Chapter 27: The Situation Reverses

"Clop, clop... clop, clop...!"

The urgent sound of hooves rang out as Fang Zheng rode his holy white warhorse, charging towards the undead army ahead like a raging storm. Hearing the hoofbeats, the undead instinctively turned their heads, looking behind them. But it was already too late, for Fang Zheng had already reached them!

"Hah!"

Without hesitation, Fang Zheng swung his longsword, and a golden sword aura flew from the blade, striking the necromancer directly in front of him. The necromancer's body shuddered from the impact and then disintegrated into a pile of broken bones, scattering everywhere. The staff it clutched fell to the ground, and the dim light on it instantly dimmed further. At the same time, several skeleton archers nearby quickly stepped in front of the necromancer, raising their crossbows to aim at the imminent threat.

"Swish!!"

At that moment, Fang Zheng's holy white warhorse vanished, and he rolled on the ground to dodge the first volley of arrows. Then Fang Zheng raised his longsword and swung it forward.

Crusader Strike!

"Boom———!!"

Several cross-shaped emblems erupted, engulfing the skeleton archers in an explosion and dust. The sudden attack tore a gap in the undead's encirclement. Caught off guard, the undead quickly turned to fend off the external assault.

"Maintain the barrier, focus!"

With one of the three necromancers already taken down by Fang Zheng, the weakening barrier began to falter. Feeling the unstable magic fluctuations, the other necromancer controlling the barrier core raised his staff and began chanting a spell, aiming at Fang Zheng. But just as the necromancer was about to complete his spell, he saw Fang Zheng raise his longsword and point it at him from afar.

What's he trying to do?

Seeing Fang Zheng's actions, the necromancer was startled. There were still several necromancer golems and skeleton soldiers in between them; did this young man actually think he could reach him?

But before the necromancer could finish contemplating, he felt his soul being struck heavily, and his vision went pitch black. The necromancer then lowered his head, as if falling asleep, and became motionless.

Done!

Seeing the second necromancer stand motionless like a puppet, Fang Zheng rolled aside to dodge the attacking skeleton soldiers. The skill he had just used was the Paladin's ability "Repentance" from Yamaguchi Mountain, a skill that could paralyze the target. Though it only worked on undead, demons, dragonkind, and giants... fortunately, there was no shortage of those here!

"Huh!!"

At this moment, Knight Conan also charged in from another direction. Even if his combat strength wasn't as high as Fang Zheng's, his combat experience from numerous battles was rich. Seizing the opportunity while Fang Zheng distracted the other undead, Conan engaged the last necromancer.

With the core necromancer paralyzed by Fang Zheng and the other two necromancers unable to focus, the already unstable weakening barrier completely shattered like a soap bubble with a "pop."

"Everyone, charge out now!"

Freed from the barrier's suppression, the surrounded templars rallied and began breaking out with all their might.

Having succeeded, Fang Zheng wouldn't let this chance slip away. Holy energy gathered once more, and as Fang Zheng swung his sword, golden holy power erupted like a cyclone. Countless holy lightsabers radiated in all directions from Fang Zheng, piercing through the surrounding undead. They screamed and turned to ash under the burning holy flames.

When Fang Zheng lowered his longsword, he was surrounded only by burning white flames and ashes drifting like snowflakes, quietly falling to the ground. Dozens of lightsabers spread out around him, slowly becoming dim before finally vanishing into the air.

What terrifying power!

Be it the undead, the waiting templars, or Knight Conan, everyone gasped at this sight. These weren't ordinary undead but loyal servants of liches with formidable strength. Even the weakest skeleton archer could rival a regular soldier. That's why the elite templars had been trapped here. Yet this unexpected rescue force had swiftly obliterated them, leaving the templars in awe. Facing these creatures alone, they doubted they could eliminate them so effortlessly.

They didn't know that this wasn't solely Fang Zheng's feat. It was a combination of factors: Fang Zheng's Royal Cross Swordsmanship inherently countered undead, his Sky-Cleaving Sword boosted holy damage by 100%, and his soulstone embedded with Arthas's spirit increased damage against undead by 50%. Additionally, his Holy Protector title granted another 100% damage boost against evil factions. Adding all these factors, Fang Zheng's attacks dealt over 250% damage to the undead, resulting in a crushing, one-hit kill rhythm.

