iPhone xr- Nord "enter VPN Authentication information pop up window."

i just got a new iPhone xr and during the iCloud backup install from my previous device, iPhone 7 plus. (which incidentally got taken out of commission after the most recent update. grey'd out speaker. unable to make or receive calls. Unless hooked up to the Bluetooth system in why car... brutal bug. But at least i could send and receive txt's in a very unpredictable and sporadic manner. Pretty much KO'd the solid workhorse of phone. I took it in to apple bar and they ran diagnostic report and said the logic board was damaged. it was just over a year so no warranty.My options were $350 for repair or full price new phone. and i didn't want to go through the 9th circle of ****, the Asurion claim...long story short, i went to Verizon PAID a big penalty to early upgrade and got the iPhone XR. sorry for the sidebar but very disappointed in the entire experience with Apple today...

To now: I had Nord VPN on my iPhone 7. and my MacBook air. worked great. zero problems. was very happy. But when did the backup install from that to the XR, there is now a relentless pop up window that you cannot bypass until "enter VPN authentication information" is entered. I am not where to find this info and have entered every password that i could think of. nothing.

Does anyone know how I can get through this?

I dragged the Nord file from finder into applications. opened. logged in. then dragged file into trash, as i think that was how to uninstall? restarted MacBook. restarted xr. its still here. can i kill it fire?

any help would be most valued, as I am losing faith in Apple's customer care.

Thanks!