of their soldiers were left standing.

Wood, holding his swords, leaned against a large tree as the Albion soldiers slowly surrounded him, though none dared to get too close. His body was covered in countless wounds, as if he had just been pulled from a pool of blood. The blades of the double swords, forged by Toristin's master craftsman, had begun to dull and curl from excessive use.

Looking at the Albion soldiers encircling him, Wood wanted to continue swinging his swords, but his arms felt as heavy as lead. Feeling his life slipping away, nearing its end, Wood couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He realized he had been too arrogant. He thought they might at least die together, but he hadn't expected the outcome to be like this.

Looking towards Anrietta and the others from afar, Wood suddenly felt a pang of regret for the mother and daughter. They had chosen to act as bait because they trusted him. But in the end, he had failed to keep his promise to protect their lives.

While Wood would only return to the pirate world upon his death, ending the "Simulation of Life in All Worlds," Anrietta and the others would truly die.

Though unwilling, the light of the runes on Wood's chest, belonging to the Heart of God, grew dimmer and dimmer. The reason was simple—during this brief but intense battle, Wood had exhausted all his vitality. He could no longer wield the power of "Reeves Lacher."

However, the sacrifice had not been in vain. Among the more than 30,000 Albion soldiers killed, over 20,000 had fallen to Wood alone. Even as he became unable to move, the Albion soldiers did not dare to approach within three feet of him until Sheffield, the mastermind behind the scenes, appeared.

Sheffield, dressed in a long black gown with a thigh-high slit, and with long purple hair, stood with the rune "God's Brain" glowing on her forehead.

Queen Tristen and Anrietta, their magic power nearly depleted from long-term use, watched as Sheffield approached the weakened Wood. Anrietta, despite her exhaustion, forced out the last bit of magic in her body, condensing a small water arrow and shooting it at Sheffield.

"I won't let anyone touch him!"

But the magic released by an exhausted Anrietta had no effect on Sheffield, who easily dodged it. Amused by the attack, Sheffield gave Anrietta a seductive smile.

"It's fascinating. There's no doubt this boy is the Heart of God, Reeves Lacher. By all logic, the one who could summon such a familiar should be an heir of nothingness. But Princess Anrietta, as his master, you don't seem to be able to use the magic of nothingness at all."

Sheffield had been observing in secret for a long time and had noted that while Wood was an incredibly powerful familiar, his master, Anrietta, lacked any special abilities and wasn't even an heir of nothingness.

The magic of "Nothingness" is indeed powerful, but it comes with a price: the user of nothingness cannot use any magic outside of the "Nothingness" system. Otherwise, the magic would go out of control, leading to catastrophic failure.

This was why Louise was called "Louise the Zero" and why Sheffield's master, Joseph, was known as "The Incompetent King."

Through her observations, Sheffield noticed that Anrietta's water magic was quite advanced. Since she could use other types of magic, it meant she was not an heir of nothingness. It was not Anrietta who was special, but she had somehow managed to summon the legendary familiar, Reeves Lacher, the Heart of God. Sheffield was intrigued by this anomaly.

"I may not be a 'void user,' but there's one thing I know for sure: Wood is my familiar. Just as he has protected us, I won't let you harm him, even if it costs me my life!"

Anrietta, who had lived in the palace since childhood, had few friends and a lonely upbringing. Although her engagement to the Crown Prince of Wales was somewhat rushed, there was genuine affection between them. When she learned of the prince's death, it was the most helpless moment of her life, and it was during this time that Wood appeared by her side.

To Wood, he might have been simply fulfilling his duties as a "familiar," but to Anrietta, he was someone who had been incredibly kind to her, risking his life to protect her—something she had never experienced before.

"Heh, you say he's your familiar, but it seems to me you don't understand him at all. The power of Reeves Lacher, the Heart of God, is the ability to gain immense power at the cost of one's life. This young man was able to stop the Albion army and protect you until now by using that power. Even if I did nothing, his vitality is already drained—he won't survive. As a fellow legendary familiar, I simply want to ensure he dies with the dignity of a warrior."