The undead quickly shifted tactics, and Fang Zheng saw an undead giant stride towards him, roaring in anger with its wooden club raised to strike him.

"Boom!"

At the moment the undead giant's club fell, Fang Zheng rolled backward, narrowly dodging. The giant club slammed into the ground, barely missing Fang Zheng's afterimage. Before the undead giant could raise its club again, Fang Zheng lunged forward, his Sky-Cleaving Sword slashing through with a radiant holy light in a crescent arc. In an instant, the undead giant froze, its head sliding off with a "thud," and its massive body collapsed with a "boom."

"Great swordsmanship!"

Seeing this strike, a middle-aged knight's eyes glinted. He had observed Fang Zheng's previous swordsmanship but wasn't too surprised. In this world, various swordsmanship styles existed, passed down, fortuitously acquired, or self-taught. Fang Zheng's earlier attacks might shock an average person, but to seasoned warriors, they were just "powerful."

But Fang Zheng's recent counterattack after dodging the undead giant displayed pure skill—crisp, clean, and devoid of any flourish. To the trained eye, it showcased true swordsmanship mastery. The battlefield isn't the place for flowery techniques; it demands brutal and direct methods not seen in movies or novels. And while swordsmanship is crucial, a person's true skill is gauged by their fundamentals.

Now wasn't the time for mutual admiration. With Fang Zheng's decisive entry, the battlefield had shifted. A third of the undead forces were eliminated, including the necromancers and giants. Free from the weakening barrier, the templars regained their strength.

Hunter and prey roles reversed instantly. The undead, which once overwhelmed the templars, now found themselves surrounded. Without the necromancers' support and the giants' intimidation, the remaining undead were quickly dispatched by the templars.

"Thank you for your help!"

After the crisis, the leading middle-aged knight approached Fang Zheng, nodding kindly.

"It's rare to meet an ally here. I am Mart, commander of the Thirteenth Division of the Bishopric. May I ask who you are...?"

"I am Fang Zheng."

Smiling, Fang Zheng replied to the man before him.

"I'm an apprentice guardian knight from the Sanctuary of Star Moon City. I came here with Grand Knight Shi Dong for a rescue mission, but..."

Looking around, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly.

"We got separated. Fortunately, I encountered Knight Conan..."

"Indeed, that's fortunate."

Mart nodded hearing Fang Zheng's answer. Having already queried Conan, he had some understanding of Fang Zheng. Mart was astonished to learn this young man was merely an apprentice guardian knight. The finesse of Fang Zheng's final strike suggested years of battlefield experience. Knowing Fang Zheng's youth added to Mart's surprise.

Fang Zheng's earlier powerful and flashy swordsmanship could be attributed to family heritage. But such skill at his age was confounding. No one could master swordsmanship this deeply, even starting from birth.

Unbeknownst to Mart, Fang Zheng's proficiency came from countless life-and-death battles.

"Master, the battlefield is cleared."

In their conversation, a knight responsible for battlefield cleanup approached, saluted, and handed over several dark, crystal-like objects.

"Mid-tier spirit crystals?"

Mart frowned at the crystals, taking one thumb-sized black crystal. These were soul cores left by necromantic creatures upon death. Various beings on this continent possessed such items. For beings influenced by magic, like monsters and undead, soul cores could be harvested. For humans and animals, special methods were needed to extract and condense spirit crystals.

Of course, such methods were dangerous and cruel, banned for their use solely by necromancers.

Soul cores were valuable, powering alchemical constructs and serving as energy for arrays and teleportation arrays. Judging by these crystals' quality, they would fetch a handsome price at alchemy shops or mage associations.

"These are your spoils, Mr. Fang Zheng."

Handing the soul cores to Fang Zheng, Mart watched as he weighed them. Just as Fang Zheng was about to speak, he suddenly heard a system notification.

[Valuable convertibles detected. Do you wish to convert and recharge?]

What?

Seeing the system prompt, Fang Zheng was stunned.

Recharge?