"Thud!!!"
The stone coffin began to tremble again. This time, the undead creatures seemed to sense some danger. They even stopped entangling with Fang Zheng and turned around to stare intently at the stone coffin. If the Master of Lich were here, perhaps these undead creatures would still follow its orders. But now, with the Master of Lich inexplicably "gone," these undead creatures began to act on instinct. Clearly, in their eyes, whatever was inside that stone coffin posed a greater "threat" than Mart and his group.
"What should we do, teacher?"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fang Zheng quickly regrouped with the other Templars and two Grand Knights. However, their expressions remained very grave, showing no signs of relaxation despite the Master of Lich's quiet departure. Hearing Fang Zheng's question, Shi Dong furrowed his brows tightly, staring at the stone coffin in silence.
"Thud!!!"
At that moment, the stone coffin within the magic circle suddenly leaped up. The chains binding the coffin finally gave way under the strain, snapping with a series of "pops." Then the heavy coffin lid shot up into the sky before crashing heavily to the ground. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng felt a peculiar aura emanating from inside. Mart and Shi Dong's faces changed instantly upon sensing this aura.
"Not good!"
"It's the Child of Chaos, run!"
But before their words could finish, the stone coffin trembled once more. Fang Zheng felt a faint ripple pass by, quickly spreading out. Before he could react, he saw Shi Dong beside him fall to one knee with a "thud," sweating profusely, teeth clenched. He gripped his greatsword tightly, looking like a previously heroic Paladin who had suddenly become a weak old man, struggling even to move.
Mart and the other Templars were not much better off, with two severely injured Templars collapsing to the ground in silence, directly fainting. The undead creatures that had been attacking them looked even worse. The Necromancer Golem collapsed motionlessly, and the previously intimidating Death Envoy and the troubling Blood Flesh Puppet disintegrated with a "clatter," reverting to broken bones and flesh.
"Uh... What's going on?"
Holding the Sky-Cleaving Sword, Fang Zheng looked around in astonishment. He had no idea what was happening. Why did everyone suddenly collapse? Should he also pretend to join in?
"Be careful, kid... It's... It's the Child of Chaos..."
Just as Fang Zheng was considering whether to "cooperate with the performance," Shi Dong, beside him, spoke up. He seemed exhausted, the once sturdy warrior now even struggling to speak. He gripped his greatsword tightly, trying to stand, but his legs felt heavy as if filled with lead.
"That is the most dreadful existence at the Twilight Frontier, the enemy of order... It can create a field that isolates all the power of order..."
Is that why you all suddenly turned like this?
Hearing Shi Dong's explanation, Fang Zheng suddenly realized. He knew that people in this world primarily used the power of order. To make an analogy, it was like all skills in this world required MP, but the Child of Chaos automatically carried an anti-magic field, sealing off your MP... Wait, no way!
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng's expression changed slightly. He quickly glanced at his status bar and was shocked to find all his skills turned to unusable gray, even the activation ability of the Soulstone!
Damn! No wonder the Master of Lich ran away!
Now Fang Zheng finally understood why the Duke of Bones turned and fled without a word. According to what he had learned from the Sanctuary, both magic and other powers belonged to the power of order. The undead magic that animated the undead creatures created by the Duke of Bones also relied on the power of order. Compared to living beings, these undead creatures were even more fragile before the Child of Chaos, as their very existence in this world depended on the power of order. Once the power of order was nullified or sealed, they would be doomed.
The Duke of Bones was likely in the same situation. Although he was one of the most powerful members of the Council of the Fallen, he was still an undead creature. The "Anti-Magic Domain" of the Child of Chaos was likely effective against him as well, which is why the old guy ran so fast!
This is ridiculous!
Gripping the Sky-Cleaving Sword, Fang Zheng felt a chill on his scalp. He fixedly stared at the stone coffin, not daring to take a breath. Under Fang Zheng's gaze, a tall dark figure slowly rose from the stone coffin.
It was a knight.
From the outside, it didn't seem much different from a normal human, except that this "human" was two to three meters tall. It wore rusty armor and had a faint red glow shining through the helmet's cracks. In its hand was a huge, sharp sword, and it slowly stood up, silently staring around.
"Teacher, what abilities does this thing have?"
Holding the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly, Fang Zheng asked without turning his head.
"What skills does it have, what are its capabilities..."
"None."
"Huh? What do you mean by none?"
Hearing Shi Dong's answer, Fang Zheng was dumbfounded. Wasn't this a BOSS? Never heard of a BOSS without big moves; what's the point of fighting it then?
"The... the Child of Chaos is a creature born of chaos..."
