The three fragments, radiating a faint glow, floated slowly into the air and merged into one under the elderly man's chant. Soon, they restored to their original form, becoming a dazzling and shining Light Blade.
"It's done......"
Deckard Cain stared at the sword before his eyes, emotions swirling within him. He turned to look at the stranger cloaked entirely in a cape standing beside him.
"Come, take up your longsword. I know who you are......stranger. Now, it's time you remember everything."
"I can feel it...this sword is calling to me..."
The stranger muttered softly, reaching out to take the longsword. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes!
"I remember now...everything! My name is Tyrell. I was once an angel..."
"Yes, Tyrell."
Deckard Cain nodded cheerfully upon hearing Tyrell's words.
"You have finally recalled your identity. We now have more strength to combat evil...and you, young man."
As he spoke, Deckard Cain turned to Fang Zheng, standing nearby.
"Thanks to you, we found the third fragment in time. Not only that, you even vanquished Magda, that wicked lackey..."
"No need to thank me; I was merely doing what I should."
Hearing Deckard Cain's gratitude, Fang Zheng forced a faint smile. Although he had recovered the fragment, Deckard Cain had successfully restored the Holy Sword, and his third task was completed, he could not feel any joy. Looking at the system showing only three remaining uses of the Arthas Soulstone, he remained glum.
He was still too weak!
In Fang Zheng's plans, the activation of the Soulstone was always his last resort. He intended to use it only when facing Demon Gods like Mephisto or Baal, or some powerful legendary beings in the Main World. But unexpectedly, he was forced to activate the Soulstone while dealing with Magda!
Magda was nothing, a mere minor boss in the second chapter's prologue, yet it forced him to use his ultimate move!
It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
What frustrated Fang Zheng even more was that without the sledgehammer, he couldn't even kill the nut!
He was too weak!
At that moment, Fang Zheng deeply felt his powerlessness. In his original ordinary world, he could still make a difference relying on his skills. But here, in the Main World, those with extraordinary abilities could easily threaten his life.
He had to become stronger!
He made a firm resolution. If he didn't become stronger, would he always have to rely on ultimate moves to get by whenever he met an enemy?
How many times could he use the ultimate move?!
Once the Soulstone was exhausted, would he have to lie down and wait for death?
The only consolation for Fang Zheng was that after finishing off Magda, he had completed his two quests, "Curse of Frostmourne" and "Guardian".
Among them, "Curse of Frostmourne" was completed when Fang Zheng transformed into the Lich King and slaughtered Magda and the cultists. Judging by the number of absorbed souls, it was overcompleted. However, whether Frostmourne considered Fang Zheng constantly invoking Holy Light too demeaning, despite the overcompletion, Fang Zheng only received double rewards—Frostmourne upgraded his "Crusader Strike" proficiency from C to A and left in a huff.
The A-level proficiency in "Crusader Strike" transformed into a permanent swordsmanship skill called "Royal Cross Swordsmanship". Fang Zheng also gained knowledge of this swordsmanship, which was somewhat akin to a hybrid of Yamaguchi Mountain and Diablo's dual skills. It retained most of the Paladin characteristics of Yamaguchi Mountain in terms of swordsmanship, but its group AOE aspects were closer to Diablo...
Okay, Fang Zheng now wanted to joke, Arthas, did you practice the Royal Limited Edition or something?
Compared to Frostmourne's measly rewards, the "Guardian" quest's rewards were more substantial. Besides gaining three more Dimensional Points, Fang Zheng's random reward was a title called "Holy Protector".
[Holy Protector: You have changed an unavoidable fate and dispelled the fog obscuring the future. Although we still do not know what awaits us at the end, your efforts are worthy of praise (When this title is equipped, all friendly faction characters start with a favorable reputation, you deal 100% more damage to evil factions, and evil factions deal 30% less damage to you)]
This title brought Fang Zheng some relief.
At least the Arthas summon wasn't wasted after all!
Although it was just a system title that wouldn't show any visible change, its special effects were quite significant. In fact, be it Deckard Cain, Lia, or Tyrell, all appeared quite friendly toward Fang Zheng at the moment...of course, just friendly.
More importantly, this title effect was also effective in the Main World!
This was great news for Fang Zheng, who was being pursued by Holy Church Knights in the Main World. As someone who often hovered between life and death, Fang Zheng understood that having goodwill and lacking goodwill could sometimes be the difference between Heaven and Hell.
Even if it was just friendly, it was enough.
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng suddenly thought of something, then he turned to the Archangel Tyrell and spoke.
"Master Tyrell, I have something I need your help with."
"What is it?"
Hearing Fang Zheng's request, Tyrell paused, then smiled at him. Fang Zheng took a deep breath before speaking.
"It's like this..."
He lowered his voice, explaining his request to Tyrell. Tyrell thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, of course, no problem, young warrior..."
Leaving the room, the sky outside was still gloomy, filled with despair and fear, just like this world. Fang Zheng took a deep breath and reached out his hand. As he did so, the Dimensional Codex reappeared in his hand, calmly floating there.
[You have successfully changed this world's destiny and progression. You are about to return to the Main World. Please prepare yourself.]
"—————!"
A dazzling beam of light exploded instantly, and without looking back, Fang Zheng stepped into the light.
His adventure in this world had come to an end.
Fang Zheng didn't immediately return to the Main World. First, he arrived in a pure white space. Here, the system would evaluate the tasks Fang Zheng completed in the Dimensional World. For now, Fang Zheng stood quietly, watching the system panel's rapid rotation before him.
[Commencing evaluation of user's task completion]
[Main Quest "Guardian"—progress rating—A]
[Side Quest "Curse of Frostmourne"—progress rating—A]
[Overall rating: A]
[User receives additional reward: Soulbound Weapon—Sky-Cleaving Sword]
"Ding."
After the settlement screen disappeared, soft and bright light emerged before Fang Zheng. Soon, a Holy Sword with a silver-white blade and a golden hilt silently appeared before him.
[Sky-Cleaving Sword (One-Handed Sword): Holy Damage increased by 100%, Holy Skill damage increased by 15%. You have a certain chance in battle to summon an angel to fight for you (Angel Legion crushes through, demons fall, and the battlefield of the Eternal War is bathed in blood)]
This wave was not a loss.
Seeing the longsword before him, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. Although losing one use of the Arthas Soulstone caused him some heartache, obtaining the "Holy Protector" title and this Sky-Cleaving Sword made it all worthwhile.
So, next...
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng reached out to grasp the longsword in his hand. Soon, the world around him began to tremble, and the pure white infinite space swiftly retreated, replaced by a forest bathed in the light of a crimson sunset. Fang Zheng sheathed his sword and looked solemnly at the unfamiliar sky.
Next...was figuring out how to survive here.