At this point, Mart caught his breath and spoke in a low voice.
"And all skills and magic come from the gift of order. They simply cannot learn to use such power. But even so, they are still formidable enemies. These chaotic creatures are terrifyingly strong and incredibly fast merely by relying on their physical bodies. Be careful; legend has it that these creatures possess immense strength and great speed..."
"I see... hmm?"
Fang Zheng nodded but then suddenly paused.
This scene, why does it feel so familiar?
The enemy is a gigantic creature, you can't use Soulstones, and you can't use skills... Isn't this just like Dark Souls?
Then, let's see who's stronger, you or Teacher Guda.
Thinking of this, Fang Zheng's lips curled into a slight smile. He then reached out and drew a dagger from his waist.
Fang Zheng then took a few steps forward to confront the creature. He gripped the Sky-Cleaving Sword tightly in his right hand, pointing it straight ahead at the Child of Chaos. Then, holding the dagger in a reverse grip with his left hand, he placed it across his chest and nodded at the Child of Chaos.
"Huh?"
Seeing Fang Zheng's actions, everyone was stunned. Mart turned his head in surprise to look at Shi Dong.
"Shi Dong, what's he doing? And... why isn't he affected by the Chaos Force Field?"
For those in the Order World, the Child of Chaos was incredibly frightening because its Chaos Force Field would cut off their power of order. This was true for Mart and Shi Dong, the Paladins, as well. Despite their immense strength resembling Superman on regular days, it was all thanks to the power of the Star Spirits. Just like in martial arts novels where some skinny old men could strike muscular men dozens of meters away with a single palm, it wasn't due to their physical strength but rather their profound inner strength.
The Templars within the Chaos Force Field were like martial artists who had lost their inner strength, rendered virtually useless.
"That kid's somewhat special... But, that pose, could it be..."
Responding to Mart's inquiry, Shi Dong gave a vague answer. The Holy Spirit Protection was a top secret, and although he and Mart were friends, such things couldn't be casually mentioned. However, seeing Fang Zheng's pose, Shi Dong's eyes lit up. Fang Zheng had often discussed with him the world he dreamed of, from which Shi Dong had learned about a group of warriors called the Farron Undead Legion. These warriors fought in the darkness to eradicate the Abyss, but eventually, even they were eroded by the Abyss, becoming the enemies they once despised.
Shi Dong had felt a deep connection with the Farron Undead Legion, reminding him of the Order Legion stationed at the Twilight Frontier. Like the Farron Undead Legion, they fought chaos and sacrificed to protect order and civilization. Occasionally, some among them would be corrupted by chaos, turning into demon creatures. Shi Dong had been one of them and thus felt an immediate resonance with the Farron Undead Legion upon hearing Fang Zheng's stories.
And now...
"That pose... Could it be..."
"Roar!!"
The Child of Chaos didn't seem to understand what Fang Zheng was doing. Being inherently chaotic, it wouldn't care about such things. It roared furiously, raised its greatsword, and leaped, slashing down at Fang Zheng!
As the Child of Chaos's greatsword came crashing down, Fang Zheng rolled to the side, barely avoiding the descending blade. He swung his Sky-Cleaving Sword forward, striking the Child of Chaos's waist with a heavy blow, producing a resounding metallic clang and sparks. The Child of Chaos staggered slightly but quickly swung its greatsword in a semicircle across the ground, attacking Fang Zheng again. This time, instead of retreating, Fang Zheng advanced. Rolling forward to close the distance, he swung his sword again at the Child of Chaos. The creature stepped back rapidly, but its greatsword swung back at Fang Zheng's neck!
With a seeming pair of eyes on the back of his head, Fang Zheng evaded by bending his waist just as the Child of Chaos's sword came at him. The greatsword whooshed over his head, and Fang Zheng then advanced again. His Sky-Cleaving Sword burst into a dazzling Holy Light at this moment!
"Slash!!"
Fang Zheng's right hand, holding the longsword, swept forward in an arc from bottom to top, leaving a deep wound on the Child of Chaos's chest. The creature froze in its tracks, but before it could respond, Fang Zheng's sword came down in another strike, driving the Child of Chaos's body back. Fang Zheng then leaped into the air, rotating with his sword to form a crescent, and came crashing down onto the Child of Chaos!
Under Fang Zheng's triple combo attack, the Child of Chaos couldn't withstand it any longer. Like a catapulted stone, it flew backward, crashing into a stone wall with a "thud" not far behind.
Dust scattered everywhere.
Fang Zheng lowered his longsword and let out a long breath.
Behind him, Shi Dong and Mart looked as if their eyes were about to pop out.